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I love our caravan

(69 Posts)
vampirequeen Thu 02-Jul-15 15:37:50

I was chatting to my daughter about our next planned break. She laughed and said that we were always away now and were like real retired people (not sure what unreal retired people are lol).

The thing is we now have a caravan and we've discovered how easy it is to nip away for a few days. Tbh I hadn't thought about it but we were away at Easter, May Day weekend, during Whit Week and mid June. We've already booked to go away at the end of July and the end of August and we're in the process of looking for somewhere for mid August. Then of course there will be Sept, Oct and onwards until the weather finally breaks too much. Our caravan has central heating so cooler weather isn't a problem.

I've never had so many holidays and long weekends. We go to such beautiful places and if you look around you can find small campsites for around £10 a night including electricity.

I'm seriously in danger of becoming a caravan evangelist grin

NanSue Wed 08-Jul-15 08:05:16

I too am guessing that they don't want older vans to "spoil" the look of their sites. The ones we were looking at were in fact 9 years old so presumably in a year you would have to move it or get rid. Crafty!

ginny Wed 08-Jul-15 09:33:04

numberplease Oh , I have never come across that rule for tourers. Before we bought our current van 3 years ago , we were using a van that was 23 years old. . Maybe a bit old fashioned but otherwise fine. What a snobbish attitude and these sites are best avoided.

annsixty Wed 08-Jul-15 10:34:08

We were on a site with our static caravan which had the ten year rule in theory but if you had kept your van in good condition it wasn't enforced. After all there were vacant pitches and if you kept paying your £4k+ rent a year and spent in the bar and restaurant they really didn't want to lose you!!

mrsmopp Wed 08-Jul-15 11:27:42

We have a static in Cornwall and love it to bits. We were there each weekend when we were still working but now we can stay as often and as long as we like. It is so peaceful and restful, but also plenty of places to go to for a day out. Unbeatable. Absolute heaven.

Greendorrie Wed 08-Jul-15 14:36:18

We have been members of the Caravan Club for 30 years. When the boys were school age we went on weekend rallies mainly close to home. We all made friends and had a great time. Now we have retired we usually stay on caravan club sites where we know the standard of facilities will be high. We go away at least once every month to a different part of the country and its great. I couldn't think of a better way to spend my retirement. I love my caravan and always chose one with a high spec, I was built for comfort. Back in the days of rallying, I can remember attending a fellow ralliers 80th Birthday Party in January, I hope I still have the same enthusiasm when its mine, also in January!

rosesarered Wed 08-Jul-15 15:34:19

Annsixty, there is the problem , 4 thousand pounds a year to keep the static caravan!One thousand pounds for every 3 months. not viable for us.

annsixty Wed 08-Jul-15 15:45:02

And this for only ten and a half months and we didn't use it from the end of October until April or Easter whenever that was. Since we left,about 4 years ago the site is open 12 months a year so I assume the fees have gone up accordingly.It is not for the ones who do not use it very regularly and have family who also make good use of it.

merlotgran Wed 08-Jul-15 15:48:57

I follow these people on facebook

maddogsandvintagevans.co.uk/

No intentions of going there but I love what they're doing and there's something sooooo romantic about vintage caravans.

Nice to have a browse if you love caravans. smile

jinglbellsfrocks Wed 08-Jul-15 16:02:02

That filled me with dread and horror.

merlotgran Wed 08-Jul-15 16:09:34

If I was twenty years younger I'd give it a go.

Need a bit more luxury in my life these days.

jinglbellsfrocks Wed 08-Jul-15 16:18:03

Compost lavs.

vampirequeen Wed 08-Jul-15 19:20:41

The vans look lovely.

The compost toilets appear to be the same as ordinary toilets. The waste system is the only difference. Instead of going into the sewers it goes into reed beds and naturally decomposes.

jinglbellsfrocks Wed 08-Jul-15 20:04:11

Oh no! They are not the same. There is no water to flush round the bowl.

#bitsmustgetstuck

jinglbellsfrocks Wed 08-Jul-15 20:04:31

Sorry! blush

jinglbellsfrocks Wed 08-Jul-15 20:07:24

One of the toilets flushes. BUT: "There’s also a traditional composting loo located close to the showershack and where possible we ask that this be your first port of call!"

Eeurgh!

vampirequeen Wed 08-Jul-15 20:48:29

Composting toilets don't smell. I've used them at some nature reserves.

numberplease Thu 09-Jul-15 00:35:36

Just out of curiosity, I`ve just looked up the 2 sites that I mentioned, and now they`ve extended the acceptable age for tourers, one says max 15 years, the other 20. I wish they`d done this years ago when we wanted to go there.

vampirequeen Thu 09-Jul-15 08:51:52

I think it's awful to restrict the age of tourers and statics. I've seen some beautifully kept old caravans and some horrendous relatively new ones. The age isn't as important as how the owners take care of them.