Keith Gooden
Welcome to the Motorhome Matt podcast. I’m Keith Gooden.
Matt Sims
And I’m Motorhome Matt.
Keith Gooden
I ask the stupid questions and Motorhome Matt Sims, he is the expert. The news in today’s podcast – you’re back from Suffolk and seriously injured!
Matt Sims
Broke a rib.
Keith Gooden
Yes, I heard you were roughed up by the toilet cassette mafia.
Matt Sims
I told you not to make me laugh! Not quite – I fell out of the back of the trailer, and my foot got stuck on a windbreak pole and I went headfirst into the ground.
Keith Gooden
Of course you did. 11 o’clock at night after the pub shut, was it?
Matt Sims
It was mid afternoon and my arm went up into my chest wearing my watch and it hit my ribcage and crack. Ambulanced away. I’ll tell you what, I want to say thank you again to the medical team at the Norfolk showground. They were phenomenal. And the Warners show organisers were just superb – Penny to Mark on security and to Darren who looked after all of the exhibitors. Brilliant.
Keith Gooden
Of the organs?!
Matt Sims
My organs!
Keith Gooden
I thought you cracked your ribs!
Matt Sims
I did! I luckily didn’t puncture a lung. I scratched one, I think.
Keith Gooden
Did it really? Wow. How are you feeling today?
Matt Sims
Breathless.
Keith Gooden
We won a trophy and you found it.
Matt Sims
I did!
Keith Gooden
You might recall if you were listening to an earlier podcast that we had won a trophy, but Matt couldn’t find it.
Matt Sims
I lost it.
Keith Gooden
It was in the back room. It’s got loads of lipstick all over it. He’s finally admitted to having it, though.
Matt Sims
It was in my office in a box under a pile of paperwork. There it is – look at it gleaming.
Keith Gooden
It’s lovely. What’s the award for, then?
Matt Sims
The UK Enterprise Awards 2023 – the best leisure vehicle podcast of the year.
Keith Gooden
And that’s not when you said, “£100 off,” and they just send you a trophy?
Matt Sims
£300. No, I believe it’s a genuine award. How good is that?
Keith Gooden
Shall we put it there for the camera to see?
Matt Sims
Just put it there. Yeah, if you’re on YouTube, there it is. It’s real. We’ve got it. Don’t drop it. I’m very pleased with that. And that’s the second award we’ve won. That’s good, isn’t it?
Keith Gooden
Yes. Fantastic. Multi-award winners.
Matt Sims
We are now, yeah.
Wild camping is allowed on Dartmoor again
Keith Gooden
Let’s talk about some of the other news. A big story which has broken as we record this in the last 24 hours is that the Court of Appeal have come back about that camping that’s been going on – or lack of it – on Dartmoor. Can you just outline what the background was?
Matt Sims
Yeah, so Alex Darwall owns a big piece of Dartmoor and went to the High Court and managed to change a very historic ruling that wild camping was permitted on Dartmoor, now his land.
Keith Gooden
We must say unusually. The law as applied on Dartmoor was different from the rest of the country.
Matt Sims
Yes. And so he removed that right to roam and the ability to wild camp.
Keith Gooden
Well, he didn’t. He went to court and the judgement went in his favour.
Matt Sims
True. Okay.
Keith Gooden
And now it has been appealed against and the appeal was upheld by the appeal judges. So what does that mean for people who want to go up into Dartmoor now?
Matt Sims
Well, it means you can once again wild camp in the true sense, which is arriving on foot or horseback with a backpack and a tent at sundown, pitching your tent and at sunrise packing up your tent and most importantly, leaving no trace.
Keith Gooden
Leave no trace.
Matt Sims
So unfortunately for us in a motorhome, it makes no difference at all. Whether the car park has reopened at the bottom of where this area was, I don’t know. This article doesn’t say. But hopefully it does, which means that people of limited mobility can regain access to this area of Dartmoor, because that was changed as well. So it’s just an interesting story where as you say, unusually the rule, whilst different, was changed, and it’s been changed back for rules of common sense.
Keith Gooden
We must say, he does own this land. And if you own land generally in the rest of the UK, people do have to ask permission if they want to camp on it. With Dartmoor, that wasn’t the case. And so this judgement upholds the law the way it was, but he does own the land.
And as we said in a previous podcast, I do have some sympathy with him. I mean, he owns it. It should be up to him who he lets onto it and not. But now with this judgement, the law returns to the way it was, which is that you can go up there, you can camp, but don’t cause trouble and don’t leave any trace.
Matt Sims
No, that’s right. And that’s the risk, I suppose, isn’t it, that a minority will spoil it for the majority as is often the way.
Visit Matt at the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta
Keith Gooden
Okay, then. Let’s talk about the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta. If you live anywhere near the West Country, you’ll know it’s a huge thing. If you’re not, why don’t you come down and visit? It really is spectacular when those balloons go up. You’ve got a big involvement this year.
Matt Sims
The Motorhome Holiday Company supplies motorhomes to the organisers of the show so they can stay on site throughout and it has a stand, as does That Leisure Shop. So we will be taking the shop there with a stand as well. And we’re there throughout. This year we’re going to open the shop and the hire exhibit really early.
So the balloons go up very early in the morning, half six, and then again at about half six in the evening. So people turn up often at lunchtime and say, “Well, there’s no balloons.” Well, there aren’t – there are other things going on in the arena during the day. If you want to see the hot air balloons, it’s a really early start or a late finish.
And as you say, on Thursday nights, the night glow, when all the balloons are tethered in the arena after they’ve come back from their flight… they tether them, tie them up in lines and they light them up to music. It is a phenomenal sight. It’s amazing.
Keith Gooden
The balloons illuminate, don’t they?
Matt Sims
They do. Yeah, they just burn the burners. And the weather forecast at the moment is all sunshine, five mile an hour winds and 20 degrees, so potentially perfect balloon flying. So if you have never been to it, I would encourage you to make the trip. It is a spectacle that you will really want to see. 100 plus balloons go up in one go – it’s amazing.
And there are some odd shapes. Some of the weird shapes – remember things like Bertie Bassett? Those types of balloons are so expensive to make that they’ve kind of disappeared, but there are some shapes coming back and they’re really interesting to see. So it’s a great weekend. It’s completely free as well. You have to pay for parking – pre-buy the parking on the website, www.bristolballoonfiesta.co.uk, but do come. It’s free to get in.
Keith Gooden
And if you haven’t been to Bristol for a while, don’t forget the central area is subject to a clean air zone with a £9 charge.
Stanwix Chairs now available at That Leisure Shop
Keith Gooden
The Motorhome Matt podcast is brought to you with www.thatleisureshop.com. Let’s talk a little bit about That Leisure Shop and the Roaming Radfords.
Matt Sims
Oh, we love Stephen, Lindsay and the kids. They are on their way to Morocco. They are a YouTube channel. The Roaming Radfords is the name, and they holiday in their very glitzy motorhome. It’s a big Swift Kon-tiki. It’s massive.
Steve very kindly bought some chairs from us and promoted them on his channel. They’re beautiful Bo-Camp Stanwix chairs. He sat in them at the NEC show back in February and loved them and said, “This is the nicest chair I’ve ever sat in.” And he and Lindsey now have two of them in green. They’re available in clay as well, which is brown to you – burnt orange to the rest of us! Clay!
And we have an Instagram competition launching imminently in partnership with Bo-Camp who make these chairs. They are from the Netherlands, and they really are beautiful chairs. So make sure you follow That Leisure Shop on Instagram, and you will see the competition.
You have a chance to win two chairs any day coming soon. So go and find That Leisure Shop on Instagram and give us a follow. It’s free to enter. They’re super chairs. And thank you Steve for the promotion, and I hope you’re in Morocco enjoying your chairs.
Keith Gooden
So keep checking That Leisure Shop on Instagram. Okay, let’s dive into the main bit of today’s podcast brought to you with www.thatleisureshop.com. Today we are talking about having those accidents when you’re motorhoming or caravanning or camping, just like Matt did.
Matt Sims
This was your idea!
Keith Gooden
It was my idea because I tell you what, Matt over the last few months with his RAC breakdowns and his ribs and all the rest of it, if he invites you on holiday or anywhere near him, I wouldn’t if I were you.
Matt Sims
Just say no!
Keith Gooden
He’s been cursed…
Matt Sims
We did have a nice time in Suffolk. Do you know what my takeaway was of Suffolk?
Keith Gooden
What, lying on the ground looking up into the sky going, “Ow,”?
Matt Sims
Well, that was Norfolk, actually, at the show! I lost the plot. I had an absolute meltdown. I had a panic attack. I started hyperventilating, sweating, shivering and I started crying.
Keith Gooden
Did you?
Matt Sims
My takeaway from Suffolk was definitely beautiful countryside, very angry history, pink thatched cottages and terrible driving.
Keith Gooden
Suffolk pink is a colour.
Matt Sims
Is it? I reckon they’ve got Suffolk 10 – get 10% off at B&Q for pink. Every house is painted in it.
Keith Gooden
Suffolk pink is a colour.
Matt Sims
Is it really?
Keith Gooden
Yes, it is, absolutely. 100%. All the big paint companies do it.
Matt Sims
Right. It was beautiful. But we just seem to spend history nicking each other’s castles.
Keith Gooden
Each other’s what?
Matt Sims
Castles…
Keith Gooden
That’s what I thought you said…
How to prepare for accidents and emergencies on a motorhome holiday
Keith Gooden
Let’s talk about when you go on your holiday in your prized vehicle or your caravan or camping. What should you do to have enough stuff in the first aid kit in case a little accident does happen to you or a member of the family?
Matt Sims
Well, true. I mean, Jude and I were talking about this because we then went from the Norfolk show and travelled around Suffolk and we were chatting about the impact of me being injured and unable to drive. Well, I was okay. I could rest my arm on the armrest and I had full mobility. The only challenge I had was getting it into reverse, but it did raise the conversation.
And then you said to me, “Were you able to go off on holiday in the motorhome okay?” And so we thought, right, actually, what should you do to prepare for a holiday in the eventuality that you’re taken ill? And so here we are. So we’ve done a quick checklist. Let’s fly through it, shall we? One of the interesting things was breakdown cover.
Will breakdown services relay you in the event of injury without vehicle damage?
So what cover do you have from a breakdown service or indeed your insurer in the event that you break down, not the vehicle? Because obviously, we’ve talked a lot about the RAC and the AA and breakdown services. They’re covering the vehicle. But what about me?
So I actually asked them, would you the insurer or the breakdown service recover the vehicle and take the passengers home? It’s not a breakdown of the vehicle, after all, so would this qualify? And the RAC responded. Thank you to Paul for your response. Paul’s the CEO.
He says, “Yes, all our policies offer this solution to support as long as no one else in the party can drive. We would need to see a medical certificate to say the main driver is not fit to drive. It would still be covered. It is an additional benefit to RAC members.”
Keith Gooden
So what he’s saying is that if you’ve cracked or broken a rib and you can’t drive and somebody else in your party can drive, they’ve got to drive the van. And if so, if they’re not insured, you’ve got to get them insured. But if nobody is there who can drive the van, then they want to see a medical certificate, which means you’re going to have to go to A&E or see a doctor and get a certificate. So it’s not as straightforward as, “Yes,” is it?
Matt Sims
No, but I was taken off in an ambulance and the paramedics who treated me filled out this massive A3 sheet. It was like colouring in by numbers. It was huge. And I presume that would suffice.
Keith Gooden
Yeah, but the RAC will want to see.
Matt Sims
That’s all right. Just take a picture and email it to them.
Keith Gooden
I’m just saying. Caravan Guard responded as well. They’re the insurers. “All our policies include UK breakdown as standard. Within this, we provide injured driver cover. If a driver is injured during a journey and unable to drive and there’s no one qualified to drive the motorhome, we will either recover the motorhome or provide and pay for a driver to take the motorhome and the people in it to your intended destination. A medical certificate may be requested by us.” So broadly the same as the RAC, but check your insurance. That’s the key.
Matt Sims
They’ll send a chauffeur! So I guess for them, it’s about sending a driver who will drive your vehicle.
Keith Gooden
And what do the AA have to say?
Matt Sims
They said, “If the driver of your vehicle is unexpectedly taken ill during a journey and nobody else can drive for you to complete the journey, we may be prepared to make our national recovery service available.”
Keith Gooden
May be prepared.
Matt Sims
Yeah. “This is given at our discretion.”
Keith Gooden
Discretion.
Matt Sims
“And we may…” are you repeating everything I say? “And we may ask you for proof of illness before service is provided as appropriate.”
Keith Gooden
Yeah, I just pointed out, there are caveats there. May be prepared and discretion. So when you get on the phone to them, don’t start shouting. Be nice. I think that’ll go a long way.
Matt Sims
Yeah, but I thought that was brilliant. I didn’t know that. So it’s nice to know that your breakdown service and potentially your insurance company may cover you. So I’d say go and ask them before your insurer, certainly. We know the breakdown services, the big two, will cover you. It’s discretionary from the AA, but your insurer, I would go and ask. That was Caravan Guard’s take, so I’m sure others would do the same.
Keith Gooden
And remember, it doesn’t have to be life threatening or even as serious as a cracked rib like Matt’s had. It could be that you just sprained your ankle, and that would make you incapable of driving unless it was an automatic vehicle. And even then, you probably need somebody else to do it for you. So don’t think, “What they talking about? Everything’s fine. This is the nanny state gone mad.” It’s not.
Matt Sims
No, but on that, if you broke your leg or broke your ankle, your left one and it’s automatic, I would still be checking with your insurance company that you are insured to drive. Because although you can, they might have a view. Certainly for our hirers, our hire insurance would have a view that they would not be happy insuring someone with a broken ankle, even if it’s an automatic motorhome.
Keith Gooden
Yeah, and I’m sure the Highway Code’s got something to say about it as well.
Matt Sims
Yeah, well, driving in bare feet. You’re not allowed to do that, are you?
Keith Gooden
No flip flops from next year.
Matt Sims
That’s right. Yeah.
Check hospital and treatment centre locations
Keith Gooden
Hospital location – find out the nearest hospital is. When you’re travelling to the campsite, it’s always useful to know. So if an emergency arises, if your kids suddenly get a tummy bug or something like that and you get worried about it – we have the NHS here. You’re allowed to use it. Just know where the hospital is. And does it have an accident and emergency?
Matt Sims
It’s worth checking, certainly with young children. When they get ill they can get ill very quickly, can’t they? So yeah, we never bother doing this, do we? But it’s definitely worth doing. We’ve had, again, hire customers have their children taken ill and they have to rush off to hospital. They find themselves then having to Google where the nearest A&E or walk-in centre is.
What3Words
Matt Sims
And the other thing that’s a really useful app is What Three Words. Have you heard of What Three Words?
Keith Gooden
I think it’s absolutely brilliant. What a fantastic idea.
Matt Sims
Yeah, every three square metres of planet Earth is covered in three words. So you literally search the three words for where you are, and then the breakdown service or the emergency services can pinpoint where you are within a three square metre tile, and they all use it. We use it here to help people find us on their sat nav. My kids all have the app on their phone. You can download the app or you can just go to the website, www.what3words.com, I think it is. What three words.
Keith Gooden
Yeah. I use What Three Words to get here to the studio. And funnily enough, it’s, spank.me.baby. So what can you do to stay safe then, Matt?
Matt Sims
Most of this is common sense. Fire safety equipment. That’s one, isn’t it? So make sure you’ve got a fire blanket, a fire extinguisher, or something like a fire safety stick. They’re definitely worth checking out. Your smoke and CO detectors – make sure they’re working. Check the batteries in them. I’m one for licking the nine volt battery and putting it on my tongue. And if it hurts, it’s good. I did that for years as a sound engineer checking radio mic batteries and always got a funny look.
Keith Gooden
Never did you any harm, any harm, any harm.
Matt Sims
None at all. N-n-none at all. But yeah, just simple things – make sure they are working because when you’re asleep, they could be a lifesaver.
Get yearly habitation checks
Matt Sims
We’ve talked also about habitation checks, so getting all of the vehicle checked. If you’ve got gas and electricity in there, in the cooker, in the fridge, in the hob and so on, go and get habitation check done. We’ve done a whole episode on this in the past and why you should have one. And the first aid kit, just get it out and open it and check that everything useful is in there. But check the dates, because glue expires on plasters.
Keith Gooden
And also modern stitches, emergency stitches, they use glue to close up a wound. And the thing with the first aid kit, you bought it in a box and it had everything in it. You’ve used a couple of bits. It’s now just a box which you put new things into. That’s the key. You’re saying check it, but replace things too.
Matt Sims
Yeah, absolutely top it up. Yeah, after your trip, if you’ve used anything, make sure you top it up. When did you last actually open your first aid kit and look in there? I know for me it was a long time ago. And then if you’re taking medication, if you’ve got asthma – I have mild asthma. My son Reuben does, too.
He was just on holiday last week with his mum whilst we were away. He was taken ill. He’d left his Ventolin at home in his sister’s car and had an asthma attack. So out came the paramedics with an ambulance and gave him oxygen at night in Bude. And apparently, they were brilliant. They managed to get him to calm down. Naughty boy – just didn’t take his inhaler with him.
Keith Gooden
But it happens, and the thing is with asthma – if you have asthma or you know somebody with asthma, you know this. I suppose I’m addressing this to the people who may be going with somebody with asthma. Just because we can control something doesn’t mean to say it isn’t extremely dangerous. And so you want to avoid those asthma attacks.
Matt Sims
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. I take medication and an inhaler every morning as a preventative. So mine is very much under control these days. But I noticed I only had… I think it was nine days left of puffs and we were away for seven. Yeah, just check you’ve got sufficient medication for your trip away. A pharmacy is always a good place. They will dispense you an emergency inhaler if you need one, usually one, whereas you might get two on the NHS.
Keith Gooden
But you’ve got to be getting to the pharmacy while the attack is taking place.
Matt Sims
You have, and I must say we can tell you where all the pharmacies are around Suffolk having gone round and bought painkillers every other day!
Keith Gooden
And that’s another thing – the painkillers in the supermarket are only about 32p a box. I think you can have two boxes per person.
Matt Sims
I’ll tell you what, not in a pharmacy in Suffolk, they’re not! About £5.
Keith Gooden
That’s right. When I was in the supermarket by the checkout, I bought some of their own brand Ibuprofen the other day. 32 pence a box for 16.
Matt Sims
I-boo-profen?
Keith Gooden
Yeah.
Matt Sims
I was taking i-bu-PRO-fen.
Keith Gooden
Were you?
Matt Sims
What do you call it?
Check trip hazards
Keith Gooden
I-boo-profen. It’s much better. Okay, then – trip hazards. I mentioned the nanny state a little bit earlier. People say, “Oh, why put that yellow tape on? I know there’s a step there.” Yeah, until you fall over it. Trip hazards – they’re a big deal, aren’t they? You can tell us.
Matt Sims
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. I mean, this was a windbreak that blew over as I was walking out of the trailer, and my foot got stuck on it. So my upper body continued in the trajectory I’d originally intended for my feet as well and they didn’t want to join it.
So yeah, just be mindful. It’s so easy, isn’t it, just to trip over the entrance step or have something on the floor – the dog on the floor! I mean, you know, we’ve got an Adria Twin, which is not a huge motorhome. And we took Reg with us and, you know, he can be a trip hazard in the motorhome if he moves and you don’t notice.
But even guy ropes – Maddie was telling me so she was away herself last month in a tent with green guy ropes. They look really nice until it gets dark and you’re on grass. Green guy ropes on green grass. What could possibly go wrong? Well, needless to say, several people tripped over her tent. The fairy lights – you know, I see people dressing up their awnings and you think, “Really?”
And we were on a campsite. It was so funny, this guy putting his awning out. He wound out his Fiamma awning all the way so it was nearly touching the floor, and I’m thinking, all you’ve done there is bend the arms, get the legs out.
And then his wife decided to get one of the camping chairs out and she was on her knees. The chair was upside down, opening this chair – there’s a knack to opening a camping chair. And it was calamity. I wish I’d filmed it. And then they started dressing everything with fairy lights. It’s like, for goodness sake, you’re on holiday – just sit down!
Keith Gooden
But you could see them?
Matt Sims
Well, at night it was like Blackpool illuminations. It was brilliant. Yeah, they had the awning tied down. strapped up and all lit up. It was beautiful.
Keith Gooden
Yeah, a lot of people forget about the countryside, even people who live in semi rural areas. When it gets dark, no, it really does get dark.
Matt Sims
Yeah, where we were was very dark. And then when you’re travelling, make sure you secure everything as well, because we’re talking about you tripping over stuff. But it’s being mindful of stuff flying around in the van. In an accident, it would be terrible. But remember, you have to secure the dog. There are rules around travelling with pets. We’ve done an episode on this before. They have to be clipped into a seat belt or secured to an anchor point.
CPAP Machines
Keith Gooden
I know a few people who use CPAP machines for sleep apnea, that’s where people’s breathing blocks… they hold their breath and that wakes them up. And then they start breathing again. And normally they have these machines to regulate their breathing. So you’ve got one of these machines and you’re on a campsite – are they plug-in-able? I mean, a lot of them work off the mains or off a 12-volt… when you’re asleep and depending on it, can you depend on the power on the campsite?
Matt Sims
Yeah, well, that’s a good question. Actually, it’s something I get asked a lot. An increasing number of people are using a CPAP machine because they are a game changer for their sleep. If you’re on hook up, yes, it’s easy. You might, though, need to think about an extension lead because there isn’t always a three-pin socket next to the bed.
There are 12 volt CPAP machines, but they do draw quite a lot of power. So you might need to make sure you’ve got strong batteries to cope with it, ideally lithium. Our hire fleet motorhomes don’t have lithium batteries in, and they can flatten the battery quite quickly. So we encourage people if they need a CPAP machine that they get onto a campsite with an electric hookup. So that would be my advice.
Send someone your location
Keith Gooden
It’s the Motorhome Matt podcast brought to you with www.thatleisureshop.com. After Matt’s accident in which he’s cracked his ribs while he was motorhoming, we’re just going through some of the things which you need to pay attention to if you’re going away at all in the next few weeks. The next one on the list, let people know where you are, especially if travelling alone or you’re off grid. Why?
Matt Sims
Well, what if something happened to you? What are you going to do? I remember friends of mine went off on a motorbike. It was a motorway that hadn’t opened yet. He had his wife on the back.
And they chose to ride up this motorway way too fast, I have to say, knowing the motorway wasn’t yet open. And the construction team had left concrete blocks across the motorway and they hit them at over 120 miles an hour. And it was the following day in the evening that they were found in the ditch, both thankfully still alive but in a bad way. Of course, nobody knew where they were.
So it’s scenarios like that. I’m not suggesting you get on a motorbike and go tearing it up the motorway that’s closed at 140 miles an hour like they did. But if you’re taken ill and you’re camping in a remote location, who knows you’re there? That’s the important thing.
Finding defibrillator locations
The other thing is, if you ever need access to a defibrillator, they are dotted around our communities. In fact, there are thousands of them in the UK, it seems. They’re everywhere. And they’re often on a wall with a green light. And there’s a brilliant website, www.defibfinder.uk, that tells you precisely where the nearest one is. You can of course ring 999 and they will tell you where the nearest defib is.
In fact, you need to phone 999 to get the code to open it. But they are everywhere. So they’re quite reassuring if you ever find that you’re with someone who needs use of a defibrillator – www.defibfinder.uk. British Heart Foundation also has the locations, but I have to say their website was a bit clunkier than this. This took us straight to them. It’s really good.
Keith Gooden
So that’s www.defibfinder.uk.
Create an ICE contact and medical ID
Keith Gooden
What’s your ICE contact?
Matt Sims
In case of emergency. So the paramedics can access your contacts in your phone by typing in the word ICE, even if your smartphone is locked. And that is assumed to be your in case of emergency telephone number.
Paramedics with your phone locked can search it for ICE, and that will come up with a number. You can set up your medical ID. So all medicines you take, any conditions you suffer with, again, paramedics can access that.
And the iPhone and the iWatch do have an alert if you’re in a crash. So if you suddenly stop moving or suddenly seem to change direction, it can flash up on your phone that it’s going to automatically call 999. And you can stop it, and then it will tell you exactly where you are and the paramedics will respond.
What to do in an emergency
Emergency phone numbers
Keith Gooden
When to call 111 or 999. What’s the difference between the two?
Matt Sims
I guess the key criterion is whether there’s a threat to life. If there is, then it’s 999. But if you need medical advice, then 111. And interestingly on the content, it’s 112. That is the emergency number. It’s worth saving that in your phone in case you forget. Because in the heat of the moment, your brain panics and basic information gets forgotten. So the universal number across Europe is 112.
Keith Gooden
There you go. And remember, 999 in this country is the emergency number. It does differ. In America it’s 911. So check if there’s a treatment centre nearby. We did mention when we started this about hospitals and A&Es – that’s basically the same thing, isn’t it?
Matt Sims
Yeah, I guess so. There are walk-in centres as well if it’s that you’ve got a cut and it needs addressing, but also Google where the pharmacy is, you never know. They are really helpful. Pharmacists can dispense an awful lot of medicine. And they’re generally really helpful people. Certainly the ones in Suffolk are.
Keith Gooden
So no phone signal – a lot of this relies on phone signal, doesn’t it, and mobiles. And the one thing I know about especially the UK is you get into the countryside and you can’t depend on that signal.
Matt Sims
No. So in the old days, we just used to go to a phone box. But now if you go there, all you can do is read a book. Well, what can you do? Well, you can get a beacon, I suppose, a torch. Lots of the torches we sell in the shop have a red light flashing function which would be really helpful at night. It’s possible that someone would see that.
Distress signals
It’s interesting – did you know that the international distress signal is made by six blasts of a whistle with an interval of one minute after every six blows? If your blasts are picked up by someone, you should expect to hear three whistles back!
Keith Gooden
What you’re likely to get is somebody saying…
Matt Sims
“Shut up!”
Keith Gooden
“Keep the noise down,” yeah!
999 texts
Matt Sims
Yeah, but that is officially the international distress signal. So you never know. And you can, though, sign up to 999 texts. So this was set up by the RNID. They can’t speak to the 999 service. So a service was set up for them to enable them to text them and then have a communication. Now, this relies on your text message going, of course, and often it is said that they’re not answered as quickly as a 999 call. You go to www.emergencysms.net. And that might be something that you want to consider doing before you head off on a trip.
Keith Gooden
So that’s www.emergencysms.net. And by the way, if you do have poor phone signal, get up a little bit higher. It could be just an arm’s length high and you get a better signal. The second tip is to plug the charging cable in, and that acts as a little bit of an extra aerial.
Matt Sims
If you’ve got Wi-Fi in the van, you can make a WhatsApp phone call.
Keith Gooden
Absolutely.
Matt Sims
So you can use Wi-Fi for a phone call rather than just a normal cellular device.
Keith Gooden
So instead of us trying to solve all your problems before they happen, I suppose this podcast is all about you making all those checks, making sure that everything is okay and you’re comfortable with the procedure if something happens while you’re camping or motorhoming or taking the caravan away.
It’s your responsibility. We’re just offering you a few little twists and turns. But if we haven’t mentioned something, if you know something which has worked for you in the past, please get in touch and let us know.
Matt Sims
Yeah, we’d love to know. Really helpful advice is what we’re trying to source here. The thing is when it goes wrong, you don’t plan for that, do you? I did not plan to fall six foot six into the floor and put my wristwatch into my chest. That was definitely not in the plan that day, I can tell you. And if you asked me to plan that, I’d refuse. And so then it was about, right, how are we going to cope with this going forward? And of course we had a packet of ibuprofen with us. It wasn’t going to be enough.
Keith Gooden
Did it help? It took the edge off it?
Matt Sims
Yeah, it did. Yeah. They wouldn’t actually give me ibuprofen, the medics, because I said I was asthmatic. So they gave me paracetamol. But I’ve taken ibuprofen for years, so it’s not an issue. But it is common sense. Mostly common sense. And just taking a moment just to think right, if something went wrong, have I got the resources available to me to help me sort it?
Keith Gooden
Remember, most accidents that happen are just a series of related events, and sometimes unrelated as well. Well, there you go. I hope that’s been of use to you – final one, check your insurance policy, because as we pointed out before, your insurance could cover some of those emergencies without you knowing it.
Audience Q&A
Keith Gooden
It’s the Motorhome Matt podcast brought to you with www.thatleisureshop.com One of my favourite parts of the podcast – listener queries.
Matt Sims
Q&A!
Keith Gooden
Yes. I’ve decided to go Radio Four on this one from now on.
Matt Sims
Listener queries!
Keith Gooden
Listener queries. Let’s listen to your listener queries!
Matt Sims
Terribly posh.
Keith Gooden
First of all I’ve got Paul Martin, who’s a key account manager…
Matt Sims
He is. He’s the key account manager at Thetford.
Keith Gooden
… for toilet chemical disposal. He’s not asking us a question. Can you just do the background of this one?
Matt Sims
Yeah, so we recently did an episode, “Can I empty my toilet cassette into my mains connected sewer toilet at home?” Does that make sense?
Keith Gooden
Yes.
Matt Sims
We came back from Suffolk and got the toilet cassette out. And I was just about able to carry it. It was half full and I poured it down the toilet. And as I was doing it, I though, yeah. We were using Thetford toilet chemical, actually. And Paul came to mind. I’m sure he’d be delighted to know I’m thinking of him as I’m looking at our poo and wee from the week. The question came up, “Can I pour the chemical into the main sewer?” And the water company said no.
Keith Gooden
Yeah, they did.
Matt Sims
So Paul said, “I can only comment on Thetford toilet additives. Providing the instructions are followed with the correct amount of additive and water prior to using the cassette then yes, when the tank needs emptying it is okay to pour down a drain connected to the main sewer.” So he says drain, but I mean, toilet – the key there is it’s the sewer.
You’re not pouring it down the grey drain. It’s going down the toilet into the waste sewer, the main sewer. So there you are. Thetford say using their chemical, if it’s mixed with water… it’s very diluted. Thetford’s view is that’s absolutely fine to pour down the sewer. What Wessex Water now do with the content of the sewer, totally out of my control. That’s the issue, isn’t it?
Keith Gooden
I won’t mention anything. We mentioned that in this part of the podcast, because a lot of you have been asking about this. It’s a bit of a bone of contention.
John Gow: Is there an episode on motorhomes for disabled people?
Keith Gooden
John Gow is in Bracknell. “As a terminally ill disabled person, it’s difficult finding a van that ticks some essentials. Is there a podcast you’ve done on motorhomes designed for disabled people with mobility difficulties?”
Matt Sims
Yeah, there certainly is, John. Yeah, episode 61, actually, was our wheelchair accessible and adapted motorhomes episode with the lovely people from Coachbuilt. So Kate joined us and gave us a bit of a tour of a Swift motorhome that they’d adapted. It was amazing, wasn’t it?
Keith Gooden
It was. And in that podcast you’ll find all the details as to what your VAT status will be and what you’re entitled to. We won’t go through the whole list now, but it is all in that podcast. Did you say podcast number…
Matt Sims
Number 61.
Keith Gooden
61.
Matt Sims
Yeah, and it’s on YouTube as well. So if you search Motorhome Matt on YouTube and search wheelchair, I’m sure you’ll find it.
Keith Gooden
And that podcast, by the way, the video one is one which gives you a lot of extra information. You can see what you’re going to be getting and what they can do, and it is really is quite remarkable.
Tom Caine: Can I coat the underside of my floor to stop damp?
Keith Gooden
Tom Caine is in Southampton. “Hi, Matt. Just tuned into your essentials for your motorhome video. It’s very informative and helpful. I’m a complete newbie to motorhomes and I’ve just picked up my first. I’ve got a Peugeot Elddis Autoquest 140 2006 model.”
“I was thinking about coating the underside of the floor with a sealant or paint to prevent potential rot as it’s made of plywood. Is this recommended or counterproductive? Also, is there anything to look out for when owning your first motorhome?”
Matt Sims
Top tip there, Tom – get a damp inspection done of that floor. It is made of wood. It’s of an age when motorhomes were made of wooden construction, which of course keeps the water in. So I would go and get a damp check professionally done. And assuming it is dry, then yes, I think coating it is probably a very good idea.
There are manufacturers of much newer motorhomes that now insist on this every year. Dethleffs are one. In fact, the paints that they issue, the dealership, have a barcode. And it gets scanned to prove that you actually had the motorhome treated, which maintains the warranty. And I would continue getting damp checks.
As an owner of your first motorhome, habitation checks and damp checks every year are really important for your safety and also making sure if there is a problem in the motor home that you spot it early. Damp can be the biggest enemy of a motorhome and it can be stopped if found early enough.
David Wooker: Where can I buy wing mirror guards?
Keith Gooden
David Wookey is in Amesbury. “Just changed my motorhome to a Transit based one. I’m looking to get some mirror protection for the wing mirrors and can’t find any. Do you sell them or know where I can get them?” says David.
Matt Sims
So yes, we do sell them, actually, at www.thatleisureshop.com Interestingly, the Ford Transit mirror guards or mirror protectors have become very difficult to get hold of. We’ve got loads more coming into stock.
The Fiat ones are back in stock. It must be something to do with the plastic and the availability of it. I don’t know. But the Ford Transit ones have become very hard to find, that is true. But we have white ones and black ones coming back into stock. So keep an eye on www.thatleisureshop.com, and you’ll be able to get some there.
But my other tip on the mirror protection is to go for the padded one. You can buy one which is just a clip on cover. They tend to only be for the Fiat Ducato, Citroen Relay or Peugeot Boxer because they’re all the same mirror.
They’re often chrome and they’re very glitzy and they look lovely, but they don’t offer any real protection. They’re also much cheaper at the £45 mark, whereas the ones that protect the mirror are padded and they have some absorption capability. And you are looking at £100 plus. I think ours are just over £100.
Keith Gooden
But replacing the mirror costs…
Matt Sims
To replace the mirror… if it’s a Fiat mirror, you’re looking at £300 or £400. An expensive altercation, shall we say?
Keith Gooden
Yeah, it’s when you’re going down the narrow road and two people are passing and everybody’s doing what they should do and you just forget about the mirrors, and then your heart sinks.
Matt Sims
Yeah, well, you can either plant it into a wall or a tree. Or the classic is the disused signpost where the sign’s gone but the metal post is still in the hedge. I’ve had that happen. Boy, it makes a noise. It happened to me once where the mirror hit it so hard it folded in and then smashed the quarter light.
Ask Motorhome Matt your questions
Keith Gooden
So thanks, David, for that. So we will answer your questions. It’s nice to hear your voices as well, and you get the opportunity to record your questions should you wish to do so. What do people need to do to ask you a question, Matt?
Matt Sims
It’s really easy. You can go to our website – www.motorhomematt.co.uk/askmatt. There you hit the orange button and you can record your question. If you do, please tell us where in the country you are.
As Keith says, we do love to hear your voice. Or if you prefer, you can enter your question onto a form and submit it there. You can also find us on social media, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and of course YouTube. And you can message us there and we do try and respond to the sensible questions quite regularly. So yes, keep it clean, keep it sensible and we’ll respond!
Keith Gooden
And remember, if you don’t make the podcast, Matt usually does answer your questions, anyway. Nothing too small, nothing too big and nothing too silly. Over 100,000 downloads for the audio podcast so far! We’ve got YouTube as well and TikTok and all the rest of it. The Motorhome Matt podcast brought to you with www.thatleisureshop.com is a huge influencer now in the industry. And what about sponsoring the Motorhome Matt podcast then, Matt?
Matt Sims
If you want to reach our audience… if you’re listening to this, you know who you are. But if you’re a potential sponsor of this podcast, we’d love to hear from you. We’ve launched some fantastic packages that mean you can give exposure to your brand with our audience.
Keith Gooden
And don’t forget, we’re talking directly to your customers. It would be great to have you on board.
