Life in a Motorhome

I’ve had caravans and motorhomes, probably for about 15 years. 

My cousin and her husband gave me a wee caravan. There was neither electric in it or water or a toilet, but it was just absolutely perfect for me for towing along the road and heading off to sites, where I used to go  set dancing.

I’d park up, and have my water on board in a container. There might have been a stove top for cooking and the two seats, and the table turned down into a double bed.

And sure that was all I needed. 

I had everything packed up on a Friday, and off I would go set dancing Galway, Sligo, Mayo and Donegal. 

Once, I filled a big container with water, and didn’t put the lid on. There was.. about 5-6 gallons in it. Bobbing along the roads outside Killybegs  and the container fell over. The place was soaking. 

My friend was coming down to set dance with me. I had the blow-up mattress on the floor, and she had the bed. Every time the duvet touched the floor it soaked up water. So, it was a very wet night. 

My cousin  borrowed it back again and sold it as a hen house. So then I went straight out bought another caravan, a bit bigger. 

When my granddaughter was born  I would take her away in it and I thought it would be nice to run around the roads instead of always using sites. 

I was out cycling one day and I saw a motorhome on the driveway and asked them if they were selling it- because they had a few.

That was the first motorhome I had. 

Before that I had never driven anything bigger than a Vauxhall Astra. They gave me a few lessons to show me how it worked.

Now, I am on to my third motorhome.

This one is a better layout for me as I get older. Unfortunately, there was everything wrong with the van and I had to pay nearly  £2000 to get it fixed- and I paid over the odds for it.

Making a Motorhome a Home

I’ve had this motorhome since the first of September and I’ve only been out in it once. 

Because the weather has been so bad, the inside got wet. Everything had to be taken out and dried, the soft furnishings re-covered. New batteries. The windows have all been sealed up. 

I have new curtains in it and I’m making it my own.

I bought some older bigger, curtains from Facebook marketplace. Cut them up, lined them, sewed them, and put them up. It’s very colourful at the moment. I’m going Bohemian in my old age.

I do believe there’s a heater in it and a nice soft bed.

But I’m not really looking for home comforts, I’m looking to be out and and about. It has a bike rack on the back for my bike. 

It will be cosy, there’s plenty of lights in it… as long as there’s plenty of books. I like reading, and like being in a space where there’s no TV.

I bring my ukulele with me and I will sit there playing my ukulele.

It has a bathroom and flush toilet –  you empty the cassette – and there’s a shower and hot water boiler.

It will be very comfortable when I get it all packed up again. Very up-market!

It’s a long way  from the first caravan where, If you wanted to go to the toilet, you had to pull the bucket into the middle of the room, shut and door and pull the curtains.

Travel

When I was going set dancing I travelled alone. But during the summer I travel with my grandchildren. 

One of them is 14 and now doesn’t want to come with granny. The two boys come with me – they are 9 and 11. There’s a bike rack so we just stick the kayak on and off we go.

Everything piled into it. Buckets and spades… lifejackets, kayaks.. pumps and picnics. It’s all there.

For food I tend to make it and freeze it in batches. There’s a fridge, so every day I just de-frost something. And sure, there’s always a chip shop somewhere if you are stuck.

When we are are wild camping and swimming it’s nice to be able to just to turn on the oven and stick something in. The boys get a ferocious appetite from swimming and kayaking.  I find I eat less when I’ve away then I do in the house.  Probably because I’m actively interested in things outside. 

The longest I have been away in one stretch is probably about 5 days. There’s always something I need to come home to.

A friend who lives on her motorhome on the Continent all winter, but I couldn’t see myself doing that. I do like ‘home’, I like just coming in and putting my feet up. So I’m not ready for that kind of life yet. 

About 15 years ago I was thinking of selling the house and getting a barge. Everyone was saying you are getting older and you won’t me able to maintain a barge, or fix anything underneath, so I had to go off that notion.

Parking

I never have any problem with parking sites. Never. I can park the motorhome anywhere. Back of supermarkets, carparks and lay-bys. 

People are more friendly.

There was one time .. it was about 8 weeks after my hip replacement and I had the three grandchildren with me in the caravan down to Castlewellan. The wee one was only about 6 months. I was kind of struggling with the awning so the people beside me came along and sorted everything out for me.

When I was leaving they looked after the wee ones while the older girl helped me pack away all the stuff. Then they took the awning down for me.  They were terribly good and very, very  friendly. 

Motorhome people wave at each other when they pass. They don’t know each other, but it’s like a secret club. They don’t do that with caravans. Only motorhomes.

I kind of avoid small towns and if there is a queue of cars behind me I will pull into the nearest gap in the road and let them pass. I just feel that my pace is suitable for everyone, so I do a lot of pulling into the side of the road, and I always  get a wee flash.

When I’m parked up I tend to go to bed quite early. I always know who’s round me and would be very cautious about safety. I wouldn’t park down a lane. It would always be on the outskirts of a town with streetlights and traffic passing. After a while you don’t hear the traffic passing.

Once you the hot water bottle filled… and nice duvet.. its very cosy.

Design

This motorhome has cupboards with gadgets built into walls for glasses. Everything is  very contained so it doesn’t rattle about. It all snibs down and closes up so nothing bangs about when you are moving. 

You just have to be very aware of what you have sitting on the seat that might fall over, and put that away. Living in such a small area everything has to be tidied away.

There is a wee space upstairs for the boys. In the other one there were bunks at the back,  a double bed over the cab. This one has a smaller bed over the cab and no bunks.

The boys used to love sitting up there. This was their ‘apartment’. People couldn’t see them, but they could see out. It was nice. There’s a safety net in case they roll over and roll out.

I am very conscious of safety. When we are driving the boys have to be  in their seatbelts. There are seatbelts its the back and two seatbelts in  the front.

I am really happy with this motorhome. It’s actually the same layout as the first one that  I had one side is slightly longer.  

Sleeping

The other motorhome had the double bed above the cab so you had to go up steps. I’m nearly 70 and found getting down the steps at night, and finding the steps, was a wee bit rough. It’s an age thing. 

I’m getting too old to climb down ladders, and it was difficult to struggle out of the bunk bed.

I was taking cramps in my legs and physically couldn’t get out of bed. I need something that I can just roll over onto the floor.

The bunks were very closed in, top and bottom, like a wee coffin, but very snug.

In this one you make up your bed on one side, and then on other side you have a dining area which makes up into a bed as well. It sleeps four very comfortably. 

Planning a Trip

I live on my own but I  have my grandchildren 3 days a week. That that leaves another 4 and I can run that into a bit longer. Ireland is not that big. You can do it in a couple of days. 

If I see something on the TV and I think I like that I write it down on the back of the diary. My bucket list.

I decide how much time  I have and look up to see what other attractions there are in the area. Then I just up-sticks and go.

The first thing is to get out a map. I make a plan of places to visit and keep a journal of where I’ve been how many miles I’ve done. I will put a note beside it what to see and where to park up. 

You will always get a Tesco or Lidl. Usually their carparks are big enough for you to well away from cars so it’s easy enough to swing round and park and get back out. If you just go into Tesco and Lidl or Aldi and say, look I’m going to walking around the town is it ok to leave the van. 

Usually they are very nice and would say we will keep a wee eye on it for you.

Also, there’s a free park4night app that shows you places where it’s safe to park. 

There’s no issue about somebody coming and saying you can’t park here its private land.

Day Time

I’m up in the morning, get my breakfast and then take myself out for a walk around the area. I’ll see if there’s anything later on that night if I fancy coming back for. Or maybe go for a cycle and go out in the evening.

If I’m out on the bike I make a sandwich and bring it with me and stop off and get a coffee somewhere – weather permitting.

When I get back I just put the bike on the rack again and just chill out.

Inside, when it’s raining, the sound of rain is lovely, especially if you are parked up near a beach. The sound of the waves can lull you to sleep.

It’s really, really nice. I’ve parked up in some lovely places with waves.. 

Activities

My granddaughter is 14 now and she won’t come with me. She likes her own space.

The boys love it, but I’m sure the boys won’t be with me when they are 18-19. 

They are still so easily amused.

Sometimes they have their screens with them. Failing that, I bought them a couple of ukuleles  so I teach them a couple of chords. But, we do a lot of board games and quizzes.

We went to Glencar waterfall and sat in the van for half and hour waiting on the rain. But, we have those big Dryrobes and so we put them on off we went in the rain to the waterfall. You just hang the coats in the bathroom and they drip dry.  

Life on the Road

To live life in a motorhome you need to be very laid back … just go with the flow.

You have to be tidy about putting things away and minimal, because everything you bring is a load. The heavier the load the more diesel you use.

I would take water with me in the tank and whenever I run out I have a hose with me. You will always find a tap at a graveyard and just connect up. 

I take all my rubbish home with me, and separate it as well. 

You tend to just eat what you’ve got. You take smaller portions because you would be putting more in the fridge.  There’s very little waste. Plastic, I re-use what I’ve got, use-again bottles. 

There’s a gas cylinder that would last me for about 2 years – a full oven and a grill three gas rings and an electric ring.

If I was on a site you can hook up to the electric. 

Locations

One time I travelled as far as England  – and had 4 toll fines.

I was so busy concentrating on the road and fast traffic I didn’t see they were toll roads. Now, I wouldn’t leave Ireland. There’s plenty I haven’t seen in Ireland.

Favourite places? Any of the beaches in Donegal. I go for a wee swim in the morning and maybe again in the evening.

Carrickfinn Strand is lovely.  Glencolumbkille
is nice but it is a wee bit dangerous to swim. Inishowen, Rosbeg and Nairn – absolutely gorgeous. 

Maghery,  outside Dungloe, is a lovely beach to park up.  There’s a wee community centre there and they run a lot of events in the evenings, a wee sing song in the day. They are very welcoming. 

I always buy a coffee or lunch to give back to the economy.

Home And Away

At home,  I keep the motorhome in the driveway, the car is beside it.

I reverse it in, and I’m a better reverser than I am driving forward. It takes a bit of getting used to.

 I love it. I don’t know what they insurance will be like when I turn 70, but if it goes sky high then it’ll have to go.  

I was always a bit of a wanderer. My granny was the same. 

One time my daughter took the van. I was busting to get away. I had a Citroen Picasso and was able to pop a tent up in the back of it. I had my cooker with me, a wee table, a chair, a portaloo another wee tent and the bicycle on the back of that again.

Off I went round Donegal, the Inishowen and Fanad peninsula away for 3 days. 

Its lovely to come home – and plan the next one. I wash the van out and think.. that’s it ready to go again.