outandaboutlive.co.uk
YOUR FIRST
13
supportedby
A GUIDE TO
TOWING
THE CAMPING AND CARAVANNING CLUB
The Camping and
Caravanning Club offers
a course syllabus which
includes: towing and
reversing a caravan,
caravanners and the law,
loading, hitching and
unhitching. It’s delivered by
qualified instructors who
are also caravanners.
The course I attended
was situated at Newark
Showground; there are 11
other venues throughout
the country. There are 12
participants per course,
meaning that it usually
works out at four people
per instructor, so everyone
gets a few goes behind the
wheel and at coupling and
uncoupling a caravan.
Starting off in the
classroom going over the
basics of setting up, loading
PRICE
£105pp (for C&CC members)
T
0845 130 7412
W
campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/helpandadvice/courses/manoeuvringcourses
and what is to be expected
of the day’s course, the
group then moves outside
to get a hands-on look and
explanation of a hitched
caravan. Splitting into
groups, each instructor leads
participants to an area of
the showground to work
on hitching, unhitching and
manoeuvring the outfit.
The key to these courses
is repetition, with time being
taken to ensure that each
participant knows how to
understand and undertake
the actions needed to
guide a towcar towards
the hitch before hooking
up and preparing to set
off, and reversing the
process for unhitching.
Reversing is the next
step, in a straight line and
around a corner from both
directions, before we head
back into the classroom for
a debrief and Q&A session.
All in all it’s an incredibly
interesting and fun day!
BEN HACKNEY
ON TRAINING
I’m all for being
educated and
discovering new abilities
through knowledge, but
taking part in the towing
training courses was still
a lot more enjoyable
than I’d have ever
guessed. Expecting a
slightly stressful steep
learning curve, I got
behind the wheel and
had a laugh at myself
while practicing each
manoeuvre before finally
nailing it by the end!
You will be faced with
the slightly baffling
thoughts of “but why is
it going over there?”
the first couple of times
you’re reversing, for
example, but that’s all
part of the fun.
Everything you do
is undertaken in
a controlled, safe
environment where
you’re free to learn from
any mistakes you make
without any fear of
scraping a fencepost
or squashing the yappy
dog on the next pitch.
Towing training
really is thoroughly
recommended from
both an in-classroom
lesson perspective
and a much more
hands-on practical
performance approach
to learning about it.
You’ll be safer and
more confident on the
road, you’ll meet new
people on the course
and you’ll enjoy the
whole experience. Our
advice: Get it done!
◗
Both courses require you to
bring both parts of your driving
licence and a suitable towcar
with towing mirrors
◗
Warm clothing will be required
in cold weather
◗
Hot drinks are provided but
participants are required to
bring their own lunch
