New to autumn and winter touring
Hi everyone,
I don't know if it's the same across the UK, but we really felt a drop in temperature here in Sussex yesterday! It looks like autumn has set in.
We're looking for your tips and recommendations for anyone new to touring who may not have experienced caravanning and motorhoming in the autumn and winter seasons.
What are your top tips and must-have items?
Hannah
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This is when we look to sites near to or in towns and cities or at least, close to a pub. Lovely walking to be had on those good days and with the right clothing. It calls for a slightly different mindset in my opinion as the days are shorter, just make the most of them. We have found touring in our motorhomes has suited these times better in our opinion. And, of course, enjoy.
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It needs to be very cold though before butane is a problem. Until a few years ago we used Butane & never had a problem. It only froze when it was minus brass monkey weather for weeks a good number of years ago when we tried to use the caravan oven as an over flow oven for the Christmas dinner.
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The winters in recent years tend to be warmer than when we started with the club, we caravan all year round and apart from some warmer clothes,as we have found modern caravans are so well insulated,and tend to be warmer than our house with the heating systems now in use,
We use propane all year round now after being caught out on a winter rally some years ago when the butane cylinder would not gas up
Outside water supplies on sites can at times be a problem if below freezing and always have a 5ltr container of water in the van,We always bring the water pump inside overnight if forecast is for below freezing temps we have never had a problem with the Aqua Roll (or equivilant) freezing to the extent it is not usable
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There's nothing nicer, in my opinion that sitting inside the van with the heating on, good book and a glass of something - and watching the snow piling up outside! We had just such an experience last year at Sandringham when the 'Beast from the East' visited.
Biggest problem I have found is not maintaining a water supply in freezing conditions - it's getting rid of it! Whilst you can insulate your Aquaroll and pump, waste pipes tend to freeze quite easily which is a bit of a nuisance if you're relying on your shower. I have thought of pipe lagging on the waste pipes but it's one of those jobs I haven't seemed to get round to.
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whilst I'm definitely in the 'use the van all year camp', and there will be much typed about lagging barrels, draining waste into washing up bowls etc, my 'autumn/winter' advice is to take the van to Spain, obviously
weve got some 'Autumn' weather here in Cornwall....horizontal rain, nr hurricane winds...
yes, it can be 'fun' (debatable) touring the uk when you cant see your hand in front of your face or when youre soaked within 50 yds of the van or when its so cold your water barrel needs a fleece and you have to bring water pumps inside the van or otherwise your water system grinds to a halt...
or you could just head for the nearest channel port.
good luck to all winter tourers wherever you decide to go...
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waste pipes on vans with external pipework will freeze if the waste tap is closed and means those exposed pipes are full of water. lagging is unlikely to prevent freezing in persistent very cold weather.
opening the tap means the pipe should be empty so no water stored, so no freezing, so no lagging required....
as above, ditch wastemaster and drain into a washing up bowl as attempting to defrost a wastemaster will keep ypu amused for a good while.
or visit nearest channel port
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While using a SP will be even better in winter and while you can insulate the aquaroll and pipes from the tap on the bollard I have found the tap on the bollard can actually freeze too, and not even in winter as this happened last October.
Some club sites have the tap in an insulated box but not last October in the Lakes, and of course the service point tap can freeze too, so best to have some reserve water inside your van.
If you are into insulating your pipes just visit your local DIY place and use pipe wrap in one meter lengths like this here.
Oh and don't forget your awning heater
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Completely agree with you. It's wonderful being inside a warm toasty caravan like that. And yes the waste pipes freeze up quite good don't they, ours go all the way to the drain on SP and I lag the aquaroll and inlet pipes I really can't be bothered insulating the waste ones.
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We have been going away in the van during the winter months for quite a few years now. Admittedly we have never been away when it has been really cold by which I mean many degrees below zero for days on end. Although we did once come close to it at Chatsworth once, in December, when there was ice on the site roads and the outside water taps had shut off, fortunately water was available in the washing up area. Unless we have a particular event to go to we tend to watch the weather forecast and decide really late, being retired we are free agents. So the year of the Beast from the East we went to Ferry Meadows in January and enjoyed daytime temperatures of 14/15 degrees as well as sunshine. Didn't get away until April after that because of the weather. This year in February we were at Cherry Hinton and had some really warm (for the time of year) sunny weather. On our motorhome we use an external silver screen which tends to keep the cold out and the screen clear of frost. We now have an internal water tank so that is less of a worry. Not yet experienced any problems with the waste tank but it is always a risk in very cold weather that the water could freeze but I doubt it would be a problem in just a sharp frost, or at least that has been my experience over the years. Not always practical to leave the drain valve open if you use you van facilities as it would mean taking something like a waste master. I think even if you are on hook-up you need to be prepared to use gas as well as electrics, especially if you want a longer hot shower! Also using a mix of both will heat everywhere up quicker.
If you have never been away in the winter give it a try. There is a lot going on from around late November to Christmas, particularly at Chatsworth,Longleat, Blenheim and Warwick to name a few. Don't forget a pair of socks to wear at night!!!
David
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I think even if you are on hook-up you need to be prepared to use gas as well as electrics, especially if you want a longer hot shower!
When we arrive on site in mid December for our long 'chill' out we set up, bung Alde on electric and go off to shop and get lunch. Always make sure gas available as one December break the electric was down for two days.
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First of our autumn/winter trips coming up this weekend. Cold, sunny days walking on the vast expanses of North Norfolk sandy beaches, hundreds of thousands of migrating birds and cosy countryside pubs with crackling fires and British brewed real ales. No don’t think I need to drive 3000 miles for a couple of degrees heat
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isnt that what you've just done?
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+1 to all of that
I don't remember winters in central Italy being that much warmer than here.
Same in the Lakes, less people, lovely autumn colours, crunch of fresh snow later on and huge suppers, and what's that saying about if you haven't walked in the mountains in winters you don't know half their beauty or half their strength.
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or go to the Caribbean
....tho' not with the van...its generally accepted that there are only three places in europe that are far enough south to allow warm(ish) touring winters....sicily, southern greece and spain/portugal.
yes, we tour a little in the uk in winter (up until new year, of not already away) and will be doing a couple of 'uk markets' but only for a few days at a time so not really 'winter touring' here...the weather is just too unpredictable with the prospect of heavy rain more likely than crisp, clear walking days.
with central Scotland a thousand miles return, and Valencia a thousand miles, i know where ill be heading after Christmas...
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“its generally accepted that there are only three places in europe that are far enough south to allow warm(ish) touring winters....sicily, southern greece and spain/portugal.”
You could add Morocco to that list, but maybe not for the faint hearted?
I’m always surprised at the number of motorhomes in Lanzarote and Fuerteventura during the winter months, Germans rather than Brits though.
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We go away all year around in the UK and don't let the weather (unless very severe) stop us getting out and about.
If we know it's going to be very wet or snowy we book sites near the coast so we can take out dogs for long beach walks without us all getting covered in mud. Northumberland is perfect for this in particular the beaches around Bamburgh and Druridge Bay.
We pack wellies, waterproofs and loads of old towels and ensure we've got warm clothes etc.
If it's freezing we always fill the kettle and a water container before going to bed so we have water in the morning, if the pipes or the site water tap should freeze up.
We take our small porch awning, which is used to store wet or muddy gear and prevents such stuff having to come into the caravan and is easy to dry out at home when we return.
We also tend to take more food and drink supplies away with us in the winter, as you then don't need to leave the van much at all if it's really pouring down!
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We have always been away whenever schools are closed and had some fantastic weekly breaks.
We now book serviced pitches and always take pipe insulation for the fresh water hose and padding for the tap itself as that has frozen on occassions.
Never had the waste master freeze.
If we do use Aquaroll we place it on a wooden base raised off the ground and a lagging jacket.
We do chose CLs now with hardstandings and useually find them empty apart from us esp over Christmas.
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Just some observations.
This is probably a thread about touring in the UK? or at least touring in winter and autumn conditions and asking for suggestions in doing so?
I'm just wondering if a staff member posted and asked for suggestions about touring over there, would certain posters mind if some posted that they shouldn't bother in the first place, or even tell of their plans to tour over here, and even question why would one bother and it is clearly not fun to do so with all that heat and humidity? Anyway I'll find out.
Yet this has happened, I'm afraid it's a case of overpostitis. Nothing can compare and be better than touring over there whatever the season and we need to be educated in our strange beliefs and strange ways of having fun? We have to have our choice 'debated' (why?) as we cannot see the error of our ways.
I'm all for winter sun, but I go where there really is a difference, and an average temperature of about 16C, with lows of 8C in southern Spain in January is not at all that attractive relative to the cost involved. It has to be at least high twenties or even bettter for me.
No touring in winter over here (and I suspect in northern Europe) is fun and as much fun as touring in summer, to me anyway. Always great to be away isn't it no matter what?
So sorry for taking this off topic, but just my thoughts.
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is there a difference to touring over the winter months ? , I do it and all I take is a torch, willies and a few extra tins of soup , I still bbq and do all the things I would do in the summer months
but were all different and that's great , if you don't want to tour over winter then don't .......
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“…torch, willies and a few extra…”
😵😱😵
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