A series of fires in Runcorn, which resulted in the destruction of two tourers and a motorbike recently, is believed to be the work of arsonists.
According to Runcorn & Widnes Weekly News, the first of these caravans was set ablaze at around 3.54am on Saturday, December 8th, with a motorbike destroyed later the same day.
A second was destroyed at 12.35am on Thursday, December 13th, with police now believing that the times of the fires and their nature indicates they could be linked.
Speaking to the news provider Inspector Gareth Lee, who is overseeing the investigation, confirmed these concerns.
“The caravan fires themselves could be linked. We are treating them as straightforward arson, nothing any more sinister than that,” he said.
“At the end of the day it could be the same person or different people.”
Back in October, a series of arson attacks were reported at a caravan park in East Lothian, Scotland, while a similar attack took place in Brighton.
Reversing is one of the most challenging aspects of towing a caravan – a difficult manoeuvre that can easily go wrong for even the most experienced tourer owner.
Indeed Ed Cross explains that the most common insurance claims Towergate Insurance has to deal with is minor knocks and scrapes as a result of reversing caravans onto pitches.
In this video, he offers tourer owners some advice on the range of gadgets available to help with reversing before going on to talk about courses that are available and offering some advice on how to reverse successfully.
We then meet Peter Ashby of Golden Castle Caravans who gave us some tips on how to reverse in both straight lines and around corners.
However Peter did not just tell us – he backed this up by giving a demonstration of the best way to reverse by doing so with a Sterling Eccles Sport hitched up.
A young toddler who suffered 65 per cent burns to the right side of her body following a caravan fire, has had one of her Christmas wishes granted.
The parents of four-year-old Emmy Taylor feared the worst when their daughter was seriously burned in a fire that broke out aboard the family’s Barmouth based caravan in June last year.
As the Flintshire Chronicle reports, the toddler was only rescued from the blaze, which took the lives of her uncle and granddad, when her grandmother was able to pull her to safety through the tourer window.
She was subsequently airlifted to hospital where she began a steady period of recovery in intensive care.
Throughout it all the youngster has remained strong, prompting a call from charity group Starlight, which sent the family to the Finnish resort of Luosto in Lapland for a unique festive experience.
She was joined by her parents and brother Kian for a three-day adventure that included sleigh rides, reindeer and of course a chance to meet Santa Claus.
Speaking to the news provider, her mother Laura said: “It has been lovely to spend time as a family and to see Emmy’s happy face is priceless.”
As motorists across the UK set off on their annual Christmas car trip to the in-laws, parents or close friends, a leading organization is calling for vigilance as these drivers traverse the busy highways.
For some of these seasoned travelers, this trip will take on a unique twist this year, with a fair proportion opting to enjoy a winter-time caravan experience over the festive break.
But whatever it is you decide to do this winter, careful driving is always paramount.
In previous years organisations like the Institute of Advanced Motorists has called on drivers to be careful of icy road conditions which can result in a loss of control and even crashes.
But with more and more car users opting to invest in winter tyres, the risk of this type of collision has reduced somewhat.
However while slippery road surfaces may be a more manageable concern, one group has warned that the freezing highway conditions are bringing a different kind of danger – potholes.
With water falling into the small cracks and holes in the road before expanding, problems ensue when this liquid subsequently freezes and expands breaking apart the surface in turn. This process is duly repeated, causing yet more damage.
Worst hit areas
The worry over potholes was echoed by the AA who recently released a list of the worst affected roads in the country.
They found that the roads are actually better than this time last year but still have a large number of potholes – with Scotland judged to have the worst roads.
The survey found that Scottish roads have an average of 8.9 potholes per mile. London fared best with 4.9 per mile, while the average was 6.25.
Warranty Direct’s Duncan McClure Fisher is keen for motorists to be prepared.
“More cold weather over Christmas will not only create more holes, it will move council staff from repairs to gritting duties, so potholes will appear faster than they get fixed,” he said.
“The only way to avoid damaging your car is to be on the lookout.”
Vanmaster Caravans has revealed its first Bentley motorhome, less than four months after buying out the ailing manufacturer and saving the brand from extinction.
The result (pictured right) is the Bentley Cerise, a two-berth motorhome which will be going on display to the public in February at the Spring Caravan and Camping Show.
Featuring the luxurious fittings that made Bentley motorhomes such a hit when they were launched, this model includes Italian upholstery and wool carpets.
Built on a Renault Traffic chassis, this model will be joined by the Bentley Amber and the Bentley Indigo, with the three models priced between £48,000 and £49,000.
As a special launch offer, visitors to the NEC show will be able to pick up a new Bentley motorhome with a generous £4,000 discount.
Specification details and layout descriptions are due to follow in the coming weeks, but this is certainly one motorhome that we at CaravanTimes will be eagerly anticipating.
by Chris Jefferies
2012 has been a really exciting year for us at CaravanTimes and to celebrate, we’ve been running our biggest ever competition over the past two weeks.
We asked you to vote for your favourite caravan, dealer, towcar, innovation and caravan park of the year, and in return four lucky winners will get a prize from our special Christmas hamper.
This year’s goodies include a classic caravan calendar and a campervan cookbook, while our top prize was an Amazon Kindle Fire tablet computer.
The deadline has passed and now it’s time to announce the lucky winners.
To find out who won the popular vote in each category and if you were lucky enough to scoop an early Christmas present, click on the video on the left.
And for a full detailed breakdown of the votes in each category, click here to visit our forum.
Finally, we’d just like to wish each and every one of you a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
The new Elddis Affinity range has been designed to sit between the Avante and Crusader ranges.
In this video we talk to Angela Robson, one of the chief designers at Elddis who discusses four of the key layouts on offer.
The 574 is perhaps the most recognisable and is similar to the 574 seen in the Avante range which has proved hugely popular with customers recently.
We also take a look inside the Affinity 550 with the optional leather interior; however the standard fabric has been well received and many have chosen it for other models.
As with all Elddis caravans the fabrics are interchangeable and can be added to other ranges and layouts upon request.
Caravanning is the fastest growing tourism sector in Australia and New Zealand – a popularity that has seen designers from down under come up with some truly weird and wacky designs.
However a new concept from New Zealand based W2 Design Company may take the biscuit.
The ‘Romotow‘, a combination of the words ‘room to move’, is an innovative design that folds out like a Swiss Army Knife to ensure that the tourer offers roughly 70% more living space than an average caravan.
The living area swivels out from an exterior shell – which looks like a simple process in the concept and if it works well will offer a lot of extra room.
The tourer will work using a balancing system that W2 is confident will prevent the tourer from falling over when unfolded.
Origins
The company began designing the innovative caravan by discussing how useful and cost effective a flat-pack caravan would be.
They took the idea and ran with it – the Romotow had been in development for three years before the company released the first images of it recently.
Aiming to make trailers “cool” the designers are confident that they are onto a winner and have described their tourer as “the next frontier in mobile living” as well as claiming that it was the first dramatic reinvention since the 1960s.
While this is a very bold claim, it is not the first caravan to work using a fold-out method. However with good support and a reasonable price it could be the first to achieve mainstream success, as well as being one of the most stylish caravans designed.
The tourer is “architecturally designed” (W2 started out as an architecture firm) and has a completely curved look that sets it apart from the blocky style of some caravans.
It also has a modern feel – clear white and in a simplistic style, it features a huge bay window as well as slats that can be opened to let in light and air, and then be closed for when you want privacy.
Although, still three years away from the planned launch W2 has three different models already designed – measuring 4.5, 6.5 and nine metres long.
These sizes will allow the tourer to fit onto standard pitches – although they did not explain how this would work when they were unfolded.
Features
The tourer has been designed to be as aerodynamic as possible and will, in theory, be less wobbly on the road – allowing owners to keep better control of the caravan they are towing.
With its large design and extra room, concerns about weight are only natural and W2 have thought of this as well – deciding to use lightweight materials that will allow it to maintain a low tow-weight.
Should the caravan reach production level it will come with power-assisted braking, pneumatic shocks, gyroscope-assisted self-levelling pads and struts, and a rear-mounted camera for reversing safely.
Inside, there is all you would expect from a touring caravan – a kitchenette, bathroom and a decent sized living area – while the fold-out area allows owners to have a sheltered outside section as well.
The plan is to allow owners to use the extra outdoor space as a sheltered BBQ deck area, with a fold-down barbeque, sliding doors, and furniture adding to this design.
This represents W2’s first caravan design and they are currently meeting with caravan manufacturers to make the concept a reality – firstly with prototypes and then full production.
Although they have stated that they are aiming for American manufacturers we at CaravanTimes think they should give Swift or Bailey a call and bring this idea to the UK.
They also have patents registered for the product – which proves that they are serious about developing this concept into a full-blown design.
However with the technology required, stylish design and lightweight materials – do not expect these to be budget caravans by any stretch.
To get an early look at the tourer and how it works, watch the video below:
by Chris Jefferies Swift Group has announced three new layouts for its Swift Challenger SE and Sterling Eccles SE caravan ranges, all of which will be unveiled next month at the Manchester caravan show.
The collections, which were launched in July 2012, will be expanded to include a new six-berth layout as well as two four-berth layouts.
First among these is the six-berth Swift Challenger 590 SE / Sterling Eccles Trekker SE, which includes a rear parallel lounge with overhead convertible bunk beds. A side kitchenette and side washroom complete this twin-axle layout.
Elsewhere in the range, the Swift Challenger 620 SE / Sterling Eccles Voyager SE is a twin axle version of the Challenger 565 SE / Eccles Solitaire SE, with fixed twin beds in the centre and a full-width washroom.
Finally, the Swift Challenger 645 SE / Sterling Eccles Wayfarer SE is also a twin-axle variant, based on the popular transverse island bed configuration that is currently found on the single-axle Swift Challenger 580 SE / Sterling Eccles Quartz SE.
These additions bring the total number of layouts available in the Swift Challenger SE and Sterling Eccles SE ranges to ten. Prices and weights
In each case the Swift models feature Mali Acacia woodgrain, while the Sterlings are styled in Italian Ash, and all three layouts will be priced at £21,849.
All of these twin axle caravans with have MTPLM weights in excess of 1,700kg, meaning you will need a heavy-duty car to tow them safely.
The 590 / Trekker weighs in at 1,805kg, the 620 / Voyager and the 645 / Wayfarer both tip the scales at 1,745kg.
What’s more, the compact Sprite range is also getting a new layout in the form of the Sprite Major 6 TD, which features the same six-berth configuration that has proved popular on the Swift Challenger Sport 586 / Sterling Eccles Sport 586.
This single-axle family caravan features a rear convertible dinette alongside two fixed bunk beds and it will be priced at a highly competitive £14,320. The MTPLM weight is an impressively low 1,361kg.
All of these new caravans will be on display at the 2013 Caravan and Motorhome Show at Manchester’s Event City from 17 to 20 January. Layout drawings:
Swift Challenger 590 SE / Sterling Eccles Trekker SE
Swift Challenger 620 SE / Sterling Eccles Voyager SE
Swift Challenger 645 SE / Sterling Eccles Wayfarer SE
by Chris Jefferies
In this video we sit down with Towergate’s Ed Cross who explains that 8% of all insurance claims are related to window damage.
Ed also explains the most common ways windows can get damaged and goes on to discuss how insurance works in relatios to windows, giving some excellent advice on whom to claim from based on the problem you have.
Over the last few years caravan windows have been one of the major areas of change in caravan design and Peter Ashby of Golden Castle also discusses this with us.
He offers an explanation of the different types of windows available to prospective tourer owners as well as discussing the recent innovations in their development.
Windows are also one of the key things to look out for when buying a used caravan and this is something that he discusses in detail – giving a guide on what to check before buying one.
Isuzu has announced the final three models of vehicle for its popular D-Max range of off-road vehicles.
The Japanese firm previously launched the Isuzu 4X4 D/cab pick-up back in the Summer.
And it has now added to the range of options available to those seeking a utility vehicle, with the new 3×2 single cab, 4×4 single and extended cab varieties.
The first of this new trio will boast a 2.5-litre engine along with a 163bhp six-speed manual gearbox and gross payload of 1,128kg.
Meanwhile, the 4×4 editions will boast the same features varying only with increased payloads of 1,136kg and 1,085kg for the standard and extended versions.
All three vehicles will boast electric windows, air conditioning and airbags in the front, sides and curtains along with a CD player and daytime running lights.
The extended cab meanwhile offers rearward opening side doors and side access panels.
The 4×2 Single cab is priced at £13,729 with the 4X4 Single Cab set at £15,479, while the 4×4 Extended Cab will cost £15,979.
Caravan owners rejoice – you are no longer the most hated road users in all of the land.
That is according to a new survey from the website Caravaninsurance.com, which polled motorists on the tricky subject of who hits a nerve when they are behind the wheel.
And it would appear from the results that caravanners are no longer public enemy number one, with tourers losing their top spot to tractors as UK drivers’ biggest foe.
Commenting on the results, the company’s managing director Philip Alden pointed to the influence of a certain BBC television programme and its curly-haired politically-incorrect host.
“Perhaps the caravan-exploding antics by the likes of Jeremy Clarkson and his Top Gear chums have done us a favour and got the public thinking that a caravan might be fun to own after all,” he said.
But despite dropping to second on the list, Mr Alden also argued that it was perhaps time to point the finger at bad drivers more than caravans, as the chief cause of frustration to motorists everywhere.
