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Wildcat Motorhomes |
Tips & Advice - from the Wildcats..! PLANNING: Most hires are over one or two weeks, and will involve a lot of touring. Try to make sure your itinarary doesn't involve long periods of travel each day. Anything around 2 or 3 hours a day is ideal. Include locations of interest where you can stop for a while, without the need to keep to a tight schedule..! Be flexible when booking campsites. You may discover a great location where you may wish to spend an extra night or two. If you have booked a campsite for every night, you won't be able to stop an extra night at your new-found location. Try to mix camping between wild camps and serviced campsites. We recommend that you camp on a serviced site at least every 3 days to charge batteries, top-up water supplies, empty toilet and waste tanks, etc. Check you know where petrol stations and supermarkets are located on your route. Ensure you always have a few days supply of fuel, food, and water..! DRIVING: Our modern vehicles are not difficult to drive, but you will need to spend a bit of time getting used to the controls, and the size of the campervan. Unlike a car, the rear end of your campervan may swing out a little when turning sharp corners, so keep an eye on it in the mirror, and leave extra space. NEVER reverse unless you have someone backing you up. It is very unlikely that you will be able to accurately judge the length of the vehicle after just one or two weeks, and this is the easiest way to lose your insurance excess..! Although our motorhomes will easily attain legal speed limits on roads and motorways,
you may notice other motorhome drivers tootling along at around 60 mph. This
relaxed pace on the motorway means that you will not be caught out by crosswinds,
passengers won't get buffeted around, and your fuel consumption will be at
a reasonable level (25% less than travelling at 70 mph). Before you leave the campsite, check that all campervan windows are securely closed, TV aerial is down, gas is switched off, fridge is switched over to 12v, all overhead lockers are secured shut, and that nothing has been left on work surfaces etc., that will fall off at the first bend or speed bump. CAMPING: Firstly, try to avoid camping under trees. If it rains, you will be kept awake by water dripping on your roof hours after the rain has stopped. Ensure you camp on level ground. You can check how level your site is by using some water in a cup or mug. Unlevel camping can give a very uncomfortable night. If camping on site, check the rules for driving off site in your camper, then returning later. Some sites will ask you to leave an 'occupied' sign on your pitch. You don't want to return in the dark later to find someone else parked on your pitch..! Check information regarding the power available from your electric hook-up. If you exceed the rating, you will be automatically disconected from the power supply. If wild camping, check you have enough 12v power in the battery, water in the tank, and space in your waste tanks. Only empty waste tanks or toilets at a serviced campsite. Most campervans can survive around 3 nights camping wild. When leaving your campervan - always take a torch with you...! COOKING: Cooking in a campervan is an art. You will require all available work surface space, access to all nearby stowage lockers and drawers, the fridge, and of course the cooker/hob. What you don't want is people trying to keep getting past you. For this reason, it's a great idea to start cooking when everyone else is out of the campervan - or confined to the seating area. Remember to switch on the extractor fan, or open the campervan door. Know where the fire extinguisher is located, just in case..! The easiest meals to cook in a campervan are those that simply need heating up. |
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