Earlier this summer, I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to try out one of the new-look McLouis Fusion low-profile motorhomes, produced by McLouis in partnership with Auto-Sleepers, and head off on a weekend tour to Norfolk. The revamp includes new silver side panels and an interior that largely replaces any wood veneer with a smart foil wrap.
My first impression of the latest McLouis Fusion 373 was that both of these developments are improvements, particularly the interior, which feels brighter, thanks also to the large windows and sunroof.
But where to take such a vehicle on a summer weekend? Norwich and the Norfolk coast – where I’d never been before – were beckoning.
Living in the wilds of northern England, I must plead guilty to assuming that all journeys in the south are just a hop and a skip. But the trip from Northampton, where I collected the McLouis from Marquis Leisure, to North Walsham, my first stop, was actually more than two hours long.
However, it was a perfectly pleasant journey as the ’van carried me across the flat Cambridgeshire and Norfolk countryside. I chose North Walsham as my first stop, partly because Two Mills Touring Park, a campsite which featured in our Top 100 Sites Guide where the best motorhome sites UK are revealed, is located there.
Arriving on site, it was easy to see why this park has won so many votes from Practical Motorhome readers. It is immaculately kept, with all sorts of interesting landscaping features, and hosts Steve and Sharon could not be more helpful.
Steve even guides you directly to your pitch – under the watchful eye of Ludwig, the campsite rescue cat – and is a fount of all knowledge about the many wonderful things that you can see in the area. Pretty impressive for someone, who, as he admits, originally comes from Kent!
Leisurely set-up at Two Mills
Steve can also guide you to a charming path that you can take across vegetable fields, into North Walsham itself. The town, birthplace of one Horatio Nelson, is worth a visit in its own right.
However, after the relatively long time on the road driving a motorhome, I was, for now, more interested in stocking up at the local Lidl (a 20-minute walk from the campsite) and then simply relaxing in the ’van.
That proved more than doable, thanks to the well-equipped kitchen (complete with an oven where I could cook homemade Cornish pasties) and the comfortable lounge where, with a bit of manoeuvring, even taller folk can stretch out.
The rear bedroom is better still. This is a motorhome with fixed single beds that are both 2m long, but if you want to, you can add in a cushioned panel to make up the most enormous double bed, which is bound to offer you a perfect sleep.
With the following morning proving to be just as sunny, I felt a trip to the coast was in order. I headed to Happisburgh Beach (remembering I needed to pronounce Happisburgh properly, like “Haysbruh”).
The final mile of lanes before you reach the beach car park are a touch narrow, but at just 2.33m wide, the 373 is slightly narrower, in comparison, for example, than our long-term Bailey Adamo 75-4I, which is 2.39m, so it coped well.
One big plus with the McLouis when you are somewhere like a beach car park, where people are constantly coming and going, is the central locking. Just one press and the whole thing is secured. You don’t have to keep checking, and I could head off to explore glorious Happisburgh beach, take a dip, and then make my way to the top of Happisburgh Lighthouse (quite a challenge, climbing up the 112 steps inside).
After that, it was a short drive to the Camping and Caravanning Club’s Norwich site; it boasts an idyllic riverside location, set among plenty of wonderful mature trees.
to the city centre
You just have to be careful on the approach, because the main route to the campsite from the A146 ring road (which the sat nav took me down) involves going under a very low railway bridge. The 2.95m-high 373 could get under, but larger types of motorhomes might not be so lucky.
Discovering Norwich
The site was, however, perfectly located to catch a bus the following morning into Norwich and spend a pleasant day exploring the city, learning, among other things, about the Norwich School of Painters, and the World War I heroine, Edith Cavell, who was born in the nearby village of Swardeston and is buried at Norwich Cathedral.
The following night proved to be one of the hottest of the whole summer. Fortunately for me, the 373’s opening sunroof, Hekis and large windows all provided great ventilation to help cool things down inside the ’van.
Then next morning, it was a jolly jaunt down the A12 to return the vehicle. I had grown so used to it in such a short time, I was sorry to see it go.
If you’re not planning to take a trip this winter but will be storing your ‘van instead, don’t miss our tips on winterising a motorhome to ensure it’s ready to go in spring.
McLouis Fusion 373 technical specification
- Price £79,495
- Berths 4 (option for 5)
- Belts 4 (option for 5)
- Base vehicle Fiat Ducato
- Engine: 2.2-litre, 140bhp
- Length: 7.45m
- Width: 2.33m
- Height: 2.95m
- MTPLM: 3500kg (option to raise to 3650kg)
- Payload: 428kg
- Distance travelled: 280 miles
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