The Caravan Club lists top sites to celebrate National Parks Week

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by Jessica Almeida

Take advantage of The Caravan Club’s top sites

With the UK’s National Parks Week taking place from 27 July until 2 August this summer, there is no better time to getaway. And now, holidaymakers planning a Great British getaway can take advantage of The Caravan Club‘s top sites located in National Parks across the UK.

So, if you’re looking to get a slice of the action during National Parks Week, members and non-members alike can book their UK break at any one of the recommended Caravan Club sites below. Read on to find out where.

Maragowan Caravan Club Site For Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park

Located on the bank of the River Lochay in Scotland, the site is within comfortable walking distance of the popular town of Killin. Close by activities include golf, kayaking, walking and mountaineering, as well as cycling routes such as the National Cycle Route 7. Take a trip to Inchcailloch Island on the Loch and explore the area’s natural surroundings. A caravan pitch at Maragowan Caravan Club Site starts from £9.60 per pitch, plus £7.50 per adult and £2.80 per child per day.

Minehead Caravan Club Site for Exmoor National Park

Surrounded by the countryside, Minehead Caravan Club Site is just a 15 minute walk from the traditional seaside town of Minehead. Nearby attractions include Dunster Castle, breathtaking walks and the village of Taunton. The park also hosts a variety of free events throughout the week including the Flower Festival on 1 and 2 August. At Minehead Caravan Club Site a caravan pitch begins at £9.10 per pitch, plus £7.20 per adult and £2.50 per child per day.

Brecon Beacons Caravan Club Site for Brecon Beacons National Park

This site provides an ideal base for touring the Brecon Beacons National Park. Visitors can enjoy walking, climbing and mountain biking and the nearby Castell Carreg Cennen has been announced as a top panoramic photography site. The kids can enjoy podcast trails to discover the geology and waterfalls of the Park. There are many walks to choose from with podcasts ranging from 15 to 20 minutes and if you’ve worked up a thirst after all that activity, there’s a pub located 10 minutes’ walk away. A caravan pitch at Brecon Beacons Caravan Club Site starts from £10.20 per pitch, plus an additional £8.40 per adults and just one penny per child per day. Camping is also available from just £10.20 per electric pitch, plus per person fees.

Coniston Park Coppice Caravan Club Site for Lake District National Park

Set on 63 acres of National Trust woodland, Coniston Park Coppice offers a scenic holiday getaway. Nearby activities include water sports such as sailing, windsurfing, canoeing, steamboat rides and boat hire. With different treetop treks suitable for ages five and older, Brockhole is a great place to get active. Visitors will find rope bridges, wobbly logs and a zip line wire from a 14-metre high treetop tower. At Coniston Park Coppice Caravan Club Site a caravan pitch starts from £9.70 per pitch, plus £7.60 per adult and £2.80 per child per day. Camping is also available from just £9.70 per electric pitch, plus per person fees.

Couple donate luxury caravan and raise over £1,000 for Halton Haven Hospice

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by Ellie Pritchard

Over £1,000 has been raised for Halton Haven Hospice after an open-handed couple donate their caravan

A generous couple have donated the use of their caravan to a hospice charity as part of a prize giveaway, raising a substantial amount in the process.

Tracey Jones and Adi Wildin gave up their caravan to be used as a prize in a raffle as part of a fundraiser for Halton Haven Hospice in Runcorn. The luxury caravan, used by the couple for family holidays and able to sleep up to six people, was given away as part of a raffle, which raised over £1,000. Other prizes included a three night stay at the Hafan Y Mor Holiday Park in North Wales this summer.

The duo were spurred to donate their caravan after being moved by help and care given to their relatives by Halton Haven Hospice.

Paula Mullin, head of Halton Haven’s fundraising, said: “The raffle was a great opportunity for everyone to be in with a chance of winning a break away, which in the economy we live in today is a much welcomed gift for families who can sometimes not afford to go away.

“The caravan’s usage had been kindly donated to us by Tracy and Adi who has very kindly given us usage free of charge with all money raised going towards the ever increasing running costs of the hospice.

“With support and generosity from our local community we are able to continue to provide our specialist kind of caring for Halton.
“Prizes like this don’t come along every week.

“With the couple’s blessing we were able to split the week long prize over two weekends so there was a greater chance to be in with winning this fantastic prize.”

It’s no surprise that the raffle raised so much money – tickets to win the lavish caravan were on sale in all hospice shops and the Halton Haven reception, as well as being sold by kind members of the public.

Swift featured on Sunday Times List

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by Joe Jeffrey

UK caravan manufacturer ranks impressively on Sunday Times HSBC International Track Table

UK leisure manufacturer, Swift Group, has ranked 95th in the sixth annual Sunday Times HSBC International Track 200 league table.

The prestigious list, which ranks Britain’s private companies with the fastest growing international sales over the last 2 years, has placed the Swift Group as one of only fifteen companies from Yorkshire to make the Track 200 league table.

During the last two years the companies listed have added 1,640 jobs and employed a total of 12,370 people. And, with 900 staff and a turnover of £200m, Swift are one of Yorkshire’s manufacturing success stories.

Swift have seen a 34 per cent increase in its International sales over the last couple of years and, as well as seeing sales increase in established international markets such as Holland, Belgium, France, New Zealand and Austalia, Swift has also entered several new markets such as Germany, Israel, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Thailand in this time all contributing to its success. With Sweden the latest new market Swift are entering, with a new range of left hand drive Motorhomes (in Q4 2015), the future looks bright for this thriving company.

Nick Page, Swift’s group commercial director, commented: “I am absolutely delighted with our position in the Track 200 league table. In 2008 we realised the huge potential that existed in International markets. The Swift brand is extremely strong and represents our key business cornerstones for our products of Quality, Reliability, Well-Engineered and Best in class. This has translated extremely well internationally and there is an ever-increasing demand for all our products in all sectors.”

“The 2015 season looks even more encouraging with export sales just for one year exceeding £12.6 million, compared with the figures of £12.5million listed in the Track 200 league table for over two years, where Swift are listed in 95th position. So I am confident that in the next Track league 200 table, we will have an even higher listing!

He continued: “The business has a strong leadership team who all saw the value in developing the business internationally and over the last seven years we have gone from strength to strength. The Swift brand is now truly global covering Europe, Asia and Australasian markets, and we are currently assessing more international markets to enter in the forthcoming years.”

CaravanTimes extends its congratulations to all at Swift for making the list.

Caravan gives you an office escape in the wilderness

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by Megan Henderson

KantoorKaravaan is providing an office space far from the city

Have you ever considered turning your caravan into an office? Well now you’ll be able to if one innovative company has anything to do with it.

Company, KantoorKaravaan, sets up caravans in the wilderness so people may get away from the hectic city and relax while they get their work done. Each caravan comes stocked with WiFi access and a coffee machine, as well as other office amenities, so all workers need to bring is their laptop and a spirit of adventure.

The caravans are equipped to handle anything from one individual worker to a small handful, enabling companies who wish to work in the great outdoors to bring in more workers as and when required.

The KantoorKaravaan project is maintained by Dutch firm The Tipping Point. The company website even mentions that you should not worry about paying for the upkeep of the caravan, as there are ways to help KantoorKaravaan in order to reduce the amount of cash you have to pay.

Spec-wise, all of the caravans available for hire run on solar power, but also include full lighting and a biomass cooker for making food and hot water. The office caravans can also include a tent and mobile composting toilet if guests want to stay for a while.

The cozy little offices have already towed deep into the forests of Holland, but KantoorKaravaan and The Tipping Point hope to expand the operation to Sweden, Greece, Spain, and the US over time.

What do you think? Would you like to work out in the wilderness from your caravan?

Fire services provide advice for staying safe this summer

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by Jessica Almeida

Be safe on your caravan holiday this summer and follow these tips

The summer months are here and it’s pretty true that – despite the odd bit of drizzle – many people are enjoying the warm weather. However, whether it is caravanning, cooking, or travelling, one fire service is urging people to stay safe this summer.

Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, in partnership with the Fire Kills campaign, has compiled a series of tips to ensure people stay safe and reduce the risk of fires while enjoying the great outdoors this summer.

BFRS Arson Reduction Officer, Andy Martin stated that a hot summer is what everyone hopes for, but unfortunately it can bring its own risks.

Martin said: “If you’re intending to take out your tent, ready your rucksack or get your caravan back on the road, you should go armed with some safety advice before heading for the great outdoors.”

For those who intend to camp outdoors, the fire service have also urged caravanners to leave at least six meters spacing between their caravans and tents and to pitch up away from parked cars in order to reduce the risk of fire spreading.

Meanwhile, if you are cooking, caravanners have been warned to keep appliances away from awnings and tent walls and never cook inside a small tent or near flammable materials or long grass. It is also important to not use candles or smoke in or near a tent.

In case there of fire, people should be able to know how to escape from their leisure vehicle of tent, whilst, for those who plan on taking their caravans out, it is important to make sure you have a working smoke alarm and take extra precautions while cooking.

The fire service also advised that people make sure they remove any litter and rubbish near to the caravan to reduce the risk of fire spreading and to make sure their caravans are well ventilated.

For those who plan on having open fires, people should make sure they’re downhill and at least 10 meters any flammable materials. It is also important to never leave fires unattended. Further advice included building a stack that will fall inwards whilst a fire is burning and to always make sure it is fully extinguished after use.

Although most of these tips are common sense, it’s always good to have a reminder before you set off on your summer holiday.

Controversial caravan site gets go-ahead

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by Ellie Pritchard

Farmland that doubles as a buffer between Ingoldmells and Addlethorpe will open as a caravan site, equipped with a play area, a clubhouse and even a fishing lake

Members at an East Lindsey planning committee meeting have approved Skegness Water Leisure Park‘s controversial plans to convert farmland into a 45-pitch caravan park.

The decision, which has irked two local parish councils, who have strongly opposed the notion, has also been struck a chord with local residents, some of whom will be living right next door to the new caravan park despite protests.

Councilor Sid Dennis, who is in favour of the site, insisted: “This will be a quality development by a quality company – Skegness, Ingoldmells and Chapel St Leonards are all about tourism.”

At first, the committee came to a tie, with five votes both for and against the new caravan site, along with two abstentions. However, during a re-vote, chairman and councilor Neil Cooper, voted in favour of the application, which had already been suggested for approval by officers.

“It’s a fine balance between preserving the buffer and the economic benefits of tourism development,” said Cooper.

John Chappell, while representing Skegness Water Leisure Park, was adamant the the new caravan park would be “tranquil” owing to the company’s attempt to environmentally enhance the farmland with the planting of various trees and shrubs. It has also been said that as many as 20 jobs will be created during the development of the park.

Councilor Jim Swanson agreed with Chappell, stating that “a few more caravans aren’t going to harm things.”

Before the meeting on Thursday, ward representative councillor Colin Davie, though not a member of the planning committee, made his opposition to the park clear, did disapproving of bringing tourism into the open countryside west of the A52. However, he has expressed respect for Skegness Water Leisure Park.

The successful applicants have been given one condition though: no caravans will be allowed on site until 2018, which will leave time for the foliage to grow in order to block the site from the view of neighbouring residents.

How would you feel about living next door to a caravan park?

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

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by Jessica Almeida

Existing GO Outdoors members may enjoy exclusive offer on equipment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Caravan Extravaganza Weekend is coming to you this September

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Ellie Pritchard

Caravan Extravaganza Weekend dates have been released

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

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

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

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

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

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

Caravanners beware: roads are slippery when wet

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by Megan Henderson

Caravan crash caused by wet roads

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

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

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

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

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

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

Have you won a CoPilot Truck sat nav app?

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by Joe Jeffrey

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Congratulations winners! We’ll be in touch soon.

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

Competition to win a Compass Corona winners announced

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by Ellie Pritchard

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

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

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

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

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

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

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by Jessica Almeida

Shotley Caravan Park is being auctioned off for

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

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

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

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

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

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