Travelworld Aid Ultra Marathon Success

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By William Coleman

Keeping fit is so important, especially as we are all getting a little bit older each year. For beginners, start with a walk or a jog. For the more experienced among us why not get a motorhome from Travelworld and go on an ultra marathon like 62 year old runner Keith Robinson.

Keith Robins, who is a seasoned ultra distance runner at the age of 62, recently took to the road in Travelworld’s Carado T447 to try his hand, or feet, at the formidable 95 mile West Highland Way Race.

After hitting the 20 mile mark, something I could never do, Keith unfortunately took a tumble and hurt his leg. That did not stop Keith from jumping up and carrying on but he was unable to complete the race and the injury was a bit to server to carry up.

Keith astonishingly solidered further 51 miles while being hurt, such an amazing effort. Once the race was all said and done Keith raised £1000 for Shropshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire Blood Bikes and has not ruled out taking part in the race again next year.

This gruelling challenge starts at Milngavie, near Glasgow and through six checkpoints leading all the way to Fort William in the Scottish Highlands. This was not Keith’s first experience with this marathon as he toppled the challenge twice before. No stranger to extreme challenges Keith also took part in, and finished, the 250km Marathon des Sables, (a seven-day race across the Moroccan Sahara) where he raised £19,500 for charity.

Keith said: “Not finishing this time does not diminish my overall enjoyment and love of the event and I think you need to experience both finishing and not finishing to fully appreciate the spirit of the WHW Race.

“Having the motorhome on the trip was a big advantage, entirely suited to the wide-open spaces of the Scottish Highlands which the Race route passes through. The finishes in the Carado were first class and the garage storage at the rear, we found a particularly positive feature.

We stowed a bike (the Carado comes with a 2-bike rack) but there were masses of room for the kit bags and boxes too and inside the Carado is like a tardis for storage with plenty under the fixed beds and in the various wall cupboards.

“The fridge was plenty big enough for our weekend supplies. Very simple to use – once you remember what you were told at handover, i.e. 240v only works on hook-up! We were all very impressed with the pull-down bed which drops down with the click of a button but wasn’t needed on this trip.”

Ross Edwards, managing director of Travelworld said: “It was a pleasure to help Keith and his crew, and we’re glad the Carado did such a sterling job in helping him raise money for Blood Bikes.”

This is another fantastic example of the touring industry making charity fundraising easier with the use of a touring home. Motorhomes are such a fantastic tool for any hobbyist or action tourer.

Mini Beasts Arrive Across Cumbrian Parks

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By William Coleman

When you think of guests being eaten your mind may shift to something like Jurassic Park. The guests being eaten this time round are not humans but 6+ legged creatures who have been given free accomodation, much to the delight of the local birds, at a cumbrian holiday park.

The Holgates group have recently opened a brand new state of the art holiday accommodation network across 6 of their top rated parks for bugs and other small creatures. The structures have been designed to ensure the mini beast have has much comfort has the sites human guests, and something else a little more environmentally conscious.

The guests who are expected to stay are moths, beetles, spiders and centipedes to name a few, all of which will not be charged for their time on site. Although there is no cost to the creepy crawlies the risk their stay brings is high.

Although the bugs are welcome to stay it seems that the real reason for the free holiday is to ensure that the local bird population have a fully stocked bug buffet.

The insect hideaways have been installed at the group’s flagship Silverdale Holiday Park and its 5 other nearby parks. The 6 locations attract thousands of the more traditional 2-legged visitors year in year out.

Many of the two legged visitors are families with children, and Director Michael Holgate has said that the companies latest wildlife initiative have provided both entertainment and educations for guests: “The habitats are open-plan and filled with roosting material such as leaves, hollow stems and moss, and reveal the awe-inspiring activity of the insect world,” said Michael.

“Being close to the sea, we have an amazing variety of resident and visiting birds, many of which get their protein from bugs – and our aim is to ensure they don’t go hungry.

“This is especially important in winter when the mini-mansions also act as an over-wintering space for some species such as butterflies and solitary bees.

“We knew we had a hit on our hands when both youngsters and grown-ups started posting pictures of the insects on social media along with more traditional holiday snaps!” he added.

In 2017 Silverdale was one of the very few holiday parks to gain the special honour from botanist Professor Bellamy in his annual conservation awards. Out of the 3,000 sites across Britain only 15 were given this mark of greatness.

The accolade celebrated a raft of initiatives which the 60-year-old family business regularly takes to protect its native animal, plant and bird life.

Last year the group created over eight miles of new hedgerows as a “wildlife corridor” to help sustain wildlife species from dormice and hedgehogs to butterflies and bees.

And earlier this year, the park completed a massive planting project of native species such as oak and yew which saw around half-a-million years of tree life take root.

There is more information about the group’s parks at www.holgates.co.uk

Burstner 2019 launch – More Than Just Fair Weather Friends.

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Daniel Cartwright

The attractive, luxury, well built German motorhomes from the Erwin Hymer group have always been popular in the UK. Burstner outsell any other German Hymer group motorhomes or intact any other German motorhome in the UK. Fans of Burstner and Burstner owners seem to shout from the rafters about how much they love them but that German engineering means they last well and are incredibly well built.

A friend and Burstner own said “You buy your first Burstner because of the wow factor and you buy your second because of the reliability”. But what is changing next year?

Well Burstner is embracing the UK market and has brought out a number of layouts in both coach built and A-class specifically for the UK.

Burstners appeal and quality is obvious but some layouts are tailored for the tropical south Europe outside living and cooking.

The 2019 ranges have layouts specifically tailored to colder climates and inside living. We have listed these layouts below and they are well worth a look. All the layouts utilise drop down beds at the rear over huge lounge areas. Due to the flat double floors mean they still have good headroom in the living spaces and these rear lounges really make excellent places to spend a rainy afternoon.

Lyseo TD744 (below)

Ixeo I 744 (below)

It’s not the layout that makes these models weather appropriate, they have double floor insulation with the water tank between the floors keeping the water tanks insulated. They are fully thermally insulated to grade 3 specification and the are built using a totally wood free construction.

Also big news for the 2019 range – all uk specification motorhomes from Burstner have more standard specification than Germany specification. That’s because all UK specification Burstners for 2019 are part of the elegance line. That said, I did get confirmation that all models will be available in the UK by order if you want something not brought over.

Other innovations for 2019 included integrated champaign cupboard or coffee machine in the Ixeo ranges, optional sliding sunroofs or cab drop down beds and a range of interior colour schemes.

Judges Declare Family Park A Beacon In The Beacons

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By William Coleman

There were congratulations all round this summer for the family owners of a SW Wales holiday park when it was named as the outright winner of a top tourism prize.

Erwlon Caravan and Camping Park in Llandovery scooped the gold accolade for caravan, camping and glamping parks in the Carmarthenshire Tourism Awards.

Based in the foothills of the Brecon Beacons, the five-star park was one of hundreds of businesses competing in the prestigious awards, held every two years.

Stepping up to receive their honour at the finalists’ ceremony were members of the Rees family whose farm-based park has been welcoming holiday guests for over 50 years.

Its tranquil location with far-reaching views over the surrounding countryside has long been a favourite of caravan and motorhome owners as well as campers.

But according to the award judges, visitors to Erwlon praise not just its setting but also the friendly and welcoming atmosphere created by the family on the park.

Excellent reviews from guests are received too for the park’s luxury glamping pods which were introduced last year in a picturesque riverside location.

Sleeping up to four people, the pods provide all home-from-home comforts including full-size beds made up with top quality linen, kitchen and shower areas, and television.

Guests can also be assured of remaining snug throughout the four seasons, thanks to underfloor heating, double glazed windows and high levels of insulation.

Peter Rees, a member of the park-owning family, said that everyone was delighted that Erwlon had achieved the top gold accolade in the Carmarthenshire Tourism Awards:

“Hospitality and quality of service are two important criteria in these awards, so naturally we are extremely pleased that the judges were impressed with what they found here,” said Peter.

“Our aim is to create happy holiday memories in lovely surroundings, and we always try and exceed expectations in terms of helping guests get the most out of their stays.

“I hope our award will also benefit other tourism businesses in the Brecon Beacons area by putting the spotlight on what a wonderful part of the world this is to enjoy a holiday,” he added.

There is more information about Erwlon Caravan and Camping Park, which is a member of the Best of British consortium of top family-owned holiday parks, at www.erwlon.co.uk

Artist Draws Donations At Cumbrian Park

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By William Coleman

A lot of people I know have monthly direct debits to certain charities to ensure that they are doing their bit to help others when and where they can. A lot of other people are a bit more active and actually arrange charitable events just like a local artist has done at a Lakeland park.

Melissa Elizabeth, who is a south Cumbrian artist, has used her skill set to help raise funds for two local animal charities at Silverdale Holiday Park this summer.

Silverdale hosted an exhibition of Melissa’s acclaimed pet and wildlife studies at their park which was also part of a major regional creative festival which featured 90 different Lakeland artists.

To help raise funds guests and visitors could not only admire the artwork, they could also purchase Melissa’s coloured pencil drawings. The one big seller was the prints of a red squirrel which Melissa recently completed and there was a raffle for one of her pet portraits.

100% of the raffles proceeds, as well as 20% of the print sales funds raised will go to the Westmorland Red Squirrels charity, which is also supported by Silverdale, and Lancaster based dog rescue centre Wolfwood.

With high hopes in mind Melissa is confident that once all the sales are finished the figures will top the three figure mark.

A resident of Warton near Silverdale, where she was born and now lives with her partner, Melissa has won a large and growing fan-base for her highly detailed animal drawings.

But the 26-year-old only first started seriously putting pencil to paper three years ago when she took a year out in Australia after studying design at Lancaster and Morecambe College.

In between exploring the country, and funding her odyssey with jobs such as cleaning yachts and working in cafes, Melissa began making drawings of Australia’s wildlife.

Back in England, she took up a part-time post at Silverdale Holiday Park, and found that she also had a talent for creating lifelike drawings of dogs, cats, horses and other animals.

Staff at the holiday park began asking Melissa to create drawings of their own pets – and soon she was receiving commissions from other people living in the community.

Taking her business online, she now creates her pet portraits for owners from much further afield, and is currently working on an Alaskan Malamute for a Norwegian customer.

“Although I still love drawing the native wildlife of Cumbria, I find that domestic animals make absolutely fascinating subjects,” said Melissa.

“Each has an individual character which, if possible, I’ll try to discuss in advance with the owner as this can help me give a sense of its personality in the drawing.

“It was great being a part of this year’s Silverdale and Arnside Art and Craft Trail, and it’s amazing just how much creative talent there is in this area,” she added.

Park director Michael Holgate said he was delighted to provide exhibition space for Melissa at Silverdale, and that weekend visitor were clearly very impressed with her work.

Meet The Renters With Camplify

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Camplify is more than just a “try before you buy” service. It is the new way to book a staycation holiday. The weather in the UK during spring and summer is good enough to use your holiday time in the UK and there is so much to do in the the winter that you do not necessarily need to go abroad.

One of the stand out things about Camplify is how diverse their range of touring accommodation is. The family in this video chose a luxury high end American 5th Wheel for their trip away with the kids.

So if you want to try something wacky like a fire truck van conversion of something high end you can without too much fuss.

There are a lot of people out there who have not towed before and maybe do not have the confidence, yet, but still want to go on a caravan holiday, and it is a great way to see if you want to invest and purchase a touring home.

If you want a fun and cost effective get away with friends, a partner or the whole family then Camplify is the service for you. Once you enter your details and requirements the website will tailor the ideal holiday homes for you within minutes.

The Pampering Paradise Holiday

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By William Coleman

Pampering is not something that springs to mind when you are planning your next getaway. Now it would seem that is will soon become the norm as a “pampering paradise” opens its doors at a Pembrokeshire holiday park.

Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas, the Welsh tourism minister, has recently opened the newest chapter in luxury holidays.

Celtic Escapes, who are based at the Noble Court Holiday Park near the market town of Narberth, promises to deliver their guests a pampering experience like no other.

The grand opening took place in front of more than 200 VIP guests where Lord Elis-Thomas welcomed the £1 million venture and congratulated the family owned business behind the enterprise.

The Lord was also given a tour of the development which includes high end holiday lodges that come with their very own private hot tubs. The site also includes safari tents with all the creature comforts you’d need and want from a home away from home. Accompanying Lord Elis-Thomas was Celtic Holiday Parks’ Managing Director, Huw Pendleton.

Huw’s business, which employs around 50 local people, owns three holiday parks in Pembrokeshire with a raft of awards for their quality standards and environmental care.

Noble Court was one of the first parks in Wales to introduce the concept of glamping five years ago, and its cosy “log pods” quickly won an enthusiastic following from guests.

But now, says Huw, the experience has been taken to a new level with luxury lodges and safari tents designed to appeal to comfort-loving couples and families: “Pembrokeshire and its gorgeous coastline is a stunning place to come on holiday, and is a world-class destination by any standards,” said Huw.

“We wanted to create a match for these surroundings with a range of high quality accommodation in which guests can enjoy a first-class holiday experience.

“Advance booking are already extremely strong for both the Hampton Lodges and the safari tents, and I suspect that many guests will want to return to try both!

“We were delighted that Lord Elis-Thomas was able to take time out to visit Celtic Escapes, and to officially launch this exciting new expansion phase of our business,” added Huw.

The minister made his visit in support of this year’s annual Wales Tourism Week which is designed to put the spotlight on Wales’s £5 billion tourism sector.

There is more information about Celtic Holiday Parks, and the accommodation and holiday home ownership opportunities provided, at www.celticholidayparks.com

The Caravan And Motorhome Club Introduce Try Before You Buy

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By William Coleman

If you do not currently own a caravan or motorhome, or even if you are in the market for an upgrade, can be a very expensive investment. Extremely worthwhile but it does come with a price tag. So why not try before you buy with the Caravan And Motorhome Club?

Once you’ve seen the amazing locations dotted around the UK and just how easy it is to have a 5 star get away you will go from try to buy in a heartbeat.

The new initiative has been introduced to inspire outdoor enthusiasts to take the plunge and purchase a new caravan or motorhome.

Recognising that buying a new motorhome or caravan is a big decision, especially for those purchasing for the first time; the Club is offering the chance to experience the best of the great outdoors and test the waters by trying it out before they commit.

Starting from £190 for two nights hire, for those who decide to buy up to seven days’ hire cost is deducted from the final price.

Not only is there the opportunity to try out a brand new caravan or motorhome, including the iconic Airstream, but at the same time there is the chance to experience some of the UK’s most beautiful outdoor locations.

Whether its mountain climbing, cycling, surfing, a simple ramble followed by a pub lunch or exploring the iconic London sites; there is nothing like being in the great outdoors and the Caravan and Motorhome Club helps members experience it at its very best.

The Caravan and Motorhome Club is working with trusted dealers to offer this and so far has three partners on board offering the service in Cumbria, Shropshire, Manchester, London, Dorset and Sussex. Further locations are also expected to be added in 2019.

Airstream renters will have their caravan on a choice of three sites and those trialling other models will have their caravans delivered to site local to the dealer, free of charge.

Motorhomes are available to drive straight from the dealer. The Caravan and Motorhome Club are on hand every step of the way to offer technical advice and answering any questions potential caravanners or motorhomers may have.

Harvey Alexander, director of marketing at the Caravan and Motorhome Club said: “The Caravan and Motorhome Club is truly unique in offering the “try before you buy” concept. We know that buying a new caravan or motorhome is a big decision and we want would-be purchasers to feel as comfortable and as confident as possible, in all aspects of this type of holiday.

“It’s not just about trialling a particular model and layout but also experiencing the lifestyle as a whole before making a final commitment. We are confident that once they try, holidaymakers will see exactly the amazing benefits and outdoor experiences they can have by being a caravan or motorhome owner.”

The “try before you buy” caravans and motorhomes are kitted out with everything somebody would need for a stay. On the first day of the hire, the customer will be greeted and shown around the caravan or motorhome and given a demonstration of how everything works to ensure a totally stress free introduction to their new home away from home.

Poorly Run Site Lands Hefty Fines

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By William Coleman

The nightmare holiday is not an uncommon story to hear when a friend or family member return from their travels. The travel agents or hotel owners never really do too much when things go wrong and do not seem to care either. But when it comes to caravan park site owners they are not big enough to hide behind their company and, thankfully, this park owner and management company are being held accountable for their actions.

The owner of a village caravan park have been dished out fines that are in the thousands after failing to fix ongoing issues that have left holiday makers with a less than stellar holiday experience. Guests at the site were faced with smells of raw sewage and intermittent water supplies during their stay.

Not wanting these kind of experiences to continue, and be profited from, Horsham District Council took action. The Council went on to say Luckista Grove Caravan Park failed to provide adequate living standards for residents.

The site also had issues with narrow roads that were littered with potholes that fill with water which lead to floods of muddy water whenever the heavens would open.

10 months after the order was given the work was still not done. The council felt that 10 months is more than enough time for the repairs to be completed. During that 10 months only 4 of the 12 works that needed competed were finished.

Royston Cooper who is the director of Frankham Real Estates, who own this site, was issued with a compliance notice back in 2017 due to the ongoing issues. Mr. Cooper and the estate agent admitted, in court, to the offenses of not fixing the issues. On Friday 22 of June they were fines a total of £15,000 plus legal fees as well as victim surcharges.

Tricia Youtan, Cabinet Member for Community and Wellbeing, said: “I was dismayed and disappointed to hear of these breaches. The council will not accept poor standards on caravan sites; they are the homes of residents and need to meet the established standards to ensure that they provide a pleasant and safe living environment.

“We gave the owners advice and guidance for over a year before the continuing poor standards led to the decision to take legal action. We will continue to closely monitor all such matters district-wide.”

It is good to see a council taken action against things like this. I just feel bad for people who had chosen the site for their leisure time.

The Leisure World Group Trend

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By William Coleman

Owning a caravan is an exciting thing. Once you’ve decided on what brand, model and make you want you then get to start having the real fun, customisation! Leisure World Group have reported an increasing trend of customers who want to customise their caravans with more and more accessories.

As the demand for more customisation grows the support by Leisure World Group improved to meet the needs of their customers. To make the most of your home away from home the company is offering Wild June offers which include a free £500 accessory shop voucher with any new caravan purchased in June. You can take advantage of this offer by visiting any of their three sites in Catterick and Tyneside.

Matthew Kinsell, director of the group, commented: “We know from talking to our customers that everyone wants to make their caravan unique, and there are so many fantastic products coming on to the market all the time, so we thought this was the ideal way to give people a helping hand.

“Buying a caravan is a significant investment without the added addition of accessories, so this way we hope our customers can get all of their accessories to kick start the summer of touring in style and comfort.”

In addition to the accessory shop vouchers Leisure World is also offering over £6,000 off selected new caravans to celebrate the British weather finally turning for the touring season. These offers are only available until the end of June.

Leisure World Group’s three sites are conveniently located across the North of England and each offers new and used caravans and motorhomes, as well as large jam-packed accessory stores. All three dealerships are also NCC approved service and repair centres.

Leisure Award Industry Win For The Caravan And Motorhome Club

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By William Coleman

The Caravan and Motorhome Club, based in East Grinstead, has been handed a prestigious award in recognition of its practices and achievements in helping its staff get home safely at the end of the working day.

The Caravan and Motorhome Club has achieved a Winner of the Leisure Industry Sector in the internationally-renowned RoSPA Health and Safety Awards, the longest-running industry awards scheme in the UK.

They were presented with the award during a ceremony at ExCeL, London on Tuesday, June 19, 2018.

The RoSPA Awards scheme, which receives entries from organisations around the world, recognises achievement in health and safety management systems, including practices such as leadership and workforce involvement.

Sean Turner, Health and Safety Manager at the Caravan and Motorhome Club said: “We are absolutely delighted to win this award. Health and safety has to be a total priority for us and this means in everything we do, starting with our head office and employees who work there. It is a real accolade to be recognised as the best organisation in the leisure industry for health and safety management performance.

To be successful, our application drew extensively on evidence from across the Club of good practice in health and safety. The judges look for organisations that can demonstrate a culture which understands risk and expects high standards in the precautions taken to protect our members and employees. The win is a recognition of the continuing care and effort from people at all levels across the Club to keep people safe.”

Julia Small, RoSPA’s head of qualifications, awards and events, said: “The RoSPA Awards are the most highly-respected in the health and safety arena, with almost 2,000 entrants every year, and allow organisations to prove excellence in the workplace, demonstrating a commitment to the wellbeing of not only employees but all those who interact with it.”

The majority of awards are non-competitive and mark achievement at merit, bronze, silver and gold levels. Gold medals, president’s awards, orders of distinction and the Patron’s Award are presented to organisations sustaining the high standards of the gold level over consecutive years.

Competitive awards go to the best entries in 24 industry sectors including construction, healthcare, transport and logistics, engineering, manufacturing and education.

There are specialist awards for health at work, environmental management and fleet safety, and excellence trophies for the best international, new entry, workforce involvement and organisation operating or based in Scotland. RoSPA’s top accolade is the Sir George Earle Trophy.

Headline sponsor of the RoSPA Awards 2018 is NEBOSH – the National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health – for the 13th consecutive year.

The 3 Peaks Challenge With The Marquis Randger

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By William Coleman

The world touring fits campervans perfectly, the camper make for the perfect vehicle to get out on the open road and get stuck in to challenges, tours, holidays and escapes. In this video presentation Martin Dorey took 2 of the brave CaravanTimes crew members on the 2 Peaks Challenge with the all new Randger by Marquis. 3 adventurer, 3 countries, 3 mountains all in under 24 hours? Randger to the rescue.

Martin Dorey was an integral part of the mission as he was preparing the food for the guys and driving them from mountain to mountain. As you know eating is a massive part of any challenge. If there is no fuel in the body you move as far as a car without diesel. To to ensure that the challenge was completed at around the 22 hour mark Mr. Dorey whipped up a breakfast feast.

The great thing about the Randger campervan is that it is perfect for motorway driving to make up those miles between mountains, not to mention the spot on kitchen and sleeping area.

As you can see the challenge is not to be taken lightly. Little to no sleep, thousands of feet to climb and hours or driving between each location. I would say the word “challenge” is putting it lightly.

And those Martin Dorey pancakes look special!