Dining Out in Luton

So the Chancellor is to persuade us to visit a restaurant by offering us a discount. What he's possibly overlooked is that, in our case, we've learned during lockdown that we've saved about £300 a month by not going out for meals, which has made up for some of the loss of earnings by being on furlough pay. On top of that, we've learned we don't actually need to go out for a meal every Friday and have shaken off the habit. The final nail in the coffin is that wild horses will not persuade me to go near a pub that serves food till around March of next year at the earliest.

Talking of horses, I've made a surprising discovery. We've been mulling over getting a campervan / motorhome for some time. The problem is that while I'm happy to go for something cheap and cheerful from the 80s or 90s at £5k, Hay wants something more luxurious and contemporary, which means a) we probably won't get our money's worth before pegging it (well, me certainly), and b) it would require some considerable saving up, which also means a considerable delay.

However, I've discovered that people in their droves seem to be getting rid of 7.5t horsebox lorries, which are split 50/50 between accommodation and space for horses. Now one of our problems is that we need to carry a shed-load of gear whenever we go away - bikes, kayaks, wind surfer, etc. The space for horses would enable us to keep all that kit, as well as my Triumph Daytona, in the back of the van -  permanently, rather than having it scattered all over our land. You could even get a small SMART car in the back of one for shopping trips to the supermarket - a horse can weigh up to a tonne, which is the same weight as a SMART car.

We could also repurpose some of the horse space to a new WC / bathroom, utilising the composting toilet we have stored away and saving on water. I'd also want to install a wood burner in the space vacated by the old WC, with the log supply being stored in the additional side compartments that are used for horse tack. A bit of electric, underfloor heating in the accommodation area would also improve the level of comfort.

The nice and surprising twist is that these horseboxes are inexplicably cheap as chips. Even a 2002 model is no more that £17k and many older, but extremely nice examples, can be obtained for between £8k and £11k. Being subject to a separate and more comprehensive MoT regime, they're also in much better condition than standard campers of the same age, despite being half the price to buy. This is just one example, at £13k.

The door in the side is the dividing line between accommodation and horse stabling - usually enough for 3 horses.

I'd want one with a permanent bed over the cab - or a Luton, as we experts call it, although it's eminently feasible to put a double bed in the top half of the horse stabling area, with the storage below it.

Many also have a cab that tips forward, revealing the engine in such a manner that working on it is a doddle. The most popular ones seem to be Iveco, MAN and DAF.

One possible drawback is not being allowed on some more snooty campsites but, having read some tips from people who do it, the secret is to remove all horsey wording from the lorry, replacing it with some winnebago-style decals and not go for something looking like it belonged to Swampy. Many dedicated motorhomes and caravans are the same overall length of between 24 and 26 feet, so size isn't really an issue, just the snobbery of the campsite owner.

A 7.5 tonne job can also be driven on an ordinary licence for anyone who got their licence before 1997.

Here are some images of examples.