I’ve been on the A4 road north of Paris many times, but I’ve never seen it so void of people and cars. I had to drive from Frankfurt to the UK just as France not only closed it’s borders, but also wants people to stay at home to help curb the spread of the Corona virus.

As such I had to explain several times to police I’m heading “home” and need to get to Calais. Luckily the motorhome has a GB registration. Scenes along the way looked like a typical “the world has ended” movie… Deserted shops, empty streets and only trucks, motorhomes, ambulances and on a very morbid note, noticeably more undertaker vehicles on the highway. The ferry I’m on now is virtually empty, only truckers and two other cars.

This thing is serious and apart from the tragic loss of life, can we even begin to understand the economic impact? We are in unprecedented times.

There is though silver linings. People around me are genuinely more friendly, smiling, asking how you are. People are holding doors open (with their feet!) and in general, being nice.

For me, later today I’ll be reunited with my dog Olli who had to stay behind in the UK whilst I went on a long work trip to Qatar and South Africa. I’m picking him up and the heading to the big farmhouse near Cambridge we rented for our company team meetup, that has now been cancelled. I’m looking forward to the solitude of that and being able to catch up with Olli!

Stay safe but more importantly be kind to others. Together we’ll get through this thing.

So as I’m preparing to sell my current motorhome, Rayquaza, I stopped at the motorhome show in Dusseldorf on the way to the UK. It’s an insanely big event (the world’s largest motorhome show) but exceptionally well organised.

I went to see the dealer who is selling me the new motorhome and also, to physically see a model similar to the one I’m buying, as I’ve never actually seen it in person.

I was not disappointed. Wow, this is going to be one massive upgrade. Everything feels just so fresh, new and spacious!

This is the size of the garage! I’m sitting in it and it still has a ton of space. What is especially good is that it has two big doors on either side.

I was concerned the two beds at the back might be too small as individual beds, but they are not, I tried them!

I really like the fact I can sleep like this and not require a ladder to get up and down.

The new motorhome (a Burstner Ixeo 728) is a “integrated” model meaning the front is as wide as the body. I was a bit worried about the new steering position but I tried it out and wow, this thing is going to be a dream to drive!

I also went to see some suppliers of solar and lithium and got some ideas on how to always have 230v available, and I’m going to see if I can squeeze this into the destroyed budget.

Exciting times ahead!

I had an incredible time in Turkey, and now trying to make my way to Spain. I’m not too happy with the voice over sound quality on this video, so please forgive me, but I hope you enjoy the scenes in there.

This magnificent truck camper conversion drew my attention immediately when I saw it parked near my plot last week. It confirmed the heavy sound that vibrated through the whole campsite when it arrived.

Wow!

I went to have a chat with the young couple who owns it and the story behind it is even more inspiring.

Christian and wife (Ina, I think I might have that wrong) recently became first time parents and decided they wanted to spend quality time with their daughter in her first 6 months. They combined that with their love for touring and Christian converted a truck he bought from the Danish army, with a container from Holland, and they set off on an extended trip which saw them spend nearly 3 months in Morocco.

They were experienced motorhomers and they could kit out the new truck just they way they wanted. It is a magnificent piece of touring equipment and I got to take a peek inside.

The container is the perfect height and size to provide for a comfortable, safe and well insulated living environment. They are very eco focused and had plenty of ability to stay off grid yet have all the power, clean water and environmentally friendly grey water disposal they could require and produce.

Very impressive. The cherry on top was their (now very happy) rescued Polish dog, Hubert, who posed quite happily from his favourite spot.

After Germany I went to visit my friends Bryan and Sheila in Grimentz, Switzerland.

Wow.

Up, up and more up the moutain passes till I eventually called them to say I’m not sure Google Maps is leading me on the right path, and I’ll just wait for them to come fetch me from the village.

I could eventually park about 100 metres from their new, absolutely gorgeous house and again, wow.

Here’s what was my view …

It was an incredible experience and we did fantastic walks, much to Olli’s enjoyment (which he enjoyed almost as much as the attention he got from Sheila, with suggestions of ice blocks in his water bowl overheard at some stage! He was not complaining..)

I took some drone footage and it’s on my list to compile a cool video with the spectacular scenery there.

Driving up and down there I suspect is Rayquaza’s limit. It is very steep!

Thanks for a super visit Bryan and Sheila. Hope you get to use your house plenty as soon as possible, it’s really good there.

Ciao,

I’m currently in the UK and staying in Rayquaza, despite one of the coldest winters ever, and tons of snow!

I was curious to test Rayquaza’s ability to cope with conditions like these and I’m pleased to say she kept me warm and dry, without a problem.

I run the gas heating throughout the night on a low setting, boosting it a bit with the warm air blower from the aircon before bedtime. And then I invested in a really good electric mattress topper that is heavenly.

That made a big difference and again I keep that on a low setting overnight, just to keep the edge off. (we’ve had nights of – 5)

I can’t exactly tell how quickly I’m consuming the on board gas but with the snow melting quite fast now I’ll go to the local garage tomorrow to fill that up again and then I’ll know. I suspect however I’ve not used much.

I even managed to get a run in this morning, I’ve not been able to go for almost a week now.

All in, I’m well pleased with the way the motorhome retains heat and how well insulated she is. Easy to see how one can use her ever for a winter ski holiday. Well done Hobby for the good German engineering.

However I am very much looking forward to warmer times ahead and am dreaming of my Balaton summer already!