Keith Gooden
Happy new year and welcome along to our brand new Motorhome Matt podcast for 2023. I’m Keith Gooden.
Matt Sims
And I’m Matt Sims. Happy new year!
Keith Gooden
Happy New Year to you, Matt. Did you have a wonderful Christmas?
Matt Sims
It was great, thank you. Yes, really good. Nice to have a break.
Keith Gooden
Did you bring any stuffing balls?
Matt Sims
No, I always walk this way!
Keith Gooden
I tell you what, those Christmas cracker jokes come in handy. Thank you Eric Morecambe for that one. And thanks also to you for listening. Thanks for your support. I shall wear it always!
Matt Sims
There it is… Oh, dear. Can someone buy Keith some new crackers, please?
Keith Gooden
It’s 2023! That’s nearly 25 past 8.
Matt Sims
Very good… here we go. Are we going to have this all year?
Keith Gooden
Why not? This, caravans, motorhomes, camping – what more could you ask for?
Book your ticket for the Manchester Caravan and Motorhome Show 2023
Keith Gooden
Let’s dive into the news then, shall we, Matt? Tell me about the Manchester show. What is it and how do you get to see it?
Matt Sims
It’s the Caravan and Motorhome Show coming up in Manchester. It runs from the 12th to the 15th of January. It’s not far away now. The show is completely free to enter. It’s on at Manchester Central, so right in the middle of Manchester. It’s a fantastic show and, of course, it’s next door to the Destination Show, the Holiday and Travel show, which you get free access to as well so you can get inspired for your travel destinations. And I am due to be speaking at that show in the expert theatre, so come and say hello.
We have a stand there, of course. We’re proudly partnering with Tottington Motor Company, and we have a stand as part of their exhibit. So do come and say hi! We’ll be there interviewing people and meeting people. Come and say hello and join in the fun.
Keith Gooden
Can you remind people about the dates, then, for this show?
Matt Sims
It is the 12th to the 15th of January in Manchester.
Keith Gooden
So just a few days after this podcast is heard by you! So make sure you get your tickets. Is it easy to get tickets?
Matt Sims
Yes, very easy. Just go to www.caravanshows.com and you can buy tickets there.
Get a discount for the Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show 2023
Keith Gooden
Fantastic. Let’s talk about the NEC February show as well. We were all at the big one, weren’t we, just last year. The February one, as you always say, is a little bit smaller. It’s still worth going to, and last year after all the lockdowns and the pandemic and all the rest of it, if people hadn’t bought tickets in advance they couldn’t get in on the day. So we recommend you get your tickets in advance but this podcast will give you a very special deal!
Matt Sims
Tickets are reduced to £11.50 if you use the code MATT! M-A-T-T. Dead simple.
Keith Gooden
Really? Not, ‘Me me me,’?
Matt Sims
No, just MATT!
Keith Gooden
Don’t put KEITH in because you’ll get kicked out.
Matt Sims
You’ll get barred!
Keith Gooden
So if you want to go to that February show at the NEC, when you’re going to book your tickets use the code MATT – and what do you get, Matt?
Matt Sims
You get a discount on the entry price.
Keith Gooden
Fantastic.
Matt Sims
Worth having! So go to www.ccmshow.co.uk. This show’s called the Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show, so at www.ccmshow.co.uk you can find out all about the show and get your tickets. We’ll be there again, exhibiting. We have a stand. I’m also helping run the Campervan Advice Centre as well as being part of our own stand and interviewing and talking to lots of people. So it’s going to be a busy week!
Keith Gooden
It was fantastic last year when we popped along. It’s going to be fantastic again this February, so use that code MATT, M-A-T-T, and get yourself a discount on those tickets for the NEC February show. The podcast, of course, is brought to you as always by www.thatleisureshop.com, and the January sale is underway.
Matt Sims
TLS!
Keith Gooden
TLS, we like to call it, don’t we? TLS!
Matt Sims
That’s what you call it.
Keith Gooden
That Leisure Shop.
Matt Sims
We sound like Allied Carpets now. There’s always a sale on! Which Saturday? They didn’t say!
Keith Gooden
This sale doesn’t end on Saturday though, does it?
Matt Sims
No, it doesn’t. This sale is running through all of January, so it’s our preseason sale. And there are some fantastic offers as there always are. But lots of stuff is reduced – some of it’s end of line, so there are a few clearance items, and we’ve got some new products in as well which are on early offer too. So go to www.thatleisureshop.com to find out more.
Keith Gooden
www.thatleisureshop.com sponsors the podcast. Thank you very much for sponsoring the podcast and the January sale is underway now at www.thatleisureshop.com. Get online now and get yourself some bargains.
Wheelchair accessible and adapted motorhomes with Coachbuilt GB
Keith Gooden
Okay, let’s get into the main meat of this podcast shall we, Matt? Accessible motorhomes!
Matt Sims
Yes, indeed. We get lots of inquiries at the Motorhome Holiday Company, which is our hire business, from people who want to hire an adapted motorhome. So they might want a wide entrance door to accept a wheelchair, steering controls or even modifications inside to the living space. And we don’t offer anything like that. In fact, they’re very, very hard to come by. It’s not something you can buy from a motorhome manufacturer. It’s a specialist product.
And of course, they’re very expensive to have converted, typically, as is the way with any adapted motorhome. And so it’s not something that we’re able to offer. But there is an exception in the UK if you’re looking to buy a motorhome that’s got specialist adaptations. It’s a company called Coachbuilt GB, and they’ve been doing this for years.
I spoke to Kate who’s been running this company for many years and is a real expert in motorhome modifications. We caught up with Kate at the NEC Motorhome Show and tried to discover a little bit more about the business.
Kate Birch
We are the leading manufacturer for wheelchair accessible motorhomes, caravans and campervans. So we take standard motorhomes, caravans or campervans and we make them wheelchair accessible. We adapt them all for our individual customers’ needs, which obviously guarantees that they’ve got their home from home with them as we all like.
Matt Sims
And what you’re doing is really quite specialist and niche, isn’t it?
Kate Birch
Correct, yes.
Matt Sims
You’re changing people’s lives.
Kate Birch
Yes. Well, this industry is so amazing in that the outdoors is here with us, isn’t it? And we can really embrace it when we’ve got everything we need with us. So for our customers, it’s really important that they’ve got the confidence to be able to pack everything, that they’ve got everything they need, that the layout works for them and obviously we know that the outdoor life works for everybody because we all enjoy it.
Finance help for adapted motorhomes
Keith Gooden
Are motorhomes expensive enough already? You know, you’re probably on a restricted income if you’re not able-bodied. So how can people possibly afford this?
Kate Birch
Well, there are a couple of things that help people to be able to purchase things like motorhomes. VAT zero-rating is quite an important aspect when you buy a new motorhome. Bear in mind you can only do it once every three years, but that VAT zero rating subsidises the adaptations that you may need to have such as a wide door and lift to be able to access the motorhome with a wheelchair. So the VAT zero-rating assists with that.
Matt Sims
The reality of that is a £72,000 motorhome when zero rated costs £60,000 to the customer, doesn’t it?
Kate Birch
It does, but you’ve got to have the permanent and substantial adaptations that obviously qualify for that zero rating.
Keith Gooden
And who makes that decision about permanent and substantial?
Kate Birch
Well, it’s ultimately HMRC, but we’ve got a really, really good knowledge of what actually needs to be done. For us the staple diet of need is certainly the wide door, having a wide door and a lift. And that allows the individual to enter, use, and travel within the vehicle.
Keith Gooden
Now, as you’re saying that, we’re watching somebody use one of your adaptations. Can you just describe what’s happening here?
Kate Birch
So the lift’s designed to make stepless entry into our motorhomes. So it’s a cassette that’s actually fitted to the underside of the vehicle. You press a remote control, it slides out, drops to the floor, you can get on to the lift, and it lifts you straight up to the same height as the deck. Nice and easy.
Keith Gooden
And it’s very substantial. So a lady who is in a wheelchair has just come out, and I think her husband has now come off. They were the first in today. This couple here, incidentally, were the first through the doors when they opened this morning at 10am. So what did you think of it, then?
Audience member
Amazing. Really, really amazing, and not just for me, but also for other people I know that are worse than me.
Keith Gooden
So you’re in a wheelchair and you’re saying it’s the best-adapted vehicle you’ve ever come across?
Audience member
It is. It is. It’s very, very well done. You’ve got facilities. The wet room area is fantastic. You can adapt your bedding. I’m very impressed.
Keith Gooden
Are you in the market for something like this? Because we were just talking about financing it, and you don’t have to pay the VAT if you have the adaptation. But even with that, is it something which is within your budget?
Audience member
It’s something that we could seriously consider, certainly.
Keith Gooden
Well, you heard that from the first person through the door today. So given what we’ve just seen, is this a game changer for people with motorhomes, rather than making their own ramps which you can fall off the edge of?
Kate Birch
It absolutely is. It’s all about confidence, safety and innovation. They are important bits of kit and it’s important to have these things done properly and also feel like the quality that you would naturally expect from a motorhome. We don’t change any aesthetics or any of the key features that you’d expect from a standard motorhome. We just make it wheelchair accessible.
Matt Sims
So in the old days, you used to just fit a Fiamma handle to help you get in, maybe fit a slightly adapted bike rack and put a blue chair sticker on the back. Is that enough to get the VAT off?
Kate Birch
Not at all, because they’re not permanent and they’re not substantial.
Keith Gooden
Now, you see, the thing is you’re looking at me. I’ve got a disabled parking badge because I’ve got two club feet from childhood. I had lots of operations. And now as I get older, my bones are starting to fuse. So I can’t walk as fast as or as far as somebody else. I’m considered to have a disability in kind, but I’m not substantially disabled enough, for instance, to qualify for these adaptations.
Kate Birch
The key words are, ‘Habitual wheelchair use.’ It’s not necessarily the best way of putting it, but it’s quite clear. You’ve got to use the wheelchair as a habit, as a way of being able to enter and use the vehicle. If you can step in, you don’t need the permanent substantial adaptations, so you don’t need the VAT zero rating. But if you can’t access the motorhome because you need to access it using a wheelchair, that’s when that plays in.
Matt Sims
So we’re going to go and look at this amazing motorhome in a minute, but I just want to ask one more question about the VAT thing. So my mother-in-law is in a wheelchair and-, she’s not. As an example, she’s in a wheelchair, but can I just buy it in her name? I want a cheap motorhome.
Kate Birch
It would need to be permanently and substantially modified. You could have it in her name, but she’s only able to buy one vehicle every three years. So you’re going to use that relief up for something that she may need. She may need an automotive-,
Matt Sims
I have no plan for taking her with me. I just want a cheap motorhome!
Kate Birch
So the answer is that it’s really for the people that it’s intended for.
Matt Sims
I know that, but I know people who’ve done this. I know lots of people who’ve done this. They’ve saved a lot. The rules have just become much more strict, haven’t they?
Kate Birch
In my opinion, rightfully so. It means that it’s the qualifying people who are actually benefiting from something that is really thought about and intended for them. And it’s a good way of encouraging people to use a motorhome as a wheelchair user. We’re here to embrace them. But in the past, it was abused.
‘Ramps and clamps,’ was the old saying. I think the whole industry has come on board with the fact that that can’t be abused anymore. HMRC have really tightened up on it. And if you want it done properly, there’s a certain way of doing it. And we’re here to help and to give all the advice that anybody would ever need to make sure that these things are properly adhered to.
Selling an adapted motorhome
Matt Sims
And is it still the case, Kate, that when you sell the motorhome, you’re not allowed to make a profit on it? Is that true?
Kate Birch
No, it’s not true. When they come back, they come back under the same second-hand margin scheme as any other vehicle. The one-in-three-year rule is what stops you from making a profit on a vehicle because you’ve obviously got to hold on to it for three years because you can’t sell it.
Matt Sims
But they’ve gone up in price.
Kate Birch
Yes, well, that’s the same with anything. If you bought it at 20% and they’ve gone up in price, you could sell it and maybe make a profit at the minute, but you can’t buy another one.
Keith Gooden
So why can’t non-able-bodied people make a profit if they buy a motorhome like anybody else, adapted or not?
Matt Sims
Well, they obviously can.
Getting your current motorhome adapted
Keith Gooden
Just a quick one. I’ve got a motorhome, I want to bring it along and I want you to adapt it. Is that what you do?
Kate Birch
We can do that as well. It’s got to be feasible. I’ll look at the practicality of the actual design because sometimes it’s easier to buy a new one and have one that only needs minimal adaptations than trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. That’s the best way of putting it.
You don’t want to pay us to move the kitchen because we need to make it wheelchair accessible when we could buy a motorhome that’s already got the kitchen in the right place. The right layout is always key. That’s the first place to start.
Matt Sims
Are there certain models and makes, indeed, which are more appropriate to what you do?
Kate Birch
Yes, we have a good range of motorhomes and caravans to choose from, but we really do hone in on a few models that are the most cost effective, offer the right level of specification and give our customers choice. We like for them to fall in love with the caravan or motorhome that they order.
We really align ourselves with Swift Group, because I think they’re very forward thinking. They have a great range of vehicles. They’re very modern. And they’re really good at embracing our customers and saying, ‘Hey, our products are for you too.’
Matt Sims
People should speak to you before they make that first purchase.
Kate Birch
Definitely. There’s nothing worse than somebody showing up and me having to say, ‘I’m sorry, that caravan can’t be made wheelchair accessible.’
Matt Sims
Yes.
Keith Gooden
And the thing is, of course, because you can’t get around or you’re a wheelchair user, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t live your life just as freely as anybody else enjoying motorhoming. You shouldn’t have a second-class product, should you, and the VAT off just helps to make it affordable. So this attitude that somehow disabled people are second-class citizens is not on, is it?
Kate Birch
Not at all. I mean, most of our customers are the most inspiring, adventurous people. They’ve got a really good attitude to this kind of life. They really do embrace it. And also, they want to feel part of the industry. And don’t we all? Don’t we all want to feel like we belong? That’s what we’re here to do. And they should have a choice of an amazing range of vehicles. We all have a choice. So that’s what we do. We give them the opportunity.
Matt Sims
You were talking about funding this and how that happens. Now, for some people, they can have a life-changing accident that means they’re wheelchair-bound all of a sudden, and a lot of the funding is from insurance companies, isn’t it?
Kate Birch
Yes. I mean, I think when you have a catastrophic injury, you do spend a little time going, ‘Well, how am I going to travel moving forward?’ There are people out there that give advice on what you need to do. And certainly, as we’ve been developing our business, motorhoming and caravanning have come to the forefront of people making decisions about their future travel plans. And it’s quite an important thing to think about.
It’s also quite exciting for somebody who may have never motorhomed or caravanned before. And they’ve got this opportunity to travel and have a bit of restorative independence, even when their life has potentially changed.
Keith Gooden
And it’s a bespoke product as well. As I said, it’s not a second-class product, you’re not making compromises. You and your company are making sure people who are in a wheelchair are experiencing what everybody else experiences.
Kate Birch
Yes. You want to enjoy your product. You want to be able to spend the money and think, ‘Wow, I’ve got something that I’m really proud of.’ And that’s what we do.
Keith Gooden
You and Matt are going to go inside, so I’m going to hand him my gubbins. We’re not going to have three of us around in there. I’ll probably fall out the door anyway, ramp or no ramp!
Common motorhome adaptations
Matt Sims
Come on, Kate, let’s go inside. So the first thing, Kate, is very obvious – the lift. And we’ve got a very wide door. That’s the first adaptation you’ve made, I guess, to the motorhome.
Kate Birch
Yes, definitely. It just makes everything so much easier. You get the door out, and you can actually see what kind of space and turning circle we can get in the motorhome.
Matt Sims
And the first impression when you come in is that it’s massive in here – the amount of space!
Kate Birch
This is where a wheelchair user would tie their chair down. It’s called a wheelchair restraint system. So you see these dots on the floor? They have clips that will allow the wheelchair to tie down to the floor and travel from the wheelchair. So for a lot of people that’s really quite important. It saves getting out of the chair to move into a seat if they don’t need to. Obviously, the lounge table goes up.
Matt Sims
And here we are looking at the motorhome, but you adapt the driving position too. You do steering wheel controls and full adaptation of the chassis as well, don’t you?
Kate Birch
Yes. We can drive from a wheelchair, so somebody can come in in a wheelchair, automatically dock with our wheelchair and then drive. We also do hand controls. That’s where we override the pedals on the floor and you can actually drive with the accelerator and brake. That’s the most common thing for our customers to use.
Obviously, naturally, the chairs will swivel, which always helps with transferring in for anybody. And they can turn the seat around if they want to travel from this seat. But there are lots of options available.
Matt Sims
You have a customer at the moment who’s never travelled anywhere other than in an ambulance.
Kate Birch
Correct. She’s got a respiratory condition that means she has to be on almost full-time life support. So it was really important for us to have a vehicle where she can lie down like she would in an ambulance, but she can be on oxygen and she can have medical intervention while she’s driving. But for her, she’s a really big music lover, so she can go to festivals. It’ll be the first festival she’s ever been to.
Matt Sims
What does that mean for her?
Kate Birch
Well, her life’s just changed, hasn’t it? It’s gone from being quite restricted where everything has to be planned and organised to the freedom that everybody should have, right? Everybody should have that opportunity to be able to embrace the things that they like to do. For her it’s music. It could be anything else.
Matt Sims
That is incredible. So talk us through the rest of this motorhome. This has got a slide out! This is a Swift Kontiki.
Kate Birch
There are a couple of key things in here. The first thing is from the wheelchair restraint system at the front, we’ve got a hoist that comes all the way down.
Matt Sims
All through the middle of the van.
Kate Birch
So this lifts the person that needs it and it will travel them without the wheelchair to any bit of furniture, so over to the toilet and over to the bed. This stops any carers having to lift or worry about hurting themselves while carrying an individual. It is also very comfortable and good for moving and handling.
Matt Sims
So hang on, does this run on 12 volts?
Kate Birch
Yes.
Matt Sims
Oh, this is manual. It rolls.
Kate Birch
This is manual. We do do ones that are motorised. This is a 12 volt system, so when you hover over it-,
Matt Sims
That’s amazing!
Kate Birch
I’ll get this out of your face!
Matt Sims
So if a customer came to you and they didn’t need the mobility bit and they just wanted the slide out, is that something you’d entertain?
Kate Birch
Yes, we can do it. It’s not a problem. There are a lot of manufactured vehicles out there that aren’t compatible with slide outs, but there are a really good few that are.
Matt Sims
I realise I’m standing here. I’m actually standing in the bathroom. There’s no door! Well, there is a door – so it’s a concertina door.
Kate Birch
But then also as well, when you need that extra space for showering, if you’ve got a shower chair or something, you can open it up and you’ll see that our wet room is extended out.
Matt Sims
So the whole back of the motorhome is a wet room.
Kate Birch
It can become a wet room, but we don’t want it to be the main feature of the van. You only use it probably for 10% of your day. So there’s a screen that will also pull around here that creates a nice private area when needed, but it also folds away and obviously closes in when you don’t.
Matt Sims
This must be liberating for so many people who have not been able to motorhome, and with your help they can.
Kate Birch
Absolutely. Yes, it really is.
Matt Sims
It’s amazing. What did you do before you were adapting motorhomes?
Kate Birch
Well, we actually originally were verbal. Some of the directors were from Avondale Coachcraft. So a lot of our skill base is from a coach building skill set. Before that, I was in a completely different innovative business. Between the two, myself and the fellow director, we started it. We saw a need.
We saw a real niche within the industry, and having been in the motorhoming and caravanning industry, Jeff – he’s the fellow director – he really did see that there was a whole market out there of people that couldn’t be embraced by it. So it was a perfect opportunity for us to start something that meant something.
Matt Sims
Well, you certainly have. I love that – started something that meant something. I can imagine the impact you have on people’s lives is phenomenal. I take my hat off to you, Kate. That lady earlier, she was wowed by it. And I hope you find many other people that you can help this week. Thanks for taking the time.
Motorhome manufacturers and accessible options
Keith Gooden
So that was Kate from Coachbuilt GB. Now, I was there when you did that interview, Matt. And I must say one of the customers that we were talking to as well around that stand was a lady in a wheelchair, who was the first through the door on that day. I remember interviewing her. And she said to me afterwards that the conversions were absolutely fantastic.
But I think people need to realise, don’t they, it’s not just about wheelchairs. There are lots of disabilities and lots of adaptations that can be made. And they’re not all hugely expensive. Coachbuilt GB makes a fantastic product for people who need wheelchair access. It’s not always about wheelchairs, is it?
Matt Sims
No, of course not. And this is why as a hire business it’s kind of impossible to cater to the right needs because there are so many. It becomes cost prohibitive to run a fleet for motorhome hire, which is really unfortunate because there are so many people that have limited mobility in some capacity or a disability of some sort that would love to be able to go off driving their own motorhome on a holiday, and it’s almost impossible to facilitate that.
I did a big Google before we recorded this trying to find genuine hire operators that offer an adapted motorhome. I found a couple on some listing sites. There were people that had had the motorhome door widened to allow a wheelchair to fit in. And there were some adaptations to accessibility like an electronic step like we saw on the Coachbuilt GB stand. But they were privately owned and were a very small operator.
With one, I tried to ring and I couldn’t get through. Really, if you’re in the market to hire a motorhome that has been adapted, it is a case of just Googling it. Unfortunately, Coachbuilt GB don’t offer hire anymore. They used to years ago, but they don’t now.
But it is just a case of Googling and seeing what’s out there. And hopefully this year, more motorhomes with specialist modifications will come on the market. Often there are people who have them for their own needs and they’re prepared to rent them out.
Keith Gooden
It’s important not to patronise disabled people. They’re citizens like the rest of us.
Matt Sims
Absolutely.
Keith Gooden
They happen to have a disability. They’re not fully able-bodied, which is a nasty expression, but a lot of people understand it, which is why I use it. How come the manufacturers aren’t supplying an option for motorhomes or caravans which have been adapted at the point of manufacture?
Matt Sims
It’s a very good question, and one I’ve asked before. I guess it’s just about the numbers. It’s a minority of people that would order a motorhome. You know, you take 1,000 people that want a motorhome, and maybe one has a need for an adaptation, probably fewer, for whatever reason. So I think it’s just about the commerciality of it.
Keith Gooden
You say that, but do you not think it could also be that people with disabilities, not wheelchair users, just put up with it and make their own adaptations because it isn’t available for the manufacturers? Is it something you think the manufacturers need to look at? Or is it okay going the way we’re going?
Matt Sims
Manufacturers have looked at this before. I recall that Adria partnered with a company that was adapting a caravan and it just didn’t get the takeup. It just didn’t become commercially viable. And that’s the problem, isn’t it? If it’s not commercially viable, it’s just not going to happen.
It’s been explored in the past. I think if you’re making your own adaptations to a vehicle, tell us. Show us. Send us a video clip of it. We’d love to see it. And I would love to talk to a manufacturer about it. I’m sure there are manufacturers open to the conversation. But I think it’s also about an understanding as well, understanding that market, because it would be considered a unique market.
A motorhome going into production in some kind of quantity that makes it viable – trying to generalise the adaptation is very difficult.
Keith Gooden
Yes, we have to keep that in mind. The companies are there to make a profit, not to make a loss, and they can’t be supplying something which then makes them a loss because they have employees. They have to keep people’s jobs and all the rest of it. So we do have to accept that, but it’s an interesting subject.
And like Matt says, if this affects you, if this is something that you’ve done, you’ve made your own adaptations-, maybe you’re not in a wheelchair but you are disabled in some way. We really want to hear from you on this one because it’s a very interesting subject, isn’t it?
Matt Sims
It is, and remember, if you’ve got a motorhome and you’re not able to make the adaptations yourself, then go to a company like Coachbuilt GB. Kate and the team are so approachable. And this is exactly what they do. I was fascinated that they would make the adaptation of the slide out to any motorhome. Well, that’s a game changer for an able-bodied person that wants a slide out on their motorhome.
A slide is amazing. I mean, I’ve had American motorhomes with multiple slide outs. It transforms the internal space, and I didn’t realise that they would do that. So if you want a motorhome modified in some way and you’re not confident to undertake it yourself, and of course many modifications need specialist skills, tools and know-how, then a company like Coachbuilt GB are definitely the go to.
Audience Q&A
Jamie: ‘Can I park up wherever I like overnight in my motorhome?’
Keith Gooden
Fascinating stuff. Thanks very much, Matt, and great interview, as well. Let’s go to our audience Q and A now, shall we? Jamie has gone on to Ask Matt and asked a question.
Jamie
Can you park up anywhere in a motorhome overnight and then leave the next morning?
Keith Gooden
So that’s Jamie. He left his question on Ask Matt as indeed you can. Can you park up anywhere in a motorhome?
Matt Sims
This is our number one social media contribution, I reckon. We did an episode on wild camping, and we called it that deliberately. I know that parking up in your motorhome is not camping. I know it’s not wild camping. It’s the term that people use for it. And so we jumped on it so people would recognise it. It’s the term people search, especially people that are new to motorhoming who are looking to learn what you can and can’t do.
Can you park up anywhere in a motorhome? No, you can’t, Jamie. You need to have permission, either by virtue of the fact there isn’t a sign there that says, ‘No overnight stopping,’ or you need to have express permission from the landowner.
Now, if you Google this, you Google lorry drivers and where they can and can’t stop, there are rules for them on parking in a lay-by or on the highway, you know, just to sleep in their cab. Potentially, you could just park up in your motorhome and sleep in it. Just draw the blinds, it looks parked, and there are guidelines and some rules around this. It’s not illegal unless you’re asked to move on. And then it becomes a trespass offence. But I would definitely do some research into this if there’s a specific location that you want to go to.
If you’re parked up, you’re not causing a hazard, you’re not blocking the highway, you’re not breaking any obvious rule, i.e., you’ve parked under a sign that says, ‘No overnight stopping,’ then probably you’re going to be fine. If you start setting up camp, i.e., getting your table and chairs out and your barbecue and putting the awning out, you’ve then set up an encampment. That’s very different, and there are very strict rules around what you can and can’t do then.
Keith Gooden
So the answer, Jamie, is you can’t park anywhere.
Matt Sims
Well, sort of! You kind of could.
Keith Gooden
Listen to our wild camping episode. It is our most popular episode.
Matt Sims
Definitely. And if you look on social media, particularly Facebook, there’s a stream of people commenting and arguing with each other, some just discussing it and some getting a bit heated. I have to say, sadly, we have removed a few comments and blocked a few others.
But if you’re able to get on that post Jamie, because you’re not one of the people that we’ve blocked-, we won’t tolerate any insults or rudeness from one to another. That’s not on. But go and read the comments. They are fascinating.
Keith Gooden
The password is, ‘Be nice.’
Matt Sims
That’s the one.
Barry: ‘Why doesn’t the government raise the three-and-a-half tonne licence limit?’
Keith Gooden
Barry in Pevensey has got in touch. ‘Why doesn’t the government change the legislation on the silly,’ his words, ‘Three and a half tonne licence limit and help instead of hindering the motorhome industry? Change it to four and a half tonnes.’
Matt Sims
Amen. Yes, I agree. There was a petition for doing this that went to the government. It concluded in October. And do you know what? Only 2,108 people signed it. It’s just not enough. It has to get to 10,000, doesn’t it, to go to Parliament. You know, if you’re listening and you want to start a new petition, I have considered – and I might do it this year – to actually petition the government to raise that gross weight limit.
Of course, if the vehicle is all electric, it is permitted to be four and a quarter tonnes, 4,250. That rule already exists for electric van drivers. And they often have to undergo some basic training, but that rule already exists for electric vehicles. Certainly people have campaigned for it for a long time. I think and I suspect with the dawn of electrification of the donor vehicle, then probably the rules won’t change, because they are imminently coming in the next decade.
And I can imagine that Parliament just won’t debate it. I could be wrong. Call me a cynic. But maybe because the rules have been changed, maybe that will prompt it. Maybe it will. They’ll say, ‘Well, if it’s all electric, you can drive four and a quarter tonnes. Why can’t you drive it if it’s diesel or petrol?’ So conversely, maybe there will be a change to the rule. It would make life so much easier, and frankly, make people legal and safe on the roads if the gross weight could be higher.
Keith Gooden
There you go, Barry in Pevensey. And thanks for telling us where you live. It’s always nice to know, and if you do put a question on Ask Matt, whether it’s written or you record something, always include your name and where you are because we’d like to know where you’re asking those questions from.
Matt Sims
Where is Pevensey?
Keith Gooden
It’s in Wales, isn’t it?
Matt Sims
Is it?!
Keith Gooden
Let’s Google it, shall we?
Matt Sims
I’ve never heard of it.
Keith Gooden
Let’s get an expert to tell us. I think we have an expert!
Matt Sims
Maddie? Hang on. We need the boss.
Keith Gooden
Where is Pevensey?
Maddie
East Sussex
Matt Sims
There we are. East Sussex.
Keith Gooden
I told you! That’s East Sussex, Wales. You see?
Matt Sims
Thanks, Maddie. There we are! Thanks, Barry.
Keith Gooden
Thanks, Barry. Always put your name and always put where you’re from, even though I don’t know where it is.
Shehzad: ‘Is it easy to travel across Europe in a motorhome after Brexit?’
Keith Gooden
Shehzad’s in Birmingham. ‘I have a dream to get a motorhome one day. Is it easy to use them and to travel across Europe, especially after Brexit?’We have this question quite often.
Matt Sims
We do. They are really easy to use in Europe. Arguably, stopping over in Europe is easier than here in the UK. We talk about aires. So these are the often municipal run, council run campsites, if you like. They’re stopovers. You’re not allowed to get your awning and your table and chairs out. It’s a place you can stop usually securely and often with a beautiful view. And they’re often free or very, very cheap.
It’s maybe a few euros to spend the night. I know people who have had months of holidays staying in aires and have never been on a campsite. Literally a year. A friend of mine did it seven years ago now. He spent an entire year travelling from aire to aire in France and Spain. He had a whale of a time and didn’t spend a penny.
Keith Gooden
So as you say, arguably it’s easier than it is here. And we were talking about the question there for Barry in Pevensey, which is near Wales, of course – he was talking about the change in the licences. And then Jamie started off by saying, ‘Can we park up anywhere?’ We said no. On the continent, parking up anywhere is easier.
Matt Sims
It is a lot easier. I would always encourage people to avoid the motorways, the big main roads. There are lots of stories of people getting gassed, you know, made to sleep into a deep sleep and then being robbed. I have met someone to whom that has happened. It’s true. They’re not just old wives’ tales. It’s horrible to hear someone’s tale of this happening to them, and it happened to them on a main road in a services.
So I would say if you are going to travel on the continent, I would head off the motorway into a village and find aires or somewhere safe and secure to park there. The other thing to remember, of course, since Brexit – Shehzad mentions Brexit – there’s the 90 day limit. You can only be out of the country for 90 days. You have to be back in the UK if you’re a British Citizen.
Keith Gooden
That’s 90 every 180, isn’t it?
Matt Sims
That’s correct, yes. Thank you for clarifying. Yes, that’s true, which is a real pain if you’re looking to do a long term trip,
Guy: ‘What are the pros and cons of buying air conditioning?’
Keith Gooden
Guy’s in Hemel Hempstead. The first part of his question was about Wi-Fi but we did deal with that in a previous episode. Guy went on to say, ‘We intend to spend summers touring again around Europe so aircon may be a good idea.’ It depends where you go, Guy! If you go to Spain I’d recommend it.
‘What is your advice on the pros and cons of buying air conditioning? I’ve seen ones that go in the roof and also the underbench ones. What are the pros of each? Any advice you could give would be great. Keep up the good work,’ he says, ‘With the podcast. Both my wife and I eagerly devour the latest episode as soon as it comes on to our feeds.’ Who’s your favourite – me or him?
Matt Sims
I love that. They devour us as soon as we feed them!
Keith Gooden
Christmas all over again.
Matt Sims
Brilliant. Guy, thank you. We love having your support. It’s been so good to get so many encouraging messages, hasn’t it? Hence we’re still here, really!
Keith Gooden
We’re a year in now, aren’t we?
Matt Sims
I know, it’s incredible. Well, there we are.
Keith Gooden
They said it wouldn’t last!
Matt Sims
We peaked early! Aircon – so yes, Guy, you’re right. The big pro and con for me is obviously keeping cool when it’s hot. And one of the ironies of this, of course, is that an aircon can draw quite a lot of power. And then the places you need it, you go on the campsite where it’s really hot, particularly southern France – they often only give you a five amp supply which just isn’t enough to run the aircon because they run on power.
Keith Gooden
I didn’t know that! Just five amps?!
Matt Sims
The French are tight with that.
Keith Gooden
If you don’t know your electricity, we get out of the wall in our homes in the UK a thirteen amp current.
Matt Sims
Correct.
Keith Gooden
Five amps usually will run a television or something.
Matt Sims
Yes, and an aircon unit will draw maybe eight or ten amps at 240 volts. So in the places you need it, you can’t use it. I mean, this has been my own firsthand experience in southern France and northern Spain. You turn the aircon on – bang. Trip the campsite. It just won’t work.
So I find it a bit ironic, whereas in this country, often the campsites have a ten or fifteen amp supply on that blue plug. It’s the same blue plug often in France, but it’s just lower rated. And it works fine. And it’s pouring rain and ten degrees outside.
Keith Gooden
And I mentioned this before – what’s the one thing you never see when you go to America? Electric kettles! Because they only get 120 volts and fewer amps out of the wall, it won’t boil the water. You have to hang around for ages before the water gets boiled. In this country when we get that thirteen amps out of the wall, we’re very well served. Do your research before you go.
Matt Sims
Yes, absolutely. And the other compromise with aircon is the potential to lose your daylight in the motorhome or caravan itself. There are units that will sit on the roof and there’s a roof light built into them, so they kind of sit behind the roof window. They often cost a little bit more.
Cost is a reason for not doing it as well. They’re not cheap. You’re looking at a couple of thousand pounds to purchase one and then have it fitted. And of course the other one is payload. They weigh quite a bit, so it’s going to impact what you can carry.
Keith Gooden
Yes, you tend to have to fill them up with water, don’t you? They need a water source.
Matt Sims
No, no, no, no. You’re talking about a cooling unit. That’s the other suggestion I was going to make. So an aircon unit conditions the air so it will suck the air from the vehicle, condition it and blow it back into the vehicle. So there’s coolant in it, sure. But it’s not one you top up. We sell a unit called Totalcool and these you pour water into and we put an ice block in the back as well.
And all they do – they’re really simple. They are 12 volt, 24 volt, 110 volt or 240 volt – really clever. They just draw air in the back, blow it through the water and then blow you chilled air that’s cooled by the water. People say, ‘Well, they blow extra humidity into the van.’ They do, but just crack a window open and you’ll soon fix that. I find them really, really effective. I love them. We use them in the summer to cool the shop and they’re a much cheaper alternative. But of course they’re not air conditioning units. They are cooling units.
Keith Gooden
So when Guy says he wants to tour Europe, and I mentioned jokingly it depends where you go-, we have mentioned this in a previous podcast. If you’re going to the south of Spain, you’re in a metal box, aren’t you? You do really have to be thinking about how you’re going to keep cool.
Matt Sims
Yes, definitely. Yes, you need to plan and prepare for that. Keep blinds closed during the day – it’s common sense, really. Craving shade when you don’t have any – gosh, it’s horrible. That’s where an awning on the outside is an absolute gift because you just want to get out of the sun. There are only so many trees you can park next to.
Keith Gooden
And don’t forget all supermarkets, even in this country, all sell bagged ice now. And don’t say, ‘I’m not going to buy a bag of ice because it costs a pound.’ If you’re in a hot environment, a bit of ice and drinks and stuff like that will cool you down. I know it sounds really simple and stupid.
But if you’re sitting there, as you say, and the kids are hot and they’re crying and they’re moaning, maybe you’re feeling a bit dizzy because it’s at least 33 degrees, you’ve got to plan ahead.
Matt Sims
Remember a condenser fridge is not going to work very well when it’s very hot. Compressor fridges have become a much more recent trend. They’re great in the heat, but a traditional condenser fridge won’t function at all in that kind of heat.
Keith Gooden
Good advice. That’s why he’s the expert. Thanks, Guy from Hemel Hempstead. We really appreciate it.
Get in touch with Matt and Keith
Keith Gooden
If they want to get in touch, what should people do, Matt?
Matt Sims
You can go to the website, www.motorhomematt.co.uk, where you can leave us a message. You can actually record it! So www.motorhomematt.co.uk/askmatt – hit the orange button, record your message. Tell us your name, where you’re from, give us your message and hit submit, or you can fill in the form and press send.
And on the website while you’re there, you’ll find all the places that you can listen to and watch the podcast. Just search Motorhome Matt online as well and you’ll find us.
