Help for a complete novice

Welcome to the wonderful world of caravanning. I know people might think this a flippant answer but it's not. The three most important things IMO are 1) A decent towcar (often overlooked) 2) An inexhaustible supply of patience and 3) A corkscrew ( when 2 is in short supply).

There are loads of material things you'll need, ranging from Aquarolls and Waste water apparatus to unbreakable crockery. There are other intangibles like an ability to tow safely, decent insurance, good storage and security devices. 

I would suggest you take a short trip away, both distance and time wise for the first time, and observe other 'vanners and their bits of kit and for heavans sake don't be afraid to ask. It's how I learnt and still am after more than 25 years.

hook up cable, 

Don't go too far from home, you might have to nip back for that essential item that you cannot manage without. Oh, and very important is loads of warm bedding, extra blankets for under and over you just in case. It is awful being cold at night 

Couple of bottles of wine and glasses of course.

I can re-iterate previous comments about taking a trip close to home for your first trip out. Make a check list for hitching up and unhitching, keep it in the glove box of your tow car and always refer to it. We still do even after caravanning for many years. Most importantly you will need a sense of humour!

Don't go too far from home, you might have to nip back for that essential item that you cannot manage without. Oh, and very important is loads of warm bedding, extra blankets for under and over you just in case. It is awful being cold at night 

If you'll be sleeping under a normal duvet (as opposed to those who like sleeping bags) I can thoroughly recommend a Baa-vet

A duvet made with a natural wool filling - hence the 'baa' 

I have 2 - one at home, one in the caravan. Both are 'light/summer' weight and I'm perfectly warm under them. They also breathe better than man-made fillings, so you won't get too hot in summer

Thanks everyone, my brother is an experienced caravaner and we will be making our first trip with him to learn the basics. I have been told that our car is fine for towing (Kia Sorento). We have secure storage already sorted. I guess it is things like water pipes, I have seen them ranging from 5  to 25 meters, waste pipes, water carriers etc etc. We have a 25 meter power cable coming with the caravan, just got to learn what to do with them all!

Believe me, before too long you will have accumulated more stuff than you know what to do with, like most hobbies. Don't forget small things like torches as the gas always runs out in the dark and special spanners for fixing your gas pipe to the canister and ......

Make sure you know how to reverse the caravan!!!

It sounds as though you have it covered with a brother who knows the ropes - but do be sure to keep the sense of humour with you at all times!