New to caravanning- Advice needed on first outing
Hi All
I am new to caravanning and I am blown away on how many sites there are to choose from. I have joined the CCC and CMC, if anyone has any recommendations for a novice caravanner on where to stay for our first outing . I am looking for a CL site in Yorkshire/Derbyshire that is nice and quiet but near a few things i.e Pub etc, we will have two dogs with us and preferably would like hook up and a toilet on site. The choice is vast and a lot of the sites don't have pictures, so any help would be appreciated.
Any advice welcome!
Thanks Sarah
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Choose a site close to home for a week end to start with Sarah if you can, then you're close to home for those little things you have forgotten. Have you got your 'van yet? The seller or dealer may well have passed over some bits like the EHU ( orange 25 metre ) electric cable and aquaroll or similar fresh water container with a grey i.e. used water container. Other bits you can 'borrow' from home and only buy when you are certain of what fits YOUR needs, not what others SAY you need.
Have fun out there & remember to ask any questions on this old forum but scouring around here you'll find lots of answers to questions you'd never dream of
??Many of us have made the mistake of buying what we thought we needed, and have the well filled sheds, garages & spare rooms to prove it
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Google Earth is good for getting an idea of what is around near any given site. Going down to Street View enables you to get an idea of what the site entrance looks like as well.
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We did just that - about twenty miles from home and we were glad we did when we found out that whoever had installed our hook-up socket had fitted the wrong connection to the caravan! That meant we had no electrics.................. and nowhere to plug in our fridge. Fortunately the site owner took the fridge and plugged it in for us, and then OH nipped out to get the right socket, bring more of his tools, and fitted the right one. There were several things we'd forgotten, too, so he was able to pick those up and bring them back with him!
I would look for somewhere for just a weekend and try it out - find what you've got, what you need, what you would like, and then acquire the 'needs' before your next outing, and the 'would likes' gradually!
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Hi sarahph. Welcome to Club Together. I agree with ABM. For the first outing I would stay quite close to home, both from the point of view of not being an experienced at towing a caravan, and so that you are close to home should you have forgotten something. If you are within a short distance of a caravan accessory shop, then that is an added advantage.
It may be worth checking out the route first, either by using Google maps or by driving there first, to make sure the roads are good for towing.
Do let us know how you get on.
Best wishes
David
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Hi Sarah, here's another "yes" to the advice above about starting near home for just a night or two to see how it all works.
We're fairly new to it ourselves, and found that doing just that, this time last year, was vital. My wife discovered that the bed set-up didn't suit her back, for example, and we were able to sort that before going on a proper trip. While it was a pleasant but unspectacular area, we were too busy enjoying living in the caravan to worry about that!
If you post on this thread what part of the country you're in, more experienced people may perhaps offer suggestions of good sites in that area for a trial run.
Have fun
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Hi All Thank you all for the excellent advice on this forum. I have purchased a caravan from a friend so I know the history of it and it comes with a few bits and bobs, but as you say we really aren't completely sure we will have everything until we have a night away. Staying quite local for a trial run is a very sensible idea.
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Sounds good. I don't know if you're new to towing too. If so, I recommend the advice we received & followed of taking it on a quiet Sunday morning to an empty car park, industrial estate, whatever, and just playing at manoeuvring. We took some empty white plastic bottles as harmless bollards to try reversing round, and also to practise the role of the person watching and guiding too. It really helped, and was easier than we feared!
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Hi sarah. Welcome, hope you enjoy your new hobby. Try Cliff Farm near to Pickering. This is a really lovely site, an ex certificated location (CL) site, that has branched out and decided to go it alone. So the standards are very high, it has excellent heated toilets and showers, all weather pitches, an honesty freezer with home produced meat, delicious ice creams, and a small laundry. The wifi is excellent and free, the prices are very good, and you will get all the help you might need from the family that run it. Pickering and Helmsley, as well as the North York Moors are close by, there is a pub within walking distance, and dog walks in Site.
http://www.clifffarmholidays.com/caravan-park/
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Glad to be of help sarah, we have used Site a few times now. There are some lovely eateries in Pickering and Helmsley not far away, including Eastgate Fish and Chip Restaurant in Pickering. Don't be afraid to ask owners for help, they are very nice. Club has some nice sites in Yorkshire as well, most are open a bit later in March. We like the Bolton Abbey Site, bit out of the way, but nice facilities, fantastic for dogs, and a couple of nice cafes close by. Enjoy yourselves!
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Hello and welcome, Sarah!
It is lovely to hear that you are "blown away" by the choice of sites. I do hope you have booked Cliff Farm and have a lovely first trip.
The main Club sites are dog friendly and there is always a dog walk on site or nearby so I'm sure they will love touring too.,
In case you have not noticed, we have lots of useful advice for beginners on the website. Please click here.
HAPPY TOURING!
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Hello and welcome Sarah. If you like an evening out in a pub, using a pub cl is a good idea because it means you can have a meal and drinks without having to drive and easy to walk back to your caravan afterwards.
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Having been moaned at for not giving adequate instructions/being in the wrong place etc. (Whilst trying to direct OH with the windows closed, as in previous post), I decided to do the Practical Caravanning course myself a couple of years ago. I can say that it was really useful, especially regarding reversing onto a pitch, but it became apparent to me that you can only appreciate what information and directions the driver needs when you have done it yourself. It's only then that you ubderstand how the caravan moves in relation to the steering and direction of the car. I now find that I'm better (although not perfect, by any means) at reversing the caravan than my OH, and I'm able to tell him exactly what information I need to enable me to change the steering lock at the right time. Plus I have the windows open.
For this reason, I'd recommend both halves of the partnership to go on a course, and not necessarily at the same time. There was a married couple on the course I attended, and the husband kept telling his wife what to do. In fact, she made a better job of it without her husband interfering.
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