Hello

[Stewart_374573803]

Delighted to join the forum. I am not really much of a forum person but this looks to be lively and full of sensible issues. I toured for 15 years in the eighties and nineties and took a break to set up a business and have just returned to the touring fraternity this year. How things have changed.

We tow an Eriba Triton with a Nissan Qashqai+2 two litre diesel which is well up to the task. Our aim is to try and get a couple of days a week on relatively local Caravan and Camping or Caravan Club sites.

Enough of me and on with the forum.

Stewart

 

[RayS]

Hello Stewart - welcome to the forum. I too had quite a break between my early caravanning (60s and 70s) and was very surprised at how much had changed in the interval. Life is much more comfortable now with fridge and warm air heating and in-van toilet and shower, but somethings have not changed for the better. No longer can one walk round the site on a summer evening and meet people doing the same or sitting outside waiting for a chat - these days it's all TV and internet.

Can't speak for C&CC because I have never been a member, but the Caravan Club website is quite good and enables you to search the CLs by county or town for facilities you may like to have e.g. nearby fishing or public transport.

Foreign touring has also changed vastly and is now much easier than it was with ATMs, satnav, hypermarkets etc. and that it is now moderately difficult to get lost in France, they having discovered big roadsigns and roundabouts.

The other really big change has been the introduction of movers driving the van wheels - many of us in the free TV licence zone would have had to give up without them.

Happy touring !

 

[Stewart_374573803]

Hello Stewart - welcome to the forum. I too had quite a break between my early caravanning (60s and 70s) and was very surprised at how much had changed in the interval. Life is much more comfortable now with fridge and warm air heating and in-van toilet and shower, but somethings have not changed for the better. No longer can one walk round the site on a summer evening and meet people doing the same or sitting outside waiting for a chat - these days it's all TV and internet.

Can't speak for C&CC because I have never been a member, but the Caravan Club website is quite good and enables you to search the CLs by county or town for facilities you may like to have e.g. nearby fishing or public transport.

Foreign touring has also changed vastly and is now much easier than it was with ATMs, satnav, hypermarkets etc. and that it is now moderately difficult to get lost in France, they having discovered big roadsigns and roundabouts.

The other really big change has been the introduction of movers driving the van wheels - many of us in the free TV licence zone would have had to give up without them.

Happy touring !

Thank you for your welcome. You are correct that the living outside has disappeared for TV, etc and the art of conversation seems to be waning. One of my reasons for caravanning is to get away from TV and Internet. They will never be with me while touring.

I don't tour abroad as my time is limited and foreign travel is reserved to vist my daughter in Malaysia - a bit far to tow!

Local peaceful sites suit me fine.

Each to their own.

Stewart

 

[Parksy]

Hi Stewart

Welcome to the forum and we're glad that you like it.

To reply to posts it's best to click on 'Reply To Topic' rather than the 'Comment' button which tends to hide your replies.

As my good friend and colleague Ray has mentioned the Caravan Club offers many services for it's members.

Unlike Ray I'm a Camping and Caravanning Club member and the C&CC Site Seeker website also offers destination guides which give details of where to go plus event guides giving details of events which are on when you get there.

Further to your reply in the comments Stewart we've just come back from a weekend C&CC d.a. rally where we sat outside on the warm evenings chatting with some very nice people who we'd never met before. Who needs tv?

 

[RayS]

Stewart, there you are - two for the price of one !

Malaya is a bit far I agree, but depending where you are in UK parts of Europe can be closer than staying home. For example from here in Somerset, miles to John O Groats get me well down into Spain and it may well be less rainy

 

[Stewart_374573803]

Parksy - Thanks, got the hang of it the minute I pressed send. Why have a comment box? Like you I tend to favour C&CC over CC but I am a member of both.

Ray - I am closer to John o' Groats than the continent. Incidentally daughter no 2 lives in Somerset, near Frome. I am based near Glasgow. Going to Oban tomorrow for a couple of days and someone has decided to derail a train which has closed the A85 possibly for weeks. Long detour in place. Just what I need when time is tight.

Stewart