Sustainable travel with Martin Dorey

In today’s episode, Matt talks with environmental activist Martin Dorey to unpack how the motorhome industry is doing in the move to greener travel. 

As a passionate advocate for sustainable camping practices, Martin discussed his upcoming release, The Green Camping Book, aimed at inspiring environmentally conscious camping. Plus, he reveals details on his upcoming journey this year: a bike tour across Europe WITH SURFBOARDS in tow (we knew he was a little crazy but this takes the cake).

From sustainable motorhome features to reducing your carbon footprint on the road, Martin shares practical and down-to-earth tips on how you can make your travels better for the environment

In the news, Keith and Matt dive into the pressing issue of parking in Exmouth, unpacking the complexities of parking zones and the challenges faced by residents, commuters, and visitors.

And in the Q&A, Matt also addresses your question on the worthiness of air suspension, the EU compliance of LNB Towbars, and the viability of the EcoFlow Delta 2 as a lithium alternative.

Have a burning question or topic you want to explore? Send them to Matt at mhmp.info/matt and join the conversation!

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www.thatleisureshop.com/non-fiction

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mhmp.info/warners

Read the full transcript here:
https://www.motorhomematt.co.uk/episodes

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Keith Gooden: In today’s episode of the Motorhome Matt podcast… Matt Sims: We’re talking to our good friend Martin Dorey about his new books. Keith Gooden: In the news – two different parking schemes from two different councils in one little town. Matt Sims: And we answer your questions on whether air

Suspension is worth getting, LMB tow bars and more affordable lithium alternatives. Keith Gooden: Welcome to the Motorhome Matt podcast. I’m Keith Gooden. Matt Sims: And I’m Motorhome Matt. Keith Gooden: Industry insights and expert advice for the world of motorhomes, caravans and campervans, all brought to you by www.thatleisureshop.com!

Matt Sims: And remember to follow on your favourite podcast app. And if you’re watching on YouTube, please do click subscribe and hit the little bell. And our YouTube content is brought to you by our sponsor, www.arobasecreative.co.uk. Keith Gooden: Fantastic. Let’s delve into the news. On Devon

Live, this one caught my eye, Matt. Devon County Council’s new permit parking zones in parts of Exmouth came into effect last August and the District Council’s all day £2 winter car park. That offer began in November. Matt Sims: Good value, isn’t it? Keith Gooden: So it’s already a bit complicated. One in August

From the county council, one from the town council in November. Now, I said about 18 months ago I’d been to Exmouth and how lovely it was and wonderful at the seafront. And I saw motorhomers parking across two parking spaces and paying their money and everybody was being nice to each other and it

Seemed like the dream. No longer! What’s happening is there is a boundary down the middle of a road in the centre of Exmouth. And if you park on one side of the road and get your ticket from a machine on the other side of the road,

You’ll still get a parking ticket because one’s the county council. Matt Sims: And one’s the town council? Keith Gooden: And one’s the town council. And ditto the other side of the road and all the rest of it. But that’s not all. It’s gotten even more complicated than that. What they

Have done is introduced residents’ parking in the streets in and around the town. And that means if you don’t have a residents’ parking zone ticket, you can’t park there. So what’s happening is commuters who use the rail station have filled the long stay car park behind the station. Because it’s

In the centre of town, residents wanting to go to Exeter for leisure can’t park. Matt Sims: There’s nowhere to park. Keith Gooden: There’s nowhere to park. So the £2 fee has now meant the short term car park by the leisure centre is now jammed all day, but not by shoppers.

Matt Sims: By commuters? Keith Gooden: Yes. Councillor Ben Ingham has said, “The repercussions of this are shoppers can’t park so go elsewhere. Gym users can’t park and annual permit holders can’t park, which negates the purpose of having a permit. Meanwhile, the coach and lorry park…” remember, we had van lifers

Staying there 18 months or so ago? They were turfed out for it to be renovated. They’ve been staying there for months at a time not bothering anybody. Well, now the coach lorry park, according to Councillor Ingham remains a largely empty space. No lorries, no coaches, no van lifers.

Matt Sims: No motorhomers. So where are all the motorhomes? Keith Gooden: What do you think of all this, then? Matt Sims: This is chaos, isn’t it? Why do councils find it so hard to get parking right? Keith Gooden: Well, they need to raise money. Central government

Has cut most councils’ grants by 40% over the last 14 years. So they are stuck for cash, and parking is one of the ways they can raise it. But it does seem in Exmouth, which according to me just 18 months ago was a parking paradise… Matt Sims: You were quite taken.

Keith Gooden: I was indeed. Matt Sims: You were all rosey eyed about it! Keith Gooden: Six months later than that, we had van lifers who were staying in the lorry park which wasn’t being used, and they were having a great old time of it as well. All that’s

Gone and Exmouth is now… parking hell! Matt Sims: Parking hell… Keith Gooden: Parking hell! Matt Sims: It’s like some Hollywood voice over! Keith Gooden: So there you go. And the water companies are pumping you know what into the sea! Matt Sims: Yes, that’s right. Absolutely. And you’re drinking

It. I would say if you’re going to Exmouth, if you’re listening to this and you’re thinking of going down to Exmouth this spring or this summer, tell us how you get on. Did you find anywhere to park? What was it like? Were there motorhomes

Anywhere? Was it just parking hell everywhere? And what about the lorry park? Was it empty? I’ll be interested to see if that fills up. It is ridiculous. Keith Gooden: It would be great, wouldn’t it, for van lifers and motorhomers to be able to use the lorry park – pay for it,

Obviously. But it’s empty. It’d be great, wouldn’t it? Get some tourism into the town. Get some people into the shops as well. But will it happen? Matt Sims: I bet this isn’t the only city where this is happening. I remember in Bristol there was the same thing. If you

Paid the meter across the road, you weren’t actually buying a ticket for the space you’re in! You know, I got a parking ticket. It’s like, “I’ve got a parking pass! I bought one!” “Wrong side of the road.” It is ridiculous. Why is it so

Ludicrously complicated? I don’t understand. And I think this is a theme we’re going to see this year. We predicted this at the beginning of the year, didn’t we, that people are going to want to go in their motorhome to non-campsites. This is going to

Make that tough and it means ultimately that people are going to be falling foul of the rules and getting it wrong – parking in the wrong place. Keith Gooden: Getting tickets. Matt Sims: And getting parking tickets. Keith Gooden: And moved on with the middle of the night knock.

Matt Sims: The knock, knock, knock. Keith Gooden: “Oi! What are you doing here?” Matt Sims: Parking hell. Maybe that’s going to be a theme this year. Keith Gooden: Parking hell… Matt Sims: Parking hell… I’m delighted to be joined by the head of marketing of Warners’ Shows. Michael Douglas is here

In the studio. Michael, tell me – it was only a few years ago that people didn’t really know what a podcast was. So I’m intrigued. Why did Warners’ Shows choose us as a media partner? Michael Douglas: Well, part of the shows, as well as being

Somewhere you can come and buy and camp, we use it as an extension of our magazines to help inform people about the hobby and give them advice. So working with you on your podcast, and we already work with you at the advice centres,

It seemed like the obvious next step to help people with this advice. Matt Sims: Well, we’re delighted to be playing this role with you. And we’re very excited about the shows ahead. In fact, we’re going to be launching a new segment of the podcast every

Month, the Warners’ Shows feature. So this month we are going to be talking about the Harrogate Show, or the Yorkshire Motorhome and Campervan Show in Harrogate. It’s on from the 15th to the 17th of March. Tell us a bit more about it. What can people expect to see?

Michael Douglas: So this is a buying show. It’s all around getting advice, and you can buy motorhomes, campervans and obviously all the accessories. There are over 40 dealers and over 100 exhibitors as well. And then you’ve also got the advice centres on top of that.

Matt Sims: So the advice centre is a big feature at this show, isn’t it? I’m delighted to be speaking at it. Every day, I’m giving a talk on preparing for a European motorhome adventure. But who else is speaking? Michael Douglas: We’ve got people you know, well we’ve got

Peter Vaughan and Iain Duff from our magazines. Matt Sims: Lord Vaughan. Michael Douglas: They’re there for buying advice on vehicles. And then Darran the Urban Motorhome and Jon from Life Beyond Bricks are looking at accessories and gadgets. We’ve got you on Europe. And then Tash from Life Beyond Bricks and

Darran are talking about full time van life. And then Jon is doing his van maintenance talk. Matt Sims: Brilliant. And of course, Darran and Tash both live in their motorhomes full time, Tash with Jon and their three cats. So if you want any advice at all on getting started

On living full time in a motorhome, then go along to their talks. They will, I’m sure, be very, very insightful. And ticket prices – in advance, you can buy the tickets for £7. But we’ve got a special VIP offer. Use the code

MOTORHOMEMATT on the web link I’ll give you in a minute, and you can save a pound on your ticket. Now, this show is a day visitors show only, isn’t it? All your other shows you can camp at. So this one is only for going along for the day. And you

Can buy a ticket on the gate. It’s how much on the gate? Michael Douglas: It’s £10 on the gate. Matt Sims: So buy tickets in advance, I’d suggest. If you go to mhmp.info/warners, then all the information on all the Warner shows is there, including the link to get a VIP ticket and

Save a pound. Is that it? Michael Douglas: Yes! Matt Sims: Brilliant. Well, we will see you in Yorkshire. Thanks, Michael. Michael Douglas: Thank you. Keith Gooden: What’s our product of the week from That Leisure Shop this week, Matt? Matt Sims: Well, we’ve tied it in with our lovely guest this

Week, who is Martin Dorey. And we’ve got some of his books here. This is The Campervan Bible. This is everything you need to know about going away, using and buying – everything to do with campervanning. It is such a stunning coffee table

Book. It’s one of our best sellers in the shop. And we’ve also got here one of the Take the Slow Road series. This is Ireland. If you’re thinking to go into Ireland, this is a must get book. This is Martin’s story about his trip around Ireland.

Loads of hints, tips and advice and beautiful photography. And you can get all of these books and more at www.thatleisureshop.com. Keith Gooden: It’s the Motorhome Matt podcast. I’m Keith Gooden. Matt Sims: And I’m Motorhome Matt. Keith Gooden: Brought to you by www.thatleisureshop.com. This week we’re talking to the popular author and speaker

Martin Dorey. We’ve just had a thumb through his books. Tell us about Martin, Matt. Matt Sims: A thumb through his book? That was a good vibrato. I love it. Yes, Martin is a superstar. Martin is famous for lots of things. He’s famous for his two-minute beach clean. Have

You heard of this campaign? It’s amazing. With lots of beaches, when you go on them, you see a little stand with a litter picker and a bag. And the idea is you borrow them. And you go and spend two minutes just picking litter up off the beach,

Getting rid of the plastic, getting rid of the rubbish, popping in the bin bag and hanging it back up for someone to take away and dispose of. Keith Gooden: What a fantastic idea. Because you’re not one of those, are you, who says, “I didn’t make the mess. I’m not touching it.”

Matt Sims: No! Keith Gooden: Somebody made a mess, you pick it up – just like Matt Sims: Absolutely. “Why should I go and pick up someone I do. else’s mess?” They’ve left it and disappeared. So this whole campaign Martin launched is massive. And I’ve taken part in

It many times and I often see the two-minute beach clean campaign. It’s like, “Yep, I’m going to go and do it.” It is so easy to do. And it’s really good. And it’s a great talking point when you’re getting on the beach. And Martin’s a big

Environmentalist and campaigner. And he’s actually been really ill recently. And it was lovely to catch up with him. I asked him what he’s been up to. I’m here with one of the superstars of any motorhome, caravan and camping show, Martin Dorey MBE.

Martin Dorey: Yes! I was awarded that in 2023 for my environmental work with the two-minute beach clean project. Matt Sims: And you were famous for two minutes! No, it was the two-minute beach clean, wasn’t it? Martin Dorey: It turned out to be the two-minute beach clean,

Yes. But the thing about two minutes is you start with two minutes, and then you work your way up. Matt Sims: What a campaign. I mean, what a success it has been. Martin Dorey: Yes, it’s been really good. I mean, it started with an angry walk on the beach when I was…

Matt Sims: That’s not like you! Martin Dorey: No, I know! I just started picking up litter and then decided I would use social media to try and get other people involved. It went sort of global. So it’s incredible. Matt Sims: Well, that’s the point. It’s gone from Bude to the world, hasn’t it?

Martin Dorey: It is really quite remarkable. Matt Sims: It’s great recognition. And it’s a great effort. You’ve got some new books. You’re famous for the Take the Slow Road series of books, which are just beautiful. They’re stunning. You’ve been on the telly box. I mean, you’re a

Household name, Martin. But what’s the new project? Martin Dorey: This year… I know that when we met in October, I was on crutches because I’d just broken my ACL. So I haven’t done much travelling in the last 12 months. I had a book project called the Green Camping Book,

Which I’ve been working on, which basically looks at camping, the industry, from a green point of view. It’s more towards tented campers, but it does include stuff about caravans and motorhomes and campervans. And it’s just really about helping people to reduce their carbon footprint. So

Choosing tents that are recycled over ones that are made from virgin plastic, and how to just kind of live a more sustainable camping life based on the fact that we know that nature is in crisis and is in decline. And actually, camping is one of the

First touch points that people have quite often with nature. So actually, if you’re a campsite owner, you’ve got a massive opportunity and responsibility to provide a really good natural experience for your campers. It basically will tell campers how to find places that are doing that really well, but also

Asking campsites how to do that really well so that they can offer a really good experience. And it’s on the basis that if you get to know nature and get to love nature, then you will find the next step, which is learning to protect. It is easy.

There are certain things that happening. Alan Rogers, for example, have started and they are the only ones that do this. You can search on the Alan Rogers website for environmental criteria. They’re the first people to do that, and I applaud them for it and they need a shout out for it because

Everybody else should be doing the same. So this book is basically about looking at the industry, looking at how it’s going, applauding where it’s doing really well – and it is! You know, don’t get me wrong. The motorhome and camping industry is doing well on the basis that we have to protect

What we love, right? We’re all here. Matt Sims: So I wanted to ask you about that. So you’re here walking around the show. And we’re surrounded by big plastic boxes, which is a real put down, I know that. They’re not all plastic. But you say we’re doing well – you know, these things

Are expensive. There’s an environmental footprint in their production. And then we go off and make an environmental footprint in their use. What have you seen that has made your eyebrows raise in a positive way? Martin Dorey: Bailey have bought out their concept vehicle. Matt Sims: The Endeavour EV.

Martin Dorey: So they’re actually looking at EVs, which is great. I know it’s not going into production, but they’re using ocean plastic for their worktops. And actually, part of looking at that van is looking at the process behind it. And I know Bailey have done really well with cutting down the

Carbon footprint, and they’re offsetting and all this kind of stuff. And actually, you know, I’d like to see them shout about it. Vango, for example, have got great big signs saying, “These tents are produced from certain number of plastic bottles,” so they’re recycled. They’re shouting about it. The more the

Industry shouts about what it’s doing, the more other people will realise that they should be shouting as well. And actually, we can’t ignore this issue. We can’t ignore the climate. And yet, sometimes this can tend to, and I wish it didn’t. And I applaud those who don’t.

Matt Sims: I do know what you mean. Now, you are judging the awards for the Caravan and Motorhome Club. And you were telling me earlier about a winner that you wanted to applaud. Tell me more. Martin Dorey: Well, there’s a guy and a girl from Project

Yonder. You’d call them van lifers, probably. They’re in their 30s. They decided they were going to go travelling and built their own van. And then the van that they’ve got here is the second van they built. It’s astounding, you know. It’s a

Really great van. All the things that I look for as a judge are Matt Sims: But what was actually special about it? taken care of. And I think it’s because they come from campervanning. You know, and when you come from campervanning, you understand what you need. And so they

Haven’t lost sight of what’s important. Martin Dorey: I mean, from my point of view, I judge kitchens, and they’ve got an all electric habitation. Now, from a purely practical point of view, as you know, and I know that you’ve put podcasts out about this, LPG is getting harder to get hold off.

There are problems with Calor. Even getting it from a station, pumping it at stations, it’s getting harder and harder to find. So if you sack that, and you go all electric in your habitation, you take away one of the stages of maintenance. So you’re left with grey water, fresh water, black water, and

That’s it. You take away the gas, you’ve got one less headache. And actually, it means that you can go potentially off grid if you can, legally and morally and ethically and sustainably. And you’re just moving into the 21st century, and I really love that about what they did. Also, from a

Cooking point of view, they made this worktop with a massive amount of chopping space. Now, I challenge your listeners to go into a motorhome and find a kitchen with really great chopping space. And they’ve achieved that. And it doesn’t look like it’s a massive kitchen. It’s just usable.

Matt Sims: I think it’s always the way. The British built motorhomes have bigger kitchen worktops than European ones because Europeans are outside. They’re not spending a lot of time looking in the motorhome. Martin Dorey: But also, British made motorhomes tend to waste a lot of space by putting a homestyle cooker in. Why?

Matt Sims: Three gas hobs and electric. Martin Dorey: Why? We don’t need to do that. You can get a microwave, oven, grill that will run off an inverter. Matt Sims: But we’re obsessed with having them. I mean, how many roasts are cooked in a motorhome?

Martin Dorey: Okay, well, people who go into motorhomes and go, “I’d never get a turkey in there…” I mean, please, come on. How often are you going to do a turkey in your oven? Literally, you want toas and then you’re frying stuff. And if

You’re baking a lasagna or baking a baked potato in a motorhome, why? Why? This obsession with these big cookers wastes space. And I think they’re really old fashioned. And it’s an industry hangover from caravans. Matt Sims: Yes, of course. Martin Dorey: And actually, the guys that are coming up who are

From campervans have been living with little two ring stoves perfectly well. And a little microwave grill will make them toast. That’s all you need. Matt Sims: Now, you mentioned your injury. You were actually in a wheelchair. You said you were on crutches in October. You were in a wheelchair before that, weren’t you?

Martin Dorey: This time last year I was pushed around the show in a wheelchair. I was on crutches. Matt Sims: All better now? Martin Dorey: Getting there. I had an operation. So the show was in February. I had an operation in March to mend my anterior cruciate ligament, which is the career ending

Injury for professional footballers. Matt Sims: You are the equivalent of David Beckham. Martin Dorey: Obviously, it didn’t bother me! You know, I’m still crap at the piano! All that sort of stuff. And Wimbledon was off for 2023 because of that sort of sideways movement.

Matt Sims: It’s just as well you’re getting better, because tell us what’s happening for you this year. You’re off on a bit of a bike ride. Martin Dorey: I’ve decided I’m going to have a year away from the van. And I’m cycling on an electric bike, I have to say,

With a trailer pulling surfboards from Bude in Cornwall to Sagres in the bottom of Portugal. Basically cycling the whole of Western Europe’s coastline in order to surf and discover the history of surfing, but also discover for myself a little bit of the landscapes, the people, the culture and

Basically just live outside for three months. Matt Sims: How many miles is this? Martin Dorey: It’s about 3,000 kilometres, if not more. Matt Sims: But why? Why are you doing it? Martin Dorey: Because my partner’s a really big cycle tourer. I want to go cycle touring. I love cycle touring.

But I don’t want to go without surfing. So we concocted this trip because we wanted to do a cycle trip. And then we thought, “Well, why don’t we go down the coast on bikes? But then we have to take boards. So how are we going to take boards? Stick them

On trailers. How are we going to do trailers? Well, let’s take electric bikes.” So there’s a whole level of ease and difficulty that’s put into that. And the idea is just to be outside and just to connect a bit more. Because sometimes when

You tour in a motorhome or campervan… I mean, I’ve been writing my Take the Slow Road books since 2016. That’s seven years now. And all the trips I’ve done have been in a campervan or motorhome, and it’s time to do something different.

And I found sometimes that while a motorhome or campervan is a really great safe space… you know, for people travelling on their own or for families, I will never knock them. But sometimes you can be a bit in a bubble too much. So the idea of

Camping and taking a tent and being lightweight is to be more nimble, more agile, get closer to the people and the landscapes and just to breathe a bit more, really. Matt Sims: And will this spark a book for you, do you think? Martin Dorey: Oh yes, of course it will!

Matt Sims: No excuse. Martin Dorey: Well, how else am I going to pay for it? Matt Sims: Can we follow you on this trip? Martin Dorey: Yes, absolutely! The book’s called The Way of the Waves, which is kind of the after the Way of St. James.

Matt Sims: So you’ve already planned the book? Martin Dorey: Oh, yeah. No, I have a deal already. The book deal is in place. So all surfers, as you probably know, do this kind of pilgrimage down the west coast of of Europe. And

For British surfers, it’s often the first place they get a taste of real surf. And I’ve been talking to people who did it in the ’60s who were literally the first people going into Europe to surf. And actually, I’m going to follow their stories and

Follow this pilgrimage to the places that I know and love and have been to before, but also the places that are really famous for surfing. I mean, Nazaré… I think we did speak about that last time. We went to see it. People surf 100 foot waves. We’ve been to see it.

Matt Sims: A surfer’s paradise, isn’t it? Martin Dorey: Or terror! Hell, if you’re an amateur like me. But to go and see these places and meet the people who are doing it and find out what it is that drives people – we know

That campervan culture, part of that was driven by surfers. I spoke to a surfer who used to go to a secondhand auction in the Netherlands – this is in the early ’70s – bring vans over to the UK, convert them and sell them to surfers going to

Morocco. The whole thing is mixed up with our industry and the beginnings of it and the VW type two. So it’s really interesting. And I’m really looking forward to getting stuck into it. I’ve probably talked too much about it already! Matt Sims: No! It’s a fascinating trip, and there’ll

Be no environmental impact at all, presumably. Martin Dorey: Well, very little. I mean, obviously we’d be charging the electric bikes. But that’s minimal, really. And we don’t really have a choice in that. We can’t get enough power out of solar to charge the electric bikes. It’s just not

Possible. Minimal impact, hopefully. We’ll be eating local as well, which is obviously very important. Lots of baguettes! Matt Sims: And when do you push off, as it were? Martin Dorey: At the end of May. And we have 90 days, so we’ll be

Home, all being well, 89 days later with one day spare just in case we get stuck. Matt Sims: You’re not going to try and apply for a visa again? Martin Dorey: No. I did get a visa for doing one of my books a

Couple of years ago, as you know, which was really difficult and quite expensive. Yes… best not talk about that! Matt Sims: No, let’s not talk about that. So just to finish, then – three top tips from you, Martin Dorey, MBE, on how we as motorhomers, caravanners and campers can change our own

Environmental impact by using these beautiful vehicles. Martin Dorey: So first of all, the impact of your vehicle is what it is. If you’re driving it A to B, whatever, the way you drive makes a difference. That’s not my tip! The first tip would

Be to stay longer. So slow down. Because for example, if you’re going to go and do the NC 500, it’s like we do it almost like it’s a tick box and you race around it. You stay one night in each place, and you don’t contribute anything to the NC

500. You upset the locals. You’re part of the traffic jam. And actually all you’re doing is wasting diesel and not really experiencing it. So if you stay on a campsite for two or three nights, you get to stop, slow down, use your bike or walk to

The local area, do some walks, do some hiking, do some whatever. You take longer over doing it. You immerse yourself more. You get to meet more people and actually you’re not using up quite so much of the old juice. Matt Sims: Diesel. So stay longer on a campsite. Tip two?

Martin Dorey: Tip two would be to get all your staples from a plastic free shop! Get some Tupperware or some old yoghurt pots or whatever. Go and get your rice, your pasta, your oats. All your dried staples you can get from a plastic free

Shop. Generally – surprisingly – they can be cheaper than your local supermarket. And you produce no waste. So you’ve got no rubbish to take away with you. Matt Sims: You take the Tupperware home! Martin Dorey: Take the Tupperware home afterwards and use it again. And there are waste free shops all around the

Country. They’re really brilliant places to shop. That sort of slowing down thing – because you go into a waste free shop and people are nice. You talk to them. They help you. You get chatting. You get your stuff. There’s no packaging, so

You’ve got nothing going in your bin, nothing to take away. And you have a different experience. You slow down a little bit. My third one – when you’re at the waste free shop, give yourself two or three tins, one for soap, one for shampoo bars, and one

For conditioner bars. And if you’re a man, buy a real razor and a bar of shaving soap. And then you’re producing, again, no packaging. So your bathroom stuff is in lovely tins. You slip them in your pocket to go off to the shower block, open it

Up, blah, blah, blah. No messy bottles, no mess, no fuss. Easy. Matt Sims: Top tips. There we are. Thank you very much. Martin Dorey, it is so good to see you up and about and looking well. Martin Dorey: Thank you. And you as well!

Matt Sims: I’m still hanging in there! We wish you every success with the trip in May. We will be following with interest. Where can people find you online, on socials? Martin Dorey: You can find me as @martindorey on Instagram. That’s my main social media. So if you follow that, I’m going to

Be starting a blog. Because obviously we can plot our way with GPS. So hopefully people will be following our journey. And I’ll be blogging all the way and actually making some film as well. So hopefully there’ll be videos out about the trip. And

When I do my Ellen MacArthur moment, we’ll have, “Oh my God, I’ve got 500 miles to go and I’m really tired! The battery is flat and I’ve got a really big hill to go up!” Matt Sims: I can hear it now! Good luck. And we’ll see you on the other side.

Martin Dorey: Lovely to see you. Thank you. Keith Gooden: That’s Martin Dorey, author, presenter and campaigner, right here on the motorhome Matt podcast. There’s a new book coming out as well, isn’t there, Matt? We don’t have a copy of it at the moment. Matt Sims: No. It’s coming into stock anytime soon at

Www.thatleisureshop.com. So by the time this gets published, we should have it in stock. We’re hoping the publisher is going to get it to us any day soon. Keith Gooden: It’s the new Take the Slow Road. This time it’s Scotland. Matt Sims: Absolutely. And there are more books as well from

Martin that we’re going to be stocking. So if you’re interested in following what he’s up to, then head to www.thatleisureshop.com. You’ll be able to see all his books there. Keith Gooden: It’s the Motorhome Matt podcast with me, Keith Gooden. Matt Sims: And with me, Motorhome Matt.

Keith Gooden: It’s brought to you by www.thatleisureshop.com. It’s that time of the week again! It’s our Q&A, questions and answers, where you ask the questions. And Matt the expert answers them. Alison Irish got in touch. Alison Irish: Do you think it’s worth getting air suspension on

My motorhome? A lot of people have recommended to get one. But I just wanted to know your opinion on whether you think it’s worth getting air suspension or whether you suggest something else? Or if it is worth it, why? Why is it worth it?

Keith Gooden: So there’s Alison getting in touch with us. Thanks, Alison. Air suspension – why should she get it? Matt Sims: I did get back to you, Alison, and ask you which motorhome you had. Because that’s a consideration as to whether this is a worthwhile investment. The first thing I’d

Say is there are different types of air suspension. The big benefit firstly is the ride. It transforms the ride. So when you’re driving along, how it feels to drive. It massively improves the stability, raises the back end and makes it slightly firmer. It honestly transforms the ride,

Particularly if your motorhome is a big heavy unit. It’s transformational. The other thing you can do, of course, and benefit from is the fact you can raise the back of the motorhome up. So we have an Adria Matrix Supreme on our hire fleet. And

It’s a very long motorhome. It’s on a Renault Master and it’s nearly eight metres long. And the overhang of the back is really big, which means when it goes on and off a ferry, it can very easily ground out. Now, it’s got air suspension fitted.

And with a bike pump or a foot pump, you can very easily – even at a pay for pump on a fuel station – put air in the back and raise the back up. It takes hardly any time at all. And that

Means getting on and off a ferry is much, much safer. You’re not going to risk ripping the bumper off. And then the other type is auto levelling. So there’s an air suspension which means you can drive onto a slope on a campsite, for example. And if

You’re not quite level, it will automatically level and it will move and inflate or deflate the airbags to level up the motorhome. It’s a really, really useful feature. It’s a brilliant system. So long as the slope’s not too extreme, it can be

Really useful. So if you’re in a small motorhome, I’d say the benefit is probably limited. But if it’s a big heavy motorhome with a big overhang, it can be invaluable. And if you’re particularly going on and off ferries, then it can be really useful. Keith Gooden: These air suspension systems have been in

High end cars for quite a few years now. Matt Sims: That’s right. Keith Gooden: Have they been in motorhomes for just as long? Matt Sims: Probably. I mean, there’s a company called VB Air, who’ve been around a long time. They made lots of systems. But

One of the ones that’s been around the longest that I’ve seen, anyway, are these two airbags that go in the rear bumper stops and they just inflate. They’re literally like a football. And they push the motorhome up. It’s really simple

Technology. And as I say, you just use a bike pump – a track pump. You know, the one you push up and down. Or a foot pump. If you’re going to use a fuel station, you just have to be really careful, because you can very, very quickly overinflate

The bags. There’s a gauge with a safe minimum and maximum, and you should never overinflate them. You should also not allow them to completely deflate, because that can cause the bag to actually decompose, I suppose, is the phrase. You should keep air in it. And there is a minimum. That’s why. But

People like VB Air – and there’s a Dunlop bag that goes in the back. They’re really, really good and they’re not that expensive a system to have. So if your motorhome needs it, then it can be a worthwhile accessory. Keith Gooden: Chris Bassett’s in Bristol. He writes, “Is the

Towmaster 2 car conversion fitted by LNB Towbars compliant to tow through Europe? I have asked the same question to another YouTuber and was told the only way was to use a trailer for the car. There seems to be a lot of confusion. Can you help us?” Chris in Bristol.

Matt Sims: Well, it’s a great question, Chris. I spoke to LNB. And it’s a bit of a can of worms, this. So LNB are an installer. They’re also in Bristol, just up the road from us. And the Towmaster 2 car conversion is one of their

Products. And they claim it is compliant in Europe. Now, my understanding is that towing a car in Europe is not recognised as compliant with European law. It should only be used as an emergency recovery device rather than a trailer, which is how the

Car is considered in the UK. Now, the argument as I understand it has always been that if it’s legal in the UK, then it’s legal on the continent in Europe, because we were part of the EU. LNB claim that this particular product is different,

And is compliant to all international law. And so you can tow a car on the back of your motorhome in France or Spain. Keith Gooden: So hang on a second, then, Matt. So you’ve got the LNB one fitted. I’ve pulled you over. We’re in France. Bonjour, monsieur. Matt Sims: Bonjour.

Keith Gooden: Je suis gendarme. Matt Sims: Bonjour, gendarme. Keith Gooden: You, sir, are going to have to put zat on a trailer. It is illegal. Matt Sims: Illegal. Yeah. So that’s been always the understanding – the only way to tow a car in France is on a trailer, or in Spain.

Keith Gooden: So what are you going to say? So you’ve got your LNB. What are you going to say to the policeman? What do LNB provide? Matt Sims: Un momento. That’s Spanish. So LNB give you the justification as to why this is legal in all the languages you might encounter in Europe. Genius.

Keith Gooden: What, you have to learn it? Matt Sims: No, you just give it to the gendarme and say, “Here you are, mate. Read this.” Keith Gooden: Merci, monsieur. Matt Sims: Yes. Do you think they’re going to read it? Keith Gooden: I have a gun. On my hip!

Take ze car off now. Maintenant! Matt Sims: I guess that’s the thing, isn’t it? It may well be legal. We are going to talk to LNB about this. I’ve asked if they’d come on the podcast and talk to us about this topic and about this product. Because this goes against what most YouTubers

Probably are reporting and talking about. Keith Gooden: It may well be legal, but is it practical? Matt Sims: Well, there you are. That’s the question. And ultimately, if that copper with a gun tells you take the car off, and you’ve got to drive it or you can only take it with a

Trailer, what are you doing? Keith Gooden: I’m not going to do that. No. Matt Sims: No. I’ve talked about this before. I remember towing a car back from holiday in the Italian Alps. And we were going through the Mont Blanc tunnel, and I was told, “You can’t take

That through the tunnel on the back of the motorhome.” So there were three of us in the motorhome. So one of us had to get in the car, unhitch it, and we had to pay the toll for the car and we drove it through the tunnel and got out the other

End. We hitched the car back on and carried on on the way home, of course! But we were told to take it off. In that scenario, I don’t think it would have mattered whether that tow frame was compliant to any law in Europe or wherever.

Keith Gooden: There were probably fire regs in the Mont Blanc tunnel. Matt Sims: I think they just wanted the extra toll, and they were inconveniencing us. It’s an interesting topic. So the answer to your question, Chris, is LNB claim that this particular product, this Towmaster 2 car conversion kit, is compliant on

The continent. And they will give you supporting documents in all the languages you need to explain that to a policeman. So whether you want to take that chance is your call. The normal understanding from everybody else is that the only way you

Can tow a car on the content is on a trailer. And that’s probably going to be the perception of any policeman that you encounter. But this may be an option. We’ll get LNB on and we’ll get them to talk to us a little bit more about it.

Keith Gooden: There you are, Chris. Hope that’s been of help. Roger Carpenter’s in Portsmouth. This is a technical one, Matt, so bear with me. “I’ve been looking at upgrading the leisure battery but our motorhome has a Sargent EC155 which can only take up to 120 ampere hours. So two batteries aren’t going to

Achieve much, and I can’t afford a lithium set up at a quoted £6,000. What are your thoughts on a separate solar generator? The market’s full of them, some offering similar power delivery to lithium with a built in inverter and various power outlets, three pin plugs, USBs, etc. You can get them with

Separate solar panels. The EcoFlow Delta 2 offers 1,800 watts which would cover most appliances and charges really quickly. I would appreciate your thoughts on this as an alternative.” If you’re buying them without a battery, it’s only generating power when the sun is shining. Matt Sims: If you have solar, yes, that’s right. Yes,

Absolutely. Roger, I think you’re onto something here. We’ve been looking at this for a motorhome. I don’t want to put a lithium battery in it. Again, as you say, £6,000 is an expensive install. We’ve got an Adria Twin. I don’t want to put

Lithium system in it. I can’t justify the cost. We are actually looking at this EcoFlow system that you mentioned. We’re also looking at Jackery. That’s another one. And they are brilliant alternative – they’re hundreds of pounds compared to the thousands of pounds of lithium that you need to

Install. And all I want to do is recharge my MacBook, maybe an iPad and phones. And we can do that really easily off one of these portable power packs. And it comes with solar. We can put it outside when we’re next to the van in the sun and recharge

It. Or if we’re on hook up, we plug it in and recharge it. We’re actually doing a load of shows this year. And we’re looking at taking one of these units to run all our iPads and our sum up machines – you know, the PDQ machines you tap your

Card on to pay – rather than paying for electricity on the stand. They are a very, very viable alternative. And I think we’re going to see sales of these spike. And thus, I think we’re going to see the cost of them coming down. I’m already

Seeing prices for these new starting to reduce. So yes, Roger, I think you’re onto something. And I’m thinking the same as you. Keith Gooden: Cheers, Roger, and thanks very much for all the questions today. How do people get in touch and ask you a question?

Matt Sims: It’s really, really easy, and we’d love it if you did, only because there’s no such thing as a daft question. And if you ask it, I guarantee you there are hundreds of other people thinking the same. Just go to mhmp.info/askmatt. Fill in

The form or click the little orange button and record your question. We love getting them. And please tell us where in the country you are. Keith Gooden: And you can subscribe on YouTube as well, can’t you? Matt Sims: Just hit the little bell and hit the subscribe

Button. And our YouTube channel is sponsored by www.arobasecreative.co.uk. Keith Gooden: And don’t forget to share this episode with a friend! Matt Sims: if you’ve got one. We’ve got any friends yet? Keith Gooden: I have a hunch, John Doerr who is my friend and

I will be talking to him about an LNB product very soon.