Wandering Windsors

Arrival of the caravan.

“We will deliver it to you as soon as it is ready and registered.” That was the claim at the time of ordering the caravan and paying the deposit. A ‘phone call three weeks later stated: “Everything is ready, but I can’t get a driver for the delivery. Would you like to pick it up?”

I contacted Dennis. “Want a drive to Sydney on Saturday?”

The plan was set. Collect Dennis at 7 a.m. on Saturday, drive to Sydney, hook up the caravan and drive home. A simple plan for the 800 Km round trip.

I drove to the half-way point where we stopped for coffee and a toasted sandwich. Dennis drove to Castle Hill where we collected the caravan. We went through the handover procedure. The electrics and the battery were checked. I was instructed on the gas system and operation of the three-way fridge. Put the annexe in its brand new box into the back of the Xtrail and connected the van to the car. The twelve pin plug on the caravan did not fit the seven pin socket on the car. Not a problem, an adaptor was supplied to get us mobile. The operation of the lights was checked. Everything was in order. I signed the delivery docket and drove away proudly with my little caravan in tow.

The first two roundabouts were negotiated with caution. There was no real need. Even though it is a full height van, it has the footprint of a ten by seven trailer and tracked behind the Xtrail without a problem. The mirrors were watched for any abnormality but the caravan followed at 110 kph on the motorway with no sideways movement.

On the way home we had a comfort stop about half way, stretched our legs and topped up with fuel. We arrived home at 6 p.m.

The fuel consumption was surprising. With an empty van, (No water or equipment except for one gas cylinder) and driving faster than would normally be the holiday pace, we only used 3 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres more than normal for the car.

We arrived home to find two wives waiting anxiously at the door. After seven or eight attempts, the caravan was reversed through the gate into the yard and parked. It was time for a beer and dinner.

The next morning with a strong wind blowing, I attempted to erect the annex. You guessed it; I did not have a hope. I sullenly admitted defeat and packed it back into its bag. Two days later with no wind, I tried again. This time, it was successful, except the awning was too small. It was not long enough to reach the ground on either side of the van.

I telephoned the news to the dealer who agreed to replace the annexe with a larger one. I will be returning the small one through a freight company and waiting for the arrival of a new one. After making sure that it fits, we will plan a short shake-down trip.

 Caravan with awning set up. The line at the bottom should be parallel to the ground.

Hi, folks!

Here is the start of a new phase of life for the Windsors.

We have done our fair share of travelling over the years through Europe and Asia with a couple of incursions into the Middle East. We have one holiday trip in New Zealand booked for next year and then we will take a break to see more of Australia.

This is prompted by several things. Among them are the long times required to sit in aeroplanes to get out of Australia, the political instability in many places around the world and, we are getting older!

Political instability has not worried us in the past (maybe foolishly). We have been in Bangkok during a military coup and we were bustled hurriedly out of Istanbul due to the “risk factor”. Some years ago, we left Egypt just before a wave of attacks on tourists commenced.  We had one member of our group spat on in the El Khalili Bazaar in Cairo.

So, what are we going to do?

We are joining the “grey nomads”. We have bought a small caravan and will become:

Ken at Mudgee

“The Wandering Windsors.”

I first saw the micro caravan at the Mudgee Small Farm Field Days. Audrey was not interested.

The same caravan was on display at the Dubbo Camping and Four Wheel Drive Show. It was pointed out to us by friends. Audrey had a look inside and became almost interested. Discussions took place, along with a quick mental review of finances and the first tentative steps made. We paid a deposit on the van!

Now we are waiting for delivery. While waiting, I borrowed a Bobcat digger and prepared a hardstand parking spot for it in the backyard. It is now full of road base material, waiting for me to get hold of a “whacker packer” to compact the patch.

The caravan is a Euro Sunseeker. It is well within the towing capacity of our current vehicle. It has a 3.1 metre by 2.05 metre body (10’2”x 6’9”). This small space includes a bathroom (Shower and toilet), Cook-top, refrigerator and dinette which folds down to a double bed. We also ordered a fully enclosed annexe. For two of us, it should be cosy.

The first shake-down trip could be later this month or early November.

Watch this space for tales of the Wandering Windsors.