The Motorhome!!!

This will be an all motorhome, all the time blog - just because it is so exciting. It will contain detail in it which is probably only of interest to Pete and Barb (Jane's parents, who also own one) but read on any way, mystery and intrigue await!

Not really.

First of all, we bought the motorhome through a guy in NZ called Paul who specialises in hooking up kiwis with motorhomes in the UK and then helping them export them back, which we are planning to do. If you export it within 12 months you don't pay VAT which is quite a considerable sum. He did a magnificent job for us, and if anyone is interested in the mechanics of going around the UK and Europe in one of these - have a look at his website http://www.castle-european.com/

As for the van itself - it is a long wheel base Ford Transit van with a 2.2 litre turbo diesel engine and 6 speed manual. For the size it is, it drives really nicely. The body is made by Autotrail, and is a 6 berth (bed, I suppose it isn't actually a boat) model with a  bathroom and shower.

Anyway, photos....

Ahhhhh - silhouetted against the sun. With nothing to compare it too - it doesn't look that big.

The front seating area (there are two) - the front driving seats swivel around to become seats for the table. I like this photo because while it looks as if David and Justine are looking around the inside, they are actually trying to avoid getting their faces in the photo. That table drops down to make up one of the beds, it can also unhook and become a table for the other seating area at the back.

Yeah, that's what it is all about. Note the blinds that slide across the windscreen - all of the windows have them. The curtains you can see in the other photos (see below) are just for show and don't actually close.

Justine - anyone who knows David and J will know that they are really hard to get in a photograph. Luckily she had a couple of glasses of bubbly which slowed her down a bit.

David - see caption above

Looking from the front of the cabin to the back. There is a heater and cupboard on the left  (not in the shot) and then the door to the bathroom. The door into the cabin is on the right (again, not in the shot) then the kitchen and the rear seating area. There are some slats in the little cupboard on the floor behind my knee which slide up and out, and make up the middle of the bed. There's also carpet which clips onto the floor.  Despite appearances, I am actually enjoying myself.

New kettle on the 3 burner stove.

Shot back towards the front with the seats in driving mode. The third double bed is above the cab.

The bathroom, w/c on the left and a shower cubicle on the right. You can see the washing machine we bought in the shower, it ended up being a bit bigger than it looked in the picture. 

Yep, pretty much takes up 4 parking spaces.

We're now onto our second day tripping around in the van and having great fun.  We'll update soon about our travels!