Hi everyone,

[Melody2]

Just thought Id say hi. Have never been caravaning, yet.... but have decided to give it a go as we my parents had a motorhome and I have vague, fond memories of it being great fun! We havnt had a holiday in ten years due to two kids, 1 dog and lack of funds, and well, much to the amusement of all involved, I decided to purchase one two days ago!!! Must be mad as have no experience but am looking forward to some interesting adventures in 2008! My mother and sister both think im mad and have practicly disowned me, but then they go on regular holidays abroad. We all love being outdoors and cant wait. Its a Elddis Sprite which needs a bit of Tlc and which we are going to collect next week. All advice and friendly comments appreciated!

Take care all

Melody & Tribe x

 

[will2]

Hello Melody & tribe

Welcome to the forum.

Any problems you need an answer for just ask someone will know.

Will

 

[Melody2]

Hi Will,

Thank you for that. I dont really have any questions at the moment. Have just been looking up as much as i can as you can never have enough knowledge! Have been reading with great interest some of the other forum topics, there are some very interesting opinions on some subjects!

Take care

Melody

 

[waffler]

Hello Melody, welcome to the caravan world. Do you know yet what type of caravanning you will be doing? Main holidays on commercial sites with facilities? Main hols on club sites or the 5 van sites with and without facilities or rallying? The latter is the cheaper, often as little as

 

[Melody2]

Hi Chris, Thank you for the info, genuinely appreciated. WE are hoping to use the van during school holidays and if possible, the ocasional weekend. I have been reading as much as i can regarding the different clubs, and would like to join one for obvious reasons, just not sure which would be most suited to us. If I

 

[Melody2]

Chris, Just wanted to clarfy, Sorry to be naive, but what did you mean by "5 van sites" these being the cheaper option. I must admitt, if initally your on a budget, the fees for the club sites seam almost as much as paying for a B&B. What sort of discount on fees to you get if you become a member.

Thank you once again

Melody

 

[sarahmc]

Hi Melody,

well done to you and lots of fun to be had. caravanning is great fun and can be done on a budget too. my top tips are use club sites, eat in or bbq where possible and remember get everyone involved. even small kids can have jobs.if you can get on a caravan driving course they are great fun and a good place to learn tips.

we've had our van about 2 years and feel its like taking the 'stress coat' off as you arrive at site. my family think i am mad too until they visit us at site and see us all chilled out- with beer in hand of course

hope you enjoy it and if you don't know or get stuck ask a neighbour- most caravanners are really helpful and love to help.

best wishes

sarah

 

[Melody2]

Hi Sarah,

Thank you for your lovely comments, I really am looking forward to it even though the van is almost as old as me! Im just worrying about getting the van here now next week as i believe the weight ratio thing is at its max (see towcar thread) but if we can overcome that hurdle, I will be estatic! I think i might get us all to spend a night in it on the drive once its here just to see what its like, and if it feels too uncomfortable, or something dosnt work we can always get back in the house!

Thanks you and take care

Melody

 

[Guest]

Hi Sarah,

Thank you for your lovely comments, I really am looking forward to it even though the van is almost as old as me! Im just worrying about getting the van here now next week as i believe the weight ratio thing is at its max (see towcar thread) but if we can overcome that hurdle, I will be estatic! I think i might get us all to spend a night in it on the drive once its here just to see what its like, and if it feels too uncomfortable, or something dosnt work we can always get back in the house!

Thanks you and take care

Melody

Hi

Cheapest insurance we found for an older van was E & L, they advertise in the mags; our last van was a 90 Elddis cost

 

[JeremyClarksson]

Melody

5 van sites are literally that and are I believe restricted from becoming any bigger by planning regs.

They are classified as (CLs) Certificated Locations by the CC and by other organisations such as C&CC and CSMA under slightly different names.

Facilities start at water and waste and go up to EHU and toilet/shower in addition, we stayed on one last year where the owners gave us and the kids a 2 hour tour of the farm for nothing. A lot of them will sell you farm produce.

They are exceptional value and you can see some truly brilliant views from most of them.

They also are ideal if you are going on a long holiday somewhere far away and want a night stopover en route.

Definitely worth a try.

We also do a lot of rallying - not purely because it is cheaper, but you and the kids get to meet new friends and keep them without saying goodbye at the end of every holiday (remember that as a kid - heartbreaking).

I have seen some adverse comments about local centres and rallying on this site but please ignore them, there will always be a bit of politics involved in clubs that involve elections to posts and it does not involve anyone who does not want to be involved.

All the people I have seen at club level are only interested in giving something back to the club in terms of time and effort and a re not power hungry or egomaniacs.

In 3 years and appx 60 rallies I have to say the pluses far out weigh any minuses ( I can not think of one) and it is our favourite method of caravanning as a family.

 

[Happy-Lappy]

Melody, Jeremy's boy is right in saying that rallies are great fun, I have rallied with my local centre (Avon) eleven times since joining late late year. You get to meet famalies similar to yourselves in regards to childrens ages, they all get on well with eachother and always look forward to the next rally to meet up again, if they don't live locally.

The only bad point is, if like me you have girls in the family, your phone bill will go through the roof, as they constantly ring eachother when not rallying,

best regards, Martin

 

[JeremyClarksson]

Martin

Afternoon, its Garry.

See you in the new year.

Merry Xmas

 

[Melody2]

Martin

Afternoon, its Garry.

See you in the new year.

Merry Xmas

Thanks guys, you do seem like a friendly bunch! Just wanted to ask, whats the best way to find out about rallies near to us (west midlands, warwickshire)

Thanks again

Kind Regards

Melody

 

[Pat_374304630]

Greetings Melody,

Welcome to the exciting world of caravanning and of course to the forum.

If you need any advise, don't ask.( Only joking ).How old are the kids as you can tailor the hols to suit.

 

[Pat_374304630]

OOPS

I've just seen their ages.The world is now your oyster.My 3 who are now grown up (got kids of their own) are always talking about the great times they had caravanning.

I think you are very brave to give it a try and I hope you enjoy it.You have lots of willing helpers on here who are very happy to pass on any advice and tips.

 

[Happy-Lappy]

Melody, when you join the CC they give you a list of rallying centres, you just ask to become a member of the one closest to you (Warwickshire) and as its free to join these centres then you have nothing to lose

Garry, if you are not at Wellsway this W/E then merry christmas and happy new year to you and your family, also congratulations on winning the christmas lights award last W/E,

best regards, Martin

 

[Melody2]

Hi Pat, Thank you for that. I just cant wait to get started. I do have fond memories of traveling around scotland in a van with my parents as a small child, and if i can create some good memories for my kids too, i

 

[JeremyClarksson]

Melody

Here are some CC ones

http://www.westwarwickshirecentre.co.uk/
http://www.eastwarwickshirecentre.co.uk/
http://www.midlandcentrecaravanclub.co.uk/
If you join the club you can also go on other centre rallies if they suit your schedule or you just want to meet more people

 

[JeremyClarksson]

Happy Lappy (Martin)

Thanks for that - it made the kids day winning

Will not be at Wellsway but will be at Portishead for NY rally and hopeful to squeeze on to Chinese NY rally after that.

We must exchange e-mail addresses either by asking MOD now or next time we meet.

Have a good one - even though you are a City fan!

 

[Melody2]

Hi all, Well we now have our caravan! Lets just say its not quite as we thought it would be and it certainly will be a project! It does need more work than we initally thought, but i

 

[colin-yorkshire]

hi melody and welcome

I see you managed to get the van home and a tow bar on the rover how did it tow???

and to answer your question it depends on the van if it is cris registered (caravan registration identification scheme)they should have given you a certificate, to find out if it is registered there will be a sticker on the window with a number this number is the vans identity code also there should be instructions manuals for such things as fridge, water heater, fire,cooker,ect.

however with a old van the paper work can get lost over the years so you would not always get them on purchase.

the first van we bought was like a shed on wheels it had not been used for years and was 15 years old when we got it it had damp and nothing worked ( not that there was much in it in those days )two ring burner and a fridge(luxury indeed )I spent the whole winter doing it up in the freezing cold the wife made all the curtains and seat covers and I built the whole of the inside again ( and some of the outside )probably weighed 5cwt more by the time we had done but we loved it and was sad to see it go when we changed to a motor home 10 years later when the kids had left home.

so enjoy the challenge it will definitly be worth it next summer.

colin

 

[Melody2]

Hi Colin. Thanks for your reply. Well it did tow ok and my other half managed to get it here after a four hour journey. My other half just wanted to get it back here so didnt bother to ask to see anything working or even look inside units ect... (sigh!) So (and this is genuine) below is the original and then the acurate description of our new van (I wasnt smiling last night, but i have to now to save my sanity): Seperate shower, hot and cold water= No shower, no hot water. Warm and dry inside= Front main panel of van damp. Tidy inside and out= Well it was after i removed 12 very very old eggs from the fridge, lots of mould, a bin liner of rubbish.... Lets just say i was ready for divorce last night!!! Anyway in the sunshine today after siliconing the seals around the front window, stripping everything out to try and dry out cushions, curtains ect inside... I did manage to start visualising using it next year. It will certainly give me something to do when the kids are at school. Next weekend i am going to atempt to test the internal electrics ect... I will keep all posted.

Thanks again, take care

Melody

 

[Parksy]

Hi Melody

I have been following this thread to see how you got on, and I'm sorry that your caravan was not everything that you'd hoped.

I'm no expert, but if the caravan was advertised as having a seperate shower etc. and this is not the case then surely you could obtain some redress?

If the caravan doesn't have hot water dont worry too much,its easy to boil a kettle. Our first caravan didn't have a hot water system, and we managed ok. Sometimes it can be more fun to go to the wash up area on campsites that have them where you can meet other caravanners and share a squirt of fairy liquid with them. There are loads of places that sell recycled bits and pieces for most caravans and you can make the caravan your own by putting in a bit of new carpet, or curtains or seat covers. The main thing is for your family to enjoy using it, you probably wont spend much tme sitting about in it anyway.

Good Luck

 

[Melody2]

Hi Steve and Cal, Thanks for your message. I rung the guy who we had brought it off to ask about the seperate shower and he told me that it did have a hose to attach to the tap but if it wasnt in the van he must of mislaid it (typical) and he thought that it did have hot water but he had had it standing in a field for a long time and couldnt remember! So i just left it at that. To be honest my husband in my eyes is more at fault than the original owner, i mean, i can understand him worrying about the driveing ect... but should of had a quick check over inside to say the least! It has got good tyres and the chassis and hitch ect.. are in good nick, so I still think that we have resonable deal as we only paid a few hundred for it. I have got a heater on inside it now and a dehumidifyer and fingers crossed the front panel can be dried out, treated and saved, anywaytime wil tell.

Take care

Melody

 

[robert_374339586]

try a weekend to start with youll be amazed how easy it is rob