Beatrix is our 2008 Carthago M Liner.

Beatrix is out Carthago M-Liner motorhome that we’ve owned since August 2020.

At just under 9m long and just over 6.5 tonnes she can be a bit of a handful driving on some of Europe’s smaller roads, but we’ve made it to most places, including up the steep hairpin turns into the Alps.

We decided on Beatrix for a number of reasons. Firstly, we knew we were downsizing pretty radically but we also wanted to carry certain things with us and we knew that payload would be an issue. Beatrix is based on an Iveco Daily with twin wheels at the back, so we can carry our heavier items like a scooter, inflatable kayak, skiis along with ourselves, Merlin and plenty of drinking water without the fear of going overweight. Lots of modern motorhomes are supplied new almost at their maximum limit so weight is a real issue.

Secondly, we wanted to be self-sufficient or ‘off-grid’ and not be to dependant on staying at campsites all the time as its better for our budget, and often more fun we’re finding. Beatrix has two really big batteries (rated at 210Ah each) and 500W of solar panels which means we have plenty of electricity to stay off grid indefinitely. She also has capacity for 300L of fresh water which means we can drink, shower and washup for days without needing to resupply.

Thirdly, we were really keen to find a good quality German built A-class. We always planned to spend time in the mountains during winter and having a really well insulated home with a good heating system was high on the list of requirements and we got that with Beatrix. We also knew that lots of vans (and caravans) are really designed only to be used for 4-8 weeks of the year and as we’re full timing we wanted quality components, systems and furniture so that we could be confident on reliability longer term.

So, the perfect motorhome right?

Alas, there are a few downsides. To fit all of those wonderful positives in means that we’re pretty big, heavy and slow. Cruising speed is about 55mph (85kmh) and fuel economy isn’t the best as you can probably imagine. At nearly 9m, we’re probably a bit longer than we would have liked too and this does limit some of the places we can stay and park up which is part of the reason we carry the scooter.

Overall though we love Beatrix and are so happy we made the decision to take on the road less travelled with her.