seasonal siting CARAVANS
Eight-foot-wide tourers are perfect for seasonal siting. We’ve chosen nine, from just over £20,000 to more than £40,000. Our guide will get you started...
Nine caravans, all eight feet wide, some for families and some that, while they have beds for four, are primarily designed for couples. We’ve picked a selection of big tourers that are ideal if you are looking for a caravan to site on a seasonal basis.
Our guide also gives examples of awnings designed for seasonal use, plus other equipment and also seasonal pitch fees.
Our selection of caravans takes you through the price spectrum from just over £20,000 to more than £40,000; something for all budgets, then.
So, how do you choose the perfect caravan for leaving on a pitch from spring to autumn – or even year-round, if the park you pick is open all year? The first consideration is space; plenty of it!
Unless you want your seasonalsited caravan to be a dual-purpose tourer – sometimes taking it away from its seasonal pitch for holidays elsewhere – you don’t need to consider towability, so weight doesn’t need to be a consideration.
AWNINGS
Space is important in more ways than the obvious. While many people put up awnings on a seasonal basis and never have a problem, some opt not to do this, just in case storms interfere with awning stability when you’re not there to adjust pegging if required. A phone call from site staff advising you that your awning is in a state of near collapse is not what anyone wants. So, if you don’t want to rely on an awning for extra space, go for the biggest caravan you can find.
That said, there are awnings specifically made for seasonal siting. Among these is Bradcot’s Residencia 50, which is made from fabric specifically designed for year-round use; it’s strong TenCate coated polyester with
PVA (polyvinyl acetate). The frame is 28mm diameter steel; a tiedown kit comes as standard.
Another one to consider is Dorema’s President awning, which the manufacturer recommends for seasonal use.
Isabella makes the Villa awning, designed, not just for seasonal use, but to leave up all of the time. Ideal, then, if you don’t have to move your caravan off its pitch for the winter. It’s a series of panels in aluminium profiles that fit together; the construction is designed to withstand harsh weather.
Isabella also makes more conventional awnings available with steel poles, recommended for seasonal use.
General advice is to go for a pole-frame awning, especially steel, rather than an air frame. That’s because temperature changes can cause pressure in the air frame to alter.
Whichever awning you consider, make sure you go for one that has robust fabric, preferably a type that is fade-resistant (that’s fibre-dyed acrylic; the fibres are dyed before being made into yarn to make the fabric highly fade-resistant).
OTHER EQUIPMENT DESIGNED FOR SEASONAL SITING
Isabella makes rigid floor tiles that link together. Each tile is 50mm by 50mm; you buy the number necessary for the size of your awning. They are made of robust plastic and are excellent. Some time ago, we bought just four of these, and we use them, not inside an awning, but alongside our tourer when the ground is muddy; somewhere to step as you get out of the car and even take off boots.
WATER CONNECTORS
Some high-end caravans come complete with a hose to connect the caravan’s water supply to a tap on a pitch. If you don’t have one, we can recommend the Whale Aquasource, or Truma Waterline (whichever fits your caravan’s water inlet). There are also universal water connectors on the market, too.
SEASONAL PITCH FEES
The amount that you can expect to pay for a seasonal pitch varies according to the facilities that a site provides and also its location. A prime site with loads of family facilities in the Lake District or Devon, for example, will charge more for a seasonal pitch than a quiet site with few facilities away from a popular region.
Expect to pay from £2,000 to £4,000. Some parks incorporate a charge for water and sewerage into the pitch fee; others charge for it separately. Expect to pay around £500 for this.
Most seasonal pitches have their own water supply and drain; some have a TV connection, too, if they are in an area of poor reception. Many of these are hardstanding pitches.
Electricity is almost always metered; you pay for it either monthly or at the end of the season, according to the site.
Many people put up awnings
on a seasonal basis but some opt not to do this. If you don't want to rely on an awning for extra space, go for the biggest caravan you
can find