Edinburgh caravan escapes parking ticket due to legal loophole

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by Jack Beresford

Parking wardens may be the bane of many a motorist’s existence, but it would appear that one caravan owner in Edinburgh has had the last laugh.

As the Daily Record reports, the unidentified caravan owner has opted to park his Buccaneer on a yellow line positioned outside the offices of the city’s council.

But any hopes of removing the offending vehicle have been dashed, as the law currently means the caravan can remain in the space without the owner needing to move it.

Because the tourer has been unhooked from its tow car, it is not technically classed as a vehicle, meaning it can remain there without reprimand.

And remain there it has, with the caravan currently clocking up four months in the prized spot.

Speaking to the news provider, local roads manager Dr Andy Edwards explained: “There is a gap in the law regarding caravans. The owner did mention that he was hoping it will be moved in the next three weeks.”

Springwatch presenter Kate Humble to appear at Spring Caravan & Camping Show

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by Jack Beresford

Presenter Kate Humble, best known for her work on the BBC’s range of nature documentaries, has been lined up for a guest appearance at the Spring Caravan & Camping Show.

The 44-year-old is a regular fixture on television, and has recently appeared on shows such as Orbit and Autumnwatch.

And it’s her work on the latter, alongside Simon King and fellow caravan-enthusiast Bill Oddie, which makes her the perfect fit for the caravanning event.

Held at the NEC in Birmingham, the event is the UK’s biggest start of year showcase, with a variety of the latest tourers, motorhomes, tents and accessories on display alongside much, much more.

Humble will be attending the event on Thursday February 21st, with a special talk planned in which she will discuss her love of wildlife and walking across the green terrain of Wales.

The appearance follows up on Oddie’s recent appearance at the Caravan & Motorhome Show in Manchester.

VIDEO: Bailey turns 65 in style with the new Pegasus caravan range

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by Chris Jefferies
2013 is a big year for Bailey of Bristol as they celebrate 65 years in the caravan building business. And they have decided that there is no better way to celebrate than building a new caravan – the Bailey Pegasus GT65.
In this video we talk to Nick Howard, the managing director of the company who takes us through the history of the oldest caravan manufacturer in Britain, explaining how the company is still based on the exact site where it was set up in 1948.
He details how the company began, including the rather unique way Fred and Martin Bailey began selling tourers, along with telling us how the Howard family got into the world of caravanning when they took over the business in the 1970s.
He also discusses Bailey’s proud history of celebrating its anniversaries and discusses the extremely popular Bailey Ranger GT60 range.

Swift record £2.5 million sales at Manchester caravan show

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by Jack Beresford

The weather may have been bleak at best, but Swift Group was left feeling optimistic for the months to come after reporting excellent sales at the Caravan and Motorhome Show in Manchester.

Caravanners braved the elements to attend the event and demonstrated their appreciation of all things tourer-based with plenty of sales recorded at the show.

Swift Group was among the main recipients with the manufacturer reporting an impressive £2.5 million of sales – slightly lower than last year’s but on par with the 2011 show.

Among the highlights on offer from the company were the new twin-axle Swift Challenger SE and Sterling Eccles SE ranges along with a new six-berth Sprite Major 6 TD.

Two new Escape motorhomes were also on offer at the show, with all of the new ranges evidently proving popular with the assembled attendees.

Swift Group commercial director Nick Page said: “Our strategy of delivering more affordable, lightweight products and introducing new layouts in response to customer demand is still proving to be a real incentive to buy.”

Pictures and specification details of the new Mazda6 released

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by Ben Wilby
Japanese carmaker Mazda has released details of their new tourer and saloon range – the Mazda6 which will soon be available to buy.
The latest version of this popular towcar promises improved safety features with a new body that has class-leading impact protection, along with parking sensors and rear cameras.

What’s more, the new Mazda 6 includes a generous number of features as standard and a huge amount of additional items and technology can be added to help you pick the car that’s right for you.
The headline feature of this new vehicle however is the improved fuel economy and excellent CO2 emissions which should appeal to those towing a caravan.
Features and gadgets

Mazda has put a strong emphasis on how the vehicle drives with the new SKYACTIV-Chassis and Body designed to make driving the vehicle fun along with improving safety and making the car both lightweight and strong.
For entertainment as you drive a CD/Radio with four speakers is included and this also has USB, iPod, Integrated Bluetooth and an extra jack input for connecting plenty more gadgets besides.
For those who really love their music two additional speakers can be included along with a deluxe option that adds Premium Bose surround sound system with 11 speakers fitted to the car.
A 5.8-inch touch screen features as standard and can be upgraded with an integrated navigation system that is powered by TomTom technology.
A range of equipment to aid driving is included, some of which will be particularly useful for towing.
Hill Hold Assist will help you avoid rollback, a Tyre Pressure Monitoring System will ensure that the wheels are in a premium condition, while cruise control will prove useful for long motorway drives.

Another feature likely to appeal to tourer owners is the advanced safety technology that the car boasts. Radar-based Rear Vehicle Monitoring, Smart City Brake Support (SCSB) and Lane Departure Warning System can all be added as costs options for £700 in total.
The interior has been designed for comfort and style with a leather-wrapped steering wheel and gear knob. Meanwhile for those who really want to drive in style a full-leather trim upgrade is available for £200.
Pricing and options
Mazda offers a large number of different models and upgrades for their new vehicle, with both the saloon and tourer having different engine sizes, transmissions and fuel types.
As a result prices can differ quite a lot – offering a relatively cheap option for those on a budget to more high-tech options that will appeal to those for whom only the best will do.
The cheapest Saloon model, a 2.0-lite 145ps Saloon SE petrol model is available for £19,595 while the most expensive of this type is the Mazda6 2.2-litre 175ps Saloon Sport Diesel Nav Auto which costs £27,295.
For the Tourer model the starting price is more expensive with the Mazda6 2.0-litre 145ps Tourer SE-L available from £21,265 and going up to the Mazda6 2.2-lite 175ps Tourer Sport Nav Auto which will cost £28,045.
Between these prices both different cars have a variety of pricing options that should allow everyone to find the vehicle that suits them best.

Fuel efficiency
One of the features Mazda are proudest of is the fuel efficiency and carbon footprint of their new vehicle.
Using complex SKYACTIV technology which is expected to set new benchmarks for fuel economy and CO2 emissions, the vehicle will appeal to those looking to save money.
Along with this the vehicle has i-ELOOP technology, Mazda’s unique brake energy regeneration system that can boost fuel economy by 10%.
The different models have a variety of CO2 emissions, most of which are near the lowest available for this type of car.
The smallest is the Mazda6 2.2-litre 150ps model which releases just 108g CO2 emissions per km, manual and 127g for the automatic. Excellent for a vehicle of this size, the manual is in tax band B, meaning it will be free for the first year and only £20 after. The automatic is in band D making it free the first year but £100 thereafter.

In comparison, the Mazda6 2.0-litre 145ps is the highest in the range for manual drive with 136g/km – the same as the highest automatic, the Mazda6 2.0-litre 165ps. That would put both models in band E – with no first-year exemption, it will be £120 per year from the start.
Towing capacity
Although the kerbweight has not been announced it is likely to be around 1,500kg, allowing it to tow most mid-range tourers.
Using the Caravan Club’s 85% rule this will mean it can tow caravans weighing up to 1,275kg, making it a suitable match for the Swift Challenger Sport 442, although it is worth checking as this will vary depending on the model you are using.
The Mazda6 is available to buy from January 25 and it sounds like the complete package for a caravan towcar.


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Haven Holidays to splash out £40 million on park improvements

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by Jack Beresford

Holiday park giant Haven is planning to splash out big in 2013, with an investment of £40 million in improvement work across its 35 parks in the UK.

The move is part of a new on-going refurbishment programme, with Haven Holidays eager to ensure facilities remain in top condition in order to ensure a positive customer experience.

It is keen to continue to attract repeat business, after figures showed that the company enjoyed a 12 per cent increase in the number of repeat customers who have booked to return in 2013.

In order to achieve this, the firm has set itself a target date of 18 March for all work to be complete.

A Haven representative said: “Every year we work hard to improve the guest experience and invest over £40 million on new leisure facilities, new restaurants and new accommodation and 2013 is no different.”

Among the parks set to receive a significant face-lift are Golden Sands in Lincolnshire, Perran Sands in Cornwall, Craig Tara in Ayre and Rockley Park in Dorset.

Never mind cars, it’s caravans for Gary Numan

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by Jack Beresford

Gary Numan may have been a pioneer of electronic music back in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but it would appear that the British musician was also something of a ground-breaker when it came to caravans.

The man who is best associated with all things digital when it comes to music-making often favoured escaping the confines of the studio to enjoy a tourer-based holiday away from it all.

This startling revelation came during a recent interview with online music publication the Quietus, with Numan expressing his enjoyment of all things caravan.

“Littlesea Holiday Camp, I used to go there with my mum and dad,” he told the news provider.

“When I had a little bit of success, I thought I’d go and rent one of the big caravans at the top of the hill, because I thought that’s what you did.”

In truth though, the comments should come as little surprise to Numan fans the world over, given that the British star is known for singing about his love of life on the road in iconic hit ‘Cars’.

The Script, Paloma Faith and Blondie to play Camping in the Forest concerts

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by Jack Beresford

Members of the Camping and Caravanning Club could be rocking out to the sounds of The Script, Paloma Faith or the legendary Blondie this summer.

The three headline-grabbing acts are set to perform at the Forestry Commission’s annual ‘Forest Live’ concert series, with organisers utilising the nearby Camping in the Forest sites to offer visitors overnight accommodation.

These sites are the result of a partnership between the Camping and Caravanning Club and the Forestry Commission, with the areas set up to showcase the natural beauty and surroundings of the UK.

Bob Hill, sites director, said: “All of our Camping in the Forest Sites are located in woodland locations and they’re in the perfect proximity to the Forestry Commission’s concert arenas.”

And so it is that, while fans will be able to enjoy the likes of Blondie and The Script in wonderful countryside surroundings, there will be extra options for caravanners, with accommodation available at a series of nearby sites.

This includes the Thorpe, Christchurch, Bracelands, Spiers House and Postern Hill Camping in the Forest Sites, with tickets priced between £32 and £36 for adults.

Fire claims caravan in Rotherham

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by Jack Beresford

There were reports on yet another fire aboard a caravan this week, with the latest blaze reported to have taken place on a site in Rotherham.

Police and firefighters were called to land on Laughton Common in Rotherham last Wednesday (January 16th), with the initial blaze breaking out some time around 7:30pm.

Fortunately, the fire was relatively easy to control, with firefighters quickly moving to end the inferno.

While previous instances of caravan fires have ultimately been attributed to arson, in this particular instance, the fire service was able to identify the root cause.

Speaking to the Rotherham Advertiser, a spokeswoman explained how the fire unfolded.

“Fire crews were called out after smoke was seen coming from the caravan,” she told the news provider.

“The fire is believed to have started by a stove inside the caravan.”

The story follows reports of a number of deliberate arsons across the Dorset region.

Star Trek-inspired Bailey Orion steals the show at Manchester

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by Chris Jefferies
With the new Bailey Pegasus GT65 due to be unveiled at the Manchester Caravan and Motorhome Show, it seemed likely that the Bristol-based manufacturers were going to take all the headlines, but few could have guessed that the humble Orion would steal the show.
In honour of the Caravan Club’s special guest Marina Sirtis (aka Councillor Deanna Troi from Star Trek: The Next Generation), a Bailey Orion 420-4 was turned into a truly out-of-this world caravan.
Featuring an LED lit bridge and two distinctive warp drive engines, this caravan was a clear homage to the iconic Starship Enterprise from the 90s sci-fi show.
What’s more, the interior was decked out with a futuristic upholstery scheme and even a starship-shaped lava lamp, to ensure that Marina felt truly at home.
The glamorous sci-fi actress was there to officially open the show, and no expense was spared to give her a fitting backdrop, with many Star Trek fans turning out in costume to see their heroine in the flesh.
At the official opening, Marina confessed to the gathered crowd that she is now considering buying a motorhome to tour the country in, and with such a warm welcome from the caravanning community, it’s hardly surprising!
Elsewhere at the show, there were plenty of exciting highlights to be found, and Towergate Insurance has published a round-up of all the best things to see. To read what they choose from across the four halls of the show, click here.

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VIDEO: How to protect your caravan against contents theft

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by Chris Jefferies
In recent years caravan contents theft has become a much larger issue than it has ever been before, with opportunistic thieves targeting items that they can take quickly and easily without being noticed.
In this video we sit down with Ed Cross of Towergate Insurance who discusses the recent rise in crime, before explaining the items that are most commonly targeted – which may not be the things you’d imagine.
After this he details what your caravan insurance plan will usually include, along with explaining what isn’t covered, and discusses the way you can still claim for these items.
Finally he offers a variety of tips on the best way to protect against theft – explaining how easy it can be to prevent your tourer from being an easy target for thieves.

Volkswagen makes the crossover with CrossBlue SUV concept

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by Jack Beresford

Volkswagen latest vehicle design has recently been unveiled, a crossover SUV concept vehicle called the CrossBlue.

The German automotive giant showcased the new design at the recent Detroit Auto Show, with a view to releasing the new car at some point in 2014.

Among the main talking points of the SUV are the plug-in hybrid diesel engine which boasts two electric motors and is capable of generating output of 306 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque.

While the turbocharged diesel motor can generate 190 horsepower, the two electric motors routing 54 and 114 horsepower to the front and rear wheels respectively.

The company are promising that the vehicle will be more than a simple re-skin of the popular Toureg and is expected to debut at a lower price than that particular vehicle.

The car, which offers room for up to seven passengers with a foldable third-row of seats and also features a six-speed dual-clutch transmission is thought to be able to go from zero to 60 mph in seven seconds.

With plenty of time before this particular vehicle hits the market, expect more details to be revealed in the coming months.

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