Although we have been members for several years, we have never been to a rally. Thinking about going to one before end of session but just wondered about the facilities. I know we will need to use our battery for the weekend, which is fine.
What about water and waste? Do we have to take our water with us, if so, doesn't that affect the weights?
We have our van in storage so would struggle to dispose of the chemical toilet waste - do we have to bring it home with us? Tried to find out on out and about but only scant details of events provided
There is a Facebook page called "The Camping And Caravanning Club - All DA's" which will give you a good idea of what rallying is about and where you can ask questions about rallies that you are interested in.
Hi Gail, We have been on about 100 rallies in the uk and abroad with the C & CC. The is allways a cold drinking water tap and a CDP. some of the CDP's have water to wash out the toilet, but some dont. If you go on some of the rallies that are attached to a Campsite rather than the field ones, sometimes there are toilets and showers you can use.
As for the battaery life, the fridge heating and cooker will run off gas so its usually only the lights that run off the battery, however if you have a solar panel there shouldnt be any problems. The longest we have been on a rally is 10 days and the battery was fine the whole time. I have seen some people take generaters, but the time you can use them is limited on most rallies.
I hope this helps you.
Quote: Originally posted by homebird2003 on 19/9/2016
There is a Facebook page called "The Camping And Caravanning Club - All DA's" which will give you a good idea of what rallying is about and where you can ask questions about rallies that you are interested in.
I am friends with the facebook C&CC but I feel less confident asking them questions, whereas I know I'm safe on here...people are always helpful
I feel reassured about rallies and will look at some local to us...thanks again as always!
A campsite owner who has a rally field has to provide a fresh water tap for drinking and a chemical disposal point (CDP) to empty the cassette toilet tank which is the minimum requirement so whatever rally you attend you are guaranteed to have both of these provisions. You may need to re-charge your battery even over a weekend but that depends on how much battery power you consume. If you have a 12 volt electric flush toilet then more power is going to be consumed and depending how much water you use will depend on the pump use plus if you watch TV on for hours on end (which requires the booster to be switched on) then your battery will need to be re-charged. Remember that a solar panel is only as good as the weather so on dull days you can expect less charge than that of bright sunny days and if you battery goes to half charge then a solar panel will take some time to replenish the charge but again, that depends on the wattage of solar panel you have connected. However, a generator may have restricted hours of use but will supply 240 volt mains electric which will re-charge more efficiently over a smaller period and if you want to save on water pump usage then you can always put a water container (with an ON/OFF tap) outside which I often do if there is no electric hook up.