Hints For New Ralliers

Never been to a rally before? Don’t know what to expect? Well, this page will give you a good idea of the format of a typical ABI and Friends Caravan Club rally. The intention is to provide you with everything you need to know when joining your first rally... So, lets go!

What you MUST take with you:

Most rallies take place in locations where there are no shower blocks or toilet facilities provided - you must therefore take your own! A chemical loo such as the Porta-Potti or Elsan, or a cassette toilet, is essential.

Electric hook-up is a luxury that is not usually available on a rally - be sure that your caravan battery is charged sufficient to keep you powered for the duration of your stay.

Similarly, water hook ups are very rare - you’ll need water containers.

Bottled gas will be needed for cooking, heating and for the fridge - it’s usually readily available locally if you should run out. Remember though that rallying in the depths of winter will require you use propane (red bottles) rather than butane (blue bottles) as this stops working around freezing point.

What you will be pleased to have taken with you:

Summer rallies usually involve barbequing somewhere along the way - whilst not essential, its a good idea to pack the barbie if you have one; You can then burn your food in the company of others...

What happens on a (typical) rally:

For the sake of this introduction, lets assume that you are attending a weekend rally, as this is the most common type. You will have decided on the rally location from the rally book and mailed a completed rally slip to the Rally Marshall. So, what’s a Rally Marshall? Simply the person responsible for organizing the rally. They are all fellow caravanners who voluntarily plan, book and organize the venue, and will organize the social events over the weekend.

You will have read the rally details in the rally book so you will have directions to the venue. Accordingly, you can set off with caravan in tow on the Friday, making sure you’ve got the essentials with you.

As you near the destination, you will come across signs placed to ease your arrival at the rally site. These are in a variety of formats, but they all feature the letters ABI in large text with an arrow indicating the required direction of travel.

On arrival at the rally site (a daunting moment, as I remember it) you will see a flag atop a 12 foot pole standing outside a caravan that is close to your entry point. That will be the Rally Marshals caravan. Make your way to this caravan. Usually the Marshall will be keeping an eye out for arrivals, and will be there to welcome you. This will be the first of many warm welcomes you will receive - we really are a friendly bunch!

You will receive details of the weekends events, a competition for you to enter, competitions for your children to enter, and a rally plaque - a plastic momento of the rally for you to keep. The Marshall will then indicate where you can pitch, and will assist you if required. Don’t worry, most of us would rather pitch up our caravan on our own, so don’t take help if you would rather do it yourself.

A rally usually has a get-together for the ralliers on the Friday evening. This is a social event typically held in the rally marshals awning. You can take along a chair and a mug of tea / can of beer / bottle of wine and get to know your fellow ralliers. Children are welcome, and they soon meet up with their own age group and make new friends. There is no compulsion for you to stay all evening - indeed you can choose not to go at all - but you’ll probably find it great fun if you pop in for half an hour or so.

Saturday is typically yours to do as you wish - visit local attractions, do some shopping / fishing / birdwatching / chatting. The marshal and fellow ralliers will probably be able to give you some suggestions if you ask them.

Saturday evening will usually feature a social event of some sort. This could be a communal meal ,a Barbeque, a Faith supper or an American supper (See below) or even a meeting in a local pub, etc. Again, join in if you want to, but if you’d rather visit the local cinema or sports hall, then that’s fine.

Sunday morning brings “Flag” This is the one part of the weekend that you really should attend. Sounds onerous? Well, its not. This is where the rally marshal plies you with tea, coffee and biscuits, thanks you for coming to his event, and thanks all those who have assisted in running the rally. The Liaison Officer for the area then thanks the rally marshal and assistants for their work, and runs through forthcoming rallies, changes to the rally book, and any other club business that needs to be brought to the attention of the members. This is followed by the announcement of the winners of the competitions, and typically concludes with the drawing of a raffle. Flag typically lasts half an hour.

And that’s it. People start to depart directly after Flag, though you are normally able to stay on until late Sunday afternoon if you wish to do so.

Communal Barbeque:

These are a common feature of summer rallies. You provide your own meat (sausages, burgers, chops, steaks, fish, etc) and take your barbeque to an area where everyone burns their food together... You can be assured of setting up next to an expert, of course...

Eating takes place with everyone together, typically in the rally marshals awning. You set up your table, equip it with utensils, something to drink and some plates, then eat your barbequed food with a salad that is provided by the rally marshal.

Faith Supper:

Whats a Faith Supper? That's a question that has caught out many a caravan rallier! For a Faith Supper, everyone takes along a plate of food to share with other ralliers. Cold little sausages, crisps, salad, sausage rolls, boiled potatoes, naan bread, spring onions, etc. All of the plates are arranged on a table, and then everyone helps themselves to whatever they would like. An American Supper is much the same thing.

American Supper:

For an American Supper, everyone takes along a plate of food to share with other ralliers. Cold little sausages, crisps, salad, sausage rolls, boiled potatoes, nan bread, spring onions, etc. All of the plates are arranged on a table, and then everyone helps themselves to whatever they would like. A Faith Supper is much the same thing.

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