Ah! Didn't swap the boat for the caravan. We still have that which we will mainly use for longer trips, and our Stumpyvan for shorter trips initially.
There are a lot of stuff on the narrowboat and although I didn't put it all in myself, I did work out what we would have and built the insides around it. I would say the ongoing costs will be the factor in eventually giving up the boat. That and getting older I suppose. At least the insurance is cheap (about a third of the caravan insurance).

We bought our first caravan (a new Sprite Alpine CK) in 1972 (!) and apart from a few years with a big trailer-tent, have had a caravan ever since. When I retired and with plans to spend three months at a time exploring Europe I part-ex'd the Eldiss we had at the time for a new Bailey Senator Oklhoma - 7.2m & 1500kg of everything and anything one could possibly need. Some years we spent more time in it than at home but I began to find it tiresome making sure that access to sites and to pitches would be OK. Quite a few times, particularly in Spain the narrow site roads, plethora of trees, lamp-posts and other street clutter made manoeuvring around the site and getting on and off a pitch very difficult, having to repeatedly shuffle backwards and forwards with the mover. These difficulties were making life more stressful so we began to consider downsizing.

Requirements? Something a metre or metre and half shorter, ideally a long dinette at one end and a smaller dinette at the front, so centre kitchen and bathroom. We use site facilities so no need for a shower. We no longer use a microwave at home, so no need for one in the caravan. On the Senator we had a 4m Fiamma Zip 'canopy in a bag' but rolling it up was getting beyond us, so a wind-out awning would be ideal. Could we find a UK manufactured caravan to suit? No! Looking further afield, we browsed on-line makes such as Hymer and found a Feeling model that could suit - but it was a pop-top. Could we live with a pop-top - after all, I'm 1m 90cm (6' 3" in old money) tall. Anyway, as we began to head down through France one Spring, there was just such a Feeling on nearby pitch - and UK registered! Wandered across for a chat, was invited in and came away reasonably convinced that it was just what we needed. Also on site were a number of Eribas of varying vintage, mostly French registered. As we continued our tour, these quirky Eriba things were everywhere and we kept count. In that two month tour we clocked up fifty of them! Speaking with some owners and seeing inside of some of the more modern ones prompted us to read about them on-line.

After few days at home, we hitched up the Senator and went down to the Club site at Wareham, which of course is not far from Poole... Off we trotted to find A.L., with the intention of ordering the Feeling model seen in France. First thing we find out is that that particular model had just been dropped from the range and was no longer available new. Groan. Well, as we were there and surrounded by Eribas, we browsed around and the 540 came closest to meeting our needs. Could a wind-out awning be fitted? Yes. A fresh water internal tank? Yes. Proper internal sprung (bed) cushions? Yes. And so on and so on. This was in mid-May - was a new one available in time for us to head off to France & Spain in early September? Yes if ordered immediately. Delivery was early Aug, John Rose fitted an Omnistor 4900 on a custom-made aluminium extrusion and we also bought a Thule G2 Residence Room, tailored to suit. And so it all began...

Would we go back to a 'normal' type of caravan? There are times when sitting relaxed under our awning, enjoying the evening or whatever, we mull over what the 540 + wind-out awning + (when needed) G2 awning combination provides and always come to the conclusion that we could not better it - so the answer is 'no'.

Funny the references to narrowboats. I've been on the canal many times, my first trip being a family holiday in 1963 (working up the Aston flight into Gas St Basin was quite something then, I can tell you). I've always thought that that's one of the things I love about the Troll, it feels just like I'm back on a narrowboat...

I sometimes look at Adrias and fantasise about the space and the luxury. But would I love it? No.

Also, my wife would refuse to camp with me if I bought a traditional white box caravan. The Eriba is just so beautiful. You can sit outside in the evening with a glass of wine and just enjoy looking at it. Plus it’s so easy to tow.

I have so much appreciated all your replies. In the end I decided not to trade in my Triton for more luxury. The deciding factor was someone who told me that towing white boxes even with modern stabilisers is hard work and that they are still prone to swerving around the road when encountering cross winds. Not what one wants .