Towing For The First Time

I don't know what all the fuss was about.  I had been wound up into an almost frenzy of anxiety at the thought of towing the van for the first time on the motorway, but when it came down to the minute when I actually joined the M60, I was too busy concentrating on keeping the caravan between the white lines to notice I was on the motorway.

DB kept making encouraging noises from the passenger seat while engrossed in his laptop on his knee.  But other than that, I was on my own, and managing quite nicely, thank you very much.

There was a tiny blip when the motorway merged at the Swinton interchange.  I didn't realise just how narrow those lanes were until I was sandwiched between two rather large lorries.  When I finally reached the M62 turn-off I felt my shoulders relax and breathed out for the first time in about 5 minutes.  Maybe I should take up free-diving if I can hold my breath for that long.

The rest of the journey went off without a hitch (excuse the pun), until we arrived at the 'newly re-furbished' Bay View site in Carnforth.  All I can say is it's a good job we have been there before and know how friendly the people are and what a lovely site it usually is.  Unlike the people who arrived just after us, new to caravanning and the first time at this site, you could see the look of dissapointment in their eyes when they saw the building site we were pitched next too.

You can hardly notice the gravel heap in the background!

After navigating my way, very successfully I might add, through the tiniest gate in the world, I managed to back the van onto the new pitch.  It looked like it had just been laid that morning and quite possibly had.  Surrounded by burly work-men and diggers galore it was very apparent that the 'newly refurbished' bit wasn't quite finished yet.  The lady in reception apologised for the noise and mess explaining that it was the bad weather that had delayed the work  by a month.

Then we discovered the charger wasn't working in the caravan so no 12volts for the night.  Luckily we had been invited to the brother-in-laws for tea.  After an excellent fortifying meal of home-made lasagne and a bottle of red wine, the world looked a more positive place.

Arriving back at the site we decided to call it a night.  I did discover though that iphone torches really aren't that bright when walking back from the toilet block in the middle of a builders yard at midnight.  Think I might invest in a torch for the next visit.

Walking towards a Brief Encounter

The caravan is on the driveway, washed and ready to pack for our trip at the weekend.  The first trip of the year always sees us returning to our birth-place of Morecambe, Lancashire.  It is always a joy to visit the places we grew up but so much has changed over the years it's like seeing it for the first time too.

Morecambe grew in popularity in the late 1800's due to workers from Yorkshire and Lancashire holidaying in the seaside resort.   Over the last few years it has seen a rejuvination programme put into place and once again, Morecambe is becoming a popular seaside holiday destination.  With it's close proximity to the Lake District and the many Wainwright Fells, it is a great spot for walkers.

Boats in the Bay

Midland Hotel

We will be walking along the promenade from Carnforth to the Midland Hotel on Saturday, taking in the many sights along the way including Happy Mount Park, built in the 1920's and one of the few remaining parks which cater to the entire family with trampolines, miniature golf, bowling, crazy golf, paddling pool and the beautiful Japanese gardens and miniature railway.

We will then continue along the promenade towards the town centre passing Eric Morecambe's statue, created by sculptor, Graham Ibbeson.  The clock tower, the Winter Gardens and finally reaching the Midland Hotel located on the promenade near the Stone Jetty.  We may even try some of the world famous Morecambe Potted Bay Shrimps, by Royal Appointment, before finally taking the train back to Carnforth Station.

Clock Tower, Morecambe

Eric Morecambe Statue

Carnforth Station is famous for it's part in Noel Coward's masterpiece, Brief Encounter with Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard filmed in 1945.  The station has been voted the 8th most romantic film location in the country and rightly so.  Every year hundreds of fans visit the station to run through the subway and stand under the famous clock to have their photo taken, or sit in the Brief Encounter Refreshment Room and pretend to have grit in their eye waiting for that special someone to come along.

Brief Encounter Clock & Subway

Well, I will let you know how we get on with the walk and post some photos too.  Until then, 'I'll see you next Thursday!'

Touring Toolkit

Nothing is more frustrating than being stuck on site or worse, at the side of the road when a problem arises with your tourer.  Be prepared for most eventualities by carrying a simple tool-kit with you.  Here is a list of a few indispensable items.

Screwdrivers
A Phillips screwdriver is a must for all those cross-head screws caravan builders are so fond of.  Then a large and small flat-bladed screwdriver.  If you've got a small electrical screwdriver too, even better.
Pliers
A couple of pairs of pliers should suffice such as bull-nose and long-nose.  Good for gripping hard to hold bits and stripping wires.
Leatherman
It doesn't have to be an official Leatherman, these can be quite expensive.  Any good quality multi-function tool will do.  The possibilities for use are literally endless. Alternatively, a cheap utility knife can do certain jobs.
Tape
PTFE tape is great for wrapping round leaking pipes. Insulating tape is another must have. Duck tape is very tough and cheap to buy and can be a quick fix for tears.
Cable Ties
Ideal for tying anything together.  We lost a vital piece of the metalwork for the awning last summer and cable ties came to the rescue; making sure that the awning stayed in one place for an entire four days. Good for attaching aerial cables to the tourer too.
Rope
Useful for securing anything that a cable tie can't!
Other Useful Stuff
Old rags come in handy for mopping up spills, wiping windows and car lights, checking your oil, and a multitude of other things.
WD-40.  Enough said!
Torch.  Keep one in the car and one in the tourer.  Vital for night-time repairs and upkeep.
Spare fuses.
Batteries.

There are many other things that you could carry with you but then you would probably exceed your curb weight.  This is at least a good starter kit to ensure you have less stress on the road this coming season.

February is here already and thank goodness it is.  January has to be the most depressing month in the year.  Why does everyone insist on dieting, detoxing and generally giving up all enjoyable activities in this dark and depressing month? I think we should save the new resolutions for the summer when there is more chance of us sticking to them.  Although, giving up alcohol in June when it's BBQ season, well, maybe not.

Anyway, February is here and its only 3 weeks until our first excursion.  The new wet locker has been fitted - not a battery box as first suspected - and the van is ready and raring to go.  We have booked the recently re-vamped Bay View holiday park in Bolton-le-Sands near Carnforth.  We have stayed there before but not since the new bar/restaurant was added.  They have also installed super pitches now, so camping there just got easier.

The site overlooks the beautiful Morecambe Bay and is only a ten minute drive into Morecambe itself.  For those of us who like to walk, it is an hours walk along the beach and promenade right into the heart of town.  Here you will see the iconic Winter Gardens which David 'The Hoff' Hasselhoff has just pledged allegiance to.  This amazing structure built in 1897 as the Victoria Pavillion Theatre, staged its last play in 1977.  Since then it has been looked after by the Friends of the Winter Gardens who are raising funds to help restore it to its former glory.

As one of the most haunted buildings in England, it has played host to Living TV's Most Haunted where many strange goings on were heard or seen.  Ghost walks regularly take place here.  For more information about this visit www.thewintergardensmorecambe.co.uk.


Further up the promenade is the magnificent Grade II listed Midland Hotel.  An art deco structure famous for its seahorse figures, recently refurbished by Urban Splash and now the centre-piece of the promenade.  As you step inside and view the amazing spiral staircase and original features, you can imagine yourself transported back in time.

As old sand-grown'ns ourselves, we will be re-visiting all the sites that Morecambe has to offer.  Can't wait.

Glossop Caravans Aftercare

Finally managed to book our new van in for the wet locker to be fitted on Saturday 22nd January.  We bought the van in August and we were promised faithfully that all the extra jobs would be done for our collection date.  No such luck!  I can't quite believe it, but it has taken us months of writing complaint letters, phone calls and personal visits to the show room to finally get them to book it in for the locker to be fitted.

Great, I hear you say. No.  Not great.  Just had a phone call from them to say they are just putting on the electrics now and it should be ready for Saturday first thing.   There are no electrics on a wet locker!  Also, they told us that they could not put it where we wanted it, near the front of the van, so they have put it near the door.  I maybe wouldn't have minded so much, but they didn't even call us to check that this was OK.  They just went ahead and fitted it. 

So now we have a wet locker fitted which is taking up valuable storage space under the seating, plus, I am not convinced that they have indeed fitted a wet locker at all, but may have put in a battery box.  Which we don't need.

Yes, I am having a rant.  I did not want to believe what I was told by other dealers when we were looking for our new Swift Europa, but it seems they were correct after all.  The after care service you receive at Glossop caravans is non-existent. 

Anyway, on other news we visited the caravan show on Sunday.  Great day out.  Lots of vans to look in, food to try at the farmers market and plenty of offers to be had.  Plus, there was a company called Caravan Care Ltd.  They are a mobile caravan servicing and repairs company who will visit your home and fix any problems with your van that you may have.  They will also service it for you too and are NCC approved, so it won't affect your warranty.  Check them out on this link:  www.caravancarecheshire.co.uk so at least we won't need to use Glossops anymore.

Caravan & Motorhome show Manchester

The Caravan & Motorhome 2011 show is once again coming to Manchester this week.  Set in Manchester Central (formerly GMEX) it runs from Thursday 20th  to Sunday 23rd January.

It is going to be very exciting, with several new exhibitors including, Yeomans and Khyam.  All the regulars will be there including Swift, Bailey, Elddis, Lunar and Coachman.

Manchester Central has been extended to include a third hall this year which means even more stalls and displays to look at.

Open from 10am until 6pm on Thursday & Saturday, 10am until 9pm Friday, and 10am until 5pm Sunday, it is going to be an interesting event to visit.  Click here for more info:  http://manchester.caravanshows.com

Caravan Club Chaos

I bought Doug a load of OS maps for every location we are visiting.  You can't be too prepared you know.  Did you know that OS maps have been around since 1791? Check them out on the website, http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk.  Anyway, I thought I was prepared but hadn't counted on booking the Caravan Club site near York.  Doug had warned me the first day of booking is always busy - you can't book for the following year until the 8th December.  No matter, I was prepared.  Got up early and had a substantial breakfast, then sat by the phone waiting for 9am, the allotted time.

I made it to 8.55 before giving in and dialling the number. Picture my surprise when the phone line was engaged. I logged onto the website, 'the site is currently experiencing very high volumes of traffic, please be patient,'  Not to be beaten - if I can book tickets to see Michael Buble, then this is not going to defeat me - I took out my mobile and tried again; it's easier to redial on a mobile.  Alternating between trying to log on, dialling the home phone and then my mobile, I sat there for 45 minutes.  Talk about multi-tasking, I even had Jeremy Kyle on in the background.

I was just about to give up when a log in attempt finally got me onto the site.  In my excitement I very nearly logged off again, but quickly found the camp site I was looking for.  Boy, is the Rowntree Park site busy. It would be I suppose, as it's right in the heart of York, within easy walking distance of York Minster. Every weekend had been booked already.  How had my fellow CC campers done it? Did they have some special super power that logged them on quicker than the rest of us mere mortals?  I don't know.  I just knew I had three more sites to book and judging by my first experience it wasn't going to be easy.

I finally managed to compromise and booked two sites, so I suppose two out of three ain't bad.  But I'll be ready this December!