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Now retired but busy still living..

Sunday 21 September 2014

The Next Move.....

It must be over a year ago that I first mentioned the plan to move from Purple Towers and head off on a new adventure....
The general idea was to re-locate to the county of Devon and then set off on a UK and European Grand Tour and that is still the plan...but there have been some changes.

First....We WILL be leaving Purple Towers on the 31st March 2015, however up to now we have still not found a place in Devon to re-locate to, but we have decided that we are not going to let that stop us setting off. If a new location isn't found before our tour start date Anne and I will still be heading off on our full timing Grand Tour anyway......
  
In some ways, not having a permanent base for sometime will actually add to our commitment to the tour. We will become proper Nomads...taking a temporary roof over our heads along with us....much in the same way as I have when I've packed my tent and been backpacking and cycletouring.... only this time in a bigger way.

This brings me on to the next change....the roof over our heads...
We had almost made our minds up on a Motorhome.....indeed I even posted a picture of the model we had selected on this blog.
However something held me back from actually placing an order....some level of doubt still kept niggling in my head although I was unsure what it was.

I continued to research all the pros and cons and finally it dawned on me that for the kind of touring Anne and I were planning to do, the motorhome was not ideal. 
If we were planning on constantly moving on every day or two a motorhome would be perfect, however our plan is to base ourselves in places for two or three weeks at a time and for that a touring trailer caravan seemed more suited to our needs.

Unfortunately I tend to think that most traditional touring caravans look a bit like a 'fridge on wheels'. If I was going to go along the caravan route, it would need to be something a little different to most standard caravan designs...

I have always liked the look of the American Airstream trailer caravans, however I don't have a vehicle capable of towing one and have no wish to buy a vehicle that powerful anyway.... 
No, what I needed was something as Iconic as an Airstream but smaller... maybe more European... 
Enter the Hymer Eriba Troll 540........

An ERIBA TROLL 540
 The Eriba range of touring caravans are retro, iconic and quirky...... luckily only three miles from Bournemouth is one of only two suppliers in the UK of new Eriba vans.
One visit had us both hooked and in early summer we placed an order for a brand new 2015 Eriba Troll 540 model to be built with our own list of individual options etc....and to be delivered to us early in 2015..... My Honda CRV 2.2 i-DTEC will also be able to tow it..... a perfect match according to the What Tow Car site...

They are built in Germany (although they used to be made in France) and have developed an almost cult like following......

The range starts with the 'Puck' which is the smallest (I understand this is no longer made) then comes the 'Familia'...the 'Triton'....and then the largest model the 'Troll'. 
Each of the models is available in various layouts.... they all have a pop up roof or 'Pop Top' as it is often referred to and they are all built with a metal frame similar to the way an airframe is constructed, unlike the traditional 'fridge like' caravans which usually have a timber construction.....
Some of the New and Secondhand Eribas at the dealers compound..
Over the coming months I will tell you more about the Eriba vans and why Anne and I like them so much......

11 comments:

Steve A said...

They ARE very nice looking units!

John Romeo Alpha said...

Good, it looks like you could carry several bikes in one of those.

TrevorW�� said...

*Steve A*
They certainly appeal to my eye Steve....

*JRA*
Yes, there is plenty of room to carry bikes inside if you wish. ....however one of the options that I ordered was to have a detachable two bike carrier fitted on the A frame. This means that the bikes will sit between the car and the unit itself...

limom said...

that, looks awesome!

Gail Is This Mutton? said...

A lovely looking troll! I hail from Devon and know a particularly keen bunch of club cyclists in the Torbay area. Should you relocate there, I could put you in touch.

TrevorW�� said...

*limom*
They are pretty unusual, but desirable trailer vans....

*Gail*
Thanks Gail If we end up in that part of the county I could well take you up on the offer....
My other half tells me that all the best people come from Devon, but than she comes from Tavistock lol....

GreenComotion said...

Here is to happy caravan-ing, Trevor. Those are some great looking caravans.

Best wishes!

Peace :)

TrevorW�� said...

*Chandra*
Thanks Chandra....It's always good to look forward to a new Chapter in life..

rlove2bike said...

We have a pick-up truck with a Lance slide in camper that we use for vacationing...and riding events. When the time comes and my wife is also retired, I want to get a small toy hauler travel trailer to pull behind a truck. Or, that's what they call them here.

J_on_tour said...

It seems like you were wise to wait and ponder the thoughts in your head. So many twists and turns in your parallels of life and travel. It's strange and poignant how it turns out for idealistic travellers. ... I wonder what will happen to me ?!

TrevorW�� said...

*rlove2bike*
A 'toy hauler travel trailer' eh! What a great name.....

*J_on_tour*
Yes...it often pays to consider things properly before making a decision.

Six weeks off.

 The visit to see the Consultant went quite well really ...   My ' numbers' have started to creep up again so I am going to be given...