MMM - The Motorhomers' Magazine April 2023

When diesel prices shot up to close to £2 a litre last year, did you make changes to how you load your ‘van and how you drive in order to save fuel and cut costs? If so, are you still practising these changes? There are some easy ways to save on diesel that are – I hope – now a matter of course for all of us, not just to save costs but also to reduce harmful emissions. For example, just checking your tyre pressures to ensure they're correctly inflated can save up to 10% on your fuel bill. Then driving with a feather-light right foot and employing efficient driving techniques can result in incredible fuel savings. I adopted the Andy Stothert style of driving long ago: relax, take it…

Security on sites Friends of ours have a static caravan in Worcestershire. Recently, whilst asleep in their caravan, they heard a noise that woke them, but passed it off as their neighbours getting up very early for a car boot sale. However, they discovered later that their caravan had been broken into, their car keys were taken and their car driven off. Scary. It transpires that there was no entrance/exit barrier at their site, so the villains had a free passage out. I have attended a few sites where no barriers exist, though most do have them. For the potential villain, it is quite easy pickings, once they gain access to the car. I think this is a subject that campsites ought to think very seriously about. I think there's…

Top Pitch Further to Peter Vaughan's piece about the Classic Car Show at the NEC (February, p24), I was there, too. And I saw that delightful Danbury Chico on show across from Andy Saunders’ stand (his family owned Kars and Kampers in Poole, Dorset). Andy was at the NEC with his latest builds, Deja and Tetanus. My baby was out in the car park, a Wheelhome Vikestian on the Suzuki Wagon R (nicknamed Hotel Suzuki). It would be nice to know how many Vikestians still survive. Neil Marvin ED If you own a Vikestian, please get in touch. We spoke to Stephen Wheeler at Wheelhome, who reckons the company built around 25 to 30 Vikestians on the Wagon R. Looking back, we ran a brief test of the Vikestian in…

Please can you explain why the show is always at the NEC in Birmingham? I can remember many years ago when there used to be a caravan and camping show at Earls Court in London. Why can't it be alternate years north and south? Wendy West ED For those looking for shows in the south, there are three outdoor shows run by Warners, the publisher of MMM. The first is an all-new campervan show called Campervan Campout (5-7 May) at the South of England Showground in Ardingly. This is followed by the Southern Motorhome & Campervan Show (19 – 21 May) at the Newbury Showground. Finally, there is the Southwest Motorhome & Campervan Show at the Bath and West Showground near Shepton Mallet in Somerset (8 – 10 September).…

Now that I'm moving into my ‘second childhood’, my requirements for a motorhome/campervan have changed somewhat: • One or two-berth • Not too big (max 5m by 1.8m or thereabouts – I drive a Jag XJ and I don't want anything much larger than that), so that I can explore remoter areas and country lanes • Reliable (I would almost certainly buy secondhand – probably around 10 years or so old) • A substantial proportion of my use would be in Europe (so LHD may be acceptable and 1 may purchase overseas) • Basic kitchen and washing/WC facilities Do you or your readers have any suggestions regarding which makes and models I should consider, or avoid? Tony Perris ED Based on the size you describe, a VW Transporter short-wheelbase campervan…

SHARE YOUR PHOTOS If you have a picture of a motorhome adventure that makes you smile, please share it. Email it and a caption to mmm@warnersgroup.co.uk…