Swift provides 2016 Olympic Games’ Team Wiggins cycling team with Escape

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by Justine Iorga

Team Wiggins given Swift motorhome as support for their efforts
Swift Group has announced that they will be supporting a cycling team called Team Wiggins by providing them with a motorhome.

The team has been founded by Sir Bradley Wiggins, 34, with the ultimate goal to win gold at the 2016 Rio De Janeiro Olympic Games. The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), which is the world governing body for the sport of cycling recognised by the International Olympic Committee, has recently approved and issued a licence to the world time trial champion’s new squad.
While Wiggins is still with his current team, Team Sky, he will officially leave on 30 April in order to join his team consisting of Mark Christian, Andy Tennant, Jon Dibben, Owain Doull, Dan Patten, and Chris Lawless in early May.
In recognition of the elite British riders’ dedication, Swift Group decided to join in the support by providing them with a Swift Escape 696. The Swift Escape will be decked out in Team Wiggins colours and the team’s sponsor logos.
The super light motorhome has the perfect layout for the team to relax in before a big race, an ideal environment for private team meetings, and after an exhausting day of cycling the Escape‘s bunks at the rear can become a space for recovery or physiotherapy.
Nick Page, Commercial Director of Swift Group, stated: “It is absolutely brilliant what Sir Bradley Wiggins is setting out to achieve with Team WIGGINS this year leading up to the 2016 Rio Olympics and we are very pleased to support the team, by providing a motorhome.”
“Cycling is a great activity and many of our customers either take bikes with them or spectate at many of the Tours throughout Europe.”
Team Wiggins will be competing in their first race at the Tour of Normandy, which started on 23 March and will go on until 29 March. To stay posted on the team’s results, click here.

Caravan renovation helps owner escape the rent noose

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By Claire Lawson

Young New Zealand woman finds alternative to high cost living in a caravan

To rent or own your own property is something the younger generation has always strived for, but with sky rocketing rent and mortgage prices the goal is slowly becoming harder and harder for many young adults to achieve as well.

It’s not just the UK that’s suffering from the post-recession blues though and New Zealand is no different. However, one savvy resident decided to act on impulse when she decided to buy a used caravan online.

Parked in the backyard behind a shared flat, Lily Kemp now only pays a grand total of $40 NZD per month (approximately £20) for her caravan residence – a quarter of what her house mates inside the property pay.

After making the decision to downsize from her Auckland apartment, Kemp bought her caravan for a mere $1,000 NZD (approximately £500) and spent another $496 NZD (approximately £250) to replace the rotting floorboards.

Despite the close-quarters, Kemp is able to make her new living accommodation come alive with vibrant colours, decorations and even houseplants.

Her mobile living arrangements come with a galley kitchen, an upholstered banquette (with storage underneath) and a big bed that transforms into a seated dining area. The electronics are provided their energy from a solar panel bought for approximately £30 and the stove and fridge are both powered by gas.

She still has to use the bathroom inside the property, however her pop-up caravan allows the freedom to move around, visit family and get away for the summer, essentially enabling her to live a full life free of the rent trap. Check out a video of the quirky home below.

It’s wonderful to find a young person thinking outside the square and finding cost-effective alternatives to the mainstream expectations of workaholism, mortgage, major property and zombie consumerism. What do you think? Would you do, or have done, something like this given half the chance?

Man ordered to pay £10,000 for stealing caravans

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by Justine Iorga
Man convicted of selling stolen luxury caravans to unsuspecting eBayers fined, but is sentence too lenient?
A man caught and convicted of selling stolen caravans to unsuspecting buyers has been fined £10,000 or face six month’s prison time.
Joseph Cochrane, 47, from Stretford, Greater Manchester, was convicted of handling luxury caravans stolen in Holland and Germany worth a total of £34,000 and selling them to unbeknownst eBayers.
Luckily, police managed to catch Cochrane before he could scam too many buyers. When officers from Greater Manchester Police raided his home they seized £2,680 in cash. Cochrane disputed ownership of the money and stated he had no other assets. He also claimed that he had sold the caravans on behalf of another man who had taken all the money.
At a confiscation hearing in Manchester Crown Court on 19 March, Cochrane was ordered to pay £10,000 within the next six months or face six months imprisonment. If Cochrane were to serve the six months that would not change the fact that he would still have to pay the fine.
Detective Constable John Townsend, from GMP’s Asset Attack Team, said: “Both members of the public who lost out should now get back all the money they lost back.
“While fraud is a growing problem, I would like to reassure both members of the public and criminals engaged in fraud that Greater Manchester Police is determined not only to bring criminals to justice but also to leave no stone unturned in making sure that we strip criminals of their assets and compensate their victims who have lost their hard earned money through fraud,” he continued.
Townsend went on: “It may take a while to complete the process but Greater Manchester Police do not forget, and we are fully aware of the impact fraud can have on members of the public.
“It is one of the best parts of my job to contact victims and tell them the good news when we succeed in retrieving their money.”
What do you think of Cochrane’s punishment? Was he let off too easily of his offence? Let us know your thoughts.

Book your trip to the 2015 Le Mans race with The Caravan Club and grab a prize

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by Alice Scarsi

Book your trip to the Le Mans race with the Caravan Club to have the chance to win a very special prize

If you are thinking of heading to the exciting Le Mans 24 race with your caravan this year (13-14 June), The Caravan Club have just made things even more exciting with the announcement of a great new competition.

The 24-hour race of Le Mans is one of the most thrilling events of the season for those who love the thrill of an amazing race. And, to make the most of this year’s event, The Caravan Club is offering those who book a ferry crossing along with a stay at The Club’s nearby Château de Chanteloup, the opportunity to win a whole host of Le Mans 24-Hour Race prizes. The long list of prizes available includes:

  • Lunch with the Jota Sport team on the Friday
  • Private tour of the Jota Sport pit and a chance to see the car and team up close after lunch on Friday
  • Guided tour of the pit lane
  • Visit the Jota Sport team pit during the race at a designated time and watch the team perform at least one pit stop
  • Goody bag

The winner will be drawn on 5 June 2015 and notified by 10 June 2015. There will be a maximum of six winners drawn.

Attending the race and participating in the prize draw already looks like a win/win situation that shouldn’t be missed. To book, call the Caravan Club’s Travel team on 01342 488108 now to stand a chance of winning.

The National evening tickets on sale now

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by Justine Iorga
Tickets on sale now for The National 2015’s evening show at Cornbury Park
The Caravan Club shop is now selling tickets to The National evening show in Cornbury Park in Charlbury, Oxfordshire. The Club is welcoming all to come and join the festivities of the night that will include great music and a guaranteed good time.
The event, held each bank holiday in May, invites both members and non-members to come and stay for the whole weekend, day or even just the evening to sample the entertainment available for guests of all ages.
The fantastic entertainment will include music from The Magic of the Bee Gees, Beyond the Barricade, who will be on hand to sing well-known West End songs, a Buddy Holly tribute act featuring the ‘Everly Brothers’ and special guest star Jess Conrad, as well as ‘A Great Night Out’ – a swing band that will take you straight back to the vintage era.
If you decide to stay the night there are many Club Sites nearby to the event, including: Bladon Chains, Broadway, Burford, and Moreton-in-the-Marsh.
Tickets are now available to buy from the Club shop online, so buying is an easy few clicks. To purchase tickets, click here now.

Stowford Farm Meadows hits the 50th anniversary

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by Alice Scarsi

One of the leading names in the caravan industry turns 50 this year

Stowford Farm Meadows, one of the UK’s top touring parks, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and it has in store many surprises to celebrate this milestone.

This year is indeed a special year for one of the top touring sites in Devon, whose beginning goes all the way back to 1955, when brothers Redvers and Denzil Rice set up a limited company in their own names. The initial business was farming, but within ten years Stowford had set itself up as a touring park, taking full advantage of a Devon Council Structure Plan that identified the urge to have a touring, caravan and camping park in the area.

Winston Rice, Redvers’ son, is the backbone of the family business, and thanks to his daring choices the touring site has become the multiple award-winning holiday destination it is today. In the mid 1970’s, whilst farming at Stowford, Rice sought planning permission to build a new agricultural shed (the now main site Reception area) and to widen the gate so that, in future, caravans and motorhomes could enter easily. That was the first step towards Stowford becoming a touring site. In 1978 Stowford Farm Meadows Touring Caravan and Camping Park opened, with one field, an amenities block and holiday shop, followed by the inauguration of a take-away and The Old Stable Bar.

Over the years, the park has become bigger, with 70 acres of woodland added in 1996 to the original site and another touring field added in 2002. In 2011 the family decided to become also a dealer of caravans and motorhomes, opening Stowford South Wales, and in 2014 started producing its own VW campervan conversions.

Today, with Winston Rice still overseeing the family enterprise, Stowford Farm Meadows has developed one of the most successful camping and caravanning park operation of the UK, hosting restaurants, bars, an indoor swimming pool, take-aways, shops and even an NCC-approved workshop.

The leading figure of the business commented his family’s success: “I never dreamed, when we set out on this amazing journey, that Stowford Farm Meadows would develop into what it’s become today.

“It’s been hard work, but always enjoyable, and the fact that we’ve given so many happy camping and caravanning memories to hundreds of thousands of people is what really makes it all worthwhile. To be in business and still thriving after 50 years is an almighty achievement.”

To celebrate its successful half century, the family has created a special anniversary logo and is planning to create a web blog to show how the business evolved from a farm to a renowned name in the UK caravan industry.

To keep yourself updated, visit Stowford official website.

Simple dinner recipes to try on your next caravan holiday

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by Justine Iorga
Dinner time on holiday doesn’t have to be stressful with these recipes
Most people think they need tons of ingredients, loads of time, and plenty of space to make a gourmet meal. And for those of us who are avid caravanners it’s a given that we’re limited in all those areas which can make things difficult when it comes to having the whole family to please.
Well, we here at Caravantimes have gone through and handpicked some simple recipes that will leave you stress free when it comes to dinner time wherever you decide to pitch up.
These recipes are fun and you can even make a wonderful memory and bonding experience out of it. There should be no reason that you can’t make a great meal in your caravan just like you’re right at home. We’ve given you a whole host of options because we know that not everyone has the same tastes, so hopefully you will be able to find one of these recipes as a huge success for you and yours.
Recipes:
Family Meal
Sausage casserole with garlic toasts is perfect for a filling family dinner after a day of activities. You are looking at about £9 for ingredients and the recipe serves four people. It takes five minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook. So you can pop it in the oven and go relax out in the awning while dinner cooks.
Ingredients:
400g can chopped tomatoes
250ml vegetable stock
8 reduced-fat sausages
4 red onions, cut into wedges
1 yellow pepper, deseeded and chopped
1 tbsp x 20g pack basil (use rest on toast)
Steps:
1. Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas mark 7.
2. Put the sausages, pepper and onion into a roasting tin, then roast for 20 minutes.
3. Lower oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas mark 6, then tip tomatoes and stock over the sausages.
4. Add sugar and most of the basil. Season, then stir well.
5. Roast for another 20 minutes.
6. Serve with garlic toasts, sprinkled with the remaining basil.
Healthy choice
Red lentil, chickpea, and chilli soup is really a great choice for those colder nights. It’s filling and healthy, which is great if you’re looking to have something delicious without the guilty feeling after. You’re looking at about £8 for everything and it only takes about ten minutes to prep and 25 minutes to cook.
Ingredients:
850ml vegetable stock or water
400g can tomatoes, whole or chopped
200g carton chickpeas or ½ can, rinsed and drained (freeze leftovers)
140g red split lentils
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 red onion, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp 0% Greek yogurt, to serve
Large pinch chilli flakes
Small bunch coriander, roughly chopped (save a few leaves, to serve)
Steps:
1. Heat a large saucepan and dry-fry the cumin seeds and chilli flakes for 1 minute, or until they start to jump around the pan and release their aromas.
2. Add the oil and onion, and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the lentils, stock and tomatoes, then bring to the boil.
4. Simmer for 15 minutes until the lentils have softened.
5. Whizz the soup with a stick blender or in a food processor until it is a rough purée, pour back into the pan and add the chickpeas.
6. Heat gently, season well and stir in the coriander.
7. Finish with a dollop of yogurt and coriander leaves.
Comfort
Shepherd’s pie pasties are a new twist on a classic dish. Less of a mess than your traditional shepherd’s pie, these pasties take about ten minutes to prepare and about 45 minutes to cook and will have you licking your lips for more guaranteed. You will be looking at about £12 on ingredients at your local supermarket.
Ingredients:
500g pack puff pastry
400g cold mashed potatoes
250g extra-lean lamb mince
200ml hot lamb or chicken stock
100g frozen peas
1 egg, beaten
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sundried tomato puree
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Steps:
1. Cook onion in the oil for 5 minutes, then brown the lamb for 2-3 minutes.
2. Stir in the stock, purée and Worcestershire sauce and bring to the boil
3. Simmer for 15 minutes until the liquid has evaporated and remove from the heat.
4. Add the peas and season.
5. Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas mark 7.
6. Quarter the pastry, then roll each piece into an 18cm square.
7. Divide the mash between the squares and top with the mince mixture.
8. Dampen the edges of the pastry, pull the four corners up so they meet in the centre, then press the edges firmly together to seal.
9.Transfer to a baking sheet, brush with egg and bake for 20 minutes until golden.
Vegetarian
Pizza Margherita is a great recipe that vegetarians (or non-vegetarians) can enjoy. You are looking at about £10 for everything at your local supermarket. It will take 25 minutes to prepare and ten minutes to cook. This recipe will make two pizzas and feeds about four people.
Ingredients:
For the base
300g strong bread flour (may need a bit more)
1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1tsp salt
For the tomato sauce
100ml passata
1 garlic clove, crushed
Handful fresh basil or 1tsp dried
For the toppings
125g ball mozzarella, sliced
Handful grated or shaved parmesan
Handful cherry tomatoes, halved
To finish
Handful basil leaves (optional)
Steps:
Making the base:
1. Put the flour into a large bowl, then stir in the yeast and salt.
2. Make a well, pour in 200ml warm water and the olive oil and bring together with a wooden spoon until you have a soft, fairly wet dough.
3. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes until smooth.
4. Cover with a tea towel and set aside. You can leave the dough to rise if you like, but it’s not essential for a thin crust.
Making the sauce:
1. Mix the passata, basil and crushed garlic together, then season to taste.
2. Leave to stand at room temperature while you get on with shaping the base.
Back to the Base:
1. Roll out the dough. If you’ve let the dough rise, give it a quick knead, then split into two balls.
2. On a floured surface, roll out the dough into large rounds, about 25cm across, using a rolling pin. The dough needs to be very thin as it will rise in the oven.
3. Lift the rounds onto two floured baking sheets.
Final prep:
1. Heat oven to 240C/fan 220C /gas mark 8.
2. Put another baking sheet or an upturned baking tray in the oven on the top shelf.
3. Smooth sauce over bases with the back of a spoon. Scatter with cheese and tomatoes, drizzle with olive oil and season.
4. Put one pizza, still on its baking sheet, on top of the preheated sheet or tray. Bake for 8-10 mins until crisp. Serve with a little more olive oil, and basil leaves if using. Repeat step for remaining pizza.
Date Night
Chicken with creamy bacon penne is a simple recipe that will be sure to impress your partner. It takes just ten minutes to make and you’re looking at about £12 on ingredients.
Ingredients:
220g packet 8oz cooked penne
100g smoked lardons (chopped bacon)
100g frozen petits pois
5 tbsp double cream
4 tbsp dry white wine
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tbsp olive oil
Steps:
1. Heat the oil in a deep nonstick frying pan, then add the chicken breasts and scatter round the lardons.
2. Leave to cook over a high heat for four minutes while you gather the other ingredients together.
3. Turn the chicken over in the pan, give the lardons a stir, then pour in the wine and let it bubble over a high heat until it has virtually evaporated.
4. Add the petit pois, cream and penne. Season, then stir well.
5. Cover the pan and cook for four more minutes until the chicken is cooked all the way through. Serve straight away.
We really hope we’ve given you some great ideas as far as what’s cooking on your next trip away is concerned. Let us know below if you have any recipes that you can’t do without when you’re away.

Just Go sells stakes to Tourism Holdings Limited

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by Claire Lawson

Company from New Zealand stock exchange snatches up Just Go stakes

Tourism Holdings Limited (THL), listed in the New Zealand stock exchange, has bought 49 per cent of shares from the Bedfordshire based motorhomes rental and sales business Just Go.

The price has not been released, the The Just Go founders, Nick and Sarah Roach, will remain operators of the company and own 51 percent of the stakes.

Chief executive of THL, Grant Webster, is very happy with the sale saying: “There are good synergies with THL and we are positive about the growth opportunities.

“We also see a good opportunity to bring some of the Just Go vehicles to New Zealand to extend our range for sale” Webster continued.

Nick Roach, managing director of Just Go, added: “This is a good time to bring on board a partner with the capability and systems to assist us in our growth aspirations.”

The upcoming year holds many promises for the business, as Roach states, “It’s going to be a great year for Just Go – we have new expanded premises, the Rugby World Cup and a growing UK tourist market”

Do you think this will this help the ever-expanding popularity of caravanning? Let us know your thoughts below.

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.