12
YOUR FIRST
outandaboutlive.co.uk
HOWTO
HITCH UP AND HEAD OUT
Try two of these top towing training and manoeuvring courses
THE CARAVAN CLUB
JOHN SOOTHERAN
ON TRAINING
Friendly and fun – I
reckon this course
registered just five out of
10 on the ‘Challenging
Scale’. My fellow
trainees and course
captain, David Blundell,
offered support, advice
and encouragement
throughout, making the
one-and-a-half day’s
training a revelation.
We learned about all
aspects of towing and
setting up a caravan, and
with just three of us on the
course, there was plenty
of practical towing time.
Danuta, my co-trainee,
had just bought a new
car and first caravan and
was heading off, solo,
with her toddler son to
France the following
week. After the course
she easily felt confident
enough to do that.
Myself, I found
the training very
confidence inspiring and
empowering. I’ve towed a
fair bit since (1000 miles
to France and back this
summer) and, armed with
the simple techniques
I learned, I find the
manoeuvring into small
spaces an enjoyable
challenge rather than
something to be feared.
I can’t recommend the
course highly enough.
W
hen it comes to towing,
people tend to fall into
one of two camps.
On one side, it’s the most
intimidating thing we could
possibly do on the road. On
the other, it seems pretty
straightforward and “how hard
could it possibly be anyway?”
A wise man once said:
“Whoever ceases to be a
student has never been a
student”, so whether you’ve
towed before or not, we’ve
put together the best training
options for you to become the
master of manoeuvring and
smash your assumptions.
Both clubs offer towing
sessions with the same info
presented in slightly different
ways. Here’s the lowdown on
each course for you to decide
what’s best for you.
WORDS & PICTURES
Ben Hackney
The Caravan Club’s
practical caravanning
course is ideal for new
starters. Held across the
country at any one of 16
venues, it’s a one and a half
day course with both theory
sessions and practical
learning between 9am-5pm
on the first day’s session
and 9am-1pm the second.
I attended a course at
Appletree Lodge in
Chipping Warden, in
Northamptonshire to get a
taste for towing myself and
learn a thing or two…
Or three. You’ll be amazed
at how much you’ll pick up.
You start off by studying
the basics of caravanning
– all the stuff that you
probably think you know but
with the addition of all those
things you’d never even
thought about. With up to
12 people split into two
groups per course, it’s
interesting and surprising the
questions that come up and
subjects are covered
thoroughly by the staff.
The introductory lesson
covers all aspects of
caravanning, including
service and maintenance;
setting up; handling
differences compared with a
solo car; tyre pressures;
how the caravan’s brakes
work and more – all
followed by a Q&A session.
Outside, you learn about
coupling and uncoupling,
levelling, reversing in a
straight line and around
corners, as well as covering
road and vehicle safety
checks before finishing
back in the classroom with
learning about legal issues
and taking part in another
useful Q&A session.
It’s a thorough intro that
really boosts confidence.
PRICE
£140pp
T
01342 336 666
W
caravanclub.co.uk/expert-advice
