Motorhome: a touch of luxury at the Glastonbury festival

Maybe it’s the Carry On image of dingy campsites and even dingier caravans and motorhomes, the lack of space and uncomfortable beds which gives it such a negative image?

But others – many, many others – love the freedom that a home on wheels can give you.

And the pandemic gave this form of holidaying a real boost as people who could not venture abroad decided to form their own “bubbles” and explored closer to home instead. Motorhome prices, particularly second-hand ones, soared.

My experience of motorhomes is limited: a trip to France 20 years ago and a journey to Devon and Cornwall a decade later. But thanks to Swift, the Hull-based company, I’ve had a third go and I can tell you motorhoming has come on leaps and bounds.

Our vehicle tested here is a Voyager 4 based on a Ford Transit chassis. It is a four berth with a proper double bed and another double over the cabin accessible by a ladder. It has an oven, fridge, shower and toilet and tons of storage space.

The front two seats swivel round to face a removable dining table and there is plenty of headroom.

Being a Ford at heart, it is easy to drive: the 2.0 litre diesel copes incredibly well and it will cruise at motorway speeds. Driving on narrower roads is more challenging but the rear-view camera means parking should never be a problem.

It has air conditioning, a 12in screen, USB facilities and a ready and willing engine.

Our venture was to another love-it-or-hate-it experience: Glastonbury Festival. Again, many people love the idea of a musical and arts odyssey in the sun while others – deterred by news images of muddy downpours – reel at the idea of a chaotic week with 200,000 unwashed people in a Somerset field.

This was our – my partner Lynne and sister Ali – second trip to Glastonbury so we feel like veterans. We found it a wonderful, friendly feast of entertainment and the motorhome was fantastic.

There is a real camaraderie among motorhomers who are keen to help each other out. Our 600-mile return journey went without a hitch and this home on wheels couldn’t have been easier to drive.

Voyager 4 series is built on a Ford chassis for travelling peace of mind, It has been designed for “families who love to explore”. With a refined and sleek interior, it maximises space without compromising on design or on-board amenities.

We had three on our trip. And while the festival itself may be loud, chaotic and eccentric, having the benefit of a safe and secure motorhome to retire to each evening was our salvation. Noise and mayhem is fine for 12 hours a day, but not 24. At least not at our age.

We stayed at the Bath and West campsite a few miles from the festival itself. This site is normally home to a country show and it’s a haven of relative peace and quiet.

There are no electricity hook-ups but we didn’t care: we had our own leisure battery which served us well for our six days.

Swift claim with some justification that the Voyager 494 four offers a home from home feel with the ever popular layout comprising of front lounge and dining area, central washroom and fixed island bed to the rear. Other layouts can be specified.

They say it is “packed with luxury features to make your travels both comfortable and practical”.

We found there was plenty of space. And the sliding cover between the rear bedroom and the rest of the cabin offered privacy. The beds were very comfortable, even the one above the cabin which took a little getting used to.

Our trip wasn’t entirely fuss free. The fridge didn’t work, which we initially assumed was down to something we had done wrong. A motorhome engineer who happened staying nearby kindly had a look and diagnosed a faulty solenoid valve: no worries, we didn’t really need it anyway. And campers of all kinds quickly develop a resilient get-on-with-it attitude.

It comes with two fully sealed, long life, 80 Amp-hour leisure batteries and a mains 230V supply, operated by an easy-access consumer unit, to sockets, fridge, heater, water heater and battery charger/transformer.

There is a 25 metre mains hook-up cable and an ultra-low energy LED lighting system throughout the interior.

There are four chrome 230V sockets and numerous USB points plus television aerial.

Talking to other motorhomers, cooking is probably the one area which has seen the biggest improvement in recent years. This vehicle has a

Thetford Triplex combination oven and grill, plus a three-burner gas hob with electric hotplate, all with electronic ignition.

It has a133 litre, tall slimline, dual hinged fridge and a fine laminate kitchen worktop with a durable stainless steel sink.

There is a lift-up worktop to increase work area.

The washing facilities are compact but very impressive. There is a washroom and shower tray with fold-away washbasin and separate Vector vanity tap.

The shower is powerful but water efficient and the Thetford cassette toilet with electric flush and 18 litre wheeled tank is a cinch to use.

Comfort is key thanks to Duvalay Duvalite Alto mattresses, which includes a platinum support layer and reflex foam.

We didn’t need it but there is a Truma heating dual fuel combi boiler for excellent heating efficiency.

Swift Voyager 494

Price: £68,995

Engine: 2.0 litre TDCi EcoBlue diesel engine with six-speed manual gearbox.

Warranty: Three years, 60,000 miles