Suzy Swift

Bigger and Better?

After four wonderful years spent with Daisy Duetto we sold her on in 2012. Her new owners seemed over the moon and I think they still have her to this day.

But 2012 saw us moving up the ladder and, in the land of motorhomes, this meant purchasing a coach built motorhome made by Swift. Suzy was much larger than Daisy but in some ways easier to drive - gone was the 2ft long gear stick, replaced with one on the dashboard. The seat was also much more adjustable and as I'm not even 5ft tall this was a massive bonus, I did, however, still struggle to reach the handbrake.

Suzy Swift:

Length - 6.1m (approx 20ft)

Width - 2.21m (approx 7.25ft)

Height - 3.07m (approx 10.07ft)

Unladen Weight - 2821 kgs





With her spacious shower room, overhead bed and large full size rear lounge camping had suddenly taken on a much more luxurious feel. 

Even Lottie, our little Border Terrier cross Jack Russel seemed well at home....

But the luxury came at a cost, not just the HP agreement we signed, but also the difficulty of leaving a campsite once we had pitched up.

It was also a very large vehicle to drive and the small country lanes were harder to negotiate, especially when you own a sat nav that seems to insist upon taking you down the smallest roads known to man.


We went away in Suzy but our trips involved us staying on campsites and not exploring unless we could get somewhere by foot. We missed the freedom of Daisy and after four years we decided to trade Suzy in to try something completely different.................

A CARAVAN!! 

The Beginning...

In the beginning....

So, many moons ago (roughly 2008), my other half and I decided that we needed a motorhome. It started with us cursing every jolly couple that drove past us merrily on their way to some beautiful destination, probably by the sea!! Not that we were bitter. They always looked so happy and carefree and we desperately wanted to join them.

After months of cursing and in a moment of madness, fueled by alcohol no doubt, we took out a loan and bought our first van conversion motorhome - Daisy.

She was a 1996 Ford Transit Duetto in a delightful shade of beige with beige and blue flower patterned curtains and grey upholstery.

We lovingly improved Daisy, spraying her silver and having new curtains made for her.

Daisy (after being sprayed silver)

Daisy's Interior

I have fond memories of her little kitchen and shower room....

Kitchen - You can see the oven on the left

Shower Room

Her kitchen came complete with tiny oven and fridge / freezer. The freezer held about 4 chips and the oven cooked a small meal for 2.

The shower room had fold down sink and even a little compartment for the toilet roll.

Our first trip away was amazing, well, after I recovered from the sausages rolling off the disposable barbecue and ending up with a face full of water when the water hose flew off the tap. But we all have tales of woe from our very first trip, don't we?

In time we learnt the art of holidaying in a small space and got to grips with all the necessary tasks involved in going away in a motorhome, even emptying the chemical toilet!!

But within a few years we craved more space and it was time to say goodbye to Daisy and hello to Suzy....