What inspired you to start caravanning/motorhoming

Well, my brother and I were introduced to caravanning aged 4 and 6 by Mum and Dad, we joined the Wiltshire centre in it's inaugural year. What a way to grow up, rallies every weekend from March to November and sometimes Christmas. Freedom, exploration, friends and a lot of fun. Later on in my teens I met my future wife on a rally then a short break for marriage, house and then we were inspired to give our kids a similar experience. Many holidays later they were off to uni and forging there own way. Our daughter now has a caravan and son a tent they continue to explore with their families. We're entering the Autumn of our touring, now retired we can enjoy many nights away still exploring and revisiting some old favourites.

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dogs, back in the day not many places allowed dogs and if they did it wasn't cheap.  We jumped in at the deep end, bought a brand new caravan and learned from there, thankfully we took to caravanning like ducks to water. 

Like many we started with a tent. We bought this and a trailer to carry it in when my mother in law passed away. It was a cheap way for our very young family to have a holiday. A trailer tent came next, sold to me by a fellow teacher. This gave us the luxury of being off the ground. 

In 2001 we had our first "camping" trip to France, and at a campsite in The Loire, spotted a classic Eriba Touring caravan and it was love at first sight. I have to admit I did not and still do not like big caravans. I know we all have different requirements, but towing a bungalow hundreds of miles to park it in a field has always seemed a strange concept to me, especially when you think we are seeking the great outdoors, but with a bit of comfort.

When home I started the search. It took me 18 months to find one. At the time there was only one UK dealer and another in Scotland. At the time we lived in Essex and I bought the van blind from a private seller in Berkshire. We have not looked back since then, buying our second Eriba form Belgium when the £ was strong and the Euro was weak.

We are now on our 5th Eriba, this one is still a pop top but it is a Feeling model and a compromise over the curved Touring models. This purchase was more of a head than heart decision, lead by build quality issues and high prices of the latest Touring models.

I cannot emphasis enough the qualities of these pop top vans. I have a 500kg payload, tow with a 1.5L petrol engine getting up to 38mpg, have a fixed double bed, separate dining area etc. The only thing I'm lacking is a shower, but that is why I stay on a decent campsite

Colin

We started in 1983 with a tent and trailer . This was because having two boys holidays were too expensive.

. we had used my parents caravan in the 60s very basic water in a container outside . Gas lights inside and a cold box kept under the van outside But had loved it . We didn’t have our own car those days so they would take us and leave us mostly to the Forest of Dean .
we bought our first caravan ( a Target )when the boys were 3 and 5 years old . We  used to plug it onto our car battery for electric lights . It was the start of my love affair with caravan holidays . Then we bought a new swift budget caravan around 1989 . This lasted for 13 years . We travelled to France and many uk places with our two boys . Every year this always included trips  to Cornwall .

we have changed our caravans a few times over the years . We don’t travel so far any more . we moved house 4 years ago we had to either rent a property while waiting or live in our caravan for 4 months . (Can you guess what we did ) we loved every minute .

  I have booked 3 trips away this year and am still planning as many as I can . My husband doesn’t drive any more due to having sight loss . I do all the driving and towing now . It’s still my favourite type of holiday . The Netherlands rally in delft has  been one of my favourite trips of all time . The last was booked and cancelled in 2020 due to covid. 
my husband wants us to retire from caravanning . Yet when we are away he always loves it . I do have to do a lot now but I don’t mind .