Motorhoming Guides

The law on winter tyres...

I was recently asked the question: Is it a legal requirement for foreign visitors to have winter tyres on the continent? Having done a lot winter touring in France, Germany and Switzerland, my immediate reaction was: “not to my knowledge, the roads are generally cleared quickly, we just use chains when indicated on mountain passes and getting into snowbound campsites”

A recent back page article in MMM appeared to contend that it wasn't possible to "wild camp", i.e. "in perfect isolation and with a view to die for" responsibly because we would inevitably be:

A] Despoiling the place we had come to enjoy.

B] Breaking the law.

Hence we should all use ever more expensive campsites as that is the only way to be a responsible motorhomer!

When you want to use a 230V appliance and you only have 12V or 24V available, you need an inverter. When connected to a 12V or 24V D.C. power source, such as a battery, the inverter simply converts the power into 230V A.C. which can then be used to operate any domestic or light industrial equipment.

There are two main kinds of inverter and they have significant differences:

Motorhomes vary radically in size, design and the manner in which they are used, so it's seldom possible to provide a black-or-white answer as the gas arrangements that may be great for UK touring may be hopeless if your motorcaravanning is primarily in Europe or vice versa. (For convenience, I shall use the words "Europe" and "European" to relate to European countries outside the UK.)

The first (and perhaps most important) thing to bear in mind is that UK 'exchange-only' gas-bottles (such as Calor containers) are not exchangeable outside this country. So what can UK motorcaravanners do about gas during extended trips in Europe? There are several options.