Are overall costs killing touring caravans?

[oldagetraveller1]

4 dogs on one seasonal pitch! Can't imagine what it must be like to be a neighbour. I'm sure the owners are lovely people - most caravanners are - but do they ever stop to think about the effect it might have on a neighbouring camper to be confronted with 4 dogs next door? Is there any way of checking what you are letting yourself in for when you rent a seasonal pitch? I don't mean to offend you, Erica, but don't you think 4 dogs is just a bit OTT? I hope you will tell me that I've got it wrong and that you only ever take 1 dog with you at a time. I'll be delighted to apologize!

 

[emmerson]

LB, at what age will you consider your van to be past its best? Mine is 32 years old. If you keep yours that long, you'll no longer be able to chase the milkmaid!

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

LB I can understand your dilemma,My local dealer is full of 2nd hand Bailey Senators, ranging from series 5 upwards some of them are your model, Trouble is these older vans can be prone to the dreaded panel dampness which can cost upwards of £2,000 to replace.

The point is Royston I don't consider a 2 year old van old

I've done the canal life befor we bought a caravan albeit a small GRP cruiser. It was on the Mon & Brec which is landlocked so only had about 37 miles to cruise. I still miss it though and boats hold their prices far better than caravans. We only lost £50 after having it for 6 years. Her Ladyship wanted to travel further afield so thats why we changed. The problem with the main canal system is the locks.Too many of them especially at places like Tardebigge or Devizes where it can take a day just to climb the staircase of locks.
Another point to consider if owning a boat on the BW network is the mooring and cruising licences. Believe me the cost is astronomical. A lovely life though unless going through certain areas around Birmingham or Wolverhampton.

 

[kelvin3]

But the benefit of the dingle - blue nose canals are that there are no mooring fees

Most if not all of them are now cleaned up but you have to still look out for the odd Asda Trolly. I noticed this morning there was something on at the Dudley tunnels, them thin boats were parked 2 a breast and there was plenty of people milling around at 8.00.

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

LB, at what age will you consider your van to be past its best? Mine is 32 years old. If you keep yours that long, you'll no longer be able to chase the milkmaid!

Not sure Emmo. I thought we would replace it and that would be the last but it looks like this one is going to be our last.
I no longer chase the milkmaids. I hide in the straw waiting to pounce saving my breath for the rumpy pumpy

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

But the benefit of the dingle - blue nose canals are that there are no mooring fees

There's no mooring fees on the towpath Kelvin but when you leave your boat it has to be at some marina/wharf.
We had ours moored at the B.W. owned Goytre Wharf on the Mon & Brec. Our mooring fees were about £300 and the cruising licence was another £300. That was 10 years ago and you paid by the size of your boat. Forty-footers were the largest allowed and the cost for mooring/cruising for those must have been extortionate.
The unfairness came when our fees were for the upkeep of the canals, like laying the towpaths, but everyone from ramblers, dog walkers, horse riders to those who used to knacker the paths up, bikers, never paid a penny.

 

[colin-yorkshire1]

Hello Colin,

The OP was very good as it looked at the whole cost of owning and using a caravan. Whilst your daily rate seems cost effective, if you were to amortise the purchase cost of the van, its servicing and insurance costs, along with the extra fuel you used to tow, and possibly the larger car you may have because of the caravan, and its storage costs, then suddenly the weekend cost may not be seem such good value.

Of course we all have to make our own assessment of whether its the way we want to spend our money and there's no getting away from the fact that some of us still like to caravan

hi Prof
the reason I made the suggestion was purely because I dont believe a lot of caravanners think there is any alternative exept giving up because of cost, sort of not being able to see the wood because of the trees, it can be done cost effectively with care.
in my case small light weight van, a car no bigger than I would normally have and about 40mpg towing, van kept at home,staying on cheaper sites, get the picture??.
value for money of course it is, the example I gave is relevent, one night B&B £50 plus diesel to get there £70 same cost as one week in the van, plus £10extra fuel and servicing/insurance/ memership of CC about £4.50 per week.all in,
plus we have the option of long stays so the extra cost is far outweighed in favor of the van imagine staying at the same B&B fo a whole month??? or renting a house or static. strewth,

 

[Surfer]

4 dogs on one seasonal pitch! Can't imagine what it must be like to be a neighbour. I'm sure the owners are lovely people - most caravanners are - but do they ever stop to think about the effect it might have on a neighbouring camper to be confronted with 4 dogs next door? Is there any way of checking what you are letting yourself in for when you rent a seasonal pitch? I don't mean to offend you, Erica, but don't you think 4 dogs is just a bit OTT? I hope you will tell me that I've got it wrong and that you only ever take 1 dog with you at a time. I'll be delighted to apologize!

We travel with 4 Yorkshire terriers three of which are puppies under 1 year. In additon, we also have our cat with us who wanders around but not far from our caravan. We have neverf had any issues except with people wanting to pet them.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hi Colin,

Please don't get the thought that I am against caravanning, not true, we have had many superb holidays with the caravan, but we have also had other types of holidays inc, Norfolk Broads and canal boats, cottage holidays, canvas camping, and even sailing yatch flotilla holidays etc.

Its rather like horses for courses.

Caravanning costs can be held down by the methods you describe, but increasingly not every caravanner has the opportunity to keep their pride and joy at home, and as we have seen on the forum, many caravans suffer all sorts of niggles and faults, that whilst the dealers may put them right, there's all the hassle and cost of taking the caravan to the repair shop, and insurance costs are rising quite steeply etc.

Whilst I agree that the nightly cost of B&B for an extended period would rapidly outstrip the cost of a caravan site, many B&B's and other hostelries can and will do long term deals.

Even with the savings you have identified, the annual cost of owning a caravan can still be quite significant, and for the same money there are some fantastic package deals to be had.

What caravanning has over some of the alternatives,is a degree of comfort in familiar surroundings that you control, with the freedom to take it to a wide variety of different locations at relatively short notice. Long live caravans, but you have to accept there is a cost to it.

 

[JohnGriffiths]

Maybe there are people affected by rising costs but how come there seem to be an increasing number of new, large, expensive motorhomes on every site we visited this year. Caravannners are not dying out because of lack of money they are simply being replaced by motorhomers with excess money to burn!

 

[joeby]

Maybe there are people affected by rising costs but how come there seem to be an increasing number of new, large, expensive motorhomes on every site we visited this year. Caravannners are not dying out because of lack of money they are simply being replaced by motorhomers with excess money to burn!

X-Trail 173 and Swift Charisma 550
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They could be the higher retired public sector workers , or maybe like my old School friend who is registered disabled who only limps , who tows the new car that he gets every 3 years behind his £58000 campervan , good luck to him i say

 

[Joann]

With the price of fuel going up and the cost of storage, repairs etc I sometimes wonder if it is worth it, but my main concern is time, I seem to be very 'time poor' and the hours spent cleaning, fixing things, getting parts and acessories add up especially as our storage place is 8 miles away.
But you can't light a BBQ at the B&B, or take two elderly miniature dachshunds, as well as a 4 year old son very easily.

 

[Joann]

We travel with 4 Yorkshire terriers three of which are puppies under 1 year. In additon, we also have our cat with us who wanders around but not far from our caravan. We have neverf had any issues except with people wanting to pet them.

4 yorkies would only really count as one dog, we have two mini dachshunds and usually only pay for one dog on the train.

 

[Gagakev]

The point is Royston I don't consider a 2 year old van old

I've done the canal life befor we bought a caravan albeit a small GRP cruiser. It was on the Mon & Brec which is landlocked so only had about 37 miles to cruise. I still miss it though and boats hold their prices far better than caravans. We only lost £50 after having it for 6 years. Her Ladyship wanted to travel further afield so thats why we changed. The problem with the main canal system is the locks.Too many of them especially at places like Tardebigge or Devizes where it can take a day just to climb the staircase of locks.
Another point to consider if owning a boat on the BW network is the mooring and cruising licences. Believe me the cost is astronomical. A lovely life though unless going through certain areas around Birmingham or Wolverhampton.

Hey LB if I had known last week you liked the canal life, you could have taken my place, returned yesterday, A day early, gee man what a terrible way to spend a holiday, boring and exhausting!!!! Even the dog asked to stay on the boat after so much walking between the locks and swing bridges!!!
And to get back to the OP about costs etc, the boat hire alone was £1,050.00 (4 Adults) plus petrol £60.00, look at how many nights away in my van I could have had!! Every one to there own but I aint going to spend hours on end in Airports or waste my life on a BOAT!!

 

[ValA.]

When we're talking about the expenses of caravanning, I wonder just what the 'cost per night' might be with the sort of caravan-sized motorhomes that are now seen on campsites! You can at least buy a cheap caravan from a few hundred pounds upwards, choose not to insure it, maintain and service it yourself, store it at home, and tow with a small car with lowish fuel consumption.

 

[TonyG]

4 yorkies would only really count as one dog

Why are three of them dumb?
you normally find the smaller the dog the yapper it is

 

[Surfer]

4 yorkies would only really count as one dog

Why are three of them dumb?
you normally find the smaller the dog the yapper it is

If they were yappy we would not be taking them on site as we tried to be considerate to our neighbours!

 

[allan873]

Had to reply to this thread we have been caravanning since 1964 and have had quite a few vans since then and if I may most of them new however in 1997 when I was 63 years old bought our last van a Lunar Solar 462 which we have used all year since then. Now to say something about the question about the cost of touring we were on a site near Oban which cost £98 per week including EHU showers and toilets, the C C insurance for the van is £62 per year C C membership about £40 anyway I dont think we could hire a static caravan or B & B for that price
allan

 

[oldagetraveller1]

As a lover of animals in the wild, I take issue with those who seek to keep them in captivity simply to provide themselves with pleasure. Having said that I do respect the fact that we live in a relatively free democracy and people can keep animals if they feel the need. But, 4 dogs and a cat on one pitch on a campsite!! Perhaps you haven't had any 'issues', but just maybe, some of your long suffering neighbours are simply to polite to object. I gather the Camping Club may be introducing charges for each animal. It will be interesting to see how that affects the ever increasing number of dogs (and cats) on Club sites.

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

As a lover of animals in the wild, I take issue with those who seek to keep them in captivity simply to provide themselves with pleasure.

I apologise for being blunt and to the point OAT but I can only assume that you are attempting to flame bait or are being plain stupid

 

[Parksy]

................ I gather the Camping Club may be introducing charges for each animal. It will be interesting to see how that affects the ever increasing number of dogs (and cats) on Club sites.

I'm not sure who the Camping Club are unless you meant the Camping and Caravanning Club.
Neither club has mentioned any plans to charge for pets and further speculative and potentially damaging comments about the pricing policies of either of the clubs will be removed unless definite proof is provided by the author to substantiate such comments.
This topic is about the cost of caravanning and not about how many pets a person could or should take with them on a caravan holiday and it's certainly not about ludicrous attempts to cause arguments between dog owners and non dog owners. Please stay on topic or stay out of the discussion.

 

[oldagetraveller1]

Yes - you are right, of course. Please accept my abject apologies! I shall try to stay on topic in future!

 

[Parksy]

Thanks o.a. traveller

 

[colin-yorkshire1]

When we're talking about the expenses of caravanning, I wonder just what the 'cost per night' might be with the sort of caravan-sized motorhomes that are now seen on campsites! You can at least buy a cheap caravan from a few hundred pounds upwards, choose not to insure it, maintain and service it yourself, store it at home, and tow with a small car with lowish fuel consumption.

thanks Val A, thats exactl what I was getting at, our van is not what you would call old so we have it insured the cost of this is only about £1.50 a week and the extra fuel used about 40% would probably be about the same as running a 1.8 petrol solo.
of course one does lose money in deprectiation but that is the same for everthing how much is your £400 washer worth once it has been delivered plumbed in and used once,
of course if you broke down the cost overall caravanning is not cheap but actually what hobby is?? try scuba diving, or as someone mentioned owning a boat, the more the van is used the lower the cost acctually is when spread over a year.
last year in total I reckon the van cost us about £2000 and for that we got 100 days away or £20 a day where else could one get such value for money,

 

[Surfer]

Comment Removed
We're not going to embark on a kids'n'dogs argument!
Parksy (Moderator)