New to caravanning looking for a place to site
Hi everybody sorry for any mistakes I make in advance I’m new to caravan club and caravanning in general I have just recently purchased a LMC caravan I know the door is on the wrong side for certain sites! I was just looking for any advice from people into any sites I could possibly site it, ideally I was looking for a seasonal site along the east coast preferably, I have a 12 year old girl who can’t wait to go away but so far I’ve had no luck in finding a site!
Thanks Richard
Comments
-
I can't really help regarding seasonal pitches, R200, other than to point you towards the club's seasonal offerings.
https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/uk-holidays/uk-sites/club-sites/seasonal-pitches/
As for your door, it doesn't matter which side it's on on club sites.
1 -
Thank you, the main reason I was looking at seasonal was because I thought I may struggle getting a pitch so when I find one I could just pay and leave it there, but that’s not absolutely essential I will have a look at the club sites.
Regards Richard
0 -
It sounds a good idea. Maybe one of the commercial sites around Scarborough will fit the bill with a seasonal.
As for booking club sites by the night, you may need to move quickly as the world and his wife seem to be planning to holiday in the UK this year.
Good luck👍🏻
0 -
I don't wish to puncture your balloon R200WAL but last week the Welsh police stopped 3 LMCs being towed through Caernarvon after a chase. They were part of a consignment of 6 that had been stolen, the police say it was Organised Crime. They only caught 1 of the gang, the others escaping in 4x4 vehicles after blocking escape routes with said caravans.
They are attractive caravans for thieves. Please make sure that you are satisfied with site security and pay for the best possible protection devices to put on your unit.
There are several CT members on this forum who can advise you of suitable devices, as they have German caravans that are just as attractive as LMCs from a theft perspective. Start a new thread under "Caravans" section and they'll respond.
Sorry to be the bearer etc.
0 -
Hi and thank you for the information, I have also been told by one other person that they are a desirable item to be stolen I will take note of this and install the relevant devices, I’ll probably do this myself as I’m very technically minded and make sure they are extremely well hidden! As far as security goes I’m guessing that’s the best security I can have? Cheers
0 -
Wheel locks, tow bar locks, paint your postcode onto the roof and etch it into the windows! As many deterrents as you can think of, and if they are visible, thieves might just walk away and try an easier option.
The East Coast is awash with Sites you can leave a caravan on, although you might struggle this year as thousands more have had the same idea as you. Good luck👍
0 -
There were still some seasonal pitches available on club sites we have visited recently, I think the uncertainty of Covid must have put people off booking too far ahead. Hope you are lucky in your searches.
PS you can sometimes book a part seasonal pitch later in the year, paying less for the available weeks. Phone the club for information.
0 -
I would not bother with hidden devices, I would not want the van back after it had been stolen!
Fit wheel locks/clamps, hitch lock, possibly remove a wheel, chain it to a concreted in post....lots of difficult to remove and obvious things......and buy good insurance.
1 -
Talking about hidden devices.....Had a renewal conversation with Caravan Guard this morning and was surprised that they wouldn’t allow any discount for a tracker, unless it’s monitored 24/7 by a third party organisation. Mine will send an instant text message & email to my mobile in the event of battery being disconnected, vibration or movement. Ok,I might be asleep but chances are the phone would wake me. It’s not fool proof, but with options to immobilise and recover the vehicle if stolen I reckon it should qualify for some discount.
0 -
You need to move quickly but you may have trouble getting cover for an LMC. Without insurance you stand a good chance of losing the lot. You could look at the club's cover on this website as a place to start.
Nowhere to store it? You are in trouble, mate.🙁
0 -
You need caravan insurance to cover any damage to the van or theft. It will also give you public liability cover.
I presume this is not a new van, so you should insure for market value, which will keep the cost down.
Your car insurance covers you for third party damage done BY the caravan when towing, have you informed them that you will be towing a caravan, just to be on the safe side.
When you say it is a big van, exactly how big? Is it a twin axle?
Some of these continental vans are actually too long to be legal to tow here with what one might call "an ordinary car or 4x4"
Do not pick up the van until you have organised insurance and whatever security devices the insurer requires, or until you have somewhere to keep it.
0 -
LMC are nice vans, my niece in Norway has one, but unfortunately they are very attractive to thieves too. This is why they can be difficult to insure.
You need to be aware that there are quite a few commercial sites that will not accept these desirable German vans as they do attract attention, so your choice of sites might be limited. When inquiring about a pitch make sure you make the site aware of the make and model of the van, to avoid disappointment when you arrive.
The make will not be a problem on a CAMC site.
0 -
This is the 2021 model and it is huge. I can’t find the dimensions but I hope you're not going to tow it with a Ford Focus!
https://evanscaravanandcamping.co.uk/lmc-caravan-dealer/lmc-2021-685-vip
You need to use a photo size reducing app to make pics acceptable to this site.
0 -
Certainly a huge caravan. If I am looking at the spec of the right model it's just over 9.5 metres long and can only legally be towed in UK by a vehicle weighing over 3500kg. and a driver with the correct licence .
0 -
It’s going to have trouble fitting on most club site pitches 😗
0 -
I must admit I am confused by the regulations regarding maximum size of a caravan for towing legally in the UK.
No doubt the max width is 2.55m so the OP's caravan squeezes under by the width of your thumb! but it is the length than I'm not sure of. I've seen the UK Legal max body length given as 7m and I assume a 685 model is less than 7m so it is probably legal. It is interesting that the LMC websites give little indication of body length.
No doubt it is a huge caravan and not one I would like to tow even with a Range Rover. Can you imagine how much of a wide sweep you would have to make to turn right at a junction.
0 -
The "685" designation has no direct meaning when it comes to the length of the van. The overall length is 9.514metres, so the body length is well over 7 metres.
OP......if you can get your money back on this van, that would be the best plan. Buy something legal to tow instead.
Very few sites will take that length of van, it will as said above be illegal to tow here unless you have the correct tow vehicle and licence. If you tow it with an ordinary car you will probably invalidate your insurance.
It will also be a magnet for certain undesirables who will be only too happy to make off with it.
Interesting how most of the adverts for these larger vans conveniently omit to say how long they are.
1 -
I wish I had seen these comments just a couple of days ago I’ve been very busy at work, right so I’ve committed to the caravan and have managed to get somewhere to store it now which isn’t a problem, also I have a man who does caravan insurance, I also have a site in Blackpool which a man I know personally owns and will site the caravan too but this towing issue is new to me, I don’t have a towing licence but do have a person who does and will tow it for me but even he questioned the size, I have a 2020 BMW X5 M50D and also have the new style Rangerover vogue which is a very big car I’m not sure on the weight of the vehicles or if it’s adequate to tow now this is now my hopefully last hurdle I have to overcome! Been a bit of a headache for me but that’s my fault for jumping into something without having and knowledge of caravanning or doing any research.
Thank-you for all your help everyone it’s a much appreciated
Richard
0 -
-
Neither of your vehicles are legal to tow a caravan that length, so you will need a person with a vehicle weighing over 3500kg to tow it for you.
I presume you passed your driving test after 1993 (I think that is the cut off date) so you can only tow a car+ caravan combination weighing less than 3500 kg unless you sit an additional driving test.
We old fogies have "grandfather rights" and can keep our previous entitlement to tow a combo over 3500kg.
This licence thing is in no way connected to the problem of towing longer vans, that is solely linked to the weight of the towing vehicle.
There should be info on this on the DVLA website.
I think you will need to engage a towing service to take the van to a site.
Unfortunately the people/firms selling these vans are not up-front about the towing regs when selling them, it is not in their interests to tell you the regulations. As a result, these big vans are often sold on at very reasonable prices compared to "legal" vans. A case of if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. You are not the first person to fall foul of this rule, and will not be the last.
I hope you can get it all sorted out and are able to enjoy your van, it will make a great holiday base.
0 -
If I had not already completed purchase I would back out now if it is overlength with regard to body. You might create many problems for the sake of 450mm or so extra body length. Insurance might also be a problem and there would be many more. It is often difficult to confirm actual body length on many of the LMC vans from dealer info. Measure yourself. I have been on many sites over the years were such caravans are basically used as statics.
1
