Fulltiming in a motorhome - a blog
Discussion
Spuffington said:
Thanks KT.
Another blow last night - "wife" comes back from a holiday with the little'un and says we need to sell Harry as technically the proceeds would be hers.
Technically she's right, however, that doesn't take into account the 6k or so I've sunk into running him.
But looks like once we've sorted out the housing situation, Harry will need to be sold.
What do we reckon - advertise for 25k and accept something between that and 20k? With lots of work (both Hab & mechancial/chassis), got to be a good buy for someone? Currently on 42k miles.
Can't believe he's going to have to go.
fAnother blow last night - "wife" comes back from a holiday with the little'un and says we need to sell Harry as technically the proceeds would be hers.
Technically she's right, however, that doesn't take into account the 6k or so I've sunk into running him.
But looks like once we've sorted out the housing situation, Harry will need to be sold.
What do we reckon - advertise for 25k and accept something between that and 20k? With lots of work (both Hab & mechancial/chassis), got to be a good buy for someone? Currently on 42k miles.
Can't believe he's going to have to go.
k her man, put the house up for sale as you need half the proceeds for a deposit on a house, tell you'll sell all the smaller assets once that's done. 
Spuffo - Just want to say I'm glad you were able to keep Harry, it's great news 
Good on you for wanting to keep all that side of business off the thread. Naturally there will be some info creep as the two stories are intrinsically linked but you did well and kept to the point. For me this reinforces what others have already said - you seem like a jolly decent fellow.
Anyway back on topic eh. You mentioned that you sleep so much better in the motorhome than in the house. This is exactly my experience too, no matter if it's a 3 week holiday or just a single night away, I sleep deep and long in the motorhome. At home, I always feel somehow obliged to get myself out of bed; there's always something or other which needs doing or somewhere I need to go.
Keep up the updates, let us know how it goes with getting the bathroom bits sorted.
Good on you for wanting to keep all that side of business off the thread. Naturally there will be some info creep as the two stories are intrinsically linked but you did well and kept to the point. For me this reinforces what others have already said - you seem like a jolly decent fellow.
Anyway back on topic eh. You mentioned that you sleep so much better in the motorhome than in the house. This is exactly my experience too, no matter if it's a 3 week holiday or just a single night away, I sleep deep and long in the motorhome. At home, I always feel somehow obliged to get myself out of bed; there's always something or other which needs doing or somewhere I need to go.
Keep up the updates, let us know how it goes with getting the bathroom bits sorted.
Loving the thread Spuffers, just read your Scotland adventures too. I toured that area by motorbike 8yrs ago, fantastic memories came flooding back. Props to you for taking an MH over to Applecross too, it was hairy enough on a Honda VFR800!
Great to hear you have been able to keep hold of Harry, well done.
Great to hear you have been able to keep hold of Harry, well done.
Thanks for your kind words, fellas.
I always try and be the best person I can be and expect the same of others. It's tough at the moment, but it's all about the little girl and what can be done best for her. Undoubtely that means Mum and Dad keeping things amicable.
I've popped this on the other "what I did" thread but given the implications it has for Harry going forwards, I figured only right to duplicate here...
Given he has his MOT on Thursday next week, I wanted to be sure that he was well prepped. He had a hole in the nsr light cluster. I bought a pair as I knew one 2017 light cluster and one 2001 would look odd. Relatively straightforward; good job I took photos of the wiring before I unclipped everything though.
Top pic with the old one, bottom pic post installation of the new one:
Removing the old one left this; which I cleaned up with Megs Super Degreaser and polished up with AutoFinesse Tripple:
Top pic, old (osr) and new (nsr). And bottom pic - two new light clusters....
Then onto cleaning Harry - 2k miles of crud had taken its toll. Given the roof was pretty clean (the bit which normally takes the time), I had some time in hand to do some other bits once he was clean. Used GTechniq Tyre and Trim dressing on the tyres and odd bits of black trim around the place. And then turned my attention to towbar which had seen better days.
Out with a wire brush; got off most of the flaky paint and rust. Then sprayed liberally with Fenwicks Disc Brake cleaner to degrease. Then painted on Hammerite Smooth Black mental paint. Very pleased with the results:
Was so impressed with how this turned out, I then painted the underside of the two underbody lockers at the rear, which are metal:
Before
After:
Ok, so doesn't look like much difference in the pic, but I can assure you it looks a lot fresher.
Now having taken the Hammerite out, I can see there are plenty of other applications which could work. I have ordered some Silver and White so that I can paint some of the under body chassis members which you can see from the side. This will freshen it up further and also protect the chassis members. There are also some metal lids to the under floor storage lockers which could do with some paint. I will given them some attention at the next opportunity.
I may also remove the Euroliners on the wheels and give them a tidy up with some wire brushes and paint silver as the steel wheels are corroding beneath the trims.
Whilst under the van, I noted that the bottom of a couple of his lockers were wood. I've therefore ordered a tin of Ronseal Weatherprotect wood paint in black and will set about cleaning off the bottom of these lockers and painting them in due course. Anything to keep him not only looking good (you can just see the bottom of these lockers when standing back from him) as well as protecting him from the ravages of road dirt and weather.
I always try and be the best person I can be and expect the same of others. It's tough at the moment, but it's all about the little girl and what can be done best for her. Undoubtely that means Mum and Dad keeping things amicable.
I've popped this on the other "what I did" thread but given the implications it has for Harry going forwards, I figured only right to duplicate here...
Given he has his MOT on Thursday next week, I wanted to be sure that he was well prepped. He had a hole in the nsr light cluster. I bought a pair as I knew one 2017 light cluster and one 2001 would look odd. Relatively straightforward; good job I took photos of the wiring before I unclipped everything though.
Top pic with the old one, bottom pic post installation of the new one:
Removing the old one left this; which I cleaned up with Megs Super Degreaser and polished up with AutoFinesse Tripple:
Top pic, old (osr) and new (nsr). And bottom pic - two new light clusters....
Then onto cleaning Harry - 2k miles of crud had taken its toll. Given the roof was pretty clean (the bit which normally takes the time), I had some time in hand to do some other bits once he was clean. Used GTechniq Tyre and Trim dressing on the tyres and odd bits of black trim around the place. And then turned my attention to towbar which had seen better days.
Out with a wire brush; got off most of the flaky paint and rust. Then sprayed liberally with Fenwicks Disc Brake cleaner to degrease. Then painted on Hammerite Smooth Black mental paint. Very pleased with the results:
Was so impressed with how this turned out, I then painted the underside of the two underbody lockers at the rear, which are metal:
Before
After:
Ok, so doesn't look like much difference in the pic, but I can assure you it looks a lot fresher.
Now having taken the Hammerite out, I can see there are plenty of other applications which could work. I have ordered some Silver and White so that I can paint some of the under body chassis members which you can see from the side. This will freshen it up further and also protect the chassis members. There are also some metal lids to the under floor storage lockers which could do with some paint. I will given them some attention at the next opportunity.
I may also remove the Euroliners on the wheels and give them a tidy up with some wire brushes and paint silver as the steel wheels are corroding beneath the trims.
Whilst under the van, I noted that the bottom of a couple of his lockers were wood. I've therefore ordered a tin of Ronseal Weatherprotect wood paint in black and will set about cleaning off the bottom of these lockers and painting them in due course. Anything to keep him not only looking good (you can just see the bottom of these lockers when standing back from him) as well as protecting him from the ravages of road dirt and weather.
Another quick update.
Harry is looking awesome in the sunshine now. Completely clean, new rear lights, all the necessary bits of trim restored, towbar painted and some detail-focussed cleaning has got him looking almost brand new from certain angles. Particularly liked the shine evident in this pic:
In other news, I managed to source a 1800mm x 580mm Seitz safety net for the overcab bed. I have been sharing the bed with my daughter but she's such a kicker during the night that neither of us get a good night sleep. She is, however, really keen on going "upstairs" to bed, so I figured best way to ensure that happened without her being in danger and me getting a good night sleep without worry, was to install this safety net.
Biggest issue was needing to remove the mattress, which would be challenging anyway, but doing it alone and leaving it perched on the 3rd travelling chair and table was "interesting", as was climbing the ladder and trying to spread my weight over several bed slats rather than impose my full 85kg on just one! Anyway, having found a comfy perch, I set about screwing the base of the net into the side of the bed board. There were already lugs screwed into the chassis member which runs around the top of the cabin (I guess like a roll-hoop!), which although not quite in the right position for the new straps (they pull in at 30degs), the Chassis member needs drilling to move them so I will do this at another time. In the meantime, it's secure mounted on these lugs.
I'm pleased and the little'un is very excited about having her own bed when she comes to stay.
I've got her from Thurs evening-Sun this week so looking at where to go away on Fri & Sat night. Kelling Heath is a bit too far IMO (about 2.5hrs drive) but wondering about Oakham which has an ok site but just a short walk to some nice pubs in the village nearby. Any other ideas for c. 90mins from Cambridge?
Harry is looking awesome in the sunshine now. Completely clean, new rear lights, all the necessary bits of trim restored, towbar painted and some detail-focussed cleaning has got him looking almost brand new from certain angles. Particularly liked the shine evident in this pic:
In other news, I managed to source a 1800mm x 580mm Seitz safety net for the overcab bed. I have been sharing the bed with my daughter but she's such a kicker during the night that neither of us get a good night sleep. She is, however, really keen on going "upstairs" to bed, so I figured best way to ensure that happened without her being in danger and me getting a good night sleep without worry, was to install this safety net.
Biggest issue was needing to remove the mattress, which would be challenging anyway, but doing it alone and leaving it perched on the 3rd travelling chair and table was "interesting", as was climbing the ladder and trying to spread my weight over several bed slats rather than impose my full 85kg on just one! Anyway, having found a comfy perch, I set about screwing the base of the net into the side of the bed board. There were already lugs screwed into the chassis member which runs around the top of the cabin (I guess like a roll-hoop!), which although not quite in the right position for the new straps (they pull in at 30degs), the Chassis member needs drilling to move them so I will do this at another time. In the meantime, it's secure mounted on these lugs.
I'm pleased and the little'un is very excited about having her own bed when she comes to stay.
I've got her from Thurs evening-Sun this week so looking at where to go away on Fri & Sat night. Kelling Heath is a bit too far IMO (about 2.5hrs drive) but wondering about Oakham which has an ok site but just a short walk to some nice pubs in the village nearby. Any other ideas for c. 90mins from Cambridge?
We have recently done a 9 day trip to Norfolk, after 3 days at Kelling Heath we did 3 days at the camping and caravan club site at Sandringham. Whilst not the same as Kelling Heath it is a really nice site in a great location. Loads of forest / country park all around.
It was about an hour from Kelling to Sandringham so may be just in your 90 minute criteria
It was about an hour from Kelling to Sandringham so may be just in your 90 minute criteria
Check out the sites below, all in the Stamford / Rutland area:
Fineshade Woods (listed as Stamford) - no facilities but in the middle of a wood with good walks, cycling etc
Lyndon Top - again no facilities but really great views over Rutland Water, 15 mins walk to a good pub, golf club nearby with a good restaurant
Rutland Top - same hill as Lyndon Top but only 5 pitches
Wing Hall - site is a bit scruffy, but has chickens and turkeys roaming free, very nice views and an excellent pub within 5 minutes walk
Fineshade Woods (listed as Stamford) - no facilities but in the middle of a wood with good walks, cycling etc
Lyndon Top - again no facilities but really great views over Rutland Water, 15 mins walk to a good pub, golf club nearby with a good restaurant
Rutland Top - same hill as Lyndon Top but only 5 pitches
Wing Hall - site is a bit scruffy, but has chickens and turkeys roaming free, very nice views and an excellent pub within 5 minutes walk
@hornetrider - thanks! Very pleased with how he's scrubbed up. Will look at getting some polish and wax on him during the Bank Holiday weekend given I have three days to myself.
Thanks for the suggestions guys. All duly noted and will certainly get around to trying them at some point.
Unfortunately we're on a bit of a downwards curve again with the little'un. She's finding the separation very difficult to deal with and crying a lot in the evenings when I'm not there.
Horrible to see and to have to try and pacify her when I'm feeling the same but with the added complication of distance. So when I was speaking to her last night trying to calm her down, I offered two places I know she loves - Kelling Heath (because of the swimming pool) and Hertford because of her Aunt & Uncle and Cousins living nearby.
Predictably, she chose Kelling Heath. In some ways, I can't say I'm disappointed. It is a bit longer to drive and the site is not my favourite in shoulder-high season due to the sheer volume of people there. But I can't deny it's good for her with the swimming pool, places to ride the bike and the steam train into Sheringham and Holt.
So, I'll be picking her up from nursery at 4pm on Friday and by 4:30pm we'll be in Harry, heading up the A11 towards Kelling Heath. Should get there for dinner time and a full-funpacked Saturday will await!
Just what both of us need, I reckon.
Very pleased with how he's scrubbed up. Will look at getting some polish and wax on him during the Bank Holiday weekend given I have three days to myself.Thanks for the suggestions guys. All duly noted and will certainly get around to trying them at some point.
Unfortunately we're on a bit of a downwards curve again with the little'un. She's finding the separation very difficult to deal with and crying a lot in the evenings when I'm not there.
Horrible to see and to have to try and pacify her when I'm feeling the same but with the added complication of distance. So when I was speaking to her last night trying to calm her down, I offered two places I know she loves - Kelling Heath (because of the swimming pool) and Hertford because of her Aunt & Uncle and Cousins living nearby. Predictably, she chose Kelling Heath. In some ways, I can't say I'm disappointed. It is a bit longer to drive and the site is not my favourite in shoulder-high season due to the sheer volume of people there. But I can't deny it's good for her with the swimming pool, places to ride the bike and the steam train into Sheringham and Holt.
So, I'll be picking her up from nursery at 4pm on Friday and by 4:30pm we'll be in Harry, heading up the A11 towards Kelling Heath. Should get there for dinner time and a full-funpacked Saturday will await!
Just what both of us need, I reckon.
Harry is looking cracking after the paint and clean, nice one! Ours also has an exposed chassis section at the back (no tow bar though) which has gradually been looking more and more weathered. I bought some Hammerite mental (sic, see your post...!) paint quite a while ago but still haven't made the time to prep and repaint the thing. Seeing yours has given me some motivation to do so.
Been a week or so - time for a quick update:
Kelling Heath was superb and just what we both needed. I picked little'n up from nursery at 16:00 in the car, then set off in Harry at 16:30. We were at Kelling Heath for 19:00. Thankfully she didn't fall asleep, so a quick bite to eat and she was ready for bed at 8pm and I wasn't too far behind her. The safety net is a boon - she slept all the way through (and has done every night I've had her since), which is more than she's managing at home.
A weekend packed full of swimming, playing games, adventure playground (indoor and out) and generally enjoying each other. I even managed to get her to sit down and watch the iPad for a bit so I could read a book. Lasted an hour, but that was still good.
Since I got back, I've not been in Harry much. Regaining a bit of a social life, plus a couple of work dos. I didn't get back to him until gone midnight two days this week. It has been a bit more challenging with the cold weather as he requires the heating turning up and a good 20mins to get up to temp. But otherwise all good and I've just resorted to popping an extra blanket (or open sleeping bag) on top of the bed when it gets really chilly overnight.
The only problem with being back late and gone early is I've let my tidiness go awry and he needs a good tidy, vacuum and clean this weekend. Ex is away for the weekend with the little'n, so I've just popped laundry in the washing machine and will tidy up tonight. May even sleep in the house I'm still paying the mortgage on!
Anyway, as per usual, there's always something to do. The flyscreen failed in the overcab bed about a month or so ago and I'd been "making do" by just pulling it tight, but it was always getting in the way of the blind when I tried pulling that. A bit of eBaying one night had me find a new blind from Brownhills eBay shop. Was only about 30quid so I bought it and today in my lunch hour (I work from home on a Friday), I set about fitting it. Thankfully really easy and took me all of 20mins. Tried giving the whole of the unit a bit of a clean but it's so old, there was no chance. As and when I get the time and money in the years to come, I'll probably replace it and the one in the kitchen to freshen everything up (main one was done due to a catastrophic leak last Christmas). They're not that expensive and now I've seen how they're mounted, I'm sure it could be a DIY job.
Here we go......
Other than that, all good. I don't see living in Harry as a hardship. It's fairly easy but obviously every now and again I get a pang of wanting to be settled back in the house. Still a while to go, but still plenty of adventures to go in Harry too.
Thanks again for everyone's support. It really does help, just knowing there are people rooting for me.
Kelling Heath was superb and just what we both needed. I picked little'n up from nursery at 16:00 in the car, then set off in Harry at 16:30. We were at Kelling Heath for 19:00. Thankfully she didn't fall asleep, so a quick bite to eat and she was ready for bed at 8pm and I wasn't too far behind her. The safety net is a boon - she slept all the way through (and has done every night I've had her since), which is more than she's managing at home.
A weekend packed full of swimming, playing games, adventure playground (indoor and out) and generally enjoying each other. I even managed to get her to sit down and watch the iPad for a bit so I could read a book. Lasted an hour, but that was still good.
Since I got back, I've not been in Harry much. Regaining a bit of a social life, plus a couple of work dos. I didn't get back to him until gone midnight two days this week. It has been a bit more challenging with the cold weather as he requires the heating turning up and a good 20mins to get up to temp. But otherwise all good and I've just resorted to popping an extra blanket (or open sleeping bag) on top of the bed when it gets really chilly overnight.
The only problem with being back late and gone early is I've let my tidiness go awry and he needs a good tidy, vacuum and clean this weekend. Ex is away for the weekend with the little'n, so I've just popped laundry in the washing machine and will tidy up tonight. May even sleep in the house I'm still paying the mortgage on!
Anyway, as per usual, there's always something to do. The flyscreen failed in the overcab bed about a month or so ago and I'd been "making do" by just pulling it tight, but it was always getting in the way of the blind when I tried pulling that. A bit of eBaying one night had me find a new blind from Brownhills eBay shop. Was only about 30quid so I bought it and today in my lunch hour (I work from home on a Friday), I set about fitting it. Thankfully really easy and took me all of 20mins. Tried giving the whole of the unit a bit of a clean but it's so old, there was no chance. As and when I get the time and money in the years to come, I'll probably replace it and the one in the kitchen to freshen everything up (main one was done due to a catastrophic leak last Christmas). They're not that expensive and now I've seen how they're mounted, I'm sure it could be a DIY job.
Here we go......
Other than that, all good. I don't see living in Harry as a hardship. It's fairly easy but obviously every now and again I get a pang of wanting to be settled back in the house. Still a while to go, but still plenty of adventures to go in Harry too.
Thanks again for everyone's support. It really does help, just knowing there are people rooting for me.
A quick modification undertaken at the weekend - tip for which was given early on in this thread, but finally got around to it..................a cupholder for my morning cuppa/glass of water. I'll mount a small elasticated net next to it for a mobile phone holder in due course.
Pleased with it as it looks good and properly OEM, in my opinion.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
Pleased with it as it looks good and properly OEM, in my opinion.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
Spuffington said:
Thanks again for everyone's support. It really does help, just knowing there are people rooting for me.
I'm pretty sure I'm not the only lurker rooting for you who hasn't even posted on this thread to date! Splits are rough at the best of time, amplified greatly when mini humans are involved. Finding the mods/fixes to Harry interesting but looking forward to the post in the future on here that says you're clear of the ex and have secured your own mortgage on a nice little two bed somewhere, with a room for you and a room for little Miss Spuffington to make her own and stay in on your evenings for having her all to yourself. I'm sure that is a good bit off yet but fingers crossed for you.
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