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I hope to spend a year travelling in the UK and Europe in campervan/motorhome. I wont be able to afford to use proper campsites very often.

Can anyone please advise regarding the following:

1) campervan/motorhome type - £2k max is just about affordable but would prefer to spend only £1k if possible (student!), also possible resale value?

2) maintenance costs/MPG/reliability

3) heating/insulation tips or winter/summer destinations

4) entertainment - what do I need to run a TV, especially abroad? can it be done by a spare battery and how do I keep it charged?

5) is there anywhere that I should avoid or can anywhere be recommended?

6) security

any other advice? please be nice!

many thanks.

Hey hey,

Me and my girlfriend are doing just that leaving on the 25th sept..not bothering with insulation just relying on sleeping bags and blankets mate..you should be able to find all the help and advice you need on ere!! but I'll try and help as well..

In most campers you get a second 'leisure battery' whicb can be used for on board utilities and stuff" also you can get 240v hook ups for some although you would need to be on a camp site then..

I've got a Mk2 Transit which I bought for £750 but I was lucky the guy selling it was australian so just wanted enough money for a ticket back to Oz.. but have a look on e-bay and as long as you are willing to travel to the vans and check them out you could pick up a bargain! Most older petrol vans are not bad MPG wise (about20) or you could go for a slightly better diesel (25-30mpg).. Avoid stopping over night in Lorry parks in Europe cause some places can have a few dodgy people hanging around that can apparently gas the insides of vehicles and then rob you!  

as far as security goes some newer vans have alarms but I reckon a fat stick should be enough for you..Hey why dont we meet up somewhere in Europe if you are going within the next few months to a year cause we will be around somewhere..

just check back on this site or drop me an email at rjpiercy@hotmail.com

Good luck dude!!

Rgds

Dicky

Hi Soulkitchen & welcome to UKCS.

I bought my Bedford Bambi in July this year, it was well under 2K, with a year's tax & MOT.  I bought it through the local paper and took a friend with me who knows about engines & stuff.  BUT I had been looking for months and had seen all sorts of campers.  VW's are great but you need be handy mechanically with them, they are fairly high maintenance though great campers.  If you can go for a diesel engine.  Bambi is petrol, and does about 28mpg but her top speed is only 55mph, and that's downhill!  I don't bother about insulation. the gas cooker heats it well, and when I'm on hook up I run a fan heater if it's really chilly at night,  but intend to change that to a convector heater as it's quieter.  I also have 12v lights, water pump and can run a radion or tv off that as well, this runs of a leisure battery which  is charged up when the van is on the move. This is seperate to the engine battery.  Just depends really what you want.  If you can manage with gas lights, gas cooker & don't want the TV you won't need a leisure battery!

Don't know about Europe but there a literally hundreds of camp-sites in the UK, and also places where you can just pull off the road for the night - you just need to know where they are!

Are you going to be travelling alone?  usually fine in this country, but again you need to be wary abroad.

Hope this helps,

Debbym

Quote: Originally posted by soulkitchen on 16/09/2004

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I hope to spend a year travelling in the UK and Europe in campervan/motorhome. I wont be able to afford to use proper campsites very often.

In the UK you can go on rally fields, small camp sites, 5 sites, and holiday meets with various clubs, they are the cheapest way in the UK. If you want to camp free in UK then as a general rule the risk declines as you go north. Wild Camping is what they call it. Low populated areas with common land is best. Hence Scotland, as north as you can go is the best 

Can anyone please advise regarding the following:

1) campervan/motorhome type - £2k max is just about affordable but would prefer to spend only £1k if possible (student!), also possible resale value?

So would I but get real your talking a van with a bed in the back or a bit of a conversion.

2) maintenance costs/MPG/reliability

The Bambi is about the only camper you will get in this price range, its a good weekend van but very small. Is it just you going?. If so it could work. Good MPG/Reliability.

3) heating/insulation tips or winter/summer destinations

A good 4 seasons sleeping bag on your budget

4) entertainment - what do I need to run a TV, especially abroad? can it be done by a spare battery and how do I keep it charged?

LCD TV 7" - 10" £150 or less (Maplin) will work off the van batt. Run the van once a week no problem. Add a second batt as a backup if you have the cash. Charge from the van when you move on.

5) is there anywhere that I should avoid or can anywhere be recommended?

Yes. Avoid built up areas in UK. Scotland is good,  France and Spain are a different ball game they are geared up to campers, lower cost of living and loads of motor home service points.

6) security

Get out of UK built up areas or make your camper look like it's not worh nicking

any other advice? please be nice!

Just do it!

Where you from?

Good luck

thanks very much y'all

I'm in Scotland at the moment and don't fancy a UK winter (especially here!) so thinking about heading for southern Europe to start for a few months and moving north as it gets too hot for my pale Celtic skin.

I'm realistic about what's available and am not looking for any palace (double bed would be nice as I have to treat myself to some kind of luxury!). I've been doing some homework about what's available - any tips from seasoned pro's are great. surprised that VW need high maintenance, as was maybe thinking about a 'wedge', so cheers for the tip.

I will be travelling alone (mostly wild camping unless desparate) and know to avoid built up areas and areas that are too remote also - internal security shouldn't be too much of a problem hopefully, and while I'm away from the 'van I thought about a steering lock and a wheel clamp....possibly also a simple switch to cut out the start-up-and-drive-away possibility. also heard about the 'gassing' - that even happens in Glasgow!

I thought about an 'inverter'(?) for 12v to 220/240v conversion but don't know if this would work or how much or where to get this item. Leisure battery has been budgeted for but not sure how to get it charged off the main battery/engine.

a simple small heater may do but don't know what type, and not sure if necessary.

I'm also thinking of hiding a bolted metal lockfast area somewhere inside for passport etc.

any thoughts folks?

cheers and be happy :).

p.s dicky, would be glad to hook up but not planning to go 'til early next year so still doing homework and preparation, mate.

Quote: Originally posted by soulkitchen on 16/09/2004

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I'm in Scotland at the moment and don't fancy a UK winter (especially here!) so thinking about heading for southern Europe to start for a few months and moving north as it gets too hot for my pale Celtic skin.

Take it your in Glasgow, you could try the summer north of Inverness. Then head into France, across to Spain for the rest of the year. Brittany is so geared up to campers and loads of places to camp. Derv, is very cheap, Petrol not so. No shortage of sites accross France and spain and loads of camper vans. 

I thought about an 'inverter'(?) for 12v to 220/240v conversion but don't know if this would work or how much or where to get this item. Leisure battery has been budgeted for but not sure how to get it charged off the main battery/engine.

Cheap to buy (Maplin) but take a lot out of the batt. better to have a second batt. and charge from the van

a simple small heater may do but don't know what type, and not sure if necessary.

Stay out of the cold (uk) and a good sleeping bag. A small blow air heater via an inverter will hammer the batt.

That's cool buddy I am gonna be all over the place all next year so I'll try and stay in touch on this site at some point..I was gonna try and post some pics as well for the regulars like roadrunner and billybun..both have helped me a great deal!!

Good luck man

Dicky

hi! guys sorry to but in, what's this gassing thing?? 

 ( by the way, best  of luck with your trip soulkitchen).......lucky duck!

denmau and others

gassing refers to when members of the 'morally challenged' community spot campers in the land of nod somewhere quiet and kindly ensure that our sleep is much more prolonged by the addition of (thankfully) non-lethal gas.

wake up to a looted/ransacked van.

p.s. dicky - good idea

Obviously I wouldn't want to encourage anyone to be lapse with security but this "gassing" thing.  It seems to be spreading very rapidly and becoming an accepted fact.

However, I have yet to see any evidence of an investigation of any kind showing that this has actually happened.  Only anecdotal stories.

Others have discussed this subject in great depth elsewhere.

Apparently even a trained anaesthetist would not be able to safely administer a gas to immobilise multiple occupants in a van environment.

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Steven

You may want to look on www.gumtree.com

There are a number of cheaper campers being sold by Australians, New Zealanders etc.

Good lucj and have lots of fun on your travels.