Autumn in Cirencester
This is a fantastic time of the year. Nature really puts on a beautiful display as the Autumn leaves start to change colour. It was this reason why we decided to have a few days away in the caravan and take in the impressive scenery at one of the most delightful locations in the country. We based ourselves on the edge of the Cotswolds in the Market town of Cirencester. The town has some amazing attractions including the Cornium Museum, the remaining earthworks of a Roman amphitheatre, and the impressive Church of St. John the Baptist. All of which are within a short walk from the...
Read MoreNEC Motorhome & Caravan show
We were able to visit the Motorhome & Caravan show hosted in the NEC in October. We spent a couple of days catching up with some good friends and seeing the latest models on offer from the manufacturers. The show is a great place to visit if you are in the market for a new caravan or motorhome. We are not, but it is still a great place to visit to see the latest available gadgets, accessories and equipment that you don’t usually see in the dealerships. We also find it’s a great place for us to visit and get inspiration for trips, adventures and attractions. We discovered a few places...
Read MoreChanging ALKO Stabiliser pads
It has been a job that I’ve been putting off for a number of months. My fear was this would be a complex, dirty job with the possibility of something going very wrong. Nothing could have been further from the truth, however, Changing the Friction pads on the ALKO hitch is a breeze. It took me 30 seconds to exchange the pads for new ones. It also gave me the opportunity to look at the condition of the pads that had been on the caravan since 2010. They were extremely “glazed” and using brake disc cleaner with some 240 grit Wet & dry – the pads came up nice and clean, with a roughed up...
Read MoreTyre Pressure Monitoring
Last week we were sent a tyre pressure monitoring system from Tyre Pal. Who asked us to demonstrate how easy the sensors are to install, how quick the system is to set up and configure your parameters. We recorded the installation and yes the system really is that easy. If we were not filming I’m pretty sure the whole install would have taken less than 5 minutes once the manual had been read and digested. What is great about this kit is Tyre Pal include all the equipment you will need to install and maintain your sensors. The kit is available with varying numbers of sensors allowing you to...
Read MoreBuxton 2016
The summertime is arguably the best time to get some much needed rest and enjoy the sun. Of course, in the UK the weather is a complete gamble, even in the summer you are not guaranteed sun nor are you entitled to dry days. It was with this in mind that we decided to book a short break away where activities could be enjoyed no matter the weather. Buxton is situated just on the edge of the Derbyshire dales is a perfect base to expore this beautiful part of England. We have never been before so some careful planning of activities and locations took place long before we arrived. We stayed at...
Read MoreThe Gower
In June we were able to spend a long weekend with our friends in The Gower, South Wales. The weekend had been long planned and, in total there was around 12 of us that ended up going. We were the only family that ventured out with a caravan; all our friends were pitched up in their tents. Some of our friends are hardened campers, others mere novices. But the camping mentality of help and share soon became the norm. Of course being friends anyway we tend to share everything. Gin, burgers and the occasional hug. As we were the only ones with a caravan we were sadly separated from the others....
Read MoreAnd breathe…
Some of my favourite bloggers really do write from the heart. And its so lovely to see others point of view on the caravanning scene. Its interesting to hear other peoples motives and journey into caravan ownership. I asked a fellow Deb from the In Pursuit of a dream blog to write a guest blogger entry on their experiences of owning a caravan. Here is Debs story : We are a northern couple, who for the last 10 years have been living down south in Hampshire. Working for a big corporate company, promotion meant we upped sticks and moved from our native town of Bolton to rural Hampshire...
Read MoreNorth Devon
May bank holiday saw us visit North Devon. We stayed at the Caravan Club Exebridge Lakeside club just outside of Dulverton. The site is simply stunning and we managed to get a space on one of the serviced pitches. The serviced pitches here are great. Providing you have a motor mover, the site allows you to “drive” the ‘van onto the pitch and take in some breath taking views of the exe valley. Access to the site is extremely straightforward. Straight off the M5, onto a couple of A roads and you are there. It simply couldn’t be easier. I could of course waffle on about how we set up, what we...
Read MoreTow ball maintenance
Pretty much every caravan these days has a dry towing hitch. That means that the tow ball and tow hitch is to remain dry, void of lubricants and grease. Because the tow ball is made of steel, over time the tow ball without grease will to corrode. Maintenance of the tow ball is essential as road dirt, grease and contaminants can corrode the surface of the tow ball. Cleaning the tow ball is an easy task. All you need is some de-greaser (we use brake disc cleaner) and some fine grade wet & dry paper. Tom and I filmed how we maintain our tow ball, the clip shows how the ball should look and...
Read MoreRollaway awning
Since 2014 we have owned a Kampa Air pro 390 awning. It was our very first awning and at the beginning all was well. In recent months, however, we have started to notice a few shortcomings with the air awning concept. Not wanting to babble on here are just a few of our highlight issues : 1. Twisting air poles 2. Slack roof panels 3. High condensation 4. Leaky roof For us, the biggest issue we have with the awning, is inability to erect it at home to “dry it off” when packed away damp. Its just so big, and in 1 piece. Angela & I searched for options and we came up with the Quest...
Read MoreCampervan Treks
Planning any holiday can be a time consuming process. The process is no different when you are camping or caravanning. The research into the site facilities, where the nearest town is or how close you are sited against attractions can be a daunting process. CamperVan Treks have created a package that allows you to take your existing caravan or motorhome on a guided tour of France and have all the stress of planning taken out for you. Today, I’m joined by Matt from CamperVan Treks who will tell us more about this package. Hi Matt, welcome. So very briefly explain what CamperVan Treks...
Read MoreJacking up a caravan
A question that we had right of the beginning of our caravan adventure was “how do you jack up the caravan ?” initially we thought this was a straight forward task and just like jacking up a car. The reality is, it isn’t. Some preparation and serious considerations need to take place for the safety of ourselves and for the safety and protection of the caravan. We filmed the process on how to jack up a caravan and below are the results. One good thing that came out of this was both Tom & I decided we needed to purchase the jacking add on kit in order to make this easier. ...
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