And now for something completely different..
My wife Karen and I have recently returned to the UK having spent 12yrs in Cyprus. We liked the thought of caravanning and after much research, visited a dealer to look at some caravans. Some time later we left having paid a deposit on a Bailey Platinum 640! It arrives in a few weeks so looking forward to that (with a little trepidation!) and a new adventure...
Comments
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Welcome to the Club T & K
.Don't stop the research but do keep a very tight rein on the cards/chequebook/purses etc. Some things are needed like :-- 25 metre mains lead if you are going to use club/commercial sites, waste container, fresh water container & hose. BUT these really should be part of the original deal if you have used a professional trader
. You'll get more advice soon when other members wake-up.For the First trips out many will recommend somewhere close to home so you can collect those silly forgotten items BUT whatever you do forget ALWAYS take your sense of humour !!
Brian
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Hello and welcome from me. In view of where you've come from I suggest you remember the difference in temperature from where you came from with any packing 😂😂.
Agree with ABM go local asap after collection, that night if possible, to try EVERYTHING out. The items he states are essential, hopefully your dealer included them?
Think about a day in your life and pack stuff from home initially. Most of us have a shelf, cupboard or shed/garage with 'essential' items 😂😂😂. You can then stock your van appropriately. Weight of stuff placed in the van needs watching. Everything as lightweight as possible! Electrical appliances need to be low wattage as electric hook up (ehu) will be limited anywhere between 6 and 16 amps.
Don't be afraid to ask on here, the search facility isn't great 😉 or when you're out and about we're a friendly bunch.
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Hello and welcome Tony and Karen.
Where are you getting the caravan from ?
If near Lincoln I would heartily recommend taking the caravan to Skybarn Farm cl just off the A46 towards Newark. Very easy to get to if you are new to towing.
Nicola and Richard are very helpful and I'm sure they would be only too willing to point you in the right direction.
Plenty of other cl's round Lincs but this is a favourite of ours.
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Thanks for the advice. We are getting a starter pack included but I will check out the length of the mains lead. It's a Bailey, so plugs in on the "wrong side" I believe. Looking for a good site near Chipping Sodbury en-route back to south Lincs.
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Hi. We have a Qashqai 1.6dci auto. Max towing weight is 1400kg. I will be putting all the heavy stuff (awning etc.) in the car as there is just the two of us and there's plenty of room.
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Thanks for that. Will be handy for practicing at and for short trips. We are in Moulton. The caravan is from Chipping Sodbury. A bit of a journey I know, but the dealer special package and discounts on awning etc., were too good to pass up.
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Hi. Many thanks for that. We have already had to invest in... wellies, thermal socks, and gore tex suits! Ha!Ha! We are looking for a good site to practice on near Chipping Sodbury. We have the info from CMC so will book one for two or three days. We only have an allowance of 151kg so need to keep it light.
You mention 6 to 16 amps. What sort of TV should we look for? Just in case it's raining!
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Chipping Sodbury caravans is not that far from the club site at Broadway,and if you do have a problem ,then I would expect them to come out to you on site,but I am sure there will be members on site who wiil help you just "advise "
the site staff it is all new to you as well,0 -
TV - if you’re using mains hook up I’d buy a supermarket cheapie of whatever type/size suits. If using without hook up, you’ll need one capable of working on 12v.
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You will be very close to your max tow weight, the Bailey is MTPLM 1397kg it seems.
It would be a good idea to have the empty van weighed to establish the actual MIRO, as some vans can be heavier than stated in the brochure.
Paylaods in newer vans are very minimal these days so you will indeed need to have anything heavy in the car, but do check the weight of the added essentials, and when you have put in what you need, take the van to be weighed again to check you are still legal.
Also check nose weight and redistribute items if necessary.
Once you are happy with the result, always pack in the same manner then you will know everything is correct.
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Thanks for that.
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Great. Will check it out.
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Thanks for that. Will check some out.
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Thanks. Will keep an eye on it. Scales and noseweight guage in the box.
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Will look it up. Thanks for that.
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Yes Tudor Park is a good one, right by the canal for walking and the WWF centre down the road.
Depending on your route, another possibility is Plough Lane at Chippenham, an easy half hourish tow from Chipping Sodbury with easy access off the A350 but doesn't open until towards the end of March.
Edit - ooh! Deja vu, all over again!
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Why not take a modest sized mains TV from home?12V one
Don't bother with a specialised 12 volt one until you have seen how it all works together.
I found that a normal 230v TV is good enough for me as I tend to only visit sites with mains electrics available (EHU = electrical hook up.)
Good luck and enjoy your new hobby.
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Thanks. I'll look for one online. Unfortunately we only have one at home and it's a little bit too big for a caravan!
We could do with one that would suit both purposes though.0 -
I think that you should read the discussion in the Tow cars & Towing section with regards to towing capabilities with regards to Kerb weight/caravan weight and carrying items in your tow car. Here's the link (if it works)
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Thank you. The link worked and I've read the comments. I've also done calculations on the Towcar.info website in respect of towing limits, outfit matching for car and caravan and also for stability which I found very useful.
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All gratefully received.
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😂😂👍🏻
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😂😂👍🏻
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and so not expert in such matters. 