Approved Workshop Scheme For Pre Owned Leisure Vehicles

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By William Coleman

Buying a leisure vehicle is both exciting and daunting, especially if you are looking at the pre-owned market. In some cases you could be buying a potential time bomb of a vehicle. More often than not I imagine you’ve wanted a fully qualified mechanic with you when you’re buying a new vehicle to ensure everything is tip top. With this new service all your fears will be washed away.

The Approved Workshop Scheme (AWS) have just launched their brand new service AWS Pre-Owned Pre-Purchase Inspections, or AWS POPPI for short.

The new service offers inspections for potential news buyers and provide a detailed report of the condition of a touring caravans or motorhomes. Something that will put a lot of new buyers, and existing, minds at ease prior the the commitment of purchasing.

The vehicle inspections will focus mainly on examining the safety-critical elements as well as assessing the visual and operational side of things.

AWS Manager Sarah Wigmore explains: “We believe this will be a great service for buyers, especially those new to caravanning. We already have nearly 100 of our workshops offering the inspection service and this is growing each week. The Approved Workshop Scheme is the benchmark for motorhome and touring caravan servicing and has the support of all the UK’s major manufacturers – so it is well placed to offer this type of service.

There are roughly 90,000 pre-owned touring homes in circulation with 45,000 motorhomes changing hands each year. A huge amount of these are private sales that may not have had the presale care a dealer may provide. “Having a third party assessment will enable people to purchase with greater confidence,” Sarah explains.

The Approved Workshop Scheme (AWS) is a joint enterprise between the NCC (National Caravan Council), The Caravan and Motorhome Club and The Camping and Caravanning Club. There are now over 470 workshops nationwide and those offering the POPPI service can be found at https://www.approvedworkshops.co.uk/find-approved-workshop

Personally I love the idea of this scheme, being a bit of a nervous vehicle buyer. So to have a service that checks all the things you would need looking at prior to purchasing would put my mind at ease and make me a lot more confident in handing over my hard earned cash.

East Devon Park Turns 75 This June

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By William Coleman

Guests at East Devon’s award-winning Ladram Bay Holiday Park will soon be joining in two days of very special celebrations to mark the business’s 75th anniversary.

The Carter family, owners of the Budleigh Salterton park, say they will be pulling out all the stops on the weekend of 16/17 June to ensure that its milestone year will long be remembered.

A raft of different events, activities and entertainment are on the cards, including a family fun day on the Saturday which will appeal both to youngsters and grown-ups.

Live music is promised, along with fete stalls, a bouncy castle, face painting, and games including sponge throwing, apple bobbing and other traditional attractions.

To help keep energy levels high there will also be a barbecue and ice cream stand on hand!

The celebrations will continue into evening when an anniversary party night, for all guests staying on the park, will welcome guest performers The Wurzels, Somerset’s world-famous “scrumpy and western” band.

Ladram Bay says its celebration weekend is now almost fully booked, but that quick-off-the-mark families may still be able to join in the fun.

Available to rent for a short break or a longer stay are stylish holiday homes, leisure lodges and glamping pods – plus pitches for touring caravans, motorhomes and tents.

The park is still owned today by members of the Carter family who, in 1943, first began welcoming camping guests to their farm with its own private beach.

Over subsequent decades the family has continually invested in new facilities and different styles of accommodation for visiting families and holiday home owners.

Today, guests have use of the park’s many attractions, including a swimming complex and splash play zone, indoor climbing wall, adventure golf course and much more.

Ladram Bay director Zoe House, who is a member of the Carter family, said this is a special year for the park, and that the anniversary weekend had a very appropriate theme:

“It’s all going to be about families coming together and enjoying themselves, which has been the main focus of Ladram Bay from the outset,” she said.

“We aim to provide not just the facilities and attractions for a great stay, but also the warm and friendly atmosphere into which everyone can immediately relax.

“We’re looking forward to meeting up again with some of our guests who have been coming to Ladram Bay for literally decades, so it’s going to be a great weekend!” added Zoe.

There is more information about the park at www.ladrambay.co.uk

Caravan and Motorhome Door Handles and Locks

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By CaravanTimes Team

Sometimes the absence of news is news itself and this is one of those times. As all the press information leaks out about the manufacturer’s 2019 ranges to be realised this summer the one thing not circulating on the rumor mill is a manufacturer that has a new door handle or lock that actually works, works well and works consistently.

Bemoaning our beloved industry is never popular and can be make the industry turn its back on supporting a publication but enough is enough and this is an industry wide problem. It effects caravans and motorhomes alike and the fact is that the door handles and locking mechanisms are rubbish.

Getting a caravan or motorhome on test you take the time to learn it’s quirks and it’s personality and then get frustrated when you can never, open, close, lock or unlock the habitation door. It is so common place that you don’t mention it in the reviews because there is no better option.

The level of technical advance in the manufacture, the materials and the technology included in modern caravans and motorhomes is astounding. We have seen whole units at each level projected in 3D by the latest design time – brilliant. Units are better insulated and have more energy efficient heating than most homes – great. But why can I never get in or out them without findling with the handle and lock for 5 mins?

We appreciate the design restrictions or weight, price and trying to have the door rubber lined but my memories of being a child with a split barn style caravan door with a big chunky lock that actually worked – like the one in our house.

Do you have a particularly good or bad door – let us know at Editor@caravantimes.co.uk

Calling all Burstner owners

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Calling all Burstner owners.

Do you have a Burstner motorhome? Is it more than 10 years old? Would you like it to have it’s own feature and review on CaravanTimes? Well if you do then just get in touch with editor@caravantimes.co.uk

On the 26th of June we will be attending the launch of the 2019 Burstner line up at the factory near Strasbourg. We know Burstner has increased in popularity in the UK significantly recently and with the Erwin Hymer Group UK now controlling this they are set to get even more popular… but we want to see what the older Burstners were like!

We feel it is important to understand where a motorhome brand has come from. So if you have a much loved Burstner that has been part of your family please contact us, tell us more about it and we will cover it on CaravanTimes. There might even be a free mug in it for you.

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Park Holidays’ £40,000 Giveaway Winner

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By William Coleman

There is nothing better than winning, no matter how many times you hear that “it’s the taking part that counts” and one winner that’ll certainly be “buzzing” this week is Romford Beekeeper, Stephen Stubbs.

Park Holidays UK run an annual competition for keys to a fully equipped Leisure Home. This year the prize was two-bedroom Willerby Etchingham at Harts Holiday park in Sheerness, with a value of over £40,000 and with site fees and decking included that’s not to be sniffed at.

The elated new owner, had his choice of 29 parks but chose Harts as he has friends with pitches their already and it’s only a short way from his house. Stephen says he rarely enters competitions, but i;d say a man with this much luck should consider entering a few more.

“To be honest, I thought at first the letter might have been some sort of scam, so I didn’t get my hopes up until Park Holidays UK confirmed it really was true!” he said.

“It will be a proper life-changer for me, and having my own holiday bolt-hole means being able to instantly switch off and relax whenever I want to.

“Harts Holiday Park is a great place to be, and what makes it really special is the friendly and warm atmosphere among staff and other holiday home owners,”

Stephen said his stays will also help to bring back happy childhood memories of seaside caravan holidays taken with his parents in Sussex and Essex.

As much as the team here at CaravanTimes are a little jealous, it’s always good to see enthusiastic campers, caravanners and motorhomers have a bit of good fortune.

We wish Stephen and his Jack Russell cross, Tiny all the best in their new leisure home!

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Benimar Tessoro Part 1: The 483 Full Test

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By William Coleman

At CaravanTimes we recently had a Benimar Tessoro 483 on test for a couple of weeks. We have done just over 2000 miles in the Tessoro and tested in various ways – as you will find out in our inspiration features coming up. But before we give you some ideas of where and why you should use a motorhome like the Tessoro we wanted to bring some information on the Tessoro range and the very interesting 483.

The Tessoro range
The Tessoro range is Benimar’s all singing all dancing top of the line range. Marquis exclusively import these and due to their relationship with Benimar these are full UK spec, doors on the right hand side, carpets, truma iNet central heating, grade 3 certified thermal insulation and all proved by the NCC. We think it’s fair to say that whilst being born in Spain the Tessoro has the full UK citizenship.

Being a flagship range all the Tessoro’s have the extras you would expect, from tech items like solar panels, satellite dish and reading lights that charge your phone to comfort items such as memory foam ventilated mattresses and outside showers and gas BBQ points.

The Tessoro range is very competitively priced. For the new prices of around £50,000 depending on model it has the specification of a much more expensive range.

Ford-wards
What makes the Tessoro range significantly different is that it is a full coachbuilt motorhome based on a ford cab and chassis. The ford is 170 BHP as standard which makes it a very capable drive, we cover this more in the video but if you’re put off by “Ad-Blue” then don’t think of it like windscreen washer fluid. You have to top it every now and again but it lets you know when and they sell it at every petrol station – I literally bought some for our 483 on the A816 north of Oban at 7:00PM on a Sunday.

We chose the 483 from the Tessoro range because it is such an interesting and versatile layout. You can see it on the video but the basics are a huge lounge, a huge 3 point access garage big enough for 4 bikes, big kitchen for a motorhome, huge bathroom, more incab storage than you can fill and a double bed that is over 6’4″ long. Watch the video to find out how they fit all that in.

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Bristanbul Video Documentary Part 1

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By William Coleman

So as most of our readers will know, the CaravanTimes team were lucky enough to be part of Bailey of Bristols, Bristol to the Bosphoros trip. Travelling 21 countries in 21 days the team did a fantastic job to take the 2 caravans and motorhome cross-continental.

Bailey have released the first part of documentary from the trip, to watch it just press play!

Let us know if you’ve been to any of these locations or have anything similar booked, we’re eagerly awaiting part 2 which documents the homeward journey via an entirely different route.

So make yourself a quick cuppa and see how the team got on!

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Bristanbul Tour Days 1 and 2

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By William Coleman

The Bristanbul tour was as fun as it was ambitious, 21 countries in 21 days. I was fortunate enough to get an invite on the tour, spaces are not very easy to come by. I was originally going to do all 21 days but due to obligations back in the UK I could only complete 18 days. Over 18 days I was able to complete legs 1, 2 and 3 of the tour as well as visit 10 countries I had never been to before.

Over the next few weeks I will be posting articles about each part of the trip. I was going to post it as one article but it would be far too long for anyone to enjoyably get through.

Country 1 The United Kingdom

Day 1 had to be the UK, we had to start somewhere and where better than Bailey Of Bristol HQ. It was here I got to fully meet the ‘Leg 1’ team for the Bristanbul tour.

Upon arrival I was greeted with a goody bag full of touring essentials, who doesn’t love a big bag of free gifts. The Bailey bag of riches contained the a Hydratem8 water flask and thermos, Mountain Warehouse towel and backpack, 2 bailey jackets and a branded polo.

Once all the unpacking was done we did a quick Facebook Live with Simon Howard and Lee Davey. After that it was time to set off on our way to Portsmouth to hop on our ferry to France. There was quite a delay getting onto the ferry which was not all bad as I got to have good chat with Lee Davey.

Lee Davey is a good guy and was aware that I was not super comfortable with towing on the wrong side of the road on the right side of the car. He coached me throughout the tour and made sure I knew what I was doing. So thank you very much for that Mr. Davey.

Country 2 France

The ferry crossing was a piece of cake and I actually managed to get 3 hours sleep ahead of the 375 mile drive down through France to our site. The 5:30am wake up call was not the best thing in the world.

For the first 2 hours of driving Wes Terry from Bailey took the wheel in the Advance motorhome. It was decided that the two team members who had the least abroad towing experience would be eased in using the motorhome.

Once the first 2 hours were over it was time for a tea break and a driver change over. We all bundled into the Pegasus to have tea and coffee before we set off for another few hours. Now it was my time to jump behind the wheel of the Advance. It really did not take too long for me to get comfortable driving a motorhome on the other side of the road.

Due to the speed limits you face when towing we were in a convoy, so we mirrored the caravans so we stayed together. As long as you take your time and stick to speeds you are comfortable driving at then you will have no issues whatsoever. The Advance was an absolute pleasure to drive and made things a lot more comfortable for someone who was slightly nervous to begin with.

Once we got to the site we managed to get the vans set up in about 15 minutes. With the vans ready to live in we grabbed another quick cup of tea before taking a quick walk around the site ahead of dinner.

The site is set in the French countryside of Bourgogne and our pitches were located in front of a large pond. Of an evening it sounded like all the frogs and toads were having a garden. Our first site set the bar for picturesque locations.

The dinner we had at this site was amazing, fresh produce cooked fresh to order. Everyone at the table tried something new and we had locally brewed beer and win. This is a wine region so it would be rude to not try some local specialities.

After a 3 course meal and some amazing wine it was decided that an early night was needed as we had a big day ahead of us. The next day we had a huge amount of miles to cover as we ventured from France to Switzerland and then finally set up camp in Italy at Lake Garda.

Cornwall Park Cream Of The Crop

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By William Coleman

The South West of England is a holiday hotspot and has been for as long as I can remember and when it comes awards the region gets the recognition it deserves. This family run park in Cornwall has been named among the country’s top three touring destinations. As if you really needed any more reasons to visit this beautiful part of the country.

Both the family and staff at Polmanter Touring Park in St Ives are high on life after the site was given this fantastic accolade of being one of England’s top three destinations for both caravan and camping guests.

The site took the Bronze award at the holiday parks category of April’s VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2018.

This comes after several other recent triumphs by Polmanter Touring Park as they celebrate their 50th year of operation. In the winter the park was the overall category winner in the Cornwall Tourism Awards. Once they conquered that achievement they then went on to strike gold in the South West Tourism Excellence Awards.

The award wins propelled Polmanter into the England of Excellence finals where judges declared the the sites high standards deserve the honour of pole position in the awards.

Stepping up to receive their trophy from TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp at the Bath Assembly Rooms were husband-and-wife park owners Phil and Becki Osborne.

Phil is one of the sons of dairy farmers John and Sheena Osborne who, in 1968, began welcoming campers on one of their pastures with spectacular views along the Cornish coast.

Today, Polmanter still provides the same iconic outlook – but with features such as a heated lido pool, spa, tennis court, play areas, and a shop with Cornish food and drink specialities.

Local produce, freshly prepared, is also a highlight on the menu of the park’s snug Stable Bar which occupies the farm’s former milking parlour.

Becki Osborne, who combines co-managing Polanter with her role as a local family GP, said the Excellence accolade would be the highlight of the park’s anniversary year:

“It’s especially pleasing that a main factor of these awards is the hospitality and quality of welcome which is provided to holiday guests,” she said.

“Delivering this is very much in the hands of our loyal and hardworking staff, so they deserve a large share of the credit for this achievement.

“I hope the publicity from these awards will also benefit other tourism businesses in the area by putting the spotlight on Cornwall as a fantastic place for family holidays,” Becki added.

There is more information about Polmanter, which is a member of the Best of British consortium of top family-owned holiday parks, at www.polmanter.co.uk

Go Back In Time With Lee Davey And His Son Charlie

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William Coleman

Journalist and caravan enthusiast Lee Davey, along with his 10 year old son Charlie, will be embarking on a journey to retrace the steps family members took during the Second World War. Ahead of the D-Day anniversary they will setting off on their trip with the help of The Caravan And Motorhome Club.

The time traveling pair will journey from Kent to Normandy via the New Forest retracing the footsteps of Lee’s rahter Ronald Davey and Charlie’s maternal great grandfather Geoffrey Woodcock.

The idea for this adventure was sparked following a restoration project Lee and Charlie did of a 1976 Bailey Maestro, which they will be using as their touring vehicle. While on their trip Lee and Charlie will be finding out about Charlie’s great grandfather’s experiences during the war.

“Charlie was learning about the war at school so I was telling him about the roles his grandfather and great grandfather played, and he said it was a shame he didn’t get to meet them. So, to ‘bring them to life’, we thought we’d follow their footsteps from 74 years ago as closely as possible from the camp where my dad was based, to a ferry crossing that closely resembles the journey his great grandfather took to Juno Beach on D-Day, “ said Lee.

The war had a very wide reach and affected almost every family in the UK and Lee’s was no exception. Lee’s father Ronald was stationed at the Office Cadet Training Unit (OCTU) in Wrotham, Kent. Ronald worked as an instructor who taught cadets to ride motorcycles and various other vehicles.

The Club will be stepping in and helping with some accommodation for Lee and Charlie. The daring duo will stay at the Bearsted Club site, located very close the where the OCTU was based. They will stay for two nights over May’s late bank holiday weekend before journeying to the Club Centenary site in the New Forest for a further two nights.

The Centenary Club site was built on a WW2 air base and is located near where Ronald worked as a despatch rider who would convoy vehicles to waterproofing stations on the south coast.

Charlie’s great grandfather Geoffrey was stationed just a few miles away in Dorset with the glider regiment. He was in the 249 (Airborne) Field Company RE at Tarrant Rushton Airfield and was attached to the famous 6th Airborne Glider Regiment, who landed at Pegasus Bridge ahead of the D-Day invasion.

Geoffrey arrived at Juno Beach by landing craft on the morning of D-Day, having crossed from Southampton. Lee and Charlie will follow the almost identical route that the Portsmouth to Caen overnight ferry crossing takes to Normandy. Spending four nights at the Club’s Port’Land Site, they will explore the nearby area where Geoffrey helped capture five Nazi prisoners, reinforce Pegasus Bridge, clear mines and repel the German counter attack at Ranville.

“I can’t wait to retrace the footsteps of my father and Charlie’s maternal grandfather, especially as we’ll be doing so in the run up to D-Day. It’ll be great to create our own memories on this exciting adventure too,” said Lee.

Having met Lee, and spent a fair bit of time with him, on the Bailey Bristanbul tour I know just how close to his heart this trip is for him, and to be able to take Charlie with him makes the experience all the more special. Touring holidays are all about spending quality time with family. And what better way to re trace family footsteps than with your son in a caravan you both refurbished.

Design Award Winner- Micro Motorhomes

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By William Coleman

Back in February, at the Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show at the NEC, the Caravan and Motorhome Club held their annual ‘Motorhome Design Awards’. The awards celebrate the variety of makes and models of the motorhome industry all while choosing the best the market has to offer to ensure the public make the best decision they can when purchasing.

The independent panel of judges picked 97 vehicles for this years awards. Each judge assessed a wide range of essential criteria which included comfort, electrics and safety, air-con, heating to name just a few.

Who would not want a Micro Motorhome! They blend leisure time and practical use all under one roof and on four wheels.

Wellhouse have had a fantastic year. Not only have they recently partnered with Lunar caravans but now they are winning awards with their Toyota Proace Lerina.

This is great news for Wellhouse as they start to distribute their Procace Lerina to 20 dealers nationwide.

Cumbria Park Rooting For The Future

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By William Coleman

The conservation of the British countryside is something I feel very strongly about and love the efforts being put in by parks and sites all across the UK. A Cumbrian park have planted a half a million years worth of tree life in a major conservation project.

Trees are one of the main sources of life for every living thing on the planet and they are being taken down quicker than we can plant them. Being aware of this issue and taking action is south Cumbria’s Silverdale Holiday Park.

They are ensuring that the trees they plant will provide a combined lifetime of 500,000 years to ensure humans and animals get what they need to ensure survival.

During this campaign there have been hundreds of native species planted in the sites grounds, which include oaks and yews that can live up to staggering 7 centuries.

It has been estimated that the 500,000 years of the newly planted trees are now ready to branch out and create homes, food and breeding habitats for lots of different species of wildlife. As well as providing oxygen for planet’s atmosphere and inhabitants.

The work gone into this project is a lot more complex than simply planting saplings and watching them grow. You need to ensure that the trees have the best chance of surviving, according to business owner Michael Holgate.

Experts were brought in, he said, to plot locations around the 100-acre coastal park where the trees would be best protected from the salt-laden winds:

“An easier option for us would have been non-native trees which flourish more readily, but these don’t provide the same benefits to birds, animals and insects,” said Michael.

“We are especially keen to create homes and food sources for red squirrels which, with the help of local nature groups, we hope will soon be staging a come-back here.

“Our staff got right behind the project as we had a May deadline for the optimum planting period, and they are now able to watch their adopted trees set out on their long life,” he added.

Due to Silverdale’s green fingers they were one of 15 holiday parks, from around 3,000 in Britain, to gain a special honour from botanist pioneer Professor David Bellamy in his annual conservation awards.

It celebrated over eight miles of new hedgerows planted in 2017 by the park to create a “wildlife corridor” to help sustain species from dormice and hedgehogs to butterflies and bees.

Michael Holgate, whose family business began over 60 years ago and now comprises six top-rated parks in the area, said the new trees are its most exciting initiative yet:

“This is future planning on a pretty big scale, given that we are setting in motion around half-a-million years of tree life in Silverdale,” he said.

“Wildlife will certainly benefit, but trees also help prevent soil erosion, store carbon to combat climate change, and capture polluting chemicals which run off farm land.

“Best of all, trees simply look lovely – and I know that many of our staff are proud of playing their part in creating a landscape for future generations to enjoy,” added Michael.

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