Calling campers/caravanners - National Feast of Lanterns - anyone going?

I have always wanted to have a motorhome and now that I am retired, it might be the time to go ahead and buy one. Have any of you motorhome owners got any advice to give me regarding what to look out for when I start looking please? It is just me so a small one would be best, with a low mileage and years to go as I don't think I coud afford to replace in a hurry. One motorhome showroom told me you have to agree on principle to purchase THAT particular motorhome BEFORE you can even take it out on a test drive. Is that the usual practice? Thank you all for any help at all.

Has anyone been tempted to do the whole Christmas thing in a van?
I met a couple were going to the New Forest. Their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren were all living abroad so they saw it as an opportunity for an adventure.

8 months Bug wow! My dream. One day.

Just read up on it, it's really a club thing? New mills is a procession of lanterns through the town at the end of their festival.

Love our motorhome, it's sat on the drive always ready so we can pop off whenever we like, had an 8 month trip to Europe in it 2012.
I am going to google 'feast of lanterns' although New Mills (near us) has something similar, in fact have already booked on the CL there for that weekend

And I thought it was just my husband who was a grumpy old so and so!

We sold our caravan last year and bought a campervan instead. OH wouldn't tow the caravan but he's never out of the driving seat in the camper. Although we have seats and beds for the GCs in the new van OH gets really disagreeable when I suggest taking them away with us, as we used to in the caravan. I am really sad at the thought of never caravanning with them again. Why do men get so grumpy when they get old?

overthehill did you go and how was it? We always make plans for next year at Christmas. Thinking of going. Never been to a gathering. Love our caravan.

We loved our tourer for a goodly number of years, but had to sell it , sadly, because of ill health. We would never have attended the Feast of lanterns, however, or any other type of caravan rally, we don`t care for large gatherings, which is why we tended not to stay on really big touring sites.

I love Marmite and I loved caravanning. We had a tourer for years and then a static in a lovely area of N Wales. Sadly all things come to an end but I miss both. I have never heard of the Feast of Lanterns but it sounds good.

I love being in our caravan but I can't cope with big gatherings so won't be at the festival. I bet it's brilliant to be with so many like minded people. It seems that caravans are a bit like marmite. You either love them or hate them

I used to love it - and so did the children. But we had to sell the caravan to buy a new boiler when the children were small