by Chris Jefferies
Bristling with features, options and clever tricks, the new TomTom Camper and Caravan model certainly feels like a top-of-the-range product.
But times are tough, and at £330 it represents a serious investment in technology that is widely available on mobile phones these days.
So should you part with your cash? To find out, CaravanTimes has taken this smart little gadget on a three-week test, taking in rural East Anglia, scenic County Durham and even some city-centre driving in Bristol.
Why get one?
When they first came out, satellite navigations systems were the pinnacle of in-car technology and a sure sign of a truly impressive vehicle.
However, with amazingly powerful smartphones and tablets saturating the gadget market, sat navs now have to do much more than just point you in the right direction.
With this in mind, TomTom has packed the latest Go Live range with helpful extras like speed camera alerts, weather forecasts for your destination (which can be a tad depressing!), and live traffic updates.
You can even sync this gizmo up with your phone via Bluetooth and use it as a hands-free kit, while truly cautious drivers can demo the route before actually driving it.
How does it help caravanners?
We tested the Camper and Caravan version of the TomTom Go Live, which comes pre-programmed with numerous points of interest that will appeal to the curious tourer.
You can even tell the sat nav whether you are driving solo, with a caravan in tow, or in a motorhome and it will adjust your journey time and route accordingly.
This feature erred on the side of caution, telling us to avoid routes that would have been passable even with a moderately lengthy unit in tow.
Verdict
There are many things to admire about the TomTom Go Live Camper and Caravan sat nav, such as its easy-to-use design, intuitive controls and firm grip on the dashboard or windscreen.
That said there are a few niggly drawbacks, such as the unnecessary reminders to keep straight on at almost every motorway junction.
It all boils down to budget and whether you will use it enough to justify the £330 outlay.
If you are an adventurous tourer and would make good use of the pre-loaded European maps then it certainly seems like a sound investment.
However, if you visit the same few sites every year then you’d be better off just relying on your trusty smartphone.
Click on the slideshow below to see pictures from our three-week road test of the TomTom Go Live Camper and Caravan sat nav.
Find more photos like this on CaravanTimes
Thieves steal terminal cancer patient’s motorhome
by Tom Walsh
A terminally ill pensioner in Cardiff has pleaded for the return of his much-loved motorhome after thieves stole the vehicle from outside his house.
Robert Pye, who has an incurable form of cancer, regarded his Ford tourer as being “like a child” to him and has called on the culprits to “give me my baby back”, the Echo reports.
The 68-year-old former chef and businessman had invested his life savings of £7,000 into improving the mobile home and now faces a costly process as he can not even claim the £2,000 insurance due to losing his no-claims bonus.
Mr Pye told the news provider that his home has been targeted by burglars on a number of occasions and this time they made off with his cherished vehicle on the morning of Saturday 4 May.
“The motorhome was my baby, it is just like having a child – I can’t get anywhere without it. I love going to Pembrokeshire in it. I’ve got a little boat in Pembroke and I always get somebody to go with me – it’s like a free holiday for them – it is the one thing I look forward to,” he added.
Motorhome break ins and thefts are becoming more and more prevalent and owners are being warned to be extra vigilant.
Auto-Trail to release new range of compact motorhomes
Auto-Trail is set to release a new luxurious compact leisure vehicle designed for all seasons, with full specifications due to be revealed in July.
The new range is said to be based on the Euro 5 compliant Fiat Ducato and comes with a 130 bhp engine and double-glazed privacy windows. Upgrades to 150/180 bhp engines are available at an extra cost.
The compact collection will include a wide range of features as standard including a panoramic skyline roof light, solar panels and an integrated wind-out awning for added comfort and convenience.
And optional extras will include a change of the exterior paint colour from high gloss ‘arctic’ white to ‘metallic’ carbon black.
Auto-Trail has previously released the Tracker, Apache and Frontier ranges of motorhomes.
There are three new layouts on the way, with the first due to be unveiled in July including its name, specification, prices and layouts. Two more layouts will follow on in the 2014 season.
The new range will follow in the footsteps of the Auto-Trail Excel, the compact motorhome range launched by the Lincolnshire-based company back in 2008.
Be sure to watch this space at CaravanTimes as we will have all the information on the new Auto-Trail models for our readers as soon as it is released in July.
Arc building on caravan wheels sells for £21,000 at auction
A building on wheels has recently been auctioned off in Hull for a surprisingly low amount.
The Arc design centre cost around £750,000 to construct but sold for a mere £21,000 at auction after the charity that previously owned it went into liquidation.
It is in theory five caravans built together to house a couple of offices, which have caravan wheels and fitting inside, two toilets and a large open space which can be used for conferences, workshops or lectures and meetings.
The building is made from steel, timber, glass, aluminium, and concrete. It is a “zero-carbon” building which features wind turbines and solar panels mounted on tall poles.
The Arc was designed by London-based Niall McLaughlin Architects and constructed off site and brought to site in sections on the back of a lorry.
The new owner of the building is Terry Hodgkinson, who plans to create a cafe, bar or exhibition space with the property.
It was originally built with aims to transport it around the city, hence the wheels, which allow it to be towed to locations that require regeneration.
Silverstone race circuit hosts first motorhome auction
As well as being the home of British motorsport, Silverstone race circuit is well known for sales of classic and competition cars.
And now it is due to host a sale of motorhomes at an auction on 19 May with a wide range of classic tourers up for grabs.
There will be two viewing days prior to the auction on 17 and 18 May and the event itself will take place on Sunday 19 May from 12-4pm.
Paul Sadler, motorhome specialist at Silverstone Auctions said: “Our first sale of 2013 at Silverstone will be based in the ultra-modern £27 million Wing building, which is a fantastic place to host our inaugural motorhome sale.”
Bidding at the auction can be done in many different ways, ranging from in person by attending the sale, by phone or even online via the i-Bidder.com system.
There will also be two more motorhome auctions taking place later on in the year, specifically at CarFest North in Oulton Park, Cheshire, and CarFest South in Hampshire.
Amongst the range up for auction there will be models such as the 1990 Austosleeper Flair estimated at £3-5,000 and a 2007 Auto-Trail Arapaho which is estimated at £38-40,000.
The full listing for the auction is below
- 2007 Autotrail Arapaho
- 2004 Lexington 255 Forest River RV
- 2007 Elddis Autoquest 170
- 2004 Swift Sundance 590RS
- 2008 Autosleeper Warwick
- 2009 Autosleeper Sigma
- 2006 Autotrail Mohican Diesel Auto
- 2004 Mclouis Glen 690
- 1990 Autosleeper Flair
- 2004 Autocruise Starblazer
- 2004 Elddis Autoquest 400 RL
- 2008 Elddis Autoquest 140
- 2010 Swift Sundance 590RS
British Holiday and Home Parks Association plants over 400 saplings to combat emissions
by Tom Walsh
Caravan owners from the Heart of England branch of the British Holiday and Home Parks Association have been going green to restore the balance on carbon emissions.
Members have so far planted the equivalent of a small woodland with over 400 saplings flourishing to help lessen the impact that their vehicles have on the environment.
Each tree has been calculated to have a carbon offset value of around 255 miles and members believe that by doing this they can rest easy when they have to drive for meetings.
Denis Lloyd Jones, branch chairman, said: “There was unanimous support for the idea of planting indigenous trees to counter our cars’ carbon emissions, and in under a year we have offset more than a hundred thousand miles.”
To celebrate the planting of the 400th of the 423 trees planted under the scheme, there was a commemorative ceremony organised by the branch at Woodside Lodges in Ledbury, Herefordshire.
Since the initiative was started in 2012, around 1,800 specimens of plant have been able to flourish in the countryside.
Londonderry councillors reject new caravan park plans
by Tom Walsh
Plans for a new caravan park in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, have been dealt a major blow after councillors blocked the proposals.
Derry City Council had been given approval from both the Department of the Environment and the government in 2012 to create a site that would be able to accommodate the influx of visitors during Londonderry’s UK City of Culture year in 2013.
However, the local authority has seen its own members turn against it during a meeting of the planning committee, the Belfast Telegraph reports.
The campsite was due to be situated near to St Columb’s Park Leisure Centre but had received substantial opposition with three petitions lodged to the authority.
Londonderry is hosting a wealth of events across the rest of the year to celebrate it achieving the Capital of Culture status.
The end of May will see BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend head to the Northern Irish city with Biffy Clyro, Bruno Mars and Calvin Harris headlining the event.
Fylde caravan owners warned of bogus workmen
by Tom Walsh
Caravan owners and elderly residents living on mobile home sites are being warned about conmen operating in the Fylde area.
Trading Standards officers have noted concern after at least six people have been in touch reporting suspicious callers offering to maintain their tourer, but officials believe that it goes much further than this.
The Lancashire Evening Post reported these bogus workmen are targeting the elderly and vulnerable people on these sites.
Lee Ormandy, from Lancashire Trading Standards, told the news provider that they have been informed that callers can sometimes be quite aggressive.
“These sellers can be quite insistent and pushy but don’t be pressurised into making snap decisions and never hand over any money before the job is done,” Mr Ormandy added.
The government has aimed to stamp out this trend of rogue traders and last year launched the National Trading Standards Board which is managed by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
Coachman secures best practice accreditation
by Tom Walsh
Coachman Caravans has received a major boost after the manufacturer secured the ISO 9001 standard accreditation.
The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) aims to make the industry a more efficient and effective place by developing specifications for products, services and good practice.
Coachman’s accreditation is testament to the company’s dedication to promoting quality within its products and operations.
Officials explained that the ISO 9001 shows that it is continuing to carry out the best possible practice throughout its various caravan and tourer ranges.
Steve Sefton, quality consultant at Coachman, said: “Our quality standards are consistently implemented and we are regularly audited to ensure that it remains this way.
“If something is not working or can be improved, we have systems in place to bring such issues to light and implement any necessary changes.”
The Hull-based manufacturer offers a multitude of caravan designs and styles ranging from the ideal family tourer, the Coachman Amara, right up to the luxury Laser range which combines contemporary chic with comfortable soft furnishings.
Porthcawl caravan site to reopen for first time in 12 years
by Tom Walsh
A once popular holiday resort for caravanners in Wales has reopenned after being left derelict for over a decade.
The Sandy Bay Touring Site in Porthcawl was closed to the public in 2000 by the local council in a bid to free up prime seafront space for a major regeneration programme that was due to take place in the town.
However, the park near to the Hi Tide Inn reopened on Monday 6 May in time for the summer holidays, WalesOnline reports.
There have been increased calls to allow campers back on to the site and the council believes this will put an end to the disputes.
Hi Tide Inn director Geoff Dower and wife Fran have put £30,000 towards the development of the site. Mr Dower told the source: “This is great news for Porthcawl, enabling a designated site for mobile homes to vacate the promenade.”
Porthcawl has predominantly been a holiday resort in Wales and sits just along the bay from Swansea and a recent BBC report revealed that the town had bucked the high street downward trend in the UK.
VIDEO: Simon King’s Scottish wildlife caravan tour – Day One
by Chris Jefferies
Some people use their caravans for a relaxing holiday getaway, others entertain their friends in it, but Simon King OBE uses his Bailey Orion to film and photograph some of Britain’s most remarkable wildlife.
The award-winning wildlife photographer and naturalist is best known for his work on BBC shows such as Springwatch and Planet Earth.
But what many people don’t know is that Simon is a lifelong caravanner and proud ambassador of the Caravan Club.
In the first of a four-part series, Simon takes to the road with his trusty Green Goddess to explore South West Scotland and some of the Club’s Certificated Locations, which are very small caravan parks with only five pitches.
There’s also a visit to a local wildlife sanctuary, where Simon catches up with some old friends and explains why the fox is one of Britain’s most misunderstood creatures.
Keep checking back with CaravanTimes to watch further adventures in Simon King’s Scottish wildlife caravan tour.
TyrePal competition comes to an end and winner revealed
In our latest competition, CaravanTimes has teamed up with Towergate Insurance, to give our readers the chance to get their hands on a Tyre Pal pressure monitor, and now the time has come for the winner to be revealed.
The lucky winner will receive a TA22X/2 tyre pressure monitor from TyrePal which has two sensors and is normally priced at £125.
This gadget means you can check on the tyre pressure while moving and feel at ease when on the road with your caravan.
The prize comes with some handy features; as well as the monitor, it comes with a rechargeable battery, a holder with a suction base, two valve-cap sensors and two lithium batteries.
Also included is an anti-theft set which prevents sensors from being stolen from the wheels, and a power connecter. Alerts can also be set up for emergency situations such as punctures or blowouts.
We have had the entrants flooding in but there can only be one lucky reader this time. So without further ado, our winner is:
Glenn Binless
Congratulations, we hope you enjoy your prize. We will be in touch via e-mail to arrange delivery of your prize.
Commiserations to everyone else who entered, but keep checking back to CaravanTimes for our next competition which will start very soon.
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