About usWe are Tommy, Jenni and the Tornado Twins. We live on the edge of the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park in the West of Scotland and we're in our eighth year of owning a motorhome.
In August 2013, we took our newly acquired 1971 VW Beetle to a festival, kitted out with a new tent and all the gear to go with it. One night later, we vowed never to do that again and the seed for motorhome ownership was planted.
Initially we thought about a Mazda Bongo type campervan. They were cheap and cheerful and seemed to provide everything we were looking for. But it quickly became apparent that squeezing four of us in was a bit of an issue - technically it was possible but it was a bit tight. Next up we looked at a VW T4 conversion, having seen many of them on the road and at events. There was definitely more space than a Bongo and they look amazing. I quite fancied the idea of a bright orange one! The idea of building one ourselves was very appealing too. But as we started pricing up a base vehicle and the work that was required, we realised that it was a bit beyond us in both financial terms and ability. We also began to realise that having an indoor toilet would be an essential for us, otherwise we would be committing ourselves to a lifetime of nocturnal bathroom visits. So back to the drawing board we went. Tommy started Googling to see what sort of motorhomes we could afford on our budget and came across some old German motorhomes called Hymers. I will admit, at first I wasn't particularly impressed. They were all a bit dark and brown internally and after hankering after a bright VW, they were a bit of a let down. Undeterred, Tommy enquired after a few but found that we were quickly outbid. It seems these old machines were quite sought-after... After a few frustrating months, we came across a dealer who specialised in old Hymers, Ikonic Kampers. Chris was so helpful, advising us about seatbelts and other matters. He had a 1997 B544 that would be perfect for us - nice and compact, seat belts in the back, sleeps 4, bathroom with toilet and shower, kitchen and heating. As it was a slightly newer model, he was nice and bright inside too. Unfortunately it was way beyond what we hoped to spend but with a rethink, a shuffle of finances and a small loan, we secured it and Tommy went down the next week to pick it up. We were finally motorhome owners. You can read more about our very first days with Wandering Hans on our blog. From our first night away in Hans, we were hooking on the touring lifestyle. Even though we started in the winter, we made the most of our new family member and enjoyed trips to East Lothian, Loch Lomond and Northumberland. In the spring we toured the Scottish Borders, the north of England and Dumfries and Galloway and our summer holidays found us exploring the Outer Hebrides and Skye. There was just no stopping us. The girls loved it and Tommy and I found ourselves itching to go further and wider afield.
The following year we toured the south west of England, revisiting some old haunts in Devon and Cornwall and discovering new places in Dorset. The narrow lanes made for an interesting driving experience and we nearly came unstuck (literally!) on a hairpin bend in Cornwall but we loved every second and couldn't wait to go further and further. 2016 was a big year for us - we took the ferry from Newcastle to Amsterdam and spent 5 weeks touring The Netherlands, Germany, Austria and France, with a day trip to Switzerland thrown in for good measure. Touring in Europe was a whole new experience for all of us - new languages to get to grips with, new foods and drinks to try. We swam in lakes, visited iconic landmarks, explored medievals towns and came home exhausted but desperate to do it all over again. The summer of 2017, we were back on the ferry at the first opportunity and spent another 5 weeks in The Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic and Austria. The weather wasn't so kind to us but we still had an amazing time, visiting cities such as Berlin, Prague and Salzburg and treating the girls to experiences such as alpine rollercoasters, thermal spas and sliding down chutes in a salt mine. I'm not sure if you could get such variety with any other type of holiday. What that holiday really highlighted to us was that Hans was getting a little too small for us. We all had a comfortable bed at night, but Tommy and I had to build ours each evening and dismantle it in the morning before breakfast. It was fine for a weekend away but after 5 weeks on tour, it was extremely tiresome. We were needing more living space too - when the weather was good we could spread out outside but when we were forced inside by the rain, things quickly got cramped. We didn't really say it out loud but we knew that our time with Hans was coming to an end. Finding a replacement was easier said than done. Over the years, I had grown to like the older style of Hymers but finding one to suit our needs, mainly with two fixed beds and enough seat belts for us all, was hard as they were even more sought after than they had been in 2013. The model we really wanted, a Mercedes S670, was also very rare so we were resigned to a long wait before we found the right one. But in September 2017, a 1995 S670 popped up on Gumtree in Bristol. Initially we dismissed it as it was too far away but with the help of a friend who viewed it for us, we secured it and Tommy flew down a few days later to drive it back home. We genuinely couldn't believe our luck - it was an excellent example and needed very little work. In amongst all this, we sold Hans on to a new family. It was very sad to see him go, he had taught us so much about motorhome living and had been very reliable over the years. But it was definitely the right move for us. Our new Hymer, named Bodhi, was only 70cm longer but seemed so much bigger inside and offered a lot more flexibility in the living space. When you live in a rainy country like Scotland and tour all year round, little things like that are very important! You can read all about our early days with Bodhi on our blog. So far , we've stayed in the UK with Bodhi, making the most of touring Scotland, England and Wales. But we know that wherever we go, we'll always have a warm space and a comfortable bed in our very own Classic Hymer.
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