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Caravanning is a past time that many thousands of people enjoy every year. However, to the potential newcomer, the thought of purchasing and towing a caravan may seem rather daunting.

This is where I can help. Because of my own personal involvement with caravanning since 1975 (when my parents bought their first caravan), I am in a position to offer first hand advice and tuition on all aspects of caravanning. I currently work with The Camping and Caravanning Club to deliver their caravan and motorhome courses and “towing taster sessions” at the national caravan shows in Birmingham and Manchester.

My own Swift Challenger 400SE has recently gone in to retirement from touring duties and is now available as my training caravan for anyone who may be thinking of buying a caravan but is worried about the towing aspect of this hobby, or would prefer a training course before collecting their own caravan.

My caravan courses are for customers who do not need to pass an additional test to tow their chosen caravan, but who may have little or no experience of towing. Alternatively, it may be that you have moved to a larger caravan, or have not towed for some time and are just in need of a refresher session. Perhaps the thought of having to reverse your caravan worries you.

Many people who book caravan training sessions do so because their partner has always done the towing, and they want to know how to tow in case of emergencies, or to share the towing duties on longer journeys.

The courses can be customised to suit your requirements, and are on a 1:1 basis or 2 people can be trained at the same time. If you have your own caravan then usually the course will use your caravan and towing vehicle. I can travel to where you store your caravan and arrange the course from there. Quite often I meet customers on the day they are collecting their caravan and the course starts after the dealer has conducted their handover. However, if you do not have your own caravan, or live too far away from my base in East Kent, then I can provide a training caravan. For further information on my caravan courses, please click on the link below.

The full beginners course will cover driving licence requirements; weights explained; car and caravan matching; caravan security; caravan stabilisers; loading your caravan; securing prior to towing; pre-towing checks; hitching and un-hitching; fitting and setting up towing mirrors; levelling and setting your caravan up on site; on-road driving with towing tips; reversing with a caravan; winter preparation for your caravan; preparing your caravan for use after winter storage.

If you wish to cover all the items above, allow 5 hours (traffic dependant). A 5-hour course costs £170.

If you are in the process of buying your caravan and would like any advice on tow bars, towing mirrors and other accessories, please contact me, I don’t charge for advice.

The confidence builder course will help customers who may have caravanning experience, but have moved to a larger caravan, or their partner has always undertaken the towing duties. These courses are designed to fulfil your requirements and can be as long as you need them to be. Just tell me what you want to cover and I will put together a training session to meet your needs.

The caravan reversing course is a 2-hour course aimed at giving you the techniques and skills to be able to reverse your caravan with confidence. The training will take place using your car and caravan or your car and my training caravan, at a location to be agreed.

During the session we will cover the following areas; how does the caravan braking system know you are going to reverse, how to reverse in a straight line, how to reverse to the right (near side), how to reverse to the left (blind side), how to reverse on to a pitch, when to take a shunt, how do you know if you are at the point of a jack-knife, how do you go from jack-knife to straight in the length of your car, what should your final move be when reversing. This course gives you the tools to do the job! (It’s much easier than you think!)

If you would like a course tailored to your requirements, tell me what you want to get out of the training sessions and I can tailor it to what you want. If you have a car with a towbar and would like to see if towing is for you, then we can arrange a 1 hour “Towing Taster Session” using my training caravan. If you are not sure what you want, give me a call, even if you just want some advice, no obligation

Contact info

Contact us today to see how the Avery School of Motoring can assist you with your driver training needs.