We recently hired a Bailey Alliance SE 76-4F motorhome from Camptoo to travel to the Lake District in the UK for a week.
We have been considering buying a Bailey Motorhome for a number of months and felt hiring one was a good way for us to explore the layout options and find out what did and didn’t work for us.
Before I get in to the review, let me tell you we were very reluctant to hand back the keys for the motorhome to the owners after our holiday as we enjoyed a great holiday in it.
Here’s our review of the Bailey 76-4F Motorhome.
Bailey Alliance SE Driver's Cab
The Peugeot drivers cab features the ‘Silver’ layout and offers cruise control, air conditioning and satellite navigation as standard. A large double glazed over cab skylight, that opens when stationary, makes the cab feel light and airy. The cab is fitted with window and skylight concertina privacy and mosquito blinds as standard.
Two swivel Captain’s chairs are comfortable and fully adjustable. I am over 6’5″ tall and I found the chairs to be great for relaxing in the evenings, as they swivel to face the lounge/table area. My only criticism is that in the driving position, the drivers chair did not adjust low enough for me to see clearly out of the top of the windscreen without stooping a little, which over long distances could be challenging.
The onboard satellite navigation system is powered by TomTom and works well.
The cab offers luxury and comfort with two swivel Captains chairs as standard.
Driver's Cab Rating - 9/10
Bailey Alliance SE Performance
The Peugeot engine produces 165 bhp and provides plenty of torque for the steepest of hill climbs and smooth motorway/dual carriageway cruising.
During our holiday we drove the motorhome around the Lake District visiting Windermere, Coniston and Thirlmere before heading across to Barnard Castle.
At times the roads were small, windy and very steep yet the Peugeot engine seemed to manage very well giving a smooth ride and non too frequent gear changes.
This motorhome model has an overall body length of 7.583m / 24′11″, an overall cab width of 2.489m / 8′2″ with mirrors folded, a habitation width of 2.280m / 7′6″ and an overall height of 2.755m / 9′0″ , which is a reasonable size yet the engine and ride was always smooth and faultless.
Our holiday was amidst the ‘fuel crisis’ of 2021 yet we did not struggle to obtain diesel at all during our trip from Durham to Barnard Castle then the southern Lake District and back again. I was pleasantly surprised by the fuel economy of the Bailey and spent less than £60.00 on fuel during the entire week.
The Peugeot engine offers plenty of torque when required and a smooth ride otherwise.
Performance Rating - 10/10
Bailey Alliance SE 76-4F Lounge
Our favoured lounge layout in the Bailey range is featured in a different model (79-2F), which is slightly larger and with parallel side seating, however we were pleasantly surprised by the spaciousness of the lounge area in the 76-4F model.
Most evenings were spent eating and drinking in the lounge area (or playing cards/board games) and the table was large enough to cater for us. The seating is plush and very comfortable. The Bailey Alliance SE 76-4F offers two designated travelling seats with seatbelts in this area in addition to the driver and passenger seats, providing a total of four designated seats with seatbelts.
We enjoyed great food, board games, laughter and chat in the lounge area most evenings.
Lounge Rating - 9/10
Bailey Alliance SE 76-4F Kitchen
Okay, we have a confession to make here!
We didn’t prep a single meal, except cereal for breakfasts, in the motorhome kitchen during our entire holiday.
That said the kitchen is very well featured with storage, in built stainless steel sink, worktops and the following items as standard.
Dometic 95 litre refrigerator with detachable freezer compartment
Thetford Triplex combination oven and grill with three gas burner hob
Russel Hobbs 800 watt microwave oven
We had decided before travelling that we would not do any cooking in the motorhome whilst we were away on holiday but IF we had wanted to, it would have been very manageable.
We’d made the decision not to cook any meals on this holiday but the kitchen is very well appointed.
Kitchen Rating - 9/10
Bailey Alliance SE 76-4F Sleeping Options
The Bailey Alliance SE 76-4F motorhome features a fixed (French) bed at the rear, in front of the full width shower room, in addition to a ‘make-up’ double bed at the front in the lounge area, hence 4-berth.
Both beds are generous in size and very comfortable, in fact the front make up bed measures 2.10m x 1.30m (6’11” x 4’3″), measured from the widest point whilst the rear fixed bed measure 1.93m x 1.35m (6’4″ x 4’5″), measured from the widest point.
Before our trip I was concerned the fixed bed at the rear would be too small for us, due mainly to my height, but actually we both fitted in the bed comfortably for the week.
Whilst the front make up bed is not quite as wide as the rear bed it is 6’11” in length.
Sleeping Options Rating - 9/10
Bailey Alliance SE 76-4F Storage
Inside
The inside storage options in this motorhome are pretty vast with lots of overhead locker style storage. As this was our first motorhome holiday we seriously overpacked but in fact the storage options swallowed up everything we took for us and our pet dog, Ora.
My only slight gripe was the full height wardrobe is quite narrow, so do not take too many items that need to hang.
External
The gas locker provides handy storage for the connected gas bottle and a spare (2 x 6kg). It is also handy for toilet chemical storage etc. The locker/garage at the rear feeds in to storage space under the rear fixed bed and is quite spacious although the opening from the outside is a little narrow.
This storage can also be accessed from inside the motorhome by lifting the mattress/mattress support, which is hinged, and proves very handy for outside table chairs, bags, EHU cables, water hose storage etc.
The rear storage can also be accessed from inside the motorhome which is great for stowing bags, larger items.
Storage Rating - 9/10
Bailey Alliance SE 76-4F Shower Room
By far one of the most attractive features, for us, of the Bailey Alliance SE 76-4F and other models in the Bailey range is the full width rear shower room, which runs across the back of the motorhome.
Featuring a Granite Stone’ finish fully lined shower cubicle with bi-fold partition door, a Thetford toilet, an enamel hand wash basin and fully integral lighting, the shower room is very well equipped and offers home from home comfort.
We also found ourselves drying our wet clothes, waterproofs in the shower room overnight as there is plenty of space.
The full width shower room is one of our favourite features of the Bailey Alliance SE 76-4F motorhome.
Shower Room Rating - 10/10
Bailey Alliance SE 76-4F External
Outside the motorhome is well equipped with a Thule Omnistor wind-out awning, 4m in length, great for sitting outside in the evening (and hiding from the sun). In addition to the electrical hook up (EHU) connection point, there are also connection points for an external BBQ, an external power socket and TV aerial (in case you want to watch TV outside), the water fill point and access to the chemical toilet fill point and and cassette removal.
The awning LED light is a valuable feature too, simple but extremely effective.
External Rating - 10/10
Our Bailey Motorhome Experience Summary
We really enjoyed the Bailey Alliance SE 76-4F immensely, we loved being able to visit a number of different locations in the UK very easily, setting up on each new camp site visited within a matter of minutes.
In total we stayed at 5 different camp sites over 6 nights and loved how quickly we were able to pack up and depart, but also arrive and get hooked up so quickly in each location.
Whilst this is a feature of motorhoming, the Bailey Alliance SE 76-4F makes this quick and easy at each location.
Driving and manoeuvring this motorhome is relatively easy, aided by the rear view camera and we would be very happy to hire this model again in the future.
We loved the flexibility of the Bailey Alliance SE 76-4F motorhome and enjoyed the spaciousness within.