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Topic: Camping/caravan disasters

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Andy Higham

22/7/2014 at 9:46pm
Location: Bolton Lancs
Outfit: Bailey Orion 430-4 & Mitsubishi PHEV

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When I went to buy my new plates I was reminded of a disaster I had a few years ago.
I had "done up" my first caravan (perle argos) and bought new crockery and glasses which I placed on the shelf in the cupboard next to the wardrobe.
We set off on holiday down to camber sands, half way there we stopped at the motorway services, opened the caravan to see the cupboard open and every plate cup and glass smashed on the floor

realbusdriver

22/7/2014 at 11:13pm
Location: between here & there
Outfit: 2 berth corniche 15 2 x-type jag

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well if we're being honest

cost my-self a new jockey wheel in our earliest caravan days, pulled it up ok but forgot to tighten it properly so a couple of pot holes later it dropped down, result on nicely chewed up jockey wheel due to it being the solid type

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no tin tent outings booked as yet ,just another cruise in Sept' booked so far

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cambridgecockne

23/7/2014 at 6:18am
Location: leics
Outfit: disco td5_ avondale corfu.

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Quote: Originally posted by realbusdriver on 22/7/2014
well if we're being honest cost my-self a new jockey wheel in our earliest caravan days, pulled it up ok but forgot to tighten it properly so a couple of pot holes later it dropped down, result on nicely chewed up jockey wheel due to it being the solid type

Did exactly the same, nice shiney new one that morning,

focus61063

23/7/2014 at 8:39am
Location: Rhyl North Wales
Outfit: TBC

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A couple of years ago we travelled from Rhyl to Rose Farm near Great Yarmouth (lovely site) on arrival we start setting the van out and discover we had no bedding, no towels or toiletries, we had an exchange about blame then thought so what and had a trip to Asda to purchase the missing items.

HOPPO1961

23/7/2014 at 9:20am
Location: manchester
Outfit: Compass Vantage 360 2

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My disaster was putting the awning up for the first time in the wind. My daughter and wife holding on for dear life as the awning became a huge kite and my daughters feet actually leaving the floor. After about an hour of foul language and me blaming everyone else a fellow ccaravaner came over and said he could not watch any longer and jumped in to help. For a start we had the awning inside out and he methodically set about placing the poles and tensioning them one at a time. I can laugh about it now but was on the verge of booking into a B&B

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The sausages are burning

664DaveS

23/7/2014 at 10:13am
Location: Shropshire
Outfit: Bailey Phoenix GT 75

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We stayed at the CC Goodwood site one year, during the night a storm blew up which trashed our awning, as well as several others. Some vans also damaged. Fortunately the insurance covered the damage.

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DS-There's more to life than football!!!

Jax365

23/7/2014 at 10:18am
Location: south cheshire
Outfit: VW Caddy Maxi

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Not a disaster as such, but first time out I packed knives and spoons for my first trip, but forgot the forks! Don't know how I managed to do that!

Last trip out I couldn't get my hair to lather up in the shower, eventually realised I'd filled the travel shampoo bottle with conditioner!

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leon copa

23/7/2014 at 10:55am
Location: seaham co durham
Outfit: elddis hurricane astra sportstourer

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forgot the tv remote next stop pound shop . bottle opener .

Graeme_Cooke

23/7/2014 at 11:21am
Location: County Durham
Outfit: Elddis Encore 254

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Not really disasters but I've had the jockey wheel drop a couple of times and last year the ferry ramp at Portsmouth ripped our jock tyre clean off. Made manoeuvring a little tricky on grass I can tell you.

I have since become better acquainted with process of locking my jockey wheel away!!!

All part of the fun

penguin73

23/7/2014 at 1:27pm
Location: Sheffield
Outfit: lunar quaser ultima & Merc E Class

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weve had the same problem with the jockey wheel on the ferry...very frustrating....

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Oct 2013- south lytchett manor dorset
Feb 2014- Lady Heyes
April 2014- Jasmine Park
May 2014 - Jasmine Park Again....
July 2014 - Gwithian
Oct 2014 - Beverley Park

and hopefully many more..esp Jasmine Park..

jasie

23/7/2014 at 1:45pm
Location: Bath
Outfit: Bailey Palermo & Kampa Brean

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few years ago...on our way to Salcombe. local speed merchant drove into the side of our caravan, having missed the car totally! Police allowed us to go the final 2 miles to the site despite it having no brakes and we managed to stay on site for a long weekend. Took 2 days to arrange recovery and had to take extra day off

Ended up being a write off as cost to much to fix, despite local dealer keen on doing so! What a waste.

More recently I forgot to unhook the breakaway cable when unhitching. SWMBO now stands well back when i move the car! Bit of a faff trying to refit it until I could source replacement.

Oh, and few years back, we obviously hadn't drained the water system properly before winter....set up water on first stay of the year...suffice to say a tap cartridge had gone and we had water everywhere. Fortunately we were only 40 miles from a shop that had one in stock.
Good way to clean out the cupboards at start of season though

babycake

24/7/2014 at 12:21pm
Location: Manchesterish
Outfit: Kampa Hayling 6 1997 abi marauder

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costly disaster for my OH. I have only once let him pack for a trip away. Biggest mistake of my life. He carefully sorted the bedding, his clothes, 3 sets of kids clothes, the dog, food ect.
Picked me up from work on route to site

Got to site my clothes were still on the driveway!! Neighbours (after taking pictures and posting on Facebook) thankfully took my bag in and OH had to take me shopping before he could enjoy his beer lol!

664DaveS

25/7/2014 at 9:11am
Location: Shropshire
Outfit: Bailey Phoenix GT 75

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A French speed hump cracked our plastic jockey wheel, which moved sideways and jammed in its frame this summer! As we were on our way home we managed.
When we got home I swapped it for an old pneumatic tyre jockey wheel we had in the garage-but tyre had a puncture!
It did enable us to get the van on the drive.
Bought a new plastic wheel, and a new tube for the other wheel.
That was a fiddle to change! It is holding pressure so will swap it over next time we use our van.
I find the pneumatic tyre works better with the mover on hard standings (gravel)probably as tyre is fatter!

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DS-There's more to life than football!!!

Tc1962

25/7/2014 at 11:07am
Location: Shropshire
Outfit: Touring caravan

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We have only been caravaning a couple of years so luckily I'm blissfully naive to the disasters that await us ! So far we have done the usual - left all our underwear on the bed at home, forgotten the milk and once the coffee, our biggest "forget" was the electric cable, which was my fault apparently as I load the caravan, but OH had repaired it and left it in the garage, I have never loaded it before as it lives in the van! The only other tense moments we have, which at first I thought a disaster (how quickly they become the norm) are when I've booked a site where the country lanes we are driving down are the same width or narrower than the caravan - he loves me really !!!

-------------
2014 - 15 trips
2015
Jan - betws y coed

Graeme_Cooke

25/7/2014 at 12:10pm
Location: County Durham
Outfit: Elddis Encore 254

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Hi Tc1962, don't know if you've tried this but I use Google Street View to have a look at the lanes when booking. Always nice to know what to expect.

Tc1962

25/7/2014 at 1:40pm
Location: Shropshire
Outfit: Touring caravan

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Thanks very much Graeme, I agree and we do tend to do that now, as you say it helps to know what you heading into, if only to get a view of what the camp site entrance looks like so you know you've seen it as you pass it!!!!

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2014 - 15 trips
2015
Jan - betws y coed

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