Trailer or caravan parking for a Southampton cruise

Some cruise customers tow a trailer or caravan to Southampton (or have arrived in the UK with one). The question of where to park it during a cruise comes up. This page covers our position and the alternatives.

What we do not do

We do not park trailers, caravans, or vehicles with trailers / caravans attached.

This is a hard limit. The reasons:

Compound dimensions. Our compound bays are sized for standard cars and oversize vehicles up to a defined limit. Trailers and caravans exceed those dimensions.

Insurance. Our £2 million public liability covers vehicles in our care. The policy is sized for cars and standard oversize vehicles. Trailers add risk profiles the policy is not built for.

Operational fit. Our handover process (body-cammed walk-around, drivers parking cars in the compound) is built for cars. Coupling and uncoupling trailers adds steps the operation is not set up for.

What this means in practice

For customers arriving in Southampton with a trailer or caravan:

You cannot leave the trailer or caravan at our compound during the cruise.

You can park the towing vehicle (the car) with us, but you need to arrive without the trailer attached.

The trailer / caravan needs to be stored elsewhere during the cruise.

Where to store a trailer or caravan during the cruise

A few options:

A friend or family member's house. The simplest option if you have somewhere along the route to drop the trailer or caravan.

A campsite that allows long-stay parking. Some Hampshire campsites have arrangements for cruise customers to leave a caravan parked during the cruise. The terms vary.

A specialist storage facility. Some commercial storage facilities accept trailers and caravans for short stays. Worth researching in the Southampton area.

Back at home. Many customers simply leave the trailer or caravan at home and drive without it for the Southampton trip.

We do not have specific recommendations for trailer storage; the question is outside our service.

What about smaller trailers

We do not park any trailers, regardless of size. The hard limit applies to small box trailers as well as larger caravans.

If you have a small trailer (a few feet long, light enough to be uncoupled by hand), uncoupling it before arriving at our compound is the answer. Leave the trailer wherever you uncouple; bring just the car.

Motorhomes specifically

A note on motorhomes (which are vehicles in their own right rather than trailers):

We typically cannot park motorhomes either. The compound dimensions and the height profile of most motorhomes exceed our oversize limit.

For motorhome customers, the parking option is usually a campsite arrangement or a specialist motorhome storage facility, rather than a cruise parking operator.

What to flag at booking

If you have any trailer, caravan, or unusual towed equipment:

Do not book the cruise parking via the standard quote tool. Call us first.

The contact page has the office number. A short call confirms whether we can take the vehicle (likely yes for the car alone, no for the car-with-trailer-attached scenario).

Booking

For the standard car (without trailer or caravan attached), the quote returns the standard rate.

For anything involving a trailer or caravan, the contact page is the right starting point.