Testing a motorhome for a family holiday (1 Viewer)

Jim

Ringleader
Jul 19, 2007
36,121
128,336
Sutton on Sea, UK
Funster No
1
MH
Adria Panel Van.
Exp
Since 1988
4:08pm Tue 24th July
Sally Ellison of the Maidenhead Advertiser writes about her experience trying out a motorhome for a (rather wet) family weekend in the New Forest:

We have often stayed in fixed caravans in the UK and abroad but have never before tried the motorhome option and driven ourselves around.

So when Marquis Motorhomes of Bagshot kindly offered to loan us one for the weekend to tie in with their appointment as the sole UK distributor of the Elnagh Baron range, we jumped at the chance.

The Elnagh Baron 37 sleeps six people, comprising a double bed in the middle, a bunk-bed at the back and a double bed across the driver’s cabin at the front.
Our daughter Lucy, eight, immediately claimed this latter area as her den and managed to squeeze in four of her friends once the motorhome had been delivered outside our house.

You would have thought that the severe weather warnings for the weekend would have put us off our trip, but the long-range forecast was no better, so we packed our waterproofs, sleeping bags and board games
and headed off for an adventure.

The rain didn’t let up but we felt very snug in our new home.
My husband was impressed with the comfortable driving position and the great
visibility. He particularly liked the huge side mirrors and the fact that
you could see through the back window, which he hadn’t expected.

Given the appaling weather, we were lucky enough to be given a hard-standing pitch at our campsite, which I believe is reserved for novices. We easily connected to the services and then sat back in comfort and enjoyed our picnic as the rain hammered down on the roof.

We felt a bit stranded in the evening as the ‘sitting outside and having a barbecue’ option wasn’t possible. We would probably have chosen to go out for dinner rather than having a take-away, but un-hooking the van, securing everything inside and wondering where we would be able to park was just too much effort.

So we holed up with fish and chips and the Scrabble board for entertainment. The weather improved the next day as we drove off into the countryside and unhooked our bikes, which we had optimistically fixed on the rear-mounted cycle
carrier.

Motorhomes have come a long way in terms of style and comfort over the past few years and the Elnagh Baron is no exception. Ours had a well designed layout, including a built-in hob with three burners, a separate shower compartment, Truma Combi heating and swivelling cab seats.

The motorhome has a fibreglass shell with metallic grey skirting and bumpers. Safety features on the Fiat Multijet diesel-based chassis include driver and passenger airbags, along with ABS brakes and ASR traction control. The drive home was smooth and uneventful, although my husband was a bit perturbed at being overtaken by a juggernaut.

According to the Camping and Caravanning Club, 26 per cent of its 420,000 members own a motorhome and they are becoming more and more
popular.

You do need to plan your route in advance to avoid narrow roads and plan where you are going to park to avoid height barriers, but despite the rain, I can definitely see the attractions of being free to roam with your home, especially if you are retired and free to take off when the sun shines. Marquis Motorhomes is
located at Pantiles Park on the London Road (A30) in Bagshot. Visit www. marquismotorhomes.co.uk
 
Jul 20, 2007
1,244
17
Scotland
Funster No
686
MH
A Class
Exp
Since 1999
I offered to test out Linda's Landau in France but she declined my most generous offer :roflmto: Don't know why? :roflmto::roflmto:

Keith
 

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