Owning a caravan in three countries.
Having been caught out by a cold October in a trailer tent in Pays Cathar area of France, we decided to buy a caravan. After visiting exhibitions in London, Bristol and Amsterdam, we opted for the (then new) Lunar Ariva. It was big enough to offer a more luxurious life to my wife and I, narrow enough to fit the lanes of our Cornish homeland and light enough to tow with a relatively small car. An awning, larger than the van itself, was erected for longer stays and we set off for adventures in France, Belgium, Holland, Germany and Spain, learning as we went. We moved our base to Spain and the Ariva's light weight brought a further advantage. I started the process of obtaining Spanish registration for the van and was told that it was so light that it fell into the "light trailer" category and no registration was required. That was a real gift in such a beaurocratic country.
21 years flew by and age dictated a change in our holiday activities. Luckily we had a son who lived with his family in France and they all loved camping. He picked up our much loved Ariva and started to enjoy caravan holidays in his turn.
All well well until a few weeks ago when a fellow camper told him that the "Light trailer" limit was much less generous that in Spain. He immediately investigated registration in France. It is possible but a fundamental document caled a "Certificate of Conformity" is required to start the process. Modern UK caravans have the certificate but for the Ariva it didn't exist in 1995!
If any wise caravanner can tell us how to secure such a document, please offer advice.
In the meantime - Happy camping
Jubilado
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Comments
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Usually the Certificate of Conformity is issue by the manufacturer. However as you say I am not sure they were an actual requirement 25 years? Another issue for you is that Lunar have changed hands, probably more than once, since you purchased your caravan. You could do a search for and Lunar Owners Clubs who might be in a better position to give you chapter and verse.
David
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