This operation was launched on 21st July 2011 but they have no record of me having had it done but of course that’s because I didn’t know anything about it until today.  As usual with these things it will be completed free of charge.

The work will prevent any potentially incorrect securing of the spare wheel.  I presume from this that they have had a number of Motorhomes that have discovered that their spare wheels have been lost somewhere which will be a real blow if you happened to get a puncture.  Now, as far as I know, I still have my spare wheel secured under the Motorhome but to be honest I’ve never checked since I picked it up.  Hopefully I’m not in for a surprise!!

Here is a copy of the recall details I found on VOSA and a link to it if you need it.  Check your vehicle ID to see if this applies to you and if it does and you haven’t had a recall notification then ring the recall helpline on 0845 756 5556.

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You just enter a location and the app will show a map with all the campsites close to that location.  You can then zoom in and out of the map to get down to the finer details if you want to.  If you hover the cursor on a campsite flag then you will see it’s name and you can then click on it to get the information about the campsite.  From here you can click on the campsites website if it has one and then see even more details.  On the right of the screen you also have a listing of all those campsites and you can scroll through these until you see one you like the sound of, click on it and then see the detail behind it.  The details give you the address, contact number, email, website if it has one, detailed map location, description and a list of facilities.  It really couldn’t be easier.

I have both the iPad and the iPhone app but I much prefer the iPad app because of the larger screen and because you get to see the map.

On the iPhone you input the destination and then get a list of the campsites nearby and you can then scroll through these and again click on one that you are interested in to get the detail.  These details are the same as the iPad but without the map detail.

There are 900 or so campsites listed and the cost of the iPad app is £1.79 compared to the book at £9.99 and the iPhone app is free.

It’s a real bargain and once you get it you’ll realise just how easy it makes choosing a campsite in and around your destination.

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1. Le Guide Official Camping & Caravanning – 10,336 sites listed throughout France

It’s a great idea and all you do is to give them a ring and book a seat on the bus on a particular day to go from the campsite to wherever you want to get to.  They will drop you off and pick you up later in the day to get you back to the site.  This service is available in many parts of Suffolk as outlined below and on the website you can get more information.

We used the service to get from our campsite, Run Cottage Touring Park, to Sutton Hoo and it was great.  The other benefit was that it meandered through the country lanes picking up other people so we got to see lot’s of the Suffolk countryside.

The booking number to ring is 0845 604 1802 and you can book a week in advance.

SUFFOLK LINKS – DEMAND RESPONSIVE TRANSPORT

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He and his wife have recently hired a Motorhome to try it out and see whether it would suit them or not and they loved it.  They now have an opportunity to buy a Mercedes Burstner T Star 680 but are having difficulty finding a review on the vehicle so have asked if we can help.

If you do own or have owned one of these Motorhomes then please tell us what you think.

Thanks very much.

Steve

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A couple of weeks ago I had to go to the hospital for an operation to remove some skin cancer from my forehead.  I ended up with a three inch cut and fifteen stitches and although it’s now healing it’s still a little sore. I’m afraid that I’m a victim of those long sunny days and weekends away in the Motorhome.

My cancer started with an insect bite on my forehead, followed by another insect bite on the same place about three months later after which it never really healed up completely.  It left a mark on my forehead that was a slight protrusion but otherwise no problem.  Unfortunately it grew slowly, but not enough that you really notice it yourself, except that the skin is weak and is easily damaged if you catch your head on something.  It was never painful.

My doctor referred me to the hospital and they were great, looked after me very well and in no time I had the operation.

With hindsight I should have gone to see my doctor about it much sooner because it would have been easier to get rid of it whilst it was smaller and there is less risk of it spreading.

The skin cancer I’ve had is not, thankfully, the worst kind but even so it’s still very scary and there is an increased chance that I may get it again.

Just to put this risk into perspective by the way, I’ve always used a cap to protect my head and although I did use suncream I now realise that it wasn’t strong enough.  You can probably get away with that under normal circumstances but because we all like to spend as much time away in the Motorhome and get as much fresh air as possible the risk to us increases.  The other increase in my risk specifically was the insect bites because these caused a change in my skin and it became even more susceptible to the ravages of the sun.

My last word on this subject is that you need a good hat, some strong SPF 50 suncream and if you do spot any changes to your skin, even if it’s just a mark that won’t go away, please see your Doctor sooner rather than later.

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The important thing you need to know is that it is written in French.  Oh dear, too bad, won’t bother then I hear you say but don’t worry it is very easy to understand because at the front of the book the symbols for the campsite information are listed in English. Phew, that’s alright then.

When you look at the various regions in France you will be amazed at the huge number of sites there are, many more than we ever get offered in UK publications.

As a good example of this we like to visit the Bourgogne region around Chalon sur Saone and Tournus, just north of Macon, and we usually have a choice of 3 sites but this guide has around 20 minimum.  It’s a great book for those of you that like to try something different or travel around to quite a few sites in a particular area.

The book can be purchased from Vicarious Books for £12.50 with free postage.

If you’ve never used Vicarious Books then check them out anyway, they have a huge number of great books either written for or with Motorhomes in mind.

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One-Chem is a family of Formaldehyde free products that work extremely well and thankfully the smell doesn’t cause you to turn up your nose and wince.  We used to get some very strong nasty smells from our Motorhome holding tank with our previous products but One-Chem has got rid of those completely.

I also love the idea that you put the same fluid in the toilet flush system as you do the waste tank, that way everything is the same colour and smell.  I’ve also noticed that the toilet flush water keeps the colour and scent all the way through until it’s empty whereas with our previous products it used to fade well before I’d used it all.

The products are extremely easy to use and I’ve noticed more and more site shops and retailers selling them, so if you spot them don’t hesitate to try them for yourself; I can assure you, you won’t regret it.

I’ll carry on using One-Chem for the rest of the year and let you know how it goes but already I can’t see me changing back even though I’ve still got some of my old Thetford products left over – maybe I should just give these away and have done with it.

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I bought the Thule Rideon 9502 and I must admit it looks very good when fitted.  I’ve had a dummy run – well actually a dummy bike fit – and it seems fine.  The plan is to take the bikes on their first ride early in March somewhere nearby, that way I won’t get neck ache stretching to see if they’ve fell off yet.  I’m sure it’ll be fine.

Just bought a bike cover that probably won’t fit very well because it assumes that the bikes are facing the same way and it has extra bulk at the handlebar end.  Unfortunately you are supposed to reverse the bikes on the bike rack so I need a bit of bulk at both ends.  I think that most bike racks are like that by the way , balance, space and all that.  Handlebars side by side are really wide whereas a handlebar adjacent to a saddle is fine.  Simple isn’t it.

So why do we have to live with manufacturers who have no experience with the real world.

Painful isn’t it.

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These Motorhome catalytic converters must be quite easy to remove, sell for around £100 on the black market but will cost you up to £1000 to replace if you’re unfortunate enough to have yours stolen.

I wonder if the theft would be covered by your Motorhome insurance?  Does anyone know?

The thieves seem to be targeting dealers and I suppose that’s logical because they can steal quite a few in one nights work.

The Marquis Motorhome centre in Poole was visited by the thieves on February 10th and had 16 catalytic converters stolen.  The company is now taking the trouble to remove these converters from all of it’s Motorhomes to prevent a re-occurance so that shows just how serious an issue it is.

I don’t know exactly how a catalytic converter works but it takes all the nasty bits from your Motorhomes exhaust fumes, and it’s a legal requirement to have one, but it’s not something you can remove and refit with ease so there’s not a lot you can do to prevent someone stealing it.

I think we’re ok though because although I can understand the thieves targeting a dealers I can’t see them picking on a single Motorhome – unless you know anything different!!

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I took it to a place called Towtal, based in Stoke, where they fitted it in a day. It was extremely painless and getting to Hanley to do some shopping or something to eat is an easy bus ride away. If any of you need a towbar fitted to your Motorhome then don’t hesitate to contact them.

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