I’m doing this blog in case any budding motorhomers are reading it.
There is always a discussion when we arrive at a site on where to park and which direction to face. Here are some of the things we consider.

• In winter you want the windscreen facing the morning sun – the sooner you get heat into the van the better and the windscreen acts like a greenhouse. You want to avoid any shade to get the sun on the van.
• If the temperature is hot you want to park under shade. Failing this the windscreen away from the sun is best but not as important as you cover it, but the fridge grills need to be out of the sun. Of course you can put up the awning to cover the fridge grill if you have one and you are on a site where it is permissible.
• If it’s forecast gales then ideally you want the windscreen to face into the wind.
• If the van is on a slope that can’t be dealt with by leveling ramps then you want the foot of your bed to be down the hill.
• You also want to park as far over on the spot as possible to give you room to get out of the habitation door and, assuming it’s permissible, put out your chairs, table and awning, but not so far over that you can’t access the drivers door or the garage door.
• The final thing to consider is the view.

Of course what really happens is you have a choice of drive into the spot or reverse in.

The other things about parking is helping each other. Whoever is not driving gets out and directs the person driving. My dad always used to say that in parking you have to watch all four corners, in a motorhome you have to watch all eight. The last thing you want is a branch through the bedroom wall. When we first got the motorhome we agreed some hand signals that we use when directing, this is not the swirly hand movement which I find confusing and many many years ago resulted in a bent car. We also always discuss the approach there’s nothing more confusing than the driving thinking they are pulling forward to get more room and the director telling them to reverse. Our method works well for us, or at least it has up to now.

What I find very annoying (just talk to John about how many times I have stormed off), is when some totally arrogant man comes and takes over from me as I direct John. No-one has ever taken over from John when he is directing me. The trouble with me storming off is that John doesn’t trust a random bloke and then ends up doing it without assistance. In the early days he did follow a blokes directions and ended up in a real pickle. The trouble was I had stormed away to the campsite cafe and was having a sherry (Spanish site and the sherry was free). I did start to get concerned when I had drunk my sherry.The man had directed him to go around a building. He ended up reversing back out all the way past many tight right handled corners. So much for men! The most amusing time was when I stormed away leaving 4 men all trying to direct John and the German of the four understood my swearing about F***ing arrogant men taking over from stupid incapable women.