Hi my family and i are going to Cornwall in August.It is the first time we have towed a caravan to cornwall.We are traveling from West Yorkshire.Please could i have some advice,do people travel through the night get most of the way then pull up on a lay by,or book a site for the night which would mean not arriving till very late in the early hours,travel early morning. Has we have never towed so far i was wondering which would be the best option.Some advice would be very helpfull thankyou in advance.
.Please could i have some advice,do people travel through the night get most of the way then pull up on a lay by,or book a site for the night which would mean not arriving till very late in the early hours,travel early morning
night time towing is good as it not so busy BUT,it is not safe and could be against the law to park in a layby.best to book a site on the way down for a night then travel the next day.many motorhomes do this.
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we live near warrington in cheshire--when we travelled to cornwall last year we do a half way stop, we stayed at acacia farm near axbridge, just off the M5 near cheddar, then it took us 3hrs to get to Perranporth but the overnight stop was well worth is. have a great holiday. gary
Hi Annie, we usually set off from Castleford about 16:30 and have a steady drive to Strensham services where have a sandwich and a drink then carry on to Taunton Dene services where we overnight on the very large HGV park, usually at the top as most lorries park at the bottom nearer the facilities, we buy a ticket with a meal voucher. We set off about 07:00 and have a really steady dawdle down to St. Austell pulling into various laybyes for a rest, a drink and maybe a sandwich aiming to arrive on site around 12:00. Have a good trip.
We usually set off around 6pm on the friday night , drive from bolton to Bristol services stop for a brew then set off and go straight through to Perranporth. usually pull up at our site around 1am and park in the overnight parking knock the legs down and go to Bed.
Get up fresh the next day and pull onto the pitch, nightmare journey done 330 miles in one hit, i've tried pulling into laybys and sleeping in them, trouble is because the wagons cant get parked up they drive past you honking the horns all night. we've also stopped of at Taunton on saturday night then set off early on sunday morning trouble is it took us till 6pm to get their.
we normally set off from Sheffield about 9pm and drive through with a few toilet stops...get to site early morning and sleep in car for a few hrs....
and thats what we will be doing in August again...
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Quote: Originally posted by Greendemon315 on 12/2/2013
We just have an early start and go straight through, with usually one brief toilet stop.
Jim
Ditto, wouldn't do it any other way.
Crack off before dawn and get on site about lunch time, bearing in mind that many sites wont let you book in before midday. I think it wastes a day if you pitch up for one night.
However, it does depend on who is travelling, ie children pets etc that might make a 'One hit' uncomfortable. Is there more than one driver, always helps if there is.
As there are now only the two of us , early starts and long distances are no prob............Mick
I think it depends on your own requirements. We went to the Isle of Wight from South Wales a few years ago and had an overnight stop at Southampton although came home in one trip. Personally I don't have a problem with a long trip though I like to leave as early as possible to arrive at a sensible time. We have been known to leave as early as 3 am.
With two kids, I find a night trip better because they sleep most of the time so I avoid the frequent toilet stops that they inevitably want. I never could work out why they can't both take a toilet stop at the same time, one can never go until five minutes after we resume our journey at which point suddenly they have to go.
Being an early starter, I Don't have a problem with starting at 3 am, my alarm normally goes off at 4 anyway although for some people this could be dangerous as they run the risk of falling asleep at the wheel. I would rather a 3 am start than an 11pm finish and would definately be safer.
Best advice is not to arrive on a Saturday because everyone else has the same idea.
If you can drive overnight or on Sunday the traffic is much quieter.
Hi Annie we have been doing this trip several times a year
for the Last 24 years, same trip, same site.
In the early days we used to travel through the night, by far the best option but as you get older staying awake becomes more of a problem so i would not recommend it unless you are sure you can stay awake and alert for the whole trip.
You are looking at app 360 miles, with stops for rest breaks it could take you app 10 hours, 7 hours actual driving.
In August stopping overnight in a laybys on the A30 is very popular but once again if you don't stop early enough EVERY layby will be full and you couldn't stop even if you wanted to .
Now-days we travel midweek, on the road early and stop as many times as we need to to arrive fresh on the same day.
Thankyou you all so much for the great advice,we will take it all on board.Thinkin we might try and book on a site for the night,set off around teatime drive a good 5 hours then stop off for the night.Then set off around 7 for the remaining drive down in to Cornwall. Thanks again knew i could count on you guys for some great advice
Apple Tree Park near Stroud is a great stop off site. Only about a mile from M5 junction, reasonable pitch fees, great shower block and plenty of little villages nearby to spend a few hours.
We stopped there both ways last year travelling from Barnsley to South Devon.
We have done this a few times. 355 mils to perranporth
Had a couple of hours sleep and got up at 2am and set off. Children (2 and 4) usually go back to sleep after 10-20 mins or so. Usually by the time I get to the end of the M5 exeter I have a quick stretch of the legs then carry on.
usually arriving by 8 or 9am and children usually wide awake by then but im dead lol. the wife (who sleeps all the way) keeps them away from me for a couple of hours :)
I'd just like to thank ANNIE1971 for starting this thread, i have been reading it with great interest as later this year we will be embarking on our first tin tent trip to cornwall. (sheffield to north cornwall)
we have been a couple of times before in our wobbly tent days but this will be our furthest trip to date with our 'van
------------- no tin tent outings booked as yet ,just another cruise in Sept' booked so far