Ian Reeves travels up and down the country in his
motorhome (Image: Ian Reeves)
Five months ago, Ian Reeves left his house and moved into a
motorhome. Attracted by the freedom of the nomadic lifestyle and having
undergone a divorce the 57-year-old finally realised his dream. And he hasn't
looked back since.
He told the ECHO:
"When I turned 50 I bought my motorhome, I went through a midlife crisis.
At 51 I did my motorbike test, at 52 I went paragliding, but it's the best
thing that's ever happened to me.
"I just loved the lifestyle. I loved travelling around.
I went around Anglesey, Scotland, I've done a bit of Northern Ireland and I
loved it. I loved the freedom to get up in the morning and cook breakfast in
the open air when it's not raining, go for a nice long walk and do whatever I
want to do."
Ian made the decision to move into his motorhome full-time
after getting a divorce from his wife.
The impact the coronavirus
pandemic had on his business selling hair loss products further spurred his
decision to switch to van life.
Ian said: "During covid my income went down 80 per cent
so I found it a lot cheaper to live in my motorhome. It's the best thing I've
ever done. I still do a bit of work on my laptop in my motorhome because I've
still got to work to earn a bit of money."
He said the motorhome community is made up of people of all
ages, including those who have converted their vans on a budget and others who
have bought a modern motorhome kitted out with all the amenities.
Ian said: "I dreamt of getting a motorhome, it's such a
nice way of life.
"Don't get me wrong, I've still got worries because
living in a motorhome everything you own is in a motorhome. If it gets broken
into everything you own is in the same space so you have to be careful where
you park.
"There's never any trouble, there's always good
comradery. We have a good laugh and a joke, everyone is always there to help
everyone out. If I've ever got a flat tyre or flat battery there's always a
motorhome owner around to help you out."
Motorhome owners like Ian are taking a stand against the
recent £20 overnight parking charges that have been introduced in the area
around Merseyside's New Brighton's Coastal Drive.
Wirral Council said the experimental traffic regulation
order (ETRO), which is in place for a period of 18 months, will be kept under
regular review and can be amended if necessary.
Motorhome owners are unhappy about the new overnight parking
charges on New Brighton's seafront (Image: Liverpool Echo)
But many motorhome owners have argued that the parking
charges are too high and have put them off visiting the beauty spot all
together.
Ian said: "A £20 charge is just ridiculous. They've
made it so expensive that you won't stay there. I don't mind paying a fee, if
it was £5 I've happily pay £5 a night.
"The money 'motorhomers' are bringing to the economy is
quite a lot of money. When I go down there, I on average spend £100 for a
weekend. I go for a drink, buy food in Morrisons and have food in the local
pub.
"When I park up of a night time I try to park up
somewhere and never stay there more than a day or two and try my best not to
park in front of people's houses."
Lee Mathie described the new parking charges as
'ridiculous' (Image: Liverpool Echo)
Lee Mathie, 48, from Moreton, is also a regular visitor to
New Brighton, where he travels at least once a fortnight in his motorhome.
He said he could see himself living in his motorhome in the
future but said the new parking charges have put him off parking overnight.
Lee said: "I could see myself travelling, living in the
motorhome by all means as a home from home. The community is always there to
help you and we all look out for each other as well.
"I stay overnight at the Dips but not for £20, it's
absolutely ridiculous. I stayed in Haven about two months ago and it was £9 a
night, I got my electricity, shower and waste drop, I got passes for swimming
and passes for entertainment.
"The motorhome community as a whole in the country,
there's about 200,000 vans in the country, but down New Brighton I've seen
between 30-40 vans. I've seen probably two or three vans that have stayed down
here for more than two weeks on the trot but the majority of them, they're here
for two nights and they're gone."
New signs have been erected at the beauty spot warning
people about the new overnight parking charge (Image: Liverpool Echo)
The Echo understands that the intention of the new charges
is to better control where larger vehicles and motorhomes can park in order to
remove obstruction on the public road, which is a statutory duty for local
authorities.
It is also understood that the new ETRO is expected to
improve waste management in the area and help the authorities enforce the
public space protection order in place at the New Brighton Dips.
Back in October 2020, councillors had agreed a suitable site
for campervans in Wirral was needed following reports of "foul
smells" and "unsavoury businesses" causing health and
environmental issues for locals in New Brighton.
The council said they are continuing to "investigate
the viability of providing a dedicated, serviced site in the area for touring
vehicles" as a longer-term solution to the issues.
When it comes to waste disposal, Lee said people in
campervans and motorhomes often make use of waste drop facilities at service
stations, public toilets, farms, local pubs and campsites, or take it home with
them.
Lee said: "I can live in this for two weeks, I have a
150 litre tank onboard. Most motorhomes will carry waste for two weeks and
fresh water for two weeks."
Lee and Ian are among the motorhome owners and local
residents who are calling on the council to reduce the price of the parking
charges on Coastal Drive.
The amount of road signs that have been put up in the area
informing people about the new charges have also been described as an
"eyesore" by locals.
