Scotch lad, no offence meant but some of your observations may be incorrect unless I have misunderstood them. Before posting any observations, try and do a bit more research like we did prior to moving onto a site permanently or try it yourself for a couple of months. Our maths showed that we made the right decision.
As for space, we have the whole caravan park to wander around safely. At home I guess you use the lounge, bedroom and kitchen so size becomes irrelevant as we have the awning which is larger than our previous lounge and we use this frequently even on the coldest night in winter as we have gas heating in the awning on a seperate feed from another gas bottle.
Our fees have not changed in the past two years and will not in the forthcoming year as there are many sites that are very happy to take on respectable permanent caravanners as these are the people that allow the site to continue functioning instead of closing down. I suppose in a way we are beneficial to those that tour around as we help keep the site viable.
On our site we have at least 3 other pemanents. Last year it was just 2 and next year they are expecting more, mainly the higher middle aged bracket people. This says something about our housing situation in Britain. IMHO too many immigrants and not enough housing. On the other large site nearby there are also a few permanents.
Although we can stay 11 months, we have to leave for a month as then we are not regarded as permanents and the council is happy. We are not obliged to pay council tax directly but we do pay it indirectly through our pitch fees. Whilst we continue to let people into Britain to stay, there will always be a housing shortage for the average born and bred British individual and they will always be at the bottom of that housing list. The government needs to wake up to this fact as it is something we all know and do not require an expensive inquiry to tell us this.
Being a warden is a good idea if you do not have any other gainful employment or are unemployed but remember this ties you down. I don't think I could clean up other people's mess i.e. sick etc in the toilets. The rest I do not have a problem with doing but to me it is not an option I would consider unless really desperate.
As for space, we have the whole caravan park to wander around safely. At home I guess you use the lounge, bedroom and kitchen so size becomes irrelevant as we have the awning which is larger than our previous lounge and we use this frequently even on the coldest night in winter as we have gas heating in the awning on a seperate feed from another gas bottle.
Our fees have not changed in the past two years and will not in the forthcoming year as there are many sites that are very happy to take on respectable permanent caravanners as these are the people that allow the site to continue functioning instead of closing down. I suppose in a way we are beneficial to those that tour around as we help keep the site viable.
On our site we have at least 3 other pemanents. Last year it was just 2 and next year they are expecting more, mainly the higher middle aged bracket people. This says something about our housing situation in Britain. IMHO too many immigrants and not enough housing. On the other large site nearby there are also a few permanents.
Although we can stay 11 months, we have to leave for a month as then we are not regarded as permanents and the council is happy. We are not obliged to pay council tax directly but we do pay it indirectly through our pitch fees. Whilst we continue to let people into Britain to stay, there will always be a housing shortage for the average born and bred British individual and they will always be at the bottom of that housing list. The government needs to wake up to this fact as it is something we all know and do not require an expensive inquiry to tell us this.
Being a warden is a good idea if you do not have any other gainful employment or are unemployed but remember this ties you down. I don't think I could clean up other people's mess i.e. sick etc in the toilets. The rest I do not have a problem with doing but to me it is not an option I would consider unless really desperate.
Ian,
No offence taken, it is a Forum after all. As I have also already said, to each his own. I appreciate all the comments and wish anyone who wants to do this, well. Just as long as you have looked ahead possibly 10 to 15 years and kept your options open.
But I won't ever understand the logic as stated. My own daughter is single, has a normal job, she is good but not a high earner, and has managed to buy her own home. She struggles yes, but is slowly but surely getting ahead. My son is doing the same as a train driver. Now people opting out because they wish a different lifestyle is one thing. A bit like 'The Good Life' I suppose. But for other reasons suggests to me a bit of 'frying pan and fire', but I accept it may work for some.
New immigrants are not buying up the houses, at least not yet. Those that have bought have been here for many years and nobody bothered. What has forced prices up is greed pure and simple based on the availability of cheap credit. This of course is about to end so I expect corrections in house prices.
We shall have to see, in the meantime as mentioned, good luck to all doing this.
No offence taken, it is a Forum after all. As I have also already said, to each his own. I appreciate all the comments and wish anyone who wants to do this, well. Just as long as you have looked ahead possibly 10 to 15 years and kept your options open.
But I won't ever understand the logic as stated. My own daughter is single, has a normal job, she is good but not a high earner, and has managed to buy her own home. She struggles yes, but is slowly but surely getting ahead. My son is doing the same as a train driver. Now people opting out because they wish a different lifestyle is one thing. A bit like 'The Good Life' I suppose. But for other reasons suggests to me a bit of 'frying pan and fire', but I accept it may work for some.
New immigrants are not buying up the houses, at least not yet. Those that have bought have been here for many years and nobody bothered. What has forced prices up is greed pure and simple based on the availability of cheap credit. This of course is about to end so I expect corrections in house prices.
We shall have to see, in the meantime as mentioned, good luck to all doing this.
OK. First steps now taken, and we are due to commence our permanent caravanning later this year. Main problem was the 28 day rule. Easily solved if you then stay away from the site for 24 hours. (Varies with sites).
Main problem at the moment is an 'address'. Any advice on how others have got round this, would be welcome.
We are going ahead, whatever. The financial savings far outweigh the disadvantages.
Like we originally said. It probably won't suit everybody, but it's the route we're taking.
Main problem at the moment is an 'address'. Any advice on how others have got round this, would be welcome.
We are going ahead, whatever. The financial savings far outweigh the disadvantages.
Like we originally said. It probably won't suit everybody, but it's the route we're taking.
Hi Ogre
Best of luck with this venture. Please keep us informed of your progress as I for one, would be interested in your findings, as I have a son who also feels defeated before he begins with the prices of property. Best wishes,
Chris
Best of luck with this venture. Please keep us informed of your progress as I for one, would be interested in your findings, as I have a son who also feels defeated before he begins with the prices of property. Best wishes,
Chris
Use a relative or a friend's address. Look for sites where you can stay longer than 28 days. If CC find out that you are working and using the caravan as a residence they generally ask you to leave anyway before 28 days is up. Ask the moderator to put you in contact with me.
Happy for him to do this, but not sure how to.
Thanks for your help Ian. It's very much appreciated.
YOU at least realise that not all of us can just continue to pay out more and more money week in week for bills and rents when wages don't increase at all to cover it.
That's the reality.
Ogre/Full Timer
Just come back from the NEC where we have upgraded our two berth for something more suited to full time caravanning. House is now sold and we are looking forward to moving into our new acquisition in the New Year.
I would be very interested in hearing how you cope with some of the difficulties that arise from full time caravanning.
Barking we have been doing this for nearly 2 years and if you wish, you may ask the moderator to put you in touch with myself as I may have some good advice to offer.
Barking if you want some indepth knowledge I may be able to offer this as we have been full timing for nealry two years. judging by the number of posts concerning this matter on thsi forum and others, it seems that quite a number of people are now looking at this option. I have offer wondered at the true figures for people taking this option excluding travellers.
Ian/Ogre/Fulltimer
I have a hotmail account that is virtually dormant - barking50@hotmail.co.uk - I am happy to post here. please feel free to email me there. If more than one takes up the offer we can begin a blog or somethuing!
I have a hotmail account that is virtually dormant - barking50@hotmail.co.uk - I am happy to post here. please feel free to email me there. If more than one takes up the offer we can begin a blog or somethuing!
best of luck I have been on a few sites that look like they have full timers I also dont imagine many site operators would be counting days and reporting to council.My brother in law has a static on Peppermint Park in Dawlish Warren and it is open 11 months a year,nobody goes round logging in how long you are there.Hope it works out for you
Hi Ian,
I saw this post and I am in a similar situation as the original poster Keith. I would very much like to make contact with you to discuss some finer points regarding undertaking such an adventure.
We are in the West Midlands and needing to decide exactly how to go about this fairly quickly due to circumstances. So I would like to know if I could contact you off list as you suggested to Keith.
Thank you for considering my request.
Sarah and Sammuel
I saw this post and I am in a similar situation as the original poster Keith. I would very much like to make contact with you to discuss some finer points regarding undertaking such an adventure.
We are in the West Midlands and needing to decide exactly how to go about this fairly quickly due to circumstances. So I would like to know if I could contact you off list as you suggested to Keith.
Thank you for considering my request.
Sarah and Sammuel
Sarah and Samuel please ask the mod to pass on my contact email address to yourselves. There are already three of us that keep in contact from time to time and between us I am sure we can pass some knowledge onto yourselves. We are also min teh West Midlands near worcester.
OK. First update to tell you all that we have now taken the plunge and moved out of our horribly expensive flat, and into our caravan.
First month we have seen torrential rain, mud in the awning, a flat battery on the car (fair wear and tear), awning almost ripped from the ground by gale force winds, sub-zero temperatures down to minus 4, and a cat in the awning!
Not downhearted in the slightest. The way we've looked at it, is that it has been the initiation from hell.......and we passed! We've taken a number of things on board from some of the other regular permanent site people, and they have been invaluable. Now, we peg the awning down with proper rope. We have double steel pegs on all guy ropes, and awning skirts. We have invested in a few extra poles to spread the roof area a bit more to prevent rain pooling.
All in all I wish we'd done this many years ago. Stress is now a thing of the past. We are saving a small fortune on not being at the mercy of greedy utility companies, the landlord, councils and governments who always think that you can find more and more money for THEM out of wages which simply don't go up.
Looking forward to our first Christmas in our new home....and it IS home now. We are enjoying every minute of it. We have over 40 channels of TV via a TV and freeview box.....and YES (for the snoopers), we DO have a TV licence so have nothing to hide.
We can also receive internet, so we are once again in touch with the outside world.
The cat? Well, the other night I went out of the awning to change our gas bottle, and when I came back in, i thought something brushed past my leg..........!!!!!! Thought it was my wife, but it was creeping............!!
This super little cat with a collar had wandered in. Friendly, and well fed, and with a name collar on the site, so we will see it again I'm sure. Frightened me to bloody death! Gave it an encouraging cuddle and chucked it back out into the night.
There are hundreds of rabbits here, and so no doubt it will find another playmate soon.
Anyway. A Merry Christmas to you all, and we'll send update 2 as and when.
First month we have seen torrential rain, mud in the awning, a flat battery on the car (fair wear and tear), awning almost ripped from the ground by gale force winds, sub-zero temperatures down to minus 4, and a cat in the awning!
Not downhearted in the slightest. The way we've looked at it, is that it has been the initiation from hell.......and we passed! We've taken a number of things on board from some of the other regular permanent site people, and they have been invaluable. Now, we peg the awning down with proper rope. We have double steel pegs on all guy ropes, and awning skirts. We have invested in a few extra poles to spread the roof area a bit more to prevent rain pooling.
All in all I wish we'd done this many years ago. Stress is now a thing of the past. We are saving a small fortune on not being at the mercy of greedy utility companies, the landlord, councils and governments who always think that you can find more and more money for THEM out of wages which simply don't go up.
Looking forward to our first Christmas in our new home....and it IS home now. We are enjoying every minute of it. We have over 40 channels of TV via a TV and freeview box.....and YES (for the snoopers), we DO have a TV licence so have nothing to hide.
We can also receive internet, so we are once again in touch with the outside world.
The cat? Well, the other night I went out of the awning to change our gas bottle, and when I came back in, i thought something brushed past my leg..........!!!!!! Thought it was my wife, but it was creeping............!!
This super little cat with a collar had wandered in. Friendly, and well fed, and with a name collar on the site, so we will see it again I'm sure. Frightened me to bloody death! Gave it an encouraging cuddle and chucked it back out into the night.
There are hundreds of rabbits here, and so no doubt it will find another playmate soon.
Anyway. A Merry Christmas to you all, and we'll send update 2 as and when.
In what part of the country have you re-located yourselves? We have not had too much wind down here in Worcestershire and the River Severn seems to be behaving itself. So no worries at present. Look forward to your next update.
Rather you than me. Have you ever thought if you had an accident [god forebid] or if one of you were very ill?
Can you carry on when you are older?
To much to chance for me.
Edd
Can you carry on when you are older?
To much to chance for me.
Edd
I am sorry but I agree with EssexEddie. I am too old to go live in a field for the rest of my days. Summers yes, no problems, winters, no. I like a hot bath every night. Plus I need at least 2 spare rooms, one for my wife's hobbies and one for mine.
Plus, I have paid through the nose over 25+ years for my mortgage. It is now cleared and therefore I am going to enjoy the fruits of my (our) labours.
Plus, I have paid through the nose over 25+ years for my mortgage. It is now cleared and therefore I am going to enjoy the fruits of my (our) labours.
Give up your jobs. Claim you are too ill to work (M.E. is a good one as it cannot be proved you do or don't have it). Claim disability allowance and careers allowance for each other. Get a car through the mobility scheme (saves you the costs of owning a car minus except the fuel). You now have enough "points" for a council house. Claim benefits for the rent and council tax and hey presto - you are now better of then when you worked and you have a house! ( I know this works because someone I know very well has just done this) Yes it makes me mad too but you know what they say - if you can't beat them join them. Good luck to you both and maybe we can meet up and compare our new mobility cars in the new year.
Location: Classified, and will remain so. We have found a good spot, and that's all we are saying. Thanks again for your info Ian. We WILL meet one day, I'm sure. Weather has been pretty rough, but it's only weather. At least we won't have tiles sliding off the roof.
Illness: Who REALLY wants to live longer than neccessary in this lousy overpriced country? When we go, we go. Might sound odd, but we have no wish to carry on too long, having seen the generally appalling way pensioners are treated in the UK. That, I'm afraid, is our reflection on life in general in the UK at the moment. It's rubbish. Basically most people are running themselves ragged trying to deal with ever increasing costs due to incompetant government at both local and national level.
We've opted out of the rat race. It's that simple. We don't care about material possessions, or what other people have or don't have. We have each other, and we love each other, and that is the most precious gift of all in our book.
Hobbies: Have more time for them now than we've ever had. It takes us three minutes to 'hoover' the house now!!
We are NOT in a field Scotch Lad.Thought we'd covered that one!!
We can have a bath whenever we want, shower daily, and have all mod cons on site.
As we originally said. It may not suit everybody, but we are just fine. More updates as and when.
Happy Christmas to you all, or whatever you celebrate.
Illness: Who REALLY wants to live longer than neccessary in this lousy overpriced country? When we go, we go. Might sound odd, but we have no wish to carry on too long, having seen the generally appalling way pensioners are treated in the UK. That, I'm afraid, is our reflection on life in general in the UK at the moment. It's rubbish. Basically most people are running themselves ragged trying to deal with ever increasing costs due to incompetant government at both local and national level.
We've opted out of the rat race. It's that simple. We don't care about material possessions, or what other people have or don't have. We have each other, and we love each other, and that is the most precious gift of all in our book.
Hobbies: Have more time for them now than we've ever had. It takes us three minutes to 'hoover' the house now!!
We are NOT in a field Scotch Lad.Thought we'd covered that one!!
We can have a bath whenever we want, shower daily, and have all mod cons on site.As we originally said. It may not suit everybody, but we are just fine. More updates as and when.
Happy Christmas to you all, or whatever you celebrate.
Merry Xmas and good luck, Keep updating this journal it's a facinating subject.
Rob - Dawlish !!
Rob - Dawlish !!
Rob, Thank you for your post. A Happy New Year to you when it arrives.
Colin, although I understand what you are saying, we couldn't possibly ever go that route. It would be completely dishonest and wrong. We know that countless thousands DO con the benefits system, but it's not for us. I don't know how people can live like that if I'm honest.
The fact is, you've more chance of getting a council house (if you wanted one...and we don't), these days if you're the laziest louse on the planet, than if you have worked hard all your lives (as we have), and genuinely need help.
The way we've chosen to live is the way that tens of thousands of families will live in the future. We are absolutely certain about this. There simply aren't enough properties, and wages are tumbling day by day due to the migrant influx. It's a Catch 22 situation, where even current rents are unaffordable. Mortgages requiring 12 times the average income are just too stupid to even consider. The 'average income' is, let's face it, always considerably less than the politically massaged official figures would have you believe. Average income is
Colin, although I understand what you are saying, we couldn't possibly ever go that route. It would be completely dishonest and wrong. We know that countless thousands DO con the benefits system, but it's not for us. I don't know how people can live like that if I'm honest.
The fact is, you've more chance of getting a council house (if you wanted one...and we don't), these days if you're the laziest louse on the planet, than if you have worked hard all your lives (as we have), and genuinely need help.
The way we've chosen to live is the way that tens of thousands of families will live in the future. We are absolutely certain about this. There simply aren't enough properties, and wages are tumbling day by day due to the migrant influx. It's a Catch 22 situation, where even current rents are unaffordable. Mortgages requiring 12 times the average income are just too stupid to even consider. The 'average income' is, let's face it, always considerably less than the politically massaged official figures would have you believe. Average income is
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