You guys are lovely, thanks for all the replies. Its given me loads of confidence and made me want to buy my own caravan even more and give my children as many happy memories as I can.
I'm still working on my hubby, its a lot of money to spend but I'm sure he can find it somewhere!!!!
Well done all you ladies, i have just bought a small caravan (first time since 1969) and am alone so i am hoping that flashing eyelashes a big smile and the promise of a nice warm cuppa will solve any "muscle" problems , i seeem to remember that caravanners/campers were always very helpfull , freindly people:)
There are some things men are essential for in this life, but caravanning is not one of them.
I caravan on my own - have 3 children aged 13, 12 and 9 - and had never towed before end of June last year. Bought a tiny little cheapie from Glossop Caravans and (made sure it was safe ) and using advice gleaned from this site alone, made it to Waddington, Garstang, Ashbourne, and France last year. Got back, couldnt lose the bug and traded her in for a bigger model from the same dealer, and just done 2 trips in her this year.
The boys are scouts and love the whole camping thing, I love the freedom of being able to "escape" whenever I feel like it and I can honestly say that towing is not hard.
The fantastic people on this site will tell you everything you need to know. and I would say go for it. My oldest and I have learned how to caravan together, and he just loves being important helping me to hook up and figuring out how to work the water pump, etc.
My middle child has learning difficulties and is more like a 7 year old than a 12 year old, but going to new places and constantly meeting new people, trying new things is doing wonders for his confidence, and is teaching him a little bit of independence.
Finally, I pray a lot and have to say there aint nowhere you can go that God wont go with you, and no problem in the world that He wont fix for you.
Good luck, and if I can be any help to you then email me at christine at retm.co.uk
I am not on my own but would not hesitate to van on my own if ever it was needed.
Have towed (OH Feels like a spare part when I do) and have on occasions done all the necessary with aqua rolls, waste & TOILET (I don't do that happily).
Have to reinforce Pennine Plodders post, the mover is a major plus. Don't think I would be able to position the van easily with the car, but the mover is just like a radio controlled car. ---- but yes, make sure you keep it charged up!!!.(I would like to point out it was OH who let the battery drain - not me!!)
Hey Heather, thanks very much but I think maybe I'm just too stubborn to admit that I cant do it on my own!
I seriously think that all Mothers, day in day out, do things that are far harder than towing a caravan. Its just that we are programmed to think that they're not difficult taks because its stuff we are used to doing.
Last year (before I got the caravan and back) my friend and I took the children on a narrowboat for Easter. We were the only women only crew (Estelle's boyfriend decided that 4 days on a narrowboat with 4 kids was too much for him!) and it was really interesting to see that, in all the families we passed by on the canals, the MEN were always doing the driving! Even in this day and age!
I;m sure they thought we were gay or something - we got some very odd looks, especially as we seemed to have the longest boat available.
But the moral of this tale is believe me, towing a caravan is a lot easier than steering a 70ft narrowboat round a 90degree corner. And I bet you could do that too! I'm not anti-men, some of them are really quite nice to be around, but in the absence of Pierce Brosnan coming knocking on my door to help me hook up the Bailey, I guess its solo caravanning for me, and YOU DEFINITELY CAN DO IT. GO GIRL!
...I have caravanned on my own too and the motor mover like pennineplodder says was brill - took the work out of hitching as you can move it to within cm's and no lifting required. The only thing that put me off was towing the van - I was used to towing the folding camper but caravan is very different due to the height - don't let it put you off though, the c&cc and caravan club do towing courses which would be a big help. Could you try towing first? I now camp alone with the kids in my combicamp and do it all myself as its easily manageable - try one of the rallies and meet up with others, you'll soon be on your way!!
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: One for the ladies
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