The Camping and Caravanning Club and GO Outdoors join forces to offer discount

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by Jessica Almeida

Existing GO Outdoors members may enjoy exclusive offer on equipment

The Camping and Caravanning Club has joined forces with leading camping equipment retailer, GO Outdoors. The two are offering Club members an extra ten per cent discount and providing savings for GO Outdoors customers on Club Sites.

The new partnership will allow both Club and GO Outdoors members who have an existing GO Outdoors discount card – available for £5 – to take advantage of both in-store and online offers.

Perks include five nights’ camping for the price of three throughout UK Club Sites, regardless of whether you’re a Club member or not.

Also, with every purchase made online and at Go Outdoors’ Southampton store, customers will receive a copy of the Club’s Free Sites Guide until the end of September.

GO Outdoors, which was established in 1969 as the Camping and Caravan Centre, focuses on supplying trailer tents and quality camping furniture, although it expanded its offerings to include camping equipment such as barbecues in the eighties.

With over 53 GO Outdoors stores around Britain working in conjunction with The Camping and Caravanning Club’s 109 parks throughout the UK, it seems as though this partnership should grow from strength to strength.

Chief executive of GO Outdoors, Chris Matthews, expressed his excitement about the new partnership with the Club, saying: “Encouraging people to spend more time exploring the outdoors is at the heart of what we [GO Outdoors] do.”

Camping and Caravanning Club director, Robert Louden MBE, said: “The Club represents more than 500,000 campers, caravanners and motor caravanners.

“We look forward to welcoming GO Outdoors’ customers onto our Club site after purchasing their first tent,” Louden added.

Don’t miss out on this exclusive offer and start shopping today.

The Caravan Extravaganza Weekend is coming to you this September

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Ellie Pritchard

Caravan Extravaganza Weekend dates have been released

Caravan season shows no sign of slowing down, and looks set to continue well into the autumn with the announcement of this year’s Caravan Extravaganza Weekend, set for 5 and 6 of September.

The Extravaganza, which takes place in Cottingham, near Hull, will provide the most eager of caravanners amongst us with a fresh look at the forthcoming season’s models courtesy of caravan manufacturers including Lunar, Elddis and Swift and also looks set to feature fun for all the family with a fun fair, food stalls and lots more.

The Caravan Club, The Camping and Caravanning Club and The Yorkshire Friends Ralliers will also be in attendance.

Determined to make it an entertaining weekend, other attractions include face painting, live music and loads more entertainment for the kids.

Seemingly not wanting to leave any stone unturned, dogs are welcome too, so why not bring the whole family along – even the four-legged members?

Tickets retail at £3 per person, or £7 per family.

Caravanners beware: roads are slippery when wet

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by Megan Henderson

Caravan crash caused by wet roads

Last week we here at CaravanTimes baked in the summer heat, but the wet weather is slowly making its return, and causing problems for UK drivers.

Adverse weather conditions saw the A11 come to a standstill, with three vehicles crashing, one of which was towing a caravan at the Thickthorn Roundabout in Cringleford. Norfolk Police have warned all motorists to drive cautiously as light drizzles were making the roads quite slippery.

One person from the three-vehicle crash had to be freed by fire crews using rescue equipment, attending from local Earlham, Carrow and Hethersett districts.

“Because it has been so warm the road has been oily. As soon as we get a bit of drizzle the roads become very slippery,” police said.

We want to ensure all of our CaravanTimes readers drive carefully while taking holidays. The wet roads could mean slipping and snaking caravans, which can not only endanger your life, but those of many motorists.

As previously reported by CaravanTimes a ‘failure to look properly’ causes most road accidents; paired with slippery roads and heavy caravans, the change in weather could cause a hazard for drivers.

Have you won a CoPilot Truck sat nav app?

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by Joe Jeffrey

Read on to find out if you’re one of the lucky five that will navigating to your next holiday in no time with a CoPilot Truck sat nav app

A few weeks ago, we ran a competition giving five lucky CaravanTimes members the chance to win a CoPilot Truck sat nav app worth £119.99 each – the ideal solution when it comes to hitting the road in your caravan or motorhome.

A high-performance sat nav app for smartphones and tablets, designed specifically for drivers of larger vehicles such including caravans and motorhomes, CoPilot Truck is the sat nav app relied upon by many of the world’s leading commercial fleets, providing safe and reliable navigation instructions by calculating routes that avoid height and width-restricted roads based on the size of vehicle being driven.

CoPilot’s premium-quality offline street maps of the UK and Continental Europe are stored on-board your mobile device for dependable guidance at home or abroad regardless of mobile network coverage and without incurring data roaming charges.

In addition to avoiding restricted roads, CoPilot Truck is packed with features to better meet the sat nav needs of caravan and motorhome drivers. By default, the app will favour roads more suited to larger vehicles and avoid U-turns where possible. A powerful multi-stop trip planner makes it easy to plan complex long-distance itineraries in advance, while CoPilot ActiveRoutes uses a database of actual road speeds to calculate the fastest route to take.

All you needed to do to be in with a chance of winning was to like our Facebook page and provide us with your details and the results are in. The five lucky winners are:

Pete Mcerlean
Emma Power
Kane O’Rourke
Gareth Dixon
Roy Rivette

Congratulations winners! We’ll be in touch soon.

Don’t despair if you didn’t win this time round. Why not try to win a £150 Halfords voucher in our latest competition here?

Competition to win a Compass Corona winners announced

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by Ellie Pritchard

Mr and Mrs Burge, of West Yorkshire, win brand spanking new Compass Corona caravan in conjunction with Spinney Motorhomes and Caravans’ 40th anniversary celebrations

The winners of a national competition to win a brand new Compass Corona, as reported here on CaravanTimes have been announced.

The competition, held in conjunction with Spinney Motorhomes and Caravans‘ 40th anniversary in addition to the company’s growing Compass franchise, has lead to one lucky West Yorkshire couple taking home the prize.

The winners of the competition, which was launched at Manchester’s EventCity show earlier this year, Mr and Mrs Burge, were selected at random by Elddis’ managing director, Rob Quine, and Spinney’s Ben Holland at the Midland Motorhome Show which took place between 26 – 28 June. The keys will be handed over to Mr and Mrs Burge at Spinney’s official 40th Anniversary Rally between 31 July – 2 August.

All of us here at CaravanTimes send our congratulations to the lucky couple. And, if you’re reading this, why not join our forums here to find out how you can make the most of your new home on wheels!

Holiday park with incomparable views of the Orwell/Stour estuary up for sale

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by Jessica Almeida

Shotley Caravan Park is being auctioned off for

One of Suffolk’s best kept secrets among caravanners is about to go under the hammer after being placed up for sale by its current owners.

Located in Ipswich, 8.5-acre Shotley Caravan Park is up for sale with an asking price of between £200,000 and £250,000.

The park, described as a “private affair” offers “unrivalled and uninterrupted” views of the Orwell/Stour river and has been described by its current owners as a retreat for only tourists “in the know”.

Opened in the 1970s, the park is pretty much Shotley’s best-kept-secret, offering ten seasonal pitches with hardstands, power and water and 15 touring pitches that have electric couple-up facilities.

Incorporated in the sale, which takes place on 22 July, is a static caravan on the site that includes two bedrooms and central heating.

Auctioneer Tim Golding, of Goldings Auctions believes that there are other possibilities that this site could be used for.

How will the new 2015 budget affect caravanners?

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by Ellie Pritchard

CaravanTimes breaks down how the new summer budget will affect towing your caravan

Chancellor George Osborne’s new summer budget has caused a stir amongst many. If you’ve been wondering how the new budget will affect your motoring, CaravanTimes has got it sussed for you.

First up, we hope you’re going to make the most of your summer caravan holiday this year, because motor insurance looks like it’s going to be raised this November. The Chancellor has raised car insurance premiums by 3.5 per cent (from 6 per cent to 9.5 per cent), which has come as a shock to many UK road users.

During his summer budget speech, Osborne also stated that the UK’s road networks are ranked below Puerto Rico and Namibia in terms of quality. He went on to claim that “every single penny raised in Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) in England” will go into a new Roads Fund that he is set to start up. How true to his word he will be remains to be seen.

Osborne also claimed during his speech that the current system whereby many new cars with low carbon emission are exempt from Vehicle Excise Duty is not sustainable. Beginning in 2017, and exclusively to new brand new cars, VED bands will be introduced.

The Chancellor spoke of the new arrangement, saying: “The duty in the first year will be set according to emissions, like today, but updated for new technology.

“Thereafter there will be three duty bands – zero emission, standard and premium.

“For standard cars – that covers 95 per cent of all cars sold in the UK – the charge will be £140 a year. That’s less than the average £166 that motorists pay today.

“There will be no change to VED for existing cars – no one will pay more in tax than they do today for the car they already own.”

So, in short, you won’t have to pay a different VED charge until you purchase a new car. There are also plans in place to extend the deadline for MOTs on new cars and motorbikes. The current deadline is three years, but the government is looking to extend it to four, which could save motorists over £100m per year. March, 2017, will also see a freeze of duty.

What do you think of the budget announcements? Do you think the decisions made will have a detrimental effect on caravanners?

David Bellamy Conservation Awards recognises parks as `good neighbours`

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by Jessica Almeida

Rufus Bellamy excited to announce this year’s award-winning parks

Hundreds of holiday and residential parks who reach out to their local communities will be recognised during this year’s David Bellamy Conservation Awards, it has been announced.

Assessments for the 2015 accolade winners are now coming in and scheme organiser Rufus Bellamy is excited to celebrate parks acting as “good neighbours”.

According to Bellamy, son of famed environmental campaigner, David Bellamy, early assessor’s feedback has demonstrated a bunch of initiatives introduced by many caravan parks are now making a huge difference to many people’s’ lives across the UK.

These initiatives include parks opening up their grounds for school nature projects and wildlife discovery walks, to those organising projects such as litter picking and beach clean-up operations. In addition parks are becoming more involved in local sports and arts organisations, and are also introducing life theatre and musical performances in their grounds.

According to Bellamy junior, charity fundraising is where he believes most parks excel. Often located throughout the UK, the many fundraisers seen across the year provide a huge boost to many good causes that are often locally based. This is where parks have proven themselves to be particularly enterprising, with business owners and staff taking part in a host of different sponsored events, including
bike rides, marathons and tough Royal Marine assault courses to name a few.

Award-winning manager of Beverly Holidays, Nicola Furneaux, and manager, Katy Lamsin, of Whitehill Country Park, both took on the Royal Marines 10k Commando Challenge and raised almost £700.00 for Devon Air Ambulance.

Parks also do other charitable things too, with one park donating abandoned tents by guests to a charity working in Africa, whilst another provides free holidays to disadvantaged families for every 100th booking it receives.

Bellamy said: “The David Bellamy Conservation Award Scheme does, of course, put a major emphasis on how parks work to protect their natural environment.”

This year, Bellamy said that assessors have unveiled many great new initiatives, which willl be used to show just how many ways there are for parks to reach out.

In September, the names of the 500-plus expected to receive a David Bellamy Conservation Award this year at gold, silver and bronze levels will be announced.

Leisure vehicle company fined for risking lives

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Ellie Pritchard

Campervan company left leisure vehicle users at “great risk”

A campervan conversion company from Caerphilly in South Wales, with a portfolio of famous clients including Guy Ritchie and Madonna, has been left with a fine of £2,500 after a customer was left at “great risk” over failure to oversee essential safety measures during the refurbishment of a campervan.
Dayne Bartlett, 46, and Robert Kerr, 49, of campervan conversion company, Touch of Class Upholstery, both appeared before Newport Magistrates’ Court on Friday charged with producing an unsafe product.

The case was brought to the attention of the court on behalf of trading standards for Caerphilly County Borough Council under the General Product Safety Regulations. Co-owner of the company, Bartlett, and Kerr, a sub-contract gas engineer, who both stood unrepresented in court, pleaded not guilty to the offence.
The customer in question, Michael Broad, initially paid for the refurbishment to the interior of his campervan in December 2013, paying £7,000 for work to be carried out, involving the installation of a gas cooker, bed and seat belts.

Following noticing an electrical wire hanging out of the television, and when shelves began falling down on his first overnight trip in the vehicle amongst a number of other problems, trading standards subsequently found that there were as many as seven “at risk” threats, including issues with the gas insulation owing to an insecure gas cylinder.
Upon providing evidence to the court, Broad explained: “I was quite upset and I went on to complain to trading standards.The gas safety engineer then carried out an inspection and put a do not use sticker on the cooker.

“The motor inspector said that the seatbelts for the bed should have been bolted to the floor rather than screwed onto plywood.
“It failed its MOT test as a result,” he continued.

Expert vehicle examiner, Gareth Rees, carried out an examination of the camper van, and added: “The seatbelt was poorly secured with a self-tapping bolt and it hadn’t been fitted onto the metal structure of the vehicle.

“The user was put at great risk. It was unsafe and dangerous.”

When questioned, Bartlett remained adamant that Kerr was a fully qualified professional. He said: “We’ve pimped Madonna’s ride and worked with Guy Ritchie. We’re not a fly by night company.
“He [Kerr] was on a code of practice course and as long as he’s qualified, that’s all I can give the customer.”

When summing up the case, magistrates chairman Robert Evans explained: “The seatbelt anchorage was insecure and dangerous.
“The installations were unsafe for use.”

Bartlett was fined £900 and also had to pay costs to the sum of £1,950.85, along with a victim surcharge of £45. Kerr was fined the lesser penalty of £450 and had to pay costs of £975, along with a victim surcharge of £45.

What do you think of this fine? Do you think Touch of Class Upholstery got off lightly considering the risk their work presented?

The Caravan Club details best caravan sites for golf during St. Andrews 144th Open Golf Championship

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by Jessica Almeida

The Caravan Club offers caravanners the opportunity to get in on some golfing action to coincide with the 144th Open Championship at St. Andrews

With golf fever ready to grip the nation owing to the arrival of the 144th Open Championship, which is set to return to St. Andrews in Scotland this month (13 – 19 July), many of us will be polishing our clubs, ready to make the most of perfect golfing weather across the UK. And now, The Caravan Club has compiled a list of its top caravan sites that are located near golf courses across the country to get their swing on over 18 holes.

Top sites for testing out your golf skills include:

Balbrirnie Park Caravan Club site, Fife

Balburnie Park
Balburnie Park in Fife is only a 30 minute drive to the course, the surrounding area offers traditional Scottish pubs and a café, which are great for relaxing after showing off your talent on the green. With 30 golf courses in Fife, golf fanatics have plenty of courses to choose from, including the notorious Royal and Ancient at St. Andrew. With an exciting week full of events, St. Andrew promises a great affair you do not want to miss. Prices for a caravan pitch start from £6.10 per pitch, plus £5.50 per adult and £1.30 per child for members. Camping is also available from just £5.00 per pitch, plus per person fees.

Incleboro Fields Caravan Club site, Norfolk

Set on a scenic a hillside with views across the county, Incleboro Fields is located near the town of West Runton – known for its traditional tea rooms and beaches. Located just one mile from the Links Country Park golf club, which has a nine-hole course and exclusive offers for Caravan Club member staying on the site, it is perfect for any golf enthusiast. Prices start at £7.00 per caravan pitch, plus £6.30 per adult and £2.00 per child for members.

Yellowcraig Caravan Club site, East Lothian

A great choice for an active family vacation, Yellowcraig Caravan Club contains 19 golf courses, including Dirleton Links golf club, already adored by many of the big faces of professional golf. For your convenience, the site also provides access to John Muir Way, the coast-to-coast walking path that stretches across Scotland. Water-skiing, sailing and windsurfing are also provided on the site, which is also ideal for relaxing after a day embracing nature. The Castle Inn nearby, meanwhile, offers a bar and bistro if you’re feeling thirsty or peckish. At Yellowcraig Caravan Club Site, a pitch starts from £7.90 per pitch, plus £7.20 per adult and £2.80 per child for members.

Cheddar Caravan Club site, Somerset

Positioned on the edge of the famous cheesemaking village of Cheddar, The Cheddar Caravan Club Site, offers access to many sporting activities including golf, cycling and watersports. Perfect for those wanting to relax after a full day of activities, the site is a short walk away from local pubs. Closeby, the Isle of Wedmore golf club boasts an 18 hole course with panoramic views of the Mendip Hills and is located five miles south of the village. At Cheddar Caravan Club Site a pitch starts from £7.20, plus £6.80 per adult and £2.00 per child for members.

Lydford Caravan and Camping park, Devon

More convenient, Lydford Caravan and Camping Park is located near two golf clubs. Firstly, Tavistock Golf Club offers a great way to challenge golfers of all abilities, whilst Okehampton Golf Club, located in Dartmoor National Park, is just a short distance drive away. Along with great golf courses, other activities include the option of visiting the famous Lydford Gorge, walking and cycling routes, as well as a number of National Trust properties. A price per caravan pitch is £6.90, plus £6.20 per adult and £2.90 per child for members. Also available is camping from just £3.60 per pitch, plus per person fees.

For more information and details on how to join the Caravan Club, www.caravanclub.co.uk.

Man transforms his caravan into a photography darkroom studio

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By Josh Budd

Amateur wet plate collodion photographer Paul Alsop converted his caravan into a homemade studio

A photographer who acquired a vintage 1970s caravan has transformed it into the headquarters of a new wet plate photography darkroom.

Paul Alsop, originally from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, but now calling the Bay of Plenty in New Zealand home has taken the step of transforming the caravan into a fully-functioning darkroom having previously used his own garage to create his wet plate compositions.

Following moving into rented accommodation, Paul could no longer treat his lodgings as he liked and consequently faced having to shut down his hot-plate operations. Until, that was, a short few months later he became the proud owner of a vintage 1970 caravan, which he repurposed in order to continue his photographic endeavors.

Being new to caravanning, and having no previous hands-on experience with caravan maintenance, Paul got to work. Obtaining materials for wet plate photography, however, proves especially tricky within the confines of New Zealand, so Paul had to improvise.

He said: “I had a rough plan in my head where things would go, but over the duration of the build it ‘evolved’ as I found things in demolition suppliers or thrift stores. The first find was a dual stainless steel sink, which was marked ‘$350’ in a demolition warehouse.

“I said to the guy, ‘will you take sixty?’ and to my amazement he said yes! The twin skin was a perfect idea and a perfect fit into the space I had created while ripping out the old 1970s interior.”

Turning to the caravan’s plumbing and power issues, Paul hired professional help from an electrician and a plumber, after strong recommendations that 240V of electricity are not to be trifled with by inexperienced hands.

After three weeks of hard work, minor set-backs and making it up as he went along, Paul learned new skills in his caravan renovation project.

Building his own 11 x 11 camera from mahogany and brass, Paul also has to source his own chemicals, venturing to garden centers in order to source hard-to-come-by ferrous sulphate, commonly used as a moss controller.

The hard work has paid off, and the adopted New-Zealander is now able to stand back and behold the fruit of his labours.

We must agree, the caravan looks great inside and out. But, it is only when the house lights are switched off, that the studio caravan can be beheld in its true glory, as the LED safe lights illuminate the caravan with a mysterious crimson aura.

Paul has certainly found his new headquarters for future projects within the luminous walls of his caravan. With his own personalised, treated space, and a studio that is fully portable, Paul is able to again pursue his photographic passions.

If you are interested in viewing some of Paul Alsop’s photographic works, check out his website here.

Innerwick caravan park sees fire ravage grounds

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by Megan Henderson

Holidayers escape injury during caravan park blaze

Almost 40 firefighters were called to a fire at Thurston Manor Leisure Park in East Lothian, Scotland, last night.

The blaze, which broke out just before 9pm and is said to have been caused by an electrical fault, took emergency services attending the scene approximately six hours to halt.

Bev Dixon, operations director of Verdant Leisure told CaravanTimes: “We can confirm that the fire, which started in a small cupboard and was contained within the non-public area of the function suite, was caused by an electrical fault.

“No one was hurt and damage to the building is minimal. However, the health and safety of our customers is of paramount importance and electricity in the building will remain switched off for the next 48 hours until all safety checks have been undertaken.

“We aim to re-open facilities to the public on Friday. We would like to extend our thanks to the emergency services for their prompt response and professionalism in dealing with the incident.”

Thurston Manor Leisure Park is set on 175 acres of Scotland’s beautiful countryside. The park features a heated swimming pool, a restaurant, arcade games, a gym, sauna, and solarium. The park also has two different walking paths through the park and a lake stocked with rainbow trout that visitors may fish in.