# Memory Lane



## cabby (May 14, 2005)

As we do have a few older members on here, I wondered which Motorhomes they started with and where they took them. We had a 1970 comma Highwayman that we took around the UK with 3 kids, even went to Scotland and Wales, before the bridge. Looking back I do wonder how we managed.:wink2::wink2:


cabby


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Not really old enough but our first was a L reg Autohomes Explorer, tidy little van on the 2.4 VW transporter chassis, it had a really good layout more space that we've had in much bigger vans, but the bed was just too narrow at 4 feet we had to breath in and out in unison


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## MyGalSal (Dec 8, 2008)

cabby said:


> As we do have a few older members on here, I wondered which Motorhomes they started with and where they took them. We had a 1970 comma Highwayman that we took around the UK with 3 kids, even went to Scotland and Wales, before the bridge. Looking back I do wonder how we managed.:wink2::wink2:
> 
> cabby


In 1970 I was still a tent camper.

Didn't graduate until 1998 - when sshhh - we forayed into caravan country. That only lasted one year. Enjoyable but not for us. Back to tents. Then 2008 bought our first motor home, a Hymer Exsis, then moved to something bigger - a Hymer B class then moved to a Hymer 4.5t for a decent payload. This is now our 'forever' van. Love it.


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

Forgot that the Commer Highwayman was a 1969 vintage not 1970 and we bought it in 1973.after 2 years we changed to a caravan.But we soon came to our senses and bought a Swift Royale 635 on a VW LT35 chassis which took us around France and Spain. 

cabby


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

We started in a tent in 1975, moved to a c*****n in 1978, then to a MH in 2005 with the same Swift Kontiki we still have and love.

We camped on the Med., c*******d on the Med and down the West Coast of France and have then used the MH extensively around France after seeing many bits of the UK in it - including the F1 at Silverstone.

The MH is great, would not go back now to anything less, we did think about a narrow boat but the costs were too great.

Not what you wanted I am afraid!

Dave


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Well my earliest experiences of motorhoming was when I was 18/19 in "The Beast" which was a 1967 Commer Caravenette. Then in the 90's "The boys" did the VW thing. I could go on but if your really interested its all documented in my blog including the famous Irish Golf ball driving challenge across the River Shannon and our only French fishing club members celebration of pishing off the bridge in front of an entire town (Two towns it turned out) https://sites.google.com/site/hanktestsite2/blog/earlyyears


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## HurricaneSmith (Jul 13, 2007)

From around 1956 onwards, my parents regularly holidayed in caravans as the whole family loved the freedom and fresh air they brought.

I bought a Vango Force Ten mountain tent somewhere around 1970, and I remember waking up one morning in Glen Brittle on Skye to find it had snowed overnight. Around 1978, after the children came along, we bought a frame tent but only travelled around the UK with it, using a trailer to help cram stuff in.

In 1989 we bought an Avondale Perle Olympus from a Scottish colleague, and travelled the UK and down the Atlantic Coast of France. We towed the caravan for a number of years, but eventually sold it, staying in Gîtes de France for many years afterwards as a complete contrast.

But eventually, we found we found we missed camping too much, and in 2006 we bought our AutoTrail Tracker. It's taken us many happy miles in all weathers and to various countries. I really ought to buy a new van, but honestly can't find one thats suits us better, yet.




.


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## Carl_n_Flo (May 10, 2005)

In 1972, I was 9 years old and mum and dad hired a Bedford Bedouin from Stevens Motorcaravans near Hampton Court (I think) for our first ever family motorhome trip to Europe.

The following year, they bought their first, and only, motorhome - again a Bedford Bedouin - for all subsequent family trips through to 1980:










This photo has a very much younger Flo in it!

This van eventually became my first own motorhome when I bought it from my parents in 1982. It needed a fair bit of restoration as the wooden frame and practically rotted away from the waistline downward. I kept it until the recession bit hard for me in 1989:



















It wasn't until 1998 that, with my then wife, we bought an Autosleeper Rambler:



















No touring in Europe for us in this - just the UK.

Two years later, we traded it in for a Swift Royale, but we only had it for about 6 months before it was stolen:










Eventually, the insurance company paid up and we bought a slightly newer Swift Royale Ensign, but by this time my marriage was on the rocks so the van became my home for a couple of years:










By 2005, Flo and I were together and we moved to Chepstow and we used the Ensign quite a bit for touring Europe. But all good things come to an end and the recession of 2007/8 dictated that the van had to go. Fortunately for us, Flo's parents had a small Eriba-Car motorhome that they allowed us to use to tour with:










Eventually, the recession eased, work picked up and we were soon in a position to once again have a motorhome of our own. We managed to purchase what has become, for us, our ideal motorhome:










Our Autotrail Cheyenne 696G SE is now 10 years old but, unlike the old Bedford Bedouin at the same age, she needs no remediation or restoration - testament to the advances made in the construction of motorhomes!!!!

Cant see us changing this one..................


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

That Eriba-Car motorhome was a nice looking van, was it Talbot or Fiat powered?


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## Carl_n_Flo (May 10, 2005)

Kev_n_Liz said:


> That Eriba-Car motorhome was a nice looking van, was it Talbot or Fiat powered?


Neither Kev - It had a Citroen lump under the bonnet.

They only sold it last year, after having had it from new since 1991, for about 4.5K Euro - quite cheap for what it was really, but small motorhomes like that are not that popular in France these days.


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

We used to tow a Perle Caravan as well Hurricanesmith, a delightful van very well made I thought.

cabby


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## TeamRienza (Sep 21, 2010)

My parents bought a caravan back in the 60s when I was about 10 or 11. My father towed it with a Vauxhall viva HA (the box shaped one). We toured all round Ireland every year in it. The car needed a new clutch at regular intervals and when hitched up switches in the boot had to be thrown to divert current to the caravan for indicators etc. I remember one occasion when he bought a caravan with the new 50mm hitch we had great difficulty unhitching it from our 2 inch ball. Needless to say the van had gas light and no electrics, so water was decanted from a container on the worktop. If it was cold we lit a gas ring for a while and last thing at night the gas was turned off at the cylinder outside, with a mad dash to get into bed before the gas light spluttered to a stop. 

Incidentally we kept the van on a beach side site where in conjunction with my discovery of Arthur Ransomes 'swallows and amazons' I learnt to sail which eventually led to me having a career of nearly 40 years as a sailing instructor and all round outdoor instructor at an LEA outdoor centre. 

Shortly after our first child was born, despite a big mortgage with high interest rates we bought an old Sprite Musketeer. What else ? We towed it with our then Lada Riva estate. Our caravan life continued with 3 kids until they had all grown and lost interest. By then we had graduated to an Avondale Ulysses towed by a Mondeo estate and later a Nissan XTrail. However, one Easter about 8 or so years back our caravan battery failed. See where this is going ? 

Out to buy a battery and came home having bought an Autosleeper Rienza. U shaped lounge so the transition was painless. I drove Ford transits through work and wife was happy driving it. No consideration of payloads etc. Our years of towing stood us in good stead though. 

This change allowed us to get to France and we have visited every year since using Aires and France passion with occasional site visits for showers with elbow room and laundry facilities. 

I have now retired and we have downsized our house and to celebrate we bought a new Hymer A class to do us our day as active motorhomers. Our excuse, as if we needed one, was that we have never owned a new vehicle in our lives and have always lived economically and within our means whilst raising 3 kids. Plus with virtually zero interest rates putting the money in a bank is pointless. 

We are now making best use of the van and our health before something spoils our future. This year we did 7 weeks in France without murdering each other. Next years plans are under consideration, although we continue to use the van locally with C&CC meets and wild overnights ( no ! Not that sort).

Davy. Another Avondale fan.


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## Matchlock (Jun 26, 2010)

Had my first taste of traveling life in my teens with my first fiance, we used to go away with her parents in a caravan, Sprite I think if I recall correctly, I only remember the gas mantles, condensation on the walls and how cold it was.

In '74 I joined the Sealed Knot so that was camping in a tent for the next 30 years in all weathers, worst time was camping with the regiment in the grounds of the Lion pub at Blakey ridge in a blizzard, luckily the landlord let us sleep on the bar floor for a couple of days until the roads where open again, happy to leave camping behind me.

When I was living in London in '79 I bought a VW split screen from an Australian couple who had finished their European tour, it was painted bright pink, covered in flowers with Marmaduke plastered across the front. Took it with my girlfriend to visit friends in the Netherlands and stayed for four months.
I took a job as a window cleaner at the Powerstation at the entrance of the euro port, applied and got a resident permit for the Netherlands which gave me grief for several years until my passport ran out.
Leaving the Netherlands I moved to Antwerp for a couple of months then Germany and France before coming back to the UK via Calais

Two months before my passport was due I was travelling back to the UK from Frankfurt and the normally dour German at passport control looked at my passport picture (long hair with moustashe and goatee beard, by this time I had short hair and clean shaven) and she smiled and said "mien gott I think you will be happy when you replace this"

Met Karen in '81 and had kids as one does and prevailed of her fathers caravan whilst the kids where growing up, many happy times around the UK in that.

We bought a MH in 2009, '99 Swift Sundance Marquise Lifestyle, old but we did not want to spend too much until we found if we would take to it, and yes we have.
To move on I am officially an OAP but Karen being several years younger than me is still working "mind you so am I part time until she retires which she wants to do in two years.

Next move is to buy a rear lounge MH with two single decent beds, transverse is not an option, don't want to be climbing over each other for the midnight visits.


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