Permanent Caravanning.

[Gybe]

homes

We had a couple park their motor home outside our home last weekend. The were fulltiming in it. I offered them a power hook up for the night from my home, which they were very greatfull for. Mind you, someone dobbed me into the housing warden and she told me off. But hey ho water of a ducks back and all that. She is definately a NIMBY and if she had to live without her house and mod cons, she wouldn't have a clue how to be self sufficiant.

Well done Steve! Nothing wrong with a visiting guest in a motorhome or caravan for an odd night or two! We've had 9 caravans 3 motorhomes and a GoldWing trike with foldiing camping trailer as well as our own caravan at ours. Lovely lady from the council Environmental Health came buy had a look at everything and had a coffee and cake

and asked if she could come back with her husband and children the next day.

 

[stuey]

hi steveinleo and gybe (hope i spelt that right the page disappears in reply ?) lol

yepp working in civvy street steve but still fulltiming and wow i bet your guests were delighted not to blighted !! im certain the other half dont know or appreciate this lifestyle, its chilling , relaxing, secure in that i know i can move my home to a job rather than move out of home to a job still loving every minute of my luxury caravan (1st sleepless night in a long time night before last as the wind threw buckets and other loose objects around under the caravan through the night lol )

 

[stuey]

[/quote]
Well done Steve! Nothing wrong with a visiting guest in a motorhome or caravan for an odd night or two! We've had 9 caravans 3 motorhomes and a GoldWing trike with foldiing camping trailer as well as our own caravan at ours. Lovely lady from the council Environmental Health came buy had a look at everything and had a coffee and cake

and asked if she could come back with her husband and children the next day.
[/quote]

yepp cant beat a compassionate environmental person !!
need a few more of them around to keep this lifestyle sweet

 

[abi2]

Well, that took some reading ! Have read through the whole lot and what an interesting thread....
I too have been doing this for 18 months, not a lifestyle choice ..but purely economical reasons, as I'm now widowed and nowhere near retirement, a lot of working years ahead yet.
Living on one wage and renting was completely draining my finances! and although was not a homeowner, am a caravan owner, and knew a couple of friends that where already here, so I've tried this out as an alterative. I have no problem with bricks and mortar, and if it was affordable I might go back but my outgoings are now low enough that I can save money regularly, and rainy days are covered (plenty of them!) thing is, I do love my own home!
Ogre, you are so right and I think there are more of us than we know, maybe one day maybe this would be made easier to do, I believe after ww2 because of the housing shortage it was done? but thats a long time ago....
This is a touring site where a few others do the same, we all work full time and just try to live quietly and mix with the tourers when site is full.
Life is good, been through 2 winters (nearly) and have survived. As was said before, it's a friendly way of life we look out for each other. I feel at home here (and its mine) more than I did before.
And as for touring, I still love it, got a small campervan now (It's my car as well) and can still get away for hols.

 

[stuey]

hi abi 2
im glad your loving this lifestyle along with probably an unknown number of others....it wasnt initially a lifestyle choice for me either tho i certainly cant afford a house now ! i choose to be in a low paid job (much less stress) so in turn i guess ive chosen this lifestyle. suits me in more ways than it doesnt ! i would love to find an area to settle in tho, working seasonally for the CCC as a 'lone worker' does mean different sites most seasons .... very nomadic ! lol

 

[grody]

Awwww, has this thread finally died, and just as I find it??? I do hope not. There are going to be an ever increasing number of people making this decision as the recession gets deeper and deeper, and I am now going to be one of them - more on this later.

Like abi2 above, I have just re-read the whole thread. Initially I got about 10 pages in, but then realised that I'd hit a motherlode and so went back to the beginning to read AND also make notes of the wonderful gems in here. So much pain and endurance shows through, but also so much pioneering, never-say-die spirit too. I just hope that this resource can be kept alive but, on registering as a new member, I couldn't get the search to pull this thread up. Fortunately I'd already bookmarked it.

I'm thinking of typing out the bullet notes I've made whilst reading it all - some will help others, some will only be relevant to me - but surely there would be a way of then sharing these summarised points and then also letting others add to it too. Any suggestions how, people???

I too am facing this decision to become a PC-er but, in my case, it doesn't need much thought. At 62 I am being divorced by someone who, ironically, will possibly suffer more than me as a result. There will be little to salvage financially for each of us but she at least retains the family's support. I am now choosing to move to another part of the UK and to build a new life completely. Despite no previous experience of caravanning, buying a van + tow car and heading S from here in Yorkshire seems not only an adventure, but offers the chance to sample other parts of the UK in the hope of finding somewhere, anywhere, that makes my spirit feel at home. I'm open to suggestions, although peace and quiet and warmer weather will always get a big tick from me.

A great big thank you to Ogre and all those who followed on for their amazing experiences. I have learned much but have so much, much more still to learn. I am deeply grateful for having found this thread as it has made me more confident of turning this life change into a positive one.

 

[Surfer]

The biggest hurdle is finding a site that allows you to stay semi permanent. Most sites will require you to move off for a month or two. If heading south, there is a site in Stourport on Severn wheer you may be able to stay for 11 months of the year. It is called Redstone Park and also has a clubhouse. I know because we lived there for 2 1/2 years!

 

[grody]

Thanks Surfer - good to know some of the famous names are still on here! I'll make a note of that site, thanks. I'm planning to join the CC (as the C & CC seems too have a mixed reputation at best) so will browse through their sites list and look for the CL ones as, from all the posts I read through, these >might< offer a bit more flexibility over periods apparently.
At first though I'm not really looking for long term sites, more planning to drift around trying to find myself a new home in the world. Right now, in the warmth of the home I still have for the moment, I have an irrational and illogical yearning (for a Yorkshireman) to roost in Devon but I also hear all the less good things about Devon too i.e. expensive, busy, snooty but I perhaps need to get down there and try it out - which, after all, is what this living method will allow. Maybe once I find somewhere that clicks I'll settle down for a bit, as long as there is some work I can make a crust at. My micro-pension will get lifted a little in 3 years at 65 but in the interim I need a job! I'm pretty practical and have a wide range of skills so I'll have a go at almost anything - my new status also means I don't have the option of pride anymore either!

 

[ed1]

Yep, looking like us too in the next few months or within the year, we have tried to weather the storm of the last 5 years of recession in the building trade. My hubby is laid off again for the next 3 weeks, which means no money, no paying bills...luckily our son helps us out until the next lot of money hopefully comes in. Thankfully, or not, depends how you look at it, we bought our current van, 3 days before the recession hit, and it's the 1 thing, apart from the house , and the car, that we have tried to keep hold of, knowing that 1 day when the mortgage didn't get paid we at least would have somewhere to live. It doesn't upset me or concern me one bit that this is a reality now. We are thank full that we have much more with our wonderful (adult) children, and grandchildren, and 2 beautiful dogs. Just think of all the fresh air, and the lovely summer weather. We have a theory that when that day comes when we pull off the drive, we get to the roundabout at the bottom of the hill and it will be simply a left or right. Left to France, right to Scotland

 

[grody]

Wow, so much to learn. Advice I'm getting is to pick either a Trooper, Shogun or poss Nissan Patrol in Diesel Auto version as a tow car - any comments on this please? Obviously a old/cheap one though - hope I can swop it for the 2006 330d I have at the mo, which has been such a great car, except that on damp grass it would just sit there and laugh at you! Hmmm - it has got to go.

 

[Surfer]

Wow, so much to learn. Advice I'm getting is to pick either a Trooper, Shogun or poss Nissan Patrol in Diesel Auto version as a tow car - any comments on this please? Obviously a old/cheap one though - hope I can swop it for the 2006 330d I have at the mo, which has been such a great car, except that on damp grass it would just sit there and laugh at you! Hmmm - it has got to go.

For reliability you cannot beat a Landcruiser and they are relatively cheap to service.

 

[bailey2007]

Empty post (likely not intentional - probably an Internet Explorer issue!)

 

[abi2]

hello to all, not been here for a while, still fulltiming, and everythings good...
caravan & awning hasn't let me down even after two winters!
I am still in the same place and I don't have to move anytime soon, but could do if it was needed.
good luck with your plans, I will check in again

 

[colin-yorkshire1]

Thanks Surfer - good to know some of the famous names are still on here! I'll make a note of that site, thanks. I'm planning to join the CC (as the C & CC seems too have a mixed reputation at best) so will browse through their sites list and look for the CL ones as, from all the posts I read through, these >might< offer a bit more flexibility over periods apparently.
At first though I'm not really looking for long term sites, more planning to drift around trying to find myself a new home in the world. Right now, in the warmth of the home I still have for the moment, I have an irrational and illogical yearning (for a Yorkshireman) to roost in Devon but I also hear all the less good things about Devon too i.e. expensive, busy, snooty but I perhaps need to get down there and try it out -

hi grody, as a fellow yorkshireman I can tell you theres nothing wrong with yearning for a life in devon, would be there myself if I could afford it, yes it a bit more expensive than up here, but not by much, and the people are not snooty by majority most are friendly and very helpfull just ask Kev, on the site front have you thought about applying for a position as an assistant warden, gives you a place of residence and a job, with plenty of spare time to seek part time employment elsewhere, just a thought!! hope it all goes well for you and all the other full timers, as the saying goes here but for the grace of god go I, 1984 and all that!!.

 

[Parksy]

Hi Bailey,
Unfortunately the text of your post has failed to load to the message board.It's highly likely that the reason for this will be your choice of web browser. Contrary to popular belief most versions of Internet Explorer use older incomplete codes which do not automatically update and which do not comply with present day internet technology. Microsoft recognise the problem and have come up with a way to resolve this issue, Click Here for instructions on how to activate the Internet Explorer compatibility mode. Alternatively you might like to choose a more up to date web browser such as Mozilla Firefox

 

[Parksy]

Wow, so much to learn. Advice I'm getting is to pick either a Trooper, Shogun or poss Nissan Patrol in Diesel Auto version as a tow car - any comments on this please? Obviously a old/cheap one though - hope I can swop it for the 2006 330d I have at the mo, which has been such a great car, except that on damp grass it would just sit there and laugh at you! Hmmm - it has got to go.

Hi Grody,
The Permanent Caravanning thread is still active but as with every other thread, unless it is added to it slides down the data list until it moves off the message boards.
Sorry to learn about your impending divorce, been there, was robbed of the T shirt and just about everything else but chin up, you never know whats round the corner.
After my ex decided (wrongly as it turned out for her) that the grass would be greener elsewhere I rebuilt my life, my son's became men and when they had chance they all came to live within a few minutes of where I am, and I've been blissfully happy with my partner for the past 14 years now so onwards and upwards is the only way for you to go

As far as reliable towcars are concerned I'd strongly recommend a 2.8 td Shogun, I'm on my second Pajero which is the grey import version and they are bomb proof.
They can be a bit thirsty as can all heavy 4x4s ( between 20 mpg towing a 1650kg t/a caravan up to 28mpg solo) but low maintenance costs, low road tax and insurance help to offset high fuel costs.
Expect to pay around £2000 for a good clean T plate Shoggie or less if you decide to buy from a motor auction such as Brightwells 4x4 auctions of Leominster who will look after you if you are an auction virgin.
Good Luck

 

[grody]

Thanks Parksy - that auction house is amazing, pity it's so far away but I'm going to keep an eye on it. I'm OK with auctions - my last 5 cars have all been bought at auction. As long as you don't expect perfection, you'll always get on fine there. The case for me is that you'll buy a car at far less than forecourt prices but without any warranty. If you're careful/lucky, you'll get to keep the money you save. If you are careless/unlucky, you'll probably spend, with the repairs, what you would have spent on the forecourt. The only time I came a cropper was when I knee-jerked after missing something I wanted - and ended up buying a disaster, which I then had to put back into the auctions 3 weeks later - an expensive lesson!

You say a Shogun and that's fine - but why have you gone for the Pajero, rather than a Shogun?

PS: I'm sure I'm not alone in wondering just how similar to Father Jack you actually look!!!!

 

[Parksy]

Hi Grody
Father Jack is my slightly better looking body double

I bought the Pajero because it was slightly cheaper, it has climate control which comparable Shoguns didn't usually have at the time and has automatic transmission which is good for towing and especially reversing a fairly heavy caravan which doesn't have a motor mover fitted. Herself preferred the Pajero paint job as well, although I can live with any colour as long as no rust or rot is present.
If I was buying now I'd go for something like a 5 speed manual T plate Shogun td with heated leather seats, cruise control, air con and a sunroof because later model British spec. Shoggies were given the extras which had been standard on Japanese spec. Pajero's for several years.

You can open an online wish list with Brightwells and they will email details of vehicles that you are interested in and you can also get details of the vehicles which failed to sell and which often have 'buy it now' guide prices.
That auction house will mentor auction virgins through their sales, they are not out to catch people out or to cheat buyers.
Quite often there are sales of dealership part ex 4x4s, many of which have guaranteed mileage, service history and fairly long MOTs.
Government departments such as Environment also sell well looked after 4x4s through Brightwells and if you have a few quid to speculate an enterprising experienced auction buyer could make himself a few bob by tidying up, MOT testing and re-selling the 4x4s through online auction websites and free internet adverts.

 

[bailey2007]

Hi
We have been living in our caravan two months now after deciding with this bedroom tax we could no longer afford to pay all our bills on our wages.
After going away in march in the snow!! my oldest daughter mentioned to us i dont know why you dont give up the house and live in your caravan as you spend lots of time in it.
With much thought and working out the sums we decided it wasnt such a bad idea, after a month of packing up the sentimental items and storing in my oldest daughters garage we handed our house keys in at the end of April and begun our new life with our teenage daughter, dog, hamster and a gerbil!
We are members of both clubs so plotted on the calender what sites we were going to stay on near our work we roughly worked out staying on each one for a max of three weeks as to not get bored we dont find it a hassle to pack up and move, for the winter months we haved booked into one with electrics and hardstanding from nov to march.
So far we do not regret it one bit no more council tax etc to worry about, coming home after work and just relaxing etc is a joy.
Our outfit is a bailey pageant and a volvo v70

 

[Surfer]

Hi
We have been living in our caravan two months now after deciding with this bedroom tax we could no longer afford to pay all our bills on our wages.
After going away in march in the snow!! my oldest daughter mentioned to us i dont know why you dont give up the house and live in your caravan as you spend lots of time in it.
With much thought and working out the sums we decided it wasnt such a bad idea, after a month of packing up the sentimental items and storing in my oldest daughters garage we handed our house keys in at the end of April and begun our new life with our teenage daughter, dog, hamster and a gerbil!
We are members of both clubs so plotted on the calender what sites we were going to stay on near our work we roughly worked out staying on each one for a max of three weeks as to not get bored we dont find it a hassle to pack up and move, for the winter months we haved booked into one with electrics and hardstanding from nov to march.
So far we do not regret it one bit no more council tax etc to worry about, coming home after work and just relaxing etc is a joy.
Our outfit is a bailey pageant and a volvo v70

You will soon get tired of packing up and moving especially when it comes to the winter months. It must be costing you an arm and a leg using club sites especially in the high season. Why not try some CLs? We looked for a site that could take us 11 months of the year and then moved. Generally the sites with statics and seasonal would consider this. We paid a slightly higher rate than seasonal and paid on a monthly basis in advance and every one was happy!

 

[bailey2007]

Hi
It is CLs and CS we are using, for the winter months we have a permanant pitch.

 

[grody]

I've been spending a lot of time reading blog and site after blog and site, trying to become a "full-timing" expert (ha!) in as short a time as poss - but the one feature that seems to set me apart from many (but not all) others is ..... that I'll be doing all this on my own!

As a single person, there will be hurdles I will have to get past that couples doing this will not bat an eyelid about - hooking up the caravan being an obvious one - so is there a guide anywhere for the "single caravanner"?

If there is no such guide, then are there any obvious big issues that I should research or get training on or invest in that would give me a better chance of success?

 

[Parksy]

I'd have thought that being single as a full timer would be a distinct advantage Grody.
The lone hook up will come with practice or you could fit a downward facing mirror to the back of your towing vehicle. Alternatively if finances allow you could fit a reversing camera to your car for a 'hole in one' every time that you hook up

As a singleton you have only yourself to please, you decide your level of comfort for yourself and you can come and go as you please with the whole of the UK or even Europe as your back garden.
If you are happy with your own company you will be fine, and as a divorced male I can tell you that no matter where you live or what you live in you will learn a lot about yourself (and others) and if you are happy to be single you will come to value your own time and space.
Good Luck

 

[colin-yorkshire1]

As a single person, there will be hurdles I will have to get past that couples doing this will not bat an eyelid about - hooking up the caravan being an obvious one - so is there a guide anywhere for the "single caravanner"?

If there is no such guide, then are there any obvious big issues that I should research or get training on or invest in that would give me a better chance of success?

hi grody, the biggest hurdle I would have thought would be lonelyness, but it is easy to make friends on site quite quickly so it may not be a problem afterall,
hooking up the van on your own is no problem I have done it for years as the wife is disabled and cannot help, in fact it is better as there is no one second guessing you

all the time , even putting up a full sized awning on your own is easy with practice, although it does take longer, as for a guide dont know if one exists but the 420 posts on this thread must be as good as it gets, failing that I am sure any questions can easily be answered by "Steve in Leo" and others that have lived in their vans full time,

 

[grody]

Thanks everyone - and I take all your suggestions very seriously.
The one subject I expected to come up but didn't - well, not so far anyway - is the subject of a mover. All the reading I've done so far doesn't seem to mention them very often (if at all) but I'd assumed that when trying to position a 5 berth van (big, but there is a reason) on your own then I'd be better with one than without one. Obviously I can't comment on them from experience but the theory sounds good to me.