is 7 metres to long for rural europe ? Need help with van dimensions

[Nabsim]

Not sure of exact length yet but ours is a little over 7 metres and we live in a rural location. We bought a camper van sat nav and put the dimensions in to help prevent it sending us down unsuitable roads (hopefully).

It isn't the length that really concerns me or the width as that is just getting used to another vehicle, I have driven bigger, its the overhang at the back on slopes and how it will cope on loose ground thats more of a concern haha

 

[n brown]

drove my 9 metre one-and-a-half decker up into Albufeira old village and got stuck , not the width , it was the height against the low balconies. took an hour or so to reverse out, people were very helpful. i'd give any viable road a go , the mirrors are your feelers- when they start scraping , time to back out !

 

[barryd]

Mountains are my thing and ive spent ten years flying around Europe in a 7m Kontiki. Most of the roads in the Alps and Pyrenees are far better than they are in our rural areas and mountains. Of course there are goat tracks everywhere and you will always end up on one at some point. My rule of thumb is if there are wheelie bins then a bin wagon has been up it. Go for it. I dont have a special sat nav or anything and occasionally you think WTF did I come down here for but you just get on with it. Ive never been stuck. I once took my eye of the ball in the Pyrenees though and ended up on a single track mountain road that ran for 15 miles and on one part of it with a massive drop on the side of a mountain I met a French car coming the other way which refused to reverse 10 metres to a passing place. It was hilarious. I got out in the end, smiled and pointed to the passing place behind him. He wasnt having any of it so I got back in and reversed about a hundred metres on a cliff edge pretty much to another passing place. I figured it was a case of him being too scared to reverse rather than being bloody minded. Im not sure French cars have reverse gears to be honest.

 

[n brown]

i went up one in the Pyrenees ,no probs. but coming back down - woo ! made the wife and kids get out and walk round a couple of bends.
also firebreaks can be fun- that feeling of sliding slowly backwards on shale, brakes on hard, wondering if something will stop you

 

[Deleted member 36]

that feeling of sliding slowly backwards on shale, brakes on hard, wondering if something will stop you

Had that when driving a fully loaded artic up the old N121a from Irun to Pampalona.
Roadworks with a red light on a hair pin bend, the mud and water under the wheels half frozen, so when I had to stop, the full 38 ton (at that time) started sliding backwards.
Luckily it griped after a few metres:scared:
Regarding steep mountain roads, it usually takes longer to come down than go up, if driving sencibly!
Unless you have a Spanish truck with a massive retarder

 

[n brown]

'' Unless you have a Spanish truck with a massive retarder ''

that's no way to talk about Spanish drivers

 

[Clunegapyears]

My advice is to go for layout that you like. We’ve had 7.5 m with a bike rack on the back and are now 7.55m full timing for three years. We have got stuck in various places and had to reverse. But you soon get to know your dimensions visually what is doable and what is not. Caution and don’t worry about getting out to have a look and hold up traffic ... better that you do and avoid really blocking the road.

Navigation is very important. We have various satnav‘s including co-pilot for caravans, but we will still take the roadsigns around town rather than rely just on the satnav, which will often try to take you through. We check everything with a map. And I often use Google satellite view maps to check a route as well.

Do think about your turning circle as both our vans were very different and this can have an impact getting in and out of places.

I think you can tell from the threads and comments above, that everyone, no matter what size van, has had some incident or issue at some point in their travels. All part of the fun. Enjoy when you get off.

 

[Snapster]

Our first van was 7.5 metres long and we travelled all over rural France with no problems. Only once did I have a nervy moment when one of the back wheels dropped of the road when negotiating a very tight hairpin, in the Midi Pyrenees!
Our current van is just over 7 metres and again, no problems driving anywhere.
I would second what people say about width though, a couple of years ago we had an RV. 8’6” wide and with the wingmirrors out, we hit both sides of the channel tunnel train when we drove from one carriage to the next.
It wasn’t very pleasant driving along narrow lanes with trees and bushes next to the road while trying to avoid lorries and buses coming the other way. ( or through the Dartford tunnel) we sold it and bought something a lot thinner.

 

[nomadichobbit]

Apologies for the slow response, I'd had not thread notifications and then forgot I'd posted on here :sleep-040: Thanks for the wonderful replies. I'm a very confident driver, and a 6m van I can drive with my eyes closed :ninja: So, driving a 7m wont be an issue, just needed to know that 7m van can handle mountain hairpin roads.

Glad to hear that narrow is better, hence the Sprinter.

Thank you barryd, its very reassuring to hear that from someone who does mountains. Its the single track mountain roads that freak me out.

Mountains are my thing and ive spent ten years flying around Europe in a 7m Kontiki. Most of the roads in the Alps and Pyrenees are far better than they are in our rural areas and mountains. ... I once took my eye of the ball in the Pyrenees though and ended up on a single track mountain road that ran for 15 miles and on one part of it with a massive drop on the side of a mountain I met a French car coming the other way which refused to reverse 10 metres to a passing place.

We use a satnav programmed with the dimensions of the vehicle. It may have saved our marriage.

I'll be getting one these. It'll save my sanity

 

[Deleted member 1540]

I'll be getting one these. It'll save my sanity

Please bear in mind that Snooper devices do not allow third party POIs, such as ours, to be loaded ...

 

[GWAYGWAY]

I hope not as otherwise I have left a trail of destruction from the tunnel, down to Gibraltar and back, and across Germany as well. but it is 6.99metres plus the tow ball. So I might have got away with it. Another go very soon as I have three trips to use up so might be a load of rubble left instead of villages.

 

[nomadichobbit]

Our first van was 7.5 metres long and we travelled all over rural France with no problems. Only once did I have a nervy moment when one of the back wheels dropped of the road when negotiating a very tight hairpin, in the Midi Pyrenees!
Our current van is just over 7 metres and again, no problems driving anywhere.
I would second what people say about width though,

Tight hairpins, in the Midi Pyrenees is what I'll be doing ! Fingers crossed the 6.9m Sprinter will be fine.

I imagine that must have been terrifying, though with fwd you can get the wheel back on the road. The Sprinter will be a RWD !

 

[nomadichobbit]

Please bear in mind that Snooper devices do not allow third party POIs, such as ours, to be loaded ...

Best sat nav for your POI ? Or could they be loaded on my phone?

 

[nomadichobbit]

I'm also going to get cameras fitted to the sides and rear which will help navigate tight spots. Really don't want a wheel slipping off a mountain road.

If anyone has suggestions on vehicle 360 cameras that would be appreciated.

Test drove a 6m Sprinter last week, lovely responsive engine. And now on the verge of ordering a new 6.9m Sprinter.

Looking forward to sticking a huge huge sunroof.

 

[mark61]

I'm also going to get cameras fitted to the sides and rear which will help navigate tight spots. Really don't want a wheel slipping off a mountain road.

If anyone has suggestions on vehicle 360 cameras that would be appreciated.

Test drove a 6m Sprinter last week, lovely responsive engine. And now on the verge of ordering a new 6.9m Sprinter.

Looking forward to sticking a huge huge sunroof.

Is that the new shape Sprinter?

 

[barryd]

Tight hairpins, in the Midi Pyrenees is what I'll be doing ! Fingers crossed the 6.9m Sprinter will be fine.

I imagine that must have been terrifying, though with fwd you can get the wheel back on the road. The Sprinter will be a RWD !

The Midi Pyrenees is a massive region with most of it not actually in the Pyrenees mountain range. Its made up of several departments and only the bottom three in this map below are where the really big mountains are. Much of Gers for example is flatish rolling hills. Its all pretty stunning though.

If you want a proper Pyrenees adventure then I have a guide in my downloads section from 2014 which IMO includes all the best bits, best wild spots and Aires as well as a guide to all the cols etc. As said all the main ones are terrific roads and coaches and large commercial vehicles go up most of them. You will need six to eight weeks to do it real justice but you could do it in much less than that or just do bits of it. I like to take my time.

Downloads - Adventures In Hank The Tank

I have a playlist on youtube of loads of Pyrenees roads filmed mainly from the scooter. Have a look at the Col De Tourmalet or Gavarnie. All doable in a 7m motorhome. Dont be put off by the likes of the Cirque de Estaube. It is a short but narrow ride up, Doable in a motorhome with care, the rest are pretty easy.

This will probably auto play the first one which is just photos I think but scroll down the list on the right had side for the road view vids.

Adventures Playlist

 

[nomadichobbit]

Is that the new shape Sprinter?

Nope. Sales person said he couldn't guarantee delivery dates for this year and the earliest could be August but very likely to be late. And also theres very little change on the 2018 model thats of interest. Perhaps the FWD. I hear that there's a 2019 change happening as well where they're bringing out a configurable version for camper conversions.

Also, the outgoing 2018/2017 models are much cheaper, and in stock.

Regarding steep mountain roads, it usually takes longer to come down than go up, if driving sencibly!

Never considered that coming down would be harder. In a car I just fly down at breakneck speed. I guess with a van its 3.5tons trying to fly off the mountainside.

 

[nomadichobbit]

Wow barryd thanks, I've bookmarked Pyrenees Guide Summer 2014.

I think I'm going to be subscribing to this forum :banana: the poi info is gold dust. Thanks for that. This forum seems to be the best of the bunch.

I've got 6 months so I can do Midi Pyrenees and then maybe head towards Portugal or elsewhere. I would love to do the big mountains in Ariege, Hautes Pyrenees and Haute Garonne. But if my 6.9m cant handle it then its good to know the flatlands is beautiful too.

Did you take the scooter with you ? I'm thinking of taking an electric cycle, if I can find one with good battery range going up mountains.

The Midi Pyrenees is a massive region with most of it not actually in the Pyrenees mountain range. Its made up of several departments and only the bottom three in this map below are where the really big mountains are. Much of Gers for example is flatish rolling hills. Its all pretty stunning though.

If you want a proper Pyrenees adventure then I have a guide in my downloads section from 2014 which IMO includes all the best bits, best wild spots and Aires as well as a guide to all the cols etc. As said all the main ones are terrific roads and coaches and large commercial vehicles go up most of them. You will need six to eight weeks to do it real justice but you could do it in much less than that or just do bits of it. I like to take my time.

Downloads - Adventures In Hank The Tank

I have a playlist on youtube of loads of Pyrenees roads filmed mainly from the scooter. Have a look at the Col De Tourmalet or Gavarnie. All doable in a 7m motorhome. Dont be put off by the likes of the Cirque de Estaube. It is a short but narrow ride up, Doable in a motorhome with care, the rest are pretty easy.

This will probably auto play the first one which is just photos I think but scroll down the list on the right had side for the road view vids.

Adventures Playlist

 

[barryd]

Wow barryd thanks, I've bookmarked Pyrenees Guide Summer 2014.

I think I'm going to be subscribing to this forum :banana: the poi info is gold dust. Thanks for that. This forum seems to be the best of the bunch.

I've got 6 months so I can do Midi Pyrenees and then maybe head towards Portugal or elsewhere. I would love to do the big mountains in Ariege, Hautes Pyrenees and Haute Garonne. But if my 6.9m cant handle it then its good to know the flatlands is beautiful too.

Did you take the scooter with you ? I'm thinking of taking an electric cycle, if I can find one with good battery range going up mountains.

Yes we always take the scooter with us, in fact last summer over four months we did slightly more miles on the bike than the van. Ive had the van up all those cols and mountains though as well as the bike, the bike is just more fun I dont know much about electric bikes but I think you would need a pretty strong battery or very strong legs to get up some of the big cols. Its not that they are overly steep just that some of them go on forever. Going up the Col du Tourmalet on the scooter nearly finished it off. Coming down was hilarious though.

As said though its a different story in a large motorhome, Its definitely true about coming down being much harder than going up. Certainly in our van I have to very much rely on engine braking in order to not end up with brake fade which when it happens is a bit scary. Going up is much more fun and easier. I lost both brakes on the old scooter once (The one in my avatar) in the Italian Alps when they got too hot. That really was scary as there is absolutely no engine braking your pretty much stuffed. I had to ride it up a grassy embankment into a hedge.

Yep, defo subscribe to this forum. Its a great resource. Some very useful members on here and of course there is the POI downloads once your a full member which now includes France.

 

[rockape]

We use a satnav programmed with the dimensions of the vehicle. It may have saved our marriage.

what a bummer.