caravan stuff

hi I have several questions re car towing caravan and campsites in france, so please be patient! Currently have a passat 1.9tdi automatic 130bhp , found it labouring towing a bailey pageant provence and we are looking at possibility of changing for a honda cr-v 2.2i ctdi. Anybody any experience of towing a caravan of similar weight i.e. 1205kgs with the honda crv? Also hoping to go to france for few weeks july/aug and touring - just 2 of us initially then hoping to meet up with our 3 late teens daughters for a week or so and maybe renting a mob home for them. Any suggestions for sites suitable for both pitches & mob homes would be greatly appreciated!

Hi
I towed a Bailey Pageant with a Ford Mondeo, 2.0 tdci, no problem. Maybe you're overloading the caravan. Ideally, the weight of the caravan should not exceed 85% of the car. For France, get the Alan Rogers Guide to campsites or the Keycamp brochure. Good sites, most have nice touring pitches and you can book a mobile direct with the campsite.

The www.Caravanclub.co.uk have some very useful info on towing, choosing the right vehicle etc. Try [broken link removed] for starters.
Reguarding campsites, I always recommend www.les-castles.com which are excellent sites through France. Book early as August tends to get very busy.

thanks for that, we've gone ahead anyway and replaced the passat with the honda cr-v, shouldn't be any problems with towing now!! I have loads of info on campsites but was looking for any personal recommendations either quiet for ourselves or near good facilities for our late teens daughters.

Best to get hold of the Eurocamp, Canvas and Keycamp brochures. Choose a site and e mail them to hire a mobile.

just back from towing a caravan through England to France (St. Jean de Monts) and back again. Did it with a passat 1.9tdi 100 bhp manual. Single axel caravan.

No problems, had to change down to 4th a bit or even 3rd on steep hills but that wouldnt concern me. Less sway on the way back as think packed it better. Some tips (I think):

- make the car as heavy as can, so dont break the 85% rule.
- in the caravan, a bit more weight on the front. Passat noseweight is supposed to be 75kg. In theory if you put the jackey wheel on a domestic scales I suppose it should tell you this.
- any very heavy weight in caravan should go directly over the axel.
- steady speed on way out of about 55mph, on way home 65mph. The 10 makes a big difference as overtaking trucks as opposed to being overtaken (being overtaken is no fun). Though you do get a bit more used to the "suck in - push out" which is exagerrated when towing a caravan.
- check the wheel nuts regualarly on the caravan, seems its not unheard of to lose a wheel.
- remove the jockey wheel when driving, they can get buckled by speed ramps etc no matter how well tied up.

As regards site, we booked direct through the sites website, get the Keycamp brochures etc and maybe go for one of them. We went a bit early, v v quiet. Dont miss Puy Du Fou if in the general Nantes/Loire area - pure class.