Not a year for Europe

[irenerobbie]

motorhome? hotel ?

terry , i don't think you've quite got the ethos of this site. most of us CHOOSE to stay in our vans because we love the freedom and even an official camp site is too restricting. its not just to avoid camp fees that we want to "wild". i'm not averse to the odd night in a flash hotel but its never hard to choose were i would rather be, IN MY VAN. as william wallace said "FREEDOM"(well according to mel)

 

[lenny]

Hi Lenny, 4 kids and a dog, well thats outside the normal scale of motorhome users in the UK in fact the only people I have ever seen with so many kids have been travelers.
But if like the vest number of motorhome users, there are just two people, then using a motorhome in the UK does not add up.
In your case lenny, maybe a hostal would fit the bill.
terry

So many Kids, Travellers, hostal would'nt let us in on account of our Goat and chickens.

Next weekend we may leave the grandchildren and dog behind and try and act like the Normal scale of motorhomers

 

[guerdeval]

Back home in Brittany

Just got back from 6 weeks around Portugal and Spain and was disappointed in Fuel prices in Spain, virtually same as France now. I posted a few weeks back that I thought fuel would come down and I might be proved right, on today US market oil has dropped 7 dollars, gold $45 and wheat $7 as it appears the hedge fund speculators I blamed for the increase are trying to unwind deals as they cann't pay for them. Yesterday I paid 1.24 euro a litre from supermarket but the big fuel chains were still asking 1.35, I think prices will improve even further in the next few weeks so don't give up on the continental holiday yet!!

 

[Don]

As a point of interest, On the Continent is Diesel more expensive than Petrol as is the case here or is it, as I beleive, Diesel cheaper than Petrol?
Our local garage is 8P dearer for Diesel than it is for Petrol.

 

[Belgian]

Overhere diesel is cheaper

As a point of interest, On the Continent is Diesel more expensive than Petrol as is the case here or is it, as I beleive, Diesel cheaper than Petrol?
Our local garage is 8P dearer for Diesel than it is for Petrol.

Hi Don
In Benelux and France diesel is still (a little bit) cheaper than petrol. (today petrol: 1,4 €/l, diesel 1,1 €/l), price of diesel went up yesterday, petrol price went down (only 0,04 €) Why ??
Luxemburg still remains cheapest (less dearer) (I never knew they had their own petrol-wells ). It's allways the same: taxes, taxes....
By the way: weather is fine overhere: gails and snow (melting)
Leo

 

[terry1956]

In answer

Re the fuel prices, what about bio diesel??? its for sell or over germany as that gone up or down in price, anyone know.
terry

 

[Belgian]

bio diesel

Re the fuel prices, what about bio diesel??? its for sell or over germany as that gone up or down in price, anyone know.
terry

We have 2 firms producing bio diesel in Belgium. But you cannot have it on the pump! None of these traditional brands won't sell it. They simply boycott bio. Belgian bio diesel is now exported to Germany; and in Germany diesel is sold dearer than petrol only 1 reason: $$$$$£££££

 

[wildman]

Our motorhome runs on a mixture of vegetable oil and diesel, or even SVO, (straight vegetable oil), just fill up at the supermarket, what price vegetable oil, is it a legal fuel in Belgium?
Smells like a chipshop lovely.

 

[Belgian]

Veg oil

Our motorhome runs on a mixture of vegetable oil and diesel, or even SVO, (straight vegetable oil), just fill up at the supermarket, what price vegetable oil, is it a legal fuel in Belgium?
Smells like a chipshop lovely.

Hi Wildman
One liter veg-oil is still dearer than one l diesel overhere. So I do not mix it(yet). Yes you can drive on it. I only don't know to what % without engine trouble. Indeed the exhaust has a chips-smell; no problem overhere: 'French' fries are in fact 'Belgian' fries (and we only take the chips - and leave the fish and vinager to you barbarians )
An illustration how crazy this country is;
A powerplant running on palmoil was planned here in Anwerp (minor CO2 nonsense...). Banned by politicians: "there is no guarantee that those palm plantations in Asia are ecological" .
Belgium has only one problem and that is Belgium

 

[wildman]

Our van has a conversion (fuel heater) and Bosch injector pump allowing 100% veg oil. One advantage of an old engine. TDI diesels should not use it at all. Most non TDI diesels are ok up to 50% veg oil in the summer, I would not risk it in the winter. the main advantages , if you use recycled waste oil then it cost nothing but the time taken to filter it and remove animal fat, water etc. It is also carbon neutral because it comes from a renewable source, i.e. the sun. See URL's below if you need further info.

http://www.elsbett.de/forms/ekit
http://www.reuk.co.uk/Vegetable-Oil-Two-Tank-Conversion.htm
http://www.vegoilmotoring.com/eng/wp-content/svo-english.pdf

 

[Yogihughes]

I'm in Germany just now and every garage I've seen so far has diesel cheaper than petrol. Only by about 20 cents though.