Abbey-Dabbi-Yoo-Hoo!

[BasilWhoosh]

Hi, all!
Total newcomer to the caravan scene, having finally succumbed to pressured suggestions from "T'other Half" - but being a tight-wad, I opted for a cheaper 'starter' caravan by buying a '93 Abbey Piper 12-2 from a workmate. Given a good scrub-down to get rid of its storage "patina" (and half-inch-think spud patch on the roof! :blink: ), it's looking good, and all the kit seems to be in working order, so I'm happy enough thus far.
I found a bonus beneath one of the bench seats - a towing stabiliser bar & bracket - which should go some way to calm down my twitchy Suzuki Vitara tow-car (I hope!); short wheelbases & towing don't always work well together, I've found to painful cost in the past, and I have no desire to repeat that inversion ever again... :S
I intend to do occasional weekends away from my West Midlands home to begin with and I'll be looking for quiet, smaller caravan sites (I'm nudging 60yrs old & much prefer peace & quiet, not sleepless party nights, ta!), so if anyone can suggest/recommend such sites, I'd be very grateful...
Also, are there regional/local caravanning groups that I could visit & join, in order to learn & socialise? As a beginner, I don't want this new nomadic existence to go badly wrong from the 'off'...

 

[Parksy]

Hi Basil Whoosh, welcome to the forum and congratulations on buying your Abbey Piper.
I'm a fellow West Midlander and Abbey owner, and there are quite a few nice quiet campsites not far from the Black Country which are great for weekend breaks. Ludlow is a good starting point, there are three or four smaller quieter sites in that area and of course Worcestershire and Shropshire are the gardens of the industrial Midlands.
If you'd like to socialise with fellow caravanners your best would be to become a member of one (or both) of the two main clubs.
Both host local weekend rallies on basic sites, some without ehu (electric hook up) but with good opportunities to get to know and to learn from fellow caravanners. I can recommend the Camping and Caravanning Club because the West Midlands district association hosts some of the best weekend caravan rallies of the organisation, we used to go a lot and will soon be resuming our weekend rallying with the West Mids D.A.
Enjoy the forum and if there's anything you want to know just ask

 

[Martin24]

Whatto and welcome to the forum. Congratulations on your purchase You've made two good choices so far.

1) It's always best to start with a pre-loved 'van. Many people jump in feet first with a brand new one to start, only to find they don't like caravanning then end up selling it at a huge loss. You're way you can't lose.

2) Joining the forum, one of the friendliest, most supportive and informative forums around.

You couldn't do much better than to follow Parksy's advice for socialising. The other main club offers the same but a recommendation like that takes some beating.

Enjoy the new lifestyle and ask away on here, no such thing as a silly question.

 

[Raywood]

Welcome to the forum. We started out some 30 plus years ago with a second hand Piper which served us well. I tend to agree that if you want to socialise a club meet might be the thing and of the two clubs the C&CC might be the better option.
If you have any problems feel free to ask as there is plenty of experience here.

 

[BasilWhoosh]

Thank you for the warm welcome, folks! I've 'bookmarked' the websites for both clubs and will delve into those soon - just got a few more pressing priorities to deal with first...
To be honest, I used to hate caravans with a passion - I was a keen biker and hated getting stuck behind them..but I always respected the concept and values of this form of holidaying, etc (just not easy to tow with a motorcycle, eh? Not an Abbey, anyway... ) - but Mrs has been expressing keen (returning) interest and pressed me to consider buying one (she owned a large static, before we married). Lord knows where we'll start & how far we might eventually venture, but I'm looking forward to getting out & about - so we'll see you, somewhere, sometime..