One of the great benefits of owning a caravan is that you can take holidays on your time rather than being at the whim of airlines, hotel companies and school holiday schedules.
So it’s disappointing that much of this power is diminished in the case of longer holidays, with caravanners usually forced to limit their holidays to no more than 28 days in order to avoid council concerns over people living in their caravans.
However, one caravan park in Lancashire has been given a special dispensation that will allow touring caravans to stay on site for longer, with planners going so far as to state that the current restriction is “unnecessary and unreasonable”.
Caravanners at Shorrocks Barn in Weeton will no longer be forced to vacate the site for at least 48 hours after 28-day stays, according to the Lancashire Evening Post.
The owners applied for the clause which was approved despite an objection from Weeton Parish Council that it could encourage more permanent stays.
However, the news provider reports that Fylde Council agreed to alter the condition, adding that it must only apply to touring caravans and that no permanent residents will be permitted to stay.
A caravan site in Lincolnshire is set for expansion after plans were approved by local councilors.
Henry Smith of Meadowlands, Great Steeping, in Lincolnshire, has been granted approval to use land for 30 touring caravans.
According to the East Lindsey Target, the site has previously been used without full planning permission.
However, now that approval has been granted, it will be able to use the two amenity blocks that have already been built and continue using land for caravan pitches.
The site, which is targeted at over-50s, is located on part of land formerly occupied by RAF Spilsby and also features eight lodges with holiday permits and a five-van site on the edge of a small lake.
Application for approval had been opposed by some, with an inhabitant of one lodge suggesting the applicant has a history of non-compliance with planning regulations.
However, Henry Smith, who bought the park with his partner 12 years ago, told the news provider: “We are supporting the local economy and we are not looking at having a vast expansion but we do want to make it better as the park has hardly changed in the last seven or eight years.”
Elddis has launched a special new aftermarket training programme in order to teach all approved service centres and workshops exactly how it repair its award-winning caravans.
The mandatory SoLiD Construction programme was launched in September following three years of research and development.
Unlike most other caravan manufacturers, Elddis builds fully-bonded vehicles. This is a technique used in other industries such as automotive, marine and aeronautical.
In order to ensure high standards of customer care, Elddis has launched the repair training programme, which explains this technique in detail to service centre and workshop staff.
Angela Robson, associate director at the company, devised and implemented the training scheme to make sure that every operative in Elddis retail network is fully competent in the repair of its structurally bonded tourers, in the event that one is involved in a road accident.
She said: “Structural bonding, although tried, tested and relied on in other areas of vehicle manufacturing, is completely new to our industry. This naturally leads to questions being raised, such as ‘if the bond is so strong, how can it be repaired?’
“In order to answer this question and many more we have designed a specific training course aimed at our retailers and repair centres across the country.”
A caravan worth somewhere between £7,000 and £8,000 was stolen from a home in the quiet residential setting of Eastbourne in Chichester last weekend.
Police are now calling for help in nabbing the tourer thieves, who made off with the vehicle some time between 5pm on Friday 15 February and 11am on Saturday 16 February.
Measuring 22ft in length, the magnolia Bailey Pageant Vendee single axle caravan had been positioned just off Fletchers Lane in Sidlesham at the time of its theft.
It was positioned alongside a number of other caravans, though his was the only one taken in the raid, as the Chichester Observer reports.
The caravan belonged to tourer enthusiast Mark Chatfield, who revealed in a depressing twist that the thieves “chucked everything out [of the caravan]” meaning they “can’t identify it from our belongings”.
Police did reveal that the vehicle had a security number VIN of SGBSCO7BY505049156 on the windows. The search continues…
The Swift Group stand at this year’s Spring Caravan and Camping Show at the NEC in Birmingham played host to an extra-special guest this week – the city’s Lord Mayor.
Councillor John Lines is known as something of a caravan enthusiast and was no doubt in his element as he looked around the impressive array of tourers on display at the exhibition centre.
The Lord Mayor of Birmingham was joined by his wife Kathleen for the flying visit, which gave the local politician a chance to take a look at some of the innovative caravan and motorhome designs unveiled by the firm at the event.
Among the highlights offered up by the firm was a new caravan dubbed the Colour Concept, which offers a rather different style of interior design.
Swift Group commercial director Nick Page was meanwhile on hand to outline the history of the firm and the latest technological breakthroughs being trialled by the company.
“We were privileged to welcome the Lord Mayor of Birmingham and his wife to the Swift stand and were delighted to be given the opportunity to demonstrate our exciting developments for 2013,” he said.
Elddis Caravans has announced an exclusive partnership with Whale Pumps this week (20 February).
The Solid Construction manufacturer will be fitting the Watermaster IC to all 2013 caravans, from the entry-level Xplore to the top-of-the-range Crusader.
This device intelligently controls the flow of the water from your caravan’s tank to the appliances to ensure that there is no pulsing or failing, due to variations in voltage.
What’s more, the Watermaster IC automatically switches off when the water tank is empty to ensure the pump motor does not burn out.
Stanley McFarland, Engineering Director at Whale says: “The Watermaster IC is a truly innovative product that means the end of pressure switch adjustments and prevents rapid cycling without sacrificing flow and performance.
“The intelligence lies in its ability to monitor and respond to variations in the whole system.”
Elddis is exhibiting its entire 2013 range at the NCC Spring Caravan and Camping Show on Stand 3000, Hall Three of the Birmingham NEC until Sunday 24 February.
by Chris Jefferies
For many, the kitchen area is the most important part of any caravan – not only does it allow you to cook up a hearty meal, but it needs to be large enough to store all your pots and pans, and more besides.
In this video, we catch up with Chris Millburn, Design Director at Swift Group, to take a look at the tweaks that he has made to the new Swift Challenger SE / Sterling Eccles SE range.
For full details on costs, layout options, weights and dimensions, all of the technical details can be seen here.
He explains why Swift has fitted a kitchen splashback and a second cutlery drawer, before talking us through the benefits of a dual-fuel hob.
We also take a closer look at the new Dometic fridge, which features a removable freezer section – so you can choose whether you want to use it not.
by Ben Wilby and Emmy Griffiths
The Spring Caravan and Camping show has been running all week (19 to 24 February) and will be steaming ahead this weekend, with a variety of newly unveiled caravans, celebrities and plenty of activities including cooking, aqua-zorbing and rock climbing.
We’ve scoured all four halls of the show to bring you the best things you should seek out if you’re planning to head along. Get futuristic with the Swift Colour Concept
After it was announced last week, we at CaravanTimes were looking forward to seeing the Swift Colour Concept (pictured below right), and it did not disappoint.
Stylish and appealing, complete with LED lighting and modern kitchen fittings, the light and luxurious caravan seemed a hit with spectators flocking to the Swift stand in Hall One.
The wooden flooring was particularly nice, as was the soft furnishings, which completed a lovely living room area, along with a deep shag-pile rug. Is this the future of caravans? Take a look and decide for yourself… Take the plunge and go hydro-zorbing
Maybe one for younger attendees at the show, hydro-zorbing (which entails going inside a large bubble like structure and ‘walking’ on water) is certainly something unique to try at the show.
As with all the other activities at the show, this is free and provided something a memorable activity to top off your day.
With the huge amount of water sloshing around in Hall One, it is definitely advisable to bring a towel in case things don’t go exactly to plan… See the new Lunar Vacanza
The Lunar Vacanza was announced recently leading many motorhome fans to wonder about what the new vehicle would look like.
After five years without releasing a motorhome, anticipation for a new vehicle was high and Lunar didn’t disappoint as they showed off the new Vacanza which they describe as a ‘camper-car.’
It has this name due to being a similar size to a family car, and so it is manoeuvrable while also offering the expected living space and the usual utilities.
The Spring Caravan and Camping Show represented the first chance to have a good look at their new vehicle which is based on the Nissan NV200 Combi, and it seemed to be a big hit, with many visitors crowding around to see it in Hall One. Go celebrity spotting
The show is packed with famous faces Kim Woodburn chatted to us about the tip top hygiene standards at The Camping and Caravanning Club, while Andy Torbet has been sharing anecdotes on how he began climbing, BBC’s popular Operation Iceberg (available on BBC iPlayer) and his other extreme sport interests.
As well as this, Vincent and Flavia from Strictly Come Dancing (pictured below) made a tangoing appearance, and a different celeb is expected on every day of the show, including Springwatch’s very own Kate Humble and The Really Wild Show’s Nick Baker. Scale the rock climbing wall
As tempting as it was to barge to the front of the queue for the huge rock climbing wall surrounded with a crowd of kids waiting, it became clear very quickly that this is an activity aimed at the younger show visitors.
In addition to a challenging climb in Hall Four, there is also a ‘free fall’ option when the bravest kids jumped from a ledge and were lowered down on an abseil cord. It was a great idea and one of the most popular parts of the show. A chance to see the Bailey Pegasus GT65 – and the new Turin layout
So you’ve read all of the details of the new Bailey Pegasus GT65 and were pretty excited at what you read – now is your chance to see it.
If you missed it at the Manchester Caravan and Motorhome show, this should be one of the main reasons to visit the Bailey stand in Hall Two – where every layout is on display and free to be explored at your leisure.
The other big draw of the show is a chance to see thebrand new Turin layout, which is on display for the first time at the show. See a collection of the strangest caravans
One thing we noticed at the show was the number of different caravans that were a little different from the norm.
From the bright red Calor Gas Calorvan to Zone Caravans’ unique teardrop tourers, there were plenty of tourers that were very different from the norm. Learn the art of campsite cooking
Hungry visitors can learn about cooking with the resident show chef Andrew Dickens as he holds three demonstrations a day on the delicious and ingenious food you can cook during your holidays. Wander over to the wildlife corner
In a bright green area in Hall Four surrounded by little picnic benches, spectators had the chance to sit down and see an assortment of animals including a barn owl, a common buzzard, giant rabbits, rats and otters.
This is the perfect activity to do with the kids, especially as they have face painting in between the shows.
We learnt plenty of fun facts, for example – did you know that the common buzzard is nicknamed the telegraph pole hawk for the long periods of time that they sit on them? Get some towing practice
It isn’t just kids who get to play with things – outside the NEC there is an area set aside to allow anyone with a full driving licence to practice towing a caravan with a licensed instructor.
The event has to be booked in advance, but it is a good demonstration of the more comprehensive courses that are run throughout the year at sites across the UK.
Whether you have plenty of experience or have never towed before, this is a good chance to get out and try your hand at an essential part of caravanning.
Kim Woodburn is a woman who needs no introduction. As a cleaning expert extraordinaire, her Channel 4 show How Clean Is Your House was a huge hit in recent years, and her stint in the 2009 series of I’m a Celebrity. Get Me Out Of Here! won her second place as millions voted to keep her in the show.
This week at the Spring Caravan and Camping show in Birmingham, CaravanTimes caught up with Kim to find out why she’s urging caravanners to ‘Do the Lavy Looksee’.
So Kim, tell us about your work with the Camping and Caravanning Club. What is the Lavy Looksee?
Well, The Camping and Caravanning Club said to me “we pride ourselves on our washrooms, they’re spotless” so I went to inspect them and they were fabulous! It was all wonderful – bathrooms are very hard to keep clean as people have very dirty hands. I think people play a big part in keeping them nice too.
[The Club] are always very good and this year if you stay at one of their camps and you find anything dirty [in the washrooms], go to the office and complain. It’ll be fixed within two hours and if it’s not they’ll give you a free night’s stay that night. Now that’s in writing, they stand by that, which I happen to think is very, very good indeed.
Why do you think more people are choosing to holiday in the UK?
As you know, there is a recession right now; people who were going abroad simply can’t afford it so they are going to holiday camps and going caravanning and camping. Everything is lovely, cosy and warm, and they even have shops on the campsite with the usual things like bread, butter, milk, bacon, eggs and newspapers.
I think it’s lovely. They can’t promise the weather, but they can promise clean conditions and a good atmosphere, and if the sun shines as well you’ve cracked it.
Do you go caravanning?
I did when I was younger but I’m not much of a camper. I suppose I’ve never really got into it but Aggie [McKenzie, fellow How Clean Is Your House presenter] goes caravanning.
You went caravanning with George Hamilton in the jungle though for I’m A Celebrity – how was that?
The jungle was nice, it was a good experience; it’s difficult when it’s really dirty and horrible and when you’re in there you think: ‘I’ve got to get out’, but after we’d been out most of us were saying we wanted to go back in!
I went in to be myself and had a great time and I was runner-up so I was very pleased. I’m not a competitive person, some people in show business are fiercely competitive, but if you win you win, if you don’t that’s fine, it’s not all about winning.
Surely the loos in the jungle, compared to the ones at the Caravanning and Camping Club sites, are miles apart?
Well, camping and caravanning is five-star compared to that jungle! You can’t describe it, there’s no chain, it’s just all awful, just fill it up and take it out- it’s awful!
I’m very thrilled the take part in this [campaign] as they try to keep their facilities lovely and clean, and they’re very good at it – they started in 1901 did you know? One hundred and twelve years ago now! I can’t imagine what the toilets were like then. People were in long dresses then and that’s how long they’ve been going for.
They’re very nice, I was very impressed, I really was. They’ll promise you a good time, they’ll promise you a clean time.
The Camping and Caravanning Club echoed Kim’s words, saying: “We want our campers to feel right at home on our Club sites. That’s why we guarantee our washroom facilities will be cleaned to the highest standards.” And as the cleanest woman in Britain heartily agrees, they certainly have an impressive seal of approval.
To see Kim inspecting the Camping and Caravanning Club’s washrooms, click on the video below.
First there was Gangnam Style and now the biggest dance craze of 2013 would appear to be the Harlem Shake.
For those who don’t know, the Harlem Shake is a bizarre dance which has become the first huge internet sensation of 2013, with countless videos of everyone from soldiers to sky divers uploading their unique versions onto YouTube.
The dance consists of a single person dancing to the Harlem Shake as no one else in the room pays them any attention until the bassline starts, at which point everyone in the room joins in with the crazy dancing, usually with odd costumes and props.
Now the popular song and dance has been performed in our favourite way – yes, it’s a caravan Harlem Shake.
The caravanner in question is Dutch DJ Koen Dijistra, and the video shows a single person dancing in the caravan before everyone joins in, complete with inflatable animals, making the caravan shake with the sheer volume of people.
His daft, yet inexplicably hilarious, video comes less than a year after Welsh caravanner Leigh Bowden filmed the previous internet sensation Gangnam Style dance in his caravan.
To watch Koen’s take on the Harlem Shake dance, click on the video below.
The Spring Caravan and Camping Show may already be in full swing at the NEC in Birmingham, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t still plenty of great bargains available, with Coachman offering a host of money-off deals.
Based in Hall Two, Stand 2200, the Coachman stand features all of the 2013 models in the Amara, Pastiche, VIP and Laser ranges.
In addition a variety of discounts and part-exchange offers will be available at the show.
Among the big deals is a free Truma Motor Mover (worth £1,145) with every single-axle Amara, Pastiche or VIP ordered at the show.
Alternatively, all Amara and Laser twin axle caravans are on offer with a free Avtex 18.5-inch Widescreen Digital LED TV.
With all of these deals available until Sunday 24 February, this could be a great time to pick up a new caravan.
In a survey conducted last month, 2,000 parents and grandparents in the UK were asked if they thought their children spent enough time outside. The result was both surprising and a little worrying.
A shocking 59% of parents and grandparents felt like their children should spend more time outside, especially as 81% agreed with the belief that an understanding of nature and the countryside was important to their upbringing.
Most parents admitted to only being able persuade their kids to go out for three to four hours a week, and grandparents had only a little more success, averaging at seven hours.
The Really Wild Show presenter and special guest at this year’s Spring Caravan and Camping show Nick Baker strongly believes children should spend a lot of time out of doors, and that children growing up in an age of technology lack natural curiosity.
“If you have a curious spirit and a willingness to explore, the outside world has endless entertainment riches to offer,” he said.
Luckily, the survey results show that the majority of parents and grandparents encourage kids to explore the great outdoors, but 15% state that they could do with more help.
Another 60% of participants stated that they would like to go on a caravanning holiday, and the Camping and Caravan show at the NEC in Birmingham this week gave a taste of the activities to do with the kids during camping and caravan holidays, including rock climbing, fishing and exploring wildlife.
Now seems a better time than ever to take your kids to explore the great outdoors by visiting a zoo, a farm, a park or even a swimming pool, all of which are popular with kids.
As Nick says “something is happening in nature all the time, you just have to look for it – and you don’t have to look very hard. It doesn’t have to cost anything and everyone in the family can get involved, whether they are on holiday or at home.”
What do your kids do on caravanning holidays? Post your comments below.
