First Timer

[CharlieBoyBow]

Afternoon All,
Myself and my husband have just bought our very first caravan and are heading for Cornwall next weekend.
Any great tips or tricks for our very first trip?

 

[Raywood]

Welcome, hope all goes well. Probably the best advice is take it easy at first. When on site do not be afraid to ask for help as most of us have made the mistakes you are about to. If you tell the site it is your first trip then you might get help from them but it depends on the type of site you have booked.
I would look at the Caravan club web site which has lots of advice at the bottom of the home page.

 

[Plodd]

Afternoon All,
Myself and my husband have just bought our very first caravan and are heading for Cornwall next weekend.
Any great tips or tricks for our very first trip?

Where abouts in Cornwall? We are collecting our first caravan on 2nd August and off to Sennen Cove in Cornwall on 5th. I'm getting excited now but my wife is a bit worried as i've never towed before

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

Afternoon All,
Myself and my husband have just bought our very first caravan and are heading for Cornwall next weekend.
Any great tips or tricks for our very first trip?

Any tips? Yeh - don't go to Cornwall during school holidays (unless you like queues).

 

[KeefySher]

Pick your route wisely, avoiding the M4, M5 and A303.

Might be worth travelling overnight. Some sites allow you to arrive early dawn and park up nearby.

Have water and snacks with you in case you encounter hold ups en route.

Check out the approach roads on google maps street view if your chosen site has not advice in it's information. If a hand painted sign on a haystack in the field alongside the road says do not use if towing a caravan, obey it

Try out everything in the caravan before you go.

Enjoy yourselves, it's an adventure

 

[Mel]

Hi. Welcome to the forum. Remember that you don't need to behave as if it is a race. Take your time. Make a check list of everything you need to take and a hitching up checklist. When you arrive, get the steadies down and make a cup of tea, have a break and some food before trying to get the awning up. If you are new to towing, it is better to be stuck it traffic on motorways and bigger A roads than finding winding routes down small roads, at least imho.

Anything that doesn't go according to plan is a learning experience and something to post on this forum.
Enjoy

 

[Parksy]

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on buying your first tourer
Click Here for a quick guide on how to load your caravan safely to minimise the risk of instability when towing.
Check your tyre pressures on the tow car and the caravan and check for cracks in the caravan tyre sidewalls or between the treads because although there may be very little wear caravan tyres begin to deteriorate after 5 years.
Stay within the speed limits, exercise caution if overtaking especially if travelling downhill.
Don't forget the corkscrew and tin opener and have a great time :cheer:

 

[crazyguider]

The A30 across Bodmin is a nightmare at the moment, too. 40mph (if you're lucky) for a good few miles until 2017 while they widen the road. There are 2 lanes open at the moment, but pick your times or you could be there for an eternity...

 

[Gagakev]

Any tips? Yeh - don't go to Cornwall during school holidays (unless you like queues).

Why just Cornwall ??? could be absolutely any where in the country!!
And dont forget the kids on there " school holidays" may well be the Caravaners of the future.

 

[LizziePope]

Hi, thank you for posting and a warm welcome to the Practical Caravan forum.

Some great bits of advice have already been posted. What's your outfit? Some of the Cornish lanes can be a bit tight so take it carefully and give yourself lots of time. It might be worth contacting the site you're staying at to see if they can recommend a good, caravan-friendly route. Most of all, relax and enjoy it! Not everything will go to plan but stay calm, learn and don't be afraid to ask for help. You can also read our Cornwall caravan travel guide.

 

[Lynnybobs]

As already said, double check your route if using satnav - on our way to Padstow earlier this year it took us along a very narrow (single lane at one point) hilly and twisty A road but when we got to the site they said if we had stayed on the B road it would have been a much better route - it was quite nervewracking with our van on the back on our first long trip !
Plan out suitable places to take a break - it can be quite tiring towing long distances when you are new to it so its helpful to know where there are suitable stopping places on your route and have plenty of drinks/snacks at hand to keep your spirits and blood sugar topped up !
Most of all enjoy it - we are new to it too and so far we have found site staff and other campers very friendly and helpful so have always found someone who can help us if we have any questions/problems.