Well we just got back from our virgin trip. Not only the first trip in our new 'old' motorhome but the first trip we have ever done motorhoming!!
On impulse Friday I said let's take it out for a trip and then began the nightmare of trying to find a site in the UK that had space on a Saturday for a one night stay. Friday night would've been too late by the time I got home from work and we only wanted to give it a try to make sure it ran ok.
Our little old motorhome is an import - previously had a German owner who 'bodged things up rather a lot'. Mick has been putting things right over the past three weeks and felt certain now that it would be reliable.
I had joined the Camping & Caravanning Club - as recommended by those motorhoming forums - but found that nowhere wanted you to stay less than 2 nights! At midnight Friday I had almost given up.... However after a nights sleep I got on the internet/phone again and eventually found a site about 2 hours away that was 1) happy for us to stay one night and 2) had space available.
Well we eventually found the site right in the middle of the countryside (lovely) and were given the pitch number. It was a gorgeous setting right in the midst of woodland but it was a very basic site (fine by us we were only there 1 night). Once we had hooked up the electrics and made a cuppa we decided to have a look around the site. Well.... I can only guess that the majority of vans parked there were 'permanent' as the grass was growing around them and the satellite dishes didn't look like they ever moved......
Well to put it politely (not wishing to upset anyone) I would say that it was probably a site used primarily by travellers that had set up home. Fair play to them - a little lad greeted us when we arrived and opened the barrier for us and a man carrying his shotgun nodded and said good evening to us during our stroll. Not only that but the man in the caravan next to us arrived; slept the night and left for work in the morning without even waking us. Far more courteous I would imagine than a lot of people.
Anyway the outcome of our virgin trip has unfortunately shown us one thing and that is we won't be able to make our trip to Mallorca in it in the summer. It will be used mainly for an odd week or weekend trips to France/Spain but in the summer when we go to see our friends there is normally a mad dash through France and down to Barcelona to catch the ferry. The poor old van is a 'plodder' and I doubt if we would make the ferry on time!!!
Oh well back to sleeping in the Kia en route then :-)
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