Jay Trip wrote:

We have had a static in the Yorkshire Dales for 21 years.(not the same van!)I would love to sell it and get a Motorhome like Briars but hubby cant be persuaded unfortunately.
They only time I camp now is with the grandchildren in their garden in the summer!
I am the only one in the family mad enough to volunteer. :rofl

There are two ways to endear camping to said other half

Hire a motorhome for a couple of weeks to tour say Cornwall or the Lakes

Book a holiday in France with one of the Eurowosits companies to take the grand-kids to but "accidentally" book a tent instead of static

We have the tourer and feel FOR US it is better than a M/H as we have a base and don't have to pack away every time we need to go shopping
although the chance to meander every day is a big plus -- except Stephanie like to stop in one place for a few days when we camp up for a stay

We used to camp many years ago when the children were small and have had many enjoyable holidays in the rain!
My hubby got fed up after I would want to move on after a couple of days.Our tent then was a large frame tent that took ages to put up,whereas now the tents seem more user friendly.
We did hire a motorhome a few years ago and went to the Lakes but every time we left the site to do shopping or sightsee we used to come back to and have to find a new pitch as someone had pitched on our previous spot.
I almost managed to persuade him to hire a Winniebago(? spelling) in Florida until some one told him they did 10MPG!
At least he feels secure in our caravan as he knows its staying put.

Jay Trip wrote:

At least he feels secure in our caravan as he knows its staying put. :rofl

Tell I say he's a product of Colonel Sanders

If he wants to know what it means tell him to watch the Mel Brookes Movie Spaceballs

This topic ???

Well at the present moment in time would LOVE to get out in the van but SWMBO is busy booking other trips where it's warmer for my back LOL

Pisa for My birthday in 20 days time
Canaries for HER birthday in March
Egypt for Grand-daughter 4th birthday in October

I WANT to go CARAVANNING

Used to go camping as a child, with family, with the ATC (big green ridge tents), and some back-pascking / hike stuff. But got rained off ever so often...

Start of 2007 we decided to buy a used motor home, the price was too high.... so bought a large family tent, some gear and an old 4x4 as the daily drivers was too small for loaded long trips. Because of the time away from home that summer (boyz and wife flew out to the South of France and I drove down a week later) the load space etc... I ended up booking a two location static caravan holiday.

The 2nd location was Normandy and we liked it so much we bought a van on the site - which rather stuffs going eleswhere.

So I've got a large Brookfield tent unsued with a lot of gear

However - I then bought a two / three man ridge tent last summer with the plan to take my boyz camping and to car shows at weekends... so there is hope for me / us yet.

Do we have the gear - Yes
Do we have the skills - Course we do (all though I've no idea how to set up the big Brookfield)
Do we have the inclination - got to do it soon before I get to comfortable....

BarryD wrote:

Do we have the gear - Yes
Do we have the skills - Course we do (all though I've no idea how to set up the big Brookfield)
Do we have the inclination - got to do it soon before I get to comfortable....

We have out fourth caravan now after we went to Cornwall (Newquay) with our big 4 man tent and it rained in Looe -- well it didn't so much rain as someone emptied the sky on Looe so we got the tail end when we got up our airbed popped up inside the inner tent on 3" of water (the inner tent groundsheet was very waterprof) and the tent outer was dead totally un re-waterproofable
So SWMBO said we would have a caravan end of story

was planning to caravan this year due to euro and other stuff......bought caravan last year....buts plans went up in smoke.....son decided on wedding date in rhodes... and so booked for the week in rhodes middle of aug....then remembered wass hubbies 50th early july....best solution was surprise hols somewhere he hadnt been before....so booked for gran caneria early july.....will be too busy inbetween gran caneria and rhodes to go caravaning and sites would cost and cash tight....so might just manage tenting on shell island for a few days half term.....miss my camping

TWEETIE PIE wrote:

was planning to caravan this year due to euro and other stuff......bought caravan last year....buts plans went up in smoke.....son decided on wedding date in rhodes... and so booked for the week in rhodes middle of aug....then remembered wass hubbies 50th early july....best solution was surprise hols somewhere he hadnt been before....so booked for gran caneria early july.....will be too busy inbetween gran caneria and rhodes to go caravaning and sites would cost and cash tight....so might just manage tenting on shell island for a few days half term.....miss my camping

Caravanning isn't as cheap as Shell Island (why won't they let us vanners in 12v only )
BUT if you are in the C&C club then their CS network which is like our Caravan Club CL network is cheap some sites costing only £5 a night the biggest cost is diesel/petrol to tow to wherever

In between work this year we are cramming in
Pisa 3 nights -been in January
Malta 8 nights - been in March
Caravan to Mablethorpe 3 nights in 1 weeks time
Caravan to Peterborough CC Ferry Meadows (for Nene Valley Railway) in 4 weeks time
then France and Spain for 22 nights in the Caravan June/July
then Caravan to Great Yarmouth CC site 3 nights in August
then Caravan for 3 nights in September not decided where
then Sharm El Sheikh 11 nights in October

Give it a try but saying that GC is nice but prefer Puerto Rico for the resort MA Kelly's Cornish Pasty Shop yum yum

hi madcarananer....joined caravan and camping club last year....get 5 weeks hols a year...work 3 weekend nights ...so each time have a wedding ect to go to due to family being far flung, it uses 2 of my 15 days...dont get bank hols ect .....shell island not too bad a drive from mine and in school hols can go for 3 or 4 nights in the week as often as want....cheap as well ...just weather to stop us and the price of diesel...working weekends tie me to school holidays to get away except for my annual leave.....cash playin a big part this year....took teenage son to Tolo nr Argos in Greece in nov for a week to compete in world championship kick boxing...then all the family home for christmas....sons wedding in greece plus wedding present ...then hubbies surprise 50th holiday...money just getting too tight and the euro not helping....if wasnt for wedding and 50th wouldnt even have been thinking of going abroad this year...thats why bought van last year and all the gear to holiiday in uk......but will be next year now.....how I envy you being able to get away so much.....suppose our time will come when youngest gets a bit older...

Still cant moan looking forward to gran caneria in july... and rhodes in august....come next year hoping to squeeze in a family hol abroad and get the van on the road

TWEETIE PIE wrote:

hi madcarananer....joined caravan and camping club last year..
how I envy you being able to get away so much.....suppose our time will come when youngest gets a bit older...

Still cant moan looking forward to gran caneria in july... and rhodes in august....come next year hoping to squeeze in a family hol abroad and get the van on the road

LOL

I only get 4 weeks holiday but work Fridayto Wednesday 6 on 8 off so in a good position to relax more can't wait myself for more time so we can spend longer in Europe than 3 weeks

just needed to post this where there are people who understand .....today I came home off nights and some low life has put a lump of cement through my caravan front side window....its an old avondale sandmartin...so dont know how to sort it....its a double glazed one flat glass then tinted plastic outer....am really upset....20 yrs ago Ibought a lovely little 2 berth which I was doing up...just before it was ready to go another low life arsonist destroyed it for fun.....thought as living in a little village seemed good time to try again and bought this avondale last year.....joined caravan club...was getting insurance but as sods law has it got side tracked and kept forgeting......any advice about getting window replaced without breaking the bank

TWEETIE PIE wrote:

:offtop just needed to post this where there are people who understand .....today I came home off nights and some low life has put a lump of cement through my caravan front side window....its an old avondale sandmartin...so dont know how to sort it....its a double glazed one flat glass then tinted plastic outer....am really upset....20 yrs ago Ibought a lovely little 2 berth which I was doing up...just before it was ready to go another low life arsonist destroyed it for fun.....thought as living in a little village seemed good time to try again and bought this avondale last year.....joined caravan club...was getting insurance but as sods law has it got side tracked and kept forgeting......any advice about getting window replaced without breaking the bank

Google for " Caravan Breakers " then it will show you a list of places that are caravan scrap yards where you can get spare bits

Sounds like you have got quite early brown tinted double glazing some of the makers did make windows in different vans the same size so have sizes handy too when you ring round

Getting new would be difficult as nowadays the plastic is grey tinted
the fitting is easier than the getting it's just a few screws or slide out on the hinges

good luck

thanks madcarravaner.....will do that....Ive put all kinds of stuff to block accsses to the other windows...and am going to make a protective barrier using fence panels....will use hinges so can fold away when need to ...only need to screen 3 sides and can atach end panels ....its bad these days the lengths you need go to to protect your property....wouldnt you think they would make window protectors that could be put on when van not in use.....just some kind of hard or rubber box that slot on some way....or even a cover that has protection in right areas...I think if they ever get made they would sell like hotcakes....am thinking of getting a tarpolium and jerrying one up for myself....