When we've finished cruising the canals of Britain we intend to buy a motor home and have a "Geeko" around Scotland and Europe.
When that will happen we Dunno because we don't have a definite time schedule. But the chance to visit a motor home show at the Birmingham NEC was too good to pass up so last Saturday we made an early start, 8.15am, and had coffee'd up before the doors opened at 10am plus there were no traffic, not one, hold ups enroute right to the car park.
The show run until 6pm and we were heading out the doors at 5.50pm so we'd checked out most every make on display inside and out..
We went back twice to a couple of models and pretty well settled on a model that ticked most all the boxes, quality, layout and décor being most important. Many of the different makes are based on the Fiat Ducato chassis and motor so only HP rating to chose on there.
With "show specials" there's the opportunity to get 2 - 5 thousand pounds combined upgrades and discount packages..
First viewed were some camper vans and it was hard to believe they were priced at up to 10 - 15 thousand pounds more than say a 7.4 metre motor home...
Only 2 berth but....
This "Lime Green Machine" was well presented...
Looking toward....
The rear and the lounge that makes up the bed....
And toward......
The front with swivel seats.....
Next viewed was.....
A VW van with a pop up roof....
The rear end...
With electrical and gas fittings to enable the "Barby" to operate....
And the rear seat / bed....
rolls forward for more space....
And you can buy a....
Brand new VW bay window camper...... "Old School"....
First of the motor home type.....
This featured a "Push Out" lounge area... space giving but Woah... Expensive....
The interior...
Many makes now feature....
A "drop down" double bed... the underside of the bed has the hood lining look and when they're in the up position it's very hard to tell if there's a bed there....
Another bed....
Not fully down.... they have screening curtains attached and are very weel balanced and quite easy to lower and raise..
This interior was in a...
Chic... c-Line... motor home... in the 82,000 quid bracket....
It even had....
A double bed..... with electric adjustment to raise the matress....
As in the narrow boat construction the Polish have gotten into motor homes......
Adria being the make.... probably fitted into about 4th - 5th on our list....
Plenty of......
Dining table when extended....
But the so called....
Fixed double bed in the rear was a bit odd with two singles or a double to be made up....and a "Stairway to Heaven"....
Another make to check out was.....
Burstner.....some good ideas and up there in the top group of choice...
A top job.....
Of finishing the interior.....
And this.....
Swivel basin makes for more room in the shower... or more room on the "Crapper".....
Bessacarr, from the same factory as Swift motor homes had....
This model, 2013, that caught the eye.... Has the must have fixed double......
Across the rear of the vehicle was....
Then through the door to....
A good size toilet with basin....
Looking toward the front...
Seats that convert to a double.... but no fixed table... you get it out from under the bed....Also with a flat floor throughout, no raised bed, there was very limited storage underneath.....
And so on to the model that we liked most.....
The 'Pilote".... French built on the Fiat gear... the layout made it easy to move around... comfy as to sit, and we fair tested it out... and the quality of finish was tops...
It also featured a.....
"Pull down" bed... this one being the only electrically operated one seen... with the dinette converting to a double and the pull down it's actually a six berth...
The toilet and shower area...
Were two separate rooms..... not the typical "Wet room"...
An advertising board....
Summed up our thoughts.... it's the "Reference 716" model...
And last year it was the....
"Motor Home of the Year" at the show.... Place an order.. 3 month build time with spec's to order...
and at 53,000 quid one of the best value for money motor homes we checked out...
We left the show and walked to the car park passing....
A living wall....The sun had gone but the colours stand out...
The paneling....
In stainless steel made a nice contrast.....
Across the road you could...
Mistake it for being in Dubai... tower cranes everywhere... well 5 anyway... more expansion at an already large NEC.....
All in all a bloody good days motorhoming.....
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