Can I collect a caravan?

melasmammy

We bought a caravan prior to lockdown but it is 250 miles away. The seller is waiting for us to collect. Can we now do this? I have looked everywhere for clarification but cannot find any!

Streaky_Bacon

The guidance is not exactly clear and open to interpretation, but it would seem that you can drive wherever you want in England, as long as you socially distance.

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/motoring/uk-lockdown-driving-rules-travel-distance-passengers-a9507781.html

Life__Goes__On

I think you could (not 100% sure), as they couldn't stop you driving to collect, BUT  make sure you have the sale details with you as they might think you are planning to go on holiday with caravan when returning.

Streaky_Bacon

Life__Goes__On said:

I think you could (not 100% sure), as they couldn't stop you driving to collect, BUT  make sure you have the sale details with you as they might think you are planning to go on holiday with caravan when returning.

It's a fair point that the police may see you and think that you are going on holiday, but you'll also presumably be travelling towards your home. So, if stopped, that should be sufficient to show that you are not going on holiday. Even if travelling to pick up the caravan is technically OK, you should, if stopped, probably avoid discussion about that if you can, because enforcement by individual officers has not always matched the law.

blindman

melasmammy said:

We bought a caravan prior to lockdown but it is 250 miles away. The seller is waiting for us to collect. Can we now do this? I have looked everywhere for clarification but cannot find any!

So long as you do not cross into Scotland or Wales then YES.
Make sure you SD when collecting.
Do the journey in one day, no stop overs...

Just use Common Sense.

Grumpy_chap

I understand that the new rules allow you to travel further, but it must not be so far away that you need to stay away overnight.

If the caravan is 250 miles away, doing the return trip and not staying away overnight is going to be tight.

bradders1983

Grumpy_chap said:

I understand that the new rules allow you to travel further, but it must not be so far away that you need to stay away overnight.

If the caravan is 250 miles away, doing the return trip and not staying away overnight is going to be tight.

Not really, 250 miles can be knocked off in less than 4 hours if its all motorways and A roads.

And add a bit longer on for the return with a caravan. Setting off at 7am leaves plenty of time. 

blindman

Grumpy_chap said:

I understand that the new rules allow you to travel further, but it must not be so far away that you need to stay away overnight.

If the caravan is 250 miles away, doing the return trip and not staying away overnight is going to be tight.

I suppose if you were walking with it...

onashoestring

The government guidelines are no person may leave or be outside of the place where they are living without reasonable excuse. The exceptions are :

• for work, where you cannot work from home
• going to shops that are permitted to be open - to get things like food and medicine
• to exercise or spend time outdoors
• any medical need, including to donate blood, avoid injury or illness, escape risk of harm, or to provide care or to help a vulnerable person.
• 
  
• https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-outbreak-faqs-what-you-can-and-cant-do/coronavirus-outbreak-faqs-what-you-can-and-cant-do
  

• 
  
• The easing of travel restrictions this week applies to travelling for exercise only.
• 
  

• Is  this caravan is for a key worker or member of family to live in who needs to self isolate or shield?  In this case you can take the keyworker or shielding letter with you to prove why you have left your home to collect this.

Streaky_Bacon

onashoestring said:

The government guidelines are no person may leave or be outside of the place where they are living without reasonable excuse. The exceptions are :

Those are some of the possible reasonable excuses, but there are others in the regulations

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/350

including:

to collect goods which have been ordered from a business in any way permitted under regulation 5(1)(a);

Grumpy_chap

@Streaky_Bacon - I have read the link you provided the other way round.  The person running the business is permitted to make deliveries.  The OP wants to go and collect.  Similar but opposite actions, even if the final outcome is the same.