Getting through our 1st season has been like Faulty Towers on wheels!!!

ber we finally decided to buy a caravan and found a lovely Bailey Senator Virginia series 5, on the same day our un trusted Discovery let us down again and we swapped it in for a Mercedes ml27, double electrics and towbar fitted we set of to collect the van with great excitement only to discover the garage had fitted the wrong towbar! Back we went, had the ball changed and off to collect the van again. The drive home was like a white knuckle ride for me, giving driving instructions to the man of the house, and now the man of the van lol. " watch the kerb, ""  Slow down", " oooooh a big hill" , mostly said with closed eyes! Bless him, we eventually made it home to face our newly extended driveway ( slanting down towards house) and the job of 1st time caravanner and bossy partner moving caravan onto drive began. You can imagine the deluge of instructions being given, and most of his replies were under his breath until he could take no more and asked if i would like to have a go with the motor mover! After we had it serviced we discovered a damp problem, caused by the rear roof strip raising and not being properly sealed, after tears and £500.00 we once again had our lovely van ready to go away. Due to awful weather in Cornwall and working 12 hour shifts in a spinal injury/ dementure /nursing home we did not get away until May, when the fun really began!

On our 1st trip to Devon i managed to snap the break away cable when i moved the car and forgot to undo it, while the man of the van set fire to a plastic jug in the microwave when he did not realise it still had metal security tag on it.

On further trips we have last a towing mirror when only 1 mile from home,then  forgotten to put them on altogether and had to go back for them.

Our biggest headache was erecting our Dorema porch awning, an old one which came with the van. 4 hours in the wind while our neighbours had video out recording our efforts, they did come over to help bless them.

When we thought we could do no more, we took a trip to Damage Barton, where my partner decided he would leave his mark! On the Sunday morning he decided to cook me breakfast, to celebrate an uneventful trip, what a mistake that was! He put on the tv to check the weather, toast in toaster, bacon on george foreman, kettle on for tea, extractor on to clear the smell then the microwave for scrambled egg. then NOTHING! After wondering why he had blown a fuse ( me too) he had to give in and ask the site warden to come and help, where he found not only had he blown a fuse but totally fried to electric point outside! Apparently it had happened to a couple of others too.

You may think that it would put us off, but no, we planned a 3 site holiday in North Wales and Shrewsbury, along with our new full size Isabella awning and we had a trouble free fantastic holiday. The awning was up and pegged down in and best of all, no divorce lol.

Along the way we had a lot of help and advice from fellow caravanners on site and on CT, which we could not have done without and we are already planning many more trips away.

On our last site we were asked how many years we had been caravanning, they were shocked when we said 4 months, what they did not know was that my blonde highlights covered the many grey hairs our earlier trips had caused !

We loved our holidays pre caravan, but now we can have them whenever we want, we meet so many lovely people and we have the freedom that we have never had before .

If you are wondering if you should buy a caravan, give it a go, it is the best thing we have done , And a big thank you to all who have given advice and help, especially the brilliant site wardens at Damage Barton.

Wendy and Jer