# Cornwall tour



## 100021 (Jul 13, 2006)

Hi, said I'd let you know how we all got on in Cornwall after you gave us lots of advice. Well ..... the weather was very bad for about 3 days of the 7, two days were very nice. Our eldest children drove us mad (12 & 9), at each others throats all the time, and we nearly came home every day! We also found it a bit cramped (6 berth). We did have some very good days out tho, we started on the South coast (lack of communication between husband and wife - I thought we were going to the North), then made our way to Lands End - great - apart from atrocious weather. Then St Ives, Newquay, Bodmin then home. 

We stayed on a different camp site every night and by the time we had packed the beds up in the morning, emptied the loo and filled up with water, all had a shower it was about 11:00! (no we didnt get up late, our youngest always wakes us at 7) Then we travelled to where we roughly wanted to be for the next night, we didn't book any sites before we left home. Only my husband is insured to drive and I wouldn't want to so he got fed up with driving - I thought we should have stayed in one place for at least 2 nights at a time but he wanted to get to lots of different areas, he now thinks I was right (of course!). We also encountered a very bad tempered camp site owner (however, we did get stuck in his perfectly grassed field!) it did end on good terms but was still upsetting at the time.

A fuse kept 'going' so the heating wasn't working properly and the step didn't come up when we turned the engine on. Inevitably we forget one day to put it up and you guessed it - it got mashed going thru a country lane and is now bent and buckled. Then we went on a small ferry thing and hit some scaffolding which pulled a rubber strip off the top.

We came home one day early as our toilet was full and we'd run out of loo chemical and it was raining and we couldn't decide where to stay for the night.

So ....... we brought her home, she's meant to be cleaned before returning to our friend's drive until the next time (I've done my bit - the inside!) but she (Martha - we affectionately named her before Cornwall) is still outside, abandoned by my husband who is disgusted with her and didn't enjoy our holiday (worse one he's had for a long time). He feels like selling. I said it was our first long trip, give it time and better weather and hopefully the children will be able to play outside etc, don't tear from camp site to camp site so we get time to read and chill. However, we are aiming to go to Disney at the end of this month which fills me with butterflies so ..... watch this space and any advice in the meantime .......

Roxy Lady


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

Mmmnnn...basically it sounds like every trip you do from now on is bound to be better ! You certainly seemed to have plumbed the depths !

Have you thought of making your children responsible for route planning and sites-of-interest finding ? They can do the pre-planning on the internet before you go and then have responsibility, one day each in rotation, for making sure you are navigated to the right place, know what the site will be like, what you will see on the way and even what the weather will be like so you can take measures ! This, plus lots of CDs ( or in our day cassettes) kept ours reasonably busy on long trips.

Chalk this one up to experience, clean up the van and go again - somewhere a bit drier perhaps - ? 

G


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## TonyHunt (Oct 10, 2005)

Staying in Cornwall you should have stayed the whole trip on one site. Why have all that hassle and wasting time keep moving everyday. Weve just done a week at a very nice Caravan & Camping club site (Doubletree farm) at St Austell on the south coast. 1mile from the Eden project and open all the year round. From there it was only a short distance to many small towns and attractions and only about a mile and a half to the beaches. Admittedly we had our small car in tow and were able to cross cornwall to Padstow & Newquay areas which were only 20 miles away at most. The St Austell area seemed to have plenty of buses going everywheres so no need to move far. An added bonus on this site was it was within walking distance of Eden and hence a reduced entrance fee per adult of £4 for not going by car.
We were lucky when our kids were growing up in that we didnt own a camper or caravan so didnt have the problem of keeping them amused in a confined space especially when the weathers bad.


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## Telbell (May 1, 2005)

Hi Roxy Lady- an old saying comes to mind- "Experience is not what you do....it's what you learn from what you do"

So here's hoping yur experiences haven't put you off. I think probably everyone member of the Forum could relate some sort of disaster on their first trips out so don't be too downhearted. 

Grizzly has some good ideas to involve the kids and Tony's suggestion for a Site has been noted for our future trips.

Good Luck in the future!


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## ruthiebabe (Aug 16, 2005)

Oh dear, I can truly sympathise with bits of this and I feel Roxy Lady needs our support...

Having had two (yes, only two) older kids in a motorhome (they are now 16 and 18 so only occasionally come i.e. if there's a free ski pass thrown in) we have been there and one holiday in particular was hell due to much rainy cramped up in-fighting...

Can we turn this into a positive right away? You surely cannot have a much worse experience for a first trip!!! So might I suggest that you sit down and analyse exactly what was awful and try to think about what might make it work better. You could consider your experience as a useful crash course in the pitfalls and trials, and as a shortcut to improving the experience?

Poor hubby will need a bit of tlc to come round, but any hasty decision to sell might later be regretted, it’s a bad time to sell anyway with Winter and Christmas looming. Maybe MHF can help you work out some improvements and preparations for future trips, we’ll try anyway!

Before we go any further, don’t lose sight of the dream you had when you bought your van…when it works it is a true lifestyle change and an all-consuming pleasure, as most members on here will tell you.

However with a family it IS a little harder to get right… a couple can just set off and please themselves, and they can go away from school holidays thus making going as you please more achievable (no need to book).

We had camper vans as a couple and with a baby/toddler, then a gap. We then bought again when our boys were 11 and 13. One of our goals was to do things as a family like walking, biking, skiing as well as seeing places, and on reflection, despite the expense and effortand the less-successful moments, it has brought us closer together…as a mum of two boys for example I have to find some common interests with them, I’m not into football and wargames and all the other stuff, so we had to look at what we COULD do together. Without labouring this, for us, I think it has been a great thing to do, although of course they are stopping coming now(unless there’s a free ski pass thrown in!)

So, how can we help? Advice of course is there to be rejected if it doesn’t suit you but I’ll try and think of a few things that we found helped us to survive, I hope some of it at least might be food for thought, and I hope that others will add their tips too.

•	Try and involve them in the planning and choosing both in advance and once away, Grizzly is spot on here.
•	Try and plan the trip so that you stay at least two nights everywhere you go (brief overnight stops on a long journey excepted) and try to have longer chunks, too. They seem to like to settle in and get a routine going, and basically they hate being on the road. At least your husband has lwearnt this one albeit the hard way. Remember that whilst adults adore variety children thrive on routine and familiarity, so whilst touring is a great thging for them long term it needs to be compromised a bit (I had to tell myself that we adults can tour to our hearts content after they are grown-up). Hence on a 2 ½ week summer break we usually tried to basically have two main centres with shorter hops added in here and there.
•	I’m afraid I disagree with Tony a bit about only using one site to see a big area as I feel that makes me a caravanner…what are you gaining except the driveability, quicker set-up etc? However as I’ve said above some compromise is necessary.
•	Kids like the freedom and privacy to go to the washblocks, I find camping away from sanitation suits us but not them
•	Try and give them their own space or at least their own cupboard. Harder for you as a big family, we were lucky with bunk beds and only two. But why not let the older ones take a small tent next summer?
•	Don’t be too idealistic to take DVD’s for quiet moments. You will have your own views about this, computer ganmes, TV etc. Personally we favoured no TV (lots of books, ipods, etc) and no computer games but an agreed time to watch a DVD on a rainy day seemed fine. If you have a lptop it can even be used on a long journey with 12v socket.
•	Sounds obvious but getting out and doing something active all together is the most successful of all…no cooped up moods, and everyone is suitably exhausted afterwards so enjoy relaxing in the evening with fewer fights.
•	Try and pick sites near water or with pool if hoping for a successful longer stay. Caters for every age and taste…endless possibilities for paddling, fishing, digging, you know what I mean. Also sites where the older ones can cycle, walk to the shop, chill out by the playground with other older kids, etc…again this often means compromising your own preferences!!! We like no facility, tranquil C.L type sites, the kids hated them!

This is just what springs to mind, as I said I hope others will come up with more, and I hope that you will recover and venture out again. 

Remember that you were very brave taking your first trip in low season when weather can be poor, it can only be better in great weather and when you are more experienced…can’t it?

Regards, Ruth


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## TonyHunt (Oct 10, 2005)

Ruth. I mentioned staying on one site purely in an area like Cornwall because of manoeverability especially with a larger van. The roads down there can be so small its obviously easier to plonk yourself in an area then tour round it then move after a period maybe to the other side and do the same again. Moving somewhere different everyday would do anybodys head in.


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## spykal (May 9, 2005)

TonyHunt said:


> Moving somewhere different everyday would do anybodys head in.


I agree, and 2 night is our usual stop but sometimes ... this last Summer for example we stayed for 3/4 nights each at sites that were well placed and easily accessible from larger roads ( Bude C&CC site, Little Bodieve at Wadebridge, for example) and drove out for one or two days from each site...leaving a marker on our pitch. This means we get to see around the area but do not have the hassle of finding a new site each night. We have bikes on the van and often on these days out we park up somewhere safe and if poss cheap (like free :roll: NT car parks are free if you are a member) and then explore on our bikes or foot.

Mike


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## ruthiebabe (Aug 16, 2005)

Yes Tony, Cornwall is particularly hard for that, and in fact I would err on the side of only one or maybe two sites for a week with kids in Cornwall, and moving on each day would as you say be masochistic...I thought you were being more general and I didn't want them to feel they were mad to try and tour at all! Another tip for them would be to try and find a site from which you can walk or cycle to lots of things.

By the way, Tony I have email problems, have emailed you but also will pm you now.


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## LPDrifter (Aug 17, 2005)

Hey Roxy Lady that doesn't sound like you enjoyed the experience too much. I'm sorry to hear that. Don't loose heart.

There is some good advice there from experienced motorhomers.

We are new to motorhoming but did used to do camping a long time back. One of the things I discovered then - indeed with any form of travel holiday - is not to try and fit too many places in. Better to stop two, three or even four nights in a location and relax in the area, explore the local attractions, get a rest from moving and driving all the time and so forth.

Moving to a new location ever day is a punishing schedule.

Keep the faith!


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## Invicta (Feb 9, 2006)

Hi Clipster152, what a sorry tale!

Must admit that my late husband wasn't so keen on motorcaravanning as I was and still am. Must be the gipsy in me or left over from my Girl Guide days! He tolerated it for the sake of the girls and I though I do feel that he did enjoy it in the very early days but wouldn't admit it. He had the same attitude about a cruise we did in the early 90's to the Canary Islands though I know he enjoyed the food on board!

When we first started motorcaravanning back in 1969, the children were then 9, 6 and 4. We had a very small Commer Autosleeper with a pop up roof and were able to get to most places. No height barriers in those days that I can recall. No on-board toilet, just a bucket one, no water system, no fridge, we had an OsoCool that we had to keep topped up with cold water (anyone remember those?!), all water carried in mobile containers, no heating, certainly no hook up. We did have two gas burners for cooking and heating water and an oven that gave out some heat. 

We toured the UK and the children saw places their friends in those days had never seen. There were far more opportunities then to 'wild camp'. We stayed right on a beach in Wales, by a lovely trickling stream in Scotland, by the side of the A1 in a lay by. Places one would never consider or be able to park these days. We didn't go abroad as there was and still is so much to see in the UK. I still haven't been to Ireland though have been to the Isle of Man in a motorcaravan, lovely place for a more relaxing holiday. 

As they got older the girls complained that they wanted other sorts of holidays so we sold the 'van and went to a holiday camp. This only happened one year though as they complained so that we became motorcaravanners again! They still recall those days with affection and all want to and do go camping/motorcaravanning now with their own children. 

Now I have an American RV with all the mod cons but ask me what was more enjoyable and I would say those far off days were there were far fewer motorcaravans on the road. Those were the days when everyone waved at one another as we were a fairly rare sight on the roads! 

I do hope you have a better experience next time meanwhile I have written about our recent visit to Disneyland Paris on the thread 'Eurodisney again'. The children should certainly enjoy that! How long are you intending to go? I would suggest a two day visit to the parks with a day travelling there and another coming back, 4 day trip in all. Disneyland Paris is just over 200 miles from Calais using the Peage (£26.50 one way).

Don't give up, it can be a great life and you meet so many interesting people like those here on MHF!!!!


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## 100769 (Aug 29, 2006)

Dear Clipster,

Dont despair !! We bought our first MH at end of SEpt and headed off in mid Oct to Dorset and New Forest. The weather was a big disappointment but not all together surprising. Agree with other points made - we have no kids to worry about but we did come home a day early due to lack of sleep cos of incessant rain keeping us awake throughout the night - answer - cotton wool ear plugs !

We are off again this weekend only for 2 nights but have already learned from our errors last time. We have bought our silver screens and are ready for anything !! We are even taking our new privacy room awning to play with - rationale being there wont be to many people around who will be able to laugh at us as we struggle to put the thing together.

We have named ours Vicky - was originally Viktor (from (Vi)v and (K)eith (To)u(r)ing but we decided that all cars/MH are female so he became a she. Same as we call the SatNav, Celia rather than Tom (Tom).

Vicky spent last week at the Servicing centre having a Hab Check and we collected her on Saturday - poor thing, she had spent the last week, out in the cold in the forest, bless !! We felt so sorry for her being all alone - worse that leaving one's dog at a kennel (not that we have a dog). 

What sad folk we are!!

Keith & Viv


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## TinaGlenn (Jul 7, 2006)

Hi Roxy,
Sounds like a trying time for all of you. 
We got our first motor home when our kids were 14 & 10. We used to try to have lots of weekends or even just days away. We would plan our "adventures" taking it in turns on where to go or what to do. The kids used to sleep together up in the luton and there were more than a few nights of giggles or squabbles. We always took a tv but it was hardly used. The kids customised their "bedroom" the privacy curtains were taken down and replaced with some made from an old sari, with sequined elephants on..... 8O They had glow in the dark stars on the roof... ( we still do :lol: )
We always went away for a week in the summer and never planned to stay more than 2 nights but if the kids were having fun and made friends we would stay longer.
The first trip is always hard, getting to know how things work, where they are, who can do which job. but it all gets easier.
Above all make the trips fun and you will always be counting the days until you can get away again.

Tina


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