Why No Van?

[Donna6]

Hey peeps.

we towed our caravan recently with my hubby's work van as we bought a new car and havent got round to getting a tow bar on it as yet. the last two sites refused to let us on with the van telling us to pitch up and leave the van outside the site.

I did wonder though, what is the problem with a van on a site? I can't see why its a problem its an 08 van with sign writting on it and a landline number... the Caravan is brand new.. not that its anything to go buy just fyi. I just don't understand the rule.

hmmm ?

a puzzled donna... xx

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Donna,

There are relatively few laws that regulate what caravan site owners can do with regard to renting a pitch. Because you are invited, you are obliged to comply with the rules the inviter makes. and provide they do not break any of the equality or prejudice laws, basically they could refuse entry to any vehicle they like or dislike.

Of the record, it seems that many of the travellers with no fixed abode use sign painted vans to tow caravans, and..... well you can draw your own conclusions.

 

[PhilFraeHowMill]

Hi Donna As John L says, it is a "procedure" some sites use to make sure they get "genuine" tourists. It is tough on some people nowadays who find it practical to use the like of Navara`s etc for pleasure, but as John says, all sites are private property and the owners can invite onto their property who they like.

 

[Parksy]

There are several reasons why some caravan sites will not allow you to use your signwritten van as a towing vehicle.

The site owners are not allowed by law to discriminate openly against members of the travelling community but may prefer to keep their sites for leisure caravanning use only and because travellers sometimes use vans this ruling effectively disbars them from using a site without the site owner openly breaking the law.

Other reasons might include the possibility that if your hubby is using his works van he might not be insured to tow, he might have to get up early to go to work and disturb other caravanners and a van might attract the local toerags who will break into it to search for easy pickings to sell at their local car boot stolen goods disposal sale.

Vans tend to be light over the back axle when empty and often churn up pitches.

At least the sites let you pitch up, many would have simply turned you away altogether.

 

[Donna6]

There are several reasons why some caravan sites will not allow you to use your signwritten van as a towing vehicle.

The site owners are not allowed by law to discriminate openly against members of the travelling community but may prefer to keep their sites for leisure caravanning use only and because travellers sometimes use vans this ruling effectively disbars them from using a site without the site owner openly breaking the law.

Other reasons might include the possibility that if your hubby is using his works van he might not be insured to tow, he might have to get up early to go to work and disturb other caravanners and a van might attract the local toerags who will break into it to search for easy pickings to sell at their local car boot stolen goods disposal sale.

Vans tend to be light over the back axle when empty and often churn up pitches.

At least the sites let you pitch up, many would have simply turned you away altogether.

So if I get a Navara am I likely to face the same prejudices then :-Z this was my next possible purchase.

I suppose their are a few points in here and its just tuff I guess. My hubby really likes towing with the van, he's well used to it for work with a trailer so he finds it really easy.

We currently have a citroen c4 VTR hubby has checked and it will tow our sprite major 6 but it won't be as easy as the van. . .

Yeah they did let us stay on this occasion but I reccon if it had been the height of season they would have been more fussy... their is a recession you know...

Oh well better hurry up and get this tow bar fitted then...

oh well...

 

[Donna6]

So if I get a Navara am I likely to face the same prejudices then :-Z this was my next possible purchase.

I suppose their are a few points in here and its just tuff I guess. My hubby really likes towing with the van, he's well used to it for work with a trailer so he finds it really easy.

We currently have a citroen c4 VTR hubby has checked and it will tow our sprite major 6 but it won't be as easy as the van. . .

Yeah they did let us stay on this occasion but I reccon if it had been the height of season they would have been more fussy... their is a recession you know...

Oh well better hurry up and get this tow bar fitted then...

oh well...

 

[PhilFraeHowMill]

Donna I in the same boat as you really, living in the country and having dogs, firewood etc I was looking at a Navara or similar, but there you go...also most local councils will not allow you into there waste recycling facilities in the same type of vehicles, strange world!!

 

[Garfield]

Hello,

We tow with our Transit van regularly although it is nowhere near as stable as the family car (Ford S-max) we can get all the bikes in, when using the van we always ring ahead to ok it with the site owner or manager, either saying we need to use the van to carry a tandem for our disabled child or that the family car has broken down ( both have been true ) CL's and rally's have been no problem but commercial sites have asked us to park the van in the main carpark which is fine as I don't want a big orange van blocking my view either.

 

[BobC]

I was refused on a council run site a couple of years ago because my car had a company name on the boot! I had to cover with a black bin liner when on site.

I do use sites to stay on when working, but try to not leave early or make noise. As I'm working I go to bed earlier than most too.

It is unfortunate that the minority has made it difficult for the rest of us. I stayed on a site near Aberdeen, with "no commercials" sign at the entrance; at 6am every morning a trail of 4x4 pickups and vans left in clouds of diesel. They were workers staying in statics, so apparently didn't count.

 

[LMH]

Hi

It's usually discrimination to stop the travelling fraternity entering sites, which makes me laugh really because some only tend to use 'sites' when visiting fairs such as Appleby horse fair etc.

Anyway, I sometimes tow my caravan with my brothers sign written van. I always ring in advance and even sites which say 'no sign written vans or transits', upon speaking to me will normally accept our towing vehicle.

Have to laugh really because if you saw my brother, you'd have no doubt he's of romany background, same as me of coure.

Anyway, my fried and I often stopped on Wild Rose park in Appleby and we were the only non 'travelling' people there. Never had a days trouble, 'they' even helped us put up our awning.

Say 'travellers' and it puts the fear of god into the caravanning fraternity.

Lisa

 

[LMH]

Hi

It's usually discrimination to stop the travelling fraternity entering sites, which makes me laugh really because some only tend to use 'sites' when visiting fairs such as Appleby horse fair etc.

Anyway, I sometimes tow my caravan with my brothers sign written van. I always ring in advance and even sites which say 'no sign written vans or transits', upon speaking to me will normally accept our towing vehicle.

Have to laugh really because if you saw my brother, you'd have no doubt he's of romany background, same as me of coure.

Anyway, my fried and I often stopped on Wild Rose park in Appleby and we were the only non 'travelling' people there. Never had a days trouble, 'they' even helped us put up our awning.

Say 'travellers' and it puts the fear of god into the caravanning fraternity.

Lisa

'fried' - should have read 'friend'

 

[Parksy]

We don't want to start yet another anti traveller rant or start stereotyping people on the forum Lisa so to avoid my having to delete the topic at some later stage and because the original question has been answered we'll end this discussion at this point

Thanks

 

[colin-yorkshire1]

god that quick of the mark parksy been taking steriods,;O)

just wanted to add. seeing as most campervans are commercial based with windows and have no trouble getting on any site it may be worth having a couple of windows fitted with curtains up on the navara should save any hassle.

colin

 

[LMH]

Morning Parksy

Sorry, as soon as I pressed 'submit' I wished I hadn't posted that. Maybe when the forum moves over to electricity rather than the current method of powering it by coal, we might be able to have an edit button. LOL!

Feel free to delete my post.

Lisa

 

[lessirrocc]

We tow with a merc Vito and have never been refused at any sites OK ours is silver but we have friends with red and blue Vito's and most off the time we travel together too attend dog shows and working events.

Also you can ask your local council for a permit too allow you too use your van too take household rubbish too your local recycling center,theirs no fee and in the last three years i have only been stooped and asked too show it once .

I'm not a greenie and am not going too bash 4x4 but i find towing with a van is so much better than towing with a 4x4 and before buying the Vito we towed with 4x4 for many years.

 

[JimD1]

We also tow with a van - ours is a white Vauxhall Vivaro. We use a van because most of our weekends are spent away at dog agility shows & we have the back 1/2 of the cargo area caged out for dogs. Having said that, we're off to a C&CC CL/CS in the Lake District next week - we just phoned them up before-hand, explained the situation, & there was no problem. We've got another trip to Wales later in the year to another CL/CS, again after explaining why we have a van they had no issues with us. I can't see us ever using the larger commercial sites, so I'm hoping this continues......

Jim

 

[Donna6]

in response to the van on crass theory: we used to have a Bessacar E495 campervan and travelled the length of Europe in it. we never ever had any problems with the churning of grass..

As I suspected then it is simply to prevent the travelling comunnity from using sites, which is ironic really because I don't think they would want to, and I'm only basing that on the programme "my big fat gypsy wedding" where the "gypsies" didnt want anything to do with general public.

I don't have any thing against any travellers or gypsies

I think I'll try the phoning ahead and just explain the circumstances...