COLLECTING THE MOTORHOME
The day had finally come for me to pick up my Motorhome from ELITE MOTORHOMES IN BANBURY. I could hardly sleep the night before realising that my dream of five years or more is becoming a reality. I am going to live in a motorhome and travel around Great Britain for the next year and write about all my experiences.
When I arrived at ELITE MOTORHOMES IN BANBURY, elitemotorhomes.co.uk and saw my Auto Trailer I knew that I have chosen well and I couldn’t wait to take ownership of it.
I was given a thorough guided tour of her by one of the sales team. He explained exactly how everything works and what I needed to do to ensure that it continued to work. I was overwhelmed by it all, so I politely asked if he minded me videoing what all the various switches did so that I could go away and study them when I had calmed down.
There is clean water and dirty water to be emptied, not to mention the toilet cassette that needs emptying and cleaning and I must not forget the blue chemicals to add to it.
After two hours I am ready to drive off with the motorhome. I tentatively drive it back to my boyfriends house, where I am staying, about twenty minutes down the road. I was aware of the cars building up behind me but I had to get used to the dimensions of the vehicle and give myself more space when manoeuvring around roundabouts and country lanes. Hearing the tree branches brushing over the top of the motorhome on some of the narrower roads was a bit disconcerting but I got there in one piece.
Over the next two weeks I cleaned and packed the vehicle for my adventures. It was so difficult trying to decide between what I wanted and what I actually needed for on the road trip. I bought a SATNAV that is specifically for motorhomes and mouthed the dimensions of the motorhome so hopefully I will not find myself stuck down some country lane that is too narrow. it will only direct me on routes that the motorhome can drive down.
I also had to decide what I needed to get around when the motorhome was parked up. I went to see lots of bikes and test rode an electric bike. I instantly fell in love with the Cassandra crossfire e bike. It has eight gears but more importantly when the going gets tough all I have to do is press a little button on the left hand side of the handlebars and it makes life so much easier up the hills. I could not believe how much it made me want to go out cycling, something I have not done for years!! Being impatient I persuaded the staff at Halfords to sell me the display model and also that it would fit into the back of my soft top mini so that I could take it home there and then!
As they approached the car they said "it will never fit, we will have to take a wheel off" but with a little perseverance and determination and a little help from the long seatbelt, we secured it enough for me to drive off. Armed with my shinny new grey and purple cycling helmet! And I have to say no-one looks good in a cycle helmet but I do look particularly bad!! But safety first and all that!
As they approached the car they said "it will never fit, we will have to take a wheel off" but with a little perseverance and determination and a little help from the long seatbelt, we secured it enough for me to drive off. Armed with my shinny new grey and purple cycling helmet! And I have to say no-one looks good in a cycle helmet but I do look particularly bad!! But safety first and all that!
I took great delight in inviting people to have a guided tour of the motorhome as it sat on my boyfriends driveway. His parents, who had been keen Caravaners, were so informative and supportive. Giving me so many things including chairs, a table and a fab TV. Along with lots of sound advice and tips gathered from their many years as Caravaners.
ELITE MOTORHOMES kindly paid for me to stay on a local campsite ,Barnstones Caravan and camping park, so I could have a little practice using all the parts of the motorhome and making sure I had taken in what they said about connecting to electrics and filling and emptying water tanks etc.
I was so nervous but I managed to connect the electricity and gas and get the heating and cooker working etc. I even cooked some food for my boyfriend, who popped along to see that I was alright before I settled down for the night. To be honest I didn’t want him to go. But I was so excited in the morning as I made my breakfast thinking I would be ok on the road alone.
For the next couple of weeks I set about making sure I had the right equipment for the motorhome and took lots of advice from people who had experienced life on the road in either a caravan or motorhome.
Eventually the day came for me to start my trip. I hardly slept the night before thinking about the enormity of what I was planning to do. Live and travel in a motorhome around Great Britain for a year! It was a mixture of excitement and nerves. I just wanted to set off.
I said my goodbyes and headed off to a little campsite that I had booked through the Camping and Caravan park in the Peak District. I had no idea really where I was going but I knew it was a very quiet site with just a few caravans and motorises. I did not want to be overwhelmed by the big sites.
I drove along the country lanes from Banbury to the M40 and I was quite nervous on the Motorway to begin with .Many of the trucks are right up behind the vehicle which I felt a bit threatening. But as I began to get the hang of driving it I held my own.
I drove on the M1 and headed to my brothers house in Lincolnshire. He is an old hand at this motorhome lark so he was waiting to give me his expert advice and brotherly support, which was much needed.
He guided me in as I reversed the vehicle into his driveway. He checked that I had all the right connections and gadgets to make my life just that little bit easier.
We made a list of other items I needed and headed off to the local camping shop to purchase them under his expert eye. My best purchase was a fifteen pound outdoor gas BBQ.
Next day I was up and off to head to a little campsite in the Peak District. I drove along the M1 and turned off and headed through Sheffield and along the A57 before heading out to a more rural setting where I arrived at Wyming Brook Farm.
I drove on and found a hard standing spot for the motorhome with electric hookup.
The ground was uneven, so I thought I could try out my levellers. These go behind the wheels and you have to reverse onto them to level out the motorhome. using a spirit level inside the vehicle to make sure it is OK.
Well on your own it is very difficult, they just keep sliding around. Thankfully the couple in the caravan next to me, Keith and Jenny, took pity on me and tried to guide them under the tyres for me. But I was so tired and I kept turning the wheel the wrong way and it was a bit of a disaster. So I thanked them and vowed to try again later.
Then I tried desperately to remember all the things my brother had told me the night before about plugging in the electric and turning on the gas. and I got myself sorted. I was pretty pleased with the set up and felt this is the start .I will learn gradually along the way. I must not beat myself up or get too stressed because the whole idea of this trip is to just go with the flow and relax.
My sister-in-law Maggie arrived later to be my first guest in the motorhome. We have been friends since we were 18, and she married my brother Jonathan, who died about 13 years ago from lung cancer.
It was great to see a friendly face. We managed to do a fairly good job putting the levellers in place under the wheels as she guided me backwards. But there was still a bit of a slant, but we both agreed we could cope with that and it was time to crack open the wine!
I cooked us dinner outside on a gas BBQ, spicy chicken, veg and new potatoes. and lots of wine. we sat chatting under the stars until the late hours.
Next day we got up really early to watch the sunrise. I never stop getting excited seeing the sunrise. Then I made bacon butties for us before we headed off for a glorious walk around the Redmires reservoirs. We were so lucky with the weather. At one point we took a wrong turn and had to climb over a high wall, which was a challenge but I was so pleased with myself that I did it! I thought there is life in the old dog yet !
Maggie left in the evening and I enjoyed sitting under the stars reflecting on just what I was planning to do in the next year. And I felt more peaceful and knew it was the right thing for me to be doing. Even though I will miss my boyfriend who has been so incredibly supportive and patient as I have stressed about everything in the run up to me leaving.
I stayed on the site for a couple more days as the weather took a turn for the worse, I felt so snug and safe in my motorhome listening to the rain lashing down outside.
I also got to have some lovely chats with Keith and Jenny my neighbours. They remembered how they felt when they first took to the road a couple of years ago. They reassured me that it would get better and I would learn so much. They passed on lots of tips and showed me various kitchen gadgets they had that made cooking that much easier. I took photos of the items and will hopefully purchase them in due course. I borrowed a watering can to refill the water tank as the taps did not fit my hosepipe. I went back and forth but just thought of it as good exercise and the views of the hillsides and cows and sheep made it worthwhile.
I was glad to have them as my first neighbours because their friendliness just reaffirmed to me that this was what I wanted to experience throughout all this travelling. Meeting kind friendly people who restore ones faith in human nature.
I have spent far too long with people who treated me in a way that I accepted in the work environment but I would not accept in everyday life. That was mainly out of fear. But now I never have to do that again. I can be who I really am and show kindness and friendship to people along the way. And that is such a release of so much stress.
When I packed up to move on to the next site that I had booked through the Caravan and Motorhome club, I went through my checklist. Checking that the skylights were all closed, the gas switched off and all things packed in lockers and secured. As well as ensuring that the toilet was emptied, dirty water emptied etc.
But I nearly drove off with the levellers in place, thankfully I remembered.
The next site at Castleton was a lot more formal. I got a warm greeting from the warden who explained everything to me about how to chose a pitch and park. She encouraged me to venture out and explore the area and showed me lots of maps and routes and reassured me that I would get to grips with all the filling and emptying of water.
There is something nice about having hot shower blocks, laundry and washing up facilities but it is a bit soulless for me. I want to get back to nature more. But I will stay on sites like this for the first few days to get settled into life on the road.
I did a load of washing in the launderette and settled into the site. I felt a bit more confident getting to grips with the toilet emptying and emptying dirty water. But I have yet to fill the water tank on my own as it is still fairly full.
One of my friends who used to work with me at BBC South East Today Television in Kent , but now works at BBC Radio Sheffield, came to visit me at the Castleton site. I had just gone for walk to explore Castleton when she messaged to say she was on her way. I rushed back and spent a really nice few hours catching up on all the gossip. I cooked us both a spicy stir fry and strawberries for desert. It was nice to see a friendly face from the past.
I then chilled and watched the most amazing sunset
Today I walked a mile and a half into Hope and had a look around, it is very pretty and the surrounding hills were beautiful. I got back to the motorhome and made a sandwich, then headed out on the Electric bicycle. It took some getting down from the bike stand. I am going to have to practice to find an effective technique of doing it.
I cycled to HOPE again then on through to Hough and beyond which was so breathtakingly beautiful. But I forgot my phone so I could not take any pictures. I then really tested out the electric bike on a one in twenty incline of a hill to some caves. The battery kicked in and I managed to peddle three quarters of the way up, people were turning around in the car to look as if to say " how the heck is she getting up this hill when cars are struggling" which made me laugh, I just kept peddling like mad and making it look like I was doing most of the work, but then it was too steep even for me and I was very tired so I turned around. It was a bit scary heading down the steep incline and I was worried I would pull the breaks too hard and go flying off. Thankfully I managed to hold it together.
When I got back to the site I struggled to get the bike on the bike rack praying people were not laughing at me from their various caravans and motorhomes. But I felt a great sense of achievement with my days activities, an hours walk and a two hour bike ride.
I have to say I did need a little power nap in the motorhome, which I love!
I then headed to have a well earned shower. When I got back I got a call from a radio producer at BBC Radio Sheffield and they had heard from my friend about my alternative lifestyle on the road after reaching sixty and retiring and they wanted to see if I would be interviewed. I was so excited and arranged to drive my Motorhome to the studio next Monday for an interview with their presenter Rony. More on that in my next blog.
I was so happy and I cooked a lovely dinner of salmon fillet, veg and new potatoes. When I went to get my outdoor jacket to put on as I take the washing up to the sinks, I realised to my horror that my expensive waterproof jacket was still hanging on the doors of the showers! I felt sick in my stomach because I could not afford to replace it! I rushed to the shower Block but it was nowhere to be seen. I am just hoping that some kind soul has handed it in to the wardens office. i will have to wait until the morning to find out. I will be gutted if they haven't.
For the next couple of weeks I set about making sure I had the right equipment for the motorhome and took lots of advice from people who had experienced life on the road in either a caravan or motorhome.
Eventually the day came for me to start my trip. I hardly slept the night before thinking about the enormity of what I was planning to do. Live and travel in a motorhome around Great Britain for a year! It was a mixture of excitement and nerves. I just wanted to set off.
I said my goodbyes and headed off to a little campsite that I had booked through the Camping and Caravan park in the Peak District. I had no idea really where I was going but I knew it was a very quiet site with just a few caravans and motorises. I did not want to be overwhelmed by the big sites.
I drove along the country lanes from Banbury to the M40 and I was quite nervous on the Motorway to begin with .Many of the trucks are right up behind the vehicle which I felt a bit threatening. But as I began to get the hang of driving it I held my own.
I drove on the M1 and headed to my brothers house in Lincolnshire. He is an old hand at this motorhome lark so he was waiting to give me his expert advice and brotherly support, which was much needed.
He guided me in as I reversed the vehicle into his driveway. He checked that I had all the right connections and gadgets to make my life just that little bit easier.
We made a list of other items I needed and headed off to the local camping shop to purchase them under his expert eye. My best purchase was a fifteen pound outdoor gas BBQ.
Next day I was up and off to head to a little campsite in the Peak District. I drove along the M1 and turned off and headed through Sheffield and along the A57 before heading out to a more rural setting where I arrived at Wyming Brook Farm.
I drove on and found a hard standing spot for the motorhome with electric hookup.
The ground was uneven, so I thought I could try out my levellers. These go behind the wheels and you have to reverse onto them to level out the motorhome. using a spirit level inside the vehicle to make sure it is OK.
Well on your own it is very difficult, they just keep sliding around. Thankfully the couple in the caravan next to me, Keith and Jenny, took pity on me and tried to guide them under the tyres for me. But I was so tired and I kept turning the wheel the wrong way and it was a bit of a disaster. So I thanked them and vowed to try again later.
Then I tried desperately to remember all the things my brother had told me the night before about plugging in the electric and turning on the gas. and I got myself sorted. I was pretty pleased with the set up and felt this is the start .I will learn gradually along the way. I must not beat myself up or get too stressed because the whole idea of this trip is to just go with the flow and relax.
My sister-in-law Maggie arrived later to be my first guest in the motorhome. We have been friends since we were 18, and she married my brother Jonathan, who died about 13 years ago from lung cancer.
It was great to see a friendly face. We managed to do a fairly good job putting the levellers in place under the wheels as she guided me backwards. But there was still a bit of a slant, but we both agreed we could cope with that and it was time to crack open the wine!
I cooked us dinner outside on a gas BBQ, spicy chicken, veg and new potatoes. and lots of wine. we sat chatting under the stars until the late hours.
Next day we got up really early to watch the sunrise. I never stop getting excited seeing the sunrise. Then I made bacon butties for us before we headed off for a glorious walk around the Redmires reservoirs. We were so lucky with the weather. At one point we took a wrong turn and had to climb over a high wall, which was a challenge but I was so pleased with myself that I did it! I thought there is life in the old dog yet !
Maggie left in the evening and I enjoyed sitting under the stars reflecting on just what I was planning to do in the next year. And I felt more peaceful and knew it was the right thing for me to be doing. Even though I will miss my boyfriend who has been so incredibly supportive and patient as I have stressed about everything in the run up to me leaving.
I stayed on the site for a couple more days as the weather took a turn for the worse, I felt so snug and safe in my motorhome listening to the rain lashing down outside.
I also got to have some lovely chats with Keith and Jenny my neighbours. They remembered how they felt when they first took to the road a couple of years ago. They reassured me that it would get better and I would learn so much. They passed on lots of tips and showed me various kitchen gadgets they had that made cooking that much easier. I took photos of the items and will hopefully purchase them in due course. I borrowed a watering can to refill the water tank as the taps did not fit my hosepipe. I went back and forth but just thought of it as good exercise and the views of the hillsides and cows and sheep made it worthwhile.
I was glad to have them as my first neighbours because their friendliness just reaffirmed to me that this was what I wanted to experience throughout all this travelling. Meeting kind friendly people who restore ones faith in human nature.
I have spent far too long with people who treated me in a way that I accepted in the work environment but I would not accept in everyday life. That was mainly out of fear. But now I never have to do that again. I can be who I really am and show kindness and friendship to people along the way. And that is such a release of so much stress.
When I packed up to move on to the next site that I had booked through the Caravan and Motorhome club, I went through my checklist. Checking that the skylights were all closed, the gas switched off and all things packed in lockers and secured. As well as ensuring that the toilet was emptied, dirty water emptied etc.
But I nearly drove off with the levellers in place, thankfully I remembered.
The next site at Castleton was a lot more formal. I got a warm greeting from the warden who explained everything to me about how to chose a pitch and park. She encouraged me to venture out and explore the area and showed me lots of maps and routes and reassured me that I would get to grips with all the filling and emptying of water.
There is something nice about having hot shower blocks, laundry and washing up facilities but it is a bit soulless for me. I want to get back to nature more. But I will stay on sites like this for the first few days to get settled into life on the road.
I did a load of washing in the launderette and settled into the site. I felt a bit more confident getting to grips with the toilet emptying and emptying dirty water. But I have yet to fill the water tank on my own as it is still fairly full.
One of my friends who used to work with me at BBC South East Today Television in Kent , but now works at BBC Radio Sheffield, came to visit me at the Castleton site. I had just gone for walk to explore Castleton when she messaged to say she was on her way. I rushed back and spent a really nice few hours catching up on all the gossip. I cooked us both a spicy stir fry and strawberries for desert. It was nice to see a friendly face from the past.
I then chilled and watched the most amazing sunset
Today I walked a mile and a half into Hope and had a look around, it is very pretty and the surrounding hills were beautiful. I got back to the motorhome and made a sandwich, then headed out on the Electric bicycle. It took some getting down from the bike stand. I am going to have to practice to find an effective technique of doing it.
I cycled to HOPE again then on through to Hough and beyond which was so breathtakingly beautiful. But I forgot my phone so I could not take any pictures. I then really tested out the electric bike on a one in twenty incline of a hill to some caves. The battery kicked in and I managed to peddle three quarters of the way up, people were turning around in the car to look as if to say " how the heck is she getting up this hill when cars are struggling" which made me laugh, I just kept peddling like mad and making it look like I was doing most of the work, but then it was too steep even for me and I was very tired so I turned around. It was a bit scary heading down the steep incline and I was worried I would pull the breaks too hard and go flying off. Thankfully I managed to hold it together.
When I got back to the site I struggled to get the bike on the bike rack praying people were not laughing at me from their various caravans and motorhomes. But I felt a great sense of achievement with my days activities, an hours walk and a two hour bike ride.
I have to say I did need a little power nap in the motorhome, which I love!
I then headed to have a well earned shower. When I got back I got a call from a radio producer at BBC Radio Sheffield and they had heard from my friend about my alternative lifestyle on the road after reaching sixty and retiring and they wanted to see if I would be interviewed. I was so excited and arranged to drive my Motorhome to the studio next Monday for an interview with their presenter Rony. More on that in my next blog.
I was so happy and I cooked a lovely dinner of salmon fillet, veg and new potatoes. When I went to get my outdoor jacket to put on as I take the washing up to the sinks, I realised to my horror that my expensive waterproof jacket was still hanging on the doors of the showers! I felt sick in my stomach because I could not afford to replace it! I rushed to the shower Block but it was nowhere to be seen. I am just hoping that some kind soul has handed it in to the wardens office. i will have to wait until the morning to find out. I will be gutted if they haven't.
Thank you for helping people get the information they need. Great stuff as usual. Keep up the great work!!! rent an rv
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