by Ben Wilby
If you’re stuck for something to do this February half-term, the Spring Caravan and Camping Show may be the perfect place to take the family. Situated at the Birmingham NEC this brand new event has something for everyone.
Special guests Springwatch presenter Kate Humble , chef Valentine Warner and Really Wild show hosts Nick Baker and Andy Torbet, will be joined by ‘Operation Iceberg’s’ Andy Torbet, presenter Julia Bradbury and Olympic Gold Medallists Tim Baillie and Etienne Stott.
For fans of BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing there will also be a special appearance from Vincent and Flavia on Tuesday 19, for the Caravan Club day.
It is not just celebrities that make this an event you will not want to miss, with the show also offering Zorbing, climbing, canoeing, kayaking and even fishing for those who love the outdoors and trying new things.
For eager caravanners all the major manufacturers such as Bailey, Elddis and Swift will be at the event, demonstrating their latest models, along with a variety of dealers who will be demonstrating special edition caravans and will also be selling caravans at the show.
There’s plenty to tempt those new to caravanning with the Camping and Caravanning Club running free towing experience sessions – if this is the part of caravanning that has previously put you off, these lessons are a great way of learning how to do it.
For those looking for new items to help when caravanning the show also features an accessory megastore with many products offered at special show-only prices.
Outside of the caravanning world, there will also be stands from all the big motorhome manufacturers, along with the most popular trailer tents and plenty of camping equipment on show.
Tickets will cost £8 for adults if ordered before and £10 at the event. For seniors over 60 years it is £7 advance but £9 on the door, while children aged 16 years and under are admitted free of charge. Best of all, there is still the chance to enter our competition and you could be one of the 25 lucky readers who will win a pair of free tickets.
Four more dealerships earn NCC seal of approval
Four caravan dealership owners are toasting their own success after each was awarded the highly sought after National Caravan Council (NCC) ‘Approved’ status for their efforts in the retail sale of tourers and motorhomes.
Launched back in October last year, the NCC Approved Dealership scheme was set up to establish a benchmark for how caravan dealerships must deal with their consumer base and encourage best practice in terms of professionalism and customer service.
The initiative was also established to ensure customers receive fair treatment from suppliers as well being protected by the minimum required by law, with a Consumer Code of Practice set up as part of the scheme.
As many as 30 different dealerships had already claimed the NCC ‘Approved’ status with that number now swelling by a further four in the wake of this latest announcement.
The recipients of the tourer-based honour include Broad Lane Leisure Alcester, Broad Lane Leisure Kenilworth, the Sussex Caravan Centre and Brayford Leisure.
With many more currently in the assessment process for the accolade, expect more additions in the coming months.
Welsh camper goes Gangnam Style in a caravan
by Ben Wilby
Gangnam Style was the defining hit of 2012, getting over a billion YouTube hits, reaching number one in 34 different countries and has been countlessly parodied by everyone from school children to prisoners.
Now the famous song has received the finest honour – it has been performed in a caravan and uploaded to YouTube.
The caravanner in question is Leigh Bowden, a tow-truck driver from St Asaph, Wales.
He recorded his unique version of the famous dance in his caravan, which was parked near the Conwy Tunnel, waiting to recover any breakdowns.
Leigh explained how the video came to be:
“It all started last year when I was on roadwork’s recovery in Wrexham and I sent my daughter a video of myself dancing to James Brown while cooking my breakfast.
“She suggested I put it up on YouTube. It had over 650 views.
“Since then, I’ve become the mad man in a caravan – this time, I put on my padded suit and started dancing to Gangnam Style.”
His madcap antics come less than a year after static caravan owner Phil Ball wrote a ukulele serenade for his prized holiday home.
To watch Leigh’s take on the Gangnam Style dance, click on the video below and skip to 0:58.
Caravan Club announces that on-site supermarket deliveries are banned
by Ben Wilby
The Caravan Club released a statement yesterday (28 January) reiterating that they will not be allowing supermarket delivery trucks on to their sites.
Their main reason for this is that it keeps vehicles to a minimum.
Delivery vans can be a health and safety risk, as well as obstruct others attempting to navigate caravan parks and this is something they are keen to avoid happening.
Another important reason is that the Club had reports of deliveries arriving before guests, causing delays for other people – even if you arrange for your order to arrive at a time when you think you will have arrived, traffic and other difficulties can get in the way.
This can also be a problem when delivery vehicles arrive when reception is closed and have no idea as to where they should take the food – causing delays and blocking the road for others on the site.
Details of nearby food shops are available on-site and will ensure that eager caravanners can still keep their tourers stocked up.
Free University turns Airstream caravan into a classroom
by Ben Wilby
An organisation in Brighton that offers free courses has recently been using both a traditional caravan and a 1950s Airstream trailer to host them.
The group’s tagline is “education for love not money” and they are staying true to this ethos, relying on free spaces and volunteer teachers to ensure that people without the necessary finance still have access to education.
One of the key points of the charity is that learning can happen anywhere – even inside a caravan.
The Airstream trailer is one of many different places that are used and the company lists on their website where courses can happen with universities, public libraries, community centres, cafes and unused buildings among them.
Ali Ghanimi, a Green party activist, is the founder and explained that; “education is becoming harder to access for many due to cuts and increases in course fees. This is about reclaiming learning for our communities using the resources available to us.”
Alison Fisher, a former writer for EastEnders, is one of the many tutors who have offered their services and runs a script-writing course, though it only draws two regular students.
Noted philosopher Simon Glendinning has also been interested in the project and gave a free lecture at Sussex University on the ‘end of history’. With early successes such as this the group are urging more tutors to come forward, with the hope that this will become a serious alternative to typical universities.
With the recent increase in tuition fees, alternative courses have been growing in popularity, and the Free University Brighton is one of many different groups that have appeared across the UK offering different ways of learning.
The Social Science Centre in Lincoln, the Free University of Liverpool and the Really Open University in Leeds show that this scheme is becoming more popular – although sadly, none of these use caravans as a classrooms.
The university is having an official launch day in May and more details can be found on their official website.
DFDS Seaways offers free caravan crossing to Amsterdam
The ship has certainly come in for caravan owners looking to head to the continent this year, with DFDS Seaways announcing a special discount offer for those travelling to Amsterdam with a tourer.
Under the deal, vehicle owners can take advantage of money-off deals on selected ferries departing from Newcastle for Europe on Sunday, Monday and selected Tuesdays with caravans going for free as part of the offer.
Prices for the deal start from as little as £70 per person one way, based on two people sharing a standard cabin and carriage of a standard car and caravan.
Those looking to take advantage of the deal will need to plan plenty of time in advance though, with the offer only available with bookings made at least 30 days in advance.
Those looking to travel outside the months of July and August can take their caravan across to Amsterdam for no extra cost. To book your crossing on the DFDS Seaways website, click here.
VIDEO: WSL caravan wheel safety bolts – solving the detachment issue
The National Caravan Council recently brought the issue of wheel detachment to the fore, as more caravan owners began to find this a problem, with established bolts that had not been modified since the 1960s struggling to keep caravan wheels attached.
Wheel Solutions noted this and decided to do something about it – creating a wheel bolt that can stand up to the rigours of modern caravanning.
In this video we speak to Steve Budding, Managing Director of Wheel Solutions, who explains how they have gone about fixing the issue with the development of the WSL caravan wheel safety bolt.
He mentions the variety of features they have added to the bolt as well as detailing the security they have included that helps protect your tourer from wheel theft.
Steve discusses the new caravans that will have the new wheel bolt including the Bailey Unicorn II and also discusses how they can be retro-fitted to existing tourers.
COMPETITITON: Win one of 25 pairs of tickets to the Spring Caravan Show
Update: Thanks for your entries, this competition is now closed
by Chris Jefferies
When it comes to caravan shows, nothing draws people in quite like the Birmingham NEC, as the venue traditionally holds two huge shows per year.
In years gone by, spring featured the Boat and Caravan Show while autumn was the time for the Motorhome and Caravan Show.
But now NCC Events has stepped in to launch a new spring event called Spring Caravan and Camping Show, which will run from 19 to 24 February.
This new event looks very promising indeed, with all the major caravan manufacturers due to attend, including Swift, Bailey, Elddis and many more.
Looking beyond the caravans and there are plenty of activities to turn this into a fun day out for the whole family, including indoor kayaking, zorbing and rock climbing.
Tickets are on sale now for the advanced price of £8 adults (£7 for over-60s), but you could go for free by entering our latest competition.
CaravanTimes has 25 pairs of tickets to give away, and all you have to do to be in with a chance of winning one of them is answer the simple question below.
The deadline for entries is midday on Friday 8 February – don’t forget to include a valid e-mail address, so we can contact you to let you know if you’ve won.
Best of luck to all those who enter, and happy caravanning!
Update: Thanks for your entries, this competition is now closed
Competition rules:
The lucky winners will be picked at random on 8 February 2013 and will be notified via the email supplied in the entry form
Only one entry per person
No purchase necessary
No cash or alternative will be offered
This competition is open to new or existing CaravanTimes members only
No employees of CaravanTimes or StantonPace Ltd may enter
The competition is open to UK residents aged 18 and over
Lakeland caravan park facing ash die-back disease threat
The 130 acres of breathtaking woodland that surround the Lakeland holiday caravan park at Skelwith Fold in Ambleside could soon be a thing of the past.
This idyllic camping setting is under threat from the development of the deadly fungus ash die-back, which could destroy much of the flora and fauna found in the region.
Skelwith director Henry Wild outlined the potential implications such damage would do to both the surroundings and the animals that live in the area.
“Birds such as the bullfinch feed on its seeds, and the leaves of the ash are an important food source for many types of moth,” he said.
“Hole-nesting birds like owls and woodpeckers make the ash their home, and even snails, stag-beetles and other insects rely on the ash as a food source or a habitat.”
In a bid to combat the spread, the owners of the park are calling on visiting caravanners to help identify the variety of species that are currently being supported by those trees that are under threat.
Disabled pensioner pulls burning caravan away from his home
An elderly disabled man from Essex suffered the heartbreak of seeing his much-loved caravan go up in flames over the weekend, in an act that destroyed many of his cherished possessions.
Colchester resident Roy Griffiths has enjoyed caravan holidays for much of his life and had spent many of the last few years refurbishing and fitting out the prized Abbey Monza tourer, which he first purchased some 17 years ago.
Yet in a callous act of criminality, an unknown assailant is believed to have set the vehicle on fire before leaving it to burn in the driveway of the pensioner’s home.
The serious nature of the blaze forced Mr Griffiths, who suffers from back problems and requires a chair to go up and down the stairs, to head outside and drag the burning wreck away from his property, in an attempt to stop the spread of the fire.
Speaking to the BBC, Jon Dale of the Camping and Caravanning Club praised the efforts of the tourer owner in lifting the caravan, which weighs some 1,500 kg.
“It’s incredible that anyone, let alone a gentleman in his condition, was able to pull a caravan on their own,” he told the news provider.
Police officials are now calling for assistance in their search for the person behind the fire.
VIDEO: Top tips for levelling your caravan on an uneven pitch
by Chris Jefferies
It might not seem like a major issue at first but pitching your caravan on uneven ground will soon cause problems, leading to an uncomfortable night’s sleep and will quickly make you feel like you are on a sinking ship.
Fortunately there are a variety of ways to combat this, and in this video we meet Peter Ashby of Golden Castle Caravans who takes us through the things you can do to ensure your caravan is level.
He explains the different sorts of equipment that can be purchased to help, along with giving a demonstration of how you can use these gadgets.
After this he shows how to test to make sure you have a level tourer, demonstrating how easy this can be.
Peter also offers tips on how best to ensure you do not damage your caravan while levelling caravan – with advice on when it is best to use the corner steadies.
Lunar Vacanza motorhome to be launched at Birmingham show
by Chris Jefferies
Fans of Lunar motorhomes are in for a treat next month, as the company has let slip that it will be relaunching into the market after a five year absence with the Vacanza.
Lunar stopped building motorhomes back in 2007, but recent successes (including the launch of the Venus range of lightweight caravans last year) have led to a change of heart.
This new model will be unveiled to the public on 19 February at the Birmingham NEC as part of the Spring Caravan and Camping Show, where motorhome lovers get a chance to see a finished model in the metal.
The Vacanza is described as a camper car, since it does not have a bed inside and is manoevrable enough for doing the school run in.
Lunar has a reputation for building luxurious, high-quality motorhomes, with the Roadstar range (pictured above) proving particularly popular in years gone by.
The news comes after Campbells Caravans recently announced an 18% year-on-year increase in sales of their Lunar Cosmos dealer special at the Manchester caravan show.
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