Have a good Laugh!

[Diane1]

Well Folks just back from our first ever caravan trip and i can tell you it was quite traumatic. We started off smiling and waveing to our naighbours, doggies tucked up nicely in the back of the pickup-caravan trailing behind.Pulled on to the motorway and i turned round to see why the dogs were so quiet to find the top tail gate had come open. Maxie rottwielerwas sitting there staring at the great white box trailing behind, with his ears flapping in the wind. Stop no. 1

We recovered from our little shock and carried on with our journey - well for 10 mins. anyway! I noticed the storage box on the side of the caravan had come open and was trailing the white cord that should stop it opening! Stop no. 2

We eventually reached our destination and having found out the evening before that we have only half of our motormover fitted were slightley freaked at the prospect of reversing a 26ft caravan and a 17ft Nissan navara.Richard the proprietor was very kind in parking the van for us in about 10 seconds flat- the evening before it took us 3/4 of an hour!(steam by now is coming out of Adrians ears)!!!!!

Ok van parked legs down jockeywheel down and hand break! Now lets get the power on? 2 and a half hours later, 4 fellow caravaners and an electrician still no power? I had one gentleman who drives a crane under the front seats , another who was a retired policeman, following the wireing, Adrian under the caravan swearing an awful lot, The electrician gentleman doing something with the fuse box and one out side giving directions cos he was scared of the dogs!!!!!My uncle who is and engineer came up to give us a hand with awning which with every conection fell down! I am now sitting in the middle of a caravan site on a breathable ground sheat with no power and an waning thats falling down-cheesed off whould be putting it mildley. We arrived at 4pm and by 10.15pm had had enough, i promptley told Adrian i was going home and he come stay in his b***** caravan on his own i thought i had pressed the key fob for the car, when suddenley everything sprang to life.....It seems our caravan is fitted with a dead safe system which no-one told us about that when active locks every single thing in the caravan down. Adrian must have pressed it when we thought he was alarming the car!!!! My first day caravaning was enough to put me off for the rest of my life! But me,being a glutten for punishment, have booked to go back next weekend. Watch this space.LOL

 

[Lol1]

Yep, that sounds just about right for a first time out, in fact just over 6 hours to get set up is quite good. Glad to see you have booked again, it's all a learning process and it won't come overnight, but you will get there, that's assured. I don't know what the Dead Safe system is, I have never come across it before, but a few pictures of Maxie scattered around, will probably do a better job.

;o)

 

[lolly_5087162]

Hell, we still get all that now!!!!

Only joking Diane, it does get better the more times you go away, stick with it, I know it's really frustrating and all you feel like doing is crying when it goes wrong, but, in time, you will look back on your first trip away and laugh!

We have been caravanning for 2 years nearly, today we are off in our "new" van, awning should be a laugh as its 3.5 metres deep and has 3 different sets of poles.

Watch this space, we may be divorced by the time the weekend comes!!!

Have a great time the next time you go away.

Lolly x

 

[RiaandJames_374303418]

There is one thing missing from Diane's story, the RAIN and gale force WIND.

We think you got away with your first trip lightly Diane

Welcome to the Caravanning Club of "Done and Had That".

Ria

 

[lolly_5087162]

Too true Ria & James, out first ever trip out we had only been on the road 30 minutes and we hit a blizzard. Got to Derbyshire, got the van stuck down a lane, arrived at site, got car stuck in snow, couldn't push van as I had loaded far too much stuff into it, eventually got onto pitch after a very nice man helped us push it, almost killed each other over setting up the awning, stayed 3 days out of a weeks break and came home as it didn't stop snowing!

But hey, wouldn't have missed it for the world!

Lolly x

 

[Diane1]

LOL, The only thing scary about Maxie is the fact he has Rottwieler for a bread name! Unfortunately he is the biggest baby in the world and thinks he,s a cocker spaniel! But he did find himself a girlfriend this weekend.

 

[Val & Frank]

Morning Diane,

Been there done that!!!!!. We have thrown our remote away, after our first weekend away and not being able to work out why we had no power. It get's better, say them who left last week with the aerial still up.

Val & frank

 

[RiaandJames_374303418]

As we were posted to Germany our first trip was an extended summer trip to the Italain lakes before James took up the job.

We turned up at the dealers at 8am to collect the caravan with my parents and their car full as the caravan was a bit of a last minute impulse purchase so we could have a summer holiday with family.

"Going to try it out now" asked the guy fitting the Scott stabiliser "were going to Italy".He must have told his dumb struck boss who told us about reverse polarity and gas bottle differences and gave us a crash course on caravanning and his own Michelin map book and guides. He gifted us a polarity tester that we still have and a large bottle of camping Gaz and appropriate regulator.

James kerbed the caravan about ten miles up the road on route to Dover in a petrol station and we had to use the new jack and managed to get a new tyre nearby. It was just as well as we left the petrol station with the caravan handbrake still partly on.

Having found our first site early evening in France my mum and I tried to get the cooker going and the kettle on the gas for a cuppa as Dad and James let the Awning instructions blow away. Our kids were happy as they had found the playground and a French family looked after them as the air turned blue in and outside the caravan. The awning conundrum sorted after two plus hours and the gas cut off taps buried under the under cupboard fridge located and the lack of gas attributed to them being off and the pot noodle feast seamed very attractive washed down with a bottle of wine from the ferry.

We took a week travelling to Lake Garda and and were like old hands when we got there, we thought the gas was going to be rather expensive until we found a loose connection that was letting it escape.

Like everyone else we look back and laugh at our early days with our first caravan and the steep learning curve we climbed.

We've always remembered my dad flashing his headlights at us from behind, we did about twenty miles or so before we found somewhere to pull over and ask him what he was up to. The side windows were open and when we got to about 45 mph they opened like wings.

Ria

 

[Lol1]

LOL, The only thing scary about Maxie is the fact he has Rottwieler for a bread name! Unfortunately he is the biggest baby in the world and thinks he,s a cocker spaniel! But he did find himself a girlfriend this weekend.

I can quite believe that, Diane. We have a Ridgeback that loves people. Must seem quite frightening when he finds someone new and decides to investigate, but the worse thing that will happen is you get covered in drool!

 

[Diane1]

Frank, Do you have an Abbey spectrum 540 aswell? I wondered if this is an optional extra? If it is, it should be banned!Key fob binned and we now own a PDQ awning!!!!!

 

[LMH]

Diane

It will get better LOL!!

Try taking a wrong turn and towing your van round Sainsburys car park twice like I did.

At one of the motorway service stations, I parked without thinking properly and if hadn't been for my friend, there was no hope in hell that I would have been able to get the outfit out of that parking space without unhitching!

On our first trip to Lincolnshire on the return journey (one that we had done solo over the years numerous times), we got horrendously lost. I'll never forget the look of horror on the faces of two cyclists as I towed my caravan up a steep farmers track. A journey that should have taken us two and a half hours took about five. That was the day I learnt in a hurry how to reverse properly.

We are ok putting the awning up now but I still find it a pain even now, I usually offer to go get some fresh milk etc from a local shop and leave Phil and Emma to it.

Good luck, it'll all be fine.

Lisa