Member Since: 03 Oct 2014
Location: Pwllheli
Posts: 3976
Hopefully Used All Our Bad Luck/careless Etc In One Go!
So been for a long weekend in Cambridgeshire plan was collect van from storage in the morning Thursday, and as work is quiet at present park the rig up in the far corner of the car park where it wont cause any problems or get blocked in and get a quick getaway after work.
1. Get to the storage and as we finish winding up the legs and removing the locks the lad that looks after things there turns up and as I walk to the car he says back up and I'll hitch you up, think nothing of it back and then when he finish checking the lights for me drive off. 50 yards down road the breakaway cable does it job quite well as the van jumps of towball!!!!!! Jockey wheel is trashed but no other apparent damage, lad is extremely apologetic, me I blame myself for not checking. Everything works so off we go.
2. Get to work with no further issues and park up as planned. Luckily I am going to one of our other sites up the coast road which is near a big caravan and motorhome sales place. Unluckily big shop, very little spares, no jockey wheel and no breakaway cables, managed to get the latter at Halfords. Get back to work to find the Discovery and 'van blocked in! Someone, possibly a women based on the contents of the car, has parked in the second furthest parking space from the building when there were other 50 spaces nearer! Fortunately because of all the empty spaces I was able to unhitch, get the car out angle the van, rehitch and pull the van out.
3. Finally get under way, make good time to the M6, start to head south and then spend the next hour covering just 12 miles!! So now we are 3/4hr behind schedule and going to arrive on pitch (cs site) in the dark!!
4. Having auto lights on the Discovery, you don't tend to take much notice of lights, but with daylight disappearing, I realise the car screens have dimmed meaning the lights are on, but the van marker lights are not!! Pulling over and checking revealed no tail lights either, everything else working though. Deicide it is still light enough to continue the final 15 miles,however the electrics have other ideas and a few miles up the road I notice the indicators no longer working, pull over to discover the only light showing at the back is the fog-light!! Before calling out breakdown services I check the 13pin/7pin adapter and discover 4 broken wires in the 13 pin end, 5 minutes later back in the road with working lights.
5. Get to the site and are greeted by a nice young lady who cant find any record of the booking we made with her partner (who was away) , fortunately they only had one other booking so had space for us and she guided us onto the pitch with the aid of a big torch.
6. The following night plugged the Cadac in and almost zero gas pressure, initially thought no gas, although the bottle should have been 2/3rds full, checking revealed the fullish bottle was considerably heavier than the empty one. Checked the cooker similar issue of low pressure, after some simple tests came to the conclusion it was an issue with van regulator, my box of bits cames in handy for a temporary fix.
and finally a bit of light relief
7. I love my wife to bits but......... 45 minutes after leaving the camp-site she says where are the caravan keys, a quick look round the front of the car reveals no sign. So we pull over into a lay-by came to the conclusion I had them last, spent 1/2 hour searching the car, three times Mandy got me to check my pockets, desperate call to the camp-site but to no avail keys not only to the caravan but also the storage gone. No choice but to continue on our way home, really upset with myself for being so careless. 15 mins up the road Mandy pats her jeans pocket and pulls out the keys!!!!!!!! To say I was speechless is an understatement! Her punishment I made her take over the driving, she had been shying away from towing with such a big van not any more.
So some lessons learnt, a bit of stress but we still had a good weekend away ==================================
05 D3 HSE V8 4.4
04 MG TF 135
03 MG TF 115 Cool Blue Edition
02 MG TF 160
00 Hymer B564 Lionheart
1971 Series III 109
21st Aug 2016 9:47 pm
Beno2
Member Since: 18 Apr 2009
Location: SE
Posts: 996
Where is home ? I guess somewhere in Wales if so that is a fair journey for a weekend away. Let's hope you do not have any more bad starts to your breaks away... D3 HSE
21st Aug 2016 9:57 pm
Mogwyth
Member Since: 03 Oct 2014
Location: Pwllheli
Posts: 3976
Cheers.
Far North West Wales. Don't normally do more than 100 miles or so for a weekend but it was the British Cactus and Succulent Society National Show this weekend and I had two stands there.==================================
05 D3 HSE V8 4.4
04 MG TF 135
03 MG TF 115 Cool Blue Edition
02 MG TF 160
00 Hymer B564 Lionheart
1971 Series III 109
21st Aug 2016 10:04 pm
nestu
Member Since: 12 Sep 2011
Location: Lancashire
Posts: 392
That does sound like a lot of 'challenges' to overcome! but hope your show was worth all of the hassle .. fingers crossed that is your share of problems out of the way
22nd Aug 2016 8:09 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73135
Re the keys, you do realise it will still be your fault. It's our lot in life.
22nd Aug 2016 8:14 am
Mogwyth
Member Since: 03 Oct 2014
Location: Pwllheli
Posts: 3976
Show went well
Of course it is DSL, I should have remembered I gave them to her after locking the van up!==================================
05 D3 HSE V8 4.4
04 MG TF 135
03 MG TF 115 Cool Blue Edition
02 MG TF 160
00 Hymer B564 Lionheart
1971 Series III 109
"The keys" can be such a dreadfull strain on a relationship! The way my girlfriend and I work is we each have a lanyard (different colours) with the 'van access and Discovery keys and tick the other off if it is not on display around the neck. All the security keys are on another lanyard that must be on show on the centre console. Anyone not having keys in view is buying a week's beer!A vaccine does not stop you catching a virus, or passing it on, or getting ill from it, really ill. It does reduce the likelyhood of you dying when really, really ill. Stay Alive - KEEP AWAY FROM PEOPLE.
22nd Aug 2016 10:48 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73135
Mogwyth wrote:
Of course it is DSL, I should have remembered I gave them to her after locking the van up!
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