I want a Caravan that's not a Caravan!

We went to the biggest motorhome dealer I have ever seen in Germany. They had everything from small and compact to.. well.. some of them were articulated. HGV license required I think.

Say what you like about euro van interiors, but the Americans haven’t updated the interior design since the 70’s. Feel like I’d need a proper pen rash to fit in with the look.

To be honest outside a few urban center that is most of the US, they are very traditional in decor type ways, but in odd really obviously fake ways. You go into restaurants and its fake gas fires with concrete painted logs, fiberglass features. It is frequently brand new but very dated!

Ikea manage quite fine. But then that’s not the age group that buys a van new, that’s what retirement lump sums are for..

exactly.

Even look at that nice expensive one TheArist…STR posted up. All nice and clean new van, all mod cons I bet but the interior is still not very nice.

It’s a 2008 model, but yes, the interior still isn’t classy – about as good as you’ll get at that age though. Van interiors started getting quite a bit better around 2011 IMO

So we don’t want dark wood, wood or any twee but we like the idea of a little bit of comfort we can drag along?

That’s all we wanted 🙂

I only want to stay in Certified Locations which are fields in the middle of nowhere type places, but the irony is you have to join the Caravan Club in order to use them. The club membership seems to consist of people exactly like the stereotype.. The letters page in the magazine is hilarious at times. Bitter long running argument about if you should park your van parallel or perpendicular to the road in club sites…

Places which are pretty nightmarish.. Tarmac pitches and people crammed in, and they cost £35 a night…

Thats the kinda place we stay at as well, theres a good place outside Benderloch just off the beach that is as you describe. Just down the road from the static park hell hole. Not CC either so not stupid money.

I’ve got a large stash of carbon fibre fabric and nomex honeycomb I have been keeping hoping I will get time to kit out a camper of some sort with light weight interior. Preferably a transforming one that expands when you park up but it compact when driving.

Caravan club CLs are about a tenner a night, sometimes a bit more, sometimes less.

Squirrelking, interested in similar site recommendations and details if you have them 🙂

It was this one: http://www.benderloch.com/stay_benderloch/seaview_pages/seaview_ad.html

My folks have been up to Dunnet Bay a few times (long way to go but worth it apparantly), it’s CC but a cheap one. Probably because of Dounreay 😛

http://www.caravanclub.co.uk/caravanclubapps/applications/uk-caravan-sites-and-parks/SiteDetails.aspx?csid=21872

Got any tips around York/Leeds?

On the other hand, I like Caravan Club sites. We’ve stayed at a few non-club sites and frankly the facilities on club sites are far and away better, and I’m prepared to pay extra for that. I even notice the difference when staying on an affiliated site rather than a full club site. The bathroom in our van is OK, we have done a week on a site with no toilet/showers and survived, but I’d rather stay on a site with facilities

Good to hear Dunnet Bay is nice, we’re passing to go up there later in the year, probably via Culloden Moor (Inverness). Morvich (Kyle of Lochalsh) was nice.

In terms of CLs, two have stood out: Brawby Grange near Pickering and Carr’s Hill near Denny

How about this?

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=151655867214

I don’t mind CC sites per se, I just don’t see where the extra money goes for us personally. Shower block is nice but not a must.

Plenty of wee sites up the Road to the Isles around Morar, bit windy but stunning beaches.

How about this?

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=151655867214

**** that I’m more interested in this from the “people also viewed link”

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rover-Meteor-Mk-4B-1-27L-v12-like-merlin-spitfire-tank-engine-Rolls-Royce/121632543471?_trksid=p2047675.c100009.m1982&_trkparms=aid%3D777000%26algo%3DABA.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20131227121020%26meid%3D983e67d5cd144d63accae74842923b90%26pid%3D100009%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26sd%3D151655867214

This has to be one of the best sites in the UK

imag0230a by davetheblade[/url], on Flickr

imag0225v by davetheblade[/url], on Flickr

imag0182b by davetheblade[/url], on Flickr

Where is that? Wales?

I’ve been on a cracking site on the gower camping that took caravans, (Eastern slade farm) although the access is a bit tight alright with a small caravan but I think you would struggle to turn in the gate with 18’+ caravan.

That’s Three Cliffs Bay, and I have to say my experience of it is not like that. Every time I’ve been there it’s been rammed solid.. also it’s quite a big site.

Does anyone use a caravan for accommodation while working away? This is the only reason I’m currently toying with the idea of a caravan. Seems nicer than hotel and cheaper if you can find somewhere that does not mind someone staying for a few months.

A lot of normal sites don’t want you staying there for months – they have loads of ‘site rules’ that are basically anti-traveller, and that seems to be one of them.

I think TAFKASTR did it for a while but he parked up on his building site.

Not been to Three Cliffs for a couple of years, but we must have always been lucky – fantastic weather and not busy.

Yes, I did use mine for working away – didn’t actually park on (construction) site though molgrips. I always looked for a nice caravan site – spent a few months at a pleasant site in London, whilst on the Olympics, a couple of months in Bedfordshire and 6 months next to a lovely canal in Gloucestershire. The latter included a full winter and it was fine.

I loved it, having my own space, being able to cook and getting to know the locals in whichever pub you inevitably end up staying near

Always managed to get round the long term issue, usually by finding sites that didn’t mind – even the CC site I stayed on in London, just let me shift the van off the plot and stick it in a corner for the weekend when my allotted time was up

Hmm could probably alternate between 2 0r three though. 3 week blocks.

ok^ that is encouraging.

Interesting TAFKASTR, I’d heard it was difficult but glad you had success with it. Not that I need to do it any more – I’m on expenses nowadays 🙂

Many sites will do a seasonal let, but not all. Definitely worth looking into. Sometimes the problem is that there are limited seasonal pitches and the site has a waiting list.

Regarding the antiquated decor in most old caravans, it’s easy to get rid. I went to an old mill and bought up some cheap linen curtain fabric. They didn’t take long to make new curtains (used the old ones as templates). lined them and it’s made the caravan look fresh and clean again.
Now knitting some squares to make a cover to hide the hideous peach, floral, buttoned covered seating.

One thing that is quite noticeable is that in Canada, and I guess US as well it is a lot more common for young families or couples to have caravans. Its seen less as a older person thing. I’m not on about massive expensive 5th wheelers either, but tow hitch 2nd hand e.t.c My cousin in CA have one and it seems to be not uncommon amongst their friends.

Bunnyhop my wife is itching to do the same thing with the curtains. The cushions might be a bit too complex for her though. Fortunately they aren’t too bad.

The bathroom was eye wateringly bad with mock Japanese pink floral wallpaper, but I covered it all up with white and blue sticky vinyl and it made a huge difference. Van really looks £1,501’s worth now.

molgrips – that’s such a good idea regarding the bathroom decor. Ours is a horrible peach and pink floral design. We’ll get some sticky vinyl. Where’s the best place?

Tell your missus to take down each curtain and use that as a template. All she needs to do is bag line them with right sides together (lining against fabric) and turn it through, press, voila. All good.

Sticky vinyl is in B&Q, made by DC-Fix. In ours it’s hard to find though, behind the wallpaper on an end-cap. I did one wall in bright blue with a sort of water-droplet finish. Bit cheesy but a huge improvement.

She had trouble finding lining fabric for cheap so I thought she could un-pick the existing lining and use that directly.

Thanks molgrips.
Somewhere such as Dunelm shouldn’t be too expensive for lining and fabric. Sometimes local market stalls sell it.
Our curtains were a delightful faded peach velour (not) and would have taken me hours, if not days to unpick. I did re-use the heading poppets though. They just ripped off with some quick sharp tugs (unpick the beginning and end though, where the machine has double stitched, otherwise it will rip).
I then donated them to the charity shop. It’s amazing what people will re-use.

Head into the city and you’ll find a fabric suppliers, I know Glasgow has two big ones so I’d imagine most cities will have them. You’ll get all the linings and stuff you need, probably upholstery as well.

Dead pleased with it, changed the colour.

It is now a ‘Basecamp Trailer’ 😀

That looks pretty good, but does make the D4 look almost aerodynamic!

We’ve had ours 4 years from new, probably the best thing we’ve ever bought. Always tent campers but with the caravan we go with the kids all year round. It is started to look well used in places though, carpets need replacing, some veneer needs sorting and a few minor issues after a major repair last year. Despite all that its great. Starting to think about the next one though as the kids are getting a little big for easy access to their bunks.

surely the easiest thing to do with curtains is stitch an extra layer onto the existing ? better for thermal insulation and blackout…

That looks pretty good, but does make the D4 look almost aerodynamic!

MPG seems to drop by about 2-3 MPG with it on which I can live with. Disco pulls it with ease, it’s pretty light at 800kg

Finished the interior now, happy. Not a brown button cushion or a net curtain in sight!

Bunks for the kids, bottom bunk folds up and you can store bikes 😀

*kinda want

Shame there’s not a 3 bunk version.

Like. What van is that?

It’s a Knaus Deseo

It’s been wrapped in Matte Silver

Changed the flooring and painted the interior white

Crikey, that looks great, will be trading in my camper next month, I could be persuaded into something like that.