Carvaning with a tourer - does no one on mumsnet do it?

[notsofarnow]

I can't see anywhere to post about caravaning. Thinking about buying first caravan but some people are telling me I won't be able to tow, others are saying I won't be able to do it on my own with a 4 and 5 yr old. Any suggestions or helpful advice or people already doing it on their own with lo's

Birdly, I so agree with that about James May!

Maybe he already does it... but in disguise!!

anniebear - we have ours in storage as we have no where to put ours either. Its a pain having to go out of our way before/after each trip but its better than not having a caravan at all. Last week we had a week in West Yorkshire, this weekend we are going to Swanage and in 2 weeks time we're having 10 days in Snowdonia - all trips we couldn't afford to do otherwise.

Hi all. I just thought I'd reignite this thread and get some info from you.

Did those of you who where thinking about getting a caravan buy one in the end? How was/is it? Are you glad you made the move?

Where is a trustworthy place to buy from?

What do you need to look out for if you buy second hand?

I?m so excited to notice this thread!!!
We bought our first caravan on Sunday ? Birdly so glad you like yours as we have just got the Bailey Pageant Provence.
Bought it through a dealer with a fab deal and the reassurance of being newbies that it has been thoroughly checked and include a warranty.
Can?t decide where to go first! Going to go away over easer not too far from home to try it out. DC (5 and 2) are besides themselves with excitement!
Any suggestions on site good for caravans and young children gratefully accepted!

Millimat, what part of the country are you looking to stay in?

We went to Devon last year for 10 days and site fees were £80! Am spending a bit more this Easter (IL's choice so won't recommend) and what looks like fab place in the summer.

Hi everyone,
I'm a caravanner too! Some of my friends think that I'm crazy for wanting to go caravanning - all I can say is don't knock it until you try it. We have had some great hols in our van and its fab for kids as it gives them a sense of freedom.
Ikea is a great place to kit your van out for the non-caravanning stuff as everything is so cheap and cheerful.
Happy hols to you all!

Millimat - yay! The Provence is a great van, isn't it? We're still really happy with ours.

It's definitely a good idea to try it out close to home the first time, then you can just pack up and head home if it all goes pear-shaped (though I'm sure it won't! ).

The kids will love it! Let us know how you get on. I'm very excited on your behalf!

Millimat - yay! The Provence is a great van, isn't it? We're still really happy with ours.

It's definitely a good idea to try it out close to home the first time, then you can just pack up and head home if it all goes pear-shaped (though I'm sure it won't! ).

The kids will love it! Let us know how you get on. I'm very excited on your behalf!

Oops

I am joining the caravaner ranks! We just got given our first caravan- friends upgraded and gave us their old one. It's a 1987 Sprite 6/7 berth and I LOVE it!!

It has an awning but I still need to kit it out.

My biggest question is how do you sleep a very mobile (crawling/cruising) baby in a caravan?

We also have a 2 an 3 year old.

I really should don my socks and sandals...I just got over excited by this airstream caravan. But they are SOOOOO expensive.

message to not my monster:- we put our little one on the floor between the 2 sofas for night sleeps which we found meant you could put a hand over and check they were ok easily enough and had no fear of them rolling out of bed. touring caravans are normally far to small to accomodate a travel cot, but as you have an awning do take one with you as they are invaluable for putting the baby in (and toddlers) whilst setting yourself up when you arrive or when you are cooking etc. also,found it a great weapon as a time out place for my 2 year old who kept trying to run off .

Can I join this club please. We pick up our caravan next Tues and I am soooooeeeee excited. All our relis and friends have been startled and/or mocking at first but the next time we speak to them they seem to have come round to the idea!
I'm loving looking at all the bits and bobs that we might need. I've copied and pasted milkybarsrus's list - any comments? (in style of what do I really need for a new baby list, please )

chopping board
knives
cutlery
colander
salad bowls / servers
disposable barbi
dustpan brush
cleaning stuff
washing up crate and bowl
games
books
matches
torches
door mats
bull dog clips (to keep curtains together)
air freshner
tea towels
towels
cushions
pillows
sleeping bags
sheets (if hot)
electric fan/heater
melamine dinner set
WINE GLASSES AND BOTTLE OPENER [
tea /coffee/sugar jars
deck chairs
sun umbrella
wind break
mallet
gas bottles
mirror
wet weather gear
fleeces
warm weather gear

Just come back from our first trip in our caravan . Had great fun, stayed 4 nights. The thing we found invaluable was a hand held hoover (DS age 2 is a very messy eater!!!!) and a dustpan and brush would not have been enough. We found the whole in / out of the van with shoes on a pain as it was quite muddy, but didn't use the awning for this trip. Already have decided that a porch awning would be good for short trips - does anyone else have one?

Yes, porch is a must for shorter trips. We arrived on Friday at a site and dp realised he had taken the porch out of the caravan before we'd left thinking it was dd1's tent that we didn't need. Grrrr. We did sort of managed but with 5 of us we were forever tripping over shoes etc in the entrance area. If it had rained it would have been ghastly. They are pretty cheap and easy to put up. Definitely a must!

Millimat - glad you enjoyed it!

We nearly always have some kind of awning up, as you do need a dumping ground for shoes, wellies etc. We put the big one up as often as we (well, DH! ) can face it, as it's a great place for the kids to play in bad weather, and we always eat in it too to save mayhem in the van itself.

The only problem with our porch awning is that there's nothing to hang anything from so it's no good for storing/drying coats, towels etc.

A plastic box with a lid is handy for putting wellies/wet shoes in at night if you find yourself awning-less. You can just leave it outside the van and the lid keeps the bugs/rain out.

hi millimat,
we just bought a porchlite square awning and it stood up to terrential rain and lots of strong gusts of wind. its about 2 meters by 2 meters and takes appx 10-15 minutes to put up. look on uk campsite for advice on which one to get first .