# Hi Ya All



## kate13 (Jan 19, 2008)

Hello to all.


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## sundown (Jan 19, 2008)

hi, julie and paul and welcome to the site
my wife isn't too keen on wildcamping either
but when we pull up beside a beautiful loch where others are wilding 
she's all for it
enjoy the site


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## Julie798 (Jan 19, 2008)

*wild camping*

Hi Julie

Hope you enjoy the forum, all the best of luck with your new adventures, we are also  new to it LOL, we had a run out last week, nice day, nice people we met off this forum
regards Julie


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## Guest (Jan 19, 2008)

*Welcome*

Welcome Kate13 to Wildcamping, I hope you enjoy.
It is surprising how many of us are HGV or ex and quite a few of us are or were boaters.
Welcome


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## ladytramp (Jan 19, 2008)

*Welcome*

Welcome kate I hope you enjoy this site.  Some good people on here and I'm sure you'll learn lots about wilding.


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## Deleted member 775 (Jan 19, 2008)

hi there, welcome you will soon get used to wilding it is great. enjoy the site we are all here to help


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## avandriver (Jan 19, 2008)

Welcome from me too 

Another ex long distance driver (although not hgv) 
And an ex boater 


Steve


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## Hazy-thoughts (Jan 20, 2008)

Hello and welcome to you both


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## cipro (Jan 20, 2008)

kate13 said:


> Hello to all.
> My name is Julie, and husband Paul. We are new to all this, just got our first mh. Hymer B544. In the past had Static Caravans, and a few Boats. Husband is ex HGV1, so he was used to staying anywere, away all week. But now we hope to enjoy this lifestyle, meet more people, Paul wants to go wild Camping. I do not think I am up for that yet.
> Like to wish all, a very happy new year
> Kind Regards Julie




Welcome guys nice looking van, got a bigger picture 

We wild camp sometimes however if you feel uneasy where you want to stay then just move on, ( gut feeling syndrome ) .

all the bast in your travels.


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## kate13 (Jan 21, 2008)

*our photo*



cipro said:


> Welcome guys nice looking van, got a bigger picture
> 
> We wild camp sometimes however if you feel uneasy where you want to stay then just move on, ( gut feeling syndrome ) .
> 
> all the bast in your travels.



Hi Cipro
Yes do have bigger photo?
thanks for all the replys


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## kate13 (Jan 21, 2008)

*Lhd*



mandrake said:


> hi there, welcome you will soon get used to wilding it is great. enjoy the site we are all here to help



Hi Mandrake
Thank you for reply. just wondering, is it quite easy to get used to left hand drive, for the UK that is. My husband said I will soon get the hang of it? Mind you he was driving Tank Transporters in Germany over 30  years ago, and yet he had not driven lhd since 1975, he picked it back up, well almost?
Regards Julie


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## walkers (Jan 21, 2008)

kate13 said:


> Hi Mandrake
> Thank you for reply. just wondering, is it quite easy to get used to left hand drive, for the UK that is. My husband said I will soon get the hang of it? Mind you he was driving Tank Transporters in Germany over 30  years ago, and yet he had not driven lhd since 1975, he picked it back up, well almost?
> Regards Julie


hi kate13 and welcome to the site, lhd is no problem as long as you don't want to overtake on a single carraigeway.
the blindspot you would have on a rhd will be on the opposite side, the gearbox you will soon get used to as u will knock your hand on the dooor if you forget which side.
best advice i can give is give it a go somewhere not too busy, it's really not that bad.
motorways are ok
there is one advantage.... 
you can see how close you are to the trees at the side of the road so hopefully less scratches down that side
good luck and enjoy


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## Geoff.W (Jan 22, 2008)

kate13 said:


> Hi Mandrake
> Thank you for reply. just wondering, is it quite easy to get used to left hand drive, for the UK that is. My husband said I will soon get the hang of it? Mind you he was driving Tank Transporters in Germany over 30  years ago, and yet he had not driven lhd since 1975, he picked it back up, well almost?
> Regards Julie



Hi Julie and welcome.

Learning to drive a left hooker can be a little daunting, I find the main problem is road positioning, and getting used to "sitting" so close to the kerb when driving, the tendency is to drive too far out into the road.

A usefull tip which can help is to stick a small piece of tape to the windscreen in such a place so that when you are sat in your normal driving position, and the vehicle is positioned correctly the tape lines up with the central white line. I hope you can understand that, it's easier to do, than to explain.


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## kate13 (Jan 22, 2008)

Geoff.W said:


> Hi Julie and welcome.
> 
> Learning to drive a left hooker can be a little daunting, I find the main problem is road positioning, and getting used to "sitting" so close to the kerb when driving, the tendency is to drive too far out into the road.
> 
> A usefull tip which can help is to stick a small piece of tape to the windscreen in such a place so that when you are sat in your normal driving position, and the vehicle is positioned correctly the tape lines up with the central white line. I hope you can understand that, it's easier to do, than to explain.


Hi Geoff
So I sit in the driving seat, and put a tape mark on the windscreen, to line up with central white line? um maybe a diagram would explain better. Thank you Geoff.
Regards Julie


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## Guest (Jan 22, 2008)

Geoff.W said:


> Hi Julie and welcome.
> 
> Learning to drive a left hooker can be a little daunting, I find the main problem is road positioning, and getting used to "sitting" so close to the kerb when driving, the tendency is to drive too far out into the road.
> 
> A usefull tip which can help is to stick a small piece of tape to the windscreen in such a place so that when you are sat in your normal driving position, and the vehicle is positioned correctly the tape lines up with the central white line. I hope you can understand that, it's easier to do, than to explain.



Geoff, you are spot on with the tape tip.
I was told about it when I first started to drive left hooker artics and I did it and it was very effective.
I got down to Bordeaux one night at rush hour and the ring road had road works and the lanes were narrowed
It was also raining and pitch black
I was having trouble judging the width and as you know with a large truck, you are very often driving to a couple of inches.
Well, I lined the tax disk up with the white line and when ever I was very tight, I would check it out. After a couple of weeks, you won't need it any more, but certainly very good advise from Geoff


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## lenny (Jan 22, 2008)

Driving a left hook crane,I find the main problem is entering a roundabout on a left hand bend approach. You just need to sit back a little bit from the white stop lines while waiting and looking to your right.
Sometimes have the same problem trying to exit set back layby's.

I believe the truck drivers use extra convex mirrors.


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## Guest (Jan 22, 2008)

*Volume of traffic*




lenny said:


> Driving a left hook crane,I find the main problem is entering a roundabout on a left hand bend approach. You just need to sit back a little bit from the white stop lines while waiting and looking to your right.
> Sometimes have the same problem trying to exit set back layby's.
> 
> I believe the truck drivers use extra convex mirrors.



WE used to have the same problem when driving a right hooker in Europe, but you just get used to it
I must say, that I think it is harder to drive a left hooker here than driving a right hooker in Europe
Maybe something to do with volume of traffic


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## Geoff.W (Jan 22, 2008)

kate13 said:


> Hi Geoff
> So I sit in the driving seat, and put a tape mark on the windscreen, to line up with central white line? um maybe a diagram would explain better. Thank you Geoff.
> Regards Julie



Try this




Not a very good drawing I know but might give you the general idea.


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## Guest (Jan 22, 2008)

Geoff.W said:


> Try this
> 
> View attachment 297
> 
> Not a very good drawing I know but might give you the general idea.



Don't take up art geoff
But the idea is there


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## cipro (Jan 22, 2008)

Ralph harris reborn sorry could'nt help it


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## tresrikay (Jan 22, 2008)

Geoff.W said:


> Try this
> 
> View attachment 297
> 
> Not a very good drawing I know but might give you the general idea.



Geoff IM sure you had more hair than that at Cromford, must have been the company....... May I add my welcome to Kate 13. The last left hooker I had was a beetle, so no probs driving that over here, but I never seem to have any probs driving R/H/D in Europe.       regards, Rick.


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## hillwalker (Jan 23, 2008)

how yi doin, welcome to the site.. enjoy


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