Cheltenham Caravanner

Speaking to a Truma engineer several years ago he said that the blown air systems were intended to be installed at the mid point of a caravan blowing air equally in both directions. The problem, as we experienced, is that caravan manufacturers put the heating unit under a front locker and then run long pipes, often underneath the van, to the other areas sometimes spitting to go to the bathroom and rear. Hence poor heating performance at the extremity of the run.

Compared to a house or static caravan tourers are pretty fragile and the earlier comment about mess and damage does not surprise me at all. Damage can occur just because a "borrower" does not understand how some bits work. You could try renting a small static by way of a trial.

I wouldn’t buy a new car and expect to pay extra for the ignition key in order to be able to use it! The skirt isn't necessarily essential to make the awning work. Rather like, these days, when you buy a new car if you want a spare wheel you have to pay extra, otherwise it just comes with a (useless) puncture repair kit.

RobPJW : Are you happy to have to return the caravan to NI to have any warranty issues remedied ?

Having collected the caravan and put your number plates on it what is to stop you just driving south ? How would anyone know you weren't just returning from a caravan holiday in NI ? As I understand it there are no check points on the NI/ ROI border

For the £5.50 an IDP costs why not just get one anyway ? Factored into the cost of getting to and driving in Spain it is minimal

Pauline : are you trying to ignite the hob rings with the cooker's igniter or are you using matches. Can you actually smell gas when you turn one of the hob rings on ?

If your loo water intake is as shown in the previous post video then it is straight forward enough. You just fill the loo header tank until it is full. My experience with the pink fluid is that it is a waste of money. It might make the flush water smell a bit nicer but it creates a load of black gunge that flushes through. In my opinion it is best to avoid using it.

Guess you never use non-electric sites then?

Don't know if it is true but I was told that a load of calor gas containers (from China !! why ??? ) got held up coming through Suez.

Also, one of my Milenco towing mirrors fell off whilst towing on the motorway when a car in the middle lane came too close to me as it was moving over to allow an ambulance to pass him, clipping my mirror with his. Thankfully I always secure them with a cable tie to act as a lanyard incase this happens, Good idea. I must try and remember to do that.

As stated on another post - the Caravan Bays at Donnington on the M1 currently have four European trucks (tractor units) parked in them and it looks as though they have been there ages presumably with the agreement of the services owners.

On the subject of caravans parking in the trucking areas at motorway services it seems far more common to me to see trucks in the designated caravan slots (when they are nearer the services than the trucking area.). Donnington services on the M1 actually has four trucks (tractor units) from europe parked in the caravan slots, they look as though they have been there for ages.

I'm with Scarab. I could live with a system where I'm allowed to book just three weekend (Friday to Sunday/Monday) slots and three "long stays" on a rolling basis.

On two occasions I have had the jockey wheel drop whilst in transit. The first time I thought I probably hadn't tightened it enough so thereafter I made absolutely sure it was really tight. Then it happened again! Since then I now additionally also secure it above the bodywork of the A frame with with a large jubilee clip which is too large to drop through the hole.