Best Of

Very impressive @Rowena !! Our favourite site for Christmas - I'd better do something about getting it booked!😀

Well said @KjellNN - I was going to say something similar but not along the lines of not being tactful - more about being downright insensitive! I struggle to walk very far, these days - and like you - when on a 'formal site', request a pitch close to a service point - or book a serviced pitch if we can get one. Ros has great difficulty in lifting her arms above shoulder height - so we both struggle.

I've made a few significant (and often expensive) changes to our van in the last couple of years to allow us to continue caravanning for a little longer - and I'm determined to carry on for as long as we are able because we enjoy it!

Whilst for the majority, I guess, centralised bins are probably not an issue but for others, they are - and perhaps there are one or two on here who ought to be a bit more understanding.

Whilst I didn't have these problems a couple of years ago - no one knows what's round the corner - so a bit more sensitivity would go a long way😊

We are still in favour of the central bin area with the larger bins, usually near the entrance, but those saying that if you cannot walk “ those extra few yards” then you should maybe not be caravanning or motorhoming, could be a bit more tactful !

Firstly, it is usually a lot further to go than a few yards, and unfortunately some of us suffer from arthritis and joints can be painful and make walking even a short distance very uncomfortable, even impossible. Waiting times for joint replacement can be very long, so we just have to carry on as best we can, and we still want to have holidays.

We can still do that as at present it is only my OH who has joint problems, plus we go off site frequently and taking the rubbish to the gate when we do so is not that onerous. We have by necessity adapted what we do to fit our situation.

As long as I can still walk far enough, and lift enough weight, to empty the toilet cassette we will continue caravanning. We now request a pitch close to the service point, which makes things easier.

We have mostly stopped using the silly little bin on the caravan door for rubbish, and have invested in 2 substantial folding bins, with good hinged lids, from Aldi, to use either in the awning, when the family are with us, or just one in the van when it is just us. These take pedal bin liners, so big enough for 5-7 days, and could be left outside if necessary.

One is for recycling which is separated afterwards where necessary, the other for residual waste. The liner used to take away the recycling then becomes the new liner for the residual waste bin. When just the 2 of us, the recycling goes in the little caravan door bin, and the main waste bin sits in an otherwise unused corner of the van.

Works well and means that trips to the big bins are infrequent.