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hi there everyone

this is my first time on here and i need some good advice.

we have just bought our first caravan, an old abbey durham and i have collect and tow it from nottingham on sunday and i am terrified that i will mess up, can you old hands give me some good advise on what to do and not do.

thanks janet.

Check it over carefully - including tyre condition and pressure.  Load it sensibly for the van and your tow car.  Travel to site, if you have kids tell them to have fun but respect other people, their property and their space, pitch van, set chair up outside, open bear/wine* delete as applicable, drink a little, check kids, drink a little, smile at neigbours, keep eye on kids, relax and chill out.

Dan

hi see here .....   Before Setting off on a Journey /  Buying Secondhand

take your time until you get the feel of it.allow more room for turning corners.just a thought have you got a number plate for it?welcome to ukcs as wellplease tell us how you went on.as said if the vans old double check the tyres.ask if there is a handbook they are hard to find.

find your nearest site and go there for a weekend, if you forget anything you can go home and get it, most important, park up and chill. From experience, once you've pitched, you could be anywhere!!

enjoy

Hi Jan and welcome

As Michael says take it slow, as well as the number plates dont forget the extended mirrors unless you have a big 4x4 with big mirrors, watch when turning, go wide and dont start your turn until the vans wheels are at the apex of the bend,

Tow once and you'll love it.

ATB

thanks everyone for you encouraging words

i think i am more nervous because we do not really know what conditions the van is in my husband bought it off ebay and the nice owners have said it is road worth and in good condition for its age so i hope they are honest people.

will let you all know how we get on,

thanks janet

Quote: Originally posted by jan d on 30/6/2006

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thanks everyone for you encouraging words

i think i am more nervous because we do not really know what conditions the van is in my husband bought it off ebay and the nice owners have said it is road worth and in good condition for its age so i hope they are honest people.

will let you all know how we get on,

thanks janet

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Just remember that all of us have been in your position, as well as the other advice offered try to look ahead and anticipate when to brake so that you are slowing down gradually. It wont be long before you are an old hand, good luck & enjoy.

Mike

Hi, Janet, and welcome to the site.

We're new to this caravanning lark as well - only been away for 2 nights to check all the equipment.  We're off tomorrow for 2 weeks and almost ready to go!

I was really nervous about all the things you have to remember about towing and loading etc.  My OH and I both went on Caravan Club towing courses and thought they were excellent and really give you a bit of confidence to get you going.

I would say listen to the advice of all these people on here who have been doing this for ages but don't get scared off by thinking there's so much to remember and it all sounds so complicated!  Most of it seems to be knowing your outfit and just basic common sense.

Good luck - I'm sure in a few months' time we'll be on here wondering what we were worried about!

Nora

Hi jan, and a big warm welcome to ukcs.

All of the above is very sound advice.

So just take it easy, keep your eye on your 'van in the rear view mirror to check for any instability and look out for the nutters trying to overtake.

Just stay cool! And good luck.

If it's towing the van you're worried about then just sit & think about it. Don't allow the following traffic to determine the speed you travel at. Drive nice & steady until you find a speed that's comfortable for you & let anyone following overtake as & when they choose to.

As long as you can stop the caravan doing what ever it's doing, you'll know that you are in control of it & not the other way around. If you haven't already got a stabiliser fitted, I'd suggest getting one ASAP, I know lots of folk who reckon they don't want one but you only know you needed one when it's too late.

I hope you love it, we've been doing it now for 12 years & wouldn't want any other kind of holiday. It's nice to sleep in your own bed, drink out of your own cups & eat off of your own plates. With a caravan you can do that anywhere.

As long as you've not parted with big money on Ebay for your van you should be OK. If you find you've made a mistake, you can always go to a dealer after you've decided if caravanning is for you & trade it in for another. The beauty of dealer buying is that they HAVE to give you warranty.

Please post on here to let us al know how you got on & what the caravan was like when you got it & best of luck.

BB

Hi Jan. We collected a caravan from Derby on Thursday that we purchased from Ebay, it is fantastic, it was 100% better than we expected.

My husband was really nervous about towing it as he has only ever towed a trailer. But it was fine, he took it very easy to start with, and then when we got on the motorway he got his confidence and was doing 80mph ----------- only joking, he stayed at 50mph and was quite happy. We said that we should have put P plates on so that everyone knew we were knew to towing.

Good luck, I hope your van is as nice as ours. Remember if it's not as described you don't have to part with your money.

Lisa

hi everyone

well we are home safe and sound, the caravan was great just as the owner said on e-bay, it is a 1981 abbey durham, really well looked after and no signs of damp anywhere we are very pleased with it. the towing was fine as well, the only mishap was when we went into the services to get a drink i drove in ok made sure there was plenty of room etc, but when we returned some nice person had parked so close to me that i did not have enough room to turn out and ended up blocking the exit for ten minutes while we had to unhook and move it by hand, you can image what my not too happy husband was like, and ther car users. but no one offered to help but all kept hooting, i did lose my cool then and made a very unlady like gesture to them.

but i did enjoy it and cant wait to go out again, thanks again for all your advice

janetx

Glad you got on ok .Next time out do what we do take a bottle of water pull in to a lay by and brew up in the van that way you dont get blocked in and welcome to the tin tent brigade

David and Jenny