Scottish caravan park to bring back static homes with flotation devices

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by Tom Leaning

A Cairngorms caravan park is still picking up the pieces from last year’s devastating storm and wants new innovative safety solutions after Storm Frank left trail of destruction.

Storm Frank caused chaos throughout many parts of Scotland over the 2015 Christmas period, including at Ballater Caravan and Camping Park, located in the Cairngorms National Park.

Static caravans were seen floating down the river as floodwaters broke through the park and the village defences, according to Aberdeen’s Evening Express.

But since then the site has managed to reopen to touring caravans and is hopeful of seeing static caravans return next year – but with specialist flotation devices attached.

Alistair Cassie, one of the directors of the facility, said it was slowly getting back on its feet and, on the touring caravan side, had enjoyed a good year.

Mr Cassie told the Evening Express: “The tourist site is up and running. It was a late opening season but it has been a very successful season and people are delighted with the site.”

“People are saying it is a better standard than it was before – that’s the positive side.

“As far as the old part, we’re hoping to get a limited number of static stances – possibly 10 – for next season.”

However, Mr Cassie said for owners to get their holiday homes insured they were going to have to take extra steps.

“In order for people to get insurance, the caravans will have to be mounted on a floatation system,” he said.

“It’s basically a concrete base on the ground and the flotations are polystyrene blocks fixed to the caravan.

“If it does flood again – and that’s if, it might never – they rise up with the water and are anchored with chains.

“They rise with the water and no real damage is done and people can get insurance.

“It’s quite expensive to do, so we’re limited as to how many we can do, and it’ll depend on demand.

“We’re having a meeting with every past caravan user at the beginning of the year to gauge the interest.”

At the time of the flooding there were around 90 caravans on the site, but Mr Cassie said with the new regulations for the site that number would likely drop.

“The flood was one of those freak things that happened,” he said.

“Time is a great healer and people will forget, but then on the other hand people don’t want to take too many risks. But every time you drive up the road you take a risk and if it’s a one-in-200-year flood it’s quite a reasonable risk to take.

“We’re hopeful it’ll get back to what it was. If we change it dramatically all the services have to be changed – the drains and the electrics.

“If there’s not an uptake or demand for the statics we might have seasonal pitches again, but we’re limited as the toilet block can only handle so many people.

“We could take an extra 15 or 20 caravans and cope but anything else would put stress on the toilets and we’d have to build a new block which is mega money again.”

Mr Cassie, who runs the nearby General Merchant store and is a Royal Warrant holder, estimated the damage at the caravan park at around £500,000.

Merry Christmas to all our readers!

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By Tom Leaning

The team at CaravanTimes would like to wish all our members and readers a very Happy Christmas ahead of this festive weekend.

Whether you are out on the wintery roads, sipping mulled wine at a campsite or round the fire at home this Christmas, everyone at CaravanTimes hopes all our readers are full to the brim with Christmas spirit and spending quality time with friends and loved ones.

Merry Christmas everyone!

From all of us at CaravanTimes

Caravan park receives `best Christmas present` after winning appeal against closure

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By Tom Leaning

A caravan park owner in Gloucestershire is celebrating victory this Christmas after years of fighting against the threat of closure by the local council.

The fate of Beech Hill Farm in Westerleigh, which accommodates about 50 caravans belonging to residents of the nearby area, looked in doubt after an application to officially convert the use of land to caravan storage was denied by South Gloucestershire Council, according to the Gloucestershire Gazette.

Despite the land being originally designated for agricultural use, owner Deborah Martin was forced to look for alternatives for income after she discovered the land was a former landfill site and was unable to grow or farm anything on the site.

The caravan site was set up in 2003 and proved a popular service for residents in the Chipping Sodbury area, until an enforcement order to remove the caravans was made in 2007.

Nothing followed until 2014 when the enforcement officers visited the site, leaving Deborah with the decision of whether to close down or fight for the change of use.

But having applied in March last year, the proposal was denied due to being in the green belt.

When at capacity, the one acre site houses around 100 caravans, but the site has only been about half full for the past two years after concerns over the future of the site resulted in a number of the caravan owners leaving.

Deborah said that those who have remained joined the campaign, giving her the strength to fight on.

Ms Martin told the Gloucestershire Gazette: “It has been the support not just from those storing their caravans, but the community as a whole that has really kept me going. They have all been brilliant.”

Having filed an appeal against the decision, the case was heard at a hearing on 23 November, with dozens of patrons of the site turning out to show their support.

“Twice as many people turned out for the appeal hearing as the council’s planning inspector had prepared for,” said Deborah. “She said she had never seen anything like it before.”

The decision to uphold the appeal was announced on Thursday, 15 December, just in time for Christmas.

A South Gloucestershire Council spokesman said: “The planning inspector acknowledged that the proposal would be inappropriate development in the green belt which is harmful by definition.

“However she went on to say that for this particular application a number of very special circumstances exist which justify the development.”

Deborah said: “I am so glad I kept fighting, and overjoyed for all the people who have a caravan on our site.

“Many are elderly or disabled and are not able to holiday abroad, but there are also a lot with young families, who enjoy being able to get away for a weekend together.

“I couldn’t ask for a better Christmas present for everyone, especially as some were panicking that they might have to sell up.”

Norfolk resort receives best park award

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By Tom Leaning

Judges of Norfolk’s most prestigious tourism awards scheme have named Searles Leisure Resort as the county’s best park.

The family-owned business based in Hunstanton in north Norfolk took the overall prize in the holiday park and village category in the EDP Hoseasons Tourism Awards 2016. It was described by the judges as the county’s out-and-out champion of “amazing and truly memorable” park holidays.

Searles’ accolade came at the end of a year which saw the park receive a raft of national awards for aspects of its business from environmental care to its quality standards.

But according to managing director Paul Searle, this home-grown honour has a special significance as it highlights the cream of the county’s tourism providers.

Having been based in Norfolk for over 60 years, said Paul, he and his family felt “proud and humbled” to have been judged as the perfect place for families to enjoy a park holiday.

From its beginnings as a small donkey field where caravanners could pitch up in exchange for a bag of potatoes, Searles today provides a vast array of holiday accommodation.

There are more than 500 caravan holiday homes and lodges, some with private hot-tubs, as well as 300-plus touring pitches plus luxury timber camping pods.

Its wide range of highly-praised attractions range from water zorbing, jet-skis, swimming pools and all-weather sports pitches to a gym, fishing, karts, tennis, archery and curling.

The park has also announced that the 2017 season will open with £1 million worth of additional activities which are being introduced this winter.

They will include an indoor “water wonderland”, a climbing wall with equipment and instruction, and an outdoor fitness park with an array of gymnastic challenges in the fresh air.

Judges of the EDP Hoseasons Tourism Awards, organised by the Eastern Daily Press, said that Searles is a vital and highly valued component of Norfolk’s £3 billion tourism economy.

The park, they pointed out, employs around 200 people, and provides valuable training and skills development opportunities to staff including many younger workers.

Judges also noted that Searles in recent times had recorded an impressive five percent year-on-year growth in visitor numbers with 2016 likely to prove an all-time record.

“This award is a fantastic finale to our season which will help give us a flying start to next year – and I hope the publicity will help boost other local businesses,” said Paul.

“We’re especially pleased that a strong emphasis in these awards was placed on the quality of the hospitality provided, and delivering this is largely in the hands of our staff teams.

“For that reason, they must take a large share of the credit for our success,” added Paul whose grandparents William and Alice Searle first registered the park in 1954.

Driving the park forward today are Paul together with his brother Andrew and sister Joanna. There is more information about Searles Leisure Resort at www.searles.co.uk

Ben Fogle and friends headline February Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show

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By Tom Leaning

Ben Fogle heads the celebrities* attending the Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show 2017, which takes place at Birmingham’s NEC from 21 to 26 February.

Presenter of Countryfile and more recently New Lives in the Wild, Ben Fogle shares his love of the great outdoors alongside TV’s Kate Humble, Caravan and Camping Club president Julia Bradbury and one of TV’s popular bakers, Selasi Gbormittah.

The show’s Discovery Theatre will host an audience Q&A and talks by Fogle along with other celebrities on their own experiences of camping and caravanning, with tips from the industry experts on how to make the most out of outdoor adventures.

With over 350 exhibitors, including caravans, motorhomes, campervans, trailer tents, folding campers, tents, caravan holiday homes, camping equipment and thousands of accessories, February’s show provides inspiration for those planning their next holiday. The much-loved dog agility arena will return as well as many new features for 2017, including bushcraft workshops where visitors can learn essential survival skills.

This year’s show has plenty of free, have-a-go features for all the family, including an indoor children’s assault course. The Visit Wales area includes a mobile climbing mountain; a virtual reality experience of Europe’s longest zip wire; as well as an artificial caving feature where visitors can ‘rope up’ and be guided through the tunnels. A towing and manoeuvring skills area will offer expert tuition for those new to caravanning and motorhome holidays, as well as those who want to brush up on their techniques.

Advance ticket prices start from £7.00 per person and children 15 and under enter for free*.

Tickets are on sale now and can be ordered through the website: www.ccmshow.co.uk

*Advance ticket price for adults is £8.00/senior (60+) £7.00 until 23:59 on 20.02.2017. On the door price for adults is £10.00/seniors (60+) £9.00. Children 15 and under go free. Celebrity line-up may be subject to change.

Parkdean Resorts agrees £1.35bn sale to Canadian investment group

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By Tom Leaning

Onex Corporation has announced it has agreed to acquire the North East-based Parkdean Resorts for £1.35 billion.

Onex is a large private equity firm based in Toronto, Canada. The transaction is anticipated to close in the first quarter of 2017, subject to customary conditions and regulatory approvals.

Parkdean Resorts owns and operates 73 caravan holiday parks across England, Scotland and Wales, selling more than 500,000 holidays and short breaks a year. The company offers a wide range of accommodation, from caravans and camping pitches to chalets, apartments and lodges. Parkdean Resorts employs over 6,000 staff during the peak holiday season and is headquartered in Hemel Hempstead and Newcastle.

“Parkdean Resorts has built the market-leading affordable holiday park business in the UK, with a strong base of loyal customers in an attractive segment of the domestic holiday market,” said Tony Morgan, a Managing Director with Onex. “We are excited to partner with John Waterworth and his team to continue to support the company’s growth, both organically and through acquisition.”

“This is an exciting opportunity for Parkdean Resorts,” said John Waterworth, Parkdean Resorts’ Chief Executive Officer. “We look forward to working with Onex to further enhance our parks and leisure facilities during our next phase of growth.”

Onex Partners IV and Onex have committed to make an equity investment of approximately CAD$750 million.

Parks group set for new growth following £362m sale

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By Tom Leaning

New expansion plans have been signalled by Park Holidays UK following the announcement of the company’s sale for £362m to the Intermediate Capital Group plc (ICG).

ICG has acquired the 26-strong parks group from Caledonia Investments plc which has owned Park Holidays UK for the past three years, and steered it through a period of rapid growth.

Specialist asset manager ICG aims to ensure the continuation of the group’s success story through investment both in the company’s existing parks, and in the making of new park acquisitions.

Parks Holidays UK says there will be no changes to its senior management team which has been in place since 2006 after acquiring the business from its founders through a management buy-in.

Since then, Park Holidays UK has grown to become Britain’s third largest holiday park groups with 26 coastal locations in southern England, from Devon in the west to Suffolk in the east.

The company’s parks have established themselves as one of Britain’s most popular providers of holiday lodges and holiday caravans for private owners.

Guests can also rent holiday homes for a stay, and touring pitches are also provided on some parks.

Bolstering the appeal of its parks is a reputation for providing first-class leisure and entertainment facilities, and extended opening seasons for owners of up to 11.5 months of the year.

Commercial director of Park Holidays UK, Tony Clish, said that 2016 had been a strong year for the group, and that it was now greatly looking forward to partnering with ICG:

“I believe that Park Holidays UK has played a very significant role in raising the bar for the UK parks industry, both in terms of the quality standards and value provided to customers.

“We will remain focused on these vitally important elements as we make plans to invest in our existing operations, and to acquire new parks which are a fit to our business model.

“Our company will continue playing its part in developing a vibrant UK tourism economy which benefits both employment and the widening of leisure opportunities for customers,” said Tony.

Completion of the transaction is likely to take place early in the new year once official approval has been received from the Financial Conduct Authority.

Caravan park operator Lifestyle Living UK goes into administration

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By Tom Leaning

Lifestyle Living UK is being marketed for sale as FRP Advisory administrators are called in.

Jason Baker and Miles Needham of FRP Advisory were appointed as joint administrators of the holiday and residential park group Lifestyle Living UK. The business continues to trade during the process and the holiday homes will continue operating as normal.

Jason Baker, joint administrator and partner of FRP Advisory, said: “Our priority is to maintain the day-to-day operations of the caravan parks to ensure that customers and users continue to enjoy the products and facilities offered by Lifestyle Living. We continue to trade the business and ensure that the holiday and residential parks operate as normal.”

An FRP Advisory spokesperson said that “staff total around 50 across all the sites are being retained while the administrators market the business for sale”.

The Group owns a number of sites UK-wide, including in Norfolk, Suffolk and Cheshire and provides a range of purpose built and individually designed luxury lodges and static caravan units.

Mr Baker concluded: “We have already engaged with interested parties and invite other interested parties to make early contact.”

Nissan continue to advance driverless technology with Intelligent Vehicle Towing

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By Tom Leaning

Japanese car manufacturer, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., has moved one step closer to driverless technology.

Intelligent Vehicle Towing (IVT) is a fully automated vehicle towing system, and it has been unveiled at Nissan’s main plant in Oppama in Yokosuka, just south of Tokyo.

The system has been introduced as part of Nissan’s Intelligent Mobility vision, which serves as a framework for how cars will be driven, powered, and integrated into society. This new project, which uses mapping and communication technologies to connect an intelligent and all-electric car to infrastructure, is a step towards the realization of Nissan Intelligent Integration.

The IVT system essentially uses a modified Nissan LEAF to autonomously tow trollies which are loaded with finished vehicles between designated loading and unloading points at the plant.

Conventional automatic guided vehicle systems which are used for transporting parts generally need expensive rails or extensive use of magnetic tape to function. This new system does not need any special infrastructure to operate. The car that has been modified for towing is equipped with an array of cameras and laser scanners which are used to detect lane markings, curbs and potential obstacles or hazards around the vehicle. This information is cross-referenced with map data, thus allowing the towing car to calculate its own location, and travel on its own to its destination. The towing car follows the speed limits that have been set within the factory, and automatically stops if it detects an obstacle or hazard ahead. Once the obstacle is cleared, it forges ahead again.

It is easy to alter the route of the vehicle to accommodate changes in production processes or vehicle transport routes. All the driverless towing cars are connected to a central traffic control system, which can keep tabs on their driving speeds, locations, the charge left in the vehicles and the operational status of each vehicle. If two driverless towing cars meet at an intersection, the control system’s algorithm is used to determine which car should be given right-of-way, and in the event of an emergency, the system can stop the vehicles remotely.

The introduction of the IVT technology will allow Nissan to improve production efficiency at the Oppama plant. The Japanese auto manufacturer began conducting trial operations of the system almost a year ago, and over 1,600 test runs have been carried out at the plant. The data acquired during the trial runs has been utilized to ensure that the system can work reliably within the plant’s premises. Meanwhile, a safety system and a fail-safe system have been developed to counter potential risks or unexpected conditions the IVT system may face during autonomous driving, like adverse weather and low light conditions. After the system is extensively tested at the Oppama Plant, Nissan will consider the possibility of introducing the system at the company’s other plants in Japan and overseas.

Are Caravans and Motorhomes converging?

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by Dan Cartwright

In the past motorhomes and caravans were seen as very different vehicles

Bought by very different customers and whilst used for very similar objectives there was almost an animosity between caravaners and motorhomers. Today this has changed with caravan owners swapping to motorhomes, motorhome owners swapping to caravans and new people entering the market undecided between which one to buy. 

If you are young or just starting in the motorhome / caravan world this might seem strange, they are both leisure vehicles that people use to get away and have fun.. but let me tell you, go back 10 to 15 years and the two worlds not only had little interaction but they were like the Mods and Rockers of the camping world. Behaving much like the rocker of the 70’s who would strenuously deny they even found the clash palatable, a caravan or motorhome owner on site would claim they are completely different pastimes for different people who do different things, even when parked on a site next to the other for a weeks holiday. 

Worth noting here, we love all equally at CaravanTimes much like if you have two dogs they’re never the same but each one is great. In the new year we will be bringing out some basic comparisons for new campers but for now, how has the gap between the two products and markets been bridged?

How Things Were
Motorhomes
Going back a generation the majority (of the very small amount) of motorhomes sold in the UK were of European manufacture – OK swift Launched swift motorhomes in 1987 and bessecar in 1997 but apart from this and a few smaller bespoke manufacturers, the market was small in the UK with limited choice so we went further afield and bought vehicles from Europe, where there was much more choice from more suppliers to a bigger European market. This meant that the UK motorhomer of the 90’s had either a specific need for a motorhome (towing a race car for example), a specific want for a motorhome, or a specific desire not to have a caravan! Prices were proportionally higher in comparison to caravans and this lead almost a class division and the motorhomer paying a lot of money to not be associated with caravaners. 

Caravans
Caravaners for their part were unimpressed by European specification on motorhomes. This was not a slight on European motorhomes or anything to do with how they were built, but the fact is that the European market has long hot summers (not everywhere but on the whole) and so they like to use their leisure vehicles as bases that they often cook outside of, they spend a lot more of the year in the sea and want separate garages and much like their houses they don’t want carpets. The UK caravan market was (and still is) dominated by UK manufactured caravans which had evolved to UK wants a needs with plush soft furnishings, big fridges, effective heating systems (even in the early 90’s) the kitchens included ovens and of course every model came with their very own carpets, basically a little home from home, perfect for those long rainy afternoons we’re all used to. All this meant that the caravaner looking at a motorhome was seeing a price tag of about 3x that of a caravan and still making compromises with living space and none of the things they expect in their caravan. “Mad” is how my caravanning dad explained it when I suggested we swap the caravan for a motorhome at the age of 12. 

What about now?
Motorhomes
Whilst motorhome sales in the UK are still significantly lower than caravans, motorhome sales have been increasing proportionally higher. Keen to capitalise on this demand the UK caravan manufactures started making motorhomes some time ago. Now 5 of the 6 biggest UK caravan manufacturers make motorhomes and have been doing for more than 5 years. These manufactures make very UK specific motorhomes with all the bells, whistles, carpets and ovens we expect in the UK. Also European manufacturers have responded. Rather than ship a European motorhome to the UK they have started making UK specified motorhomes with things like doors on the correct side, ovens carpets and mood lighting. 

Caravans 
Caravans have changed a lot over the last 10-15 years, the cold, white, damp box image of old has dwindled. Ok some are still white but some aren’t. There have been many styling updates from beautiful skylights to sleek windows and graphics packages. Additionally caravans construction has changed drastically from all manufactures to make them better, warmer and lighter. There has been a specification explosion from fridges as big as your home to full programable wet central heating, LED lighting, satellite TV and even self levelling systems. If no one has been in a caravan for 10 years they might still have an image in their mind that couldn’t be further from truth. Modern caravans are like sleek self catering apartments you can take anywhere. 

These two significant changes mean that for people entering the leisure vehicle market in 2016 both motorhomes and caravans offer a lot of products the UK leisure vehicle owner wants with little compromise. 

For the Motorhome owner in 2016 they can see sleek, modern caravans that are now lighter and easier to tow with so many aids to help with hooking up and pitching. Combine this with the living accommodation you get in caravan compared to a motorhome and some are choosing to trade motorhome for caravan. 

For the Caravan owner in 2016 they are able to get a motorhome with all of the specification of their beloved little home from home caravan. Prices have also been converging with the typical motorhome costing 2.5x that of the equivalent caravan meaning some caravaners are swapping to motorhomes. 

There are still some die hard caravan and motorhome enthusiasts who will never change their vehicle type but as the caravan manufacture owners clubs start accepting and encouraging motorhomers to join, we know times are changing!  This for me is a fantastic thing, not because I want everyone to come together and hold hands, but because as the markets converge as too will design principles between the two vehicles, making even better and more exciting products in the future – could we see a motorhome with a detachable cab? who knows. 

Management Buy Out at Coachman Caravans

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By Tom Evans

Coachman, celebrates it’s 30th anniversary this year

With that milestone comes a passing of the torch. Founder, Jim Hibbs, will be leaving the manufacturers reputation as among the best quality Caravan manufacturers in the country, in his sons hands.

Elliot Hibbs, as part of a management buyout, to continue as Managing Director alongside the existing team boasting over 70 years of experience in the leisure industry, in Ian Kershaw, Steve Shipley and Jason Thompson. Experience aside, I’m sure they’ll all be comforted by Jim’s plans to stay on as a consultant over the next few years, to ensure a smooth transition.

Elliot Hibbs has commented “The senior management team have worked for Coachman for many years and it is very pleasing, that the commitment and hard work can be recognised through this wonderful opportunity. We will continue to grow manufacture exceptionally high quality caravans that the company remains a very good employer to all our 1888 staff”

We think this is great news and look forward to hearing Elliot and the team’s “Vision” for the future of Coachman. Our Director Dan Cartwright who has worked with coachman on a number of campaigns over the years says “This is excellent news and im sure it is something that has been long planned. The Coachman management team have been working hard over the past 4 years to bring lighter and more competitively priced caravans that still offer that Coachman quality to the UK market and im sure the team will continue in this successful direction”.

Caravan Park opens gates to homeless for Christmas

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Open house for homeless over Christmas at Moffat Manor Country Park.

A Scottish Caravan Park is bringing festive goodwill to the region’s homeless this holiday season by offering them food and shelter.

Moffat Manor Country Park, based in the village of Beattock in Dumfriesshire, are making five of their caravans available for a week to homeless people or locals who have to rely on food parcels.

The accommodation is available from 20 to 27 December with the park also providing meals and entertainment.

Communications assistant Colin MacDonald said: “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.

“Essentially, we are aiming to help people out who would perhaps normally go without. We want them to have a memory that will last instead of feeling isolated at this time of year.

“Any help in filling the caravans with people in need would be greatly appreciated.”

This is not the first time that the caravan park have opened their doors to those in need free of charge. Last winter, following the extensive floods in Carlisle, they offered accommodation to flood victims.

And the park also created a monthly free lunch club for seniors in Beattock and Moffat to tackle loneliness.

If you know anyone at risk of being homeless this Christmas, or are at risk yourself, call Colin on 01683 300313 to arrange accommodation.