caravan etiquette

[jane_5063367]

hi

we are new to all this and just wondered if somebody could clear this matter up for us.the people in the caravan next to us parked their car behind their van so that when we came out of our awning it was right there.they had their awning the other side and there tables and chairs in front of that. we spent the whole weekend looking at thier car and i was not happy. my husband says there probably is no right or wrong way but i disagree, i thought that the space behind a avn was for the people behind. thankfully they left yesterday as we have booked the pitch for the season. for me it spoilt the weekend and i was fuming as i think it was rude and inconsiderate.is there a right way or not? hope you can help

jane

 

[jacky3]

yes there is usually some order in which you should pitch and park,if you are unsure you should ask the owners or warden the correct procedure.to parkmright outside of your awning seems to me they were been very inconsiderate,and if by chance you had set up wrong,and they thought you were encroaching on their space then it should have been sorted out amicably.i for one would have definately had something to say

 

[jane_5063367]

yes there is usually some order in which you should pitch and park,if you are unsure you should ask the owners or warden the correct procedure.to parkmright outside of your awning seems to me they were been very inconsiderate,and if by chance you had set up wrong,and they thought you were encroaching on their space then it should have been sorted out amicably.i for one would have definately had something to say

hi

we had set up correctly as warden was with us when we pitched and jockey wheel was on the marker.i think because they were an older couple, thats why my husband wouldnt let me say anything. his view was that they must know more about it than we do and he didnt want to cause a bad atmosphere if they wouldnt move the car. i just want to know that if it happens again its okay for me to ask them to move it. is it right then that the space behind your van is for the other people? sometimes i am a bit too manic about manners, i just wouldnt do it to someone else so i expect them not to do it to me. thanks for replying, hopefully it was a one off!!

 

[jacky3]

i would say they were in the wrong and you should have approched them,depending on your neighbours set up you should always have some consideration towards them,but for all the sites ive been the car is parked at the side of your awning, tent or caravan never behind unless its a pitch were it is possible to do so without inconveniencing others.old or young they should no better??

 

[MickC1]

Hi Jane

Picking an argument with a neighbour is always difficult, and I try to avoid it if possible. The only time that I've done it was when someone set up an air compressor right outside our awning, pumping up their air bed. Meanwhile they went off to a friends caravan quite some distance away. They left it running for nearly an hour as they had a tyre inflater instead of an airbed inflater that would have done it in a couple of minutes. We had a baby at the time who was trying to sleep but the noise was keeping her awake. In this case the person did have a lecture when they returned. But this is the only time that I've done this. I just saw red really.

In your case I would speak to the warden as they may have been infringing on fire regulations. (I couldn't do this in the above case as the warden lived off site). On a Caravan Club site, distances are mostly strictly adhered to, and anyone in breach of them will be challenged by the warden. I would have asked the warden what the situation was, and if there was a problem then they could speak covertly to the people, claiming that they spotted the infringement themselves. That way you avoid personal confrontation.

 

[chrissie2]

Jane, the set-up you describe sounds like the common arrangement, particularly on commercial sites, where the caravan is parked in the middle of the pitch, often with the jockey-wheel level with some sort of marker. The awning then goes on the space on one side of the caravan and the car on the other. If this was the arrangement, and your neighbour's car was right up against your awning, it rather sounds as if the pitch was simply too small.

As you are going to be using the pitch for the season, you need to clarify with the site operator exactly where the boundaries lie, if they are not clearly marked. Was there somewhere else on their pitch where they could have parked their car? And where, for that matter, did you put yours?

Often commercial sites do try to squeeze too many units in to a limited space - we once paid a supplement for an awning, only to discover that there was insufficient space on the pitch for both car and awning - we couldn't make the car disappear, so we had to go without the awning. Club sites usually offer much more space, which is why, on the whole, we prefer them.

 

[Roz_5041467]

HI Jane, just to endorse really what Chrissie has said. The car is usually parked on the offside of the van with the awning on the other side. Personally, I think this is a strange arrangement. It's a nuisance unpacking your car and setting up camp with the car on the other side of the van from the door.

However, this seems to be a general rule. I have to agree with Chrissie that commercial sites have pirches that are too small. I tend to go for sites that have a small hedge barrier between pitches but this is not always possible. My advice is play it by ear. MOst situations can be sorted out amicably enough and it's not worth spoiling your break for. Obviously you are going back to that site so a quick word with the warden should sort it out. Best wishes, Roz

 

[Zbungle]

The situation you describe, with your neighbour's car right outside your awning, is the reason I stopped using Camping & Caravan Club sites some time ago (the situation may have changed by now?). On several sites I was told exactly where to place my jockey wheel and there was to be no variation. The car then went behind the caravan - hideous as I spent the week trying to relax in my awning only to be disturbed by my neighbour who seemed to find it important to go to the back of his car at least once every 5 minutes and then slam the doors.

We mostly use CLs nowadays where everything is much more relaxed. Put your caravan where you like and, with just the minimum of negotiation with the owner, vacate the pitch at whatever time you like on Sunday afternoon. And at

 

[jane_5063367]

Jane, the set-up you describe sounds like the common arrangement, particularly on commercial sites, where the caravan is parked in the middle of the pitch, often with the jockey-wheel level with some sort of marker. The awning then goes on the space on one side of the caravan and the car on the other. If this was the arrangement, and your neighbour's car was right up against your awning, it rather sounds as if the pitch was simply too small.

As you are going to be using the pitch for the season, you need to clarify with the site operator exactly where the boundaries lie, if they are not clearly marked. Was there somewhere else on their pitch where they could have parked their car? And where, for that matter, did you put yours?

Often commercial sites do try to squeeze too many units in to a limited space - we once paid a supplement for an awning, only to discover that there was insufficient space on the pitch for both car and awning - we couldn't make the car disappear, so we had to go without the awning. Club sites usually offer much more space, which is why, on the whole, we prefer them.

hi

we parked our car in front of our van by the jockey wheel as this was what everyone else seemed to have done. they were the only ones that parked behind their van. maybe as others have suggested,this is the set up on some sites.the warden may well have thought it was our car , being so close to our awning. i just dont want to spend another weekend looking at someones car.

if it happens again i will ask the warden to check it out before i say anything. thanks to everyone for their advice

jane

 

[Vic_5039745]

I don't think there are any hard and fast rules - it's just a matter of decency and consideration.

I'll tell you what though. Last year at a very popular commercial site in West Cornwall, a UK couple had set their caravan and awning up very neatly and tidily. They went off for the day and when they got back they found a Dutch outfit set up with everything round the other way, so that their awning was bang up against the UK couple's awning. There was barely six foot between them. The Dutch guy had parked his car on his offside so that consequently the two outfits were mirroring each other. A bit of a contretemps ensued, but the eventually the Dutch outfit was re-positioned - a case,quite rightly of "when in Rome". But I was amazed that the Dutch people even had to be told. Surely they couldn't have been happy with the way things were?

I suppose really that the site manager should have told them that as the pitches were set up for UK configured 'vans, they would have to put theirs on hitch first to avoid such a conflict.

I have done this when in France and there hasn't been the room to set up any other way.

It's not rocket science really,

Vic

 

[john_5066263]

The situation you describe, with your neighbour's car right outside your awning, is the reason I stopped using Camping & Caravan Club sites some time ago (the situation may have changed by now?). On several sites I was told exactly where to place my jockey wheel and there was to be no variation. The car then went behind the caravan - hideous as I spent the week trying to relax in my awning only to be disturbed by my neighbour who seemed to find it important to go to the back of his car at least once every 5 minutes and then slam the doors.

We mostly use CLs nowadays where everything is much more relaxed. Put your caravan where you like and, with just the minimum of negotiation with the owner, vacate the pitch at whatever time you like on Sunday afternoon. And at