# Has anyone travelled in uk for 12 months....wild camping?



## BornFree (Jun 5, 2009)

Hi, 
I was hoping that I could get some advice. My husband and I want to buy a motorhome , take the kids out of school (they are 9, 4 & 3) and homeschool while travelling around the uk. We were looking at doing it for 12 months. Has anyone else done the same thing for as long as 12 months? If so, how did you find it?
Cheers,
Cat


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## bob690 (Jun 7, 2009)

Hi Cat, Ive been fulltiming for some four years now, mixing wildcamping with staying on sites. Mainly c+cc, I find being a member a necessity for the benefits it gives. I have no regrets at all in taking this direction in life, being a retired fireman on my own(3 daughters grown up) I saw to many of my ex colleagues lose interest in life after retirement. So I decided to flog the house and here I am.
   You will need a good sized m/h for the five of you, You and hubby will need some space for yourselves when the bin lids are in bed, also a good amount of storage space for clothes, toys, etc. Remember its not always going to be summer, my heating system is good, but not all are. Washing should not be a problem as all c+cc sites have washing machines, irons etc. Make sure you have decent cooking/washing up facilities and you will need a large size fridge. A good telly, computer and dongle. Go round motorhome suppliers and look for layouts that will suit you, dont buy the first one you see. I would go for an older model, 12 to 15 yrs old, tag axle(for payload) that hasnt been flogged to death, ie mileage. That way you wont lose to much money if you come to sell it. Well I could go on for hours, but Im not, if you want any more info theres loads on here or ask and finally read any old mags/books on motorhoming, thats the best way to get info.
                                         All the best........Bob


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## Deleted member 775 (Jun 21, 2009)

hi we have been fulltimeing now for 6 or seven weeks and are loving it cannot hel with info about the kids education but i guess that is not a great prob as you can home tutor them and look at what else they will learn as for a sutable van you will need one with some room and good basic washing facilities but if you keep a look out you will find the right van good luck


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## Deleted member 775 (Jun 21, 2009)

bob690 said:


> Hi Cat, Ive been fulltiming for some four years now, mixing wildcamping with staying on sites. Mainly c+cc, I find being a member a necessity for the benefits it gives. I have no regrets at all in taking this direction in life, being a retired fireman on my own(3 daughters grown up) I saw to many of my ex colleagues lose interest in life after retirement. So I decided to flog the house and here I am.
> You will need a good sized m/h for the five of you, You and hubby will need some space for yourselves when the bin lids are in bed, also a good amount of storage space for clothes, toys, etc. Remember its not always going to be summer, my heating system is good, but not all are. Washing should not be a problem as all c+cc sites have washing machines, irons etc. Make sure you have decent cooking/washing up facilities and you will need a large size fridge. A good telly, computer and dongle. Go round motorhome suppliers and look for layouts that will suit you, dont buy the first one you see. I would go for an older model, 12 to 15 yrs old, tag axle(for payload) that hasnt been flogged to death, ie mileage. That way you wont lose to much money if you come to sell it. Well I could go on for hours, but Im not, if you want any more info theres loads on here or ask and finally read any old mags/books on motorhoming, thats the best way to get info.
> All the best........Bob



good info given there


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## guerdeval (Jun 21, 2009)

Can recommend full timing as we've done it for 2 years now but wife has had enough and we're buying a house and selling the big van and buying a smaller van derived for short breaks, she misses a garden.  We were on a site in Spain in the winter and a neighbour 'home tutored' their daughter and from everyones pont of view quite successfully.  would buy the biggest and newest you can afford  UP  TO  about 26 feet, over that becomes a bit unweildy and many sites have an 8 metre limit.  A safari room would be essential especially with 3 kids (it does rain even in Spain) , I have a big Hymer S820 and even 2 of us get under each others feet so think about the layout you want as you'll need a lot of storage too, if I had 3 youngsters I'd go for a fixed bed over the cab and a fixed double over a big garage at the back for grownups, external bike rack and a roof box for light stuff like unseasonal clothing you don't need to access often. Go for it.


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## lyn (Jun 22, 2009)

Thi is why I bought my camper as it is to be my retirement home and I am just going to take off in it and can't wait. The only thing I can add is that when I am away with my, now 13yr old, I mix & match sites. I like small basic sites and Liam, like any kid, like the bigger ones with pools & entertainment so we go to both. This way he tends to find someone to play with so that I get some me time, also the bigger ones will have kids clubs so that you can get a break. We have stayed on C&CC sites and they are very good and something I will join.

Good luck and I hope you have a great time.

lyn


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## cagedbird (Jun 24, 2009)

Excuse my ignorance but what is a "safari room" and why is it necessary if you have kids?


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## sasquatch (Jun 24, 2009)

A Safari room is a set of wall panels which attach to the rolled out canopy. It then gives you extra living space and looks like a tent attached to the van.


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## Hazy-thoughts (Jun 26, 2009)

Hi, My wife and I have been fulltiming now since the beginning of the year, my only regret is that we didnt do it years ago.
Some very good advice above, size of van and layout is of paramount importance, we took over a year deciding what exactly we wanted and which van we thought would suit us best, we settled for a 12 yr old Hymer S700 and so far so good, I would reccomend a genny and solar panels if at all possible to keep the batteries topped up and to give you mains electric as and when needed. Try to buy the largest van you can afford to buy to run. We have a large Garage at the rear which we find invaluble as it leaves the van free of all the odds and sod's that you will need to make life bearable on the road.
A tv is certainly useful and more so I would imagine if you have kids. We tend to listen to the radio more than watching tv personally.
A mobile broadband dongle is a must if you like to use the laptop as much as I do.
Most of all enjoy your time out there, we have found so much to do with our time and cant imagine going back to a "normal" life.

Good Luck


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## Deleted member 967 (Aug 11, 2009)

*Full Time*



Hazy-thoughts said:


> Hi, My wife and I have been fulltiming now since the beginning of the year, my only regret is that we didnt do it years ago.
> Some very good advice above, size of van and layout is of paramount importance, we took over a year deciding what exactly we wanted and which van we thought would suit us best, we settled for a 12 yr old Hymer S700 and so far so good, I would reccomend a genny and solar panels if at all possible to keep the batteries topped up and to give you mains electric as and when needed. Try to buy the largest van you can afford to buy to run. We have a large Garage at the rear which we find invaluble as it leaves the van free of all the odds and sod's that you will need to make life bearable on the road.
> A tv is certainly useful and more so I would imagine if you have kids. We tend to listen to the radio more than watching tv personally.
> A mobile broadband dongle is a must if you like to use the laptop as much as I do.
> ...



Just before I retired I sold my house and rented it back.  With the proceeds we purchased our motorhome having been a tail-wagger for many years.  We have a 1992 S700 Hymer with fixed rear bed and captains table layout.  This layout gives us a very large boot.

Our aim was to spend a lot of time in the motorhome.  I fitted a large 85litre LPG tank.  That left me space to fit two extra 110Ah batteries in the gas locker and a 1600w modified sine wave inverter. To keep these charged when not on the move I have a Gasparini Self Energy EG20 LPG generator slung underneath the van.  This auto senses the battery voltage and starts at 11.5volt and turns off at 14.5 volts.  It puts out 20 amps.  I have gained more storage space above the extra batteries.

We find that we can run most things we need on this set up.  I have fitted two sets of mains sockets, replacing most of the continental ones plus more.  Cream for inverter, White for mains. When on hookup we can run both. 

We have Sky, TV/DVD, Laptop and dongle, Safari Room, Smart car on trailer.

Our aim is now to full time.

We are now sorting out getting medicines.  We both take regular medication for blood presure and will need repeat prescriptions.  How have other people sorted this out with their GPs?

We were planning to overwinter in Spain last winter but due to the need of medical treatment that was abandoned.  We are now planning full timing and giving up the house.

How have people got around the need for a postal address?


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## silverbike (Aug 11, 2009)

A few other thoughts. You say this is what the adults in the family want. Have you included the children in making this decision? If you plan to take a year out you sound as though you might then be considering opting back in.
Concerning education you can talk to the local school about what they will be covering, some may be prepared to help with distance learning materials - as may your local authority Traveller Education Service. 'Education Otherwise' is an organisation designed to support parents who are educating their children other than in school. They will explain the legal implications. You can google them. I think they're also helpful about learning materials. If they're likely to return to the same school why not keep in touch with the class by sending reports of your expeditions and adventures?
As for the van and camping, do what everyone advises and have a practice run before venturing on a long trip. Also check for blogs on the web. I seem to remember a family going off last year in a converted bus who were going to report back but I can't find it. Maybe someone here will know.
Good luck.


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## nowhereman (Aug 11, 2009)

BornFree said:


> Hi,
> I was hoping that I could get some advice. My husband and I want to buy a motorhome , take the kids out of school (they are 9, 4 & 3) and homeschool while travelling around the uk. We were looking at doing it for 12 months. Has anyone else done the same thing for as long as 12 months? If so, how did you find it?
> Cheers,
> Cat



Hey Cat, we did it for a year in both the uk and the continent. Apart from a few weeks in a dutch school, our 12 year old was home taught for the whole year. What I have found is that even a few months on the road can give a child more experiences and knowledge boosts than a year at school. 
We kept full records of all lessons that we taught and handed them to the school where my son started on arrival back in the uk. 
Because we only ever wildcamped we found it difficult to ensure enough contact with other children. This lead to my son missing his peers and playing with mates etc. In the end for us this was the reason we settled again in the uk. 
Son now settled in a school, the integration was totaly seamless. 
Getting the balance right is the difficult bit, the fact that you have three kids may be a little easier.


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