Now you know the kit you’ll need, here’s what to do…

1 Start by assessing the pitch and plan where you want the caravan to be positioned on it – ideally in as flat a position as possible.

And if there is a slope, it will make levelling easier if the van is positioned with the incline aligned longitudinally along the length of the caravan, rather than across the van.

When pitching your van, take into consideration where the sun will be during the day, and particularly in the evening (in summer); the view; any sloping of the pitch or high and low spots; which way you want the door to open and where the awning will fit. In addition, consider if there are any trees across your pitch and the proximity of your neighbours.

2 Once you have earmarked your perfect spot, tow the caravan into position. On many pitches, this will be a reversing manoeuvre, while on open-field style campsites, you might be able to loop around and drive through the pitch until the caravan is in position.

3 With the former, reverse the van about 60cm (2ft) further back than your final preferred position. Stop the car, apply the tow car handbrake and leave it in first gear or Park for good measure.

4 You should level laterally first, so jump out with your spirit level and check the caravan’s general stance, laterally, from side to side.

I do this by placing the spirit level horizontally across the caravan, on the floor (I tend not to use the A-frame cover or the front console, which might seem easier). Then, check which side of the van needs to be raised.

5 As an example, let’s assume your single-axle tourer is noticeably lower at the nearside than the offside. It’s lower by several inches – which is certainly enough to make sleeping in your transverse bed a bit of a head-spinning experience!

6 Now, leaving your spirit level positioned laterally across the middle of the floor inside the van door, grab your levelling ramps and place one of them just in front of the nearside caravan wheel.

If you have somebody to help you by keeping an eye on the bubble, wind down your car window, so you can hear their instructions. In the past, we’ve even communicated using our mobile phones.

8 Now slowly drive the tow car forward, or use the motor mover, so that the caravan wheel moves up the ramp. Your levelling partner can tell you when the bubble is centred. Stop immediately and apply the tow car handbrake.

IMPORTANT!

I always avoid reversing the van up the ramp, because the autoreverse system will deactivate the brake mechanism until the caravan is moved forward again. This means the van may roll down the ramp a little before the brakes take effect.

In addition, by reversing on, the drawbar will be compressed, so you will have to pull forward to unhitch. Of course, you can chock the wheel before pulling forward, but that’s going to involve more hassle.

9 If the caravan has remained level, apply its handbrake and place a chock behind the raised wheel. Then rechock the other wheel, to prevent the van rolling backwards. You are now ready to level longitudinally.

10 Unhitch the tow car and park it. The caravan is now sitting on its two wheels and the jockey wheel.

11 Turn the spirit level laterally, so it runs end-to-end along the van.

12 Now, simply wind the jockey wheel up or down, until a level stance is achieved end-to-end.

If you use a digital spirit level on your phone, open the front window and you will hear it beep to tell you that the caravan is level.

13 With your caravan level in both planes, lower your corner steadies so they are making firm contact with the ground. Job done!

‘When pitching your caravan, take into consideration where the sun will be during the day, and particularly in the evening’