richmars
Caravans are ace just for the names. Great way to pass miles of motorway.

Explorer
Great Adventure
Apollo
Wilderness Explorer III

Not forgetting the optimistically, and generally not eponymously, titled:

“Swift”

and

“Rapide”

etc!

Worked for a customer once, neighbour had a plastic tupperware van on drive,no wheels just plastic bags on hubs, reason being the steel wheels fo rusty, the neighbour told me, when he heard me joking that it must be a static van.Pointless.

Then you see them covered with a tarp, again why, you cant disguise its a caravan.

onehundredthidiot nice

People sometimes take wheels off because tyres can develop a flat spot over the winter. Also the cover is obviously not to disguise the thing, it’s to protect it against weathering and keep it lasting longer.

Some people really want to hate on this thread, to the extent of choosing the worst possible interpretation of events when more reasonable ones make more sense. Confirmation bias in fine form.

I like camping, and bivvying for that matter, the caravan is just another way of spending time in nice places, mainly high summer when the midgies are at their height and the tent can be stuffy. Id like a camper but I do too many miles.
Those two small vans look ace, I like a simple van. The europeans do some nice vans aimed at the outdoor person rather than the traditional caravanner.

Enjoy it aa, looks like you got a bargain and almost national colours!

Airstream caravans just look like giant posh toasters to me.

I wonder if all the caravan haters on here are childless? Just a hunch ‘cos people generally seem less bothered about being cool once they’ve got kids.

Been mulling over getting one myself tbh.

Another packed camp site

Another beautiful view destroyed by recreational Minkiers.

🙂 For a few days it was our view, then we were gone and nothing was lost.

Ours is German hence the door on the wring side. Functional inside, fridge for beers, two ring burner, sink, a heater we’ve never used, even in January, king sized bed. Get more Bike and outdoor stuff in and better fuel economy than my t5 camper and I can stand up inside.

£7.50 last night for a camper and a tent, parked on a nice strip of grass bordering a cornfield and nice view. Where else can you turn up at 9pm, bleed a broken brake, then get up/leave at 4:45am without upsetting anyone? Not in a B&B!

Big tin box road clogger here.
Love it.
Great if you have kids.
If the weathers good then tents are better, but often it’s not.
Ours has double glazing, central heating & a proper shower cubicle so can be used year round.

Besides, a weekend away isn’t complete without slowing down at least a few childless Trivago-Secret Escapes lifestyle wannabee couples as they zip about in their S3’s, sneering at the masses… 8)

My husband is from a keen caravanning family, however I disliked them immensely. He finally talked me around and I was converted.

It’s so much better than camping. We can take all our gear. Cook food when we like. The kitchen is fully stocked, proper oven, fridge, sink, wet room etc. It’s cosy, warm and yes I have a telly to watch the news on and catch up on a film together is the weather is truly awful.

We’ve had amazing adventures in it. Holidays that will always stick in my memory. We prefer CLs to the big campsites, with some lovely scenery and countryside.

Of course its a pain to tow but if you’re off on a proper holiday for a week or more its worth it.

As for children, I really think they would have the best time.

Chakaping – go for it 🙂

Not better or worse than camping tbh, very different. You can’t really compare with b&bs or the like either. If I had space to park it, I’d get a cheap crap one tomorrow for races and quick weekends away and that.

(I like static vans too, for similiar reasons)

rebel12 – Member
Personally I’d prefer a well kitted out T5 or some sort of motor home but £500, that’s a bargain! Can’t go wrong with that. Just make sure you pull over every now and again to let the frustrated traffic behind past

Well, I have a very clear memory of driving up to the drag racing at Avon Park Raceway along the Fossway in my old Morris Minor split-screen. (1300 engine, though).
I’d been following a couple of caravans on a slowish bit of road, and when they turned off I had a chance to overtake.
Big mistake! Both were big ‘vans, being towed by big cars, I had my foot down, trying to keep up with the first one at 70mph, which was flat-out with the Moggies gearing. I was really glad when the one in front pulled into a layby!

molgrips – Member
They are better than campervans in some respects – you get far more space, and you don’t have to pack it up to go out for the day.

Exactly.

What caravan is it? Searched the thread but can’t see…

If we had better roads, better trained drivers (lets make towing tests/lesson cheaper and compulsory)

Re. the test, it is compulsory if you passed your driving test after 1st Jan 1997 and want to tow anything over 750kg

Re. the test, it is compulsory if you passed your driving test after 1st Jan 1997 and want to tow anything over 750kg

no it’s not.

https://www.gov.uk/towing-with-car

you can legally tow a trailer over 750kg MAM as long as the gross train weight is not over 3500kg.

Rules changed again for people passing last year meaning that you can’t tow a 750kg trailer with a 3500kg vehicle as you could on the 1997 rule change.

People who passed before 1997 can pretty much tow anything, without any training. As much as it is frustrating to be limited on what I can tow until I do my test I can see why they bought it in. The problem is the towing tests and training needs to be cheaper.

I’ve towed everything I can get my hands on from small 2 sheep trailers up to 3500kg 3 axle livestock trailer on the back of a tractor. It’s not the size of the trailer but how it’s towed, loaded etc etc.

Member

What caravan is it? Searched the thread but can’t see…

Its an Abi Adventurer

image by john_henry_mtb, on Flickr
Post ride near Ambleside.

image by john_henry_mtb, on Flickr

Sands of Luce, nr Stranraer

This is a 6 berth Bailey bought to accommodate our 2 “kids” and 4 grand kids. Our 2 kids get to use it(I do the towing)for their holidays otherwise the would be stay-at-home types being unable to afford holidays otherwise.
In the last few weeks we have spent 10 days in the Lakes. 4 days, leave ‘van, return home for 4 days work and return to ‘ van for 6 days. 5 days biking was had 😆

lots of cheap “Aires” and “Stellplatz” on the continent too. Handy for touring. My parents posted their stats for a 6 week holiday, and it came in at well below 4 figures, and that includes the petrol and LPG.

Couldn’t do a caravan myself. T5 or similar, yes. Car+tent, usually do a couple of times per year (and maybe one car+YHA).

no it’s not.

Yes, it is.I was going to argue, but you’re right. I’ve been telling my missus for ages that we can’t have a caravan as my licence isn’t sufficient 😆

http://www.eribacaravansales.co.uk

I like caravans too

As long as they
1 have a yearly MOT
2 Pay road tax
3 Pay rates because they are another form of accommodation a pain in the ass
4 keep off the roads between 08.00 – 20.00

A bit like roadie debate then!

Why wont people realise that the tourism industry via caravans in the UK is worth billions, can this country can afford to loose that kind of revenue? anf what would be the substitute? Leaglise Canabis I bet

*Yes I do have a caravan (Tourer) but its permanently sited, about 20 minutes from Brechfa if you must know 🙂

Legalised cannabis and a caravan in a remote spot could work.

Just need to trust the OH to be able to tow it when I’m stoned though. Would have to make sure we don’t have any reversing to do!

Funny isn’t how the haterz of caravans are generally the people who live in the places where the inconsiderate shed towers take their fibre glass monstrosities & block the roads with them.

On today’s 50mile road ride there were 4 close calls – 2 of them were BMW’s overtaking where they shouldn’t – avoiding a beemer coming head on at over 60mph is pretty scary, the other 2 were caravans who knew how wide their cars were but not the sheds… both we’re far closer than is comfortable or acceptable

My dad gave us his caravan last year, hooked it up off we went, its only when i got back he informed me the speed limit when towing a caravan was 60mph, oops.
Lets put it like this, i didn’t hold anyone up.

Throw Annette over it?

Legalised cannabis and a caravan in a remote spot could work.

Sounds like yours is already green!

My dad gave us his caravan last year, hooked it up off we went, its only when i got back he informed me the speed limit when towing a caravan was 60mph, oops.
Lets put it like this, i didn’t hold anyone up.

60mph on duals and motorways….you’d have to work pretty hard to hold people up there anyway 🙂

50 on single carriageways.

Seems like the haters ate the people who haven’t ever stayed in a caravan…

I spent my fair share of time in a caravan when I was a little younger. I won’t touch them with a barge pole now I’m old enough to say ‘no’. (NB: that makes me sound younger then I actually am!)

I’d much prefer to be back where I was yesterday. 50 useless imaginary points for anyone who can ID the site, and 20 for anyone who can ID the tent 😀

Is it that site at the bottom of Telegraph road near Llanberis?

Tents are good too for those occasions. Plenty of caravan sites like that though too.

I thought it looked like Langdale

Ohh, I don’t know, maybe it was:

*Taken with an iPhone 5, running IOS 7.1.1
*On June the 11th at 2:31pm
*Between the A591 and the River Rothay, just to the north of Grasmere, The Lake District.
*In the Easternmost corner of a field shaped a bit like a ‘b’.
*Around 183m above sea-level

Am I close?

*Taken with an iPhone 5, running IOS 7.1.1
*On June the 11th at 2:31pm
*Between the A591 and the River Rothay, just to the north of Grasmere, The Lake District.
*In the Easternmost corner of a field shaped a bit like a ‘b’.
*Around 183m above sea-level

Lucky guess.

Telegraph road near Llanberis

Nope.

I thought it looked like Langdale

Langdale is a real good site, but getting a bit pricey these days. So, good guess but no.

Ohh, I don’t know, maybe it was:

*Taken with an iPhone 5, running IOS 7.1.1
*On June the 11th at 2:31pm
*Between the A591 and the River Rothay, just to the north of Grasmere, The Lake District.
*In the Easternmost corner of a field shaped a bit like a ‘b’.
*Around 183m above sea-level

Am I close?

Ha, didn’t think of the EXIF data, cheat 😉

Gillside Farm, nicely placed at the bottom of Helvellyn. Separate field for those dirty caravans, too 😉

I can’t tow a caravan with my bicycle or my motorbike