As the title suggests I've been lurking for quite a while and picked up some great information so decided its time to join and hopefully contribute a little.
I'm new to caravanning having bought my first a couple of months ago at the ripe old age of fifty something. Why caravanning? To be completely honest I'm just fed up with the hassle of travelling abroad, waiting around at airports, waiting for shuttles, queuing for check-in, queuing at bagage control, getting ripped of on local tours and being herded round like cattle. Went abroad late last year for the first time since covid and didn't really enjoy it, then earlier this year we stayed in a friend's static which I found much more relaxing. We considered our own static but the overheads after purchase put me off, and being tied to one holiday location doesn't really appeal to me. I quite fancied a motor home but the prices are ridiculous, plus I'd have an extra vehicle to maintain, tax and MOT every year. As I already had a capable tow car a caravan seemed the sensible option to 'dip our toes......'. After travelling several hundred miles looking at different models, and increasing our budget each time we finally dropped on a very clean caravan just 5 miles from home. It's a Lunar Venus so quite a basic model but perfectly adequate for me, the Mrs and our old dog (another reason for caravaning, she can come with us and I don't need to worry about her making a mess or damaging someone elses property ............ the dog, not the Mrs ). Aside from a few bits and pieces (tightening door handles, realigning doors and replacing a couple of bits of internal trim etc.) we've only had one issue. I wasn't comfortable with the way it towed at low speed, especially on uneven roads. It was rock solid at 50-60 mph on the motorway but below 40 I could feel it pushing and pulling the car (1800 kg car and 1175 kg caravan). I towed big green trailers behind big green trucks and landrovers many years ago but being new to caravans I wasn't sure whether this was normal, it just didn't feel right. After a bit of research (googling) I concluded that the hitch damper was to blame. It was quite difficult to push in then instantly came back out. It felt more like a spring than a damper. I replaced it today and adjusted the brakes so hopefully next time out it will feel better (the new damper behaved completely different to the old one when tested off the caravan so it was definitely shot). I ordered the replacement damper from Taunton Trailers on Tuesday and it was delivered on Wednesday at the best price I could find on the Web so I'll be using them for parts in the future.
We've only been away once, a few weeks ago we spent 4 nights at Moorland Farm near Weston-super-Mare. Really enjoyed it, quiet location with wonderful views over one of the two fishing lakes and lovely friendly people running it. I haven't fished for over 40 years but I really felt the urge to have a go, I'm planning on going back next year with some fishing gear. Our plan is to stick to CLs and smaller sites, if they're all as good as this one I'll be happy.
Next trip away in a few weeks time if the weather looks reasonable, probably around the Why Vally / Forrest of Dean area. There are a couple of sites we're looking at but I'll be interested in recommendations from forum members.
I'm new to caravanning having bought my first a couple of months ago at the ripe old age of fifty something. Why caravanning? To be completely honest I'm just fed up with the hassle of travelling abroad, waiting around at airports, waiting for shuttles, queuing for check-in, queuing at bagage control, getting ripped of on local tours and being herded round like cattle. Went abroad late last year for the first time since covid and didn't really enjoy it, then earlier this year we stayed in a friend's static which I found much more relaxing. We considered our own static but the overheads after purchase put me off, and being tied to one holiday location doesn't really appeal to me. I quite fancied a motor home but the prices are ridiculous, plus I'd have an extra vehicle to maintain, tax and MOT every year. As I already had a capable tow car a caravan seemed the sensible option to 'dip our toes......'. After travelling several hundred miles looking at different models, and increasing our budget each time we finally dropped on a very clean caravan just 5 miles from home. It's a Lunar Venus so quite a basic model but perfectly adequate for me, the Mrs and our old dog (another reason for caravaning, she can come with us and I don't need to worry about her making a mess or damaging someone elses property ............ the dog, not the Mrs ). Aside from a few bits and pieces (tightening door handles, realigning doors and replacing a couple of bits of internal trim etc.) we've only had one issue. I wasn't comfortable with the way it towed at low speed, especially on uneven roads. It was rock solid at 50-60 mph on the motorway but below 40 I could feel it pushing and pulling the car (1800 kg car and 1175 kg caravan). I towed big green trailers behind big green trucks and landrovers many years ago but being new to caravans I wasn't sure whether this was normal, it just didn't feel right. After a bit of research (googling) I concluded that the hitch damper was to blame. It was quite difficult to push in then instantly came back out. It felt more like a spring than a damper. I replaced it today and adjusted the brakes so hopefully next time out it will feel better (the new damper behaved completely different to the old one when tested off the caravan so it was definitely shot). I ordered the replacement damper from Taunton Trailers on Tuesday and it was delivered on Wednesday at the best price I could find on the Web so I'll be using them for parts in the future.
We've only been away once, a few weeks ago we spent 4 nights at Moorland Farm near Weston-super-Mare. Really enjoyed it, quiet location with wonderful views over one of the two fishing lakes and lovely friendly people running it. I haven't fished for over 40 years but I really felt the urge to have a go, I'm planning on going back next year with some fishing gear. Our plan is to stick to CLs and smaller sites, if they're all as good as this one I'll be happy.
Next trip away in a few weeks time if the weather looks reasonable, probably around the Why Vally / Forrest of Dean area. There are a couple of sites we're looking at but I'll be interested in recommendations from forum members.