These pages are mainly about the caravans and holidays we have had in them over the last few years. We have had two car and caravan outfits now and have been to several places all over the country. We got our first caravan in September 2006 just after we had been on holiday in a mobile home at Redruth in Cornwall.

It's great to be able to just hitch and go almost anywhere you want even at a few hours notice, as long as you can get booked into a site of course. But even at the busy times there are always somewhere near where you want to go that has a vacancy. Handy to go and visit people and places for all sorts of reasons. If friends and family are having a get together and don't have enough room then take your own with you. It's great and you still have your freedom to come and go as you feel.

Our Elddis Elf & Renault Lagune Outfit

On the 9th September 2006, after we had been on holiday in a mobile home at Redruth in Cornwall, we collected our first caravan at Telford on the way home. It was a 1995 Elddis Elf which Maggie had bought on ebay. We stayed at Ebury Hill, just along the road, the first couple of days to get to know where everything was in the caravan and how it all worked.

We found the other people on the site to be very friendly and helpful. One on my first jobs was to replace the standard towing hitch with a Winterhoff stabiliser. By the time I had got the old one off the two old boys from the next vans were in attendance giving me all sorts of advice from towing to cooking and almost everything in between. As I said very friendly and helpful!

We toured around the area and as we were not far from RAF Cosford, where I joined up as a "Boy Entrant" in the 29th entry on the 16th October 1956, we went to see the RAF museum there. Very interesting and well worth a visit if you are in the area with time to spare. We also went to see the "Iron Bridge" over the River Severn at the Ironbridge Gorge, near the village of Ironbridge, in Shropshire. The bridge is very impressive and there is some lovely scenery around the gorge, again well worth a visit.

On the way back up North we stopped off at Beckses Caravan Park, Penruddock near Penrith for a 11th and 12th September. For the next couple of days we toured around checking out places like Penrith, Derwent Water, Keswick and the Cumberland Pencil Museum.

We then headed north again, this time as far as Keltie Bridge Caravan Park near Callander for another couple of days. Here we erected the awning for the first time. Just as well as the weather turned a bit nasty and we soon found some of the benefits in being able to hang up your wet clothes and towels to dry. You can also cook and have your meals in there too, great when you just have a wee van. Again we had a look around the area, went to Stirling and also the Falkirk Wheel. Another place worth visiting if you are in the area. Then eventually we headed home and had fun parking the caravan on the small bit of garden in front on the house.

Later we went to Blair Atholl for a few days in September 2006, in the rain, and paid a visit to Perthshire Caravans which is about halfway between Perth and Dundee. Even found time to go to the Cairn O'Mohr Winery just down the road from there. They make lovely fruit wines (which you can get in some Asdas). We went all round the Castle grounds at Blair Atholl and the surrounding villages.

Then in late October we went to the site at Morvich near Shiel Bridge, Kyle where the weather was kinder to us even though it was so late in the year. The scenery around that part of Scotland is stunning especially if you get the right light to bring out the colours and reflections in the lochs. And off course you are not too far from Skye and with no tolls these days it is easier and cheaper to visit the Isle and soak up the views. That rounded off the 2006 season so we drained everything down and prepared the Elf for the winter and wrapped it up in it's snugly cover to hibernate.

During the next year we had several enjoyable holidays in the Elf. In March 2007, after my mother came out of hospital, we went to the Deeside Holiday Park at Mary Culter on Deeside so we could be closer to her house. We stayed for almost a week and as well as visiting her we had a tour around the area. Later we went back but this time to the site at Tarland by Deeside. We then went to the council site at Alford for a few days in July. While at these sites we visited many attractions including the motor museum in Alford and the Heritage Centre. We also went to the Deeside Railway at Crathes and all along Deeside to Balmoral, Banchory and the Deeside Activity Park outside Aboyne as well as others, to many to list.

By now we were getting to grips with the caravanning holiday life and finding out the limitations and drawbacks of such a small caravan. We were now starting to feel that a bigger more convenient van would be an advantage. So we started researching and checking out the various features we would like in our next van. Read on to find out more.....

New Caravan - We'll Need A New Tow Car First!

So now that we have got used to and enjoy touring about in the little Elf caravan we decided it was time to get a bigger one. One with a separate bedroom so that we did not need to put away the bed before you could do anything else. So we started looking around for one and doing some research on what was available. The first thing that we discovered was that these caravans were well over the weight we could tow with the Laguna. Being an automatic its max permitted towing weight was 950Kg, well below the requirement of a bigger type of caravan we were considering. Also the Laguna was very thirsty especially when towing the wee Elf so a change of car was an obvious requirement.

What car should we get? After sizing up the market I decided on a Skoda Octavia, preferably and estate, definitely a diesel, and the elegance as the minimum spec. I started looking seriously and going for test drives whenever I got the chance. We tried several and I loved the DSG automatic gearbox of the ones I tried so that was also high on the wish list. The only problem was that there were no cars available up here that ticked all the boxes so I had to start looking further afield. Would you believe that I had to go as far as Cardiff, yes Cardiff, to get what I wanted. A one year old ex-Skoda management Octavia Laurin & Klement Estate, 2ltr DSG with just 5000 miles on the clock.

We flew down to Bristol airport, got the bus to Bristol railway station and then the train to Cardiff where we were met by the salesman in our Octavia. That was the first time we had actually seen it and we were not disappointed, in fact I was very impressed with the car. We went for a "test drive" on the way to the dealership, work and unfortunately had to hand over the cash and it was ours. Only we were now 600 miles too far south.

The rest of that day and the next we did a bit of sightseeing around Cardiff including a visit to the Millennium Stadium. On the evening of the second day we were discussing as to whether we should stay another day as there was so much more to see. Then the news and weather forecast came on the telly, torrential rain for the next couple of days - severe flooding expected! That settled it we were going home tomorrow. As it turned out if we had stayed we might have been there for a few more days as the road we used was flooded later that day so we had a lucky escape, unfortunately the locals didn't fare so well.

The trip North was uneventful and the car was great. A treat to drive, very comfortable and very economical, about 50mpg which is a lot better than the Laguna at only 27mpg.

Sterling Eccles Onyx 4 2000 Caravan

Now we have a bigger better car we can start seriously looking for another caravan, so what will we get!

We had decided on a few necessities:-

• A fixed bed - saves having to stow the bed away BEFORE breakfast or anything else
• More space - so we can move around without getting each other's way all the time
• More storage space - so we can take all our bits & pieces and also get easy access to it all
• We could get the "kids" in the van as well - can sleep four as compared to the two in the Elf
• And I must admit I wanted a bigger van - I believe Maggie would have been happy to stick with the Elf

We drew up a short list of makes and models that fitted in with our requirements and started looking around for one. We found several but for one reason or another we did not get them, so the search went on!.

Well eventually we found one, a Sterling Eccles Onyx 4 200, on ebay (not another one on ebay!!!) and this time we got it at a price we were prepared to spend. It was away down in Ilkeston near Derby, a long way away. But then going a long way for it would again let us take our time coming home and time to get used to it as we did with the Elf.

The van actually came with everything you could think off from crockery & cutlery, pots & pans, bedding, TV/DVD, awning, spare wheel, two gas bottles - you name it - it was there and all NEW into the bargain. All we had to take with us was our clothes and toiletries. So on the 2nd September 2007 we loaded up the car set the address into the sat/nav and off we went south again - By the way almost everything is SOUTH of here in case you hadn't figured that one out by now (there still is about 150 miles further north to John 'o Groats then you have to turn round and go - Yes SOUTH again).

Well we got there and found the place easily, what did we do before sat/navs, and collected the caravan. Very nice, all the goodies present - we were very happy with our new purchase. So back on the road again but this time with a much bigger and heavier caravan behind the car. Took a few miles to get used to the size especially in the narrow roads but before long we were parked up at the site at Old Brampton near Chesterfield.

We were booked in there for a few days to get to know the van, visit relatives in Sheffield and see the area. Also I was going to buy a motor mover from Bolsover Caravans as they were offering a great deal at the time. The next day we went over and bought the mover and I fitted it while we were on the site. I didn't fancy trying to reverse the big van into the garden at home as there was only a foot allowance behind, about the same each side and it had to be parked parallel to the road. Not only that there was only about six feet between the tow hitch and the fence at the side of the drive. So the mover was going to be a necessity for parking the new van.

While at Old Brampton we had a tour around the peak district, or at least part of it. We spent a day at Buxton, sampled the water, visited the old railway station or what's left of it and walked around the town sightseeing. Chesterfield has a nice market where you can spend a few hours browsing around the many stalls and also the local shops in that area. Great for sourcing the food and vegetables for meals in the van. Had to try out the microwave and all the utensils etc. Then we went to Sheffield to see our relatives and they came over to see the van so the days soon rolled by and it was time to head further north again.

Next stop was Seton Sands to the east of Edinburgh. The people we bought the van from had booked time with the company that runs the site there so we got it transferred into our names, a handy extra perk which we couldn't refuse. So it was a few days seeing the sites in Edinburgh again, not the first time we've been there but there is always somewhere else to see. There is the Scottish Parliament, the Royal Mile, Hollyrood, Dynamic earth, all the various museums, Royal Yacht Britannia, the list goes on and on! So we saw some of them and also the Aircraft Museum at East Fortune. And soon it was time once again to head further north.

Not far to go now, the van was great to tow and the car is a treat to drive even with the bigger van behind. Fairly good fuel consumption too, better towing the Sterling than the Laguna was on its own - that can't be bad now. We called into Stonehaven on the way to see my mum and with only 80 miles remaining we were finally on our way home.

We arrived back home a bit weary after all the driving but I must say we enjoyed it all. We had been to many places on the way and seen a lot in the process, all because we had the caravan. The only things left to do now were to unload everything and park the van in the front garden. All in all it was fairly easy with the motor mover all working fine. I could never have done it without it - well worth the money and effort.

More Trips Away With The Sterling Eccles Onyx Caravan

The rest of 2007

So now we have a bigger caravan we will have to make use of it, so to end the 2007 season we went back to the Alford site. This is a nice site in amongst tall pine trees so you don't get TV reception, or at least I have never managed to get any. We have tried with the usual supplied VisionPlus Status 315 aerial which I find is useless anywhere north of the central belt in Scotland. When we were a Blair Atholl, because the Status 315 wouldn't pick up anything, we got a VisionPlus Image 530/18-2 aerial and even that is no good at Alford (see the 'Tips' at the foot of the page for more details). After this trip we put the van away for the winter at the farm where we store it when not in use.

2008

In March 2008 my mother was taken into the Hospital in Aberdeen so when she got home to Stonehaven we took the caravan to the Deeside Holiday Park at Mary Culter because the site at Stonehaven does not open until April. Being still early in the year we were treated to all the elements in the few days we were there. It started with rain and wind then we got snow then just the wind and finally the rain again. Do NOT try to erect an awning in the wind, it can just about lift you off your feet and there is a good chance of doing some real damage. When we started there was just a slight breeze but the wing gathered quickly when we had got past the point of no return so we just had to hold on and ride it out and eventually cold and soaked got the awning up. Never again! Still we had a few eventful days before returning home.

In April Maggie's brother, who lived in London, died so we headed south again to help his daughter organise the funeral and clearing his flat. I had already booked the car in for its service in Aberdeen and as we were going to be driving at least 1500 miles I arranged to get it done first thing in the morning. We left home early and got down to Aberdeen before 8 am and parked the caravan in Makro's car park. I then got the car serviced, hitched up again and we back on the road by 10 am. On the way down it started raining so we eventually got to Thrybergh country park, at Rotherham in the dark and pouring rain. We had been told our pitch so got as near to it as possible considering the ground conditions. The next morning the end of the site we were in was a quagmire and we had to move to a dry area. It was so muddy that I had to use the mover to get out onto an area where the car could get enough grip to tow the van on the slight rise - good old mover! Because it was so wet and we were only staying for a few days we did not put up the awning.

We spent a few days travelling back and forward to the house in Sheffield while all the arrangements were made. Then we headed down the motorway towards London as we had booked into Lee Valley Caravan Park on the outskirts of Hoddesdon just off the A10 to the north of London. Due to the continual rain the site there was well soaked and again we did not put up the awning. We were there for a few days travelling in and out of London. We did get to see a few places like Wembly Stadium, but as you can imagine our minds were on other things.

Soon it was time to head north again, back to Thrybergh country park again and the same dry site as we left. It had dried out a bit by now which made life easier but we still didn't bother with the awning. We stayed there for a few more days before going up to the site at Wellhouse Farm, Corbridge - west of Gateshead. As at Thrybergh we had problems with the wet and had to use the mover to get us out of the mud. We were better off than the van in the corner pitch which ended up almost surrounded by water. Being near Hadrian's wall we paid a to visit to the Roman Fort at Housesteads along with other places in the area. Then a visit to the Metro in Gateshead and the Angel of the North amongst other attractions soon filled the next few days.

Then we were heading north again. This time to Stonehaven where my mum stayed. We only stayed there overnight before returning home. We had covered a lot on miles over the last couple of weeks and had seen a lot of roads but a few places as well. Like I've said before, the caravan is handy if you need to go somewhere in a hurry and need to take a house with you. We were able to go there and back and take all the clothes etc that we needed for the trip without having to live out of suitcases and continually unload and load up the car.

In mid August we were off again to Lothian Bridge to the south of Edinburgh. We had managed to get ticket for the Edinburgh Military Tattoo through the Camping and Caravanning Club. So we spent a week in and around Edinburgh and went to the Scotish Parliament (we paid enough for it that we just had to see what all that money was wasted on). Impressive I suppose but can't see why it cost so much. We even bumped into my sister and her family when we went to Ikea, what's the odds on that when we live almost 200 miles away and they stay about 50 miles from there. We also met my solicitors secretary at Dobbie's garden centre car park. So it was home again and that was the last outing for the year.

2009

2009 started with a memorable trip to Pompong Island near Singapore, where my dad was killed during World War II, which is described elsewhere on this site. Not long after we got back my mother was taken into hospital. After about a month she was due to get home so we planned to take the caravan to Stonehaven to be near her and give her the support she would need on returning to her house. Unfortunately a few days before she was to get home she had a fall and her release postponed. But she did not improve and in fact her condition deteriorated over the next week so much so that we decided it would be best to take the van down and be closer. We stayed a few days and returned home after the weekend as she had stabilised a bit. Unfortunately she then went downhill rapidly and died about a week later on the 2nd May. We then took the van down and spent a couple of days at East Bowstrips Caravan Park at St Cyrus for the funeral.

Major Tan who organised out trip to Pompong Island was due to come over from Singapore for his graduation at Herriot Watt University, Edinburgh. Unfortunately because he has been selected as an official at the Youth Olympics being hosted by Singapore he was unable to come over. When they were here we had planned to meet them in Edinburgh and repay their hospitality so we decided that we would still go to Edinburgh. This time we stayed at Morton Hall which is just off the bypass on the south side of Edinburgh. A nice site and very convenient for buses and Ikea is just up the road (Maggie loves going to Ikea!). So we spent the next week going all round Edinburgh and even managed a visit to see my cousin in Polmont and a visit to where my folks lived in Livingston.

In August Don Cameron, one of the chaps from Singapore who went to Pompong Island with us, was visiting Scotland and in Edinburgh for the Tattoo. So we booked into the site at St Monans in Fife, hitched up the caravan and were off for a week. We met up with Don and his nephew in their hotel in Edinburgh and had lunch with them. It was great seeing him again. We toured around the East Neuk of Fife over the next week and visited Crail, Pittenweem, Anstruther and a few more of the towns and villages. We also went to see Scotlands Secret Bunker just north of Anstruther, an amazing place and makes you realise just how close we must have been to war with Russia in the "cold war" period of the 1950 and 1960s.

That was the final outing for the caravan in 2009, it is now in storage at the farm till spring time when we will have to start planning the new 2010 season.

2010

Our first trip of 2010 was to the Isle of Skye in April. We arrived at the Loch-side Caravan Site at Strollamus about 5 miles past Broadford in late afternoon on Wednesday 14th after an uneventful 135 mile trip. It is a small privately owned site with all the facilities you need for a few days stay and you are given a friendly welcome as you would expect. There was electric hook-up, toilet and shower and you can buy "fresh" free range hens eggs if you want them. Nothing special in the way of facilities for kids etc but just a nice quiet site with beautiful scenery when you open the curtains in the morning.

We spent a few restful days touring round the island. We even used our "bus passes" to take a trip round the North part of the Island so that I could enjoy the sights without worrying about driving. There are lots of places of interest and some of the best scenery you could wish for and at that time of year you are not bothered by the "Midges" that can eat you alive later on in the season

While we were there we met Simon Larson who I met on ebay last year. He has not long moved from Wolverhampton to Skye to live. Simon and Anita have just started a new venture - "Speed Kart Xtreme" which is land sailing using Blokarts at the Isle of Skye Aerodrome, Ashaig. Check it out at Speed Kart Xtreme. Good luck Simon!

On of the highlights was the trip on the "Seaprobe Atlantis" which is a glass bottomed boat sailing out of Kyle of Lochalsh. On the tour we were able to see the wildlife both above and below the water. We saw the various sea birds along the coast and on the islands, the raven and an otter with its pup and a tour round the World War II Shipwreck of the HMS Port Napier.

We left Skye on the Sunday and headed for Inverness via Invermoriston, Drumnadrochit and the side of Loch Ness - no monster to be seen, what a surprise!!! The last few days were spent at Bunchrew Caravan Park just outside Inverness. This allowed us to tour around Beauly, Muir of Ord, Strathpeffer and Dingwall. Places we don't normally visit as it lated so long to get ther from home that it's hardly worth while. We headed home to "auld claes and cauld porridge" (old clothes and cold porridge) on Wednesday 21st having had a nice few days taking in the highland scenery and fresh air, something everybody should try.

Our next trip away was in mid July to the Camping & Caravanning site at Culzean Castle just south of Ayr. A nice site out in the country that was not too big and is run by friendly people. Ayr is about 12 miles away and there is plenty attractions in the local area. Of course we had to tour the Burn's country and take in Burn's Cottage, Brig o' Doon, the Auld Kirk, Tam o' Shanters inn and the Burns National Heritage Centre to name but a few.

We even had the chance to take in a large car boot sale at the Ayr Race Course. We had a tour round the Scottish Industrial Railway Centre at the Dunaskin Heritage Centre, which is situated near the village of Waterside about ten miles south of Ayr, and took a ride on the heritage railway. We also paid a visit to the Scottish Maritime Museum at Irvine which was very interesting with lots of exibits to see.

I even fell in with a couple of bikers on the site. One, whose name I can't remember, was touring Scotland on an Indian built Royal Enfield Bullet. The other was Mike Jeffs and his wife, Tina, who come from Caerphilly, South Wales and is a member of the Welsh Nomads club. There is a great affinity amongst bikers no matter where they are from. We always acknowledge each other on the road and chat to each other whenever we meet up. I am trying to get this going with caravanners by always giving them a flash of the headlights and a wave. We do get a wave back from most and hope that it might catch on - so if you are a caravanner reading this - go on give it try in your part of the country and see if we can compete with the bikers and Land Rover boys.

To be continued as time goes on, the 2011 season will be with us soon. Please come back it you are interested.

Some Tips About Caravaning

Here are a few tip for anyone thinking about or starting caravaning. Some are obvious, some you will read elsewhere and some are my own from our experience:-

• I use a small solar panel to keep the battery topped up when the caravan in parked up.
• We have the caravan stored at a farm in a open shed. There are of course mice there so I got a rodant alarm from Argos and fitted a 9volt regulator which is powered from the van battery. Think about it, how would you know when the normal PP9 battery had run out - the mice chewing up your valuable caravan. This now keeps the mice etc at bay and I don't need to crawl under the van to change any batteries.
• Drain off all the water before you leave the last site of the year and leave the bung out on the trip home. The movement of the van on the road will drain out more water than doing once you get home.
• If you have plastic sink spouts then remove them during your winter storeage checks. If not there is a chance they might split if the water in them freezes.
• I would advise the use of a stabiliser. Have you ever seen a caravan or trailer snaking on the road - not a pretty sight and think of the damage if it got out of control!!!
• Another safety point - ever seen the result of a caravan tyre blow out - fit Tyron bands. They might not be cheap (cost us £150 for the pair) but might just save the van being written off.
• Watch your nose weight, total weight and it's distribution. It all helps towards a steadier and easier tow.
• Plan your route ahead. Ever tried to do a three point turn with a caravan behind you. I haven't and wouldn't like to try. Mind you the motor mover can turn the caravan round in it's own length (I have to do that each time I take the van to the house to clean it and load/unload it - very handy.
• We have found the VisionPlus Status 315 aerial, in both vans, is useless anywhere north of the central belt in Scotland and the VisionPlus Image 530/18-2 aerial is not much better. So I have decided to try a portable Satellite system which I bought from Makro. It works up here in the garden so I will see once this season gets under way and report back on the results.
• Awnings are great most of the time but do NOT attempt to erect them in strong wind. Also if it's raining hard you will get soaked and probably very cold. Another point, if you are going from site to site a only staying a few days at each one in very wet conditions they are a pain to fold up and store when moving on.

I hope some of these will be of some use. If you are a caravaner why not give fellow vaners a flash & wave on the road - just like us bikers do. It might catch on and improve the commradship amoungst the caravan fraternity.

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This web page was created by:- Stan Pyke, Lhanbryde, Scotland on 20th January 2010. (Last updated 27th January 2010).