Construction begins on Devon adventure park’s new caravan site

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by Tom Lowenstein

Work has begun on a new £1.4 million caravanning and camping zone at a theme park in Devon.

The brand new site at Crealy Great Adventure Park is set to offer 138 plots to caravanners, with the project scheduled for completion by the start of the 2012 season.

Targeting five-star caravanners, the new park will have a range of super pitches offering full electric hook-ups while it also aims to take advantage of the latest trend for ‘glamping’ with a string of fancy medieval-style tents available to rent.

Rod Pearson, managing director of Maximum Fun Holdings Ltd, the company behind the Crealy Great Adventure Park, said: “The plans that we drew up last year are now starting to come to fruition, and the new campsite is just one of the developments we will be making.”

As part of the development, two new shower blocks will be built and the six-hectare caravan and camping site will be fully landscaped which Crealy hopes will give caravanners the feeling they are in their own private woodland glade.

Having received planning approval at the beginning of September, the development is now getting underway on a plot adjacent to the Adventure Park on the 100-acre site near Exeter.

Land Rover shocks towcar lovers with curvy new look for Defender

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by Chris Jefferies

After more than 60 years as one of the most recognisable faces of British motoring, the Landrover Defender is finally getting a makeover, it has been announced.

Since 1948 caravan lovers and outdoor enthusiasts alike have been turning to the Defender for its rugged off-road abilities and workhorse-like reliability, but the times they are a-changing and Landrover has confirmed that the DC100 concept (pictured right) is the way forward.

Due to be unveiled at this month’s Frankfurt Motor Show, this sculpted bodyshape bears a much closer resemblance to the Land Rover Discovery than the Defender and reactions to the new design are sure to be mixed.

Traditionalists will argue that this new model completely abandons the utilitarian look of the outgoing Defender, but caravan owners will be most interested in the new model’s reliability and towing power.

To this end, the BBC’s Jorn Madslien has claimed that the new Defender will have to be cheaper and better quality than its key rivals in order to compete in emerging markets, when it is launched in 2015.

Gerry McGovern, Director of Design at Land Rover, said: “Replacing the iconic Defender is one of the biggest challenges in the automotive design world; it is a car that inspires people worldwide.

“This isn’t a production-ready concept but the beginning of a four-year journey to design a relevant Defender for the 21st century.”

The Defender began life in the aftermath of World War Two as the original and definitive Land Rover, picking up its moniker after the launch of the Discovery in the 1990s.

Such is the reliability of this sturdy 4×4 that an estimated two-thirds of the 1.8million made so far are still in use today.

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Friendly Club sites to help caravanners enjoy the 2012 London Olympics

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by Tom Lowenstein

With the Olympic Torch Relay happening next year, caravanners hoping to see the torch on its travels are perfectly positioned to take their tourer to a site nearby, now that the route has been announced.

Setting off from Land’s End on May 19th, the Flame will be taken on a journey around many of the UK’s top landmarks before it arrives at the Olympic Stadium resting point at the end of July.

There are caravan and camping sites dotted around the route across the country, with some award-winning Camping and Caravanning Club sites very close to the route the torch will take.

For those hoping to catch the Olympic Flame as it sets off on its marathon voyage the Sennen Cove site at Land’s End is the perfect desitnation for a trip away, with many other parks, including ten ‘Camping in the Forest’ Club Sites which will also see the torch pass nearby.

“We are delighted to be able to offer a number of campsites in locations close to the Relay Route and we hope all campers take advantage of this unique opportunity to support what is such an historic event,” said Bob Hill, the Club’s sites director.

The Camping and Caravanning Club is also offering those lucky enough to bag tickets to the Games themselves the chance to stay in the capital during the Olympics.

Four Event Campsites will be running during the Games, offering affordable accommodation to caravanners heading to the capital.

Conveniently situated close to Stratford station, the sites are less than 15 minutes from the Olympic Park and Stadium too.

Commenting on the Olympic sites, Mr Hill said: “In the current economic climate, it is imperative we continue to provide affordable accommodation options and our summer of 2012 sites will allow everyone to enjoy all of the sporting action.”

New Coachman caravan rolls through Al-Ko performance tests

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by Tom Lowenstein

Coachman Caravans has announced that its new 2012 Pastiche 520/4 has passed the tough Al-Ko performance tests, following 100 laps of the 1,000km test track at the test centre in southern Germany.

Caravan manufacturers use the Al-Ko facility to put the latest models through their paces, as doing laps of its punishing simulation track is a sure-fire way of discovering how robust a new caravan is.

Mimicking some of the worst driving surfaces a caravanner is every likely to experience, the Al-Ko centre challenges all aspects of a caravan to a stringent performance test in order to make sure they are good enough for the market.

Following the test Coachman has revealed that the new Pastiche breezed through the tests, with all elements of the caravan withstanding whatever was thrown at it.

“Had we found anything wrong with the van, we would have gone back to the drawing board, and made sure it was up to our industry-leading standard,” said Paul Gallagher, technical director of Coachman Caravans.

“As it was, the Pastiche we tested performed fantastically, so customers can be confident that all our new shape vans are durable and built to last.”

So successful was the test, that Coachman was even able to tow the caravan back to the UK without any problems.

Eterniti Caravans to launch all-new range of luxury slide-out tourers

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by Chris Jefferies
The trend for slide-out caravans appears to be hotting up, as a new manufacturer is planning to launch a “revolutionary” new product over the next few months, Caravan Times can reveal.
‘<' . strtolower('Array') href="/eterniti/">Eterniti Caravans is the name to remember, and the company is due to launch a four-layout range at the Manchester Caravan & Motorhome Show in January 2012.
The concept of a slide-out caravan is highly popular in the USA, with many gigantic RVs offering this feature, but it only made it into the UK nine months ago, with the launch of the Inos from Welsh manufacturers Fifth Wheel Company.
Despite attracting a great deal of attention at the February Boat and Caravan Show and last month’s NCC Motorhome and Caravan Show, the Inos will surely have scared off many with its prohibitive £36,000 price tag price tag.
By contrast, the Eterniti slide-out caravan is expected to retail at around £22,000 to £25,000. While this is not exactly cheap, it does bring the range into the territory of more traditional luxury caravans such as the Swift Conqueror and the Bailey Unicorn.
The cat’s out of the bag
Phil Daniels, Managing Director of Eterniti Caravans, was understandably guarded about his new product, but has promised that there is plenty for us to get excited about.
“I don’t want to give too much away, but some of the things we’ve got on there are truly revolutionary,” he said. “There are seven or eight fundamental changes planned.”
As a long-term caravanner himself, Phil took the brave decision to build his own caravan range after his wife complained that their Elddis Crusader and Bailey Pegasus didn’t have enough interior space for the couple and their three young kids.
And so, with the backing of a multi-million pound steel business, Phil has ploughed half a million pounds into the project and is confident that the Eterniti will prove to be a gamble that pays off.
“If it goes anything like the US market, then you can expect our caravans to hold much more residual value due to having a slide-out section,” he added.
So far the details are sparse, but we can report that the Eterniti will be offered in four layouts: a four-berth single axle, a five-berth single axle, a four-berth twin axle and a six-berth twin axle.
What’s more, the slide-out section will run off electric motors and the NCC-approved chassis will be provided by German manufacturer BPW.

For more information on the upcoming Eterniti Caravans range, keeping checking back with Caravan Times over the next few months…

TV presenter’s custom-made Bailey Ranger gets Whale heating upgrade

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by Tom Lowenstein

Three years on from commissioning a bespoke Bailey Ranger caravan, celebrity television presenter Rowland Rivron has towed his one-of-a-kind ‘Ranger Rivron’ model into the shop for a retrofit upgrade.

Built exclusively for the Rivron family after they fell in love with caravanning while filming a feature for the BBC’s Holiday television series, Rowland has decided to fit a Whale winter heating system so his family can travel all year round with their prize tourer.

Built during Bailey’s sixtieth anniversary year back in 2008, the Ranger Rivron was made to fit the family’s bespoke requirements and includes many creative touches not seen on standard production models.

Exterior ‘sea foam’ aluminium panels combine with white plastic panels to give the unique caravan a distinctive retro feel, while custom upholstery and wooden venetian blinds add a contemporary touch.

Other Rivron-specific features include a roof-mounted air-con unit designed to make the family’s trips to the South of France more comfortable, as well as an Omnistor retractable awning.

Now, as a result of this recent work, the signature Ranger Rivron also boasts the lightweight blown air Whale Underfloor Space Heater system – as seen on the award-winning Bailey Orion range – as the family have decided they’d like to caravan in cooler climes.


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Police launch inquiry into eight caravan inferno in Derby

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by Tom Lowenstein

Police have launched an investigation following an eight caravan fire in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Fire crews from Kingsway station in Derby were called into action at 3.36am to deal with the blaze at a caravan park on Willington Lane, Willington, the Burton Mail reported.

Four caravans were initially involved in the fire before it spread to four more and a trailer. It is unknown what started the blaze .

As huge plumes of smoke billowed into the sky and threatened to obscure the nearby intersection of the A38 and A50, fire stations in Burton, Swandlincote and Derby’s Ascot Drive all sent firefighters to help tackle the blaze.

The situation was made even more complicated by the danger of the caravan’s gas cylinders exploding while a faulty fire hydrant made it difficult for firefighters to do their jobs properly.

Fire crews had to use four jet hoses to fight the flames and a water foam carrier was deployed from Ilkeston as motorists were advised to drive with care because of decreased visibility.

New Land Rover Discovery 4: More power, lower emissions

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by Chris Jefferies

The perennial towcar favourite from Land Rover has been refreshed for 2012, with a more powerful engine, an eight-speed automatic gearbox and lower carbon emissions.

Fans of the Discovery 4 may be excited to learn that the 4WD best-seller is getting the ZF gearbox range from Jaguar, which offers a rotary gear-shift selector and a flappy-paddle option.

The eight-speed automatic transmission results in improved fuel efficiency and brings the CO2 emissions down to just 230g per km, which is outstanding for such a large towcar.

Even with prices starting from the slightly higher price of £37,995 on the road, the Discovery 4 is almost £5,000 less expensive the equivalent 2012 Porsche Cayenne.

The price tag does invite comparisons with the luxury market though, showing how far the Discovery has come from being known as a utility family car.

Clean, mean machine

A power boost to 256bhp gives you more poke for your pound, while the 500Nm of torque can be delivered at 2,000rpm in just half a second – ideal for towing large tourers at low speeds.

Furthermore, Land Rover claims that the 3.0-litre diesel engine is one of the cleanest on the market resulting in almost 35mpg on country roads, which is no means feat from a car that weighs more than two and a half tonnes.

On the entertainment front, there’s a new colour-screen audio system, which you can connect to via Bluetooth or USB, while the radio can play DAB channels. For the boy racer in you, there’s an even the option of a more powerful 825W 17-speaker set, while the Disco also comes with 19-inch alloys as standard.

A helping hand

Continuing from the 2011 edition is the Hill Start Assist system, which retains the brake pressure while you move your foot over to the accelerator.

Caravan owners can also benefit from Land Rover’s Tow Assist system, which uses the rear parking cameras to detect the shape of your tourer and guide you when reversing.

What’s more, the Tow Hitch Assist system makes it easier to precisely line up the tow bar with a tow hitch by using the main dashboard screen.

Finally, with petrol prices spiralling upwards it seems like the super-efficient 3.0-litre diesel will be your one and only option.


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Everything must go – Discover Leisure to sell off £1m of stock in fire sale

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by Chris Jefferies
Savvy caravan buyers looking to land a bargain can make the most of the demise of Discover Leisure this week, as the defunct retailer is flogging off all its remaining stock for the next six days.
The administrators KPMG published details about the event late on Friday (November 11th), including a full list of the £1m worth of caravans that are up for sale.
Caravanners looking to snap up a cheap tourer can visit the dealer’s five outlets in Birtley, Coppull, Darlington, Delamere and York from 9am to 5pm every day until Saturday (November 19th) and from 10am to 3pm on Sunday (November 20th).

Discover Leisure called in the administrators last month in a dramatic turn of events, which saw the UK’s largest dealer network pull out of the NEC Motorhome and Caravan Show.
This move ultimately lead to around 240 staff losing their jobs and many new customers losing their deposit; although those with outstanding warranties have been offered support by manufacturers Elddis and Bailey.
What’s more, the company’s stock of 300 caravans was put up for sale to the industry, and although the majority have been sold, the remaining 26 tourers will be flogged off on a cash deposit only basis.
As well as several used models from Bailey and Elddis, there are a few new models from Swift, Sterling and Compass that are being sold.
The remainder of the company’s assets, including commercial vehicles and workshop equipment, will be sold off next month in an online auction, which will run from December 6 to 8.
Below is a full list of the remaining caravans (including four new models market with an asterisk) as published by the company’s appointed surveyors Sanderson Weatherall:


DL Branch Make Model Year
Birtley Bailey Pageant Majestic 2003
Birtley Coachman VIP 460/2 2007
Birtley Swift Challenger 530 2003
Coppull Abbey GTS Vogue 416 1995
Coppull ABI Sprinter 400D 2000
Coppull Compass Rallye 460/2 2001
Coppull Crown Crest GT 1998
Coppull Elddis Gulfstream EX2000 2000
Coppull Elddis Wisp 350/2 1991
*Coppull Sterling Europa 550 2011*
Coppull Sunncamp 240S 2011
Coppull Swift Challenger 500 2002
Coppull Swift Challenger 520SE 2000
Coppull Swift Corniche 40619 2002
Coppull Swift Lynmere Harringtons SE 2000
Darlington Cabannon Atlantis DL Delux 2006
*Darlington Swift Charisma 230 2011*
Delamere Bailey Senator Arizona 2004
Delamere Bailey Senator Vermont 2008
Delamere Bessacarr Cameo 645GL 2007
York Bailey Pageant Moselle 2002
York Bailey Senator Oklahoma 2002
York Bessacarr Cameo 625GL 2002
*York Compass Venture 495 2010*
York Swift Bridgemere 2001
*York Swift Charisma 545 2011*


Ade Edmondson tours Britain in Teardrop caravan for ITV show

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by Tom Lowenstein

TV funnyman and star of Bottom Adrian Edmondson has been travelling up and down the UK in style for his latest television outing on ITV’s Ade in Britain.

On a mission to discover the culture behind some of Britain’s best loved foods in his new documentary, Adrian has hitched up a custom-built caravan to the back of his faithful Mini for the round-the-UK tour.

Viewers of the series can follow the comedian around the UK as he tries his hand at making some uniquely British cuisines, while learning all about them and sneaking an odd taste here and there too.

Adrian’s terrific teardrop tourer has been handcrafted by artisan caravan maker Richard Stark, who has created a uniquely retro caravan that suits its owner perfectly.

The carpenter enjoyed refurbishing an old caravan so much that he decided to do it full-time and now hand-makes beautifully English caravans to his clients’ specifications.

Richard takes a custom-built chassis and then constructs the whole caravan from hand on top, meaning his clients get their dream caravan in exactly the style they want.

For Adrian, that was the retro beauty he’s taken on tour, but Richard can offer any kind of wood, fabric and layout that’s asked of him.

Adrian’s travels have so far taken him to North Wales, the Lancashire coast, Gloucestershire and The Fens.

Though he may be more used to touring with his acclaimed folk-punk band The Bad Shepherds than with his retro caravan, he’s certainly had a whale of a time.

Having really hit it off with a cheesemaker in Lancashire it seems the bespoke caravan is obviously helping the comedian make friends wherever he goes.

On a tour of the Mrs Kirkham’s Lancashire Cheese farm Adrian got involved in the cheesemaking process, to the delight of the farm’s owner, Graham Kirkham.

Speaking to the Lancashire Evening Post he said: “He’s really good fun.

“It’s a shame really because we could have spent all day chatting about food and things but his film crew kept rushing us along.”

If you want to catch up the first two series of Ade In Britain, you can catch all the episodes on ITV Player.

Adria Caravans: `The secret is finally starting to get out`

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by Chris Jefferies
When it comes to choosing a new touring outfit, most Brits are much more likely to opt for a UK-made caravan than a foreign one, and as a result the market is dominated by home-grown tourers.
However, Venture Caravans has claimed that this is all about to change, as the benefits of buying Slovenian are finally starting to catch on.
Since they are the UK’s official partner of Adria Caravans they might well say this, but this claim is backed up by the recent NCC Motorhome and Caravan Show.
The brand new Adria Astella 613HT was one of the most popular caravans to look inside at last month’s NEC show, with curious punters crawling all over it, and despite its high price tag of £17,990, it was the company’s best seller at the six-day event.

As well as boasting Alde wet heating, the interior of this luxury caravan is immediately striking, mostly because Adria have moved the kitchen to the front, but also because it is eight foot wide, allowing six inches more internal space than a traditional British-built caravan.
This is made possible by a recent change in the UK’s road laws, allowing extra-wide caravans to be towed by normal cars.
Nevertheless, Mark Turley, Partner at Venture Caravans, doesn’t see the British makes trying to follow suit.
“The eight-foot wide body gives a lot of advantages, such as wider beds. Adria can do this in a cost-effective way because their factory is already set up to make caravans this wide,” he explained.
“I can’t see it becoming the norm in the UK, but it was interesting to see the type of customer it attracted. They mostly use a seasonal pitch and only tow twice a year.”

“The product is a well-kept secret, but the secret is finally getting out,” he added.
Eastern invasion
Buying from a manufacturer that is located over 1,000 miles away may seem to make little sense at first, but as Mark explained, the repairs and warranty service is very reassuring.
Click here to continue reading 


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Wedding photos mysteriously returned, 17 years after caravan theft

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by Tom Lowenstein

Nigel and Gillian Stewart from County Down in Northern Ireland gave up hope that they would ever see their treasured wedding photographs again when they disappeared inside their stolen caravan nearly two decades ago.

Despite media appeals for the return of their album, it seemed as though they would never be able to show their kids their romantic pictures.

Yet on Tuesday afternoon (November 8th), a surprise package left at their front door reunited them with the long lost album, the BBC reported.

Pregnant with her son at the time the caravan was stolen, Gillian never had the chance to show her children what their dad looked like before his hair went grey so was delighted when the photo album was anonymously returned.

“I thought I was seeing things, I was absolutely stunned. Speechless,” she told the news provider.

Whether it was the person who stole the caravan who returned the photos remains a mystery, but the Stewart’s are just pleased to have them back after all this time.

“I would just love whoever it was to come forward, so I could thank them in person,” Gillian said.