Is the 8m long rule enforced
Hi all.
We are just looking for advice from anyone with experience of booking sites with a caravan over 8m. We have paid a deposit to buy an Elddis Crusader Tempest which is 8.05m overall length and excitingly went to book our first trip to the Lakes. The site rules are for 8m maximum and we now need to call the site direct to book. Is this a common issue and in peoples experience will this length van be restrictive in sites that will accommodate us???
Thanks
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Do the club mean body shell length or shipping length?
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They seem to mean the 8m maximum is the overall length as the online booking system automatically populates the site booking with the 8.05m overall length of the Caravan (as it knows the details of the caravan from make/model etc, and this cannot be changed). It is at this point in the booking it states there is an 8.0m maximum and requests us to call the site.
The Elddis Crusader twin axle range are popular and there must be lots of owners out there that use CC sites so we were just hoping for reassurance from their experiences.
We will of course ring the site and the CC this morning to check their stance, but real experiences from members counts for more !!!
Thanks
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I think you might.
For instance….Touring Devon and Cornwall will be challenging once you leave the major roads.You will be restricted where you can sensibly go - don’t even think of crossing Dartmoor. Parking at supermarkets when you need groceries will either be difficult or impossible. Minor caravan sites might not be able to accommodate you at all, and it will need a phone call to Club sites to ask if the warden can save a suitable space for you- as I doubt if the new reservation system will allow you to specify a certain pitch.
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I echo Euro's words. We found a 6.4m MH a bit unwieldy. The 6m would allow us to go most places and the 5m is a dream.
I guess it depends largely where you want to go but, on the whole, in this country I'm afraid bigger is not necessarily better.
Good luck.
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Our van is 8.1m shipping length and for the last three years, I haven't had a problem. I'm not advocating telling 'fibs', but who would notice the difference between 7.99m and 8.1? I've never seen a warden weilding a tape measure yet and even if they had one, I doubt they could accurately measure it anyway.
I wouldn't worry.
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It's shipping length - I have a 7.9 metre T/A so checked with the club to be sure. Also note that the maximum "habitation" length you can legally tow is 7 metres, that is excluding the A frame. Unless your tug vehicle weighs more than 3500KG's.
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It is the shipping length that matters, whatever the site. That is what determines when the back is right up against the fence posts just how far the tow hitch/front bumper protrudes off the pitch and onto the roadway.
On some sites there certainly are pitches over the "standard" length and it seems sensible to have wardens matching up long pitches with long caravans when they know one is arriving as a booking has been made.
My caravan is under 8 meters and there are Caravan Club sites where it is considered "oversize". However, there are single axle trailer caravans on the market over this length.
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The only thing that should enforce the rule is the day to day availability of pitches on a site which can accommodate longer units, be they caravans or motorhomes. Yes, the wardens should manage this in my opinion so don’t expect a great choice of pitches available on some sites. Also, expect to see empty pitches with cones on them as you arrive for this very reason. Choosing a pitch from all available is probably forfeited when folk buy those extra large. Some sites may also be totally off limits to exceptionally big units.
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I have seen a manager with a tape and the consequences that followed, some sites are very tight on space and it can affect all concerned especially if an argument follows. Although the tape came out the details of the van could be looked up on line and the van in question was over the limit. I felt sorry for the site manager having to deal with someone who was basically being dishonest and trying to get on the site knowing his van was over the limit.
edit.This was a very large motorhome not a caravan but I guess the outcome would be the same if the site manager knew it was over the limit.
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Afternoon
There's been a few instances of a pitch not being available because the details on the booking didn't match the outfit in the arrival area. Can be challenging at times to avoid disappointment.
I know we're talking a few cm's on this thread but when does that few cm's become a meter
. If it's a site you want to visit I'd suggest a call ahead to see if you can be accommodated. As an example, on my site the max booking length is 9 meters but I have a few pitches to accommodate 12 meters. They're not bookable online as I manage them at site level.JK
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If you look in the handbook there is a section that lists all the sites and shows the maximum length allowed
We have a 7.5m motorhome with a scooter rack on the back which takes it to about 8.0m. We are normally ok if we can reverse onto the pitch and hang the bike rack over the rear but on occasions we have found the wardens have reserved us a pitch as they know the length of our van from our booking details. Never had a problem yet (fingers crossed I haven't just jinxed it)
The other thing I do it look at the site plan you can normally tell if pitches have a bit of overhang, and no walls behind the pitches
I'm sure you will be fine, have fun
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Some folk have MH far longer than 7.5m and you see them at plenty of CC sites. So it is certainly possible to be over 8 m and use club sites.
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Our previous van was about 8m long with the bikes on the rack. I really didn't think twice about going to Club sites with concerns about the length. The reason they ask you to contact the site if you are at or over the length limit is just to check they can accommodate you as despite the overall limit there are usually a few pitches which are a bit longer. You choice will be less of course but it doesn't mean they can't fit you in.
David
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"..the 5m is a dream..."
...but you don't 'dream' in yours these days, or do you?
an 8m van has a lot of other advantages over a tiddler....
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