klyne

I noticed that the Petition had been closed due to the General Election. Shame really as I thought the nearly 15000 signatures was pretty good going and no doubt would have grown had there been more time. I suspect there are many motorhomers who might have signed the petition who are not followers of forums or social media so I think we did quite well to get to that figure. I was disappointed in the response from some on Caravan Talk who are caravanners who thought that it was a perfectly fair way of moving forward. It is a shame that they don't have empathy with their fellow campers! What ever you think of Brexit the whole process has knocked the stuffing out of the UK so hardly surprising manufacturers are taking measures to cut back on production. It is also far from certain how it will pan out in the next five years even if there is a decision made one way or the other. David

Just got back from a week in North Norfolk, four nights at Seacroft in Cromer and three at Sandringham. The weather was quite good at Cromer, often sunny but a bit chilly. Unfortunately wet at Sandringham. We did for the first time since we owned a motorhome actually take it off site! We visited Felbrigg Hall in Norfolk which has good parking for motorhomes. David

Its all to do with what is recorded on the Certificate of Conformity so if you manged to find a model not yet listed with emissions, well done. I am sure the enjoyment will be even greater having saved some money😀 David

Richard The NEC is an excellent place to go to see new motorhomes as all the major brands both UK and European will be there. I am not sure any particular day is better than any other with regards to deals unless they are not meeting targets so I suppose the later in the show the better but it might also extend the delivery time. Unfortunately VED is dues to increase on vans registered after 1st September. If you are prepared to buy now you might find a model made before they started to add emission figures on the Certificate of Conformity which I assume would be taxed under the old regime? David

The petition has passed the 10000 mark now so they are obliged to respond. I don't hold out any chance they will change their minds but it will be interesting to see if they say anything different. One problem I find with a lot of petitions is that the people starting them really don't think about what they are asking. Personally I would have included a lot more information and asked why it only applies to motorhomes up to 3500kgs but not to those of a higher weight. I would want to test the logic! David

The issue for me is that this "extra tax" has been introduced quite sneakily with no prior discussion as far as I can tell. The reality is that as it only applies to new registrations the amount of tax it will raise is relatively small so it seems it is a punitive tax on motorhomes. Also interesting is the fact that it only applies to motorhomes of 3500kgs and under. A motorhome over that weight will still enjoy an annual VED of £165 which is a bit of a nonsense. I think I would be happy to accept this new tax if it applied to the emissions of the base vehicle which would encompass all the base vehicle variants which would of course include white van man which the Government dare not upset!!! The petition currently stands at just over 8500, interesting the petition to revoke Article 50 is still gaining ground at a faster rate!!! David

Anyone thinking of buying a new motorhome in the future might want to sign this petition. https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/268246 David

I previously had the Approach 740 which is the same van but with a different layout. There are two possible problems. Firstly the payload is only about 550kgs depending on how many passengers. So can to fit a scooter and rack into the weight allowance? Secondly you would have to be careful about overloading the rear axle which will have a max weight of 2000kgs? You need to weigh the van in travelling trim. Not only overall weight but also each axle weight to be sure you are within your allowance. David

I think the whole idea of Camping Gaz is that it is available for exchange right across Europe. It was many years ago but I have exchanged a 907 in Italy. It is the most expensive form of gas and if you can carry larger cylinders it will work out cheaper but of course they can't be exchanged. David

I assume you are meaning when you are pitched up and not wanting to have trip to the disposal point? What I do is use one of those folding buckets and I decant into a Fiamma conatainer. David

I see that you are a Bailey owner. My first motorhome was a Bailey Approach 740 SE which I had for six years and had no problems with the leisure battery which was a Marine seal unit variety. I store it at home so was able to put it on charge most days. I now have a Bailey Alliance with a wet cell Banner battery which I have to top up from time to time and it is very important to do so otherwise it will fail. I now have a solar panel so shouldn't really have to worry about keeping it charged but the 230v is also on most days. David

Before I had my right hip replaced about nine years ago I was in awful pain. I was also lop sided!!! So I know all about pain killers. I used to have a wonderful one called Diclofenac but they stopped older people having that because of the risks of heart attacks!!! For my knee I now take either paracetamol or Ibuprofen sometimes together but I don't take it all the time only when the pain is at its worse. If you take it all the time you have nothing to fall back on. All the (NSAIDs) can damage the tummy so you usually need an additional medication to prevent this. I find a knee support works well but don't wear it all the time. David

For someone of the age of 40 to have knee replacements is I would suggest very rare regardless of whether you can pay for the operation. I suppose there will always be cases which are exceptional. One advantage of private treatment is that there are more options than are usually done on the NHS. I am thinking of knee resurfacing which don't think is paid for by the NHS. Pain is always a difficult one to tie down. A surgeon can see from x-rays and scans the amount of wear there is in a knee. What he can't tell is the amount of pain as he will see lots of people with almost identical problems but for some the pain is more manageable than others. I suspect that at the end of the day it is the persistence you show by visiting your own doctor time and time again although you will be sent to all sorts of clinics along the route but eventually it will result in the operation. The trouble with this, as you have discovered is that it gets in the way of touring!!! I think I have chosen to carry on just to get the touring in!!! David

Brian I think the surgeon might be right! He will base his decision not only on the apparent condition of the joint but also on the amount of pain the patient is in. He performed an Arthroscopy to tidy the inside of the knee, been there done that. 56 is young to have a knee replacement. The problem is not the age of the first replacement but if a second is required more bone has to be sacrificed is my understanding. Steroid injections may help and there is the option of injecting hyaluronic acid which helps replace, albeit on a temporary basis, the pain caused by the worn joint which could be explored. Knee and Hip surgery is what is classed as elective surgery so I imagine priority will always go towards people with life threatening conditions even if it means people will be in pain. At the end of the day if the pain is really unbearable you just need to keep making representations to your doctor who may send her for a Physiotherapy assessment which might hasten the replacement. You can always ask your doctor for a second opinion. David

Brian Sorry to hear about Jayne's knee. Should have my left knee done but the more I hear stories of problems I am not pushing for it. I do know people who have had very successful knee replacements but quite a few where people still experience some pain. Hope you manage to get away. David