Camping sites.

You'll need a charge controller too, this one comes with one

https://www.amazon.co.uk/PK-Green-S...d=1461600933&sr=8-11&keywords=40w+solar+panel

 

@Lynd , this site lists all camping and caravaning sites in the UK. It explains what they accept and what they don't . I would strongly advise booking ahead especially on a bank holiday weekend. Have a good one anyway
http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/

 

That looks wicked @Zigs, should do us well. Cheers your a gem! And Thank you @HarryS will have a look in a bit, currently on pitchup.com having a browse

 

Most sites require a minimum booking for 3 nights to guarantee you're going to have a pitch when you turn up. It's a Bank Holiday, and I've seen the disappointment it causes to lots of people when they get turned away because they don't have a booking.

Many sites ban gazebos because when windy they blow away over people's cars and tents and can cause lots of damage.

Make sure you'll be able to take your vehicle right up to your pitch. When some sites get muddy they'll restrict you from driving beyond just beside the track/parking area, meaning that in those circumstances your van may not be able to form part of your camping arrangements.

If you book a 'motor caravan' pitch to ensure you'll get somewhere to use a van, you'll end up with a hardstanding unsuitable for pitching an additional tent on. This is something important to check up on.

I'd go for a double burner with grill (can do cheese on toast with a grill), preferable one that will run on both Butane and Propane (latter for colder weather), get Calor cylinders are they are much, much cheaper to fill than Camping Gaz (£4 for 4.5Kg Butane at car boot sale last weekend).

I have one, and it's a joy not to have to get dressed and head off in the dark & pouring rain in the early hours heading for the toilet block.

A fridge will run down a leisure battery before you can recharge it. A 12v 'chiller box' can keep stuff cool powered by either mains hook up or in vehicle 'cigarette lighter socket' charging. Adding frozen 'chiller blocks' vastly increases efficiency in keeping the likes of fridge stuff like butter/spread/cheese/milk/etc.

I have 2 of an earlier version of these http://www.halfords.com/camping-lei...fords-40-litre-mains-and-12v-electric-coolbox together with 2 mains to 12v (cigarette lighter) converters, so they can both be used in car, in tent, or at home in the event of a fridge failure

 

@Lynd the link that HarryS has put up is the one I mentioned to you earlier but couldn't think of the proper name for it and haven't had time to Google as I have been salving away with the Hoover and feather duster (in between watching the Judge

What part of South Wales do you reside in?We stayed at Ceridigion(spelling) and the nearest town was Newquay.We did some awesome walking along the cliff paths and even saw Dolphins in the harbour.

Have you got sleeping bags etc as you will need those unless you are going to use quilts but this time of the year depending on where you are sleeping (van or tent) you will need to take blankets if you have any because we have winter conditions with the gale force winds coming this week.

 

Croyeso

This is my set up.

 

Its plastered are they all the 40w panels? noticed you got a wind turbine too what are you running off that, just the caravan? do you know how much you produce on a good day?

 

Oops, missed your posts..

Nice one @Scrungee, some of the sites I've looked at have a few places left, so yep we need to get in quick! Have made note of whether they accept gazebos or 'units' on some sites and if you can park right next to the tent which was what we intend to do - kids in van, us in tent. Been reading all the reviews to try and see if there's just field or if there is gravel road around the site with hard standing.. not getting much luck there.

do you know if the camping gaz grill burner work off calor bottles with a regulator?

I may very well just use my sons old potty...

And thank you for the link for the cool box its definitely something to look into, maybe on fleabay but doubt my funds will stretch that far so cooler bag it is and we're going to get the cig lighter plug converter too


@Kandy we're pretty much in the middle of Cardiff and Swansea, in Glamorgan (or Rhondda Cynon Taff as its called these days) I did look at a few places in Ceredigion but other half is fancying Pembrokeshire for oakwood park and folly farm for something to do.

Yeah we got plenty of sleeping bags and blankets, kids be wearing onesies and we'll be taking our duvets too.. tbh we haven't even looked at the weather

Food time now.. back to campsite hunting in a bit

 

you have also the swimming pool...great

 

It should work with blue Calor Butane, but not necessarily with Red Calor Propane.


One of these is handy if you're somewhere without electric hookup and you've got phones, tablets, usb charging cameras, usb charging headtorches, mifi, etc. to keep charged. They occasionally drop down to £12.00.


https://www.amazon.co.uk/Anker-5-Port-Charger-PowerIQ-Technology-Black/dp/B00OUK0N26

 

Very useful during daylight hours or if you're allocated a pitch right next to some site lighting, especially if going to pub or having a few cans of an evening. Nothing worse than getting boots & socks on, finding waterproof and heading off in rain to the toilet block just for a pee. (don't keep emptying it where somebody might come along and pitch their tent!)

 

Feel free to correct me on this, but I'm pretty sure the Blue Calor bottles use an M14 thread. The red ones use a left hand thread. I think its usually referred to as a POL thread in the UK. Here we call it a 1/4R.

My setup uses 2 x P11 bottles from Swedish AGA. Usually, I get these through my welding gas supplier. As these use the left hand POL thread, if by any chance both bottles are emptied, they can be replaced by bottles fro either Gaz or Calor. I'm not all that sure that would be the case with "blue" bottles. I've seen a couple of different threads on the ones available here.

One little tip for anyone using a twin bottle set up. Use an automatic changeover valve together with a filter. There are several reasons for me suggesting this.

The filter is useful because some gas - especially french for some reason - is dirty and can clog or cause damage to burners and other things running off gas.

The auto changeover valve because a) the good ones have a "crash sensor" that comes in to play if the vehicle is involved in a car crash. b) if you accidentally forget to switch off the gas bottles when travelling (illegal here) the valve makes it legal. c) There is usually an indicator that shows the amount of gas left in the bottle in use. Finally, d) Gas always runs out one of three occasions. The middle of the night, when its raining/bad weather, or in the middle of the night when the weather is bad. No need to get up and changeover. It all gets done for you!

As a final comment, if someone ever comes here, make sure its propane in the bottle, not butane.

 

4.5Kg Butane regulators use a screw thread (not the same a Propane screw thread), larger capacity cylinders use clip on regulators but NB Calor clip-ons are 21mm and FlowGas are 20mm.

 

This must be what is known as EU standardisation. A quick phone call to a dealer just informed me that the clip on connectors are illegal here. As, incidentally, are red propane bottles. They should (in larger sizes) be grey.

I wonder if my grey P11's are illegal in the UK? Or even composite or aluminium propane bottles? Steel ones here are being phased out...

 

Some of my Butane regulators (I've been about a bit), top left 21mm Calor Butane clip-on, top right screw-on for 4.5Kg Calor Butane, bottom left Camping Gaz, bottom right 21mm clip-on connector (not a regulator) for connecting bigger Calor Butane cylinders to screw thread regulators for 4.5Kg cylinders or Butane high pressure appliances that don't require regulators.

Yes, we can't get our UK Calor bottles refilled abroad, nor can we get European cylinders re-filled here (last time I checked) but I've also got Camping Gaz stuff that can be used abroad and in UK.

And to make things confusing, the make of my 'illegal' clip-on is Continental.