Got the van and no where to go
hello everyone.
At 52, i have just bought my first caravan. On my own with a dog so just wanted a small one. Bought a lovely elddis xplore 302. Never ever towed hence incredibly nervous.
Got my tow bar today and joined this club.
i pick up my caravan on 7th april. Due to circumstances, the first weekend that i can go away is the weekend after. Typical... its the bank holiday weekend and i cant get booked anywhere.
Any ideas?
I live in durham so for my first venture, i would prefer up or down A1 for an hour and no windy roads. ( near sea would be ideal but i realise that is pushing it.)
Thank you so much for any advice ( and also any practical advice on towing and buying an awning wouldnt come amiss... I am all youtubed out! Ha ha)
Comments
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I assume that you have gone onto UK bookings page and checked late booking availability? You can check up to three weekends ahead and may be worth doing nearer the time for cancellations.
There are also commercial sites and CLs that somebody may be able to suggest
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Welcome to the mad-house!
Big important suggestion is to just go away a short distance from home in case you run into some sort of problem - or just find you forgot the tin opener!
The A1 is a popular route at holiday time so perhaps look to a CL away from it that you can get to easily.
Make a list as you go along of what you forgot or want to be different.
And enjoy!
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Don't forget that there are many sites out there other than CMC ones? They are often better than club sites.
Search using this site
http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/index.asp?mob=n
The reviews are helpful as well, less hagiographic than club ones.
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Best of luck from a fellow newbie to caravanning! We finally got to try ours out last week.
As well as lots of good advice here, I found it really useful taking it to a quiet part of an industrial estate on a Sunday and practising manoeuvres in an empty car park. I took a few empty large plastic bottles as markers, and tried cornering round them, backing between them, etc.
I felt a lot more confident about towing after that!
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Hello and welcome to caravanning and CT. I hope you find a suitable site, try CL's and commercial sites as well as club sites especially as it'll be a busy time for sites. I agree with staying local for your first trip and ask if you'd like help. It's hard to know if someone would welcome help, we're a friendly bunch.
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No good at this time of night but if you can phone tomorrow between 9 and 5 and speak to the wardens. Sometimes you can book even if the webpages showing full. Sorry I don't understand why or how but it has worked for us. This new upgraded website is throwing up loads of anomalies 😂. They are working on it, so we are told, upgraded December 2016 no details on when they expect corrections to be complete and site functioning in a user friendly way 😂
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Hi Gill.
Welcome to CT. Durham Grange is showing availability on standard pitch without awning on the 7th 8th 9th and 10th of April and it's an easy site to get on, we have stayed there.
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Welcome wedgy good luck finding somewhere. Kielder is apparently not taking tourers this year. Can you get on a towing course? I am also a solo Caravanner with dogs. CT is great for getting answers so keep asking and I hope you find somewhere. ukcampsites.co.uk might be helpful too.
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Hi just checked Durham grange , service pitches are just about fully booked April , but plenty of availability for awning & non awning pitches from 7april to 14 April.
I wonder if you just saw the service pitch bookings part , hope you get sorted out & enjoy......... your first outing
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Hope you & your dog enjoy your new hobby. As you say your dates correspond with bank holiday/school holidays & these dates get booked well in advance as do many weekends [not just at club sites]. Good luck & hope you manage to find somewhere. It may be worth a phone call to Durham Grange - cancellations do occur. Awnings question may get more views/replies if put in Parts & Accessories section.
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Gill302 there is towing course this weekend at Elddis in Consett, details here:
1 place left, you could give that a try. Call them. Failing that later in the year, June and then August.
Just up the road from you. Then you could go farther afield for Easter.
Air awnings are able to be put up single handed.
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Just a thought, it might be worth ringing the wardens at Durham Grange In the week before you want to go if you haven't got anything sorted before then . They'll know of any last minute cancellations.
Take things slowly and above all enjoy.
Rog.
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hi, i would suggest you go to a cl first, there will be more room, only four other caravans and i am sure that if you have problems the owners and other club members will come to help you, do not be afraid to ask for help, we all started as novices and we can all make mistakes still, enjoy the freedom and enjoy.
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Hello Gill, and a very warm welcome to caravanning and the Caravan Club! Another site you might fancy, not too far away is Richmond Hargill House, another Club site, with hardstandings, which might be best for your first time out. If you have got your Club handbook, I would use it to phone the Wardens direct on sites, as the website is playing up a bit at the moment, and you will get more help and accurate booking details from the Wardens. You will get all the help and advice you need, so dont be shy about enquiring, Wishing you and your dog all the best and happy caravanning!
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My suggestion as its only a long weekend is check if there is a slot with a local "Centre".
There you will have to use your own facilities but you will be with others that typically will want to give you every support and help they can and will be friendly. Proper caravanning IMO.
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hello and welcome braver than me I didn't think I could tow a caravan you will have to check the late availability on the system Easter will go on live after this weekend when it's the last on the calendar of 3 weekends in a row so you can keep checking for any cancellations that come onto the system ..
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I wouldn't rush into an awning just yet especially as you are going for a few days. I would go and have a look at what other people have - I very seldom put up my awning unless staying more than 4 nights - it really isn't worth the hassle to me. I am told that the inflatable awnings are quite heavy and realistically require 2 pairs of hands to thread into the awning rail - so I haven't gone for one of them! I love my fiamma caravan store zip - but having said that I think I only unrolled that once last year. They travel in the awning rail in case you are a total newbie - and unroll - then you can add sides and front. Other makes are available - I find it easy enough to do but it helps that I am nearly 6' tall - and even then if using the sides I take a small stepladder.
The idea of going to a Rally is brilliant - and well worth looking into as long as you have your onboard facilities - I remember days when a bucket was useful for a strip wash - we are somewhat spoilt these days with showers etc not to mention wet wipes (please don't flush them!)
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I agree with the idea of considering a rally. The advantage being you will get a lot of advice, some of it might even be useful 😅 Seriously if you are completely green then it is good to be able to knock on a door and ask is this normal or how do I get this to work? We've all been there. If you search the local centre's should have contacts who can give you advice it can be worth a phone call
With regards to towing. I would say the first and last 100 yards are the stressful ones. So in someways distance doesn't matter. But naturally enough you will be more tense so the drive will be more tiring. I remember just after I passed my test I drove solo not towing. For just over 20 miles I was knackered you will relax as you become more confident.
My inexpert advice for towing are
Drive at a speed you are happy with, don't be worried or intimidated by vechicle behind you.
I caravan doesn't quite follow the same path as the tow car, it tends to cut corners you need to take a wider line.
Sat nav is great but be careful, particularly when you miss a turn it mat reroute you down a cart track. Be prepared to ignore it.
If you are not sure particularly going through gates be prepared to stop get out asses and if necessary get help.
Book a towing course, i wish I had,I have learnt through experience, some of that experience has been sponsored by the Club insurance.
Finally
Enjoy
PS Being a literate albeit a Dyslexic one I knew what a hagiography was and didn't need to google it. However the word "improvement." has left me completely stumped.
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Hi, Gill and welcome to "our" club.
As others have suggested it will stand you in good stead if you don't take the website booking page as gospel as it tends to show full when it hits a certain percentage plus there are times when the warden will have to take pitches out of circulation due to bad weather but will reintroduce them before the web pages catch up, so it's always a good idea to phone the warden to check availability.
As you are new to this hobby I'm not sure how far you understand the differences in pitches as described on the website. You will probably not be kitted out to try your hand on a "Serviced" pitch, this needing extra piping to hook up to a water tap direct and flush waste water away. If you end up on one of these pitches you'll pay more and as they are a minority on all club sites at the moment will show as being booked up earlier than the other two pitch types, which are both standard, one where you could if you wanted to, erect an awning and one where you can't due to a slightly reduced space or for fire risk prevention. You can book either of these pitches and don't have to erect an awning if ending up on one of these, so make sure you check all of the different types.
Many apologies if you already know all of this.
Another alternative for the future is to join the Singles club and if you scroll down the topic headings on this forum you'll find a heading for singles. You may want to meet up if they are arranging anything in your area and will find plenty of help from them.
Good luck with your new hobby. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
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