I really do wish people would help to dispel these urban rumours. How many Hobby caravans have actually been nicked by Gypsy's cos that's rumour one and how many Gypsy's turn up on sites that you have all used?. Yes youve guessed it I have just bought a Hobby - we pick it up on Friday. Its one of the smaller ones that even if Gypsy's do nick Hobby's I am sure ours is too small for them to be interested and its people scare mongering that made me even more determined to purchase this excellent quality Hobby. I have changed my site bookings that I had for the campervan and have had no problems. I agree with a chap on another posting regarding this who said he was big enough and ugly enough not to patronise sites that are small minded enough to refuse Hobby's and to be honest if I was given a list of do's and dont's when I rang to book I am not sure I would want to book. As for the door being on the other side - our fixed bed is at the front so we will probably turn the van around to have the bedroom at the rear of the pitch thereby putting the door in the same side as a uk van and even if we don't I am not sure I see it as a problem.
As someone else said in another posting - sit back and wait for the Hobby bashers.
There lies part of the problem. When if the van is not turned around,then the awning would be facing he adjacent awning. This can create a problem with fire breaks.
If the van is turned around then it'sdifficult to remove from apitch in the case of an emergency.
This is not my opinion, just the wrods of a site owner who I questionedabout the rule.
Quote: Originally posted by scarletsfan on 10/5/2007
There lies part of the problem. When if the van is not turned around,then the awning would be facing he adjacent awning. This can create a problem with fire breaks.
If the van is turned around then it'sdifficult to remove from apitch in the case of an emergency.
This is not my opinion, just the wrods of a site owner who I questionedabout the rule.
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The site owner was talking a load of rubbish, I have been caravanning for over 15 years and in that time I have had foreign vans with the door on the continental side for 7 of them. I have never come across a problem with parking on any site I have visited, never had complaints from neighbours or the site owners /wardens when my awning faced someone elses, seen thousands of vans on sites with the nose pointing in all sorts of directions other than directly outwards. In fact from my point of view the continental door is a big plus, it gives access to the caravan directly from my driveway rather than having to walk all the way around the van.
If the site say no, then that is the end of it. No ammount of grumbling is going to change their minds, it is more likely to convince them that they don't want you. At the end of the day it is up to them if they want your money or not. Hobbys are unwelcome on a large number of sites. If you buy a hobby, you have to accept this. If you don't want to be turned away then I have to suggest you look for a different make of van. We went to a site last year which had a load of hobbys on. I expect he makes a lot of money from hobby owners who cannot go anywhere else in the area. None of the hobby owners on this site stood out as being gypsies or travelers, and even if they were, does it matter as long as they behave in a respectable way? To be honest, the sites that turn hobbys away are usually expensive sites that gypsies wouldn't want to use anyway.
It is a great pity that caravaner's can't find the maturity to stick together and say to these sites "If you won't accept the custom of my fellow caravaner because of the van he uses or the vehicle he tows it with then I am not giving you my custom"
Quote: Originally posted by Bill Lord on 10/5/2007
In fact from my point of view the continental door is a big plus, it gives access to the caravan directly from my driveway rather than having to walk all the way around the van.
So does mine but its not foreign, can walk out my front door and into van and van is nosed in to make it more difficult to get out
If I would have phoned a site and they said "No Hobby's allowed", I would have hung up on them. And no, we haven't got a Hobby.
Fair enough, some of them may be used by travellers, but what kind of percentage are we talking here?
You shouldn't be discriminated against because of the caravan you've got. Caravanning is supposed to be all about freedom - and people saying that you can't stay at their site because of the caravan you've got, well, it stinks.
What next - "No vans allowed over 10 years old"?
Fair enough, it is his site and his rules, but he wouldn't be getting our custom, that's for sure. People like this take the fun and freedom out of our hobby (pardon the pun!)
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: Probably a silly question....
