Advice please!!!

[kevin_374417595]

Yo all!

As a complete newcomer to the Wonderful World of Caravanning, I would really appreciate some tips from all you experienced 'vanners' - it seems such a helpful community. Despite having just been made redundant, I am being positive about life and rather than doing the boring 'paying off the credit cards', I have decided to invest my redundancy payment in a 6 months old Swift Conqueror 645 Lux. For she shall be called 'Camilla'! I am looking forward to many years of memorable trips, however I intend to start off with a weekend in the UK getting used to her (I guess, like most women, she will have her funny habits!) and then head south. My destination is 'Aoulef ech Cheurfa' in the Algerian Sahara (I have read that Algeria is the new Morocco and the roads aren't too bad). My first query in this 'quest for advice' is, can anyone recommend any decent CL's in and around that region? Secondly, ever since watching 'that' Top Gear programme, it has been one of my ambitions to do a lap of the Nurburgring in Germany and with my new found passion, what could be better than taking in a lap with Camilla, on my route south. However I have an 'elf and safety' concern in that the fitted tyres will not be rated for high speed (I anticipate cornering speeds of up to, but not over 120mph). Before I potentially waste what is left of my cash, can anyone advise on the practicalities of retro-fitting 19 inch wheels with low-profile tyres (the low profile tyres would not only improve handling but reduce the likelihood of the wheels rubbing - for readers that aren't aware, mine is a TWIN AXLE!!). Sorry for the length of this message but my last query is, can anyone recommend a driving school that teaches the rudimentaries of towing? I am not anticipating any difficulty pulling my rig but I guess like most people, I am a bit unsure of reversing techniques. Any help would be most appreciated. 10 - 4 - Kev.

Ps I found an earlier thread on cross-channel crossing fares most useful but I think that John was maybe a little uncharitable with his comments, could Val simply have made an innocent mistake in transposing a decimal place? After all, as my wife always says 'numbers are for boys'!

 

[nick_374224697]

Hi Kevin

Welcome to the forum!! You certainly seem to have some ambitious plans for your first trip.One thing that worries me is that you may be overstretching yourself for a first trip.

There are lots of queries in your list and some of them may be better put into the tecnical or towing/driving threads on here.

I think some beginner advice is what's needed here and there are lots of helpful friendly people on here to help if you ask.

Good luck with it all.

Cheers

Nick

 

[kevin_374417595]

Hi Nick,

Thanks very much for the advice. I will copy my request to the other areas of the forum as you kindly suggested. Funny you should say that my first big trip into the Wonderful World of Caravanning might be a bit ambitious, because that's exactly what Muriel (my wife) has been saying! The kids are all for it though!

kindest regards

Kev

 

[Peter_374416038]

Me thinks Kev is taking the p*ss.

 

[nick_374224697]

You reckon??!

 

[Heethers]

He's got to be a Clarkson fan, you know type Ferrari fan with jacket, the only Ferrari he could pay for is made by matchbox, could just about aford it with is redundancy, or better still use plastic.

NigelH

 

[Barkas]

Hi Kev. Ive toured the length and breadth of Algeria with a 4x4 and a heavy duty accommodation trailer. It isnt the new Morroco tho, the roads are excellent the further south you go into the desert, the road from hassi Massoud to In Amenas is first class altho winds do blow sand dunes across the road and you may have to leave the road to get round them but nothing too difficult. There is a lot of civil unrest still in Algeria with random bandits roaming the desert near populated areas in the north altho the open desert is usually ok, watch out for the military also, they will blatantly help themselves to your stuff, be warned, its not a place to take a woman if your venturing together into the desert unless there,s a few of you, there are some very unsavoury characters out there and ive run into 1 or 2 of them. Don,t go without learning some french or Arabic (berber). On the other hand, the Sahara is a fantastic place for adventure, and the evenings and dawns are something to behold. Top Tip, take a satt fone and 12/24 volt charger and keep it hidden.

 

[kevin_374417595]

Yo NGH! - 'Fellow Vanner' and new found mate - thanks for the hilarious contribution - as it happens, I don't own a Ferrari yet, nor do I own a Ferrari jacket but I do own a Ferrari shirt, OK it's 11 years old but genuine nonetheless! And Muriel reckons that even though the middle buttons are straining a bit (c'mon guys, who's Ferrari shirt doesn't strain a bit after 11 years) I still look good in it (though if any one has suggestions for removing unedr-arm stains, it would be much appreciated). As for Jeremy (I actually met him in the flesh at the 2002 Car show) he has to be one of the most gifted natural presenters ever to appear on television and 'Dave' (that's his television channel)is real lucky to have him. He was a bit funny with me when I asked for his autograph but he is a very busy man!

Hey and who knows; if my Caravan Tour company takes off, I may well afford my much lusted-after 'Dino'. Watch this space guys!

10-4 Kev

 

[kevin_374417595]

Yo Barkas!

Thanks for the advice good buddy - maybe I'm not so daft after all (hope you are reading this Muriel, but you should be getting the tea on! - only joking!). Can I ask, does my Swift Conq (abbreviation!) 645 lux count as a heavy duty trailer? If so,.....Let's CARAVAB! The logical conclusion of what you are saying is that the further south you go, the better the conditions get. This surprises me as I thought that the roads basically run out the further south you go but if you are right it is GOOD NEWS for me and the kids as my dream destination is the Skeleton Coast in Namibia. There is a good David Atenburgh programme on the area (and I'll bet he never had a Swift 645 rig to relax in!). I have to say, I am a bit concerned with your description of the locals - do you think that diplaying a Union Jack will discourage the 'unsavoury characters'? Surely they would not wish to hold-up a honest respectable brittish family?!!

I do however see your point regarding learning the local lingo but Muriel and I have always got on well with the locals in Tenerife and that's without knowing a word of French!

thanks 'Vee' much.

ps what's a 'salt fone'?

 

[lucy_374419483]

Yo Barkas!

Thanks for the advice good buddy - maybe I'm not so daft after all (hope you are reading this Muriel, but you should be getting the tea on! - only joking!). Can I ask, does my Swift Conq (abbreviation!) 645 lux count as a heavy duty trailer? If so,.....Let's CARAVAB! The logical conclusion of what you are saying is that the further south you go, the better the conditions get. This surprises me as I thought that the roads basically run out the further south you go but if you are right it is GOOD NEWS for me and the kids as my dream destination is the Skeleton Coast in Namibia. There is a good David Atenburgh programme on the area (and I'll bet he never had a Swift 645 rig to relax in!). I have to say, I am a bit concerned with your description of the locals - do you think that diplaying a Union Jack will discourage the 'unsavoury characters'? Surely they would not wish to hold-up a honest respectable brittish family?!!

I do however see your point regarding learning the local lingo but Muriel and I have always got on well with the locals in Tenerife and that's without knowing a word of French!

thanks 'Vee' much.

ps what's a 'salt fone'?

um, i am totally new here and about to make my first posting but idly read yours and although i know nothing about caravanning i do know a bit about algeria and i'd say, er, don't even think about going there until you are much more clued up. it's a potentially very dangerous place.

check out foreign office websites and bbc or cia country fact file - available on web if you do a search - also news sites.

you'd need serious safety advice.

and a sat phone and someone to ring in to every day who has a copy of your itinery so if you don't make the call someone knows you are missing and roughly where you are and all sorts of other medical/safety stuff...

apologies if that's a downer or you are joking about the whole trip!

 

[Barkas]

Hi KEVIN...We flew the union jack all the way throo the Saharan trip, the Algerians LOVE the Brits, that,s cos they hate the french "with a passion" and support anyone who ever gave the french a damn good thrashing,...eerr...dont mention 1066...ahem...oops, I just did he he....the Algerians have now dropped french as the second language and adopted English in its place although very few speak English. You can drive right down throo and across Algeria on nice shiny tarmac "2 lane blacktop". Thats because they process their own oil and have an abundance of Bituman left after the distill process hence good roads but watch out old buddy, there,s no cats eyes or road markings anywhere if your night towing. When we went, one of the guys was armed, which did give us a certain air of confidence in certain prickly situations, he was ex British army and had a passion for personal protection. We never had any real probs tho, the union jack got us waved at a lot and the locals would shout as we drove throo villages " Margaret Thatcher!!.....Winston Churchill!!.....Queen Elizabeth!!.....Gazza!!!" So mainly it was cool. Always pitch your van away out of sight of the road where you cant be seen preferably not too far but behind a dune and beware of camel spiders, they can eat a hole in your leg the depth and size, of half a golf ball without you knowing until you wake the next morning and reach down to scratch the itch, sprinkling salt around your leg jacks and wheels will stop the critters getting in the van, One last tip which was recommended by our ex British army chum,... If your taken captive by rebels or terrorists or anyone else which is common in these areas and you hold a British passport, don,t whatever you do own up to being British, instead , point to the"northern Ireland" part of your passport title and tell them your Irish, they will probably release you as EVERYONE loves the Irish.

 

[kevin_374417595]

um, i am totally new here and about to make my first posting but idly read yours and although i know nothing about caravanning i do know a bit about algeria and i'd say, er, don't even think about going there until you are much more clued up. it's a potentially very dangerous place.

check out foreign office websites and bbc or cia country fact file - available on web if you do a search - also news sites.

you'd need serious safety advice.

and a sat phone and someone to ring in to every day who has a copy of your itinery so if you don't make the call someone knows you are missing and roughly where you are and all sorts of other medical/safety stuff...

apologies if that's a downer or you are joking about the whole trip!

Yo Lucy,

Great to have you on the forum and welcome to the 'Wonderful World of Caravaning'!. The folk on this forum are 'right neighbourly' and will save a lot of heartache. Many thanks for your own advice. I think I do need to have a closer look at what's 'goin down' in that area as I am receiving conflicting advice. I am heading off for my first weekend in 'Clarissa' this Friday (Muriel didn't like 'Camilla', simply because it happens to be the same name as one of my ex-girlfriends (well my ONLY ex-girlfriend, if truth be told!)). Anyway, I need to get on with loading the rig, so will need to do my research when we return. Hoping for good weather! 10-4, Kev