# inviting your opinion



## 107959 (Oct 28, 2007)

Hello - new member here from Canada. My husband and I hope to tour Europe in 2009, buying a motorhome in England in April and selling it the next April. Some of the books we have read suggest buying a class A or C motorhome no longer than 6 meters. We will be living in this for a year! Seems a bit small. We were thinking more of 7 - 7.5. But our concern is getting around on the smaller country roads and parking overnight. Do we really need to stick to this size limit? Many of you have larger motorhomes - what are the drawbacks of these other than the cost of fuel. There is just the two of us, with the occasional two week visit from one of our children. We would love to store a scooter or pull one along behind on a trailer if possible. Any suggestions as to make, model and size? We are open to any of your opinions. Thanks for reading. You have helped us immensely already. Cheers!


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## annetony (May 1, 2005)

Hello and welcome to the site, sorry I can't help with advice on the size of motorhome suitable for you, but there are lots of helpful knowledgeable people on here that will be able to help,  

Anne


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

Hi Okanagan

Here's wishing you all the best for your trip, and if I can help at all please send me a PM. We live very near Stratford upon Avon, Warwick etc. so may have some local knowledge for you.

As for the size of your van, may I suggest (with the greatest respect) that unless you have been here before you probably have little concept of what a narrow road is really like!! We have relatives from your part of the world (well, the States actually) and even on lanes that we think of as quite wide, they were gripping the dashboard and hanging on white-faced as we approached every bend, and _that was in a car that they considered small enough to put in their pocket if there was nowhere to park_!!

Having said that, there are quite a number of 30+ foot vans around, but they do have to plan their route very carefully if they want to stray off the main roads. Hump backed bridges can be a big problem for example!! Even with quite a short van over here, it pays to think ahead when using minor roads, and be sure you can reverse out of trouble if you have no option.

*Don't let any of this put you off however*. It clearly can be done, as lots of people do it all the time (!) but it could add restrictions and anxieties that you may wish to minimise in order to relax and enjoy your holiday to the full. Everything is a compromise. It's better to be forewarned, but others with big vans will tell you how they manage it, and will probably think I'm a wimp.  

Local knowledge is free to fellow truckers, so send the PM if we can help.

Regards

Zebedee


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

And even if you have lived here all your life, it still is a surprise to see a road designated as an "A"-road suddenly dwindle into a single track road with passing places ....... :-(

Dave


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## artona (Jan 19, 2006)

Hi Okanagan

Hope you remember us when you come over and maybe pop in to one of our rallies to meet up with us

Zeb's point is a good one in that he is saying it is all relevant to what you are used to. We have a Euromobil 810 - 28 foot and quite wide. We are quite adventurous and we like a challenge so when we are faced with a tight road we smile rather than swear :lol: :lol: 

The UK is of course a lot smaller than you are used to. I was chatting to someone yesterday who went to Florida to see RVs. At the reception he asked where so and so was and was shocked to be told it would take him two days to get there. In the UK most counties can be crossed within a couple of hours and the whole country in a day or so   

We do have a network of motorways and main A roads which will get you to all parts of the country subject to traffic jams


stew


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## Scotjimland (May 23, 2005)

Have you considered bringing an RV to Europe, using it for a year then selling here for profit.. ?

RVs are much cheaper in N. America, many from the UK go to the States, buy an RV, tour for 6 months or so then ship it back to the UK, the savings made pay for the holiday..

Re touring Europe, France and Germany are our favorite countries, they are motorhome friendly with much less road congestion, loads of cheap overnight parking and better facilities than the UK..

For the trip of a lifetime consider Morocco .. (see my picture albums.. ) 
http://picasaweb.google.com/scotjimland

Good luck and safe travels

Jim


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## 107959 (Oct 28, 2007)

*Thank you for your input*

 
Thank you to all who responded to our beginner questions about size of motorhome. From the pictures and comments, it sounds as if Italy, Germany and France are a bit more suited to the larger type motorhomes. We have been investigating purchasing in Canada or US, and shipping, but not sure where to start. There is so much to learn.

Thanks again.


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

Not for nothing do our North American colleagues describe the UK as "quaint" during or after a visit. Sometimes they mean old-fashioned; sometimes just cramped!

Dave


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## dawnraider (Apr 2, 2006)

Hi you are already on the right track, with a poulation heading quickly towards 70 million, the UK I think it is fair to say is not that motorhome friendly as compared to mainland Europe, so my own feeling purely my opinion for what it is worth, 6m in the UK would be very suitable, but you can go much larger in Europe, depends much on how you will spend you 12 months. mainly UK or mainland Europe. In reality 12 months is a long time, so again from my point of view, more room the better, within limits.

regards and thanks Ken


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