>> Here's my tuppence-worth.
Intersting how we can have different perspectives on what are in fact pretty similar experiences.
I can see what you mean about 'bare' caravans but you can always try and negotiate some of those things into the deal. Gas type, brand and cylinder size etc are user preferences as is leisure battery weight (v) capacity; you'd not want it decided at the factory.
Our Elddis probably costs about £1k/year for storage (£400) insurance, annual service etc. It would fit on the drive at home but the neighbours could object and there's a covenant against even parking one.
Preparation is no big issue for us. The 'van is kept with bed made up and with enough tinned/dried food (paste, rice etc) for a meal and a night's worth of beer/wine. Just bung some clothes in a bag, pick up any perishables into a cool bag and collect 'grab bag' with and odds and sods we've collected and leave from the storage yard. Hitch up and away. It's usually clean enough and tidy enough to go straight back there too.
Needed a deep clean after a fortnight in French heatwave and went back to store today after being at home for a week but if it wasn't for work it'd have been a lot sooner. Wonder why I bothered with an external wash as just five miles to yard and it was splattered with stuff from wet roads.
Our appliances have been mostly OK but the heater thermostat had to be swapped out under warranty as it was turning off prematurely. We also had an issue with shower tray that cracked due to poor design but that was rectified FoC albeit only after I'd quoted consumer law to the supplying dealer.
Interesting you mention Bailey as we're looking at a Unicorn Cadiz as our next van. Interiors are certainly good. I suspect part of the 'flimsiness' feel is the need to keep weight down for matching with cars.
We find the C&MC sites suit us well. While the pitching/parking pullava I referenced above is a strict rule it's based on experience with fires etc. Nothing else seems particularly regimented, no more so than on any site with designated pitches etc. Rules about noise, on site speed, ball games etc are no more prescriptive than on the average French site. What specifically did you find 'regimented' about them?
The wi-fi is, at best, variable according to how near the base masts you are. I suspect a lot of people abuse it to stream films etc and/or have devices connected that are constantly calling home. I'd also be surprised if local infrastructure to the site isn't an issue - doubt there's fibre within 5 miles of say the C&MC Centenary Site in the New Forest. Rural settings also increase the probability that the mobile signal is shonky too.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Mon 12 Aug 19 at 17:55
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