Its been a while since we did a post but since we arrived home our feet have not touched the ground. I won’t bore you with all the details but hopefully, things will calm down soon then I can get back to catching up on our blogs!

Firstly, a huge apology to Margaret & Shirley who kindly sent me their details just before Christmas. Sorry ladies! Along with their two dogs Boo & Poppy they are ‘crazy’ about motorhoming and if you check our their blog you will get a real sense of how much they genuinely love motorhoming.

1. Tell us a little about yourselves, like what is your name and where do you come from.

We are Margaret and Shirley. We are a happily married couple from Bathgate near Edinburgh. We retired as soon as we possibly could and set about living life to the full without the stresses of work.

2. What sort of motorhome travellers are you? Full time / part time / short breaks / long stay

We normally travel around half of every year in the motorhome and spend the other half enjoying our life at home. This year we have been more or less full time, only spending four weeks at home in between trips. We often find ourselves talking about balance and compromise. We love both our life at home and also on the road but we probably love travelling the most.

3. When did you first start motorhoming and what inspired you to start?

We used to be caravanners but it soon became obvious to us that a motorhome would give us a lot more freedom. We bought our first motorhome in 2010. We like using ours for days out, overnights and long slow journeys. Our inspiration came from reading other motorhomers’ blogs, which is why we eventually decided to write our own.

4. Tell us about your current motorhome like make, model, name, age and why you chose it?

We have an Autotrail Miami. 2007. She is called Holly (“Holly came from Miami USA – take a walk on the wildside”) This model was only made for two years and is based on a Renault Master 3litre. We chose it because it has four seat belts, a good lounge space, a decent kitchen, a fixed bed and good payload. We love the base vehicle. It gives us around 30mpg and it’s a comfortable drive.

5. Where is the best place you have ever been and why?

That is the hardest question of all. How do you choose? Two favourites from 2016 trip have been Rudesheim am Rhein in Germany and the Aire at Labastide d”Armagnac in South West France. We loved Rudesheim am Rhein for the scenery, the massive variety of things to see and do, the river traffic and the quirky shops. Labastide is a long time favourite. The town is Mediaeval and so beautifully restored that you could believe yourself back in time. The square is incredibly atmospheric. The Aire there is free, including services and big enough to take a decent number of motorhomes. On one of our visits we went to a world class violin recital there right out in the sticks in France. If we had to choose an all time favourite it would be probably be Horgabost on the Island of Harris in the Outer Hebrides. It’s breathtakingly beautiful. Wonderful.

6. Where is the worst place you have ever been and why?

A large campsite near Dornoch on the North East coast of Scotland. The site was full of static caravans, roaming dogs and children and there was a near total lack of adherence to the site rules. We witnessed a man wrecking a pool table in the bar and realised we had made a mistake. To be fair, we did complain after we left and were offered a voucher to return to any of the company’s sites free of charge for the equivalent number of nights. We haven’t taken them up on their offer. In the interests of balance I should add that some people love it there. It just isn’t our kind of place and it did help us learn a lot about the effect of a place’s energy on our well being.

7. What 3 places are on your bucket / wish list?

Greece via ferry from Italy, Croatia and Norway.

8. What things (apart from the obvious) do you always travel with?

Our bikes and a fabulous bike shopping trolley made by Burley. We try hard to keep as fit and active as possible and using the bikes to visit local markets is a very pleasant way to do that.

Lightweight fleece blankets

Warm fluffy slippers to wear in the van

9. If you could share one handy motorhome hint or tip, what would it be?

Carry a 5 litre plastic black container such as a petrol can and a jug. Put a little water and some soap liquid in the container and use it for pees when there’s a chance you might not find a toilet disposal point. Use a small waste bucket with a bin bag in it for toilet paper. These items make your chemical loo last at least twice as long. Sorry if that’s TMI.

10. Any finally, what’s your funniest motorhome moment?

I was climbing into our rather high fixed bed with my bum in the air when my hand accidentally caught the blind and it sprung open. All the lights were on and it was pitch dark outside, leaving me brightly exposed to the entire Aire. There was a full moon that night.

If you would like to check out Mags & Shirl’s blog then click on over to Lovemotorhoming.com Their blog is excellent with a strap line is “Motorhoming with a little kindness” – giving and receiving small acts of kindness has warmed their journeys in a way they couldn’t have imagined possible.

Thanks to Mags & Shirl for their interview and here’s wishing them plenty more happy motorhoming years. Oh nearly forgot..Mac n Tosh say woof to Boo n Poppy x x x

If you would like to join in the fun then drop is an email at ourbumble@icloud.com

AutoTrail Miami 740S