Main Page
This is the 'Holidaying in a Clissmann Horse Caravan' FAQ page.
FAQ = Frequently Asked Questions:
What is the concept?
Do we need horse experience?
What is actually inside a caravan?
When are caravans available for rent?
When and how are we to get to the caravan base at Cronybyrne?
What clothing should we bring with us?
What can we store at the caravan base?
How can we obtain food?
What actually happens after you arrive?
Where do we stop at night?
Where can we go?
How can we book?
Can we book for a short stay of just a few days?
What kind of people enjoy a horse caravan holiday?
What does it cost?
What about telephones, electricity, currency, etc.?
What about insurance?
The Answers:
What is the concept? We rent out
a four-berth horse-drawn caravan with cooking and sleeping facilities for a
week or more on a self-drive basis. Our visitors come to us and take a horse
and caravan out for 1, 2, 3 weeks or more, explore and enjoy the Wicklow countryside
and then bring them back to us. The price we charge includes the rental of
horse and caravan, the provision of bottled gas for the gas-lamps and cooker,
bedclothes and fodder for the horse. Not included in the price is the cost
of food - this is a self-catering holiday. Also not included is the payment
due to farmers for letting the horse graze on their fields when the horse and
caravan are off the road and for the use of their other facilities such as
sanitation and rubbish disposal.
Riding horses can also be hired but only in combination with taking a caravan.
While the caravan is travelling on the open road, a riding horse cannot be
tied to the caravan for road safety reasons. It must be ridden or lead separately.
There are ample opportunities to enjoy the beauties of County Wicklow on horseback
when the caravan is parked.
Back to top of page.
Do we need horse experience?
No - over 70% of our new visitors have no horse experience at all. Obviously,
people booking this kind of holiday are prepared to get their hands dirty and
bring with them a commitment to learn about and work with a horse and also
bring a healthy amount of practical common sense. Before you start on the comprehensive
'horse instruction', we will have talked with you and will match you with a
horse suitable for your chosen route and for your horse experience or lack
of it. Our training is such that we have confidence that our visitors will
be capable of working their horse and enjoying their holiday and we try to
impart this same confidence to our visitors as well before they leave our base.
Back to top of page.
What is actually inside a caravan?
Our caravans have daytime seating for four to six and night-time sleeping accommodation
for four in two double-bunks or in one double-bunk and two single-bunks (one
over the other). There is a small kitchen area with a twin-burner butane gas
cooker with grill. Cooking pots, a frying-pan, a kettle and a teapot are stored
under the sink with the water container. Crockery and cutlery for five is stored
in the top of four pullout drawers. There is hanging space for full-length
clothes as well as four shelves for storage. Bedding is kept in the boxes under
the seat-cushions at the fold-down rear table. We provide duvets or sleeping-bags,
pillows as well as the appropriate bed-linen but not towels. There are no toilets
in the caravan - our visitors avail of facilities at the overnight stops and
at pubs, etc. en route. Two gaslights provide gentle lighting at night and
on cool evenings a short low burn of one of the cooker flames will warm the
caravan in minutes. This is an approximate interior plan of one of our caravans:
All our caravans have the same design and are equipped with similar contents.
We make special provision for families with three children under 15 by offering
extra bedding and an extra bunk to allow two adults and the three children
to occupy a caravan at no extra charge. On the outside, the caravan has seating
for two drivers in front and provision for storing horse-fodder, the gas-bottle(s)
and horse-harness at the back. The gas-bottles must always be switched shut
whenever the caravan is in motion and before the occupants go to bed at night.
The caravan is pulled by one horse harnessed to a pair of shafts connected
to the caravan via a rotatable platform. The wheels are pneumatic, being adapted
car parts.
It should be noted that the design of horse caravans varies quite substantially
depending on the operator. Some caravans, for example, have candles for lighting
where ours have gaslights. Some pictures in the "Horse Caravan Booklet"
are not of our caravans, whereas those in the "Photo Album" are.
Back to top of page.
When are caravans available for rent?
Our season is from late spring to mid-autumn (mid-fall in US English).
It takes the best part of a day to teach and train our visitors on the essentials
of caring and driving the horse, to brief them on the many attractions of this
area and to help them make an optimum choice of route. We do this work only
on certain days of the week. We normally make caravans available to our visitors
at 4 PM (16:00) on the day of arrival and ask that the caravan be vacated at
10 am (10:00) on the day of departure. These times can be varied by prior arrangement.
For precise details both on the rental season and on the starting days, please
look at a current price list - refer to What does it cost?
on this page.
Back to top of page.
How and when are we to get to the caravan
base at Cronybyrne? Our visitors usually arrive at our base around 16:00
or 4 PM. We are flexible in this and try to adapt to our visitors' needs. Some
people arrive much earlier, some much later - we would like to know in advance
if this is going to happen. We have a transfer arrangement with local taxi
companies which transport our visitors to and from Dublin, Dublin Airport,
Dublin Ferry-port and Dun Laoghaire Ferry-port in the early morning of our
starting days for departing guests and in the early afternoons for arrivals.
Visitors booked on a transfer from Dublin Airport should note that they should
find their driver at the 'Meeting Point' beside the information desk in the
airport arrivals hall. Please also refer to the answer on this page on obtaining
food. Anyone wishing to avail of this transfer arrangement should give
us good notice - the cost of transfers can be found in our price lists - refer
to What does it cost? on this page.
Some visitors have their own transport. They should also read the answer on
obtaining food. Here is how to get to Cronybyrne using
your own transport: N.B. Please ignore the remainder of this paragraph - we are moving to a new location - correction follows soon.
Coming from Dublin or north of County Wicklow: Starting from the M50 motorway southbound or from Dublin, make for the M11 merging into the N11 dual-carriageway going south towards Rosslare / Wexford. Continue on the N11 for some 20 miles ( 32 Km) until the dual-carriageway degenerates into a single carriageway. Within a minute or two you should pass 'The Beehive' pub on the left; after a further 2 miles or so (3 Km) turn right at the next pub called 'The Tap'. We are about a mile and a quarter (2 Km) up this road on the right-hand side immediately after the sign-posted entrance to a quarry (Ballinclare quarry, S M Morris). Our double-gates incorporate a wheel pattern. If you arrive at a T-junction - you have passed our gates and gone some 300 metres (330 yards) too far.
Coming from Rosslare or south of County Wicklow: Take the National Road N11 going north towards Dublin; note passing Arklow on a bye-pass; some 10 miles (16 Km) north of Arklow note the start of a 50 miles per hour speed restriction. Take the next turn left, immediately before 'The Tap' pub- this turn comes quite fast. We are about a mile and a quarter (2 Km) up this road on the right-hand side immediately after the sign-posted entrance to a quarry (Ballinclare quarry, S M Morris). Our double-gates incorporate a wheel pattern. If you arrive at a T-junction - you have come 300 metres (330 yards) too far.
Some visitors prefer to use public transport to get to us.
Here is how: There are three services available to this area - train (thrice
daily), express bus (about 10 a day) and local bus (about 6 a day). To get
details, use these web links - note that you will be leaving our web site-
for train: Irish Rail and for all
bus: Bus Eireann.
We sometimes offer a free pickup from or drop to The Beehive cross roads for
visitors arriving or departing by express bus at reasonable hours and by prior
arrangement. Those arriving in Wicklow Town should note that this is 7 miles
(10 Km) from us and a taxi is needed to get to us from Wicklow. There are a
number of taxi companies in Wicklow town. The telephone
number of one such is (0404) 66100.
Back to top of page.
What clothing should we bring with
us? Jeans and pullovers are the most suitable clothes. Rubber boots are
very strongly recommended, also an anorak for windy days. Beachwear for the
long sandy beaches and walking boots for cross-country hill-walking in the
many mountains are suggested for those interested in passive or active holiday
experiences.
Back to top of page.
What can we store at the caravan base?
We have an unsecured room to store luggage of low value and an area beside
our private house to park cars but only on the strict understanding that luggage
and cars are left here at the visitors' risk.
Back to top of page.
How can we obtain food? Our base
at Cronybyrne is in the middle of the Wicklow countryside. There is no food
available in our vicinity so it is necessary to bring sufficient to last for
two days. Those using the transfer arrangement will have an opportunity to
shop for food, etc. in that the driver will stop at a suitable supermarket
to facilitate shopping. Once you are on the road with your caravan, you will
have many opportunities to shop. There are some areas towards the mountains
that don't have shops - this will be covered in the briefing you get on choosing
a route. Good, clean and fresh water is available everywhere for free.
Back to top of page.
What actually happens after we arrive?
We bring you to your caravan, show you how it works and provide you with
bedclothes. Depending on your arrival time and other factors, we brief you
on the attractions and features of this area and facilitate you in choosing
you own route, giving you a marked map and written details of the locations
you intend to visit with your horse and caravan. We also complete all outstanding
paperwork. You spend this first night of your holiday with us in your caravan,
parked in our field.
On the morning after your arrival, we do the 'horse instruction'. This consists
of your learning and practising how to catch, look after, harness, yoke and
drive a horse. Using plenty of time, you will get to know and work with the
horse allocated to you. Eventually you will be ready to go on the road; perhaps
after midday and in plenty of time to get to you first overnight stop. Please
note that you must have the caravan off the road and the horse watered and
grazing a half an hour before twilight. How you allocate your time and arrange
your days is entirely up to you. The overnight stop people have no restrictions
on when you arrive or go or on how long you may be away from your caravan.
We ask you to be back at our base at Cronybyrne on the evening before your
departure as we expect you to tell us how your holiday went and to vacate your
caravan on the following morning by 10:00. Again we are flexible in this timing
- but let us know beforehand about any variation.
Back to top of page.
Where do we stop at night? We know
of some twenty locations in our area where the farmer, the bed-and-breakfast
proprietor, the pub, the guest-house owner and others have told us that they
would welcome the visitors and caravans from us at their premises to park the
caravans and graze the horses at night. These are the 'overnight stops'. They
normally provide toilet, washing and showering facilities as well as rubbish
disposal. They will charge for these facilities - you can get an estimate of
this charge from our price lists - refer to What does it cost?
on this page. Some places offer to serve breakfast for a fee, some have country
produce for sale. We have printed information material on some of these overnight
stops and on the area nearby which we offer to our visitors.
Some visitors wish to explore parts of the area where we know of no overnight
stops. Farmers and other landowners are not unfriendly to our caravanners.
On being approached and asked for the possibility of overnighting the caravan
and grazing the horse in a field, they often accede if they are convinced of
the visitors' bona fide and if offered a suitable payment in advance. Should
our visitors intend to use a road not marked suitable on their map, they must
avoid steep hills. A hill is too steep if an average cyclist in normal gear
is forced to dismount and walk uphill pushing his bicycle. A vital reminder
- close the main valve on the butane gas bottle before going to sleep at night
and also before moving the caravan onto the open road.
Back to top of page.
Where can we go? Our visitors can drive
their caravans anywhere they like within certain limitations. These limitations
arise from the nature of travelling on one horsepower. Roads with steep hills
and congested traffic must be avoided as well as metropolitan areas (Of course,
the horse pulls uphill without passengers). The distance one can expect an
average horse to travel pulling a three-quarter tonne weight of caravan averages
daily at about 12 miles or 20 Km. A typical travelling time for this distance
is about four hours, taking into account rest-stops and harness checks. We
find that our visitors actually average some 8 miles (12 Km) daily but then
they sometimes spend two days at some favourite location.
Back to top of page.
How can we book? Most visitors
come to us via Travel Agents and Tour Organisers. These companies feature us
in their brochures and invite the public to book a holiday with us through
them. Because they 'package' the holiday with local, access and foreign transport,
with transfers and accommodation combined with an expertise in their trade,
they are an excellent choice when intending to book a holiday. We will soon
have a list of such Tour Organisers with links on this site. If, however, you
prefer to book directly with us then read on.
Once you know the date for which you want to book, e-mail,
phone or write to us and we will hold a caravan booking provisionally for ten
days in your name. If we receive a Euro bank draft or fee-free transfer for
50% of the cost of the booking by post within that time, we will confirm the
booking to you as definite. We expect you to pay the remaining 50% on your
arrival in Euro cash or travellers cheques. We do not as yet accept credit
or charge cards.
Back to top of page.
Can we book for a short stay of
just a few days? Generally no. Our visitors spend nearly a day being briefed
on their route, on learning and practising how to work with the horse and in
gaining driving experience. We have found that this is reasonable and acceptable
for visitors booking for a week or more. If we had visitors coming for three
or four days only, they would find the time of preparation disproportionate
to the length of their stay. We would expect them to be impatient to start
their journey and unable to be relaxed in concentrating on the work of preparation.
This is not likely to lead to a happy holiday - so we have decided that the
minimum booking period is for seven days. We may make exceptions for repeat
or experienced visitors.
Back to top of page.
What kind of people enjoy a
horse caravan holiday? About 80% of our visitors have never handled a horse
before coming to us. Our 'horse instruction' is obviously designed to handle
this situation and since we have been doing this successfully since 1969, it
works! Our horse caravan holiday has two main features - 1. Building a good
working relationship with a horse and 2. Exploring and enjoying the Wicklow
countryside in carefree and non-hectic fashion. Anyone wishing to combine these
two features is a prime candidate for our type of holiday. We offer a full
service in French and German as well as in English on our base and on the telephone.
We find that our visitors consist of an unusually broad cross-section of people.
We have visitors with and without children, visitors from all continents, visitors
of all ages - in this context, please note that there must be at least one
person aged 17 or over in charge of the pulling horse with each caravan. We
get single families, groups of 3 or 4 families, school classes with their teachers,
trades unions with their juvenile 'outreach' groups and their group leaders.
It is very hard to categorise our visitors except to say that we get many more
during the school holidays than at other times. We find that older children
often involve themselves more intensely with the horses and acquire a higher
level of skill than do some of the adults. This might explain the recent increase
in bookings from 'separated' fathers accompanying their children on holiday.
Maybe here the children made the choice of holiday?
Back to top of page.
What does it cost? Our prices vary
between high season and low season and on whether you book for one week only
or for longer, wishing to extend to extra weeks. For price details in Euros, click here
Back to top of page.
What about telephones, electricity,
currency, etc.? Ireland has adopted the standard GSM cellular mobile phone
system and good coverage is given with the exception of some narrow valleys
in the more mountainous parts of County Wicklow. Public telephones are to found
in nearly all villages, guest houses, hotels and pubs. The standard for electricity
supply in Ireland is 230 Volt 50 Hz. AC as it is elsewhere in Europe - but
not on the caravans; they only have butane gas. The Euro (€) is legal
tender here; 1€ = 100 Cent. Banks are located in Wicklow, Arklow and Rathdrum
and are open Monday to Friday for slightly shorter hours than other businesses.
Pharmacies are also located in these towns as well as in Ashford.
Back to top of page.
What about insurance? The caravans
and horses are insured against damage to them but only starting from a specific
amount, the 'excess'. As a consequence we will require a deposit as a surety
for each caravan taken out. This deposit may be forfeit for damage to our property,
for damage to other persons' property, for the caravan not being returned to
base at the agreed time or for leaving the caravan in a disorderly or dirty
state where extraordinary work is needed to clean it up. We may offer you an
alternative: You make us a non-refundable weekly waiver payment, you leave no
deposit and we accept the risk of damage to the caravan. Please refer to our
price lists for the amount of the deposit and for the amount of the non-refundable
weekly waiver payment.
Please take out a third party holiday insurance and an accident insurance before
you leave your own country as we cannot arrange this here. Sometimes our visitors'
own household insurance cover can be extended by them to cover their holiday
risks - visitors must check this themselves as they are responsible for ensuring
that they are properly covered. Our insurance does not cover our visitors against
claims against them for any damage they may cause to other persons or their
property.
Back to top of page.
Last updated:
15.10.2009
Main Page