by Ben Wilby
The National Caravan Council (NCC) recently released new findings which show that the UK caravan industry is doing incredibly well despite the struggling economy.
Their survey showed that the caravan industry is not only proving extremely resilient to the difficult economic conditions, but actually has an excellent effect on the British economy.
Indeed, the most impressive part of the findings is the fact that the touring industry brings in an astounding six billion pounds to the UK’s economy each year.
According to the statistics, 500,000 Brits own touring caravans, while 260,000 have caravan holiday homes and 164,000 own motorhomes.
This figure accounts for the large number of licensed holiday/touring parks, with over 2,000 dotted around the UK to cater for all these caravan fanatics.
These excellent statistics are made even more impressive by the fact that 96% of all tourers sold in the UK were also made here.
The stats are slightly smaller but still impressive for motorhomes – with 70% of all those sold made in Britain.
These figures don’t look like changing any time soon with the Camping and Caravanning Club reporting a 14% rise in advanced bookings for 2013 compared to the same time last year.
The cost of caravanning
One reason for these excellent figures may be the low cost of touring the UK in a caravan compared to other holidays.
The NCC worked out the average cost to members of both tent and caravan pitches, and the results may come as a surprise to those who believe touring is becoming too expensive.
The average cost of a tent/caravan pitch with the Camping and Caravanning Club was estimated at somewhere between £20 and £25, while the average hard-standing cost for a family of four on a Caravan Club site was worked out to be £27.
Other factors such as the ability to share the experience, the low carbon footprint and the freedom associated with a tourer were also pointed to as reasons for the success of this pastime.
The findings come as 31,000 people, along with many of the UK’s biggest caravan companies, gear up for the Manchester Caravan and Motorhome Show which is due to take place on 17 to 20 January.
The NCC themselves will have a stand in Hall One, while familiar names such as Swift and Eterniti will also be in attendance.
Tickets can be pre-booked for £7.50, and will be available for £9 on the day. However there is still a small amount of time left to enter our competition to win one of 25 pairs of free tickets.
Those interested in attending the event can find more information on the official Manchester Caravan and Motorhome Show website.
Woman dies in Dorset caravan fire
An unexplained fire at a caravan park in Weymouth has claimed the life of a female holidaymaker in her 20s.
The incident occurred on Monday (January 7th), with the fire breaking out at the Martleaves Farm tourer site on Ryemead Lane.
After dealing with the blaze, the emergency services were horrified to discover the remains of a woman inside and promptly called in Dorset Police to conduct a full investigation.
They subsequently confirmed her age and gender, with further forensic tests being undertaken in the next few days.
Eyewitness reports suggest that police are now combing the site for clues, with officers no doubt keen to assess whether any foul play was involved.
“Officers are continuing to investigate and the incident is still being treated as unexplained,” a spokesperson said.
Locals have been left shocked by the incident, which occurred at around 10pm on the night in question.
This latest fire comes weeks after a spate of arsons in the Runcorn area.
VIDEO: Swift and Tracker offer better security for Challenger SE
For the 2013 range Swift is determined to make the Sterling Eccles SE and Swift Challenger SE tourers the safest on the market.
In this video we talk to Swift’s Gary O’Brien who explains the three features that will protect these caravans from thieves.
He talks about the alarm as well as the Al-Ko secure wheel lock, both of which come as standard and should ensure your Swift Challenger SE is well protected against potential thieves.
For full details on costs, layout options, weights and dimensions, all of the technical details can be seen here.
However the big new addition to their caravans is the Tracker security system.
This is one of the most well-known security systems around and has a good reputation for ensuring that even if your tourer is stolen it can be easily found again.
Gary runs through the key features of this system, which comes as standard on every Swift caravan, as well as discussing the price of a subscription for the technology once the three-month free trial is finished.
Camping and Caravan club to open new 91-pitch site in Wales
The Camping and Caravanning Club is closing in on success with its bid to develop a new 91-pitch site at Margam Park in Port Talbot, Wales.
It’s part of an ongoing plan of investment in the popular tourist attraction, with some £2 million in funding provided by the Heritage Lottery Fund to revamp many of the facilities.
And while a new mountain bike trail is sure to be of interest to kids and adults alike, it is the plans for the new caravan area at the East Lodge area of the venue which have grabbed the most attention.
Under the initiative, which was developed by the national organisation, new offices, amenities and roads will be developed on the site, along with a bridge, tractor shed and car park.
As the South Wales Evening Post reports, no information has yet been provided on the cost of the new building work, while the ownership structure of the new site is a similarly grey area.
Speaking to the news provider, council head of partnership and community development Russell Ward said: “The proposal is a welcome one, as it fills a gap by providing a serviced site for camping and touring caravans.”
The new site is expected to open sometime around spring 2014.
Earlier this week, a caravan park in County Durham was given approval to stay open all-year-round.
Bailey Caravans announces £90m turnover for 2012
While the UK is still in the throes of economic uncertainty, it would appear that things are going from strength-to-strength for Bailey of Bristol.
The caravan manufacturer celebrates its 65th anniversary this year and despite the firm itself being one of the oldest tourer manufacturers around, the prospects for the year ahead are looking positively vibrant.
Figures released by the tourer firm show that Bailey enjoyed an impressive turnover of £91 million over the 2012 calendar year.
This represents an increase of 15 per cent on the previous year’s figures and further establishes the company’s status as a major market player.
Careful planning has also been important, with Bailey of Bristol moving to better balance production and demand, meaning retail stocks fell 25 per cent on the previous 12 months.
And it would appear that managing director Nick Howard is confident of improving on these numbers over the next year.
“Whilst the prevailing economic climate remains challenging, we believe that with a broader product offering, featuring our patented Alu-Tech design technology, that we are in a strong position looking forward,” he said.
First founded in 1948, the company received a visit from the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh earlier this year, following the success of its patented Alu-Tech system.
Spring Caravan and Camping Show will have Caravan Club site
With just a over a month to go until the big event, the Caravan Club has moved to confirm that it will provide a temporary site at the Spring Caravan and Camping Show.
Held at the NEC Birmingham from February 18th to 24th, the tourer meet-up remains one of the highlights of the year.
And the Caravan Club is evidently keen to cater for the assembled visitors, with its new temporary site open to members and non-members for the duration of event.
These hard standing pitches will boast 6-amp electric hook-ups along with amenities such as a restaurant, bar and toilet block.
Priced at £30 per night, the site will also boast evening entertainment and a shuttle bus to all of the show halls.
The Caravan Club events manager Len Shot said: “The NEC Spring Show is very popular and The Club aims to make access to the Show as easy as possible for its members.”
Those looking to take up a space have until 12 February to book, though be warned, places will fill up quickly.
Range Rover tows two-and-a-half tonne Airstream to Morocco and back
Land Rover has gone all out to mark the release of its latest model of vehicle, with one of the company’s new off-roaders recently towing an Airstream tourer in a nearly 4,000 mile round trip journey.
Land Rover claims that their Range Rover brand is the tow vehicle of choice for European Airstream owners and used this trip to demonstrate why.
The road trip stunt saw former TVR man Ben Samuelson lead a PR team from the gloomy shores of England to the sunny climes of Morocco and back again.
They completed the challenge, which totalled 3,676 miles, in just 11 days towing a 2,400kg Airstream caravan the entire way.
The Airstream tourer was not simply there to prove how good the new Range Rover is at towing but also acted as a luxurious place for the team to sleep.
Sammuelson was impressed with the caravan, comparing it to staying in a boutique hotel.
The experience provided the company with a chance to not only showcase the onboard features of the new Range Rover but also demonstrate its impressive towing abilities.
Sammuelson said: “The new Range Rover’s towing ability is nothing short of stunning. It pulled the two and a half tonne Airstream like it simply wasn’t there.”
Pictures and specification details of the new Nissan Qashqai 360 released
by Ben Wilby
Nissan has unveiled details and pictures of a new trim level – the Qashqai 360, a variant that Nissan believe will become the best-selling Qashqai to date.
This is some claim – the Qashqai is the company’s most popular vehicle, performing brilliantly last year; Nissan sold 45,675 of them, finishing sixth in overall UK car sales for 2012.
For a large family hatchback this is excellent and they trounced the competition – with the N-Tec+ model outselling the entire Ford Mondeo range and beating the sales figures of the Kia Sportage and Hyundai ix35 combined.
This new trim level has been designed to sit between the mid-range Acenta and top-range Tekna trims and is a direct replacement for the N-Tec+.
This will likely be one of the last models to be released in the first-generation of Qashqais with the phenomenally popular vehicle now in its final production year before a new model is released in 2014.
Pricing and features
Despite a large number of updates and a new design, the vehicle will start at the same price as the model it is replacing – the N-tec+, with the entry-level five door, 1.6-litre, five-speed manual costing £19,945.
A big feature that is carried over from the N-tec+ is the Nissan Connect system – which has a 360-degree Around View Monitor.
The Nissan Connect system allows complete connectivity with devices such as satnavs as well as full Bluetooth connectivity to ensure that the vehicle accepts most modern technology.
The 360 degree around view will hold particular appeal to caravanners with four cameras that offer users a ‘helicopter view’ designed to make parking easier.
The exterior retains the distinctive Qashqai design, with the familiar curved and sporty look of other models carried over here.
One of the most noteworthy features is a new pearlescent ‘storm white’ paint option that is available for an extra £500 – the same price as metallic paint.
Other important exterior points include distinctive 18-inch onyx allow wheels that offer a contrast to the popular white colour of the car.
The interior is also impressive with a panoramic glass roof and rear privacy glass standing out among a host of other features.
Aluminium pedals, leather covered seats and part-leather seats with white double stitching ensure that the vehicle has the interior people expect from a vehicle in this price range.
On top of this Nissan has an excellent reputation for reliability, something that the Qashqai range has continued and there is no reason to believe this new model will be any different.
Tax and fuel consumption
Although the company has not released full details of fuel consumption, the specification for the 1.6 dCi diesel model, which incorporates stop/start technology, is relatively impressive. It has CO2 emissions of 119g/km and gets 62.8mpg on the combined cycle.
Emissions such as this will put it in Band C -making the first year tax free, after this it will be £90 a year – better than many of its competitors.
Although Nissan have not announced them, models with bigger engines will likely be in higher tax bands and this is something potential customers need to watch out for.
Towing capacity
Although Nissan has not announced the Kerbweight for the vehicle it is likely to be similar to their last special edition which had a weight of 1,297kg in the 1.6 petrol model and went all the way to 1,604kg for the 2.0 dCi edition.
Using the Caravan Club’s 85 per cent rule the lowest specification will be able to tow around 1,102kg making a tourer such as the Lunar Ariva a good match.
At the other end of the spectrum the 2.0-litre diesel edition is capable of towing around 1,364kg which would make it able to tow a ‘<' . strtolower('Array') href="/bailey/bailey-pegasus-series-ii/bailey-pegasus-series-ii-genoa.htm">Bailey Pegasus Genoa.
The Nissan Qashqai 360 is available now and can be purchased in the Qashqai and Qashqai+2 spec levels.
Find more photos like this on CaravanTimes
Peugeot unveils new 2008 as first compact SUV model
It may still be some way off arriving in the UK, but SUV fans were this week treated to glimpses of the newly-developed Peugeot 2008.
Despite the name of the new vehicle from the French auto manufacturer, the Peugeot 2008 is very much a product of 2013, and represents the first compact crossover to be made by the firm.
Based on the popular Peugeot 208, the new car features many of the same design details as the previous model including a front grille and the same supermini-inspired front and rear headlights.
The main initial changes come with the ride height of the car, which has been raised alongside the driving position. In addition to this, the Peugeot 2008 will also boast black bumpers along with sills and roof rails.
This new model will also be front-wheel drive only, though there will be some room for off-road maneuverability courtesy of the innovative ‘Grip Control’ traction system, which has been modified from the 3008 model.
Much of the engine work remains heavily influenced by the 208, with this particular model available with either a 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol unit capable of reaching 110bhp or alternatively as 1.4 and 1.6-litre HDI diesels.
In addition to this, the Peugeot 2008 will reportedly come with 17-inch alloys and ‘Mud&Snow’ tyres as standard.
And despite measuring some 4,160mm in length, making it 25mm longer than the Nissan Juke, the most efficient edition of the Peugeot 2008 is capable of producing just 99g/km of CO2.
This particular statistic is crucial, with this level of efficiency giving the vehicle road tax exemption in the UK.
Those looking to get a glimpse of the new model should head to the Geneva motor show in March this year, where Peugeot will showcase the 2008.
They may have a little longer to wait to get their hands on the new vehicle though, with a September released penciled in for the SUV, which is to be priced between £13,000 and £18,000.
VIDEO: Introducing the Bailey Pegasus GT65 range
In 2009 Bailey released the Pegasus range, a mid-market tourer that debuted their famed Alu-Tech bodyshell and has since been updated with minor tweaks and additions.
The brand new Pegasus GT65, however is an all-new caravan with a revised design and a host of interesting features that help set it apart from older models.
Released to celebrate Bailey’s 65th year of making caravans, the tourer is a limited edition model that packs a lot of new features in.
In this video, we talk to Simon Howard who discusses the key features of the new vehicle as well as detailing the history of the Pegasus range and how it relates to their most successful caravan range – the Bailey Pageant.
He also mentions the weight, which is around 50kg MTPLM lower than the last model despite the additional features.
As well as this he talks about the price – something which may be surprisingly low considering the new features that have been added.
To read more about the Bailey Pegasus GT65, including the key specification, click here
County Durham caravan park gets all year round approval
Durham County Council has given its approval to plans that will see the Heather View Country Park at Stanhope in Weardale open all year round.
The move marks a landmark decision for the owners of the caravanning venue, which was previously only allowed to open between March 1st and January 8th.
However, as the Northern Echo reports, the council had a change of heart over the matter, as they look to attract more holidaymakers to the region.
Speaking to the news provider, council planning officer Chris Baxter explained the reason behind the move.
“Holiday patterns are changing and there is a demand for caravan accommodation for a longer season than in previous years,” he said.
Situated by the River Wear, the tourer park currently boasts space for up to 300 vehicles.
The move comes just a month after the redevelopment of the Golden Cap caravan park in Dorset was approved.
Teesdale pub-based caravan park approved
Pennines pub owner Paul Stabler was in a buoyant mood this week, after his plans to develop a caravan park at his drinking establishment in Bolam gained council backing.
As the Teesdale Mercury reports, the landlord will now move forward with the plans, which will see 20 pitches provided for visitors heading to this particular corner of the country.
Mr Stabler had previously feared that the proposals would meet opposition, after a similar scheme to develop a 30-pitch site and toilet block in the area was blocked just a year ago.
But despite local opposition to the new park, with some arguing that it will spoil the village, county councillors backed the plans.
Speaking to the news provider afterwards, landlord Paul Stabler predicted that the caravan park would be a much needed shot in the arm for the local region.
“The pub is a commercial building and it has been for over 200 years. This will help us keep our business and increase tourism,” he said.
“It shouldn’t cause any inconvenience to our neighbours because it will be managed well.”
The pub landlord also explained that the new development would also draw visitors to the nearby Bowes Museum and the railway museum at Shildon.
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