Van position on pitch
Comments
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what a surprise (not), Alan.....
i wish I could predict the lottery balls with such accuracy....
i cant find the picture, but recently one was posted showing flooded pitches, and there were rows of caravans and not one was without an awning...which reflects what I generally see in a club site....
not you, of course, but variety is the spice of life....
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Looking aound the part of the site we are on presently at Grange there are 15 or 16 caravans, 2 motorhomes and there are two caravans with awning of those 15 or 16 caravans. We must use different sites.
To be fair 4 of the caravans are on non awning
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That's about the same as we saw at Cirencester Park last weekend. I'd estimate roughly 50/50 vans/MHs and of the vans less than quarter had awnings up. Possibly that's because at this time of year most folk are only staying for a few days. Certainly later in the season when folk are staying for a week or more I'd expect to see more awnings, though mostly the small porch type these days. It's certainly all we've used for many years now. I think full awnings are getting scarcer nowadays.
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We came from doing 25 years or so of tenting. The last thing we would want to do is spend ages strapping / pegging a tent on the side of our van. I can see the point for those with pets, or large families, but a 7 metre plus van is plenty enough room for the two of us. I would also advise anyone new to take a few trips before committing.
As to frequency, it does depend a bit on time of year, but would agree with ET.
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I often deliver the caravan to the chosen site alone, at the allotted arrival time or thereabouts, then go and collect wife and daughter after work/school.
I find a motor mover invaluable to enable that.
This gives a fuller weekend for us as the work has been done. Pitched level and square, electrickery on, water tank filled, or water/drainage connected if on serviced pitch, waste water container in situ, loo tank filled with pink fluid, wash tab in the cassette, clothes in storage lockers, foodstuffs in cupboard, dinner on the hob as Friday is curry night.
If a long weekend or more than 3 nights the awning goes up. If only 2 nights we tend to use the sun canopy, as this last weekend in glorious sunshine, and thunderstorms.
There are always fellow campers who see I'm alone and offer assistance. Not that it's required.
There are no set rules, this works for us. Its lovely for the family to start our break with no work to be done. Happy wife, happy life!!
Striking camp is a quick team effort as we know what has to be done. You'll soon get in a routine that works for you.
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When we were away over Easter, most vans, and even a few MHs had some sort of awning if they were staying more than couple of nights.
With our previous van, 1998-2007, we did not get an awning to start with, but after a couple of years we got a porch....terrible thing to erect...then later a Fiamma canopy to which we could add sides....much easier.
With the current van, 2008, we went straight for a Fiamma Zip, which we found very good. However, after 10 years use the roof bit has disintegrated, so we are now trying an inexpensive Sunncamp 390 canopy. Easy to erect and fine so far, we tried it out on the last site of our Easter trip.
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I think that full awning are now making way to the air porch awning, for us it was the time, 20+ minutes for our porch air awning and that includes the floor as well. It's somewhere useful to store coats. towels and shoes as well as any bottles of wine. It just makes for easier living and improves our stay and worth the time sent putting it up but it is a personal choice and what suits you best. Certainly I've found a drink tastes much nicer in the awning on a summer's evening than in the caravan, un-scientific and illogical but there it is.
I've noticed that a number of motor homes are using them too on our last trip, but for all outfits as already said it depends upon season and length of stay
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As some help to the OP, and avoiding the two slanging matches that have infiltrated this thread, if you have never towed or reversed I suggest you borrow a model vehicle and trailer from a small boy (or girl) in the family and have a go on the carpet with it.
You will find out quickly how the trailer does not follow the tow vehicle exactly - usefull to know about on narrow roads with oncoming traffic. And how reversing between two objects works in the inverse of what you may be expecting.
Lastly - do go on one of the courses that are run by the Club. Apparently great fun and cost less than the loss of your NCB!
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what's going on?......
Nav, what slanging matches are you referring to?
no slanging in my post yet it's 'pulled'....
come on, 'moderator'.....was my post anything other than a play on words of Corners' post....comparing the taste of drinks in different situations.....hardly 'cold war' stuff....
censorship gone mad....where are we living Communist China?
Corners, I didn't see your response but I'm sure it wouldn't have warranted 'pulling'...
is a bit of light hearted banter now a prohibited CT item...?
certainly no malice or 'slanging' that I was aware of....
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I had the mis-fortune to read through the original page and a half that has been removed and it was certainly uncomplementary, eventually turning to swear words. I'm surprised it wasn't removed earlier.
I didn't look closely at the next batch to be removed before they went, so I took it to be another batch of unsuitable posts - or a continuation of the former one.
Not what we as users should be seeing - especially a user new to the forum and to caravanning who (might) be put off. I wonder if the "removed" posts are actually Deleted User, or like facebook, just made unavailable to users.
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+1 well said. I too read the posts and wasnt impressed. I reported the post with the swear word, totally unnecessary and not revelant to the thread, neither were the Deleted User posts from what I can recall.
I'd like to say welcome to the original poster and assure you that if you had the misfortune to read the thread before the deletes, it's not the norm. I think Navigeteur gives some good advise re toys with trailers.
I hope you enjoy your new purchase. Ask on here for assistance or on site, I'm sure it will be willingly given.
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Sorry came to this discussion late.
There is a third way: park van sideways on. Not very usual on CMHC sites, but CCC and others can accommodate it if distances are OK. My german 'van has roll out side awning, so it gives a more open and sunny aspect, and can give you nice views across the country if you wish, and either more privacy or more friendly depending if you face in or out!
need a motormover tho'
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Might the awful weather at Easter have contributed to the lack of awnings erected?
We were at Baltic Wharf at Easter in awful weather. There were 3 of the 12 awning pitches with awnings up, on caravans, the MHs on awning pitches hadn't put awnings or canopies out, or on non awning pitches.
This last weekend at Black Knowl there were probably 90% of the caravans with awnings deployed. We used the sun canopy. Most MHs deployed canopies whilst the sun was out, but on Saturday nights thunderstorms few were still deployed.
The advent of sun canopies, roll out canopies, porch awnings, less than full length awnings, air awnings and traditional full awnings give so many options.
When we had the MH we had a Fiamma Zip awning that probably gave the best of all worlds with facility for canopy to fully sealed awning, plus a drive away we could attach to it too.
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well, i wasn't around when the fireworks went off and didn't see any of the posts....what I'm surprised at is that Corners suggested drinks tasted better inside an awning and I posted that I preferred them outside in the sunshine and definitely not in an awning.
i wouldn't expect his reply (also removed) to have been a 'Salisbury moment' in a relationship, and, while we're happy to have a joust, we don't (generally) do insults.....we do leg pulls don't we, Corners?
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Perhaps it's the weather, or they've gone out of fashion or whatever....
but the comment to the OP stands, if you get an awning make sure it's for your own reasons and that the 'case for' adds up....
good luck
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Now look what you've started - awnings discussions can go on for pages here
And I confess that therefore I've skipped a few pages so this may have been said, along with advice to try a towing course, but PJ, if you get time I'd seriously recommend taking the van onto a deserted Sunday morning industrial estate car park or something like that, preferably with some "bollards" (we used empty plastic bottles) and try backing it there, with of course someone watching your back. It boosted confidence no end, and if I got it wrong, a crushed plastic bottle was no hardship.
Have fun !
(PS For what it's worth, we own an awning because it came with the van, and we tend not to take it, but it's whatever each prefers.)0 -
Reversed the van in but could not complete the manouver due to a fence getting in the way of the car but I was on track for a perfect position - honest. Unhitched and with the help of a friendly neighbour got the van into position. Warden was more than helpful when it came to helping me tighten the gas as it was leaking and I had no tools. He also had a laugh when I managed to completely empty my aquaroll after leaving the system drain tap on. I did manage to open the wine without any issues though..
So far I have been very impressed with how friendly and helpfull everyone has been.
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Good on you, PJB. Most of us have suffered far worse fates than that.
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Yes we were told any landing you can walk away from is a good one, so any pitching you can have a bottle of wine after is a good one.
We have also left the drain tap open as well
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