Adventures of a newbie caravanner
I must have had a rush of blood to the brain. With no previous experience of a touring caravan, I jumped in with both feet and bought a brand new caravan- no half measures like getting a reasonable second hand one and seeing if we liked it. I even threatened to announce on Facebook that my daughter was a member of the ‘Caravan Club’. That didn’t go down too well.
So the adventures began!
We nearly gave up on our very first trip out.
We booked a local club site, only six miles from where we lived, to “try out the caravan”, figure out how all the bits worked and to put up the dreaded awning.
No matter how we tried we could not manhandle the caravan out of its storage slot to hitch it up but after catching our breath, and turning the air blue with a few choice words, we eventually managed to hitch up and left for our site.
The site was great, especially for first timers like us. The pitches were level and the roads nice and wide so I decided to reverse in. Oops! Big mistake. At this time I hadn’t done my training course with the Caravan Club and I could not get the caravan anywhere near the pitch- never mind near the centre. I was panicking as the car was howling at me (I had forgotten to turn off the reverse parking sensors) and my wife looked like a demented naval recruit learning how to semaphore. I unhitched and with the help of a neighbour we pushed the beast into position.
I had read a couple of magazines and the club’s essential guide to caravanning, so we managed to get the caravan reasonably level, more by good luck than good management. Got connected up to the water and electricity, but the waste pipe was too short to get to the waste drain- second mistake. The kind couple on the next door pitch were full of useful advice after years of caravanning but made the comment “the worst row you will have is when you try to put up the awning”, boy were they right. In our defence I must say that my daughter could draw better pictures when she was in reception class than those provided by the manufactures.
To all the awning manufactures out there you could easily produce a short DVD or get a video on their website of how to erect your awnings.
After all the trauma, we had a great evening meal, a restful night and a very quick shower the next morning- the hot water system was still a mystery (thereby hangs a tale for a another episode).
We learnt a few key things that day; caravanners are a great and helpful community, waste pipes must be long or things can get messy and that we should definitely get a motor mover fitted.
Comments
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Greta story JCZ! Things will get better and easier especially the reversing bit. It won't be too long before you are totally hooked and planning how to get your car and van on board a ferry in Dover and thats when the real adventures begin. Enjoy your travels.
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I'm actually laughing as I read this tale, not at you, but with you.
Been there, done it and still doing it (read wonderful wharfedale)
I bought my van 2nd hand but the mrs was away, should have seen her face when she came home.
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The only reason Hubby and I are not incarcerated in a cell with straight jackets is because the more experienced caravaners chose to hide a knowing smile behind the Sunday papers when he and me were going ballistic putting up our awning for the first time.
Suzy B
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Oh dear, this doesn't bode well. I too am a complete beginner, having also jumped straight in at the deep end with a brand new caravan collected on the 27th October this year. We have yet to attempt to erect our full awning, prefering to wait for longer,
dryer days in the spring next year (could be a long wait). I managed to attend the towing course before collecting the 'van and can certainly vouch for its effectiveness. Parking the 'van is pretty simple once you have the basics mastered. Having done an
overnight stop in Atherstone when we collected the caravan, followed by 4 nights in Weymouth, we are venturing out without the kids next weekend for a couple of nights at Pembrey Park CC site, ensuring we are getting our monies worth. Good luck with your
new 'van, from a fellow Newbie...0 -
motor mover for defo
next time you put up the awning lay out all the poles where they should go then pull the awning through the channel one person feeding and the other pulling about a foot at a time then start at one corner with one holding pole upright wilst you get overhead
one done and adjusted then move on to the next me and the wife put up the awning in 25 mins including curtains with no arguments
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We too bought a new caravan, obviously drinking the same water as you! we too chose a site 7 miles away to test run it, we to had to avoid the knowing, not that well hidden smiles of "theres a newbie" and we too nearly divorced over the awning. Now got a
sun awning that is easy peasy lemon squeezy to put up, so our caravan adventures have begun, first year passed a sucess, dogs are definatley caravan dogs and the kids? one loves it ,the other watches with distain (he is a teneager!). we are loving the adventure
of it all (I know we have had a few blue air moments, the new car connection plug causes us some swearing!) trying caravaning in January in 2013!!1 yikes. Happy caravanning!0
