benimar
owners' club founded
April 28th 2001 Hon-President Steve
Reynolds
benimar
owners' club
MAGAZINE Issue No.
17 January 2005
EDITORS COLUMN LETTERS TO THE EDITOR WPC 2004 IT HAPPENED IN ZARAGOZA MEMBERSHIP CHAIRMAN'S CHAT March Rally in Bath
Another year has flown by - I can't believe it.
Judy and I have just returned from 2 months in Spain. Except for the last week, when it rained every day, we had a lot of warm sunshine, which is the main reason to travel that far.
We spent most of our time in Denia and besides meeting up with many regulars at the site, we also saw Steve and Sue Reynolds. We also managed a BOC Christmas get-together on our last weekend with :-
Anne & Ken Mitchell who now have an apartment in Denia,
June & John Harris who have a villa in Javea,
Honor & Tim Hewitt, Angie & Mike Waterfield and Dawn & Michael Bottle who all came up from Dolores for the (wet) weekend.
On our journey back through Spain a white van with 2 young men in, drove alongside gesticulating to the rear of our 'van. Sounds familiar? well not what you might expect. For what happened next read "It happened in Zaragoza" on page 18.
Editorial Problems :-
There are three solutions that come to mind :-
1. Somebody else takes over the Editorial role.
2. I continue as Editor and somebody voluteers as Assistant Editor to produce the winter issue.
3. I continue as Editor and there is a gap of 6 months between the September and March issues.
This will need to be ratified at the AGM in April. In the meantime, if any one is interested in options 2 or 3, give a call to see what we can work out.
Roy tells me that he has no further volunteers to marshal the rallies in the diary and no-one volunteering to organise a private rally. This is most disappointing. We should be thinking ahead and planning 2006 events. Perhaps you, the members don't want more than a 3 or 4 rallies per year !
I hope that you all enjoyed a great Christmas, despite all the hype.
Judy joins me in
wishing
you
all
A
Happy and Prosperous
New Year
The next issue is due out at the end of March, so input to me by 20th of March at the latest please.
We are new members, 8 October, of the Benimar owners club and although we have not yet met up anticipate joining the Lincoln Christmas Market rally 2-5 December, but are not sure who we contact to arrange this. Additionally we have not yet received copy of the ACCEO membership and wonder when details will be available.
Having received 3 magazines 14-16 issues found that the articles make interesting reading and I have already learned some useful points/tips following other member experience, we are therefore looking forward to meeting up with other like members.
The main reason I am writing to you and which may be of interest to other members, concerns Motor Home insurance. Having read an article in September's issue of C&C which, in my opinion, made adverse reference to insuring a Auto-Sleeper Symphony with a well known insurance company, now taken over by Swinton.
I am and have been insured with Safeguard for the past 3 years and wonder if any members have found that their renewal premiums with Safeguard have been inflated over and above the normal by a £13 service charge, as quoted in the article.
My insurance with Safeguard is due in November I contacted Frizzell, as a CSMA member, to request a Motor Home quote only to be told that Benimar is not on their list to quote, I asked if they quoted for any other top brand names, Hymer, Lunar, Rapido, Swift etc and was surprisingly told no, they do not quote for imported vehicles because they are not built to a UK spec?
Are there any other insurance companies that members can recommended which include AA breakdown cover both at home and abroad?
We purchased our new left hand drive Benimar 6000 CD on 11 August 04 and unfortunately found a few problems most of which have now been sorted out with the help of all the staff at RDH.
However the main worry was the appearance of a red flashing light on the dashboard, shortly after taking possession, this was traced by my local Fiat dealer to overheating of oil in the automatic gear box, but I don't have an automatic gear box said I. Ah! the dashboard fitted is the wrong type for a LHD, it should have a kilometre one and not a MPH it is to a UK spec. this can't be replaced under warranty and will have to go back to the original supplier. After consulting with RDH they agreed to trace the problem wire and earth it at a cost of 2 hours work.
The other problem was that the digital clock would not read the correct figures, however this would be repaired under warranty, we will obtain and fit a new clock.
Having just clocked up about 1150 miles the vehicle has been repaired by my local Fiat dealer and guess what, I believe that I have a complete new dashboard, as I now have a zero reading mileage.
We are new members, who joined at York, Sept 04. Thank you for your kind welcome and mention in the Club Magazine.
We bought an Aereo 6000CC from RDH earlier this year. Like your good self we have sold, bought and moved house this year so have not had a lot of spare time for the glorious pursuit of motorhoming; just a couple of rallies and shows to test drive/ use the Benimar in preparation for a forthcoming "snowbird" trip to Spain and Portugal, returning to these fair isles in March 05.
As you mentioned in the magazine (Iss 16) we did have a spot of bother at York regarding the Yorkshire branch of the MotorCarvanners Club (MCC) wanting to give us a pitch adjacent to a smelly manhole. When we requested to be moved it was pointed out that if we wanted to move we should move off all together (charming of them !) so we did and immediately came across the Benimar Owners' Club rally area and were given a very warm welcome and pitch by the very excellent marshal, Paul. We then found out that we were actually members of the BOC, having purchased a 'van during the 20/20 promotion period at RDH. You've guessed it - Rod forgot to inform us of the fact. Well he is a busy lad isn't he?
I have sent a positive report about our treatment by MCC marshals, pointing out that had we been new or prospective members we would probably have been put off joining or renewing subscription. However we are not that petty, but I did have a dig at them by ending my letter thus "We are positive peaceloving motorhomers, so why spoil a good meal worrying aout a lumpy Yorkshire Pudding!"
And now for some security tips we have come across.
1. DIY shops now sell small window/door alarm units comprising two components backed with adhesive tape. One is fixed to the window frame, the other to the glass. One contains mini-cell batteries and has an on/off switch. If the units are parted when switched on a very loud siren is activated. They can be purchased for a couple of pounds, often for just £1 in the Pound Shop !
2. Keep your Benimar keys in a dedicated zipped bag. When you leave the house take the bag with you, especially if you park your 'van outside or near your home.
3. Reversing aids can be expensive. We use a set of walkie-talkies (about £30 from Argos). One is parked on the driver's sun visor and is hands free. The other is used by the navigator and ensures that you don't run over them ! Make sure you buy a set with rechargeable batteries.
We often give foreign names an easier English name. So Argostoli
(Kefolonia) becomes "Argos", Peniscola becomes Pepsicola and after meeting Anita and Glyn (Kingo) Griffiths at York and being forced to consume large quantities of Vodka and bottles of Bud we are re-naming their Benimar the Benibar ! Cheers, Kingo.
Happy motoring to all Benimarers.
TV reception from my Status Aerial is not very good in certain areas, so Pat and I decided to sound out the cost of Satellite TV.
The standard suppliers who advertise in the trade mags were expensive. Even a tripod to hold your Dish costs around £50.00p. The dishes offered varied from £50 to £3.000.00. After this you then need a Digibox.
I then went on the internet and found a Digibox and dish for £65.00. From Aldi supermarket I bought an Arc-Light and stand for £12.99p. I contacted SKY customer services told them that I already had a Digibox and Aerial, for a 'one off' fee of £20.00 they supplied me with a Freeview card.
Result, I now have Freeview from SKY at home and in my Benimar for £97.99p and it works a treat.
Hope to see you all at Bath,
We are on our second Benimar, a Perseo 680CC and are delighted with it, except for a recent fault with the odometer in the FIAT.
Returning to Moherwell from Gretna, a distance of around 90 miles, the odometer went into overdrive and the reading rose from around 5K to 9.5K.
A week later driving to the local FIAT dealer for inspection the odometer recorded the mileage correctly, and this was confirmed by the FIAT technician who drove the 'van for 14 miles in convoy with their van. I am unhappy as I now have a 6 month old 'van with 9.5K miles and the FIAT warranty people are not prepared to do a thing as I have no proof of the actual mileage, such as a recent serice document. It has not, of course, had a service yet.
The view of the RAC legal department is that FIAT are not obliged to do anything unless this is a recurrent fault.
Otherwise the 'van has been almost faultless except for the position of the grey water outlet - it is a pain.
I've been meaning to get something to you for the Newsletter, so here is a something for the time being.
Time is approaching two years on from the AGM at Peterborough, which was our first attendance with the club. Despite an on-line booking just before a trip to France last year, something went wrong whilst we were away and unfortunately we were too late to make a new booking after our return. As a result we went to the Newbury show and teamed up with a few members that we had not previously met. As expected, there was a warm welcome which was extended to a couple owning a Benimar who at the time were not members, hopefully this encouraged them into the fold.
We must extend our apologies to those members who we did meet at Peterborough that first occasion and who expressed an interest in getting together at a venue near Cherbourg later in the year following a return from a rally down, as I recall, in Spain. Unfortunately commitments that September did not allow us to make appropriate arrangements. Hopefully we might be able to get things together on another occasion.
On another subject, I have often wondered how members get on with gas supply when on the continent. Whilst a good proportion of our own travels are in France, we have fortunately always needed replacement gas bottles during our usual twice yearly trips to the UK, not expecting that this possibility would always exist I looked for a suitable answer to the problem, especially as we use French bottled gas at our mobile home on a camp-site near Carteret in Normandy, hence there is always a bottle in reserve.
I have become aware of a supplier of a suitable interface, only about two inches in length, which couples between the UK gas fittings and the French gas bottles, thereby solving all our problems. Our British gas bottles sit in storage in the garden shed at the camp-site whilst we travel around France and we swap over when we venture across the Channel for any UK trip. I have a spare interface and will bring it over in April to show any interested members.
If however there is any member interested in having the fitting by the April AGM, I would be quite happy to obtain a supply during our first trip to France in the New Year and in bringing them over. I don't recall the exact price, but it was less than a tenner at the time. This would allow members to set up a gas bottle contract with a suitable outlet of which we all know there is an abundance throughout France. (The company make similar interfaces for use between the French motor home fittings and gas bottles in use in other continental countries).
If anyone wants the fitting or further information they may contact me, either by phone (01534 741268) or by e-mail (mikerondel@jerseymail.co.uk) early in the New Year.
In the meantime, all the Season's Greetings.
We have a new, June 2004 Europe 6000STC and have an ongoing problem with the radio, which various people have failed to solve. As it is under warranty it has already been back to RDH. They were helpful but could not cure the ailment.
I will describe what happens;
1. Engine running or travelling -
a) Continuous interference of varying strengths.
b) Programs disappear completely passing under a bridge.
2. Stationery, engine off, daylight - no problems.
3. Stationery, engine off, fluorescent lights on - program completely drowned out by static interference.
However when reading lights are on only, reception is good.
Any advice will be extremely welcome.
(Sounds like a fault in the aerial lead to me Over to you Ian - Ed)
There is another aspect of our Benimar which I find curious, compared with test reports for other makes of motorhomes on the same Fiat base.
Testers often comment on the gearing, saying that 60mph equated to 2000 rpm and in their opinion this made the 'van inflexible to drive, having to spend a lot of time in 4th gear. The gearing fitted to my 'van is totally different. 58mph equates to 2500 rpm. Thus 5th gear is considerably lower, only marginally higher than 4th. Surely this would have a detrimental effect on fuel consumption.
Would you consider changing to the higher gearing, worth the cost? Your thoughts about this I would find interesting.
(Fiat now produce a ducato with lower top gearing especially for big motorhomes to overcome the problems that the "testers" comment on. I suspect that you have one of these and I guess it is the better option. I can't see that fuel consumption will be very different either way and the cost of changing the 5th gear would take an awful lot of miles to recoup, if you ever could- Ed)
Yes, that was us, Eleanor and Sam Black - in the Benimar Top CC-L pictured in the Croatia report, Motorcaravanner Club Magazine. The rally was organised by the Northern Ireland Group, from June 24 to July 18, 2004. We travelled from Larne to Cairnryan, 15 outfits, via P&O Irish Sea and then Hull to Zeebrugge (overnight, 12 hours), down through Belgium, Germany, Austria, Italy, Slovenia and thence to the Istrian Peninsula in Croatia. Some of us were driving motorhomes on the Continent for the first time, so the first couple of days were a bit daunting. The "convoy" got lost in Antwerp because of roadworks - Sat. Nav. fails at road diversions. It was obvious that the route was not correct when we took to narrow cobbled streets and went round the block a few times!
We had two stops in Germany, 2 nights at Rudesheim on the Rhine (near Frankfurt, a picturesque old town, lots to do and the site was a short walk from the town) and then on to Camping Donau Worth, near Augsburg, for one night. This is a smallish rural site. The next overnight was at Terrassen Camping, Villach in Austria; we didn't see much of the Alps on the way because of torrential rain. Beware of the Austrian Autobahn tolls Go-Box system for vehicles over 3500 Kg; motorhomes are classed the same as commercial vehicles and if a Box is not purchased (5 Euro) in advance, heavy fines can ensue. The officials at toll stations are inflexible and bureaucratic; you are meant to know the rules of their system, introduced early 2004.
The sun came out as we descended from the Alps the following day; the next stop would be Camping Bijela Uvala, Porec. With the route we took, via Trieste, we had to pass through Slovenian customs - boy, were they surly. We reckon they are not best pleased that travellers pass through their country on their way to Croatia, which has a lot of coastline and Slovenia has only a few miles. There are lots of large sites in the Porec area, now recovering financially from the war, and Bijela Uvala is very good with lots of facilities - even a motorhome services area!
Porec is a pretty old town with a harbour and narrow cobbled streets; there are several charming towns in the area and you can access these by boat - a good day out. It was hot and we were glad of the two Omnivent fans going full blast to cool the interior. Very few of the others had these. We stayed there 6 days and decided to give Slovenia a try for a couple of days en route to Camping Ca'Savio, Lido de Jesolo, where we would be close to Venice.
Autocamp Adria at Ankaran, Slovenia has an air of shabbiness, and is in need of modernising. Example :- Ben, aged 6, our grandson, wanted to go down the water chute into the pool (Olympic size and too deep for small children) so I had to go with him. He went off OK, but when it came my turn, I couldn't get going; the shiny surface was worn off with years of sandy bums travelling down. So I had to walk down. Such an indignity! Slovenia is inexpensive for most necessities, though.
The highlight of the trip was an excursion to Venice. We purchased all-inclusive tickets at the campsite, which included bus to the ferry at Punta Sabbioni, which took us across the lagoon to Venice, and unlimited use of the canal buses. The cost was only 15 Euro each; very reasonable, we thought. Forget all the photographs and holiday programs you have seen of Venice. You need to be there to appreciate its grandeur, beauty and uniqueness. But you need lots of time if you want to visit galleries and museums. We intend to go back for a week or 10 days.
Lake Garda was our next destination and we headed for Camping Fontanelle, Moniga del Garda. This was a crowded smallish site with a very narrow entrance laneway. Local traffic was held up for ages as we crawled through. Some of our crowd took boat trips to towns around the shores. Limone is well worth visiting.
We were on the homeward leg now, onwards through Italy and into France, where the first stop would be Le Coin Tranquille, Les Abrets, which sufficed for an overnight stop. Next day we took to the N roads to see some rural France en route to Les Forges de Saint Marie at Joinville. This is a pleasant sprawling rural site with a fishing lake, shop and restaurant. Our last overnight would be at Camping Chateau Gandspette, near Saint Omer. Next day, we had the obligatory stop at La Cite Europe to top up the depleted stocks. Some brought so much wine home it will last till the same time next year, when we hope to travel leisurely to the Dordogne, for three weeks; there are lots of interesting days out planned. The penultimate day's driving was to Zeebrugge; a fill up with diesel (95 cent/litre, 60 pence, at the time) would take us to Cairnryan for the ferry.
This trip was 2750 miles, and some of the daily schedules meant hectic driving. Next year, we intend to stay off the motorways, taking the less stressful way.
If anyone would like further details of any of the stages, please e-mail us,
(email address deleted for security
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Webmaster)
This high - tech money making machine has been introduced as payment for vehicles over 3.5 tons to travel on Austrian Motorways. The old vignette system, which still applies up to 3.5 tons is much cheaper and like buying a bus ticket to stick on the windscreen.
The go box is very different. First you have to find where to purchase one. We entered Austria from Hungary looking for a pay point - nothing - no information or direction. Before we knew it we were on the motorway with no go box - Help!. We hoped the police would not spot us. Eventually a Motorway Services appeared after approx 20 miles of illegal motoring.
At last we could purchase a box. This was not easy; first we were given an information booklet in English, told to read it and report back with our registration document. We queued up for 20 minutes with the heavy goods drivers, we opted to prepay on credit card (refund on return of same for any unused euros) 80 euros and 5 for the box. (non-refundable property of the company).
We finally left the services with box attached to the screen, not happy with all the hassle and time taken to purchase.
We soon got used to the bleep every few kms, no set distance between them. The motorways left a lot to be desired, single lanes and contraflow for a good percentage of the journey - maybe they are spending the go box bonanza.
As we approached Salzburg, the bleep became bleep, bleep. We consulted the booklet - "Payment completed but credit on the box nearly exhausted or will expire within the next 2 months. Go to the next Go point to top up." work that one out.
We ignored it and spent 4 days in Salzburg then set off for the Austrian/German border intending to off load the box at the last services. The cashier indicated that we had to go to the opposite side of the motorway, o information on how. Outside again a restaurant worker saw our plight and indicated a flight of steps leading down to a passage (dirty and urine smelling) under the motorway and up the other side. Queue again for 25 minutes for 23 euros to be refunded onto the credit card and dreaded box handed over.
My credit card statement shows £60.28p deducted (incl 5 euros for the box) and £15.99 refunded, making the charge £44.29p for some 220 miles which is roughly 20p per mile if my maths are correct.
When a van under 3.5 tons or a car pulling a c
caravan can travel he network for 9 days paying a few euros for a vignette it does appear that a heavier vehicle is paying a very high price.
I have written to the Austrian Tourist Board suggesting that more information re purchase points be displayed at border points an various languages and suggest that they make motorhomes of all sizes come within the vignette category. (Dream on). I pointed out that people are falling foul of the law due to lack of informationn or ignorance.
If you are over 3.5 tons don't let this put you off going to Austria, just be aware of the rules. Don't go on the motorway without a bleep to keep you company or the gestapo will get you.
We planned to spend the last few weeks of Autumn in France accompanied by John and Jennifer who had been our very first neighbours, together with their little dog Scruffy. They had not ventured abroad in their new motorhome before and were keen to renew memories of visits from their caravanning days.
During a phone call the subject of axle weights came up, just at the time of the article by Mel Eastburn in MMM, hm! food for thought. The formula worked a treat and much weight was moved from back to front, thank goodness for the overcab bed I thought, or should that be 'chairs and gubbins' store? John phoned one day to say he had now emptied the van completely and it was still overweight! That was until the error of entering maximum gross weight in the unladen weight box of the computer spreadsheet was spotted. All those who just use a checklist, scales and weighbridge, go to the top of the class.
As the girls are no lovers of sea crossings, we chose the short Dover-Calais crossing with an early ferry at 05:00. Being in no rush we decided to drive down from Yorkshire to Dover in the early hours, make the crossing and then stay for a few days at what is now our favourite overnight in the area, Manoir Senlecques. It is just on the eastern outskirts of Boulogne near Saint Martin and a mere 40 minutes from Calais. We called at the convenient Auchan on the way for some food and wine but little did we realise just how often we would pass it again in the week to come.
Gabby and Mimi who own the Manoir are almost family now and we received our usual welcome from Gabby, arms outstretched as he walked toward us, his warm "ah welcome Monsieur Bairnes" followed by a hesitant "Jraham", not easy! On a previous visit we had arrived with Sylvia and Roy Gill or is that Jill? Gabby had rushed to greet us on his old French cycle, the chain came off just as he got to us. "Uh" he exclaimed with a wave of his arm, "she eez 40 years old now" trouble is ze knees are 60!
We were guided into the paddock to the right of the house where we made camp at the far end by the stream. After an early BBQ the evening brought a chilly breeze so John and I set up the Dutch windbreaks, but before the night was over we found ourselves at Boulogne Hospital checking out a 'chest twinge' which John had experienced. You should have no worries about the health service in France, he was given an ECG and admitted. Next morning he was given an Angiogram and a Stent was fitted to a reduced artery. A week later, after many hospital visits, shopping at Auchan and me helping Gabby install his new satellite aerial on the barn roof, we collected John who now looked much fitter. Clutching his certificate to drive (which he also confirmed with his insurer), it was nearly time to move on.
We decided on a couple of extra days R&R before leaving and as we still had the hire car we used to visit John, we took the opportunity to see the 'old' part of Boulogne town. We walked the walls and sipped leisurely coffees at street cafes, something we would never have found time for on our normal rush South. We visited the underground WW2 V2 rocket factory La Coupole at Helfaut just south of St Omer, which is now an excellent museum. There were lots of intact WW2 exhibits and some up to date displays touching on modern rocketry techniques. The display areas were in French and English together with multi-lingual headsets, definitely worth a visit. We also took time to visit the glass factory at Arc, though our only purchase was a carafe, now that must tell a story!
Originally we had talked of "following the sun" but it moved South faster than we were prepared to! so we settled for a gentle meander towards the Charente and a visit to J&J's friends who are restoring an old property near Angouleme. Our leisurely pace gave us the chance to check out some very pleasant sites on our way. The first was the municipal site at Pont De L'Arche just south of Rouen. We had passed many times but always at lunchtime, so it was never a viable overnight, this time was different.
The weather was still quite pleasant and we parked up with our rear lounge overlooking the river L'Eure where it joins the Seine. Wildlife viewing was a treat, in fact we are now talking of getting some much better binoculars. The wildfowl were too many to list but a pair of Otters were top of the spotting list. The town is a pleasant 10 minute stroll and has just enough shops to refill the larder and wardrobe! Sunday saw a mixed market in the square and most of the boulongerie and boucherie were open. A street accordionist was playing some very pleasant French music and on that weekend an open market and boot sale were held on the car park just outside the gates.
A nice surprise was when another 'Beni' pulled in and parked up, it was Jo and Alan who joined us for a drink later. But why was Alan holding his hand behind his back? SURPRISE, out came Penimar the club mascot which they won in a raffle and is entrusted to accompany them on their travels for a whole year!
Soon we were on our way again and Chris and I requested we stop at Sulley-sur-Loire, a pretty town with fairytale Chateaux. We had visited some years before but not managed to see inside the Chateaux, it was well worth the visit. The CC listed campsite beside the river actually closed at the end of Sept. not Oct. as stated in the CC book, but the one just north of the river at St Pere proved quite acceptable.
Rosnay was next, a quiet village South West of Chatearoux. The municipal site features open grassy pitches around a lake and made a very pleasant two day stopover with the most incredible 'mist over the lake at sunrise' on the second morning. (Did I hear someone querying Chris and Graham up at sunrise)? Apart from doggy walks it was loungers by the lake, our only outing was a stroll down to the tiny village for an afternoon coffee and to purchase some cakes from the shop, yummy.
J & J were keen to visit their friends who are restoring an old farmhouse and barns near to Angouleme so this was our next stop. Their plan is to create not only a home for themselves, but also a couple of Gites to provide a little extra income. So far they have spent a full year working hard while living in a small caravan on site. The potential is enormous but I can see another couple of years hard work before completion. Bob had kindly mown the 'meadow' for us on arrival and there was ample room for the two vans side by side with both awnings out. We spent 3 pleasant days chinwagging and being shown over the project, but the time to leave soon came and the coast and sea were calling.
Royan was due West and directions in the CC book require you to approach the site from the main Post Office in town, we therefore relied on 'flossy' the GPS. Sadly the street numbering is a bit askew on mapping systems the site warden confirmed, we were given a right turn into town when a left turn would have had us at the gate in 500 yds! On arrival there was just one other van and a tent. The warden made us very welcome and showed us the 'warmer' facilities, actually the disabled ones, but open to all out of season. Before tea we had a 15 minute stroll through the leafy suburbs to the promenade. J&J then made their way back but Chris and I carried on into town to give us an appetite and buy some postcards. It's a pleasant walk along the seafront to the edge of town and took us about half an hour.
On our return we called in a Tabac for the cards and stamps. The young man serving listened to my request in French but replied in English, was it that bad I asked, oh no he said, it's just that I don't get enough chance to practice my English. We stayed for three nights and took the opportunity to walk down into town, this included a little window shopping which turned 'scary'. It cost me an arm and a leg for a belated birthday present for Chris, still she's worth it (bet she leaves that in when she proof reads)!
One of the CC book entries for Rochforte was Le Bateau, so we decided to take a look, novel was our first impression. The facilities block is built and rendered in the shape of a coastal cargo vessel. The flat roof or deck is used as a raised patio in summer and the wheelhouse is the bar. Being directly adjacent to the river frontage it is quite in keeping with its surroundings. We decided to stay and sited ourselves alongside the duck/fish pond where we were greeted by three noisy but friendly geese, they even tolerated Scruffy's enthusiasm.
The pleasant young receptionist, a Maurition studying at the local University was friendly and very helpful with local information, she was soon renamed Ms delicious Mauritious!
Each morning the boulongere lady arrived and John's new word of the week was for a large Baguette which sounded like 'Groper', much amusement was had explaining it's English meaning to Madam. The walk into town is a good 45 minutes but the cycles came in handy here. We did major shopping at the L'eclerc near to the old suspension bridge, for anoraks and Diy'ers there a great Bricolage next door. Sunday was the day of the epic Rochforte half marathon, the track/footpath (brilliant for cycling) runs just outside the campsite gates along the river bank, so we positioned our chairs and picnic in a suitable position to wave encouragement, we used a lot of calories waving that day. One of the stewards spoke a smattering of English and along with our meagre French we exchanged friendly banter during the race. We stayed for almost a week of warm weather and outdoor meals, during which 'flossy' the GPS took a bath in a cup of spilled coffee and amazingly still works (groans from Roy). Next morning we departed and headed for La Rochelle.
The coastal road North runs between low Pines, sandy dunes and through attractive villages, we made a lunch stop at Fumee the most westerly point after Fouras. There were many sea food stalls at the roadside selling fresh oysters and the like and although stopping to purchase is ok, parking towards the end of the peninsula is height restricted and for restaurant customers only. On the approach, there is a large car park on the left signed 'camping cars' and within a 10 minute walk from the shore, here we lunched in glorious sunshine. There is a camp site right on the point which we might try in the future.
We journeyed on with skies looking more ominous for we wanted to see some of La Rochelle before the weather worsened. We finally found our way to the municipal site just North of the town. Next morning under a gloomy sky we walked the coastal path into town for a delightful lunch at one of the many seafood restaurants by the harbour. A little shopping at Galerie Laffeyette, then the heavens opened so it was on the next bus back. It poured down all night and our sleep was continually disturbed by the rain which dripped from the trees. Due to the weather outlook and the not so attractive location of the site we left after 2 nights, a shame, for I suspect La Rochelle might have had more to offer.
We made North toward Saumur but thought we'd take a look at the Aire at Montreuill Belay. It seemed strange to be listed as just outside the gates of Camping Nobis but there it was. It's a car park under the shadow of the Chateaux, it has space for up to 25 or so vans from 19:00 to 10:00hrs. There is a service point for loo, waste and fresh water, also two token operated electric points. Not much to do, but a nice quiet overnight.
Next day we carried on to Saumur and stayed for a couple of nights, sadly the Chateaux was closed for repairs on this occasion. By now the weather had really turned and was proving quite miserable.
Our next overnight was to be at Alencon but beware, on our arrival we found every pitch but one (which was flooded) occupied by white vans with caravans, complete with fibreglass trailers containing washing machines and dryers! We moved on and thankfully found an overnight stop at St Maurice La Poste on the N12 between Alencon and Dreux.
On our way back we had another 3 nights at Pont De L'arche just before it closed for the season and were not disappointed. Intrigued by the story of the 'coffee bathing GPS receiver', Ian and Sylvia Tilley who were on their way South with Christine and Richard called in for an overnight (and for Ian to check that the GPS really did still work), a pleasant social evening was had by all. Manoir Senlecques completed our holiday and we said our farewells to Gabby until another time. All in all a good trip, if only the weather had been a little warmer.
Thanks to all our friends who text'd us during the trip telling us how hot it was - in SPAIN !!!!!!
A massive thank you to all of you who gave us enough encouragement to make us take the plunge and venture across the water for our first adventure abroad. The recommendations and advice, on holidaying in France and travelling with a dog in Europe, gathered over the last 6 months at the 2 rallies we went on were invaluable. By laughing at other peoples horror stories we learnt to relax and enjoy ourselves! We had a brilliant time made all the better by the people we spent time with in Normandy. What follows is an account of a truly memorable holiday in September.
Honor and Tim (and Jessie the Rottweiler) spent the first few days of our holiday with us to ease us in gently to all things foreign, before heading back home for sunny Spain. So at 4pm on day 1 Honor thought it would be a good idea for us to lead the way and find a campsite for the night! Having been wrongly directed down a toll motorway and then being told we were lost by our all singing all dancing satellite navigation system - We through the laptop back in its bag and reverted to a good old fashioned map! Well our first experience of toll motorways was just that…..an experience! We followed the union jack flag signs, at the toll booths, thinking great they've made a special lane for us to make it easier. Well the British lane was closed so we had to quickly pull into the next lane. We were confronted by a large machine and assumed you had to insert the ticket we got at the other end of the motorway. I was right and then a figure of 9.70 Euro flashed up. Now for the tricky bit - paying! At this point I have to say on approach we were blinkered towards the British lane and so didn't see the other toll booths. Standing at the large machine the 'manned' toll booths were all out of sight. Therefore I had no idea I was trying to stuff a 10 euro note into a credit card slot in the machine! Very soon a uniformed French man came running over waving his arms around frantically. I had no idea what he was saying I assumed it was something like you stupid English woman!! He grabbed a credit card from us put it in the machine and thrust it back in my hand with a receipt quicker than I could blink!
Our first stop was in Bagnoles de l'Orne, a lovely town boasting a pretty casino on a large lake, turreted buildings, a beautiful chateau town hall and a natural thermal spa. Almost a Monaco meets Switzerland! Stunning!
Having then left Honor and Tim, we went on to le Mont St Michel - wow what a place! A large abbey and village rise from the sea on a rock a mile out to sea, like a mythical image. We discovered that the motorhome parking ticket was valid for 24 hours and we could stay overnight. All for 8 euros. Well the view from the window from my bed was well worth the 8 euros alone! A second walk at dusk around the then much quieter streets proved to be a magical experience, with the sunset and subsequent lighting up of the Abbey ending a perfect day.
From there we went onto Bayeux where we met up with Gerald & Jill Dickerson for a couple of days. We visited the Tapestry and cathedral and navigated our way through the streets on a historical trail of the town. We also had invaluable session playing with our new sat nav system and finally mastered it!
We left Bayeux for a heady tour of Swiss Normandy using the, now working, sat nav system. Only to be confronted with numerous 3.5T limits and narrow roads. (If someone made a sat nav system with a motorhome in mind, they'd make a fortune!) Still we ended up in the right place - le haras du pin. The national stud farm which organises a musical presentation of the horses every Thursday afternoon. Only 3 euros and spectacular.
Next we spent the day at Monet's Garden at Giverny. Still absolutely beautiful in late September. That night we stopped off at the municipal campsite at Pont du l'Arch for the night. Driving in we spotted another Benimar - which turned out to be Chris and Graham Baines with their Autotrail friends John and Jen. (Hope you're feeling better John!) We spent a pleasant evening doing what Benimar owners do best - talking and drinking away the hours under the stars!
By this stage we were getting braver and the next day we wanted to see the last daily showing of a Monet sound and light show at Rouen Cathedral. The show didn't start until 10pm so we knew we would have a problem with somewhere to stay for the night as all campsites we'd been to had gates closed for the night. Having driven along the riverside at Rouen we discovered a few motorhomes parked in a very large free car park. One of these had stayed there the night before and had no problems. So we took the plunge, engaged every security device known to man and parked up. Several other motorhomes and lorries also turned up during the day and stayed the night - so we weren't alone. The Monet show was amazing - the whole Cathedral was transformed every 2 minutes by abstract patterns being projected on the walls.
Heading west we called into Pont Audemer. It is described as one of the most beautiful detours in France and I wouldn't disagree. The town is criss crossed with canals and bridges giving it it's title of 'Venice of Normandy'.
Next stop was the delightful harbour town of Honfleur where we 'bumped' into another Benimar! They'd already bumped into Gerard and Jill in Bayeux after we left, so we were in the odd position of them knowing our names before we even spoke! We then had a very easy trip to the vet in Honfleur for Zak to have all his relevant bits down under the Pet Passport, and headed back towards the Eurotunnel and home.
The competition is now closed. Cards have been steadily coming in and I now have 23 in all. The latest ones are :-
14. Lanzarote by night - Pat & Alan Harvie
15. Lanzarote pebbles - Pat & Alan Harvie
16. Lanzarote IN16 - Pat & Alan Harvie
17. Baa-code - Moya & Dave Warner
18. Tek Care - Moya & Dave Warner
19. Highland Fling-Moya & Dave Warner
20. Benimar Club - Vi & Pete Jennings
21. Reversing - Alan & Pat Morgan
22. In the courtyard - Roger & Helen Foster
23. Sagitario No.11 - Sylvia &Ian Tilley
The results will be made known at the Peterborough Rally Ron Smith
Next years competition is now underway, so keep them coming.
There we were travelling home after 2 months in Denia. We were approaching Zaragoza when a white transit size van pulled alongside with 2 young men aboard, gesticulating to the rear of our Benimar.
Well you all know the horror stories - while one distracts you, his accomplice robs you. So what did we do? We pulled off onto a service road alongside, stopped and I got out !
Our offside rear tyre was flat !
The reason I got out was that for a while previously the handling of the 'van had deteriorated. I first suspected the air suspension losing pressure, but the gauge indicated all was well.
I changed the rear wheel in the relative comfort of dry concrete of the service road. Inspection of the removed wheel yielded no sign of damage or nail etc. As it was 2.00pm, the start of the 3 hour Spanish siesta, we loaded it into the 'van and went on our way.
While driving along I was thinking about this. The day before we left I had checked all the pressure in all the tyres, and put a couple of psi into a couple, including the offending one.
That night I decided to inflate the tyre and discovered that the valve was leaking. I replaced the inner valve with a spare but that was no better. The next day we called into a tyre depot near St Jean de Luz and had a new valve fitted (for the princely sum of 1.50 euro). The tyre has not lost pressure since.
Normally I would have checked the pressures at least a couple of days before the journey, but because of the rain I had left it till last.
A moral worth restating. Don't check tyre pressures immediately before a journey in case you upset the valve in some way.
The RDH 20/20 promotion has resulted in 20 purchasers of Benimars being given free membership and these are now coming in. Some of the winners are already members so you will not need to pay on renewal.
A warm welcome to the following new members :-
Brian & Mrs Ingrey of Wimborne
Frank & Mrs Brown of Kingsclere, Berks
Thomas & Mrs Williamson of Bangor
Michael & Mrs Hudson of York
Piers & Mrs Simpson of Eastling, Kent
Brian & Mrs Itchman of Bridgnorth
Colin & Mrs Boothby of Brough
Bill Dew of Northampton
Norman Oley of Nottingham
Nigel & Mrs Burrows of Ilkeston
Mr P Wilson of Grantham
Chris Hunt of Nottingham
Mike Divit of Nottingham
Leslie Marjoram & Penny Moulds of St Ives
Andrew & Mrs Sheldrake of Nottingham
Mr Oscroft of Nottingham
Ron & Mrs Warren of Melbourne
John & Mrs Stevenson of Bedford
Ken & Violet Barr of Prestwick
James & Mrs Laing of Coventry
Ray & Mrs Kirkland of Oakham
Alistair Jack of Chepstow
By he time you read this it will be too late to renew your membership if you haven't already done so. This means rejoining and paying the extra £2 joining fee.
If you require somewhere to stay near to the Benimar Factory, then you may be interested in Plas Moreras. It is an aire for campers and is in Peniscola, 4.5 km along the coast road towards Benicarlo, and only 130 metres from the sea. Charge is 7.50 euro which includes water and electric hook up.
The address is Avda papaluna, 113, Detras Hotel Casablanca, 12598 Peniscola.
A warning - we met some motorhomers who had camped at the site at Benicarlo and were robbed ( and maybe gassed).
Rod Harris became engaged to Jane Upton in November. They plan to marry sometime in 2006, so keep your diaries free it is bound to be a good do !
Club AGM
Don't forget that the Club's AGM will be held on Saturday April 23rd at the Peterborough Show. Minutes of the previous AGM will be included in the next issue of the magazine.
Colin Varley is standing down as Chief Marshal, so if anyone is interested in taking on this post have a chat with Colin or myself to see what is involved.
Also there is a need for a new Editor or Assistant Editor - see my Editorial.
Hire Fleet to go.
RDH have decided to discontinue the Hire Fleet at the end of 2004. This is to enable them to concentrate on the Motorhome Sales side and enable more time to be spent providing a first class service.
Partly as a result of the above :-
Mel has moved permanently into the office to help Rod and Gary on after sales service.
Sharon is assisting Richard with the accounts
RDH will become distributors for the Romahome range of motorcaravans. This will give a broader spread of vehicles on offer and hopefully attract more people to the Beeston site.
RDH were short listed for the award of small dealer of the year in a recent ceremony organised by Warners who produce MMM. This was based on readers submitting views in a number of categories.
RDH were runners up, just beaten by Heart of England Motorhomes who are based in Weedon, Northants.
I know Rod doesn't like being beaten at anything (don't play him at squash) but Congratulations on being runners up anyway.
RDH are planning to have their Service Van available for the Peterborough Show.
If you have any problems that could be fixed at the show contact RDH by letter or email at least 2 weeks before the show to arrange a booking.
If you bought your 'van from BCS or Morans, contact them instead of RDH.
Another Customer Satisfaction Survey, this one undertaken by P M , resulted in RDH being placed in the Gold Sovereign (ie. top) class for dealers. Danum and Avon were the top 2.
Also Benimar were placed in the Gold Sovereign class for manufacturers. Wheelhome and Frankia were the top 2.
RDH is hoping to show at the NEC a new model based on requirements that Judy and I gave them. We joined Steve Reynolds at the Benimar Factory in October to discuss with Fernando and Maurits the new design
It will be slightly longer than the Top (about 7.3metres).
It will be a Fiat with extra long Alko chassis and feature a double floor, keeping the same overall height of the Top.
It will have a garage with a transverse bed that will go up and down (a manual arrangement - no electric motors to go wrong). This enables bikes/scooter to be carried with the bed in the high position and when settling on a site for some time and bikes/scooter live outside the bed can be lowered giving easier access and more headroom.
The front will have 2 sideways settees, and a free standing table, so will only be a 2 passenger set up.
No high up tv cupboard, but places for a flat screen tv in the bedroom and in the lounge area.
We have ordered one, and can't wait to see what Benimar come up with. They are having difficulty getting the Fiat/Alko chassis in time so we are keeping our fingers crossed.
You are driving down the road in your Smart Car on a wild and stormy night, when you pass a bus stop and see three people waiting for the bus:
1. An old lady who looks as if she is about to die.
2. An old friend who once saved your life.
3. The perfect partner you have been dreaming about.
Which one would you choose to give a lift to, knowing that there is only space for one passenger?
Think before you read on.
This is a moral/ethical dilemma that was used as part of a job application. You could pick up the old lady, before she is going to die, and thus you should save her first. Or you could take the old friend, because he once saved your life, and this would be the perfect way to repay him. However, you may never find your perfect mate again.
The candidate who was hired (out of 200 applicants) had no trouble coming up with his answer. He simply answered: "I would give my car keys to my old friend so that he could take the old lady to the hospital. I would stay and wait for the bus with the partner of my dreams."
Sometimes we gain more if we are able to give up our stubborn thought limitations and think laterally.
However - the correct answer is to run the old lady over and put her out of her misery, have sex with your perfect partner on the bonnet of the car, then drive off with your old friend for a few drinks.
The three wise men went to visit Jesus just after he was born. One wise man was very tall and hit his head on the door frame and said "Jesus Christ!". Joseph looked at Mary and said "Write that down, it's better than Eric!"
A taxi driver picks up a nun, and the driver won't stop looking at her. She asks why and he replies: "I have a question to ask, but I don't want to offend you"
"My dear son" she answers "You cannot offend me. When you are as old as I am and have been a nun as long as I have you get a chance to see and hear just about everything. I am sure that you will not offend me". The driver says " I've always had a fantasy for a nun to kiss me".
The nun says "Well let's see - you have to be single and a catholic". The driver becomes quite excited and says "Yes I am single ad a catholic"
"OK" says the nun "pull over". He does and the nun fulfils his fantasy with a kiss that would make a hooker blush.
When they are back on the road the driver starts crying "Forgive me sister, but I have sinned. I lied. I am married and I am Jewish"
"That's OK "said the nun "My name is Kevin and I am on my way to a fancy dress party!"
SKYMARK produce a roof registration kit consisting of 8 inch high characters, either in a straight line or 2 lines and applied in one clear sheet. This keeps the spacing correct for overhead cameras to read.
After application the cover paper is removed leaving each character separate, and therefore more difficult to remove. Also supplied are 2 window stickers and a large external sticker warning potential thieves.
The price for the kit is £32 including p&p, but Club members can obtain a 10% discount.
For more details telephone Mike Keet on 01903 786866 or 0777 1970266 or visit
www.sky-mark.co.uk.
ORIGINAL SILVER SCREEN As new, to fit new Fiat Ducato 2.8 JTD - £75 o.n.o. Contact Sam McShane (N Ireland) Tel: 028 2587 1305
BENIMAR 6000ST 2.8 JTD 02 reg, 25,000 miles 6 berth, full uk spec, cab air conditioning, electric windows, 12v microwave, 4 burner hob, full oven, blown air heating, U shape lounge, air suspension, solar panel, electric step, Hekki roof light, safe, awning, bike rack and towbar. Excellent Condition - £28,250
Phone Jane & Dave Rooksby on 0115 9279944
The site is Newton Mill just past Bath city centre.
Cost is £8 per night + £2 for electric if required. Possibility to stay on after Sunday if desired - ask on arrival.
Quiz on Friday night in restaurant/bar and Sat night "oldies" disco. (Disco financed by 50p per pitch and a raffle.)
Let Colin or Frances know if you wish to book (first come first served).
These may come in handy for a Chinese Rally!
1) That's not right.........Sum Ting Wong
2) Are you harbouring a fugitive? .....................Hu yu Hai Ding
3) See me ASAP ...............Kum Hia Nao
4) Stupid Man .........................Dum Ting
5) Small Horse ...................Tai Ni Po Ni
6) Did you go to the beach? .........................Wai Hu So Tan
7) I bumped into a coffee table ...........Ai Bang Mai Ni
8) I think you need a face lift ........Chin Tu Fat
9) It's very dark in here .......Wao Soh Dim
10) I thought you were on a diet ... .......Wai yu Mun Ching
11) This is a tow away zone ..No Pah Kin
12) Our meeting is next week. ...........Wai yu Kum Nao?
13) Staying out of sight ..........Lei Ying Lo
14) He's cleaning his motorhome .......Wa Shing Ah Vee
15) Your body odour is offensive .......Yu Stin Ki Pu
16) Great .........................Brin Kin Su Pa
Graham Baines
486: The average IQ needed to understand a PC.
State-of-the-art: Any computer you can't afford.
Obsolete: Any computer you own.
Microsecond: The time it takes for your state-of-the-art computer to become obsolete.
G5: Apple's new Macs that make you say 'Gee' five times faster than the computer I bought for the same price a Microsecond ago.
Syntax Error: Walking into a computer store and saying, "Hi, I want to buy a computer and money is no object."
Hard Drive: The sales technique employed by computer salesmen, especially after a syntax error.
GUI: What your computer becomes after spilling your coffee on it. (pronounced 'gooey')
Keyboard: The standard way to generate computer errors.
Mouse: An advanced input device to make computer errors easier to generate.
Floppy: The state of your wallet after purchasing a computer.
Portable Computer: A device invented to force businessmen to work at home, on vacation, and on business trips.
Disk Crash: A typical computer response to any critical deadline.
Power User: Anyone who can format a disk from DOS.
System Update: A quick method of trashing ALL of your software.
Graham Baines