Bailey Unicorn Segovia Wins Caravan Of The Year Award 2018

Posted by

By William Coleman

The touring community award season may have ended in back in November but that has not stopped the Caravan Magazine from crowning a new champion in their Caravan Of The Year Award 2018 category.

Bailey’s flagship Unicorn range is now a notch above the rest as they produce and deliver their first ever 6 berth in that range. An ambitious move that has clearly paid off as the Segovia is already winning awards.

The 6 berth is ideal for families with 4 children or if you take some friends away with you on your travels. Not only did the Segovia take home the Caravan Of The Year Award but it also took the Best Layout For Families Award too. Which just goes to show that when Bailey say the Bailey Family it’s not just a clever slogan, they really mean it.

The leisure vehicle is split up into 3 seperate rooms or spaces, depending on how you like to word it. Room 1 being the family bedroom which is located in the lounge. Room 2 is a long lounge with room 3 being the perfect sized washroom which is located in the centre of the caravan.

Apart from the sleeping and lounge area this home also provides a lot of storage. When travelling with children and up to six people it is key to have as much storage as possible, there is nothing worse than cramming as much in as possible and then having to sort through as soon as you arrive at your holiday destination. The fridge freezer is ginormous too with a whopping 190 litre capacity, the largest of any caravan.

The lounge is geared towards family space. It is so perfectly spaced that you will have no issue having all 6 occupants in the lounge at any time. Perfect for the family film of an evening.

The rear bedroom has a double bunk bed as well as a two seat dining area. The rear bedroom has a solid door which separates it from the rest of the caravan and helps keep it private and comfortable..

To keep the family warm Bailey are using an Alde heating system. To keep a 6 berth home well heated with such a silent heating system is a stroke of engineering genius.

I was lucky enough to speak with Simon Howard, Bailey’s Marketing Director, who was over the moon with the win; “We are delighted to win this award. We only launched this range in August and the Segovia is already winning awards. We’re also so pleased with everyone who was involved in making this range a success. We listen to customer feedback and use focus groups to get as much feedback fed into the designs as possible.”

It is clear that Bailey and everyone who has taken part, in what is virgin territory for the company, in creating their first ever family 6 berth caravan are over the moon with the result “This is our first ever 6 berth caravan and for it to win the Caravan of the Year Award means a great deal to me and everyone involved. It also helps us expand into an entirely new market”, Simon continues.

When you see this tourer, you can really see why it has bagged such a prestigious award. To have created such a luxurious 6 berth which feels more like house than a caravan just goes to show why their British based engineering works so well as they enter their 70th anniversary.

Goodyear Motorhome Tire Safety Concern

Posted by

By William Coleman

Safety is the number one priority for every leisure vehicle owner. We spend a lot of time on the road covering a lot of miles in hour touring homes and the last thing that you want is a tire blowing out on you while you’re doing a good speed on a motorway or A road.

Over in the States, and possibly here some time soon, a US safety regulator are launching an investigation into whether Goodyear’s motorhome tires can fail while in use and cause accidents, collisions, crashes and possibly fatalities.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have begun a probe into Goodyear after a court ordered the release of Goodyear date from lawsuits, which were previously sealed under court orders which were settled with confidential agreements.

Once the date was opened it revealed that the G159 tires had failed while being used which had lead to injuries and deaths. The document was posted on January 1st, not the best start to the new year for Goodyear, say that a lot of claims against the company could be caused by a safety defect on the tires.

The agency who are launching the investigation have received 10 consumer complaints that are allegedly linked to two crash incidents. The document also reveals that Goodyear had reported 9 claims to the agency that had involved 1 death and 13 injuries.

This investigation covers around 40,000 tires from 1996-2003. It is not clear if these tyres are limited to US distribution so if you have Goodyear tyres it may be worth checking your tyres if you have purchased them between 96-03.

Always make sure that you do your checks before and after your winter storage. Even of you are continuing to use your touring home throughout the winter keep checking, especially the tires. God forbid they cause an issue or the police deem them unfit and issue fines and points.

The Auto-Trail Introduce The V-Line Sport

Posted by

By William Coleman

Once again Auto-Trail are giving us, and you guys, an exclusive look at another one of their fantastic motorhomes. Auto-Trail have given us an in depth look into what can be done when using this signature motorhome for your staycation.

This new model seems to be ideal for couple and families. The home is packed with design features such as bow fronted locker doors, flush fit side windows and GRP moulded rear back panel with a gas strut boot.

Auto-Trail took there motorhome on a an extreme sport tour and ended the day with beers and a BBQ. Take a look at the video and see the unlimited possibilities that come with owning a motorhome.

We Visit The BBC To Talk Winter Touring Holidays

Posted by

By William Coleman

Over the Christmas break I was invited to the BBC to do an interview with Connie Fisher and BBC Wales News on why jas winter caravanning and motorhoming has becoming so popular.

As we all know 2017 was a bumper year for the industry, with record breaking numbers across the board seen during the summer period, but I do not think that anyone expected to see such high numbers of people flocking to sites during the winter. What is the reasoning behind it, why are people going away more in winter and what do people do during the winter in their motorhome or caravan?

I have a large passion for getting away in winter, as it helps me avoid the winter storage preparation for leisure vehicles. That being said there is still a large amount of the public who think that as soon as the sun goes away so do the holiday opportunities. People could not be further from the truth. There is so much to do in the winter, especially leading up to the Christmas season.

So that’s enough from me, have a listen to my interview with Connie Fisher from BBC Wales. Thank you to the BBC for providing the link to the radio segment, I hope you all enjoy.

Club Chairman Awarded OBE

Posted by

By William Coleman

Being awarded an OBE is one of the highest honours someone can be receive. For his services to the industry and charity The Caravan and Motorhome Club’s Chairman, Grenville Chamberlain has been given this prestigious title which was announced in the New Year’s Honours 2019.

Grenville Chamberlain said, “I am deeply moved and honoured to receive this award which I believe reflects the outstanding contribution our Club makes not only to society today but also to those less fortunate than ourselves.

The benefits are clear from the results of the work of our staff at East Grinstead and across the sites network, the dedication of our many volunteers and our loyal members who all do so much to enable their fellow members to enjoy themselves to the full.

Across the Club many people work incredibly hard to raise much needed funds to help charities, both national and local, and although this award bears my name it is clear recognition of the efforts of them all.”

Grenville has a long and deep history within the caravan world and has been using caravans for his holidays since the early age of 7. Grenville joined the Caravan and Motorhome Club way back in 1981 and throughout his 37 years of service he has been dedicated to organising and participating in the full breadth of Club activities, not only in the UK, but also internationally with the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) to champion road safety initiatives and awareness.

Grenville didn’t stop there either! He has served on various Club Centres, Councils and Committees and was then elected to be the Club’s Chairman in October of 2007.

Being Club Chairman is more than just a job role for Grenville as he tours some 12,000 miles a year with his family and spend over 40 weekends a year attending Club events and supporting members.

Nick Lomas, Caravan and Motorhome Club Director General said, “Grenville is admired and held in high regard by Club members, staff and fellow Committee members because of the care, patience, skill, leadership and long hours that he devotes to the Club.

He is a true example of one who is more than worthy of a lasting recognition for his selfless devotion to the Club and to charitable causes.”

One of Grenville’s sporting passions is cycling and he led a Club team of 140 riders in the London to Brighton Bike Ride in 2010 that raised £42,000 for the British Heart Foundation (BHF), which was his Chairman’s nominated charity. He then raised £103,000 over a three-year period for BHF.

Caravan Holiday New Years Resolutions

Posted by

William Coleman

2019 is here and before you know it the new holiday season will be too. January is a month of kicking out the bad habits and doing your very best to stick to those all important New Year’s Resolutions. As we speedily approach the 2019 season we have vowed to make a few changes to our touring habits in 2019.

I am a self confessed creature of habit, I know what I like and I tend to stick to that. But this year will be a year of change for me and I urge everyone to jump on board and broaden your holiday horizons. I am going to list some new things I will be trying in 2019 and why they are, for me, the way forward.

So if you are doing the dreaded Dry January or cutting carbs, cakes and cookies to drop the extra few pounds you may have put on over Christmas why not extend that mentality to your leisure time and change the way you holiday?

Spend More Time In Scotland

I have gone out of my way to avoid caravanning in Scotland. The one and only reason for this is the time it takes to get there with a caravan attached.

Living in the South of London means that I am pretty much as far away from Scotland as possible. Yes I have been quite a few times, but always as a passenger never behind the wheel. The drive for me takes roughly 10+ hours when towing, a lot less if driving a motorhome, which means you need to pretty much add another day or so just for the travel time.

This year that will change! Scotland has some of the most beautiful scenery the UK has to offer and the people are always so friendly, certainly more friendly than the average Londoner.

I have been to Scotland a handful of times and really love it, especially the countryside. For the sake of adding an extra day to your travel time really will pale in comparison to the holiday experience.

Loch Ness, Loch Lomond, Edinburgh Castle or even a hike up Ben Nevis, there is just so much to do and see all across Scotland and this is one of my “go to” destinations for 2019.

Be More Active On Holiday

I do consider myself quite an active person in my day to day life but when it comes to my leisure time I am very much guilty of staying very stationary and becoming a bit indulgent when it comes to snacking. One 10 day trip away I managed put on a good few pounds due to some of the onsite homemade baked good and local public house.

As part of the health kick we all go through in the New Year I want to push it through and actually make being active part of my holiday time.

There are so many sites out there that are surrounded by walking trails, wildlife parks and forests that should be taken full advantage of. What is the worst that can happen? You become more healthy and see more of the world? Win win in my book.

No matter where you are during your holiday time you should be able to find bike trails, canoeing locations or even the mountain walks all of which are good fun and great for your well being.

One activity I am desperate to try, once the weather warms up, is some river system canoeing. I dabbled last year during the heatwave when I stayed at a CL site in Catley Cross and really cannot wait to try it again.

Pick 5 New Sites To Visit In 5 New Locations

As I said I am a bit of a creature of habit so to break my biggest trend I have set myself the target of visiting 5 new locations and staying at 5 new sites that I have never stayed in before.

As of yet I have not picked the 5 locations but I do have a rough idea of what areas I want to visit. Scotland being at the very top of the list and Wales coming in at a close second, it’s the next 3 I am struggling to choose.

The amount of variety out there is astonishing, almost too much to choose from. One idea I had was to use a compass type idea: Somewhere north (Scotland), Somewhere East, Somewhere South, Somewhere West (Wales) and finally somewhere bang in the middle. This is a lot easier said than done that’s for sure.

It is just finding the ideal site with enough near it to keep me and the family active while we are away. This way I get to tick 3 of my resolutions in 1 trip, smart thinking if I do say so myself.

Try A Different Outdoor Holiday

Being in the warm comfort of a caravan with your feet up and a nice cup of tea is what I tend to think about on a daily basis. But what else can be done with your holiday time?

Last year I did push the boat out a little bit by trying some glamping, yes it was still inside an Airstream caravan but it still counts. One thing I am keen to try is some wild off grid camping!

A lot of people opt to camp onsite where there are set pitches, washing facilities and a toilet block. I have done this but I want to challenge myself and see how well I can cope and channel my inner Ray Mers out in the wilds of the UK.

Camping in the wild is a totally different kettle of fish to your normal on site tent holidays. No gas, running water, electricity or heating. Just you, a tent and whatever kit you have packed in the back pack.

One of the main reasons for wanting to try this is to see just how easy, or hard, making a fire from scratch is. You see the experts like Bear Grylls set up a fire in seconds but those shows are edited to make it look super simple. I was given a fire lighting set for Christmas that came with some cotton wool, a magnesium flint striking stick, oh and a whistle?

Now I have set myself the challenge of cooking dinner on a fire I made from scratch with my own two hands. So there’s a new holiday with some new experiences which I am sure I will regret as soon as I have to wait for my fire making skills to kick in before I can have my tea or coffee.

What new challenges are you setting yourself this year? New van? New holiday? Let us know what you’re most excited for this holiday season.

Happy New Year To All Our Readers

Posted by

By William Coleman

2017 was an amazing year for myself, CaravanTimes, the industry and more importantly for our readers. So I just wanted to extend another thank you and show you some of our 2017 highlights.

I became the new editor for CaravanTimes back in September and I have fallen back in love with the industry all over again. Not that I had lost any passion but it certainly reignited the flame and certainly refreshed how I look at taking my holidays.

Since joining CaravanTimes I have had the opportunity to go behind the scenes of the industry and see what goes into providing the masses with such high quality touring homes, sites, parks and attraction across the UK.

I feel that, given the success of 2017, that 2018 is going to be a monumental year for all of us. I am personally looking forwards to the up and coming caravan and motorhome shows as well as what the industry has in store for us all.

So take a look at my 2017 highlights as we head into 2018 with a lot of momentum.

My First Article As Editor

My first day on the job and I was delighted that I had joined just ahead of the NEC Caravan & Motorhome show. So I had a look round and saw that the industry was booming so decided that that was the best way to start, NCC Figures Industry Boom Figures

Mercedes Marco Polo Review

If you are in the market for a brand new touring homes that will double up as your day to day vehicle then look no further than the Mercedes Marco Polo. I think they have done a great job with this convert, it does have some points that people may find a tad annoying and there is a lot of tech inside that may be a bit daunting. Mercedes Marco Polo Review

Meeting Camplify And Talking To Its Founder

This is going to be the next big thing when it comes to booking your holidays. Being dubbed as the “AirBnb” for touring holidays, Camplify are providing rental options to masses. If you want to go to Glastonbury in style then check these guys out and rent yourself a motorhome for the weekend. The highlight for me is their converted fire truck! Camplify Interview

So these are just a little sample of what made 2017 so great for me. I hope your 2017 was as good as mine and with you good health and all the best for 2018.

The Auto-Trail 635 V-Line Teaser

Posted by

By William Coleman

CaravanTimes presenter extraordinaire is back at it again. This time we send him out in the field with an AutoTrail V-Line Sport 635 with two extreme sporters Simon and Faye for a spot of wakesurfing at the New Forest Water Park.

Simon and Faye usually hitch up and tow a caravan when they go on their adventure. This time round they got a chance to use a motorhome. They were both very pleased and surprised with the ease of a motorhome. They were able to simply pull up to their destination, park their leisure vehicle and then get straight into their day’s activities.

The extreme sport duo show off their skill set on the water which leads to the brave Alessi taking up a board and diving in head first. By the end of it I think there was more water on our presenter than in the lake.

The Battle For A Very Squirrel Christmas

Posted by

By William Coleman

We have covered the ongoing war between the native Red Squirrel and the foreign Grey. As the coldest parts of winter are just a head of us, despite the recent frost, the humans are lending a helping hand to the Red to make sure they have a food filled winter.

Red squirrel feeding at an Ambleside holiday park has taken on a new urgency this winter as grey squirrels are finally being repelled from the 130-acre grounds.Skelwith Fold caravan park is now said to be the new frontline for pushing back an army of grey squirrels which has marched into many surrounding areas.

The family-owned park is working with the Westmorland Red Squirrels charity to help ensure that its colony of reds remains strong and able to resist the invaders.

The reds are being served up with special high-energy seed blend containing oil of anise which acts as a magnet for Britain’s much-loved native squirrels.

As well as its own feeding stations, Skelwith Fold staff are also replenishing the feeders which many holiday home owners have outside their holiday caravans.

According to business owner Henry Wild, the winter feeding programme has had to be stepped up this month following the early onset of freezing arctic conditions:

“When we first came to Skelwith Fold twenty years ago there was an abundance of red squirrels, but shortly afterwards the squirrel pox struck and wiped them out,” said Henry.

“About a decade later our efforts saw the return of a new colony, and every winter we try to ensure they have enough food to keep them strong until the following spring.

“We are helped by many of the holiday home owners who hang feeders out – but from November until March, the park is closed, so we ensure these are topped up.

“We also have regular visits from experts from Westmorland Red Squirrels who do a great job in helping us monitor how well the reds are surviving.

“The news so far is all positive, but we are conscious that grey squirrels carrying a virus which is deadly to reds are not far from our park gates. We’ve been told that our work to protect the red squirrels has helped to create a buffer zone, and we are all determined to ensure that this is the way it stays,” said Henry.

All employees are members of Skelwith Fold’s conservation team which has helped the park gain a number of prestigious environmental accolades over the years.

These include the 2017 David Bellamy Conservation Award presented at its top gold level to the Wild family for their many green initiatives over the past 20 years.

Also this year, Skelwith Fold was crowned as Lakeland’s top holiday park in the Cumbria Tourism Awards for which more than 100 parks in the county were eligible.

We all must do our bit to protect the british nature and its inhabitants, especially the perfect little Red Squirrel

Devon Park Fundraising Success

Posted by

William Coleman

Paignton’s Beverley Holiday park are receiving high praise for their recent charity work which has seen them crowned as charity champions. The park have raised over £7,500 for good causes over 2017.

The company have used a wide range of fun activities to raise more than just money for all of those who took part in the fund raising. Both guests and staff as the park raised both cash and smiles o the journey to help charities.

The charity total will be split between the park’s chosen charities which include Macmillan Cancer Support, Cancer Research UK, the Marfan Trust, and Ovarian Cancer Action.

Receptionists, entertainers and other members of the holiday park’s award-winning team all took part in a series of imaginative money-raising initiatives. First up in February was a brain-teaser challenge in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support which saw contestants test their knowledge in the world’s largest simultaneous quiz.

In June, Beverley Holidays set tails wagging with its “Bring Your Dog To Work Day” when staff were joined by their canine companions to support two top animal welfare charities. This year also saw Beverley Holidays director Katy Lamsin limber up for the 2017 Virgin Money London Marathon, raising £4,184 for Cancer Research UK in the gruelling long-distance run.

Beverley Holidays has also lent its support to Brixham’s Mike Gibbons by acting as his official accommodation provider as he trains for the 2018 Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge.

But the icing on the holiday park’s charitable cake was its Big Beverley Cake-off in September which raised cash as part of the annual Macmillan’s World’s Biggest Coffee Morning.

Beverley Holidays director Claire Flower said: “We would like to say a huge thank-you to everyone who has dug deep in their pockets to help us support our chosen charities in 2017.

This brilliant charity total wouldn’t have been possible without the kind generosity of our staff team and guests alike,” she added.

Set in the heart of the English Riviera, Beverley Holidays is a family run group of holiday parks offering boutique holiday caravans, luxury lodges, and camping and touring, coupled with a wealth of facilities.

Exmoor Park Sees Out Year In Style

Posted by

William Coleman

A year of award celebrations at Exmoor’s Waterrow Touring Park has come to a golden conclusion for its family owners with the scooping of a major tourism honour.

The business, based in Wiveliscombe, has been named as the overall gold winner in the camping and caravanning category of the 2017 Bristol, Bath and Somerset Tourism Awards. Judges announced their decision at a glittering awards ceremony in November at Somerset County Cricket Club, attended by senior tourism figures from throughout the region.

Waterrow will now be fast-tracked into the finals of the South West Tourism Excellence Awards in February – and could even compete in the national VisitEngland finals later next year. November’s accolade crowns a year of prestigious award successes for Lynette and Jamie Cook who, with Jamie’s parents, are Waterrow’s owners.

The husband-and-wife team quit their successful careers in IT and customer services five years ago to take on the tranquil picture-postcard park on the fringes of Exmoor.

As keen caravanners themselves, the couple saw Waterrow as a chance to create the type of ideal surroundings which they sought out for their own holiday breaks. They have put a special emphasis on caring for the park’s natural environment – and earlier this year were named as winners of the David Bellamy Conservation Award at its top gold level.

A raft of wildlife-friendly features at Waterrow help attract otters, deer, owls and many other bird species – plus butterflies and honey bees drawn to the pollen-rich wild flowers in the grounds.

The year continued to glisten for the family after they learned that the AA had awarded Waterrow its maximum gold five-pennant award for the quality of its facilities.

In addition, the park maintained its top five-star status with VisitEngland, and was presented with a Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor for its consistently glowing reviews.

The abundance of awards, said Lynette, was very humbling for the family – but also a great spur to raising the bar even higher in the future:

“We are especially delighted that an important component of all these awards is how well customers are looked after, and the quality of hospitality and service that is provided,” she said.

“As caravanners ourselves, we know what a difference it can make when you stay on a park with an especially welcoming and friendly atmosphere.

“That’s what we’ve tried to maintain at Waterrow, as well as making the natural environment a perfect match to these beautiful surroundings,” added Lynette.

Waterrow Touring Park is a member of the Best of British group of high quality independently-owned parks, and there is more information on its website at www.waterrowpark.co.uk

Caravan Guard Christmas Cancer Charity Win

Posted by

By Willliam Coleman

There are a lot of amazing charities out there but I feel that a cancer charity is something that a large portion in the UK can relate to. They say 1 in 3 people are some point will be affected by this terrible disease. So to hear that Caravan Guard have delivered an outstanding result in their latest charity effort really does bring a smile to my face.

The leisure insurance specialist have donated a whopping £58,000 to the Yorkshire Cancer Centre to help them reach their year’s target of £1,000,000. Now that this target has been reached the Yorkshire Cancer Centre can buy a new state of the art MRI Simulator. That to me is the definition of ‘the season of giving’.

The MRI Sim is not a cheap piece of kit at a tremendous £2.4 million. The machine will transform radiotherapy services for around 7,000 patients who undergo treatment each year at the Leeds Cancer Centre, where the machine is located.

It will allow doctors to help identify and define the areas of the body that need treatment, as well as areas that need to be avoided, in a much great visual quality. This makes the treatment and the saving of lives and lot easier. Last year Caravan Guard also gave £68,000 to the centre to help fund their pioneering NanoKnife treatment. Caravan Guard are clearly as interested people as they are your leisure vehicles.

Peter Wilby, Chairman of Caravan Guard and its sister company Wilby Ltd, was approached by the centre’s fundraisers and said the family were more than happy to offer financial support to the centre. Peter’s son and Managing Director of Caravan Guard, Ryan, said they were very proud to support such a worthy and life-saving cause. “Having met both patients and clinicians at the centre last year, we know how important appeals like this are to continue to provide life-saving treatment for cancer patients,” said Ryan.

“Care completely is one of our company values and this extends beyond our colleagues, customers and partners to very deserving charitable causes like this one.”

David Welch, Chief Executive of the Leeds Hospital Charitable Foundation, was delighted once again to receive the extremely generous donation from Caravan Guard, which meant they had reached their £1million fundraising target before Christmas 2017.

“The MRi Simulator is an immensely important piece of equipment for the Leeds Cancer Centre and reaching this milestone means we’re one huge step closer to reaching our total,” he added.

If you are in a position to give something back then it is always good to do so. Caravan Guard are really showing what companies can do to give back. Well done guys, an amazing effort for an extremely worthwhile cause.

No Comments

filed under: News