Hi all, Ive had a very nice Hymer caravan for a few years now, and been very happy with it. Kids are now grown up and gone away, so its just the wife and I....
Alas, I developed a heart problem which means that I can no longer fully set up the van or drive for long periods like I used to. I still do the driving and hitching, but I cant drive all day these days. Once on site I now do the jobs I can handle, and my wife does the bending down for the wheel clamp and steadies.
The problem is that my wife is very concerned that if I have a 'turn' when we are off camping - especially overseas - she will be stranded and wont be able to get the van back. She wont tow, and is scared to death of the very thought.
So for the last 12 months the caravan has just sat in storage while we've been using expensive B&Bs for weekends away. Not satisfactory.
She would drive a motor home, but with her having dodgy knees we wojuld need an auto gearbox - and we just dont have £40k or £50k to spend when we have a caravan which is just about as good as new.
Has anyone else helped their wife to overcome a fear of towing? My wife is an excellent driver, clean record, just fears the perils of towing......
Any advice would be much appreciated. Otherwise I might as well sell the bloomin thing. Which Id hate to do.
Thanks in anticipation.
------------- Veni Vidi Velcro.... I came, I saw, I stuck around!
Sorry to hear you ain't top notch SilverLining. Would your good lady think of attending a Caravan Club towing course locally? There are lots of women who do and thoroughly enjoy them, there were two on the one that I went to. It may just give her that extra bit of confidence, especially when reversing.
I would suggest a course too. My husband had towing worries but the course gave him loads of confidence. I suppose its like most things that are better the more you do it. Start with very short trips and see how you go. Hope ypu don't have to sell up.
Quote: Originally posted by Fee Fi Fo on 22/3/2013
I would suggest a course too. My husband had towing worries but the course gave him loads of confidence. I suppose its like most things that are better the more you do it. Start with very short trips and see how you go. Hope ypu don't have to sell up.
Completely agree, wife and I attended a towing course with the Caravan Club. It was great fun and we gained loads of confidence. We also started with local trips.
We have a similar situation. We have agreed that if anything happens my wife will just find a driver from among our friends. If nobody is immediately available, she will book a driver from our storage yard, who also operate vehicle recovery.
I have told her it can't be towed by a recovery truck with leaf springs, as that would invalidate the warranty.
As a further option, the storage yard also run a couple of coil sprung Discoveries. In this case I have said the Alko ball must be fitted unless they have swan necks.
This is all written down in case, because it's likely to be a stressful time, if it ever happens. Without a prompt sheet, things can be forgotten.
I have every confidence this will all work out, although I hope it will never be needed. Do contact me if you need to talk it through.
To be honest i think your putting her in a spot,if she feels she cant cope with towing then i wouldnt push it as your putting strain on her.There are recovery services you can use for getting the van home as my wifes late uncle joined as he took a heart attack in spain and a recovery firm brought his van home.Get out there and use your van instead of worrying about things.
I am nervous about towing but following a taster session of the C&CC club course at the NEC have booked onto the full day course at beginning of May. I guess a day in a safe environment will help me decide if I am ok to be let loose on the world
I have the top of the range Caravan Club Mayday Breakdown Cover. As a single woman towing, I wouldn't risk not having this cover. If I am taken ill and unable to drive, this cover can provide a driver or as happened when I was taken ill in Scotland in June 2011, get my caravan home.
I was away with son, who doesn't tow and my son in law came up to collect me from hospital and wanted to get me home quickly. ( drove me to his home in Bucks non- stop) My son drove my car and dogs home and Mayday arranged for my caravan to be brought home over 650 miles to Exmoor, at a later date. A brilliant service and gives peace of mind.
I would say arrange good cover and go off and enjoy yourselves!
Some great advice here. Thanks to all who replied.
I'll definitely check into that insurance cover, and will see if my good lady would like to try the C&CC course (we are members).
I remember getting the van, never having towed before, bought it in Holland and zoomed straight off for my first towing experience. The open (continental) road actually wasnt a problem; Hymers are a delight to tow. It was when I tried to get in a tight gateway to a camp site that was partly obstructed by a not so considerately parked German car at the entrance. Disaster. Fortunately there always seems to be helpful people around. they tried to help me hand manouevre the van into the site, at which point when lowering the jockey I totally unscrewed the top half from the bottom...!!!! Fortunately the dealership was local and they came out and sorted me out. Bloody Good Service if you ask me. Caravan Style in Oirschot. Excellent people. So I guess baby steps for my dear wife is certainly part of the answer. I know it took me a while to gain sufficient skills, and i still need a few goes to reverse the 'van into a storage bay. Guess we need to do this while Im still able to help out, so sooner rather than later. Thanks again folks for your helpful advice and kind wishes.
------------- Veni Vidi Velcro.... I came, I saw, I stuck around!
If you have the top level of Mayday cover and the driver is incapacitated then they will provide a chauffeur to get you home. I believe the "chauffeur" takes you home on a recovery vehicle rather than a limousine though.
Mayday only offers UK cover, not sure if the same facility is available with Red Pennant, though Red Pennant is very expensive for European cover.
Hmm I'm scared of towing and went on c&cc course which I managed fine but the result.... Still too scared to tow. I don't like the feel of the caravan on the back and worry about manoeuvring around side streets. Only way I'd tow would be if I could have an instructor sit with me for a couple of hours whilst we drove around real streets, that way I would gain confidence in handling the van in real situations. I'm sure I'd be fine it's just the getting accustomed to it bit which scares me and being responsible for the safe arrival of our holiday accommodation.
I think a towing course would be the best thing, I tow but it was because I wanted to try, I would of hated it if I had been forced into it I'm pleased I did it when I did, as o.h. Hasn't been able to drive since October 2011 he had seizure for no reason and still waiting for he D.V.L.A. To make up their minds
Im sure if you asked a local driving instructor Fiona they would be happy to sit in with you whilst you gained confidence in towing your caravan. With my OH, roles were rather reversed, and i was already a caravaner when we met, and it wasnt until he retired that he started to tow our caravan.
Hes a very shy person, so turned down the offer of any Caravan Club course, and just started off by driving down a fairly quiet broad road on an industrial estate one evening, and then gained enough confidence to take it around the back roads of the estate after all the businesses had closed for the day.
The next step was that he would tow on the wide A class roads and by-passes, but handed it back for B roads and busy motorways, and to negociate the roads around the estate where we live. Now he will tow about anywhere, its just the narrow country lanes that he refuses to do, and unfimiliar busy motorway junctions. Not really a problem though, as we plan our journey to pull in at the services a couple of junctions before, and i take over from there for a few miles.
We too have the top of the range Mayday cover, bought after he was taken ill with kidney stones on Warwick racecourse CC site. I can tow ok alone, but for me its the setting up and packing away that causes problems as I cannot bend like I used to be able to, and its good to have the help of either the CC wardens or the Mayday services to help me with the hitching, wheel lock, and winding up the steadies when needed.
Julia
------------- Just love to be out amoungst Nature and Wildlife
Celebrating 37 years of Caravanning in 2019, Recently Considered Retiring, but Totally Addicted for Life!
Thanks Julia it bugs me that I know that I am very capable but scared to get started. We did the industrial estate and I was fine but although OH is supportive he has heavily invested in the caravan and tends to over dramatise errors so I would prefer a neutral party - I might look into it as there have been many times when we have lost a whole day caravanning because of OHs work commitments. I've learnt all the hitching and unhitching, connecting up etc and we have a mover its just getting me to that comfortable to be towing stage.
Sorry to hear of your health problems.
My husband doesn't drive (and, I accept, will never drive, which means I get the car!!) so I do all the towing. We're off to France later this year and the only thing I dislike about that is towing onto the ferry.
A course will certainly help, but also plan your journey. I use Google earth to look at site access (I don't do narrow or 'tricky').
One essential is a caravan mover. As hub doesn't drive, he is also hopeless (bless) at reversing me onto pitches in the dark for example. One infamous March night, in the pouring rain, he was shouting, 'turn the wheel'!!! Which way?
We got a mover... he's good with that.
I hope your wife can overcome her fear and that you have a great caravanning future ahead.
The courses are good, we both did the c and cc course when we started and was really beneficial,
We also both had to do our b and e tests which also helped us greatly.
However my OH loved towing and she literally towed anywhere without getting into a slight even sweat about anything.
I on the other Hand was terrified, I hated towing from the minute I got behind the wheel to the time I got out. I rarely did it and even if I did it would be out of necessity rather than choice.
In the end I wanted to get out and about with the kids more as I am a stay at home dad but just couldn't get settled with towing.
So in 2011 we bought a motorhome. Now I am not the biggest fan of driving in general and I defininely dont enjoy driving the motorhome but I can do about an hour as long as I know the roads are not going to be to thin and when I get to my destination I am always relieved.
I would prefer an auto motorhome as my everyday car is an auto however we couldn't find one with he layout we wanted, you can get an auto clutch fitted but still have to change gear but not operate the clutch. I think they are about £1200 so may consider that in the future.
I hope your wife will gain confidence for you to enjoy your van, unfortunately I never did and certainly don't think I will ever tow again.
My OH is a great driver and she misses towing but is happy with our motorhome and she knows I am more comfortable going out wih the kids in it then I ever would have been towing the caravan.
------------- Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.
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Topic: The Lady`s not for Towing - advice please
