by Justine Iorga
Kip Shelter makes its way to UK just in time for caravan season
Dutch caravan manufacturer, Kip Caravans is coming to the UK just in time for summer, courtesy of the Kip pop-top Shelter range.
Based in Hoogeveen, in the Netherlands, Kip has been a forerunner in innovation within the caravan market for over 80 years and have certainly made a name for themselves, especially on the European continent. And now, having introduced the Shelter model to countries including China, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, Israel and Germany in 2012, the company has finally decided to open up the market to the UK care of a distribution deal with Hercberg International.
If it’s customisation you’re looking for in a compact caravan, the pop-top Shelter just might be for you. Coming in 99 different colours, the range even offers the option to design and customise it to your needs, making this quirky little number appropriate for a number of uses, owing to the crossover design encompassing the comfort of a caravan with the outdoor feeling of a tent.
The Shelter has a maximum laden mass of 750kg (which can be increased to 900 kg) and an empty weight of 595 kg. With this low weight and a width of only 1.85 meters, it can be parked easily on the drive and towed by almost any car with a tow bar, also making it ideal for a number of uses.
UK distributor, Hercberg International, hopes to appoint a small handful of UK dealers for the Shelter throughout the UK.
Mike Lake, Sales Director for Hercberg International, said: “The Shelter is a product without comparison in the UK at this moment. It offers a crossover between the comfort of a caravan and the outdoor feeling of a tent. It therefore is an ideal product to add to our product portfolio.
“Together with our knowledge of the UK market and the quality that Kip Caravan offers, I think that the Shelter will be a success among the British camper. This quirky and hip model is also good for the market in general and can attract new and young customers to experiencing camping”.
As for the target audience the Kip Shelter is intended for, Kip Export Manager, Ivar van der Leij, explained: “Tent and folding caravan campers who would like to have a bit more comfort, but do not want to camp in a ‘white box’ caravan, are the main target group. The Shelter offers them that little bit of extra comfort, while it keeps giving them that outdoor tent feeling. Especially when combined with the specially designed awning, the Shelter is a perfect camping accommodation.”
If you’re looking for a new caravan with a difference, the compact and quirky Shelter model may just be the one for you. For more information, click here. The starting price for the basic model is £8,995.
What do you think? Is this something you could see trading your caravan in for?
Swift launches the Swift Experience
Swift Group launches new initiative to report on the experiences of fellow outdoor explorers
UK leisure vehicle manufacturer, Swift , has launched a new initiative to provide caravanners, motorhomers and outdoor enthusiasts with up-to-date, real life documented experiences of enthusiastic caravanners.
The Swift Group has teamed up with expert individuals to promote the new venture, including keen caravanner Lee Davey, motorhome enthusiast David Hurst and extreme sportsman Neil Greentree, all of whom will be joining Swift to impart advice, hints and tips and lots more with the aim to expland and enhance people’s touring experiences.
Lee Davey and the Davey family, who have previously been featured in CaravanTimes before, enjoy focusing on family time whilst exploring all the great outdoors has to offer in their Sprite tourer, with their choice of caravan enabling them to see the sights across the UK and throughout Europe at their own pace. Dad, Lee, said “As it’s such a flexible way of getting away, our Sprite fits-in with whatever we want to do whether it’s action-packed, sit back & relax or hopping from one country to another. I’m thrilled to be asked to be a Swift ambassador and look forward to imparting my knowledge and experience.”
Meanwhile, David Hurst and his family like to use their Swift Escape 696 motorhome to get away during the year. Following purchasing their motorhome in 2014, the Hursts began the Face2Facebook project where, with every person they visit on their travels, they donate £2 to a cancer charity.
2015 has seen the Hursts embark on their latest exciting adventure, ‘Education by Astonishment’, in which they have taken the decision to remove their eldest son from school whilst sticking to a home schooling regime. They donate to UNICEF for every astonishing person, place or thing they set out to see. This incorporates the valuable life lesson that thinking of and giving to others is the best way of happy living.
Owner and boss of UK Windsurf Race and Demo Team QSW, Neil Greentree, has a passion the outdoors and getting as much out of life as possible making him a great choice to test and write about the Swift Group products in extreme conditions.
Neil said: “I grew up with caravans and motorhomes and they have always been the most natural and organic way to travel and holiday. My experience in Freecamping (due to the location of sailing spots I sail) meant teaming up with Swift was a perfect vocation for me. To now be able to test and advise Swift with what works and what doesn’t ‘out in the field’ just seems the right thing to do.”
Swift’s Group Commercial Director Nick Page said of Swift’s new intiative: “Our ambassadors demonstrate very different ways of enjoying the freedom a leisure vehicle can provide whether that is visiting foreign countries, education, sport, health or just having fun. The Swift Experience not only allows you to follow the lives of families with a passion for enjoying the freedom the tourer and motorhome lifestyle can offer, but we also hope to encourage more people to explore and appreciate the outdoors.”
What do you think of this new venture? Let us know in the comments below why you started touring in your leisure vehicle – we’d love to read why.
Why you should never overtake when towing your caravan
Dash cam catches the horrifying moment an overtaking manoeuvre goes wrong
The shocking moment a driver towing a caravan attempts to overtake a slow-moving vehicle and loses control has been caught on camera.
The stupid driver, and – we’re ashamed to say – caravanner, was attempting to get in front of a lorry on the A39 between Street and Glastonbury in Somerset, but seemed to have run out of space following two lanes merging into one.
The video shows the back of the caravan hitting a road sign as the driver of the car loses control and swerves into the road.
The caravan was completely destroyed, leaving debris scattered up and down the road near Wirral Park roundabout in Glastonbury.
The road was subsequently closed following the crash but, CaravanTimes is pleased to report nobody was hurt in the accident caused by the irresponsible driver’s actions.
Be sure to see the footage below recorded from the lorry’s dash cam and let us know what you think? Would you consider overtaking a slow vehicle with your caravan?
Comedy show to be held in a caravan holiday home
Machynlleth Comedy Festival plans a gig in a caravan this May
This year’s Machynlleth Comedy Festival in Mid Wales is exploring a new and unusual venue for comedians attending the event, providing a whole new meaning to the term ‘comedy tour’.
Comedians will perform gigs in front of a small group of 20 audience members in a caravan holiday home at the award-winning dealership Salop Leisure on Sunday evening, 3 May in Machynlleth.
The idea for a stand-up gig in a caravan was first conjured up during a conversation between Paul Argyle, manager Salop Leisure’s Machynlleth sales centre, and the comedy festival’s operations manager Steve Pickup.
The festival has always had quirky venues for their gigs including a local resident’s shed and a local sweet shop and Pickup is always on the lookout for new venues and is very happy to use a caravan, saying: “A caravan holiday home seems tailor-made for a gig. There will be 20 tickets available for the show and the audience will be perched around the lounge area. It will be great.
“I don’t know if a comedy show has ever been held in caravan before but it’s certainly a first for the festival,” he continued.
Salop Leisure is more than happy to provide a venue for a show. “When I heard that the festival was looking for unusual venues to stage shows, a caravan holiday home seemed an obvious choice to me,” said Argyle.
Argyle also sees the event as an opportunity to make caravanning even more popular. “It’s a great way of introducing people to caravans and hopefully the show will encourage members of the audience and perhaps the comedians to buy one. We’re really looking forward to the show and the festival.”
Thousands of stand-up comedy fans head to Machynlleth over the Bank Holiday weekend each year, and this year there are as many as 160 shows lined up. With the unique style of hosting gigs, its no wonder people keep coming back.
“We’re passionate about the thrill of seeing live comedy in intimate places and the glorious, picturesque and enchanting town of Machynlleth gave us a wealth of interesting and unique performance spaces in which to do this,” says Pickup.
Passenger rights for ferry travel across Europe explained
Thinking of travelling with your caravan or motorhome via ferry this summer? Then make sure you know your rights
Summer is creeping around the corner, which means it’ll finally be time to bust out the caravan or motorhome and get ready for your holiday. And if you’re thinking about travelling through Europe to explore pastures new, then travelling by ferry will certainly be on the agenda. Before you set sail though, it might be handy to ensure you brush up on your rights as a passenger, and now – thanks to The Consumer Council – you can.
The Consumer Council has provided information on your rights as a passenger using the ferry for travel, from or within European Union countries.
Firstly, if your sailing is cancelled or delayed, your ferry company is required to inform you as soon as possible, and no later than 30 minutes after the scheduled departure time. It would be nice to think this is just common courtesy, but did you know this procedure wasn’t even a legal requirement before December 2012? Your ferry company is also obliged by law to provide you with new departure information and arrival times as soon as they are available, as well as being responsible for informing you about alternative travel connections should your delay cause further issues once you eventually reach your port of call.
If things begin to look slightly bleaker and your service is expected to be cancelled or delayed for more than 90 minutes beyond its scheduled departure time, the next step your ferry operator must take is to provide passengers with free snacks, meals and refreshments wherever available or can reasonably be supplied. You should also be given the opportunity to choose if you want to take another ferry at the earliest convenience or request a full refund. But unless you’ve got one of these, we’d pretty much say it would pay to stick around.
If the cancellation or delay of your sail results in an overnight stay then the ferry company is also obliged to provide you with free accommodation for up to three nights. You are also eligible to receive compensation for the inconvenience equal to 25 per cent of the ticket price if you are delayed for at least:
If the delay exceeds double the times set above, the compensation you will be eligible to receive will then be increased to 50 per cent of the ticket price. Keep in mind, though, that you aren’t entitled to any accommodation or compensation if weather or extraordinary conditions are the cause of delay or cancellation. But that’s what your trusty caravan or motorhome is for, right?!
For any more details, click here.
Have you ever experienced the worst when travelling by ferry? Let us know in the comments below.
Group raises funds for disabled children to go on holiday
by Justine Iorga
Facebook group plans to raise enough funds for custom caravan suitable for disabled children
A group called Sand, Sun, and Special Needs has recently set up a donation fund and a Facebook page in an effort to raise funds for disabled children so that they can have the opportunity to go on a holiday in a caravan with their families.
The Facebook-based group was set up by 37 year-old Skegness caravan cleaner and market stall holder Michael Ryan, who, along with other administrators of the page, launched the group because they all know the hardships that can come with having a disabled child. The goal is to have enough money to buy a caravan that is custom made with appliances like a wheel chair ramp for kids who are limited in their movements.
The group has only been up for a little over a month, but the feedback received has already been outstanding, with hundreds of members joining daily and already over £1,300 raised. The sum the group is aiming for is £25,000.
Even though it will require time before reaching the goal, the group has been receiving offers from caravan owners all over the country that are willingly giving up their holiday breaks so that these kids can enjoy some time away with their families using their vehicles.
The group also hopes to become a registered charity, but they currently lack of the requirement needed at the moment. The group explained their current status, saying: “We cannot register as a charity until we have reached £5,000. As we are not a registered charity, Inland Revenue will not currently have information on us. Once we have funds to register as a charity we will do, and by time reach the required funds for a van we will then be able to register it in the charities name. Therefore, the charity will own the caravan.”
This is a great thing these individuals are doing and what better way to get these families minds away from their daily lives then through a holiday in the caravan.
If you’d like to make a donation, click here.
Park Resorts seeks acquisitions following success in past few years
by Justine Iorga
Park resorts is seeking acquisitions after achieving great success
Domestic holiday operator Park Resorts is seeking acquisitions across the country as they invest approximately £20 million a year in improving and developing their 49 existing sites.
The release of the company’s 2014 results shows a 28 per cent jump in underlying earnings. rising from £45.3 million to £57.9 million, whilst revenues grew by 7.5 per cent to £230 million as the company handled more than one million holidaymakers throughout last year. Park Resorts said these figures were boosted through acquisitions over the past two years and by adding 2,000 extra pitches at its existing parks. Although Resorts’ biggest revenue gain is the rent obtained by the 16,700 caravan and lodge owners, followed by sales of caravans, holiday sales and retail, food and drink and other ancillary sales.
Park Resorts commented in a statement, saying: “These results clearly demonstrate that the financial restructuring, which was successfully completed in August 2013, has delivered the anticipated financial benefits and been a major catalyst for growth.”
Electra Partners, an independent private equity fund manager, has also helped the acquisition by teaming up with Park Resorts approximately two years ago. Since the partnership, Electra has backed two acquisitions worth about £45 million each at South Lakeland Parks, adding nine additional venues, as well as Eastern Parks, adding two much larger venues in Skegness and Hunstanton, Norfolk.
With growth looking so positive for Park Resorts and investments going well this can only mean good things. Chief executive David Boden commented on the future of the company, saying: “We will continue to innovate and upgrade our offer, ever striving to create amazing memories for owners and holidaymakers alike. Bookings are strong for 2015 and we look forward to another year of good progress.”
For more information on all of Park Resorts sites, click here.
The brilliant caravans released on 1 April
Have a look at some of the genius new caravan models released on April Fool’s Day
Hello fellow caravanners, as you all know yesterday was April Fool’s Day, and even though we hope that you weren’t tricked too badly on this joyous day, we must confess that over here at CaravanTimes we had a few chuckles at some of the caravan jokes that were being distributed throughout social media.
Although some of the jokes were insanely unrealistic, we have to admit that they were a bit clever. That’s why we thought to highlight some of the most brilliant caravan pranks we found to share them with you and have a laugh together.
We’ve listed the ideas from great to genius saving the best for last. Check out the list below.
Suzuki’s Ultimate Road Trip Caravan
CampingRoadTrip.com has helped us stumble upon Suzuki’s latest caravan model, and it couldn’t be any more amazing. Who wouldn’t want to buy this beauty? This ideal caravan would most likely be for those with big families or caravanners that like to take joint holidays with friends. Space is never an issue when you travel in this caravan, and you could probably not only fit your family but extended family as well.
Take a look, here
The Ultimate Treetop Paradise
Park Holidays UK just released their new treetop accommodation, and it has us embracing our inner childhood selves. This new take on caravanning is made for you to be one with nature while on your holiday. These new units are built in the trees, and they are ideal for those that have kids or know adults with the Peter Pan syndrome. Giving you a more adventurous take on caravanning, there’s no way you couldn’t try these unique caravans.
Take a look here, here
The Dubbel Range
Crowland Caravans and Camping are the first to introduce a double-decker caravan onto the market and, boy, is it a dream. This new range offers loads of space and gives you the feel of home combined with riding the famous red double-decker we are so used to transporting around in. The range comes equipped with a separate upstairs sleeping compartment, accessible from a collapsible ladder which pulls down into the dining area. And each range comes with its own stabilisers.
Take a look here, here
The ABI Triple Special
ABI Holiday Homes has introduced possibly the best upgrade to their caravans we’ve ever seen. Their motto is “Why have one floor when you can have three?” which is a great question. Why should we be limited by just one floor when we go on a holiday? These new caravan models are going to be the latest that ABI will bring to their parks. Giving you triple the amount of space than the normal holiday homes, we can bet that this will surely be nothing less than amazing.
Take a look here, here
The Clarkson Caravan
We have saved the best for last with Freedom to Go‘s newest Clarkson Caravan model. They have designed this custom edition model after the ever so lovely Jeremy Clarkson, and we’ve got to say that it’s pretty sweet. The caravan includes: satellite navigation with pre-programmed directions to job centres nationwide, abacus for counting to ten in times of rage, external roll cage to protect from being dropped from a great height, integrated oven and grill – perfect for cooking steak, and a 20 bottle wine and champagne chiller. Can you resist to such beauty?
Take a look here, here
You must admit that some of these caravans wouldn’t be half bad if they were really launched. We know there’s a few that we’d personally want to buy.
Let us know your thoughts and if you had any favourites in the comments below.
Caravanners on holiday with a difference
by Alice Scarsi
The Daveys are enjoying a caravan holiday without being distracted by the technology
The four members of the Davey family from Dorset are set to spend Easter break in Modbury, Devon, with their caravan. What makes these fellow caravanners special is the “screen-free” policy they decided to adopt during their trip.
For this family, being “screen-free” means banning the use of internet, phones, tablets, laptops and videogames while they are travelling aboard their Swift Sprite Major 6. Their peculiar journey started at the beginning of this year and is planned to be completed in Birmingham in October, after having spent summer holidays in France and Belgium.
The only times electronic devices are allowed are at the end of each screen-free break, when the family share the experience lived on social media for others to see and, hopefully, be convinced to do the same in their next holidays.
Without all the technological distractions that surround us in our everyday modern lives, the Daveys – a family of two parents and two children, Poppy, 12, and Charlie, 7 – enjoy outdoors activities, each other’s company and the beauties of the nature that surround them during their journey.
The “screen-free” European tour, that fully reflects the spirit of various campaign launched this year, such as Freedom to Go and Share the Outdoors, is backed by one of the UK’s largest caravan manufacturer, Swift Group and the Caravan Club.
The father of the family, Lee Davey, a freelance journalist, said: “We are very excited about this and the children are totally up for it. We wouldn’t try this for an ordinary weekend at home, though, because the caravan enables us to make the most of the time away from screens.
“We will visit new places, try new activities and make new friends. We are looking forward to telling other families about screen-free breaks at the campsites: what we learnt about ourselves and how much more enjoyable our free time is if we don’t isolate ourselves watching TV or using the internet.”
The director general of the Caravan Club Nick Lomas is enthusiast of this experience. He said: “We think this is a fantastic idea to help people get the most out of their holidays in Britain and enjoy the friendliness of camping and caravanning.”
What do you think of this screen-free policy? Did the Daveys convince you to embrace the nature and the company of your beloved without any distraction? To follow the adventure of the Davey family, check their Facebook page.
Busy Easter break ahead for drivers
AA predict 2015 Easter break to be busiest time in recent years on UK roads
An early Easter means an even longer wait until summer. For this reason, the AA expects more people than usual to travel over the Easter break, thus making the upcoming weekend one of the busiest occasions for motorists of 2015.
The holiday traffic is expected to peak today (2 April), as the latest AA-Populus poll revealed that almost half of respondents (47 per cent) will travel on the Thursday, while a further 44 per cent are set to depart on Good Friday. In total, it has been predicted that 15 million people will hit the road with their vehicles for the long weekend over these two days.
In preparation for the high number of travellers, the AA has put a fifth more patrols than normal in place to help with the higher breakdown workload.
Mark Spowage, AA patrol of the year, is aware that particular roads will be swamped: “Despite a rather unsettled forecast, we expect more people to get away this Easter, as it falls quite early this year. There will be a lot of pressure on the main getaway routes, particularly heading down to South-west England; and the likes of the M25, M1 and M6 are also going to be very busy.
“Do the essential checks on your car before heading off, paying particular attention to the tyres and adjusting the pressures for a heavy load, if required.”
The AA predict the top five busiest routes to be:
A303 – Westbound from M3/J8 through Hampshire, Wiltshire and Somerset
M1 – From Junction 6A (M25 interchange) to Junction 13; and from Junction 23A to Junction 32 (M18)
M5 – From Junction 15 (Almondsbury) towards Junction 31 (Exeter for West Country)
M6 – Through West Midlands (from Junction 4A) and northwards towards Lancashire (Junction 21A)
M25 – All sections, especially both ways around J14/17 (Heathrow Airport and M4, M40 interchanges)
With one of the busiest weekends already here, it doesn’t hurt to take extra precautions before hitting the roads.
Swift Group hit record sales
UK manufacturer enjoys record-breaking season
The UK’s leading manufacturer of touring caravans, motorhomes and holiday homes is celebrating an all-time record-breaking season to date.
The Swift touring caravan brands and ranges are up a significant 20 per cent in sales from last season with the Sprite range being the most popular in the group.
All brands and ranges from the Group’s motorhomes selection have had significantly strong sales after Swift invested heavily into the 2015 range with the addition of SMART construction in all the coachbuilt models.
The exceptional demand for Swift products now allows the company to expand and invest in its production lines, with added flexibility built-in to manage the market growth and serve future sales orders. Also, the company is investing in a new bonding line to further enhance product quality.The development is already under way and is expected to be completed by mid-2016.
Commercial Director Nick Page, is very happy with the sales figures and is optimistic of the future sales, as the Swift Group continues to better itself. He stated: “It is clear that with confidence back in the market, customers are continuing to choose Swift Group as the company of choice in all our key markets. This has resulted in unparalleled sales levels which we are delighted about.
“However rather than rest on our laurels we are absolutely dedicated to improving our customers experience with our products. The fact that we are significantly enhancing our product facilities is a clear commitment to our focus on quality control and investing in new technologies which will bring improved manufacturing processes” he continued.
The Swift Group is looking forward to seasons ahead.
The Orchards Holiday Park brings home new awards
by Justine Iorga
Park is recognized for excellence after winning awards
The Orchards Holiday Park in Newbridge, on the Isle of Wight, has recently won big time with three prestigious awards.
The Isle of Wight is a treasure trove of beautiful beaches, exciting festivals, and historic buildings. The family owned park, which lies across fifteen acres of beautiful countryside, fits perfectly in the stunning landscape of the Isle, having an impressive 160 touring and camping pitches arranged on terraces and gently sloping meadows, broken up by trees and hedges.
The list of accolades received this year by the park is already exceptionally long. The first award presented to Orchards was for their high standard toilets with the Loo of the Year Platinum Award for 2015. The second was given by the AA for “Regional Campsite of the Year, South East for 2015”. The third award they received was the top spot in the Practical Caravan/ Practical Motorhome Top 100 sites awards and Best Holiday Caravan (statics), which is voted for by the readers of the magazines.
If that wasn’t enough the site was given their 18th gold award from David Bellamy and a certificate of excellence from TripAdvisor.
Orchards campsite definitely knows how to give the best holiday to caravanners. The park owners, which have exceptional service and staff to work alongside, are overjoyed to have recognition for all their effort. If you haven’t visited this park then it might be worth your time to take your next holiday there.
To find out more details on the park, click here.
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