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Living and travelling in a caravan
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gil
Downsizer Moderator


Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18415

PostPosted: Sun Jan 10, 10 10:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Yes, Cassy is living in a caravan with her OH. In the hills of Scotland .
There was a thread about getting their caravan set up for winter somewhere.

And Rob R and Nat S are also living in a caravan. Thread about their woodburning stove / oven.

I think both Clara and hardworkinghippy live off-grid, though in houses rather than mobile dwellings.

Emmac [?] - Emma, anyway - has a yurt. Dunno if they've been living in it the whole time this winter.

Welcome to DS, Cobnut ! Glad you decided to unlurk.

 
Mrs R



Joined: 15 Aug 2008
Posts: 7202

PostPosted: Sun Jan 10, 10 10:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I'd second the thoughts for a campervan/motorhome rather than a gypsy caravan - if you're going to do this you have to maintain a wee element of realism, and a vehicle = work.

I lived in a tent for a while, on my own, with the dog. If you are on your own, but want that element of safety, why not stay on campsites, that's what I did. You are still paying 'rent' but there's no council tax, gas etc on top of that - the campsite owners are there to look over you and maintain your showers, toilets, washing machines and you could have electric hook-up if you wanted to aswell.

You can pick a dog friendly site too - a dog is prohibitive in getting live-in farmwork as I found out, unless of course it's a trained gundog or sheepdog etc. You also need experience to do farmwork, as a woman particularly it's incredibly hard to get your foot in the door if you don't come from that background.

I live in a static now, not really as a choice thing, it's just until the chalet for the office is built and we can get on with the dwelling log cabin. I don't mind it though at all - it was glorious over summer...and not bad now either! A good stove is essential of course (ours is windy smithy and highly recommended, by us and the dog who cannot be pried away from it!), and with the judicious removal of doors and a splash of cream paint and new curtains, it feels every bit as good and spacious and modern as the high-end apartments I used to look after in Manchester! Except we have all the outside space too.

Go for it! Being single is the ideal time to do it as partners will probably hold you back. ocne you're 'out there' partners will accept you as you ARE.

Last edited by Mrs R on Sun Jan 10, 10 10:58 am; edited 1 time in total

 
cinders



Joined: 04 Jun 2007
Posts: 2437
Location: norfolk The daft old bat club
PostPosted: Sun Jan 10, 10 10:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

bring me sunshine wrote:
Mmmmmmmmmmm

I've always fancied the thought of toddling off in a gypsy caravan or something similar...


me too!!judy in the woods also lives of grid and in a make shift home

 
AnnaD



Joined: 12 Jun 2007
Posts: 2777
Location: Edinburgh
PostPosted: Sun Jan 10, 10 11:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I really like the idea too, but in reality I don't think I could really do it. I found a really good blog last night that may interest you; https://intothehermitage.blogspot.com/ They live in a converted horse box type truck and make their living with art and music.

Good luck with your ideas, I hope they work out

 
Brownbear



Joined: 28 May 2007
Posts: 14929
Location: South West
PostPosted: Sun Jan 10, 10 11:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Remember as well, with a 'caravan' under planning permission, you can get an old static caravan chassis up on blocks and build yourself quite a nice warm and well insulated structure on it. Sterling board, studding and insulation are relatively inexpensive.

 
Cobnut



Joined: 29 Aug 2008
Posts: 475
Location: North Herefordshire
PostPosted: Sun Jan 10, 10 11:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

My scouting around the old threads did suggest that caravanning is pretty miserable (cold and damp) in the winter, but not so bad if it�s well insulated, ventilated and there�s a wood burner in it like the one I fancy. But I couldn�t find much on the day to day practicalities such as the ease of finding suitable places to park it (I�d like to keep rural as much as possible) or washing myself. Peeing wouldn�t be a problem as I�ve done the funnel and empty bottle thing in a tent and have had to wash from buckets for the odd day here and there when getting bathrooms put in. Pooing anywhere other than in a bathroom would be a new experience though and is something that�s a bit daunting TBH, as is the whole monthly period issue.

I wonder how people cope long term and what washing methods they�ve found the best. There was something on �Victorian Farm� recently where the lady had a bath of sorts in a shallow tub (with a sheet draped in it?) in her bedroom which I�d like to know more about.

Sourcing water is one of my main concerns though as it�s so heavy to move and I can�t say I�ve ever seen a �public tap�.

I suppose I�m thinking worse case scenario where I can�t settle anywhere with any facilities so have to go completely wild, but I would be looking at working for food and a shower at least some of the time, or paying for a corner of a field and a shower twice a week to wash my hair.


Nat S wrote:
If you are on your own, but want that element of safety, why not stay on campsites, that's what I did.

That�s definitely a consideration especially in the beginning until I gain confidence. May I ask how much it cost you per month to stay on a site? The research I�ve done into them does suggest they have a 1 month maximum stay, and they close in winter, so did you have to move around every 4 weeks, and what did you do in the winter?

Nat S wrote:

You can pick a dog friendly site too - a dog is prohibitive in getting live-in farmwork as I found out, unless of course it's a trained gundog or sheepdog etc. You also need experience to do farmwork, as a woman particularly it's incredibly hard to get your foot in the door if you don't come from that background.


I had a feeling the dog would significantly reduce my options but I can see why. I wouldn�t mind working on places that didn�t have animals though, although my experience is only in dogs (I was a kennel maid years ago and am into pet dog training), chickens, forestry (I have a chainsaw but not the license but I prefer using hand tools anyway), horses, gardening, and (if I get my degree) environmental management. I can also build a basic HTML website from scratch too if that was needed.

 
lettucewoman



Joined: 26 Sep 2006
Posts: 7834
Location: Tiptoe in the Forest!!
PostPosted: Sun Jan 10, 10 11:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Brownbear wrote:
Remember as well, with a 'caravan' under planning permission, you can get an old static caravan chassis up on blocks and build yourself quite a nice warm and well insulated structure on it. Sterling board, studding and insulation are relatively inexpensive.


hi cobnut....we also have toyed with the idea of living in our classic camper...and still might do it! We have friends who lived for a time in their camper van...they used to drive it to spain for the winter so they avoided the cold here , doing od jobs on farms out there to help financially.

As to BB's post above...we live in a park home, which is basically a static caravan with proper insulation. they are relatively cheap to buy and maintain, and although we have mains leccy and water, the water is cheap because we have our own sewage plant on the site. We have Lp gas for heating but dont use it except for cooking because we have a multifuel stove which has kept us toasty all through the recent icy weather! We are hoping to install solar panels when we can to cut down on bills. The only other bill we have is the pitch fee which is only 26 quid a week atm.

I would recommend park homes to anyone...they are great and the sites are usually friendly and very "fifties"!


Good luck....I hope you do it!!


 
Rob R



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York
PostPosted: Sun Jan 10, 10 11:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

The stove is fantastic- it provides all our heating and cooking, but of course you need to have outdoor storage for the wood, but it does keep you warm chopping it I guess if you've got some wood then sourcing fuel won't be an alien concept to you but the logistics of it need thinking about, particularly if you're on your own. Windy Smithy's ovens are definitely recommended- so much more versatile than a normal hotplate one.

Living in a caravan has its advantages- in summer you can use the outdoor space much better and in winter it is much easier to heat than a conventional home. You need to be a wash up as you go along person, as you don't have the room to store dirty pots (or have a big sink). By taking out the old gas fire and cooker we have combined the heating and cooking into the main living space which leaves extra room in the kitchen.

Having a platform outside the door and 'proper' steps certainly makes it easier getting in & out and prevents that horrible hip jarring step down. We ran out of light nights and dry days for me to put the roof on it, but come Spring that's wat I'm going to do so that boots can be taken off and left out there.

Having freezer space elsewhere is also useful, but it depends what kind of things you eat- meat and dairy can be bought/obtained seasonally and stored, and summer/autumn produce can also be made to last longer without having the bulk of it in the caravan.

It was nice last summer but the winter hasn't been nearly as bad as I was expecting, although the heating was something I experienced when I went to pick my call ducks up a few years ago- it was a really horrible wet & windy night as I knocked on his caravan door, but as soon as I opened it the wave of heat hit me and I realised that caravan living could be better than a house! And then at the next farm south from here their elderly parents live in a caravan in the yard quite happily so I guessed if someone in their seventies can do it it can't be that bad!

 
Bulgarianlily



Joined: 01 Jun 2008
Posts: 1667
Location: South West Mountains of Bulgaria
PostPosted: Sun Jan 10, 10 12:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

This might be too much information....

When travelling in our caravan with a portipotti, we used the German idea of a double plastic bag (one inside another) popped into the portipotti pan, with the top edges trapped under the seat. Use once for 'solids', knot and dispose of in a community rubbish bin. Actually this might be useful information if people's toilets freeze up with this bad weather!

Once on a permanent site we moved over to a wooden throne with a bucket and sawdust as a covering material, then put into a compost bin.

 
Bulgarianlily



Joined: 01 Jun 2008
Posts: 1667
Location: South West Mountains of Bulgaria
PostPosted: Sun Jan 10, 10 12:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

if you don't mind a left hand drive, Hymers are cheaper on the continent, there is a big motor auction in Utrecht on a Tuesday.

If you go the caravan route, we were advised to not buy an old English make but go for a continental one as they tend to insulate the pipework underneath and have better insulation.

Last edited by Bulgarianlily on Sun Jan 10, 10 12:21 pm; edited 1 time in total

 
Brownbear



Joined: 28 May 2007
Posts: 14929
Location: South West
PostPosted: Sun Jan 10, 10 12:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Bathing in a tin bucket? Taking a dump in a bag? Peeing into a bottle? Forget it.

Put in a proper shower, small header tank, electric shower, start up a generator for ten minutes to power it.

Smallish septic tank, have a proper poo. Or use a composting job, turn your chods into something to grow your veg with.

Get your lighting in 12 or 24 volts off a panel or small turbine.

 
Rob R



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York
PostPosted: Sun Jan 10, 10 12:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Brownbear wrote:
Smallish septic tank, have a proper poo. Or use a composting job, turn your chods into something to grow your veg with.


I wouldn't be without my septic tank- composting toilets are alright for personal waste but if you start doing any of your own food processing then you start using more waste water. If you're concerned about using valuable tap water for the flusher- start saving rainwater. We use rainwater from one of the buildings for stock drinking although eventually every building will collect rainwater for reuse.

 
T.G



Joined: 13 Sep 2009
Posts: 7280
Location: Somewhere you're not
PostPosted: Sun Jan 10, 10 12:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Hi cobnut - like the name brings images of a large bump on the head.

We lived in a mid size static for just over a year, it was sited on our own land and we had access to water and electric - eventually. It was also connected to the septic.

But things like washing clothes and drying were issues and the pipe work freezing even when insulated (obviously not well enough) were steep learning curves.

As children (well to my mid teens) we'd summer in Norfolk for 7-8 weeks, often we'd visit family friends and some of their summer houses didnt have 'proper' bathrooms, so a tin bath and washing your hair under a stand pipe was part and parcel.

I know in Buxton there is a public tap, locals, and visitors alike use it to fill up spa water for free, you often see people with large water barrels or bottles filling up.

A lot of farms around here have perm places for caravans. There are several small static perm sites some have log cabins sited there perm too which allow dogs.

 
Mrs R



Joined: 15 Aug 2008
Posts: 7202

PostPosted: Sun Jan 10, 10 1:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

poo in a plastic bag? no thanks

I'm all for composting loos - they don't freeze up either. The septic tank and reedbed is good for everything else.

I'm surprised drying is an issue for people! Rob's mum is still drying things outdoors in this weather (as long as it's not snowing) and I can have jeans dry in a couple of hours over the stove, things like knickers and tshirts take no time!

 
T.G



Joined: 13 Sep 2009
Posts: 7280
Location: Somewhere you're not
PostPosted: Sun Jan 10, 10 1:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Nat S wrote:


I'm surprised drying is an issue for people! Rob's mum is still drying things outdoors in this weather (as long as it's not snowing) and I can have jeans dry in a couple of hours over the stove, things like knickers and tshirts take no time!


its not the drying its the quantity having three males all working outdoors and employed in jobs that are not very clean (ones a builder, ones a stone mason and quarry worker the others a plumbers apprentice and works for the national trust land management) the amount of trousers, jumpers and the like being washed means drying becomes an issue.

 
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