My partner and I made the momentous decision in 2015 to buy a motorhome. After quite a few years under canvas, our backs had decided that the time was right to take it to the next (upright) level.
This was a potentially lifetime investment, and not to be taken lightly. As such, we embarked on serious discussions about size, layout, budget and so on, and the search began.
And then we got married. How about a motorhome honeymoon, my new husband suggested?
After fruitlessly searching our native Northern Ireland, we began browsing websites further afield. Finally, we spotted our ideal ’van in Reading.
It was a 2012 Bessacarr E520 two-berth with just under 8000 miles on the clock. Phone calls were made, premium bonds cashed in and flights booked. We arrived at the dealership wide eyed, full of excitement about what lay ahead.
After we’d parted with substantially more cash than we’d spent on our wedding, we took our first motorhome selfies and headed to the nearest Sainsbury’s.
Our first challenge was to park the seven-metre ’van in the car park! We then went in and bought enough stuff to get us through the next few days, including glasses and champagne, of course.
We drove to Stratford-upon-Avon and parked at the racecourse campsite for our first night. Our pitch had an electric hook-up, which enabled us to try out all the mod-cons in the ’van. There was so much to learn about – the blinds, the toilet, the heating and more!
The next morning we negotiated the motorway to Penrith. On the long journey up the road we ‘marvelled’ at how the ’van wobbled when we overtook lorries, at the way the grill pan rattled for five hours and how the cutlery drawer flew open at every roundabout. We arrived at Ullswater Lake and had pre-booked a pitch at The Quiet Site.
The next few days were spent enjoying the walks and scenery, and the hospitality in the site’s pub before retiring to our bed. Each time we walked back to our motorhome we admired it from afar.
The thing that fascinated us most when we were driving around in our ’van was the way other motorhome owners expressed their good wishes by waving at us. Did they all know that we were on honeymoon, we wondered?!
How about a motorhome honeymoon, my new husband suggested?