klyne

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

The problem is that A-Frames are not really legal anywhere (because they have not been type approved) so I expect that is why you can't play that its legal in the UK card because its not! The UK authorities are happy to tolerate A-Frames but they have no legal standing so other countries are free to apply their own rules. Another way of looking at it is that if you are touring do you really need the bother of towing a car? If you are long staying at the same site in either Spain or Portugal I am sure you could hire a car as and when? David

Not sure about the legality but its not a very friendly thing to do. Was it coming out in some volume, can't quite see from the photo? The reason I ask is that I have noticed some people that have been to the motorhome service point leave their tap open which would cause an intermittent amount of water to exit the tap as it rolls around in the bottom of the tank. Still inconsiderate though. Rather interestingly I was reading in a very authoritative and popular motorhome magazine that in order to completely empty the waste tank during winter they advised leaving the tap open in order to get rid on all the waste water. Unnecessary in my view. David

If they were all like the Fussen one I would be more than happy to use the. We had intended to stay at another one near Heidelberg but when we got there it was full so we carried on to a campsite we had used before about 20 miles away. If you ever get to Austria and want to visit Graz this camperstop is worth considering, really excellent facilities, It was previously a campsite. http://www.davidklyne.co.uk/stellplatz_graz.html David

I have only ever stayed on one Stellplatz in Germany and that was in Fussen http://www.davidklyne.co.uk/fussen_camperstop.html David