Travel
Get on the open road
Caravan holidays are the most popular paid-for holiday choice in
the UK, accounting for a 19% share of all holiday nights. We asked the Caravan
Club how to get started on the open road.
Whether you choose a touring caravan, motor caravan, folding camper or
trailer tent, the same opportunities await: places to stay in, breathtaking
locations, the options of long holidays or short breaks, and an escape from
airport delays, hotel regimes and crowded beaches.
You choose where you go, how long you stay and what you do. Dictate the
pace, destination and budget yourself – and change your plans as often
as you wish; flexibility, freedom and fun!
Caravans come in all shapes and sizes. As a newcomer to caravanning, stick
to the guideline of towing a caravan weighing no more than 85% of the empty
or kerb weight of the car.
Having established the weight of caravan you need to ask yourself a number
of questions.
Are the beds a good size? Do I need a large washroom? Do I need a large
hob or oven? How much storage space do I need? What layout do I prefer?
One way to decide what you do and don’t need is to hire one for
a week. This will give you a better idea of which layout suits and what
facilities you will regularly use – and what you can live without.
Some dealers may offer a ‘try before you buy’ scheme.
The Caravan Club has around 200 sites nationwide and can organise bookings
on a similar number of inspected sites in 16 countries overseas. Over 2,500
privately owned Certificated Locations can also be found across the UK for
use by members.
When you arrive at the site, sign in at the reception. This is where you
can find basic provisions such as milk, bread, sweets and ice cream, maps
of the area etc.
The majority of sites have one or more facility block containing toilets,
showers with curtains, most have washbasins inside privacy cubicles with
curtains or doors, general communal washbasins, hand dryers, hair dryers,
shaver points and vanity mirrors.
Blocks are centrally heated and offer an unlimited supply of hot water.
Invariably you will also find separate vegetable preparation areas with
sinks and draining boards and a laundry room with a washing machine, iron
and ironing board.
Dotted around all sites will be a number of service points. This is where
you dispose of your waste water, empty the cassette toilet and fill up your
fresh water container or tank.
For more information about getting started go to www.caravanclub.co.uk
or telephone 01324 326944
Q&A: the most frequently asked questions of the Caravan Club’s
information department
Fact File |
| 
The Caravan Club owns the first purpose-built
touring caravan, built by the Bristol Wagon Company in 1885 to the
design of Dr William Gordon Stables, who named it “The Wanderer”
The first time a caravan was towed by a car instead of a horse was
in 1919
The Club provided caravans to aid the war effort during the
Second World War, including sending 50 caravans to be used as mobile
headquarters for Field Marshal Haig.
Often much maligned, caravan owners are safe, responsible drivers
according to Department for Transport annual figures which show that
only 0.06% of road traffic accidents involve a caravan.
Most popular area to caravan in the UK is East Anglia, with
the most popular site being Incleboro Fields in north Norfolk.
17% of children are more likely to shower in a caravan than they
are at home. And they are 55% more likely to help wash up when staying
in a caravan!
The average distance travelled (one way) by Caravan Club
members when they go away for four nights or longer is 243.7 miles.
The Archers’ BBC radio series featured a fictional Certified
Location called Ambridge CL which had its own entry in the Sites Directory
& Handbook. |
I am considering buying a caravan, but have never towed before.
Towing is not a difficult skill to acquire and can be picked up quite quickly
through practice on your own. However, you will probably learn more quickly
with some tuition, so book yourself onto one of the Club’s Practical
Caravanning Courses. Non-members are welcome. For further information call
01342 336808.
How often should the tyres on my caravan be changed?
Preferably replace any tyre more than five years old, but never exceed seven.
They will have significantly deteriorated by then, whatever the tread depth.
Tyres which require higher pressures (say 50psi and above) may be more susceptible
to impact, cutting or penetration damage and it is recommended that such
tyres are inspected more frequently.
What advice do you give for tyre care during the winter months
when the caravan is not in use?
It is recommended that the wheels and tyres are removed and stored at normal
inflation pressure in a cool, dry place and protected from direct sunlight,
sources of heat, ozone concentrations and fuel/oil spillages. They can be
covered with a natural material (eg hessian) for protection, but not plastic.
How do I know which is the right towing bracket?
There are several questions to ask. First, has the bracket design for your
car been tested to the appropriate British or European Standard? Does the
bracket mount only to the car manufacturer’s recommended mounting
points? Then, has the bracket been tested on a rig representing the car’s
mounting points?
Do I need a stabiliser?
Under most road conditions, a well-matched vehicle and trailer will not
encounter stability problems, even though the trailer is free to swing on
its connecting ball. This assumes that there is a good outfit weight ratio,
that the trailer when attached and loaded rides level or slightly nose down
but never nose up, that the car also rides level and that tyres on both
vehicle and trailer are in good condition and, most important, at the correct
laden pressures. Nevertheless, some caravan and car designs are inherently
more stable than others and some form of extra assistance from an add-on
stabiliser device may be found to give an easier or more comfortable tow,
particularly when an overtaking vehicle’s ‘bow wave’ upsets
the outfit.
What covers are recommended to protect the caravan from the weather
during the winter?
Large polythene or tarpaulin sheets should not, in the opinion of most experts,
be used. Condensation and mould growth may be encouraged and any flapping
material or guy ropes could scratch acrylic windows. Purchase one that is
made of ‘breathable’ material.
What security devices are available to protect it from theft?
Many caravan security devices are available on the market, from wheelclamps
to hitchlocks, from alarms to sophisticated tracking systems. Prices vary
from £30 to over £600.
Will my television function abroad?
No. For a television that will receive foreign transmissions, you need a
multi-standard set. France, Luxembourg and Monaco use a different system
to the rest of Western Europe, so make sure your set offers SECAM L if you
wish to pick up French transmissions. And choose an aerial with good directivity,
properly aligned; this will give the best performance
Do I need a warning device in the car indicating that the direction
indicator system is functioning correctly when towing a caravan?
Yes. Lamps must flash at a rate of 60-120 flashes per minute, whilst a warning
device in the car must inform the driver, by means of a visible or audible
signal, that the system is functioning correctly. This is a legal requirement.
How do I know what appliances I can use on a mains hook-up?
A useful calculation is Amps equals Watts divided by Volts. Therefore, if
you have a 1000 Watt kettle, and a 230 Volt supply, you must allow for 4.3
Amps to be drawn when the kettle is in use.
Does it matter what type of chemical fluid I use in my portable
toilet?
Only Thetford Blue Aqua-Chem or an equivalent “green” product
should be used on Club sites.
Top tips
Even regular caravanners can run into problems. Ivor Harvey, Associate
Editor of the North Norfolk News, offers some advice on how to avoid some
of the pitfalls...
1 When your hi tech loo system breaks down in France for goodness
sake don’t trust a French plumber. Our state-of-the-art computerised
onboard water tank lay in pieces across the caravan floor as Monsieur exploded
‘Mon Dieu, Mon Dieu!’ and something about 800 Euros. Finally
he announced it was time for his three-hour lunch, left everything in bits
and was never seen again. It took several phone calls back to UK, express
parcel post, a book of instructions and several hours with a screwdriver
to put things right
2 In fact France can prove a bit of disaster is other ways... Somehow
on one occasion we managed to find our way off the Periphique into a Paris
cul de sac. Turning round a 22ft van with Frenchmen shouting and hooting
at full blast is not very amusing. The lesson is to stick to the main road
even when everyone has stopped for a picnic in the middle of the highway.
3 Now some advice you will find invaluable on the much-used Caravan
Club sites. Here you will meet the elite of caravanners and the
elite of camp site wardens. Always speak to the warden politely, agree with
everything he says, including instructions to park the van to within a millimetre
of the designated spot, pointing in exactly the right direction and with
the handbrake fully applied. Otherwise you’re in trouble. If you still
can’t please him try saluting, but even this may not show sufficient
respect.
4 A good option is to go for a Camping and Caravanning Club site
instead. Here you can park where you like, and then – preferably
stripped naked – lie on the grass and either strum a guitar or get
out the bongo drums. Do this and you’ll immediately be accepted as
a camper of class.
5 The best bit of caravanning gear for those of advancing years
is the ‘mover’. This is a magical device that allows
you to move the caravan around without a towing vehicle or any other visible
sign of propulsion. The secret is electric motors attached to the wheels
and hidden under the chassis. They’re controlled with a zapper just
like your telly – but that’s the trouble. One false move with
the buttons and your van takes on a life of its own, nose-diving into the
nearest ditch. Read the instructions before you start!
6 Finally, one slightly more serious word of warning... Despite
all the latest plug-in attachments when you park your van, bottled gas is
still the norm. So watch for leaks... The gas will lurk at floor level.
One spark and BANG! – you’re gone. Buy a gas detection device
for carefree and happy caravanning!