Lytham St Annes, Lancashire December 2021

The dealer and handover videos point out the importance of winterising the motorhome. This involves completely draining down all the systems on board, including the heating, that could freeze over winter. It is important that all taps are left open, and both hot and cold water tanks completely emptied. This includes ensuring that the drainage taps under the vehicle are also fully drained. I made the mistake of leaving the tap on board open until no more water came out, thinking the tank was empty, not realising that I needed to swivel the tap to ensure that the hot water had completely drained down. A new hot water tank was needed following the next habitation check!

In addition to the above the fridge door needs to be left open to prevent the growth of mould.

There are also covers that need to be put in place over the exterior vents for the fridge and heating system.

I followed all the instructions and made sure that any drop in temperature wouldn't adversely affect the motorhome (or so I thought!).

It is also usual to cover the vehicle with a tailor made cover to prevent the growth of mould on the exterior. I bought a cover for the motorhome, but did not manage to pull it over the motorhome before the winter as there was not a period without rain to ensure the motorhome would be dry enough to cover. Covering a damp motorhome can encourage damp to spread.

I include a link to the types of covers available here https://amzn.to/48Cm8a2

After I had followed all the winterisation procedures I had intended leaving the motorhome in it's winterised state until the spring. However an unplanned family party meant that we needed to bring the motorhome out of it's hibernation early. This meant reversing all of the above procedures and booking a pitch at Eastham Hall Holiday Park near Lytham in Lancashire. https://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/campsites/uk/lancashire/lytham-st-annes/easthamhallholidaypark/

My brother was making an unplanned visit from Boston, and as my family originated from Lytham St Annes it was deemed to be a good excuse for a family get together there.

A day or two before the meal we parked the motorhome outside the house and filled up the water tanks and charged the leisure battery up for our overnight stay.

We travelled down to Lytham and hooked up onsite like old pros, settling on to our pitch within minutes. Sue had offered to spend the evening, with Finn, catching up with a Netflix series whilst I attended the party on my own.

We were given a pitch not far from the entrance, and shortly after our arrival my brother picked me up from there.

Upon my return later that evening we decided to dispense with the construction of the double bed from the cushions etc., and instead sleep seperately on the two couches.

This proved a revelation, with both of us enjoying a peaceful nights sleep, with little or no bother involved. This proved to be the death knell for the Accordo 105, and we started to look at motorhomes that had fixed beds. We also found out by this time that the storage space on the 105 was not enough for our needs. we had habitually been using the shower space to store items. We started idly looking at motorhome sales sites on the internet, for something better, without any specific plans in mind.

That morning we unhooked, after a swift breakfast, and our brief visit to Lytham was over. I have visited the town many times and there has been a resurgence in the facilities on offer there in recent years. They have an annual festival which this year includes Shania Twain and Rag 'N Bone Man. Their Cafe Culture has come on leaps and bounds with many select bars and eateries available. It is definitely worth a visit, especially when the 1940's Wartime Weekend is on.

Lytham and St Annes are two distinct towns seperated by Ansdell, and they provide a less bawdy place to stay then their neighbour Blackpool.

I recently had to return to St Annes for a family matter and found a gem of a place to stay in a motorhome, which is just one road in from the beach and within walking distance of the shopping area and the bars etc.The link to it is here https://www.seasidepitch.co.uk. The owners permit you to stay on the land in front of the house they are renovating, and I don't think this facility will be available for long. Whilst it's available it's worth a view. I'm being very altruistic here as I'm going to find that the site won't be available to me when I want it!

Although I haven't provided much detail of Lytham St Annes it is well worth the visit, there's a lot going on.