To buy a caravan on a whim?!

[shiveringhiccup]

On a total whim today I have now got wildly carried away with this idea and am THIS close to bidding on one... AIBU??

We're a small family. We like countryside type holidays, although I do like having mod cons (yes I mean a shower). Very small car but there are caravans out there that I think we could just about get away with in terms of weight.

Pros/ cons/ horror stories/ tales of joy and delight in caravans?

Caravan loos are not too bad to empty - most caravans have a cassette type which is built in and looks like a normal loo. When you have used it, there is a lever on the side which opens a flap to the holding tank (the cassette) underneath. There is another lever/button which rinses merge bowl with clean water.
You put toilet chemical (elsan or thetford are the best makes) in the cassette and pink rinse aid in the clean water tank. When you empty the loo, the cassette slides out through a special door on the outside. You then tip it down the emptying point, there is a long spout so you don't get too close! The blue chemical breaks down anything solid and there is no unpleasant smell unless you forget to empty it when you get home and only remember 3 weeks later in a heatwave
Loo emptying is one of my jobs when we are away, except on some French campsites where the emptying point is inside the gents, next to the urinals. DH 's turn then!

Ok that doesn't sound too bad at all I'll make DH do it

Redhat that's amazing! Love it. My version of that would be significantly shabbier lol but good luck if you decide to do it!

What about showers - is it easier to just use the shower block? Do you have to transport a big load of water to plug in or do you hook up to water at the campsite? Sorry, aware this is revealing the extent of my ignorance. Camped loads as a child but I was of course blissfully ignorant of the effort that went into it!!

What about showers - is it easier to just use the shower block? Do you have to transport a big load of water to plug in or do you hook up to water at the campsite?

Having my own shower was why we went for a caravan instead of the much easier folding camper. The dcs are quite happy with either, they just decide which they prefer at the relevant time.

You need a water container, which you fill up at the site. Most people use one called an Aquaroll. Your caravan should come with a pump, which pumps water into the 'van when needed.

We tent camped for years before getting a 'van. Best move we ever made and we have had some great breaks away. I would echo all the pps who said check for damp.

The caravan club website has lots of information, including a tool to check if your car/caravan is well matched. Your car sounds very light, which will severely restrict your choice sadly.

Just to clarify on the towing issue. Driving test pass date:

Pre 1 Jan 1997 - total MAM (car and caravan) is 8,250 kg
Jan 1997 - total MAM (car and caravan) is 3,500kg

govt advice

A Ford Mondeo has a MAM of 2,100 kg and a LR Discovery of 3,100 kg, so can limit caravan weight of post-97 drivers.

Also, hiring a car with a tow bar will limit your choice and, I suspect, be more expensive. Cheapest I could find (with a quick google) was £350 a week in November. Add in petrol and site fees and more expensive than a holiday cottage.

I hear 'caravan' and my head translates this to 'millstone'. DH would quite like to get a caravan but if we could afford the sort of caravan we'd both like, we could afford to fly abroad for HOT and SUNNY holidays.

I know the UK is lovely but so is the rest of the world. My caravanning friends only go to seaside/lakes etc as they can't justify going abroad when they have a caravan.

Yes, I am the voice of caravanning DOOM, here to piss on your chips.

We go abroad twice a year so doesn't need to be the end of sunny holidays. Off to Majorca soon for 2 weeks having had a great spring and summer of caravan adventures.

By the time you buy a caravan, pay site fees, and pay for maintenance, you could book a B and B. I don't see it as a cheap holiday at all.

A caravan is good if you are retired and so have lots of time to holiday. If you work full time, it is a waste of money.

It's a great cheap option. You can stay in beautiful countryside and your kids run free and make friends. Way less restrictive than a B&B.

We're away most weekends whenever we can. We have converted quite a few of our friends to the joys as well. Now our main problem is finding time to go away just us.

Dh couldn't get the numbers to work, everything taken into account - it's more expensive than you'd think because if you work you don't get enough use out of it, so cost per night away is ££££ - unless you are retired and can make good use of it.

Busyboysmum it's great that you can afford 2 foreign holidays a year and a caravan that you have enough time to use. That sounds ideal to me! I'm green eyed here.

I have to echo others comments about damp. Our van got a small hole in the roof which we never noticed. one year later and the entire side of the van has damp - quoted up to 3k to repair on a van worth £5k. As it's still safe to use we are going to holiday with it one more time then look at trading it in.

Personally, I would have a folding camper over a caravan as they are far easier to tow and don't hit the fuel economy as badly.

We are lucky I know and we do prioritise holidays over other things. Boys do activities in the week so our weekends are free. Our foreign holidays are usually out of season although we are going to Majorca in August as I was so sick of last year's rubbish summer. We self cater, through Owners Direct, go with my widowed mum so we share costs, eat cheaply over there, fly at odd times to get the cheapest flights etc But I think our holidays are our hobbies really. We just love getting away as often as possible.

This may be long...

We did this about ten years ago. We had a few holidays in it, but initially we'd been full of plans to get off for the weekend on a Friday night.
The reality to us was sitting in traffic, pitching up at 9pm, enjoying Saturday then having to be off site by 11am Sunday. I then came back to all the little weekend jobs I hadn't done and was knackered by Sunday night.

Site fees then were £25ish a night, extra for our small dog. We tried cheaper sites, one of which in North Wales had us packing up and leaving at 10pm after ferral bloody kids on the site unplugged the electrics so the freezer defrosted and spent the evening lobbing things through the roof lights whilst we were out. They then attempted to steal the kids skateboards. The site owner did nothing as they were booked for the season so we left.

When we went away for a week the site fees could have hired us a static and saved the hassle of towing and putting up the awning, plus given us a lot more room.

Didn't mind the toilet emptying etc and I took a slow cooker for meals (turned off by the little shits up post).

Eventually neither of us could be arsed. I could smell damp, it was cold and it didn't feel clean to me. We booked B&B's or statics, caravan sat on the front and became a kind of shed for crap we used occasionally. Sold it about 2 months ago. It hadn't been used for about 5 years.

You may love it, but don't spend thousands until you know for certain.

How much are site fees generally?

about 30 a night

GloGirl Park resorts are now listing from £29 a night, but searching for 1 night next Saturday at North Wales is £38 a night for a basic electric pitch
I assume that doesn't include entertainment passes into the clubhouse either.

Scotch that, they want £3 for our dog. £41 a night.

you're looking at the peak weekend of the year though and for only 1 night.

you're looking at the peak weekend of the year though and for only 1 night.

I'm looking at the closest seaside site for a short weekend break, something many caravanners will do as it's easy.
Even changing it to 3 nights friday to monday gives me £114, so £123 with the dog.
August is when many people go away. I'm looking at Friday 19th August through to Monday 21st.

I read an article last year where it said a massive proportion of people who buy a caravan, sell it again within 2 years and do not buy another one.
If you love caravanning, buy one. Do not do it to have cheap holidays.

It seems cheap to me but I have yet to spend much time in a caravan. We are borrowing PIL's next week to see whether I like it.

With DS1 starting secondary school in September and having to be at school most saturdays I suspect we wouldn't get enough use out of our own caravan to even nearly justify the expense. We will have to continue to borrow PILs (for free!)

My favourite caravan site in the world ever is Fidden Farm, isle of Mull. (Google it) yes it's a bloody long way plus a ferry from Oban, but it is the most beautiful wonderful place ever. It now has a portacabin loo block (it used to be a dig your own hole sort of place) and is currently £6pp per night.
Or Brow Farm , Rattlinghope, Shropshire. Perfect for children, walking distance to super pub.
Or a CL near Conwy, Glen Urcha, very very basic, but fantastic views, walking distance of super pub and 5 mins to Conwy.
Or f you want abroad, Brittany, Camping La Baie, la trinitie due Mer. Two weeks in August on super comfort pitch, EHU, including Brittany ferries ferry and cabin, family of 4, less than staying at Haven.

Yes, you do have to plan to make weekends away work by not going too far and keeping the van ready to go, and yes you can pay a fortune for sites but we, and now our grown up DC enjoy the freedom that caravanning can bring.
Try it - some places hire their second hand caravans out, give it a go, you don't have to spend a fortune on a land yacht, or on some huge holiday complex type site, go for it!

Forgot to put that Brow Farm is also £6pppn, and Glen Urcha is £5 per night per caravan. We are staying for a week at La Baie at the end of August for €120.