How many people cannot reverse their caravan ?

On the basis, that even if I  reverse onto a pitch, I invariably use the motor mover to 'fine tune' the position - these days I usually use the mover from the outset. On club sites, you invariably don't have the room to reverse anyway and 9 times out of 10, I'm too tired after a long journey to provide entertainment for those already on site. On a Cl or CS, there's usually more room and position isn't that critical, so I might reverse in then.

Motor movers are a invaluable tool on site and at home but on the road you do need to know how to reverse, I had to a number of times on narrow winding roads such as the Kingsbridge to Start bay road there are 2 vehicles you can meet which will not reverse public buses and tractors.

That’s a little unfair. The bus and tractor drivers get sick to death of meeting holiday makers who clearly should not be in charge of a car and will not/cannot reverse even a small solo car. The professional drivers have a living to make and/or a timetable to keep to. I was full of admiration for the bus driver I followed through those villages on one occasion who reversed 3 or 4 times to let oncoming traffic through.

It might have been said as a mere observation TW. I have no problems reversing for buses or tractors but White Van Man can sit there all day. That Kingsbridge to Torcross road is more scary than some of these back roads here in Wales.

I learnt to reverse a caravan from my very first day. I have to reverse it at home every time  we arrive back. Not straightforward as it's around a corner, follow a curve then 45º onto hardstanding. I do use the motor mover when on the H/S but it's fiddly to get it parked exactly right plus it's too heavy to push.

We'll use the motor mover on site, even if it's only to finish the job.

I'm not bad with cars but remember hiring an A class Mercedes left hand drive in France for a weeks tour and just couldn't reverse it for love or money. Completely threw me. OH was in stitches. She said it was worse than her efforts. She doesn't like reversing.

We have never had a mover fitted to our caravans, but all have been relatively small compared to most of today’s vans. OH had his HGV, and spent a while getting very big fire engines into and out of tight spots, so he was/is very good spatially. Far worse than a caravan to reverse is a four wheel, two hunters loaded horse trailer, but practise made him inch perfect. I confess to being next to useless at reversing a trailer, but I have learned to be a good banksman. OH taught me Fire Service hand signals, and I taught him to wind the windows down🤣 And not to yell at me🤭 We have to reverse our MH down a very narrow lane, and into a tight spot for parking at home. Between us we don’t often get it wrong.

PSV and HGV drivers fill me with awe at how good they are reversing and slow manoeuvring.

Back at the beginning of time there were no motor movers, so we learned as we went along - though Club site wardens in those days were retired Colonels and Brigadiers who were best avoided, so we went elsewhere and it took some time before we learned the exactness of reversing to pegs.

By then we had a well oiled team of four teenagers who leapt out of the car, unhitched and pushed. It was impressive .But when one daughter went off to Jamaica pretending to work and another to Tahiti with a boy friend I had to re learn rusty reversing skills. I was never expert but got by for over 50 years in nine different caravans, plus an assortment of other trailers, without any of them having motormovers and without me setting foot in a school car park for a training course. We managed - without being preached at.

And of course my Dutch friends still travel Europe-wide in caravans without internal batteries, and therefore without motor movers either. And I doubt if they go on courses either.

I sort of got the impression back in the 1980’s that Club staff hadn’t been Colonels or Brigadiers, but wanted to be, that’s why they were best avoided🤭

Those were the days, one little peg on a bit of grass, fire bucket by the door, and everyone had twitching curtains. We were always a bit of light entertainment on arrival, two early twenty year olds in an old pop top camper, with huge Rottweiler in tow, having to demonstrate our camping skills and outfit before being allowed to pitch up. But my OH couldn’t half reverse inch perfect🤣

Oops I think you took my comment the wrong way TW, I have every respect for professional drivers and in no way expect them to reverse except in exceptional circumstances I was mearly pointing out the importance of learning to reverse as one day you will have to.

Moderator comment: Part edited