Gerry and Chris Bullock from Norwich have been avid motorcaravanners since 1969. Gerry started out with a four-berth Standard Atlas and the couple now own an 1999 Auto-Trail Cheyenne 590S Special.
When she was 25, Chris was involved in an accident. Following several operations, she now relies on a wheelchair. Gerry suffers from serious back problems.
Despite their mobility issues, the couple travel all around Europe and are site inspectors for the Alan Rodgers guides.
In addition, Gerry has owned a succession of vans that he has modified himself.
“During the 1970s to early ’80s, I fitted a variety of different engines into a bevy of Bedford CFs,” says Gerry. “The interiors varied from wild and wacky, to smoothly sophisticated, but always hidden in a cupboard somewhere was a hob/grill
and a washbasin. Each van also featured a good bed, often accompanied by mirrors on the walls or even on the ceiling… but let’s not elaborate on this!”
After his wild youth, Gerry admits that he was tamed first by meeting his wife Chris, and then by the arrival of their daughters, Lisa and Kelly. These days he opts for “factory-built, not Gerry-built”. So, a few factory-built vans later and, in 1996, Chris and Gerry were enjoying the luxury of a 30ft Allegro RV.
“It had everything we could have wanted,” says Gerry. “Facilities included a microwave, fridge/freezer, separate rear bedroom with a fixed double bed, and a separate shower and bathroom.”
Two years later, in 1998, a serious accident left Gerry unable to climb through the driver’s door of the Allegro, so it had to go. Gerry says: “Once my health and confidence returned, we had a short spell of trying out a car and caravan, before purchasing an Auto-Sleeper Duetto.
The Duetto was a super motorhome, but after owning a 30-footer we couldn’t manage comfortably in such a compact van – even the dog had to reverse down the aisle of the van, because he had no room to turn around.”
The Duetto’s replacement came in the form of the couple’s current Auto-Trail Cheyenne 590S Special. The van had been especially built for a wheelchair user by Auto-Trail, and it came complete with folding metal ramps that clamped into the widened doorway. Gerry is a big fan of
the van because of its “wide door, super layout, good interior and 2.8 idTD engine”.
Gerry fitted a wooden handle, bought from a yacht chandlery, to the wall of the shower compartment. “I’m not very good in the morning,” says Chris. “Gerry uses the showers on the site and I use the facilities on board.” She adds: “I can perch on the toilet seat to shower, and the rail means I can get up and down, or hang on for grim death if I’m having a bad day.” She also finds that a combined shower and toilet is an advantage because there is not so far to fall if she feels unsteady.
At a show earlier this year Gerry and Chris bought a Pride Go Go mobility scooter, and it has had a lot of use: “My wheelchair is starting to get rusty!” jokes Chris. Gerry has fitted a Fiamma Ultra-Box to the rear of the van in which the scooter is neatly stored. The Go Go scooter can travel up to ten miles on one charge, and Chris finds that it makes a real difference.
Fiamma also produces safety handles, which Chris finds essential when getting in and out of the van. When closed back onto the door, the handles also act as a security device (turn to page 133 for instructions on how to fit one).
In terms of the actual motorhome, an overcab van like their Cheyenne suits Chris and Gerry best, although the Luton is not used for sleeping, but for storing the wheelchair and bedding.
“We have spent many hours with site owners, offering advice on making their facilities more disabled-friendly,” says Gerry. “The Disabled Discrimination Act comes into force in October this year, which should make access to all public areas a legal requirement. We consider ourselves very lucky that we have had the chance to meet and make friends with so many people who work in all spheres of assisting the disabled.”
The couple are off to the Lake District in a couple of weeks’ time, stopping off at a different site every night. Most importantly, says Gerry, you should not be afraid to travel abroad if you have a disability. If, when booking a ferry, you advise the company of your special needs and choose your campsites carefully, you shouldn’t find a problem and there is no need to worry – that’s what the staff are there for.”
How to get out and about in a motorhome
Let’s get started with some terminology: what do we actually mean when we say ‘disabled’? In the context of this article, ‘disability’ is defined as anybody who needs more help with certain activities
and tasks than is usual for their age group.
So you wouldn’t be wrong in thinking
that disability is something that will affect most of us at some stage in our lives.
At some point, most of us are likely to suffer from reduced mobility either in terms of minor joint pain, or an inability
to get from A to B. The longer we live,
the more likely rheumatism, arthritis, muscle degeneration, accident and, just plain old age are to affect our mobility.
After 30 years of working with people with disabilities, I can confirm that most have no truck with the chattering classes who refer to them as being “challenged at the movement-space interface” yet do nothing to provide assistance. The disabled don’t want to be treated favourably – only differently, so that they can have the opportunity of achieving and experiencing all that the ‘able’ can.
My friend Heather is a mother and a talented violinist who just happens to need a wheelchair to get around.
Unfortunately, most people see the chair first, not the person. It’s something we all have to work at, myself included.
Let me give you an example. Some years ago, I visited Alfred Bekker Controls in Driffield. They happened to be fitting out a Chrysler Voyager with voice recognition control software for a wheelchair-bound lad with hardly any movement at all. He could move his left hand horizontally and had some low-strength rotational movement in his right hand, but that was about it. Staggered by the complexity of the control systems, I asked what sort of a driver he would make. The proprietor replied disarmingly: “Oh, he’ll be a b***dy lunatic, like any 17-year old.” That says it all, really.
When the ladies and gentleman in the automotive marketing departments decided to call an estate car with an extra row of seats, or a bread van with windows, a ‘multi-purpose vehicle’ (MPV), a demand was created because people were persuaded that their lives would not be complete without one.
However, I disagree with the central tenet: most MPVs are dual-purpose vehicles only, unlike motorcaravans, which are genuine multi-purpose vehicles. A motor-
caravan can be a people carrier, hospitality unit, load-lugger, support unit for hobbies and interests, a clinic, and, of course, a car.
Far better than a touring caravan and towcar, a motorhome is ideally suited for day trips, weekends away and longer holidays. This is because once on board, you don’t have to move from ‘transport’ to ‘residence’. Motorcaravans have high roofs so that a wheelchair and its user can be accommodated together, without the need for the user to continually get in and out of a chair that must then be stored elsewhere.
Those requiring a once- or twice-daily injection (diabetics, say) can close the curtains and self-administer in private. And if you need the loo frequently, or require help using it, there’s no more searching around for the key holder for the one disabled cabin in a 40-mile radius because it’s all on board. Those who need frequent doses of temperature-sensitive medicine can now travel far from home, since all motorhomes now have thermostatically controlled fridges. Passengers who must travel lying down can also be accommodated: as even the most basic motorhome has a bed.
Motorhomes vary in size from
micro-campers to giant US-style RVs.
I’m not going to tell you what size van to buy but my best piece of advice to buyers looking for motorhomes in any price-bracket is that you should buy the smallest van in which you are comfortable rather than the biggest you can afford.
Few disabled buyers find elevating-roof motorcaravans to be suitable: most prefer a high-top panel van conversion or a coachbuilt (either overcab or A-class). Many modern panel-van conversions have a wide full-height door on the nearside, so getting on board shouldn’t pose too much of a problem. And there are plenty of bespoke motorcaravan builders in this section of the market who can undertake a conversion to suit your exact requirements.
Caravan doors in overcab and A-class coachbuilt motorcaravans usually require widening for wheelchair access. With some manufacturers, this is a factory-fitted option, while for others it is a case of having the modification carried out by the dealer or a local coachbuilder.
Ramps and lifts can be fitted to most motorhomes, and some sort of wheelchair-restraint system can also be provided.
Of course, some wheelchair users might prefer to transfer to an ordinary travel seat.
So far, I’ve considered disabled passengers only, not disabled drivers. So, let’s take a look at this. The problem with many motorcaravan chassis is that automatic transmission is not available. However, some do offer automatic transmission, notably the Ford Transit, the Mercedes Sprinter, and the VW Transporter for right- and left-hand drive versions. Fiat, plus most American makes, cater for left-hand drive versions only.
There is also a sort of ‘half-way house’ called an automatic clutch (see page 122, for details). It’s fine if, for example, you only have one operational leg, but you will still need two functioning arms. Additionally, interior layouts in many motorcaravans can be altered to suit, and various living aids are available.
Buying a new van for use by a disabled person will reveal a pleasant surprise. Providing certain conditions are met, there is no VAT to pay. And, if you’re short of cash, you can buy a pre-owned motorcaravan or a standard second-hand van and adapt it yourself. In this case you are likely only to be able to have the cost of the adaptation zero-rated for VAT, but suitable motorcaravans are on offer from as little as £5000.
So, don’t let disability hold you back – get out there and enjoy motorcaravanning!
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