Just a small point Pete. Unplug the power cable from the power post first so your not holding a live plug, especially if it’s wet. Have a great holiday.
Speed camera warnings should be switched off on the satnav when driving in France otherwise you could get a hefty fine. As for the the MOHO wave Mrs Ped - there's a difference between being too cool to wave and being too miserable. It's very easy to smile and just give a little wave. Apart from that, quite a good video.
As usual Ped very informative I’ve just purchased a motorhome and looking forward to France next year . Couple of points , always try to use campsite showers and toilets where pos , you will save on emptying grey water and refilling filling tank , try not to travel with full ( 100 litre ) water tank , fill up when you arrive . Your van shower and toilet is for mainly ‘ off grid ‘ camping , or when you get court short in the night . Chris
Sorry but the whole point of a MoHo is to be as self sufficient as poss. if you are going to rely on site facilities all the time then book a hotel, glamping site or buy a caravan. I'm not adverse to a campsite far from it but a Moho gives you so much flexibility, so make sure you can fill your fresh tank whenever poss and empty the grey tank and toilet whenever. other than that find a spot and enjoy. The van shower and toilet is there for WHENEVER YOU want to use it.
We had a Hymer B MCL for years...went right down as far as Turkey...had some great times...now we've now moved on, to a 60' catamaran, and loving every moment.
Brilliant review Pete, (and Tracey😊). Thanks for bringing us along! Saw you were in Tours on the way back, hoped you liked it! Were you near the center of Tours? An observation re-speed camera warning software, such as Waze or Coyote, no problem here in France. You are allowed to use them. Very interesting review! Cheers, Tom
Sat navs no longer give the position of a static camera in France as that is illegal. What they do do is warn you of dangerous sections of road so they warn you of the section of road the camera is on. All legal.
Back in 2018, we hired a motorhome in Ireland for 2 weeks, and another one in the UK for 10 weeks (we are from Australia). Here at home, we have nice wide roads, generally with easy parking in towns, so the narrow roads, particularly in Ireland took us a while to get use to. My wife never really did, and calls motorhomes 'the spawn of the devil". We wiped out the left hand mirror a couple of times in Ireland, but somehow didn't put a mark on the UK one, even after 10 weeks. If you have seen any of those movies where some idiot turns down a narrow street, and people have to fling themselves into doorways, well that was us in Cork; took a wrong turn into nightmare land! Back home, the first thing we did was hook up our caravan and go for a trip around to re-connect. Just about every town has easy parking, even with the caravan on, and all have multiple public toilets, and you don't have to pay! Don't get me wrong; we had a good time. We managed to do the NC500 around Scotland, and even went to Applecross via some mountain goat track (another wrong turn, but was worth it).
Looks very luxurious. And when I used to travel over there all the French villages seemed to have spots where camper vans could empty their toilets/waste water tanks - far better facilities than over here.
How wonderful. What a great way to holiday and travel. In the 1980’s a group of friends and I toured around Europe on our motorbikes. I will always remember the look of some German campers on a site we stayed at, we were washing our plates after breakfast in the chemical toilet disposal area, it was so clean that we didn’t realise 😊
The campervan will also charge the leisure (house) battery while driving. So if you stay in one spot for several days without a mains connection you can just run (at idle) the vehicle motor for awhile and it will charge the battery. I started with a 9m motorhome (8tonne) six years ago. I now have an Adria caravan which I tow with a Skoda Octavia Scout. Adria quality is a level above the English caravans/motorhomes.
@@Jabber-ig3iw If it is set up correctly, it won;t be very slowly at all. My caravan has a DC/DC charger and my car is wired up to charge the caravan battery when I am driving. My caravan has a 200Ah lithium battery and the car charges it at 29amps. So doesn't take long at all.
@@unpluggedkiwi1063 well of course it does if you have that system but 99% of vans don’t, they just have a lead acid battery hooked up to a split charger and the alternator so idling will do pretty much nothing.
Great film PP. I’ve just retired and invested in a Motorhome with plans to go to France. In the meantime we’ve had 5 great long weekends in this country. Perfect holidays for dog owners too Surprised you didn’t take a bike to France!!
Thoroughly enjoyed watching this video. We loved our motorhome as did our dog! The most comfortable vehicle I've ever driven long distance. One word of warning if travelling in France in either a motorhome or caravan. The French electrical systems don't worry about polarity like we do. It is therefore advisable to test the polarity of the site when you hook up and adjust your hook up cable if necessary. You can get a plug-in tester at most motorhome dealers. Great Video. Thank you!
Lovely place Le Touquet, all the wooded areas from the Westminster Hotel downwards to the town centre are always up lit and it creates almost a mystic feel to a walk into the town. As Mrs Ped, the place is well maintained and the town even at night is threat free. Great sandy beaches too, with a very old fashioned vibe. A great place to stay.
Rubber matting between pans, plates, etc, stops noisy rattles while travelling. Taking everything out of the m/h seems a bit of an overkill. We went over that same bridge near La Rochelle when we travelled to and from Saint-Palais-sur-Mer in June. Temps back then were mid/high 30s for the whole of our time there, too hot to really enjoy things until evening time. And we are used to seeking out free aires to stay at as well as using campsites, as the continent is so much better at hosting motorhomes than we are here in the UK. Usually, all they ever ask is you buy your morning croissants locally for staying there.
I hired a similar motor home from a place in Rye near to Folkestone to take to the F1 in Austria a few years ago and it’s a great way to do such a trip. Even better though is hiring a American RV in the US… no putting wedges under the wheels, you just pull up press a button and hydraulic legs go down and level it up. Then press a couple more buttons and the living area and the bedroom extend out of the sides! Bigger than some people’s apartments.. Now that’s the way to do it!! Lol 😆
The US & Canada love their convenience too. On most sites they have a gulley where you hook up the waste pipe, it’s about 3” Then you open a waste gate on the tank. They don’t have a cassette like we do. Once you’ve connected the fresh water supply you have a full flush toilet & shower at mains pressure.
Great video, Peter! Interesting to hear of your experience with a largish van. Glad you all enjoyed it. Belated Happy Birthday to Mrs G. Best wishes from Wirral!
This is one of the reasons why I love this channel, its gots so much variety. The motor home looked really good. Are uk campsites as good as french ones? Nice to see Tracey behind the wheel. I will recommend Holland for house spotting, such beautiful buildings😍, she will love them. Glad you both had a lovely time.
UK CAMC are generally very good, all you need and clean. It’s just more expensive than France, £40 ish per night. Many pubs though allow you to stay if you eat/drink there but most don’t have hook ups
French camp sites have an initial inspection before they can operate covering everything from access to toilets and then regular inspections to ensure safety and quality
Some years ago we did an eight week tour of France and Belgium in our Chausson Motorhome, towing a motorcycle trailer. Much the same layout at this Adria. With solar panels on the roof never used a hook up , the on board electrics were enough. As well as the campsites being cheaper than in the UK they were almost all better. At the time there were nearly 2000 roadside places to drain the grey water in France, and ONE in the UK. For some reason the UK hates motorhomes! In many places they are even banned from car parks. Our overall MPG on the nearly 3000 miles trip was a frugal 31mpg! (I have a light right foot). Looking at the costs of bringing a dog across the channel, isn't Brexit wonderful. All the extra paperwork, must be good for someone. Suggestion for another Video, a decently long trip with a towed caravan?
As an ex caravanner, I think I would spend £50k on a car and keep the rest for 10 years worth of holidays. Or spend £20k on a 2nd hand tow car and £24k on a new 4 berth caravan. Some disadvantages to caravans but more pros to cons.
I live in France and don’t understand the economics of motor caravanning given the purchase price. For years we have tended to tour around in a very nice car and stay in Chambres d’Hotes, often in chateaux and it’s much cheaper. These days I do a lot of touring but I have returned to using camp sites as I really enjoy moto camping on my motorcycle. Back in the days when we did have a caravan we did hire a motor caravan to go skiing in Austria in. It did the job but we much preferred having our car and caravan.
I've been following Snow&Curt full-time Van lifers travelling with their 2 cats from the US. They've been travelling North&South America and will soon travel to Europe.
Grey Nomading - great way to travel and see places in a leisurely manner and way easier than towing a Van , but the cost - OMG . Need sell your house to buy one or as you did trent for the trip-. Still not cheap to rent , but considering your transport , accommodation and the flexibility to stop and free cmp is amazing.
Le Touquet is a lovely memory for me. We did a couple of day trips there for lunch, tax free shopping on the way home. That was 40 years ago. Would be a very long trip with todays traffic. We are from Coventry.
Hi Ped First and foremost Best Wishes & Happy Birthday to TG.🎂So pleased both of you enjoyed your first experience with the Motorhomes, and too time to share with us. Having enjoyed many touring holidays in hotel’s & Chateau, decided on a change, Motorhomes or caravan. Caravan won on the independence of your towing vehicle still available to explore having reached chosen destination. We now have twin axle luxurious twin berth, 8 metre length, with self levelling and all mod cons. Usually get away for 2-3months, fully serviced adult only sites in superb locations. Expensive yes, but worth every penny. At my time of life got to enjoy every minute for this is a one way journey.🤭🍷🍷🍷
Have to say the setup inside is very similar to my van. The fridge is the best I have seen. We always feel more relaxed when we are alway more relaxed when we are away and the dog/s love it. Hope you loved the overall experiance
Now that’s a camper van ! Busmans holiday for me , I drive a 26T Daf for a living . Always switch the power off at the post first and unplug from there .
Use a solar panel for off grid, charges the leisure battery. When you are travelling the alternator runs the fridge, charges the leisure battery. Personally only travel with the water in the reserve fresh water tank, having it full kills fuel efficiency and handling
FYI We’ve got effectively the same Moho Standard thetford cassette should do 2 people about 4 days…possibly 5 …that’s using it exclusively as opposed to using campsite toilets .
If you do it again strap e-bikes on the back. That way the beach, town centres and countryside are a lot more accessible with less effort, particularly if there are hills or strong headwinds involved! Also how much did it cost to go over the bridge to Ile de Re? We thought better of it over 30 years ago. It was about the equivalent of £10 each way in early 90s money and that was in a small car not a motor home!😂
Brilliant I’m going to show this to my Mrs S to spark a bit of interest. In the background I’m constantly looking at MH and trade our 2 berth caravan. Off the Skye next month in the caravan hoping to bump into lots of MH owners.
We love driving abroad, particularly the remote parts of Spain, but we want to arrive in a town or city, not another field and the same cramped accommodation. Frankly, we have always been able to find very reasonably priced 3/4 star accommodation (many times well under £100/night) right in the centre if booked well in advance. We've found all the prices (food/drink in particular) are a fraction of the UK and the cost of buying/fuel/laying up (for most of the year), then driving a second home around Europe. The main issue for us is making sure that there is somewhere safe to park up the car. And, as for emptying chemical loos, communal showers, etc, etc, it isn't a holiday for me. I think you said it all when you mentioned the 'campervan wave'. Is it wanting to be with other Brits? Despite that - enjoyed the video.
Brilliant video Ped and a nice change. We've been camper-vanning since 2015 and caravanning since I was a kid, they are the best holidays! You can go anywhere within reason and almost all sites are awesome! Ill de re is a beautiful part of France, we visited before Covid, the lighthouse at the west of the island at St Martin is beautiful not to mention La Rochelle. France and most of Europe really know how to accommodate campers and motorhomes unlike Britian... Definitely a great way to adventure going forward, especially with the petrol pups 😎👍 Very enjoyable 👌
Ped, you may get the fuel economy up by leaving the water fill till you get to the next site! Leave a bit in sure but dragging a full tank is a bit mad👍
Happy Late Birthday Tracey!! i never had you as likely motorcaravanners so this was a surprise. My parents used to rent out caravans in the 1960’s so I grew up with them but Hilary totally hates the idea so no chance now…but with hotel prices reaching £350 per night now, I think they are starting to look a lot more sense. I’m glad you had an automatic as I have seen too many red faced old men battling dreadful gearboxes and heavy steering…we need comfort and ease! It is the bathroom side that H hates most of all but if we found good sites, she might give it a go. I fancy a Mercedes Sprinter in Super long wheelbase form with a nice conversion but they are not cheap so rntal is the way ahead. I’m glad you had a good time…you will enjoy it even more next year! 😃😃😃Richard.
Interesting as a motorhome owner to see a non experienced persons view. Just a few things I noticed. No one puts all their cutlery/crockery every journey. Toilet empty every day??? As a couple we can manage 3 or 4 maybe longer even when not on campsites. (Public loos wherever possible) On campsite we would only use it at night so even longer. no need for generators for wild camping just a solar panel and maybe another battery. One night/short stopovers French Aires are a much cheaper option. less hassle too.
Well, I never put 2+2 together when I spoke to you at Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, I was in the other Adria. The penny only dropped when I came across this Vlog. Glad you enjoyed it, You’ve got a new subscriber now, cheers Shaun.👍🏻
Memories of Family Holidays in France, 6 of us in a Rover P5B and a Caravan..... Wonderful Wonderful Times.... Your MH looked great...... But I hate to think of the total cost....... Have you heard about the new VW camper.... 7 mtrs long but Over 4.4 tonnes so you need an HGV licence to drive it.... Oh yes it has a range of 60 miles.... Not selling many I believe.... :-))))
Hope the power was off or you are holding a live cable LOL Personally a touring caravan and car are best so you can visit any town just using the car. It is also a lot cheaper £30k caravan £20k car. I would recommend La Rochelle and Agon Coutainville to visit (La Plancha bar and resturant awesone in Agon right next to the sea. Dogs can go on North and South beaches). Agon Aide De Camping has power hook up.
just a word of warning , not all power points in France / Europe are wires correctly , carry a uk polarity checker plug and fly lead not forgetting a euro adaptor lead and a plug / socket that is cross wired (marked cross wired)
It's not an issue. Travelled in France and Europe a lot. You won't notice reverse polarity. It's only a danger of you start taking electrical items apart and working on them.
It’s more a myth than an issue. In Germany plugs can be put in either way around and as most modern electrical items are double earthed and a/ electricity alternates it’s direction 50 times a second it’s not really worth worrying about.
I can remember about 1972 ish we did the same the wife and two daughters we drove down to Tours and picked up a caravan .for a couple of weeks.i remember loads and loads of sunflowers and camp sites.and when it rained it was hailstones quite often in july. I think our caravan was an Adria too. Jesus that was 50 years ago now .
We just did a 2.5 week tour through France Italy and Belgium in July . Excellent seeing all these different places , our van ain’t as luxurious as that thing though !
We found driving we both fresh and gray water tanks empty was easier and probably better in fuel when we hired one a few years back, especially if you could fill up on site
Just wondering, you mentioned the fuel economy and noticed you also filled everything up before leaving earlier in the film.. I’m guessing that’s because when you arrive you don’t have to faff and also just in case of the issues you ended up having arriving early and having to park away from hookup.. but do you think it’d drive better and more efficient if it was all empty? Or.. maybe half full to cover emergency use? Oh and great video as usual thanks for showing it.. I’ve always wondered about renting something, maybe not as luxurious as that, motor home, when I’ve not been able to find any BnBs left. I assume it’d be worth it when staying in UK?
I am sure it would drive better and be more efficient with empty tanks. We filled the water just in case we either had to wild camp (which we did one night) and so that we could just get set up after a long drive and have a beer 😂
Over 3.5 tonnes so needs a C1 on your licence, hence why they won't rent to everyone (of course being of a certain age Grandfather rights apply). Buying our first motorhome 10 years ago was probably the biggest step up from a tent, but we've never looked back. Last week we had a quick tour around Europe . . .
Spooky ! I also travelled across the Seine Bridge a couple of weeks ago to / from Calais Eurotunnel Le Mans on track days ! Car is too old to get a Crit Air cert so used the Seine Bridge to avoid brutal Rouen....probably only added about 20 mins to the journey but much more scenic !!! Belated happy birthday to Tracey :)
Notons que les véhicules les plus polluants ne sont pas éligibles à ce certificat et sont donc non classés. Il s'agit de tous ceux immatriculés avant le 1er janvier 1997. En outre, les véhicules d'urgence, de chantier et agricoles ainsi que les véhicules de collection sont exemptés de cette pastille.
Loved That video about your hols Pete. I would love to do something like this and just drive . No hassle with hotels and such like ! A pure joy to watch both of you and the Pups of course ❤❤🙏🙏💯💯 Happy Birthday Mrs Petrol Ped 🎂🎂
Personally I’d have left the dogs at home so they aren’t a hindrance on the trip. Having to cater for animals when already having to look after yourselves isn’t something I’d been keen for especially on a trip to another country. Each to their own but you can do so much more and go so many more places if you don’t have an animal or two to have to worry about (can’t leave them locked up in a vehicle for example). I’ve had pets all my life including a dog and I never understand the need to travel with them. Also you’d not be allowed to have them off leash here in Australia. (Yeah we took our cat on holiday twice but it was a 2hr drive to a place, a stay for 2 days where the cat could stay indoors and then a 2hr drive home). As for filling the fresh water when you leave camp, to save carrying all that weight - if you still have some fresh water, wait until you get to the next camp before refilling it. Will use less fuel while driving.
We don’t have children, we have the dogs (much cheaper decision by the way 😜). They come everywhere which is unless we are flying away on holiday. In France they can literally go everywhere. Restaurants, shops you name it. We love sharing the holiday with them 👍
A brilliant review. We’re considering getting a Motorhome and really appreciate all the points you covered - especially the furry members of the family.
A few points, unplug from the tower first, van second. You don't need to turn off your gas, you should have a safety cutoff mechanism in the gas cupboard.
For me your best review I'm buying a motorhome next 2 years a chassoun x550 . Be living full time for about 5 years maybe more but I retire and start my second life at 60 with my pup
Looks like a lovely holiday, but a motorhome seems like a bit of a faff to me. I'm used to staying in luxury hotels and being waited on, but I can see the attraction of this type of holiday. 👍
Something a bit different. I remember on an earlier video you said your original plan was to tour Scotland. My question is if you knew you were going to Europe would a left hand drive vehicle be easier? Also what a pain having to drive to Barnsley to drive back to Chichester but I guess when Scotland was the plan it made sense. Cheers, Dan
Great to see you experience the dark side, its probably been said but toilets don't need emptying every 2 days unless there are a lot of you and there are things you can do to illuminate crockery rattles so you don't have to pack it away in the garage. Generally if you keep below 55 MPH that helps with fuel. A great first time blog.
Looks a cracking vehicle but alas not my idea of a holiday lol . Pete I’d love you to do if it comes your way a review of the M3 touring a good mate of mine is thinking of leasing one or an RS 4 Touring we both catch your uploads whey we can keep up the great work it’s always varied and very interesting topical 👍
That was certainly different and does look like fun. Not really my cup of tea, but as long as you and the girls enjoyed it, that’s what matters most. And happy birthday Tracy 🎉
Good vid as usual. Just recently subscribed and making my way through your videos. Am in France myself in our motorhome (live NW Brittany), our van isnt so luxurious, weve come to Quiberon for the third time this month to see a house for sale again, I'm keener than the other half. I'm the petrol head, we're both property mad, moved about 10 times in 20 years, 5x in France. Wish I'd done YT vids myself.
I think if I was to drive 2000 miles in France and hire a camper I would want the steering wheel on the left, and I thought having satnav camera warning turned on was illegal in France.🤔
Looks like you had a great holiday, Pete! I travel a little lighter on the 'bike (tent, sleeping bag, stove and poo-bags). Belated Happy Birthday to Trac(e)y (not sure if how she spells it).
Spending all that amount of money I would want more space around me, looked very jammed in, of different sites maybe different, also as a friend found, you only have this for transportation, difficult to park in many small towns or big towns, like others have said, buy a car and caravan combo, or a smart and tow it, seen that many times here in Spain., enjoy your time.
Hired a van last year for a week round the north east of Scotland - same layout as yours which I think is the perfect layout. loved it! So much so that we're looking at how we can get our own.... Used mind, but even so, anyone want to buy any limbs? Organs?
@@PetrolPed France is so big, there is always somewhere with warm sunny weather. We never book any camp site ahead of time, and head where the weather is good.
I would warn you that although the temperature might be high, but in the Dordogne area, this time of year, the weather will likely be very wet despite the heat!! Take it from a guy whose parents had a caravan over there!!
