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Burning questions about motorcaravanning? Our expert team can help! Simply email one of the addresses below, or contact practical.motorhome@futurenet.com, and we’ll do our best to answer it
can we cross over to the mount in our campervan?
Q Like everyone else these days, we’re focusing on staycations this year and are planning a trip to Cornwall in the next month or two (lockdown permitting!).
We’ve never been to St Michael’s Mount (1), but it’s on our bucket list. Now we wonder, would it be possible to get close to it in our motorhome? We have a 6m-long campervan.
Liz Butcher
A Claudia Dowell says…
Motorhomes should approach Marazion from the west, where you will come across two spacious car parks offering great views of the Mount.
The station car park is pay and display and has a café and toilets; the second option is the Folly Field car park.
The Marazion slipway car park is just a little too snug for anything larger than a campervan. And be warned that there are a couple of tight corners to negotiate if you decide to drive through Marazion or approach the car parks from the east.
Visiting the island itself, you have a choice – you can either walk across the cobbled causeway when the tide allows, or take a boat ride into the Mount’s sheltered harbour.
You will need stout shoes to explore the castle and the terraced gardens, and do make sure you check tide times before setting out across the sand.
can we fix cracking in our motorhome’s inner shell?
Q Our 2004 Autosleeper Symbol has served us well over the years, but now needs some TLC! The main problem is the plastic interior shell, which is cracking badly (some cracks around the back door lock have been there for a long while now). The worst, a long split on the left of the back door
(2), just appeared during lockdown. My husband contacted AS about the problem. Unfortunately, they reported that this was an issue of age (which we
would certainly agree with), but they had no other advice to give us.
Now our ’van is going for some minor repairs, but the workshop couldn’t offer us any suggestions either, apart from taping or carpeting. I feel sure there must be some filler we could use to help with our problem, but we do need your expert advice, please.
Sheila Howlett
A Diamond Dave replies…
Yes, you are correct, there is a flexible plastic filler available that will repair these cracks.
If you search online for ‘Big Boy Plastic Flexi Filler’, you should find what you need. The company doing your repairs should be able to carry out this extra work, but if they don’t want to, it’s not a difficult DIY job.
The cracks will need cleaning and carefully sanding to provide a key, to allow the filler to bond to the plastic. Once cured, it should be possible to touch up the colour match, too, using something like model paint.
will i be insured when we test drive a motorhome?
Q We’ve seen a motorhome that we like and we want to take it out for a test drive (and maybe take it home on the same day). Could you please advise where we stand regarding insurance? Alf Peters
A Nick Harding replies…
Check your own insurance first (car or motorhome) and see what else it entitles you to drive.
If you’re buying via a dealer, chances are the vehicle will be unregistered and you will have to take it out on trade plates – in which case, the dealer will sort out the insurance.
Things get a bit trickier if this is a private sale. If you haven’t met any of the aforementioned criteria, it might be that you’ll have to take out some cover for that test drive.
Try the various specialist motorhome insurance companies – the best ones can set you up with something, and give you a full refund if things don’t work out.
By the way, a test drive before you purchase any pre-owned motorhome is absolutely critical. So many folk don’t bother… and quite often end up paying the price.
is it a good idea for us to take our ebikes on tour?
Q We have owned our motorhome for a number of years now, and while we’re still happy with it, we’re considering changing to a different model in the new year.
We both have electric bikes and would love to take them on tour with us when we go away, so we don’t need to drive the motorhome off-site once we’re pitched up. However, we’ve never owned a ’van with a bike rack or similar – could you please tell us what we should know before deciding on our next motorhome?
Bill Greaves
A Peter Baber says…
One rare advantage caravanners have over motorcaravanners is that, once you are on site and unhitched, you have a handy vehicle ready to take you for a quick trip into town.
It’s no surprise, then, that to speed up the walk into town (which always seems longer than the warden says!), many ’van owners bring bicycles, particularly now electric bikes are becoming more affordable.
Bikes will eat into your payload, however, so make sure you still have enough when they are included.
You also need to think about where you are going to stow them. A bike rack on the back of the motorhome is good, but it might interfere with your reversing camera, or make opening any rear door en route a bit tricky. Plus, ebikes can be very heavy.
Stowing the bikes in the aisle inside is also an option, but it is sometimes difficult to harness them sufficiently here to stop them moving about.
If you have a garage fitted in your motorhome, make sure that it has a height of at least 1m, and has proper holding points to secure them while you are travelling.
A bonus is that the garage should mean you have somewhere safe to store the bikes when on site as well.
how can we make best use of our first campervan?
Q My brother has kindly passed on his VW T5 to me and my family. Do you have any advice on how to get the very best out of it? Lee Chambers
A Paul Critcher says…
What a generous gift! If you’re using it as a family, my number one tip would be to invest in an awning (3), which will transform your space, so if you plan to stay somewhere for a few days, you will have plenty of room.
A camper and awning are the perfect combo. You have the easy manoeuvring and compact size when you’re driving, but on site, you can create vital extra accommodation and seating areas. Happy camping!