The Camping & Caravanning magazine set to launch the Share the Outdoors campaign

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by Alice Scarsi

Share the Outdoors with your loved ones and be healthier and happier

The Camping & Caravanning Club’s magazine has launched a new campaign called ‘Share the Outdoors’, with the purpose to bring a larger audience closer to a more active outdoor lifestyle.

Looking to spread more of an awareness regarding both health and emotional benefits of a dynamic lifestyle, the campaign aims to encourage people to get more active and to explore the great outdoors with the help of a leisure vehicle, whilst widening the appeal to both friends and family as well. With similar goals as the Freedom to Go campaign, Share the Outdoors wants to convince more and more people to experience something new and healthier outside the confine of their homes, away from cosy sofas and comfort food. It has been said that If more people are managed to be convinced to take an extra break or two or plan a weekend away to discover a new landscape in the UK while spending quality time with the family in a caravan, the campaign will be proven to have been a success.

Share the Outdoors, backed by both The Camping & Caravanning Club and the Sports and Recreation Alliance, follows the Club’s Real Richness research conducted in 2011, which revealed that people who spend their holidays camping and exploring the great outdoors are happier, less stressed and generally healthier than those who don’t enjoy all the great outdoors has to offer.

Sport and Recreation Alliance’s Sallie Barker summed up nicely the importance of a more active life, saying: “The great outdoors isn’t a museum and outdoor recreation isn’t a passing fad. The activity it enables changes lives by creating prosperity, by improving health, by developing confidence and passing on life skills.”

Well-known outdoor personalities such as Camping & Caravanning Club’s president Julia Bradbury, adventurer and broadcaster Ben Fogle and former Olympic champion Sally Gunnel have added their support to this campaign.

For regular updates from the campaign, click here.

The AA welcomes another fuel duty freeze

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by Claire Lawson

AA confirms a further freeze on fuel duty and cancellation of a fuel duty rise later in 2015

The AA has welcomed a further freeze and a cancellation of the fuel duty rise that has been scheduled for September this year following tis week’s budget. The tax price for petrol and diesel currently stands at 58p and will continue to stay as such until 2016.

Results from a survey conducted on behalf of the AA-Populus panel carried out involving over 17,000 AA members saw that 81 per cent of those polled stated they were worried about the increase in both fuel duty and Vehicle Excise Duty following the upcoming election in May, seeing the percentage increase by a further six per cent to 87 per cent among those who are lower-income drivers.

AA members have also called for as much as two-thirds of fuel duty to be invested in further construction of the roads. This would finance road resurfacing, repairs, cycleways, electric car infrastructure and also look set to finally solve the problem of bad drainage among many other developments. The improvements would make road travel and mobility safer as well as cheaper, more reliable and less polluting on the environment.

President of the AA, Edmund King, says freezing the fuel duty was a smart move by the coalition. He said: “With petrol and diesel prices surging and falling by more than 35p a litre since 2010, the continued four-year fuel duty freeze allows the Coalition to dodge the fuel-protest bullet.”

The continuation of the fuel freeze is sure to help all motorists. How do you see this affecting you and your travels going forward?

Caravanner drives on wrong side of deadly road

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by Justine Iorga

A caravanner makes a big mistake on one of the deadliest roads in the UK
Have you ever just had a really off day? So off that you just drive on the opposite side of one of Scotland’s deadliest roads?

For one caravanner, it seems that an off day doesn’t even begin to describe the reasoning behind why this driver was on the wrong side of the road. A short video clip captured by Aberdeen Dash Cam shows a driver towing a caravan travelling south on the north bound carriageway of the A9 Perth to Inverness road.

It looks as though this horrifying mistake seems to have shocked both motorists as they slowed their speed, as well as the caravanner who was in a dead stop on the road.

The dash cam driver had to come to a halt and quickly get over as they soon realised that the oncoming traffic wasn’t exactly travelling in the right direction.

Most motorists on the road during that time were probably in disbelief of what was happening in front of them, but luckily it looks like drivers were able to get over and avoid any accidents or, more importantly, any fatalities.

Let’s hope that caravanner was able to get out of the dangerous pathway or at least turn around towards the right direction.
Check the video clip below, and let us know what you think of this crazy situation.

Bicester Caravan & Leisure to host Pre-Easter weekend

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by Claire Lawson

Bicester Caravan & Leisure will have an early Easter open weekend

Bicester Caravan and Leisure will be presenting a vast array of the latest caravans ahead of the Easter break at their grounds in Oxfordshire.

The event, taking place between 27 March to 30 March, will provide visitors the chance to take a look at the latest range of pre-owned and brand new caravans for the 2015 season including the fully-bonded SoLiD construction lineups from Elddis, Xplore and Buccaneer.

With summer fast approaching, the weekend will provide the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the fantastic deals and offers that will be on display to ensure a perfect holiday the summer, wherever you decide to pitch up.

Every customer who purchases a caravan will also get the chance to choose a golden envelope which may contain prizes including a free motorhome mover, a camping chair and a starter pack, to name just a few.

Moreover, a lucky dip for children and refreshments for the grown-ups will be available. So why would you want to be anywhere else?

For more information, click here.

Hurn Lane Caravan Club Site to stay open during Burnham-on-Sea Carnival

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by Alice Scarsi

Head to Somerset this November to enjoy Burnham’s Carnival

Hurn Lane Caravan Club Site has confirmed it will be keeping its doors open a week longer than usual this autumn to allow visitors of the Burham-on-Sea Carnival to stay at the site to experience this wonderful event to its fullest, whilst providing accommodation close to where all the action will take place.

The Burnham-on-Sea Carnival is an annual event that attracts thousands of guests from all over the country and this year’s even will be no different. The festivities will kick off on 8 November with a spectacular seafront firework display, and will continue on 9 November when, at 7:30pm, over one hundred giant carnival floats will start parading, with their pulsating music, thousands of coloured lights bulbs, stunning costumes and special effects, promising to create a magical evening of entertainment for the whole family.

Despite its usual closing date being 2 November, this year the Hurn Lane Caravan Club Site will stay open a week longer, allowing visitors to the colourful carnival to really be in the thick of it. Located just a short 15-minute walk from a safe and sandy beach, the site lets its visitors reach the charming seaside town of Burnham, Somerset, in only a few minutes to see the Carnival at its best.

Too book your stay at Hurn Lane and to reserve your pitch, click here now.

Wellhouse Leisure loans leisure vehicle to Forget Me Not Hospice

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by Justine Iorga

Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice set to be chosen charity for Wellhouse Leisure

Wellhouse Leisure has chosen the Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice in Huddersfield as its chosen charity, with a target to raise £25,000 for the charity over the next year. The charity has loaned its award-winning Ford Terrier campervans to create special moments for families from the West Yorkshire area.

The Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice cares for over 100 children and their families both at its base in Huddersfield and its ‘hospice at home’ service. The goal here is to provide these families with the freedom to go for much needed fun days out or short holidays to create special memories during difficult times.

Wellhouse’s managing director, David Elliott, will be starting a fund-raising challenge by organising a charity ball on 31 October, plus a marathon running challenge is also in the works.

Elliot spoke of the organisation, saying: “We’ve always raised money for charity each year, and are delighted to choose such a local one this time.

“Campervans always make people happy, and the charity thought the idea of helping the families have some quality time together in a campervan would be something different and exciting, so we were more than happy to help.”

Jason Costello, head of community fundraising at the Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice, is delighted to have been chosen to be Wellhouse’s nominated charity for 2015. He stated: “David is a phenomenal man with energy and drive that could power one of his campervans! His support will make a massive difference to families and children in our community, and for this we can’t thank him enough.”

The Wellhouse Terrier, produced in Shepley, near Huddersfield, is the first UK campervan conversion of the new Ford Transit Custom, meaning it’s economical and very easy to drive. It also has the feel of a real home complete with a kitchen including hob, sink and fridge, a three person rear seat that converts into a double bed, plus another double bed in the pop-up roof.

To stay up-to-date on their fund-raising efforts, find out all the latest news here.

Member of Parliament visits Skelwith Fold Caravan Park for English Tourism Week in Cumbria

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by Justine Iorga

Caravan Park receives recognition from MP during English Tourism Week
Member of Parliament, Tim Farron, flew the flag for Cumbria’s tourism industry on 12 March by paying a special visit to Skelwith Fold Caravan Park in Ambleside.

Farron, who represents Westmorland and Lonsdale, toured Skelwith Fold to see how the park manages to attract thousands of visitors each year. He met with members of staff and with the owner Henry Wild, whose long-established family business first acquired the park 18 years ago.
Wild told Farron, according to independent economic research, visitors to Skelwith Fold spend more than £2.6 million in the area every year with most of the money benefitting local enterprises such as shops, cafes, and visitor attractions.
It isn’t much of a surprise that the park brings in that much money each year though. Skelwith has received many accolades to praise the quality of the surroundings and environmental initiatives, and he was even given the David Bellamy Conservation Award at its top gold level.
Wild said he was proud that the park could play such a vibrant role in an expanding industry which provides almost a third of all UK holiday bednights and generates £2.25 billion of tourism spending. He added that Skelwith Fold had a special appeal to lovers of the natural world, and his family had tried to create a park which was a match for the magnificent surroundings.
English Tourism Week runs from 14 to 22 March, and is set to put a spotlight on an industry that annually contributes £97 billion to the UK economy.
It is definitely wonderful to see a great caravan park being acknowledged for its efforts.
To get more details of English Tourism Week, click here.

Driver racks up 40 penalty points without even holding a licence

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by Alice Scarsi

Motorist from London commits 12 driving offences and receives 40 points without even holding a provisional driving licence

A driver has gathered a total of 40 penalty points despite never having held a provisional driving licence, let alone a full one.

The man from Lewisham, South London, whose name hasn’t been revealed, has racked up that impressive amount of points committing a total of 12 offences – six speeding fines and six instances of driving without insurance.

The news has emerged after that the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) filed a Freedom of Information request to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to find out the top 20 highest penalty points holders in England and Wales.

Shockingly enough, this instance is only the second worst on the roads of Britain. Among the other offenders listed, the highest points holder is a Liverpool man, who has amassed 45 penalty points on a full driving licence, having committed eight driving offences. The first woman on the list is the third highest point holder from Blackburn who has collected 38 points following committing ten felonies.

What’s really worrying, though, is the fact that out of the 20 people listed, a total of three have driven without even having a licence, one with 33 penalty points for seven offences and the other with 28 points for five offences, including driving without insurance.

As IAM chief executive Sarah Sillars pointed out, these motorists share the road with us, clearly presenting a danger to those safer drivers among us. She said: “It’s been three years since the IAM raised this issue with the DVLA, but we still have drivers on the road with multiple points allocated to them.

“Now we discover that some of them have never held any kind of driving licence. We all have to share the road with these unqualified, uninsured and dangerous drivers.”

The Institute is pushing the Government to introduce tougher sanctions on drivers who repeatedly offend without a licence: “We need to punish offenders as well as give them the opportunity to change their ways. Offenders are unlikely to drive legally if they face a ban or points on their licence as soon as they pass their test,” added Sillars on the matter.

Do you agree with the IAM? Do you think that hardening the punishment for driving without a licence could stop these offenders or it would turn out to be a useless measure?

Discovering all that Park Resorts offers on the Isle of Wight

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by Joe Jeffrey

CaravanTimes took a trip to the Isle of Wight to find out more about staying with Park Resorts

With four parks on the Isle of Wight that are overseen by Park Resorts, you could be mistaken for thinking that the popular holiday park experts are somewhat saturating the small island with the same old thing. This couldn’t be further from the truth though – each Park Resorts location offers something completely different, whatever it is you’re looking for.

Take Lower Hyde for example. Situated more inland and close to the local town and its amenities, Lower Hyde offers the opportunity not only to soak up the atmosphere on site, but also off and with so many nearby places to explore on foot, it’s certainly an option for those more adventurous. And with a vast array of evening entertainment – from fun and games for the kids to full-on West End style showcases, there’s certainly something for everyone.

Next to Lower Hyde is its sister park, Landguard, which provides a more leisurely, concentrated experience, whilst still providing the quality experience you’d expect from Park Resorts. So if it’s peace and quiet, woodland walks and plenty of rest and relaxation you require, Landguard is certainly a wise choice.

Meanwhile, if you’re looking for brilliant beach locations, both Nodes Point and Thorness Bay offer a superb choice, with both parks being a stone’s throw away from the beach and offering whatever it is you need to make your stay one to remember.

With so much to do at all of Park Resorts’ parks on the Isle of Wight whatever you’re into, the only question you need to ask yourself is which park to explore and what to do next.

Watch our video here to find out more.

Toyota Prius converted into a campervan for music festival

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by Justine Iorga

Man turns his Prius car into a campervan with quirky results
Toyota Prius turned campervan? This idea is interesting enough to turn heads, and one inventive Australian has certainly got CaravanTimes attention. For James Lawler, from New South Wales, has used his creative mind to turn his car into what seems to be a one-of-a-kind campervan with a twist.
Having scavenged through scraps to be able to put his little sleeper together, James spent the best part of a week constructing his innovative leisure vehicle, all at the cost of just AUD$150 (approximately £77) – if only all campervans cost that little.
Adding more of a quirky touch, James equipped his camper with a tin roof and chimney, as well as a stained-glass window and even a letter box that display’s the car’s registration plate, really putting the term ‘home on wheels’ to good use.
Lawler spoke of his idea saying: “There’s a lot of boring camper vans out there. I thought this would be a little bit more quaint and Australian with a rusted tin roof.”
The intended purpose of the project was to have a place to sleep at the Meredith Music Festival in Victoria that took place earlier this month. The camper did not disappoint Lawler and he even said it was more comfortable than a tent.
Unfortunately for James, he was fined by local authorities during his travels, with his newly built vehicle being deemed unroadworthy. This hasn’t put James off though who believes it was more than worth the fine alone to actually create something so… odd.
Alas! The quirky campervan is due to be dismantled, but a new idea has surfaced, as James states: “I would like to build a caravan along the same style but a bit more water tight.”
We’re not sure the likes of Bailey, Coachman, Elddis and Swift are quaking in their boots just yet, but we here at CaravanTimes are giving James ten out of ten for innovation.

UK Spring Motorhome & Caravan Show 2015 expected to bring in record numbers

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by Claire Lawson

This years spring show for caravanners and motorhomers set to be biggest yet

The UK Spring motorhome and caravan show is anticipating as many as 10,000 attendees for this year’s two day annual event.

From 21 to 22 March, the gates will open for the show’s ninth year to display many of the UK’s biggest caravan and motorhome dealers including Oakwell Motorhomes, Camper UK, Timberland, SMC Motorhomes and Fuller Leisure.

Not only will a whole host of leisure vehicles be on display, but there will be as many as 150 trade stalls offering outdoor clothing and the latest in leisure accessories.

Show organiser, Russ Harman, is looking forward to the teeming weekend, saying: “This event is always popular as it starts the season for many motorhome and caravan owners who are planning for their summer getaways.

“”Caravanning has enjoyed a renaissance in recent years, as people look for more affordable and flexible alternatives to traditional package holidays, as well as the opportunity to get back to nature.

“With lots of newcomers to the scene, this show is an ideal place for first-time-buyers to browse, so we’re expecting our best ever turnout and lots of motorhomes and caravans to be bought at the show,” Russ continued.

Entertainment is also completely covered for everyone of all ages, with live music provided by Paul Metcalfe on 20 March, while comedian Freddie ‘Parrotface’ Davies will be making bellies laugh on 21 March.

For the first time ever, there will be a dedicated food hall which will also host live cookery demonstrations from TV chef Richard Fox on Saturday and Johnny Pusztai on Sunday. Meanwhile, the kids will sure to be immersed in the Kids Food Lab and Children’s Cookery School.

Russ said of the entertainment on hand, “We have something for people of all ages at this year’s event and I would advise anyone thinking of coming to buy their tickets in advance for big discounts.

“What’s more, anyone who books a pitch or buys their tickets in advance will also be entered into a prize draw to win a luxurious BBQ worth over £300!”
For more information or to purchase tickets, click here

The Opera camper trailer offers a luxurious twist to caravanning and camping

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by Justine Iorga

Unique leisure vehicle definitely provides a different outlook to staycationing during the holidays
Are you looking for a new way to explore the great outdoors this year? Well this might just be the product for you.
This new take on a caravan and camping experience all rolled into one will surely have you, pretty much like Marmite, either completely in love with it absolutely hating it, but we here at CaravanTimes would, perhaps, fall into the former category.
The The Opera camper , has managed to combine the feel of a caravan with the feel of being in a tent and, when looking at the modern features that come equipped with this beauty, it will surely have you asking yourself: ‘How have I gone so long without this’?
The idea is basically to make you feel like you are in a private suite on wheels and the opera camper is just that, a private suite on wheels.
The ingenious trailer design combines a compact and practical shape with a modern appearance, providing the feeling of being in your very own private suite on wheels, whilst providing the feeling of complete freedom and absolute comfort courtesy of features including two electrically adjustable beds that can easily be transformed into one, a shower, hot air heating, ceramic toilet, refrigerator, low-energy LED lighting, a boiler supplying warm water to the kitchen, and so much more. It’s essentially like having your own little holiday home, only on wheels and much cooler.
Setting up the Opera camper is easy and the versatility it provides will allow for you to have everything you need when pitching up in the most spectacular nature environments. It’s going to cost you though, and the revolutionary design will set you back approximately £19,500. To find out more details, visit the Opera’s official website here.
Do you think this new camper is worth the purchase? Let us know your thoughts.

Make sure to check out the clip below: