What is the worst weather you've ever caravaned in ??

[Mike_5041040]

Sitting down at home this evening, hearing the rain and hail stones hammering against the window and seeing the wind bending the trees and plants double in my garden,it got me thinking. What would it be like in my caravan right now ?

There must be lots of people in caravans, experiencing this weather up & down the country....is it a bit exciting or a bit nerve wracking....wondering if you'll suffer any damage or get any sleep !

I'm sure there are lots of stories to be told of 'storm weather caravanning'........what's yours ?

Cheers,

Mike.

 

[Lol1]

Nice Easter break near Harrogate. Freezing rain, high winds, being told to put the awning up while being battered by the elements in the dark, then being requested to take it down when the caravan rocked with the storm. But in between, snug as a bug in a rug. Love the sound of rain on the roof, love getting cosy by the fire, love Easter breaks.

 

[Viking1]

Nice Easter break near Harrogate. Freezing rain, high winds, being told to put the awning up while being battered by the elements in the dark, then being requested to take it down when the caravan rocked with the storm. But in between, snug as a bug in a rug. Love the sound of rain on the roof, love getting cosy by the fire, love Easter breaks.

The fist year we had the caravan we stop at Vaxll at Great Yarmouth and it most most of the week at one point the sit got a old swing tank on the back of a tractor.

The smell form it was bad and by Friday we went home and we said we would not be going back to that again as there was a lot of stuff that we did not like a bout the sit.

A part form that we been in the caravan while it been thunder and lighting and a bit wind and and had a go at put the awning up as well in the wind to.

Which I will not be do again.

I like the sound of the rain on the top of the van as well.

Mark

 

[Viking1]

The fist year we had the caravan we stop at Vaxll at Great Yarmouth and it most most of the week at one point the sit got a old swing tank on the back of a tractor.

The smell form it was bad and by Friday we went home and we said we would not be going back to that again as there was a lot of stuff that we did not like a bout the sit.

A part form that we been in the caravan while it been thunder and lighting and a bit wind and and had a go at put the awning up as well in the wind to.

Which I will not be do again.

I like the sound of the rain on the top of the van as well.

Mark

 

[BrianStAlbans]

We went to the Peak district for Xmas a several years ago and about half way there it began to snow. A few miles from the site the snow had settled and it was getting very dark. As the roads were narrow and we had a big twin axle on the back when I saw lights coming towards us I decided to stop and let the approaching vehicle though.What passed was quite worrying..A SNOW PLOUGH !!

We finally reached the site and as we pulled along side our pitch the caravan slide sideways down the slope and eventually stopped........exactly were it should have been, couldn't have parked it better if I'd tried.

We had a great time and luckily the snow cleared after a few days.

Brian (",)

 

[BeemerMal]

This brings back memories....In our early caravanning days in the late 70s, with 2 youngsters on board, we went to Bream Sands near Western Super Mare for a week. We arrived on site and there were already 5 vans located at one side of the site. We decided to pitch on the other side of the site, away from the other vans, where we had a great view of the bay and the pitch looked down on the beach.

We set up camp, erected the awning, which our boys had to sleep in, then settled in for the night. At 1am the wind got up to near gale force, it started raining heavily, by now the boys were in the van that was rocking about and did not seem very stable at all.

I spent 3 hours tryng to keep the awning from blowing away and finally at 5am, when it started to get light, the rain eased off a bit we took the awning down altogether but it was a mess.

Later that morning one of the other caravanners came over to us and decided to tell us that although the pitch we selected was in a lovely position that side of the site always catches the worst of the weather and he said "we never pitch across here!"

Maybe he thought...."here comes another mug"....It would have been nice if he had told me that yesterday.

Anyway, we moved our van to the other side of the site and struggled on for the week without the awning with the boys sleeping on the matresses on the caravan floor.

On our return home we decided to get a proper 4 berth van for future outings! Anyway it did'nt stop us enjoying caravanning.

Although it was the worst trip, it was one the most memorable holidays we had, for the wrong reasons, and we still talk about it now.

 

[Moonstone1]

First trip away when we very first started in our folding camper. Torrential rain for 5 days at Haggerston Castle. Most other people packed up and went home but we stuck it our cos it was our very first trip. Surprised it didn't put us off.

Years later, one Easter, in another folding camper, woke up in the night 4am, thought something was wrong, stepped into the awning, knee deep in very very cold river water. The 'stream' adjacent to the site, had burst its banks in heavy rain and flooded the whole site. Caravans in the middle of a lake unable to get out. Woke up the kids, packed them into the car, drove through the water and left the site until morning, sleeping in a lay-by before returning to the site to remove the sodden folding camper.

That was when we decided to go for a caravan - at least it's drier inside.

 

[cris_408518]

We've had fun in Ice and Snow travelling through Belgium and Holland with the car and caravan being blown sideways as we drove on Icy roads in a snow storm and also we've had to stop as the caravan seemed as though it would be blown over by sidewinds.

When the kids were quite young we gave up on route in Cornwall due to rain and high winds and being so late due to the weather. We camped in a lay-by protected by higher level fields and hedge rows and had a reasonable night after the frightening driving. When we got to our camp sites in the morning some caravans and statics had been blown over and trailer tents and regular tents had been ripped apart with occupents spending the night in the Club House. The entrance to the site had a mountain of storm damaged tangled Awning and Tent frames and ripped fabric to one side and a line of cars leaving, we went to a site near Perranporth instead and parked the van nose into the afternoon winds. Two nearby caravans were turned by the wind in the night it was so wet the wind just pushed them despite their steadies.

We had the van sink into mud in Scotland and had to have the tractor tow us out as well. We've also spent a few nights at Continental Services when winds have been to high to drive in. Once we found that lorries had been blown over only two or three miles from the services we stopped at, where the autoroute crossed a valley with side wind warnings and reduce speed warnings the artics had just been tipped over. Damage was minimal as we drove past in the morning as the second one was being craned onto its wheels, they could only have been going slowly so we were glad we'd stopped.

 

[Jo-AnneFairway5402010]

last year we went to norfolk and stayed on a site on the cliff top. we didnt even put the awning up it was that bad. so we had to put all the awning etc in the toilet and the dog who sleeps in her cage in the awning had to sleep in the car. it was so windy we didnt sleep all night. in the night i needed the loo and ran to the loo with wind and rain. the next day we moved sites to more inland. the weather was more windy than usual we was told.

we did have a great holiday because the site we moved to was better.

 

[LMH]

The first two week holiday we took the caravan on was probably the worst. As soon as we left Notts, it started raining and didn't stop until 14 days later when we arrived back in Notts.

It was so bad, Emma rang up her aunt and asked if she could go and stay with her (she only lived two miles away from the capsite) so off she went, we just saw her for a couple of hours a day. Mind you, thinking about it, maybe it wasn't so bad after all.

Lisa

 

[cris_408518]

A very attractive twenty something office manager emailed some photo's from her honeymoon in the Greek islands, one photo was taken on a clothing optional beach.

Two days later the newly wed couple checked their email that read " nice ****, see you in Church when you get home "

She had emailed amongst others Jamie the vicar instead of Jaime her sister.

The vicars wife told the girls mother that it had made her husbands day.

 

[cris_408518]

A very attractive twenty something office manager emailed some photo's from her honeymoon in the Greek islands, one photo was taken on a clothing optional beach.

Two days later the newly wed couple checked their email that read " nice ****, see you in Church when you get home "

She had emailed amongst others Jamie the vicar instead of Jaime her sister.

The vicars wife told the girls mother that it had made her husbands day.

Wong thread, I was laughing as my wife old the story.

 

[Wendy-Norfolk]

We always seem to have the worst weather when ever we go to Scotland, and on the same site.

First incident - Inverewe Gardens C&CC site, reported 100 mph winds. Put the awning up, but took it down pretty quickly, survived OK.

Second incident - Inverewe Gardens C&CC site, about 70 mph winds. Reported adverse weather conditions for time of year (June) Kept awning up, survived, well nearly OK. Up at 4 a.m securing awning, already double storm strapped. A few loose pegs, so not quite so bad!! We survived OK but with a couple of extra dents in the caravan from falling awning poles!!

We eventually managed an event free visit to same site last year, the worst thing was the midge bites!!! :O(

 

[mealsonwheels]

We're going back to the early 80's here.

Kilvrecht campsite, Loch Rannoch, Scotland. It rained night and day for two weeks. We had taken all our wet weather gear with us 'just in case', even though it was August and were glad we did as we were still able to get out and about. It didn't put us off and the site remains one of our favourites.

Morvich campsite, Scotland. Relatives were sleeping in the caravan and my husband and I were in one of those 'bedroom' annexes that hang in the awning. In the early hours of one morning the wind blew up enough to knock the fillings out of your teeth. The awning all but took off and we thought the caravan was going to blow over. It was the most frightening night we've ever had in all the years we've been caravanning and will never forget it, but even so, Scotland firmly remains our favourite caravanning destination.

 

[ericcaravanning4u]

Must be 20 years ago now we were stuck on top of the mountain at Glencoe in Scotland .It was blowing so hard that three caravans were blown over .We got into a laybye that was sheltered by a rock face and stayed there until morning with two other caravans.A chap in a small caravan stoped and said he was woried but had to press on , the next morning on the way down the mountain we saw what remained of the caravan upside down .Scary night that was