UKC

Hey folks. Im camping in a couple of weeks and the pitch has electric. Its mainly for the kids/phones etc.

I've not had this before; do I need a special cable or anything for it?

Ta

Richard 

Yeah, the hookup won't be a normal socket.

Something like this is probably what you want:

https://www.halfords.com/camping/electrical-and-power/maypole-mobile-mains-...

You could certainly find cheaper options online. Some of them probably sketchier.

In France the campsite sockets usually have standard outdoor sockets, i.e. the ones with flip-covers but take normal French plugs.

Yes. They have a big 3 pin plug on the end and a standard socket extension on the other. Get yourself an electric cool box or camping fridge too. A kettle is a good idea to save faffing with gas. Most camping shops will sell the cable.

Probably, yes.  The socket you plug into will most likely be a 2P+E 16A Ceeform, so assuming you're camping in a tent as opposed to plugging in a van or a caravan, you'll want an extension lead with a blue 16A plug on the end.

If you're confident wiring a plug you could pick up a 16A plug for a few quid from somewhere like Screwfix or Toolstation for a few quid and swap it for the 13A plug on an extension lead yourself, otherwise you could buy a lead and/or adaptor from a caravanning place.  The Ceeform connectors will tolerate a bit of rain as long as they're not actually lying about in a puddle, but it's important to make sure that any 13A plugs/sockets will stay dry.

That is quite pricey - but it does actually look like pretty good value for money tbh if the build quality is any good.  Safer than just a bog-standard extension lead with a 16A plug on the end and it even has a couple of USB sockets built in for phone charging.

Whatever you decide, get a long lead - we bought one initially (5m) and soon had to get a longer 15m one (for our van).

Yup, you want one of these: https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/452f58720eabecb3d162db5b75f6493bd40f86a8/...

Oh man, I  hadn't thought of that. A small fridge would be excellent. Any recommendations?

Have used an electric coolbox which are cheaper than proper camping fridges. Worked well enough to keep milk and beer cool.  Camping kettle was good for a quick brew in the morning.

https://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/advice/equipment/using-electric...

make sure you get an RCD, you don’t want to fry the kids

Not sure if relevant, but we carry a polarity checker in the van. Only ever had 1site that I had to rewire the plug. Is this still a possible over there?

Chris

As long as your appliances are wired properly, i.e. properly returned neutrals, why would reverse polarity be a problem? Many plugs are even designed to be inserted either way.

But they are on specially constructed appliances, for a domestic wiring system for example you need to ensure the switch to a light is actually in the live (feed) to render the light fitting is dead when the switch is off (and normally that the inner contact in an Edison screw fitting is the live one). The rest of us just use a phase tester pen to see which wire is really the live one.

Very similar looking one in Aldi at the moment.

I normally hook up my house to the lamp post outside 

On sale for <£2 in Go Outdoors at the moment: https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/15893634/maypole-230v-site-plug-15893634

Mine is basically the opposite of this one and I just use a normal extension lead - you do have to keep the connector dry, though: https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/16235478/eurohike-3-pin-mains-socket-power-lea...

Fleeced about £15 for it at a campsite when I forgot to get one before we went away. Might swap the plug onto an old orange mower cable I've got somewhere in the garage.

In which case you might need this: https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/15893636/maypole-230v-euro-hook-up-lead-carava...

Cheap as chips.

I've changed my mind though, and come around to the point of view that just wanging a 16A plug on the end of an extension lead might be a tiny bit sketchy and the RCD is a good idea.

It’s worth checking what current is available on the site, some household electricals can trip out camp site supplies. They can be as low as 6A.

If camping in France some hook up points can be a long way from your pitch. A 15m hook up I had wasn’t long enough, needed more like 30m. Might have just been bad luck though!

also suggest getting one with a trip switch. My 15m was a cheap Amazon one and doesn’t have which seems less than ideal on reflection. 

Thanks everyone. Got one of these - https://www.halfords.com/camping/electrical-and-power/maypole-mobile-mains-...

Im camping in Shropshire. Just need decent weather now.