Filling up and parking your motorhome

Fueling up your motorhome

I have heard a few horror stories from friends who have put the wrong fuel into there motorhome right at the start of their holiday and it has totally ruined their holiday as well as their bank balance!

The majority of motorhomes run on diesel engines and it is worth taking your time to make sure you are about to put the correct fuel in your tank. The diesel fuel pumps are almost always black and unleaded for example is green. I have a little ritual in place where I ask myself 5 times ” is this diesel you are about to put in your tank – are you sure”. Maybe a bit OTT but if it saves me considerable cost of repairing my engine and missing my holiday it is well worth the few extra seconds it takes.

The cheapest places to buy fuel are usually the supermarket chains such as Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury’s. They have good access as they are usually located on the outskirts of towns away from the centres traffic and provide easy parking. It is also convenient to do some food shopping or as a WIFI spot.   Diesel prices are not fixed and typical fuel consumption of an average motorhome is around 6 miles/litre.

I have a habit of filling up at the last minute but you should always take into account on the motorway that service stations are usually 25 miles apart but can on occasion be as much as 50 miles apart. Make sure that you know how many miles you get from your reserve tank so that you avoid running out of fuel on the motorway as this can be very frustrating.

 

Motorhome Parking

Parking your motorhome can be a bit of a challenge and if you have no experience of driving a motorhome you need to be aware of what to look out for, for example it is usually best to avoid trying to park in the centre of most big towns and cities, especially somewhere like greater london which can quite quickly become a bit of a nightmare.

Instead of trying to drive into places like London or Chester for example you would be better parking on the outskirts and using public transport to take you into the centre (many towns now have park and ride options).

Most car park areas have a sign that displays a letter ‘P’ on a blue background, which you can park up at but always be aware of height restriction as they usually have a height restriction of less than 10 feet.I have found that the best places to park for convenience and location to town and city centres major supermarkets and railway stations.

They are well signposted, easy to drive around and many have accessto food outlets such as MacDonald’s which have WIFI access and clean toilets and good fast food options.

Car Parks 4U is a great site that helps you find a car park in any location throughout the UK.