I stayed at home and saved a grand, had a comfortable bed too,

contrary to expectation I have been to a UK caravan site, Scotton nr Harrogate, what a display, vans lined up like some kind of brookside housing estate, a dismal looking brick built toilet/shower block - ok very clean and hygienic inside but still communal.

the vaner whose awning I sat under( I refused to enter the plastic trailer) liked to moan and bitch about his neighbours van being 2mm closer than regulations permitted.


gas bbq, not even a flame one, more of a hotplate on a tripod WTF

really really sad place no life to it just a bunch of bored looking people sat in awnings wishing their lives away. I may have livened the place up my chasing my dog around ( encroaching on other peoples strictly allocated 20 sq ft of worn out grass ) and 'accidentally' kicking the gas sausage burner over every 2 minutes.

vanning or hemlock?? pass me the drink anytime.


static vans however are different, there was a lovely girl in a local static caravan park, years ago, sweet memories no vat on statics I say At work
At home

"I can't always believe facts I read on the web" - Charles Dickens

winner by default of the tractor vs caravan race

Horses for courses! We use our caravan for about a 100 days a year! Site fees about £10.00 per night. We use CL's. We travel to France for a month! Suits our life style. We still use the bird in the sky to get further to the south. I know that I prefer caravanning as it gives us total freedom., And as for the F2, well it tows as well as our Disco, and is much cheaper. 1998 300TDi Auto Disco, never to be forgotten.
2008 Auto TD4 Freelander2, now gone?
2013 Auto SD4 Freelander!
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chicken george wrote:

contrary to expectation I have been to a UK caravan site, Scotton nr Harrogate, what a display, vans lined up like some kind of brookside housing estate, a dismal looking brick built toilet/shower block - ok very clean and hygienic inside but still communal.

the vaner whose awning I sat under( I refused to enter the plastic trailer) liked to moan and bitch about his neighbours van being 2mm closer than regulations permitted.


gas bbq, not even a flame one, more of a hotplate on a tripod WTF

really really sad place no life to it just a bunch of bored looking people sat in awnings wishing their lives away. I may have livened the place up my chasing my dog around ( encroaching on other peoples strictly allocated 20 sq ft of worn out grass ) and 'accidentally' kicking the gas sausage burner over every 2 minutes.

vanning or hemlock?? pass me the drink anytime.

That's the odd thing, I don't understand why someone would tow one, possibly hundreds of miles, to then recreate the housing estate that they've just driven from I particularly enjoy it when the owners then produce immaculate little plastic fences to mark out their territory around their little bit of suburbia-on-sea

Your'e an annoying bunch of w s, not everyone 're-creates', puts up fences, defends their territory or sits on site all day. The van is a base from where we can go out walking, visiting local areas, eat out in the evening at various pubs, we leave in the morning and return late evening.
Do what the f you like with your own money/life but your take on what I and many others do is completely misguided.

Ouch! And there I was thinking we were having a little light hearted dig at each other....

we have been taking our Caravan to France, Switzerland & Spain for over 20 years & had the most memorable holidays. Our Kids have grown up & now work but still come with us on a months holiday each year to France, we mostly manage, tunnel crossing, site fees & hook up including red pennant + insurance for around 1100 yes for a month for 4 adults + fuel & food.
The further south you travel the better the weather, rule of thumb anywhere south of Lyon, normally 28-44 everyday in the Summer. Ardech very hot and dry Royan has lovely beaches. Never experienced any travel issues in France, its always a pleasure, except my FR2 has broken down in France three years running !
There are some fantastic sites, we always choose XXL pitches 150+ sq mtrs, water/waste & elec on each pitch so plumb van in direct. You can even arrange pitches to have a full compliment set on the pitch as below.

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EYorkshire wrote:

Your'e an annoying bunch of w s, not everyone 're-creates', puts up fences, defends their territory or sits on site all day. The van is a base from where we can go out walking, visiting local areas, eat out in the evening at various pubs, we leave in the morning and return late evening.
Do what the f you like with your own money/life but your take on what I and many others do is completely misguided.

he bites

people all all different but I regularly drive past a local van site, on a farm track right along side the mesh fence holding the captives in, the typical guest at that site does indeed site round all day watching tv.from the tractor cab you can see all the tiny screens in the vans and awnings. When I go past all the bored kids come and cling to the fence, the close proximity of a shiney tractor being the highlight of their day. At work
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"I can't always believe facts I read on the web" - Charles Dickens

winner by default of the tractor vs caravan race

"the typical guest at that site does indeed site round all day watching tv.from the tractor cab you can see all the tiny screens in the vans and awnings. When I go past all the bored kids come and cling to the fence, the close proximity of a shiney tractor being the highlight of their day."

Ah well CG now you see the advantage of abroad is the weather is so much better & the sites have so much to offer, from pools go-karting, canoing, trekking,cycle hire, squash, tennis and evening entertainment. My kids never want to come home and a month in France is never enough

point taken there, that sounds much better. honestly the local van site is just a field jammed with vans. I do not see what pleasure is to be had there.

Im going to a similar site to your French site on this year, but the guests reside in luxury chalets, not centerparcs, less structured than that and without the crapy chain restaurants etc they restrict you to.


do you really take a garden shed on holiday with you  At work
At home

"I can't always believe facts I read on the web" - Charles Dickens

winner by default of the tractor vs caravan race

"less structured than that and without the crapy chain restaurants etc they restrict you to. "

makes me wonder where you have been for your holidays ?

We are very particular & the Dutch camp sites in France tend to be the best with exceptional standards and their restaurants are fantastic, with food to die for, their pools are spotless and wash rooms are so clean you could eat of the floor.
France has really upped its game in camping in recent years & puts our country to shame for general cleanliness.
Most sites now even offer a private bathroom with your own key if you wish !

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oldgeezer wrote:

"less structured than that and without the crapy chain restaurants etc they restrict you to. "

makes me wonder where you have been for your holidays ?

that referred to centerparcs, been once will NOT return, fun pool but everything else about the place was a let down. At work
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"I can't always believe facts I read on the web" - Charles Dickens

winner by default of the tractor vs caravan race

Yeah know what you mean about C parcs

"do you really take a garden shed on holiday with you " looks like I do ! no actually just pay 100euro deposit & all condiments supplied & return the deposit with shed when we leave.
Not something you see on English sites.
The extra fridge freezer is a real bonus when we have 4 hungry adults on tap

I hope you have great holiday, to us our Holidays are really important so doing in style is a must, cost doesn't really come into it, just has to be great, and as our kids are over 21 and still coming we must be doing something right !

Our last van depreciated at £1000 a year, if only the car could depreciate at that rate, the more you use it the cheaper it becomes. We try to get way around once a month be it just for a weekend or our main holiday, we were away at Easter, away next week, then onto France for Whitsun, July, August in the Peaks, that's all we have arranged so far, but we can make a quick decision and go, the van sits on the drive, plugged in to the mains, Fridge ready, clothes in, all we have to do is put in the food and were gone. Each to there own

Yeah, that's what I meant to say, just worded differently, bad day