New caravaner in Durham

[Janet_374461243]

Hi

Just bought our first caravan (2 berth 1987 Elddis Mistral) and brought it home last night. Off to Scotland on Sunday for 10 days or so. Looking for any advice and tips.

Janet and Jay X

 

[Parksy]

Hi Janet & Jay

Welcome to the forum and indeed to caravanning.

Advice and tips, Hmm....

There are loads on the forum but my general advice would be -

Don't overload your caravan or exceed your noseweight.

Check basics such as lights, brakes, tyres and make sure that your wheelnuts are tight.

Write a list or compile one on your computer to print off and save for future trips of your hitching up procedure and things that you must take with you such as keys, steady winder and so on.

Add basic clothing requirements to your list (my partner forgot to pack her unmentionables once and she had to buy new ones)but buy the majority of your food at supermarkets near to your destination if possible.

For Scotland take some anti midge precautions, members recommend Avon Skin so Soft but above all take your time and enjoy yourselves even when things don't go smoothly at first.

There are some tutorials and other tips for beginners accessible from clickable links via the website homepage.

http://www.practicalcaravan.com/beginners/index.html
I hope that you spend many happy days in your caravan

 

[Oklahoma]

Hi and welcome from another caravaner in Co. Durham!!

 

[Pat_374304630]

Greetings from Northampton.

Hope you have a good time in Scotland.

 

[Janet_374461243]

Thanks Parksy for those tips.

Never thought about the midges even thought we have been to Scotland a few times. We are really looking forward to it and your "take your time and enjoy" is what we hope to do.

Thank you and the others for the warm welcome. I will no doubt be back for more tips and ideas soon.

Janet XX

 

[Barkas]

Hi Janet. How far are you heading up throo Scotland ? The Scottish Parliment has started its RET (Road Equivalent Tarrif) on the Cal Mac ferry services to the Western Isles. This means that they are subsidizing those routes and the fares are 25% cheaper than last year to encourage tourism and economic growth and you can make a big saving with a caravan and car, a lot of caravans are up there now. B4 you depart go to WWW.MIDGEFORECAST.CO.UK this site will keep you right, its updated daily by volunteers and is bang on accurate. Lavender oil mixed amongst a carrier cream such as sun tan is a winner against the midge and you smell nice too. Book well ahead, Scotlands sites are booming this year as the recession stops people traveling abroad, its never been as busy up here on the sites even in remote areas, and finally watch out for the bilingual English/Gaelic road signs, there have been accidents with confused people stopping to read them and doing U turns. Cheers

 

[Janet_374461243]

Hi Barkas

Not too sure how far we will get - both a bit nervous about the whole touring/caravanning thing. So just gonna take our time.

We have travelled quite a bit by car in Scotland doing the B&B thing so we have a couple of spots we want to revisit, mainly on West coast (including Skye) Idea is to find a base then spend some time doing the narrow scenic roads in the car and coming back to van in evening. One of tonight's jobs is to work out where to book our sites. Any good sites to recommend?

Thanks for the midge tips too

Janet X

 

[Barkas]

Hi Janet. I can recommend a good site, the sites on Skye are VERY busy at the moment, a lot of people race over there to get on the island and miss a little gem 3 miles before the Skye bridge. try the( RERAIG CARAVAN SITE)it has a website. It is situ at Balmacara, its clean, tidy, comfortable,and clean toilet block....(some toilet blocks on the island are a bit wild) and no noisy family camping and its run by people who care, at

 

[Janet_374461243]

Hi Barkas

Thank you again for that. We love that part of Scotland. Really looking forward to it all now. Glad I have been off work this week as it is harder than I thought sorting out the caravan for the first time. The tips on here have certainly helped me though.

Janet X

 

[Douglas_374404558]

Janet great CC Site at Morvich not far from the othersite mentioned earlier very quiet and good access to some great walks.great 4 Skye. couple of hrs from Inverness 1 hr or so from Ft William 20 minutes from Skye good clean well run site easy to miss from main road so take care if going have a great time whereever you go .you can book online if you are a member .all the best

Duggie