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1,000 nights and 180,000 miles
Back in MMM (October 2003, p163) you published an article on our bespoke coachbuilt Mercedes Sprinter. I had just retired, and we had taken the plunge to go for a bespoke coachbuilt to cater for my wife Edwinaâs disability.
We had been running a Bedford CF Advantura for some 15 years and lots of miles.
We never did know how many because the odometer would cease to function on about 60,000 miles and we simply bought a secondhand one to replace it! Must have given the DVLA a few problems trying to keep track.
The new âvan (a Sprinter 313 CDI chassis cab with Sprintshift automatic gearbox) was purchased from a main Mercedes dealer in Teeside, and the body built to our design by TCB of Darlington, which had previously carried out a nice repair to the Bedford.
We were encouraged to visit regularly during construction and were happy to be advised by the staff there.
Over the years, the âvan has changed. It had a cab rebuild in 2019, with the front bumper colour-coded and new alloy wheels at the same time. Itâs on its third electric step, third set of rear lights and has had the fridge rebuilt twice! All a bit like Grandadâs axe.
Sadly, Edwina passed away in 2019 and, since then, use of some lockers has changed, not having the need to carry a wheelchair or mobility scooter.
We had intended visiting the North Cape of Norway and Portugal, but these didnât happen. We did, however, have several wonderful trips into Europe, travelling as far as northern Italy.
Special moments included visiting Courseulles-sur-Mer in Normandy, where my father landed on D-Day, and watching sea eagles fishing at Luskentyre on South Harris on a glorious sunny morning.
Nowadays, I travel on my own and seem to head north from Durham much of the time; Scotland has so many happy memories.
This year itâs the west coast and the Outer Hebrides and then around the top.
So, 1,000 nights, 180,000 miles and 20 years of pleasure seeking out places we would not have seen without our mobile home from home.
Was the purchase the right decision? Definitely, no regrets. I feel the âvan owes me nothing and, recently, I turned down an offer of ÂŁ25,000 for it!
John Burrows
Running on empty
I found the water pump article (March 2022, p141) particularly interesting as I have recently changed the Shurflo King on my Pilote motorhome.
