We have (finally!) brought home our motorhome FREEDOM from winter storage in Värmland. Now we are planning for everything to be fixed with the motorhome, and then for the summer's motorhome trips.
Table of contents
Train to Värmland
We have had the motorhome in a garage/workshop in Värmland all winter. Because we have friends who live there, and because they knew of a garage with a good price, that's what we did, even though it's a bit too far from home. Super early Yesterday morning we took a train from T-centralen to Värmland.
Breakfast on board
For once, we luxuriated and booked first class on the train. We had to pay 590 kronor for both of us, and that included breakfast, which we thought was affordable. The breakfast was also really good! Directly at departure we got tea or coffee, a roll and a breakfast box with good dark bread, Wästgöta kloster cheese, smoked ham, tomato, Kullamust, yoghurt with muesli from Saltå kvarn and a small piece of chocolate.
Revisiting the motorhome
So fun to see the motorhome again! We fixed a lot with it last autumn so in many ways it is in good condition. However, it was extremely dusty, and unfortunately the foiling (the black upholstery) is very worn. We also got a leak in the roof just before we put the motorhome into winter storage. So we went straight home to our motorhome friends, Thore and Catharina, to fix the most important things at once.
Wash the motorhome
Peter started by washing the motorhome with a pressure washer, while I went through the interior of the motorhome.
Fixing a leak in the roof
Then it was time to tackle the roof leak. It was the seal between the large roof hatch (which we put in ourselves many years ago) and the roof that was slightly loose. Peter sealed with a sealant that Thore recommended, called Cool Tack 286.
Thore himself sat at a competent distance and checked that the job was going "right and proper" ... We would have liked to socialise a little more, but given the prevailing circumstances, we settled for a little "outdoor socialising" and then rolled back towards Stockholm.
How do we plan now?
FREEDOM is now in place in the marina and we have some work to do. Among other things, Peter will replace a window and some hatches. The foil is much more worn than the picture shows, so we also need to do something about that. And Peter has plans to fix the motorhome garage, so that we can get the electric bikes in there. Stay tuned!
When it comes to motorhome trips? Yes, of course there will be such trips in the future. We are now starting to look forward to planning what to do within the recommended 2-hour radius! What are your plans for the rest of the spring and summer?
Ruth in Virginia says:
I can understand that you were happy to see your friend again,
even if it needs some TLC.
Good luck with the repairs!
The breakfast box looked good, but you have to wonder,
how things are going with a "plastic-free" Sweden? 🙂 🙂
4-5 plastic bags and 3 plastic cans - per person!
Oh. just saw the plastic spoon
16 May 2020 - 6:39
Helena says:
I had to google "TLC" haha, but now I understand that it means Tender Loving Care, and that's right! And yes, you have a point about the plastic. The box itself was cardboard, but there were many plastic packages inside.
16 May 2020 - 8:22
Solan says:
Finally, the motorhome can roll! The leak did not seem to be a major problem, good to read.
We are reset for the summer. The motorhome will be on electricity in the Mullsjö barn for a while longer. In good hands with good friends ...
Looking forward to more motorhome reading Freedom! ?
16 May 2020 - 8:12
Helena says:
It didn't seem too difficult to fix the leak, but we're not quite sure yet. We will look at it again today, and then time will also show ... We can hope for nice weather in Sweden this summer! 🙂
16 May 2020 - 8:24
Anna / boihusbil.se says:
Welcome home Freedom! Hope the leak is fixed so you can cosy up in the car in the summer rain without worrying.
16 May 2020 - 8:32
Helena says:
Thank you very much! We hope the roof is ok now. but it will of course be double-checked.
16 May 2020 - 14:05
Seija Viitamäki-carlsson says:
Nice to have the motorhome at home. We travel within the region 2 hours from home. Got the Find Out map with nature reserves, trails and places to visit. Looking forward to a long trip?
16 May 2020 - 8:40
Helena says:
Perfect with that map! There is a lot to discover around! 🙂
16 May 2020 - 14:06
4000mil says:
I hope there will be some motorhome travelling in Sweden this summer.
16 May 2020 - 8:57
Helena says:
It will certainly be possible! We may not be able to travel that far, but it is also interesting to discover the neighbourhood!
16 May 2020 - 14:07
Arne Lindh says:
Glad that you are soon out and about again. We have made three small excursions, which you can see on the blog. Right now we are at home, but next week we are planning a new small trip in our own region, out in the archipelago, which we miss now that we have sold the boat. We were going to Bornholm on 1 June, but have rebooked for August. Hope the Danes dare to let us in then.
16 May 2020 - 9:24
Helena says:
Lovely with excursions! Bornholm is on our bucket list!
16 May 2020 - 14:09
Ama de casa says:
How wonderful that you got Freedom home now - congratulations! 🙂
We have no plans here at all. We are waiting for the situation to develop before we can start thinking about what to do in the future.
16 May 2020 - 9:51
Helena says:
Thank you very much! Yes, it is perhaps good to take one thing at a time. I'm glad you've at least got a bit more freedom of movement!
16 May 2020 - 14:10
Mr Nils-Åke Hansson says:
Kullamust, we were neighbours of the company and the children were schoolmates. all seems to have a good time with the car!
16 May 2020 - 9:54
Helena says:
Glad that the kullamust is from the circle of acquaintances! 🙂
16 May 2020 - 14:11
Role o Carina says:
How nice you got the motorhome home again, you have probably longed 🙂 .
We even go out for a few hours from home during the week!
Fingers crossed that you get the leak sealed.
Just hope for more sun and warmth ahead......
Take care.......
16 May 2020 - 10:02
Helena says:
Yes now you hope for nice spring weather! 🙂
16 May 2020 - 14:11
Eva says:
I don't understand how you (because there are quite a few of you) manage to put your motorhome away. I would go into severe withdrawal. Now everything is in order again. ?
We are still planning for a holiday in northern Sweden as we hope that Tegnell will give us a good news in the beginning of June. Otherwise we will have to drive within our hours to Nynäshamn and leave the country for an open Europe.
16 May 2020 - 10:07
Monet says:
Hi Eva. Of course it's good to have hope and a positive attitude. But it is not difficult to put away both the motorhome and postpone travel planning if you think about why the restrictions exist. Many have realised that this summer and autumn will probably freeze completely inside and you just have to take it.
Sweden did not lift the travel restrictions in June. On the contrary, they remain in place until at least 15 July. In view of the extremely strained situation of the health care system, you must stay within 1 to 2 hours of your home so that if you fall ill (which can happen very quickly), you can get treatment in your home municipality. You can't count on an open Europe, however you look at it. At any time, new severe restrictions can be introduced and you can end up in quarantine and have difficulties crossing borders. It also looks like Swedes will find it difficult to even get to Norway and Denmark due to our corona management with a large spread of infection in the country and high death rates. Tegnell and others have already marked early that one should not look forward to any travelling this year and especially not abroad? Hope you still have a nice summer!
16 May 2020 - 13:30
Helena says:
Eva, this time it was a little too long without the motorhome ... In the middle of winter it's not so good though, it's a little too expensive to heat in the winter. But fun to have it home again now! 🙂 You have to wait and see when it comes to the restrictions. Suspect that it may take quite a long time before it becomes easy to travel in Europe though. But the one who lives will see. Have a nice time!
16 May 2020 - 14:17
Eva says:
Yes, hope is the last thing to go, they say. ?
We are still planning for the north as I hope the travel restrictions within Sweden will be eased in early June. If not, there will be more years. ??
19 May 2020 - 7:08
bmlarstravellingblog says:
So nice that Freedom is in place in the Marina even if some work remains. We spent a couple of days cleaning and sweeping ours so now we are ready for new excursions. We have just realised that we can get quite far with a radius of two hours of travel (although the dream of the North Cape looks very distant...).
16 May 2020 - 10:23
Helena says:
Yes, I agree. Have also looked at the map and found that we can probably find a lot of exciting things within two hours 🙂 🙂
16 May 2020 - 14:19
Lisa says:
It's great that the motorhome has come to you again. Small excursions can also be very pleasant. The length of the journey is not the decisive factor, it can even be nice to have a shorter route. Just the feeling of experiencing something new than what constitutes everyday life is usually wonderfully excited. Wishing you nice sunny days and if it rains, we keep our fingers crossed that the sunroof keeps tight.
16 May 2020 - 22:50
Annika says:
Wonderful that you got the leak sealed! So sad when this happens!!!!
16 May 2020 - 11:04
Helena says:
Well now we just have to keep our fingers crossed that it will last!
16 May 2020 - 14:19
Emma, sun like sun? says:
That was a great price for the train journey! That's what we paid per person when we went to Madrid last year and it was pretty cheap tickets.
Agree with Ruth in her observation, lots of plastic in the cardboard box. Like on aeroplanes, more or less. I think that in the wake of the pandemic, the plastic will continue to be used, restaurants are encouraged to use disposable ones. So that's it, it feels like ...
Understand that it was fun to roll out the motorhome again. Of course the bikes should be included when you travel! And finding interesting things to experience two hours from Stockholm is not that difficult. We've seen that in all the posts you've written recently.
Have a nice weekend!
16 May 2020 - 12:09
Helena says:
It was a good price, wasn't it? Sometimes the environment wins on the corona crisis, but when it comes to disposable packaging, it may be the opposite. We will certainly find interesting places within two hours 🙂 Have fun!
16 May 2020 - 14:22
Husis blog says:
Nice to see FREEDOM see daylight again and we all hope that Peter managed to seal the leak. But with the oversight of a supervisor, everything must have gone well.
My male owner, who occasionally travels by train on business, agrees with you that breakfast on the train is very convenient. It's making good use of the time and at the same time being reasonably full.
The owners are very slow to plan. My male owner has not had his holiday approved yet, how far can we go etc. It will be more like a weekend that is planned.
Have a nice weekend!
16 May 2020 - 16:56
Helena says:
The good thing about a motorhome is that you don't necessarily have to plan so far in advance! 🙂
18 May 2020 - 7:32
Ditte says:
Perfect with first class and probably fewer passengers there too. Good price too. And nice that "Freedom" is now at home. Easier to fix it then.
As for spring and summer, we will see. There are some plans but we are waiting.
16 May 2020 - 17:08
Helena says:
It wasn't crowded on the train, so that was nice! It will be interesting to see how you end up planning!
18 May 2020 - 7:33
BP says:
Then Freedom is almost ready to go. Now we just have to hope for a warm and sunny summer, right?
It will be exciting to see how Peter will manage to get the "tricycle" into the garage. Ordinary bicycles are just hung on the back or ...
16 May 2020 - 18:05
Helena says:
Yes, many people hang their bikes in the back, on a bike rack. Some also keep them in the 'garage', if you have a large one.
18 May 2020 - 7:36
Snows says:
Our trip was obviously cancelled so now we will holiday at home. There will be shorter excursions in our own landscape, which is not wrong because there is a lot to see here. If the Danes were to open the border with Sweden, I could imagine a road trip there, but given Sweden's strategy, it is probably very unlikely.
17 May 2020 - 11:58
Helena says:
You just have to take it as it is and plan accordingly. Of course there is a lot to find in the local area too! You have to hope for nice weather 🙂
18 May 2020 - 7:37
Across the board says:
So nice that you got Freedom home again. Keep your fingers crossed that the roof is right now. Be careful when you wash with high pressure washing so that joints and seals do not take a beating! In 2 hours you can go far, as fast as Peter drives ???
17 May 2020 - 20:00
Helena says:
Yes quite true, with the pressure washer. And haha, yeah right...!??? 😉.
18 May 2020 - 7:38
Lena - good for the soul says:
How wonderful that you got your mate home now! I can imagine that your fingers are itching both to fix it and to go out.
But Lövén's statement was that it depends on how you travel and socialise to reduce the spread of infection. If you have all the food with you, travel by car and stay in the forest (and are not close to anyone else), you must be able to travel further! If you want to.
Hug Lena
18 May 2020 - 7:48