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Hello all,

May be a daft question but are you allowed to sleep in the awning? My DH and I have bought a caravan with my parents and my DB/SIL. It's a large 4 berth so means if we all go away we will have to sleep in the awning. Do sites allow this? Someone in my mums work said it's not always allowed. I thought if your paying for the extra people and it's not like 10 people sleeping in there it's fine!

This could affect me & DH more as we have 5 kids so have bought the awning specifically for extra sleep space as well as general space.

Any experiences/thoughts welcomed.

You will need to buy an awning inner tent to keep out any crawlies, moths, wasps ect, most of these just clip or tie onto the awnings framework inside, some awnings also have sleeping extentions available that zip into a side panel opening, so you can still have the full area of the main awning for living in during the day.

Julia  

Thank you for your help/advice.....much appreciated ...will need to check the awning as doubt it'll come with awning inner tent.

Diolch/Thanks

You don't need an inner tent - if you have one so much the better or buy a small cheapo tent to put up in the awning.

If you don't ask the site you won't be told no! There is not a patrol on any site looking for awning sleepers. Put the curtains up they don't know.

As Steve says, if you haven't an awning inner tent then any pup tent that fits will do. It can be an old one that isn't waterproof, it's only there for privacy.

There are some sites that don't allow it for health & safety reasons, and those sites may well have awning police for all I know as I've never stayed on one in 50 years of camping.

the only silly question is the one not asked.

we have an annexe for our awning for the 2 adults (mum and dad) also due to having a large awning we also pitch a small 2 man tent on the inside next to the annexe this will provide sleeping for two in private.because its inside it does not need ropes,the 6 year old has a double bed to himself unless more grandchildren want stop.

the couple I have come accross that dont allow it are caravan only sites, and when I asked why, I was told it makes the awning class as a "tent"

the other it was because it was a nature reserve????

(OOh timtheenchanter is the 1st person I have seen with same avatar as me !)

Catalan there is a site in the north west of Scotland which said something about sleeping in awnings not being allowed. As OH  I were at that time considering using a full awning with ourr caravan, & may well have preferred to sleep in it on a warm night, I enquired (politely & in a humurous way) by email ...

1) why on earth we were not allowed to decide where we could sleep within our own set-up, & if we might actually expect someone to turn up peering into our awning in the night.... !

Seem to remember they said reason for stating this on their website info was to comply with some silly insurance regs. However they assured me they did not come snooping around into people's awanings & it was completely up to us whether we slept in our own van or our own awning !

I would think that the same would apply to other campsites - however nothing surprises me these days - some people do become zealots given a little bit of authority, especially if it comes along with a uniform & a clipboard......  

Thank you all so much for elaying my fears!

Only just bought the caravan and don't pick it up til 20th Feb so this world is all new to us and the awning cost another huge amount....so the thought of not being able to use it for extra sleeping space as and when required panicked me! I can reassure the family now as we've near enough planned away stays from the Saturday we collect it!!  I got a pop up that will give privacy in there. I think it's a size 16??( it fits a 21ft long caravan that's all i know!!) so we can sleep and not worry about policepatrol in the middle of the night!

Cheer again all