If buying or building a new motorhome is on the cards, you might also want to plan a visit to one or two motorhome shows over the coming year.

If you are thinking about buying a new ‘van, a show provides an opportunity to see a lot of models and dealers together in one place – even if you are not inclined to do a deal on the spot.

For anyone planning a self-build motorhome project, a visit to a motorhome show gives you the opportunity to research all the main layouts on the market in one place and decide if any of them are for you – or whether you will aim for something completely different.

Motorhome shows can be divided into two categories – indoor and outdoor. The advantages of each are obvious and explain why the two big indoor shows of the year – in February and October – top and tail the outdoor shows, which run from April to September in 2012.

Here’s a full listing of all the main motorhome shows in 2012:

• 14-19 February 2012: The Motorhome, Caravan & Camping Show – Excel London
• 27-29 April 2012: The National Motorhome Show – East of England Showground (nr. Peterborough)
• 18-20 May 2012: The Southern Motorcaravan Show – Newbury Showground
• 15-17 June 2012: The Midsummer Motorhome and Caravan Show – Kelmarsh Hall, Northamptonshire
• 13-15 July 2012: The Northern Motorcaravan Show – Cheshire Showground (nr. Knutsford)
• 17-19 August 2012: The Western Motorhome Show – Three Counties Showground (nr. Malvern)
• 21-23 September 2012: The Motorhome Show Season Finale – Lincolnshire Showground (nr. Lincoln)
• 16-21 October 2012: The Motorhome & Caravan Show – Birmingham NEC

Click here to read our review of the National Motorhome Show at Peterborough in 2011.

London LEZ sign, courtesy of Martin Addison

I’ve written about the London LEZ 2012 changes before (and attracted a surprising number of comments), but judging from this article in The Guardian last Saturday, it is still news to many people, including some unfortunate motorhome buyers who are, effectively, being sold duds.

However, I’ve just found that there might be a glimmer of hope for some lucky motorhome owners, thanks to Transport for London updating their database of vehicle information to take into account ‘early adopters’ – vehicles that were Euro 3/Euro 4 compliant before the legal deadline.

For example, I have discovered that my 2001-registered Ford Transit is Euro 3 compliant – I expected it not to be, based on its registration date and my previous use of the TfL Compliance Checker.

Upgraded TfL Compliance Checker

You can now enter your motorhome’s registration number into the Transport For London (TfL) online compliance checker – previously you could only enter its registration date. This means that your specific vehicle model is checked for Euro 3 compliance.

Click here to use the LEZ Compliance Checker

A number of companies have registered as ‘early adopters’ with TfL – meaning that they were producing Euro 3 models before they were legally required to in 2002. TfL now recognises these vehicles automatically in many cases. The UK is not the only country to have had this problem. I now know that I should have a Euro 3 German Umweltplakette - but I was issued a Euro 2 sticker when we visited Germany in 2009.

London LEZ 2012 Rule Changes – Summary

The London Low Emission Zone covers most of the area inside the M25 (but not the M25 itself). Click here for a map.

For anyone who is new to this or would like a reminder, here is a summary of the rule changes coming into force for the London Low Emissions Zone on 3rd January 2012 (this list covers vehicles registered as ‘motor caravans’ only; other requirements apply to vans and minibuses).

Motorhomes with a Gross Vehicle Weight of 2,500kg – 3,500kg

• Must be Euro 3 complaint from 3rd January 2012
• Vehicles registered before 1st January 2002 are assumed not to be compliant
• But… some pre-2002 models are compliant and TfL now has a more sophisticated checking system

For example*, Ford Transit models registered from 1st July 2000, Renault Trafic models registered from 1st September 2001 and Volkswagen Caravelle models registered from 1st March 2001.

Visit the TfL LEZ website for full details (scroll down and look for the link to the list of early adopters).

Motorhomes with a Gross Vehicle Weight over 3,500kg

It’s the same story with motorhomes that have a gross weight of more than 3,500kg. There is a cutoff date, but some (many?) models made just before this might also be compliant. Here are the details:

• Must be Euro 4 compliant from 3rd January 2012
• Vehicles registered before 1st October 2006 are assumed not to be compliant
• But… some earlier models are compliant and TfL has improved its checking system
• A number of ‘early adopter’ companies have registered their early Euro 4 models with TfL. The manufacturers that might apply to large motorhome owners are Iveco, DAF, Volvo, Daimler Chrysler (Mercedes-Benz) and Scania. Iveco in particular supplies the base vehicles for a number of large motorhome models.

Again, visit the TfL LEZ website for full details (scroll down and look for the link to the list of early adopters).

2012 LEZ Changes Still Bad News For Many Motorhomers

Despite the fact that 2001 Transit owners like myself can now celebrate our unexpected LEZ-compliant status, there are still many more motorhomers who will have no choice but to sell their motorhomes or store them outside the LEZ before the 3rd January 2012.

Having a particulate filter kit fitted will not be worth the cost for many owners – nor will the cost of storage outside the LEZ, which means outside the M25. The frustrating part is that most people living in London will only use their motorhomes to get away from London – not to drive around inside the city.

Finally, for those of you who have non-compliant motorhomes and live away from London, it is worth noting that the LEZ includes most areas inside the M25 (click here for a map. The popular Crystal Palace and Lee Valley campsites are both inside the LEZ – so you will not be able to use those as a base for visiting London in a non-compliant motorhome.

*Examples taken from the list of early adopters provided on the Transport for London website

Obviously this approach is not cheap, but if getting exactly the conversion you want is important to you, one option is to commission a company that builds bepoke or customised motorhome conversions to build your van. This approach is probably more common in the worlds of motorsport and horse riding, where one van or lorry is often required to carry animals/vehicles and to provide living accomodation for several people.

One company that bridges the gap between motorsports and motorhoming is Lancashire-based Mclaren Sport Homes. As the company’s name suggests, its main business has been in building sports homes – motorhomes for motorsports.

However, in recent years it has carried out a growing number of motorhome conversions and has now combined this experience into a semi-production model (built to order) aimed at the top end of the PVC (panel van conversion)  market.

The Mclaren Shadow is built using a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter base vehicle, as are all of the company’s conversions. It can sleep four but I should think it is more likely to be attractive to couples seeking a luxury conversion for longer trips away.

The overall specification of the Shadow is high and it includes:

• 4 crash-tested travel seats
• Awning & external gas point
• Seitz windows with integrated blinds/flyscreens
• Oak furniture & leather upholstery
• Insulated walls and ceiling & integrated cab blinds
• Heki roof vent
• Roof-mounted air conditioning
• LED lighting throughout
• Generous provision of 12V and 230V sockets
• Truma Combi boiler for heating & hot water
• Refillable 20l underbody gas tank
• Thetford fridge/freezer, cooker, hob & grill
• Full bathroom, including shower
• 22″ TV & Tracvision satellite dome with provision for Sky HD
• Reversing camera integrated into Pioneer in-cab entertainment system
• 122 litre fresh water and 80 litre waste water, both underslung and insulated

Mclaren are happy to build motorhomes to customers’ designs and each vehicle is built to order – so it would be possible to create a completely bespoke conversion or a modified version of the Shadow. Mclaren motorhome conversions start at £15,500, in addition to the cost of the base vehicle. For a Shadow with the specification pictured and listed above, the conversion cost would be about £34,000+VAT.

Visit www.mclarensporthomes.co.uk for more information and lots of pictures.

This is a cracking place to park overnight, with terrific views and a convenient location, just a few minutes walk from both beaches and not far from the town centre. We visit regularly, and throughout the year there are usually a few motorhomes parked up, normally in a tidy respectable way, on their own and enjoying the views.

Unfortunately, some people don’t seem to have realised that if you abuse a good thing, someone will create a new rule to ban it. Take this group of motorhomes, for example, parked up by North Bay:

This kind of thing doesn't endear us to the general public...

Several of them were clearly in a group together and thanks to the motorhome that was parked on the picnic area, complete with windbreak, awning and trailer, they had pretty much closed off the grass part of the picnic area from other users. They had been there two nights that I know of – so had effectively decided that they could use the public parking and picnic area as a campsite.

Similarly with this motorhome nearby, which had both a generator and large gas cylinder tethered to its rear end. This kind of thing just doesn’t make motorhomes look very good to the general public:

I don’t mean to sound holier than thou about this, but the point about wild camping, especially in the UK, is that you need to be discreet and respectful – otherwise local hoteliers, campsite owners and nimbys will all start complaining. This is usually followed by the council banning overnight parking, or in some cases (like Aldeburgh), banning motorhome parking on the sea front altogether.

You  may not agree with this, but it is what happens in the UK, and at this rate, it will happen in Scarborough. I know from a local friend that a group of local businesses are currently trying to persuade Scarborough council to ban motorhomes from parking on the sea front, as they believe they take business away from them.

Click here to see our Wild Camping Guide

Ferry company Stena Lines will introduce two new ferries to its Stranraer-Belfast route this autumn. The ships, the Superfast VII and Superfast VIII, will replace the current HSS Stena Voyager, Stena Caledonia and Stena Navigator. The introduction of the Superfast VII and VIII will be timed to coincide with Stena’s move from its Stranraer facility to the new ferry port in Loch Ryan Port, Cairnryan.

Each of the new ferries will be able to complete the journey from Cairnryan to Belfast in 2 hours 15 minutes and will carry up to 1,200 passengers and 110 lorries or 600 cars.

Loch Lomond Wild Camping Ban Confirmed

As I reported last year, wild camping alongside parts of Loch Lomond has now been banned in high season, due to the environmental damage, fires and litter being left behind by some campers in the area.

The new seasonal by-laws have now been ratified by the Scottish Government and come into effect on 1st June 2011:

• 1st March – 31st Ocotber each year
• No wild camping on the east side of the Loch between Drymen and Rowardennan (click here for map)
• Fine of up to £500 for anyone caught breaching the ban
• Area will be patrolled by Park Rangers and police officers
• Ban applies to anyone wild camping in tents or other shelters outside of designated camping areas

£5,000 Prize For Best Wildlife Photo

Do you fancy your chances as a wildlife photographer? The British Wildlife Photography Awards exist to recognise the talents of wildlife photographers in the UK and give you the chance to win a cash prizes of up to £5,000.

The winners will have their photos immortalised in an impressive coffee table book published by The AA.

Entries close on 2nd June 2011. To enter and for more detailed information, visit www.bwpawards.co.uk.

We visited the show on the Saturday and were struck by the number of motorhomes with Sold signs in their windscreens. There definitely seemed to be more of the display vehicles sold than usual, right across the price range from around £15k to two £100k+ Niesmann & Bischoff motorhomes which were both marked as sold.

The show had a good range of motorhomes and a surprising range of other businesses. The only exception was motorhome conversion and repair parts, which were conspicuously absent. If you wanted a new satellite TV system – no problem. If you wanted a new tap, you were out of luck…

New Conversions

On the van conversion front, we saw several panel van conversions that caught our eye, including an new model from one of our favourite van converters, Vantage Motorhomes. The Vantage Zen is based on a LWB, high-roof Vauxhall Vivaro (a.k.a. Renault Trafic) and looked like an ideal replacement for our ageing SWB Transit.

This 1992 Autosleepers Rimini was probably the oldest and cheapest motorhome on sale at Peterborough, with a price tag of £5,750

The layout and base vehicle of the Zen are exactly what I was considering for my next self-build conversion, while the Zen’s £40k price tag explains why I probably won’t be able to save myself the work and just buy one from Vantage.

In browsing Vantage’s website for more details on the Zen, I noticed a link to a company called Smart Campers, which appears to be the more affordable arm of the Vantage operation, producing conversions priced between £25k and £35k. This is achieved by offering Vantage conversions on secondhand Ford Transit base vehicles. The idea seems very sound, especially as the website lists RWD Transits as the standard specification base vehicle, much more desirable when fully loaded than a FWD van!

Back to the show, we also saw a completely new van from a new converter – Mandale Bodyshop Ltd.. The concept behind the Mandale Compact is for a camper-style side conversion with a full bathroom. The way they’ve achieved this is to remove the rear wardrobe/cupboard, and slide the kitchen/fridge backwards. In the gap thus created at the front (behind the driver’s seat) they have fitted a proper bathroom. The conversion uses the Toyota Hi-ace 300 base vehicle and had a really good specification for a small van – 60l fresh water, BBQ point, hot water and blown air heating, 60l fridge, and so on.

Bentley's Trafic-based coachbuilts are genuine low profile models and are hardly any wider than the Trafic van cab, which should make them easy to drive.

The upsides are obvious – a real bathroom  – the downside appeared to be a serious lack of storage. Interesting concept, though, and it seemed nicely finished. You can find out more about the Mandale Compact on the company’s website.

Other show highlights included the first look I’ve had at the Renault Trafic-based models from new company Bentley Motorhomes. At first glance, they lived up to their premium billing and looked pretty good, with interiors aimed at the fairly traditional end of the British market. Prices appear to start at around £45k for a small but well laid out Trafic-based coachbuilt.

All in all, Peterborough was worth a visit, albeit not for shopping (although we did get some really cheap gas canisters for our stove).

A row of IH Motorhomes on display at a show

The first major outdoor motorhome show of the year opens a week from today at the East of England Showground, near Peterborough. The National Motorhome Show is one of the bigger outdoor shows and the organisers say that they have 340 exhibitors booked for this year’s show.

A whopping 800 motorhomes (new and used) will be on display, plus an almost unlimited supply of motorhome accessories and parts.

Visting a motorhome show is a great way to have a look at a wide range of motorhomes without having to trawl around loads of dealers and avoid pushy salesmen! You will be able to see a good variety of makes, models and layouts and there should be some new season models to ogle as well.

For full details about the Peterborough show, visit the organiser’s website: Out and About Live – The National Motorhome Show

Here’s an overview of the current and future rules (all comments apply to diesel-powered motorhomes – petrol/LPG vehicles are treated differently):

Motorhomes With A Gross Weight of Under 2.5t

Motorhomes with a maximum permitted (gross) weight of under 2.5t are currently classified as cars and are exempt from the LEZ. This will continue under the 2012 rules.

Motorhomes With A Gross Weight of 2.5t – 3.5t

First registered before 1st January 2002: Currently compliant. However, from 3rd January 2012, motorhomes registered before 1st January 2002 will not meet the LEZ standards.

First registered after 1st January 2002: You already meet the LEZ standard and will continue to do so under the 2012 rules.

(Somewhat controversially, these rules also apply to motorhome owners who live inside the LEZ.)

Motorhomes With a Gross Weight Of More than 3.5t

First registered before 1st October 2001: Already non-compliant unless modified.

Registered between 1st October 2001 and 30th September 2006: Currently compliant. Will be non-compliant from 3rd January 2012.

First registered on or after 1st October 2006: Compliant now and will continue to be compliant under the 2012 regulations.

What To Do If Your Motorhome Becomes Non-Compliant

If you wish to enter the LEZ with a non-compliant motorhome, you have three choices:

1. Pay a daily charge. At present, this is £100 for a motorhome up to 3.5t and £200 for a motorhome over 3.5t. Failure to pay this daily charge will result in a fine of £500.
2. Fit an approved filter to your motorhome to lower its emissions. Once fitted, your motorhome will have to be tested and issued with a Reduced Pollution Certificate (RPC) or a Low Emission Certificate (LEC). Your vehicle will then have to be re-tested every year.
3. Sell your motorhome and get a newer one…

The Transport for London website has a vehicle checker that will tell you whether your motorhome is compliant now and in the future. This website also has full details of all the rules. (click here to visit the TfL LEZ website)

Do you own a Romahome, Island Plastics or Rimini motorhome?

If so, the Roma Club is looking for the owners of both the oldest Romahome motorhome and the one which has travelled furthest from its birthplace on the Isle of Wight.

The search is part of the Club’s 25th birthday celebrations and is open to Island Plastics and Rimini motorhomes as well as Romahomes.

If you think that your motorhome might fit either of these categories – or know of one that does – then you can get in touch with the Roma Club by post at 19 Pendle Close, Basildon, Essex SS14 3NA or by email to colinpayn@blueyounder.co.uk.

We’ve been to this show a couple of times before and there is usually a good selection of motorhomes. Not all manufacturers attend, but if you’re researching the market or looking for layout ideas for your own DIY conversion, you will definitely be able to see a fair cross-section of what’s available.

The show takes place from the 16th-18th July and tickets are £6.50 for day visitors with free (day) parking. Camping is available for the duration of the show and entertainment is also laid on on Saturday night (extra charges apply for all of this).

For full details, visit the organiser’s website:

http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/exhibitions/exhibition.asp?exhib=1