Motorhomes?

[billy1561]

Anyone have any experience of hiring a motorhome for lejog? Would need to support 3 riders and a driver. Able to sleep 4
The 3 of us who are considering it are considering this as an alternative to an organised supported trip because its likely we could do it this way for a comparable cost and pretty much stop where we wanted.
All advice appreciated!

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

My experience of motorhomes that sleep 4 is that they are huge things that would not be a lot of support for you on small single track roads in Scotland and would be a nightmare elsewhere in the UK. On those roads you need someone with experience of them, or lorries who is used to the space needed for turning the around, reversing etc. My parents have a motorhome. It is large & only sleeps 2, but the local company they use is called Spinney's however I don't think they do rentals, but I can ask my step-father if he knows of anyone in the UK who does. He has always had motorhomes so knows about these things.
I would imaging a support vehicle for LEJOG would be better as a transit style van with kit & spares and sleeping in either guest houses or a tent or two.

 

[billy1561]

There are numerous possibilities i guess as to the best/cheapest/supported/non-supported way to do lejog. We're still going through the thought processes of which way we intend to go with so are still in the consider all options phase.
The motorhome idea was purposefully as a mobile B+B really which could double up as a support vehicle. The transit type vehicle is much more flexible route wise but leaves us with the B+B or camping to arrange. One of the lads isn't thrilled with the idea of sleeping in a tent after 100 mile days and i can see why, so we are probably drifting away from that thought.
Critical to us would be the ability to have a change of cycling clothes daily and also be able to rinse through the days kit.

 

[Crackle]

Motorhomes are perfectly usable on Scottish singletracks but they are expensive to hire, I would guess around 7 to 800 a week minimum and you'll be surprised how little room there is in a 4 berth one for four adults.

You can park up in them but it's not as easy as you think, especially if you want it to be level and you will also need to get to a campsite every few days to replenish water, empty waste tanks and toilets. If you start washing kit and four of you getting a shower, you'll probably use your 100litres up in a day. Motorhome showers need to be turn on, wet yourself, turn off, soap up, turn on, rinse, turn off. No showering for 5 minutes because you only have a 10 litre water heater normally. So you need to bear all that in mind. In addition you all need to go to bed at the same time as your seating will be one of the beds, unless you hire a mahoosive one.

You can do it but if you've never used one, those are the kind of things you may not have thought about.

 

[billy1561]

Motorhomes are perfectly usable on Scottish singletracks but they are expensive to hire, I would guess around 7 to 800 a week minimum and you'll be surprised how little room there is in a 4 berth one for four adults.

You can park up in them but it's not as easy as you think, especially if you want it to be level and you will also need to get to a campsite every few days to replenish water, empty waste tanks and toilets. If you start washing kit and four of you getting a shower, you'll probably use your 100litres up in a day. Motorhome showers need to be turn on, wet yourself, turn off, soap up, turn on, rinse, turn off. No showering for 5 minutes because you only have a 10 litre water heater normally. So you need to bear all that in mind. In addition you all need to go to bed at the same time as your seating will be one of the beds, unless you hire a mahoosive one.

You can do it but if you've never used one, those are the kind of things you may not have thought about.

Brought back all my caravan touring memories that post! Plenty of food for thought thanks

 

[asterix]

Met this Brit on his way to Spain. Driving his Winnebago, he'd just brought the centre of Orleans to a standstill after encountering a low bridge and discovering (in time) that he wasn't going to fit under it. Apparently after the traffic had backed up behind him it became impossible to turn the thing around until the Gendarmes arrived and umpteen cars had been removed from the equation.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

There are numerous possibilities i guess as to the best/cheapest/supported/non-supported way to do lejog. We're still going through the thought processes of which way we intend to go with so are still in the consider all options phase.
The motorhome idea was purposefully as a mobile B+B really which could double up as a support vehicle. The transit type vehicle is much more flexible route wise but leaves us with the B+B or camping to arrange. One of the lads isn't thrilled with the idea of sleeping in a tent after 100 mile days and i can see why, so we are probably drifting away from that thought.
Critical to us would be the ability to have a change of cycling clothes daily and also be able to rinse through the days kit.

sounds like a better option could be a support vehicle (estate car or similar) with you in YHA/SYHA or B&B's then. Quite a few campsites have bunkhouses as well so that would expand the option, but you learn very quickly to sleep in a tent espeically after a long hard day in the saddle. You would keep the tent option handy as an emergency back up, or introduce him to camping in the year long planning process. take him bivvying in the wet, he will soon learn to love a tent!

 

[G3CWI]

http://www.northwesterncaravans.co.uk/

Hired 5 berth one from them a few years ago. Toured all round North of Scotland. No problems at all. Even my wife (normally nervous driver) liked driving it.

We loved it - best holiday we ever had. Would have bought it if we could have afforded it - they would knock the hire price off the purchase price.

Hire tip: for comfort always hire one berth more than you actually need.

 

[BigonaBianchi]

why do you need a support vehicle?

 

[Dayvo]

I'd suggest hiring a VW Caravelle or something similar to carry all the stuff and sleep/eat/wash at a campsite.

A biggish tent (or a 2-man per person) is fine. After a long day's cycling, getting to sleep on an exped mat (for example) is not a problem.

 

[billy1561]

why do you need a support vehicle?

Because the bikes we would be doing it on are not able to carry a rack or panniers and i don't want a rucksack.