Thinking about caravanning.

sweetheartno2

i hire privately caravans at butlins. I dont have the grief of insurance towing storage extra fuel . if you look at private listings ie friday ads or gumtree you sleep up to 8 people (so you could even share with another family! with entertainment passes included. the minehead one has a tesco and morrison next door so eating is cheap too!

artichoke

hi

another vote here for camping in a tent with very young children....

we camped in a tent with our first when she was 3 months old and with the second he camped in a tent at two weeks old!

and we carried on tent camping from then.....

i actually find it harder in a tent now they are older as they want to go off on their bikes and explore and i am not always happy about traffic as not everyone drives slowly on site...

What are your worries about camping in a tent with little ones?

If you want to try before you buy with a caravan why not just go and stay in a static caravan a few times and see if you enjoy it?

I find cheap caravan deals via the Daily Mail or the Sun to be the cheapest holidays around..especially if you can book for Easter School holidays, and October half term etc...

camping in a large tent costs us sometimes £35 a night and upwards so camping is no longer the cheap holiday it used to be..

Art

C_Mababejive

Travellers manage it so why not..?

muddyl

artichoke wrote: »

hi


What are your worries about camping in a tent with little ones?

The two older children would be fine (11 & 14 years old), but the two younger ones may prove difficult. Our 18 month old is like a whirlwind. She has her hands into everything and everyone we know who see's her comments on it, so its not just us thinking it. She also still wakes up in the night. (Actually she doesnt wake, she just screems in her sleep till you touch her hair). I'd be mostly worried about her trying to run off, as she never stays still and wont play with any toys we have.

The youngest still feeds in the night, but he's not actually too bad.

I may just be worrying too much, just dont want them to make it so hard work we get sick early on.

sunshinetours

Also consider trailer tents and folding campers (look at the ukcampsite link mentioned above as good forum on there)

Still get the joys of canvas camping but teh comforts of sleeping off ground, 240v and 12v electric, gas, water and in ours toilet/washroom and sleeps 6 inside the FC even without the huge awning which you can also add annexes if you like.
Easier to tow and store and less to go wrong and less chance of damp ingress which can be an issue with many old caravans

Most modern caravans (and folding campers) are around 1.9-2.1m wide

I would also consider a 5 or 6 berth with that many kids as you will want space, despite an awning

As above camping can be as expensive or cheap as you want it. Rallying is derfinitely a cheaper option as are CS or CL sites with C&CC and the CC respectively

Also as above your kids are definitely not too young! many are veteran campers by that age!

Good luck

artichoke

muddyl wrote: »

The two older children would be fine (11 & 14 years old), but the two younger ones may prove difficult. Our 18 month old is like a whirlwind. She has her hands into everything and everyone we know who see's her comments on it, so its not just us thinking it. She also still wakes up in the night. (Actually she doesnt wake, she just screems in her sleep till you touch her hair). I'd be mostly worried about her trying to run off, as she never stays still and wont play with any toys we have.

The youngest still feeds in the night, but he's not actually too bad.

I may just be worrying too much, just dont want them to make it so hard work we get sick early on.

if running off is your worry why not borrow a tent and go camping in a basic site that is just a big field....and go out of season, or avoid busy peak weekends..

if you get to the sites early you can pick a good spot in a corner or down the far end so there is plenty of space for them to run off but still be in sight... I used to love some of the site near me (the peak district - where there was so much space for them to run and play ball whilst we sat and chatted and have a drink..

that is why camping is great because if you pick the right site they can have that freedom to run off whilst still being safe and in sight...

Art

where abouts in the country are you? maybe someone can suggest sites that might suit you?

Art

muddyl

sunshinetours wrote: »

I would also consider a 5 or 6 berth with that many kids as you will want space, despite an awning

I would prefer a 5/6 berth, but i doubt my car would be able to tow one very well. It's tow weight is 1454kg (85%). Would have thought a 5/6 berth would be pushing the limits there. Or at least not an older one, as i'm on a tight budget.

P.s. Whats the biggest/busiest/best caravan forum out there?

sunshinetours

muddyl wrote: »

I would prefer a 5/6 berth, but i doubt my car would be able to tow one very well. It's tow weight is 1454kg (85%). Would have thought a 5/6 berth would be pushing the limits there. Or at least not an older one, as i'm on a tight budget.

P.s. Whats the biggest/busiest/best caravan forum out there?

Don't agree. Plenty of choice upto 1400kg or so. Check out www.carvanfinder.co.uk if you haven't already

85% is a guideline not a legal requirement don't forget so if you are slightly either way its not an issue. The legal requirement id to not be overweight for the caravan itself and not to exceed your cars legal towing capacity

Forum already referred to a couple of times above is very active. Probbaly others if you search. Caravan club now have forums on their site if you join aswell. Carvanning4u is another one