By KatyMac on Thursday, 23 March 2017
Posted in Beginners
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What wil we need to take with us? We are travelling by train.

We will sort out insurance before we go & do the car tax on line there.

I was thinking of taking sleeping bags so we can stay over night nearby & drive back in the morning, is that a good idea?

Dows anyone know anywhere near Warminster or on the way back towards Norfolk to stop?

Are they likely to set up the toilet or will we have to do that? Is it hard? If it is I think we will need a camp site with toilets as I don't fancy trying it at 5 or 6 pm (after the clocks change - will it be light?)

WHat else do I need to think about?
Heavens ... do relax ... firstly if you tax it Monday they will start it from the 1st March or you will not be able to drive it legally ... but if you cannot pick it up on the 1st April then just take the hit ... as to the toilet and other things ... ask for a full briefing on how everything works ... it does not matter if they showed you when you first went .. just say you need a refresher ...
Use google it's great for finding sites or if you are a member of one of the clubs get their site finder on your phone ... if you are a full member here look at the pub stopovers ...
Oh and setting up the toilet just consists of putting water in the flush and something like Thetford Aqua Kem Green or Elsan Organic ... just google what ever type of loo yours is and see what it says

Good luck and enjoy:D
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7 years ago
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Just pick the van up and pop to a pub for a meal on the way home and stay in the car park, most are very welcoming if you ask to stay.
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7 years ago
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They say they are doing a full run through - they didn't show us anything - I may video it

I just don't want anything to go wrong the first time - DH is a bit dubious about it all & I want to reassure him that it's easy & it'll be fine
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7 years ago
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Of course it will be fine, just jump in the deep end, one way or the other it will work out!
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7 years ago
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Very deep water
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7 years ago
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Very deep water


That depends how tall you are!

You mention staying on the way back, do you have any approximate location area in mind at all?
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7 years ago
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We stayed at longleat which is very close - which is a good idea as it's back they've dealers this morning:(
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7 years ago
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We stayed at longleat which is very close - which is a good idea as it's back they've dealers this morning:(


Nothing serious I hope ... you often get the odd snag ... so don't let it get you worried ... all will be OK in the end

Apart from the snag ... did you have a good night ... was the bed comfy?
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7 years ago
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The bed was ok; we suffered from having no pillows

We never got the loo set up!! & there is virtually no water in it

We managed to fill it up with diesel (silly place to put the cap)

& the lovely man at Longleat sorted out the electrics (we had solar power even at twilight)

We need a reel of some sort for our cable

& much discussion has been had about inverters but I don't have a clue what it's for if I need one & how much I should spend on one

But we survived (& without tea)
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7 years ago
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Pillows can be easily bought ... so no drama there.
Not sure what you mean about the loo ... is it a thetford one ... if so then just go to Youtube there are loads of video's on what to do
I don't have a reel for my EHU cable ... but they do sell reels for them
Inverters turn DC (Direct Current) like your batteries put out ... into AC (Alternating Current) like you house electricity
I'm sure someone will tell you if they are a necessity or not ...

Why did it have to go back this morning?

Edit - Forgot to say where are the photo's ...
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7 years ago
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It went back because so much wasn't working; lights, reversing camera, TV, cooker, some suspension thing, the door locks

but they all work now.... for how long I don't know...

We didn't have pillows because we travel by train and couldn't carry more than the sleeping bags

We met a lovely lady Who thinks that ours is great despite having a much newer one

They sold us an entire bag of lotions and potions for cleaning and toilets and water tanks who knows how much we will use

We use the toilets at Longleat and by the time we got there it was so dark and we were hungry and tired so we couldn't be bothered to read the instructions

Fingers crossed it's the right photo, Barrington posing outside the van (nope it won't accept the photo sorry)
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7 years ago
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Welcome to the club
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7 years ago
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It's now being re-upholstered

There is a sort of outside shower fitted the dealer couldn't get working - is it worth looking for someone to try & fix it or is it something we'd hardly use?

My mum thinks it's brilliant!
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7 years ago
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Well Mums are always right ... the outside shower would be good if you have dogs, go cycling or trekking in muddy places ... actually I can think of quite a few things ... and if you have it surely it should work ... unless it is loads of money to repair ... I suspect the dealer just could not be bothered ... what did they say was the fault?

You will probably have to resize your pictures ... try this feebie software it is easy to use and you can do lots of pictures at once if you want ... http://www.freesizer.com/
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7 years ago
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They said it wasn't original so they didn't have to fix it

But actually the box it was in has the same key as everything else so it probably was original

Hmm they said there weren't the part to repair the door either as it was so old

Feeling a bit =hard done to wrt custmer service atm actually
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7 years ago
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It is not a case of it's not original ... they are selling the motorhome and the things on it should work unless you agree that you will accept them in a non working condition ... and as to the door Ummm ... I suppose you were restricted in choice because of the automatic licence ... but hell they sound like right shyte dealers and I would have had one hell of a row with them over their lack of customer care ...
I went looking for a different motorhome after losing my partner and the way the dealers treated me was appalling ... they came out with the biggest load of drivel you could imagine ... unfortunately for them I worked with motorcycles, cars and trucks most of my working life ... except when I took time out to do my C&G level 4 Electrical engineering ... So I soon had them on the back foot and squirming ... but it should not be that way ... they saw lone woman and easy target to bull excrement ...
Don't let it put you off ... you have your new baby and it's onwards and upwards now ... let us see the new upholstery when it's finished ...
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7 years ago
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Outside shower, very posh indeed. I pass my showerhead out the window and hook it on the bike rack for an outside shower!

However I agree if its fitted, it should be working or at least reflected in the deal.
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7 years ago
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having another go at my photo
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7 years ago
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Looks good ... and resizing was not difficult was it? ... NEILMAC has updated the How to on photo uploads ... if you want to see lots of ways to upload to here then have a read ... Link = http://bit.ly/2okFbka

Look forward to seeing the new upholstery
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7 years ago
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It was easy from FB thanks

I didn't take loads - waiting (as you say) for the new upholstery!!
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7 years ago
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Yep finally found a good use for FB
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7 years ago
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I have it back!!
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7 years ago
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Ok some more questions

Someone said there is amximum weight we can carry - as we have the electric bike plus Barry's bike & a sewing machine.......plus a few clothes and a fair amount of 'stuff' - I thought I'd better check this - where will it be written down?

Will I need to use a weigh bridge after it's loaded to check it
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7 years ago
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You have your motorhome paperwork and you will find plate on the van somewhere that should also tell you ... there are two weights you will come across ... the MIRO and MTPLM ... just subtract the MIRO from the other and that is you user payload ...
MIRO Mass in Running Order The MIRO is the weight of your motorhome as it left the manufacturer and is calculated to include a full tank of fuel and an average driver weight of 75kg, and before any other contents are added.
MTPLM Maximum Technically Permissible Laden Mass The MTPLM is the maximum amount which your fully laden motorhome can weigh and still be legal to drive.

I just weighed the stuff I have when I used to load out caravan until I got used to what weights were like for different things ... just remember that any extra passengers have to be included in the weight along with any gas bottles etc
But if you are unsure ... load what you think you need and then go to your local weigh bridge ... then come home and do the thinning out ... good luck
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7 years ago
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