Making Memories With The Auto Trail Tracker LB

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Our good friends at Auto-Trail are more than just motorhome provider. They are a UK based manufacturer who invest a lot of time into making their touring vehicles the ideal choice for you and your family holidays. They are consistent award winner which is a testament to the time and effort they put into their motorhome designs. In this video they will show you exactly what touring holidays are all about.

The design feature I find the most appealing about the Tracker LB is just how much space and storage the motorhome provides. With large rear storage underneath the main bedroom you can take a whole range of accessories with you from BBQs to inflatable boats.

The large fridge freezer means that you can fully stock up with enough food and drinks to ensure that you will not need to spend your precious holiday time having to run back and forth to the shops. It really does make a huge difference having a fridge as large as the one board the Tracker LB.

In the good size rear bedroom you will find the perfect size double island bed. The bed has space either side of it so you can climb on and off without disturbing your significant other in the mornings. There are also bedside like tables each side of the bed so of an evening you can finish your book and rest it on the side without having to get up and take it elsewhere.

So if you are planning on using a motorhome to make the most of everything the UK has to offer you really should be considering the Auto-Trail Tracker LB.

AA Awards Best In The North West

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William Coleman

The AA have named the Skelwith Fold caravan park, in Ambelside, as North West England’s top holiday destination for touring caravan, motorhome owners as well as glampers.

An AA award is something all sites and holiday destinations strive to achieve. An award win brings a level of prestige and validation. The family run Skelwith park bested hundreds of other eligible parks to take the NW Campsite of the year title. The award was presented to business owner Henry Wild at a special award ceremony at February’s NEC Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show.

The site sits on an 130-acre park which achieved its high award following a visit from a secret shopper visit from an AA inspector. Following the visit the secret shopper reported that this is one of the best campsites I have ever stayed on. Some incredibly high praise for the park and its owners.

Henry Wild said that the AA’s top regional accolade was a fantastic start to the 2018 season for the park which his family has owned for over 20 years.

The award follows the park being crowned last year as Lakeland’s top holiday park in the Cumbria Tourism Awards when it took the overall gold place in the competition.

However, said Henry, the AA award has a special significance because it looks particularly closely at the standards of service and levels of hospitality provided for touring guests:

“We know that the memories which visitors take away are fashioned not just by the quality of the surroundings, but also by the warmth of the atmosphere of the park,” he said.

“Providing this is very much in the hands of our staff team at Skelwith, and they must take a major share of the credit for our friendly reputation.

“They are always prepared to go the extra mile to make holiday guests feel welcome and at home, and to help them get the most out of their stay.

“We knew we were up against some extremely tough competition in these awards from other excellent North West parks, so everyone is naturally delighted with the result,” he added.

So it seems that 2018 has started off well across the board for the industry. With high awards being given as well as extremely high numbers of tourers embracing winter holidays.

The AA report on Skelwith Fold said: “This exceptional park is very much in tune with the natural oak woodland in which it sits, and through which a network of paths has been created.

“Very high quality is at the forefront of every aspect of this park, with first-class toilet facilities.

“The needs of tourers are met through generously-sized pitches in peaceful woodland glades, and the views of the fells from the five-acre family recreation area are truly outstanding.

“Wildlife watching and walking are readily available, and four luxurious Hideaway pods with every amenity are located in a tranquil clearing on the park.

“Skelwith Fold is a unique blend of modern and extremely high quality amenities which deliver exactly what the discerning visitor looks for in the beautiful Lake District,” it concluded.

Auto Trail Owners Club Reaches Milestone

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By William Coleman

As far as professional achievements go this is certainly one for the books. Auto-Trail are proud to announce that at this year’s February NEC show they signed up their 10,000th member, Kim and Julia Knight.

The Auto-Tail team were so close to reaching this significant milestone that they had planned to celebrate the goal over the course of the Birmingham event. As the team worked their finger to the bone to make sure they were a standout displayer at the event they reached their goal by day 4.

Mr and Mrs Knight had recently purchased their Auto-Trail Motorhome and had no idea they would become the milestone members. Club Chairman, David Wort and Club Treasurer, Kat Ashton presented Kim and Julia with a beautifully engraved award, a bottle of champagne, complimentary first year’s free membership, and 25th anniversary year polo shirts.

Managing Director of Auto-Trail, Dave Thomas and President of the Trigano Group, Francois Feuillet also presented the lucky new members with a free habitation check.

2018 is a moment of celebration for the Auto-Trail Owners’ Club, not only have they now recruited 10,000 members, it is also the year of their 25th Anniversary rally which is being held at Doncaster Racecourse this April. Over 250 vehicles will be present and a visit to the Auto-Trail factory will be arranged for all owners to explore the production line first hand.
Click here for more information about the Auto-Trail Owners’ Club.

2018 is shaping up to be an amazing year for Auto-Trail as they reach a milestone membership number and their silver anniversary. It really is excitig times for the company and I look forward to see what else they have in store this year.

To have a closer look at Auto-Trail have a browse of their amazing Tracker LB and their V-Line ranges.

Norfolk Park Wins Top Award Ahead Of Season Start

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William Coleman

February has brought more than just snow for this family run Norfolk park as the staff and management are celebrating after being named in a major new tourism award scheme. Searles Leisure Resort have been titled as Norfolk and Suffolk’s top park destination.

The Hunstanton business was the overall winner in the parks category of a prestigious new awards scheme with judges describing Searles as having an unbeatable “happiness factor”.

Sponsored by major media group The Eastern Daily Press and Hoseasons, the Norfolk and Suffolk Tourism Awards 2018 made its star-studded debut in February.

The competition is designed to highlight the region’s top tourism performers, and drew almost 300 VIP guests to the glittering finals at Edmunsbury Cathedral in Bury St Edmunds

Popular BBC TV presenter David Whiteley who hosted the event said that Searles Leisure Resort had emerged as the stand-out holiday park winner.

Stepping into the spotlight to receive the award were brothers Paul and Andrew Searle who, with their sister Joanna, are directors of the long-established business.

The park first began welcoming campers over 60 years ago onto what was then a farm, and it has since grown to become one of Eastern England’s largest and best-loved holiday centres.

It provides more than 800 holiday home and touring pitches, including luxury lodges to buy and rent, plus a raft of family-friendly attractions and outdoor activities.

The citation from award judges noted that Searles is “an outstanding park that embraces its role in the community and pushes the boundaries of excellence in all areas of its operation.”

They continued: “Searles is a park which truly creates happiness for all ages, and offers a wide range of facilities to meet the needs of all it customers.

“The park performs well in all areas and keeps reinvesting to better the experience for its guests both throughout the summer season and with special events and themed breaks during the winter.”

Searles is also a highly regarded local employer with around 200 staff, and provides valuable training and skills development opportunities especially to younger workers.

Paul Searle said that the park’s loyal and hardworking team deserved a big share of the credit for its achieving the overall Norfolk and Suffolk park tourism award:

“These awards place strong emphasis on the quality of the hospitality provided to guests, and delivering this is largely in the hands of our employees.

“Their determination to ensure that everyone visiting Searles enjoys a first-class experience is the reason why we get so many repeat bookings each year.

“We are hopeful of another record-breaking season in 2018, and this award gives us a flying start which I hope will also benefit the regional generally,” said Paul.

With the new season just weeks away this site really should be on your short list of places to visit.

There is more information about Searles Leisure Resort at www.searles.co.uk

Interview With A Globe Trotting Tourer With A Pricey VW Camper

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By William Coleman

Recently I had the absolute pleasure if speaking with someone who has been touring the world in his camper van for almost 50 years. After all this time he has now put together, perhaps, one of the most expensive VW Campervan ever.

Jeff Williams has had many amazing adventures throughout his travelling career and has seen some of the most amazing parts of the planet. Having clocked up thousands and thousands of miles he seems to have only just gotten started.

What got you into touring holidays?

When I left university in 1975, I bought an old Series IIA Landrover with a friend and we converted it to a campervan with a couple of beds in the back and a few cupboards. We kitted it out for an expedition and drove from Birmingham to Cape Town across the Sahara, through the Congo rainforest and then across the East African savannah. I met my wife, Nikki on this trip in Johannesburg and we travelled back up through East Africa to Nairobi. After a short break back in the UK we then carried on through the Middle East to Kathmandu and then back to the UK. The whole trip took 3 years but we got the touring bug and Nikki has always wanted to cross the Sahara. We’ve not managed to return to the Sahara yet, although we have done quite a few self-drive safaris in East and Southern Africa.

How comes you chose a VW camper and not a caravan or motorhome?
We wanted a campervan that we could use every day as our main long distance vehicle. Also the access to our house in St Ives is very narrow (2m max width) so anything bigger than a VW would not make it. We also wanted 4 wheel drive so that we could go off road and get back to Africa.

So what work has gone into this VW to make it one of the most expensive camper conversions?

We bought the van as a kombi with 4 motion and DSG with quite a few extras (diff lock, led lights, satnav, adaptive cruise control etc) and wanted to have some power so we went for the 204 HP engine. So the starting price was quite high. We did not want to carry gas so we have gone for a Wallas XCduo diesel hob for cooking. We wanted to be energy self-sufficient for wild camping so have a Clayton Lithium ion leisure battery that is charged by the solar panel on our roof and has an inverter so we have 240 volts for our kettle when we are wild camping. The lithium ion battery has twice the storage capacity of a lead acid battery for the same size. The whole set up means we have enough energy to run the fridge, lights and kettle without being hooked up to the mains.
We also wanted hot water so had to get a special hot water tank made up that fits under the floor and is heated by the engine coolant or an immersion. We have a drop down shower tent on the tailgate. We had a cold water tank made up that fits under one of the seats and has a 50 litre capacity.

We decided on a LWB van so that there was room for a swivel flushing toilet and extra storage for the longer trips we plan. We have a roof bed capable of sleeping 2 adults and two RIB seats that convert to 2 single beds or can slide together to make a double. The van is fitted with blinds and fly screens to keep out midges and mosquitoes (including over the sliding side door). We went for a bit of luxury with leather seats and had top quality converters at Ecowagon build the conversion.
Finally we decided to install VB air suspension so that lets us drop height a bit for low car parks and ferries, raise it when we go off road for better ground clearance and it has automatic levelling when we camp.

What makes this so touring home so unique?

Its versatility. We can use it for local shopping trips or long distance and have seats for 4 people. We can go on off road trips for several months at a time. It’s also small enough to get through narrow town streets and country lanes. The 4motion means we have less chance of getting stuck.

Are there any trips planned once you have finished all the upgrades?

We’re heading up to Scotland at Easter but our first big trip is to Iceland via the Faroe Islands. We are taking the ferry from Denmark and are planning a route over the mountain roads that are only accessible for 2-3 months in summer.

We would like to drive back to Cape Town along the west coast of Africa – more or less sticking to the coastline – and the take the van to Australia and New Zealand. Could take a few years to do all this!

Knaresborough Caravan And Motorhome Club Site And Wanderer Bar And Kitchen Review

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By William Coleman

A couple of weeks ago I tried my hand at a spot of winter touring at the Caravan and Motorhome Club site in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire. While I was there I took full advantage of The Club’s new restaurant concept The Wanderer Bar And Kitchen.

The Knaresborough Site

The Knaresborough site has changed recently following a £1m redevelopment late last year. A number of additions and adjustments were made to make your stay more comfortable and convenient. The entrance to the site was changed to make access to the site a lot easier as well as upgrades to the service points throughout the site.

There are 79 pitches available at the site, 12 or which are fully serviced. The site was at about 95% capacity, which proves the point that the public are doing a lot more touring during the winter months. The site has all the things you’d expect from a Caravan and Motorhome Club site, clean large pitches, nice quiet surroundings and staff on duty making sure the site stays clean and well kept.

The renovation also saw the addition of a new shower/toilet block. During my 3 day stay the blocks were always spotless and well stocked with soap and toilet roll. The showers get warm very quickly, something very important when the temperature was around -1 outside, and the pressure was spot on.

There is so much to do and see in Knaresborough so you will never be short on days out. The historic town of Knaresborough features the equally historic Knaresborough Market which is within walking distance from the site. The market takes place on a Wednesday so put than into your weekly plans when visiting. When you are in town you need to make sure you visit the Knaresborough castle ruins and be sure you take your camera with you.

If you want to tour in the winter, spring or summer the Knaresborough site is ideal. The site is spotless and the surrounding area is full of things to do and see. Also the new addition of the The Wanderer Bar and Kitchen certainly makes it a stand out Caravan and Motorhome Club site.

The Wanderer Bar and Kitchen

I have covered The Wanderer Bar and Kitchen a couple of times before, firstly when it was opened following the redevelopment and secondly when I met the team behind the restaurant. Now I get to give you a first had review of the food, the place and the people.

The first thing that stood out to me was just how welcoming the staff are. When dining out for the evening poor service can ruin a good meal, so no worries on that front. The waitress took her time going over the weekly specials and what else they had on offer.

Once we were seated it came time to choose a drink to open up the meal. The drinks menu is quite large with a wide range of each beverage. If you like gin or want a nice whiskey to warm you up then you are in the right place. The wine menu is also extremely impressive so be sure to take some time have a browse.

The main selling point for meis that the Wanderer makes sure that they source most of their food locally. All their fruit, veg, meat and fish is all sourced within a certain mile radius of the restaurant, depending on the season and availability. It is so important to buy local and support small independant farms and other produce companies. As well as supporting the economy it also makes for fresh tasting food.

For a starter we shared a Plank Platter which was almost too much for me and my better half. Although I stayed determined and managed to get through all the cheese, meats, olives and pickled veg.

Once the main course came I was almost too full to carry on. As soon as that perfectly cooked 10oz rib eye steak appeared my appetite came back with a vengeance. You could really taste how fresh the meat was and it was genuinely cooked to perfection. The homemade fries must have been made from about 2 whole potatoes and were so nice that I ate all mine and had a couple that were left over on the partners plate.

At this point I was far too full up to even entertain the idea of pudding, which is a shame as I had my eye on pretty much the whole dessert menu.

The next day we decided to have lunch at The Wanderer, as they were kind enough to open early for us as we were going to be doing some filming and photography of the site. I had my eyes set on the Wanderer Burger. This burger really has to be seen to be believed, it even defeated our cameraman! With three large homemade onions rings on top of a massive beef patty it was almost too large, thankfully I have an abnormal appetite.

I was able to topple the burger but had to leave the very generous portion of chips, as I was dead set on having something sweet. Once the main was done I dived into my panna cotta that came with fruit compote and an amazing shortbread biscuit.

So overall the whole experience at the Wanderer was great. I got to speak to the head chef about the food and the whole process from field to fork. The food portions and generous and all freshly prepared and cooked on site.

British Superbike Racing With Andrew Ditton And The Auto Trail Tracker LB

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By William Coleman

The motorhome is, for me, an ideal leisure vehicle because of the huge range of trips and activities they make easily accessible. If you want to grab the family and drive to the highlands of Scotland or spend the week at Britain’s motoGP tracks the AutoTracker LB is the ideal choice of transport and luxury accommodation.

Auto-Trail are the proud sponsors of the Tyco BMW British Superbike team and Andrew Ditton, along with his four legged partner Doogle, were at Cadwell Park to see how the Tracker LB helps the riders and fans make the most of their time at the races.

When it comes to world of motorsports the leisure vehicle plays a huge part. No matter what track you venture to or what sport it is you will see an array of motorhomes. When roaming around the tracks you will see everything from tents to the impressive touring buses, but there are a few that stand out from the crowd like AutoTrail Tracker LB does.

Using the Tracker LB is the perfect way to spend a long weekend at the races. You can stay on site to make sure that you get to see as much as possible. Waking up nice and early in the luxury home to see all the track warm up laps without having to battle the crowds or waking up super early to travel to the venue and then sleeping under the stars waiting for another exciting day.

In this video Andrew will walk you through the excitement of the races and show you around the Tracker LB.

NEC Interview With CAMCs Nick Lomas

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By William Coleman

The Caravan and Motorhome Club are very good at listening to their members and what better place to get some real face time with The Club than The Spring, Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show at the NEC.

In 2017 CAMC rebranded with their new name and in this video from this week’s show you will hear all about what The Club are doing for their members throughout 2018. Not only is there the Experience Freedom launch to look forward to but there is also the announcement of their latest acquisition which will be receiving funding and development later on in the year.

The Director General covers a lot of this video and has some really exciting details regarding Glamping, yurts and their brand new partnership with Prima to bring 2,500 leisure accessories to Club members with a 10% discount on all products.

The CaravanTimes NEC Video Show Guide

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By William Coleman

The Caravan, Camping and Motorhome show is always an event that stands out on the calendar. Every dealer, specialist, manufacturer and innovation are on full display across the 6 day event.

February’s show is more than just a place to buy a motorhome or caravan, it’s a day out for all the family. There are 5 halls of fun to make your way through, as well as towing and maneuvering courses outside the show, which I took advantage of at the October show.

I have been at the show since Monday and there are still a lot of caravans and motorhomes I have yet to sit in. So to ensure you have the very best trip you can take a look at our video guide as we go from halls 1 to 5 and give you a run down of what to expect at the show.

CAMC Teams With Prima To Bring You All Your Touring Accessories

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What happens when the biggest site provider and a top notch leisure accessory company partner up? A lot of people’s lives becomes a lot easier.

The Club has joined forces with Prima Leisure to provide members with a new and improved Club Shop.The new Club Shop now has an extensive range of products from leisure to outdoor living essentials

From awnings to BBQs and all manor of outdoor accessories, Prima has it all. Club members will receive a 10% discount when buying from the Prima.

Harvey Alexander, Caravan and Motorhome Club director of marketing said: “The Club has joined forces with Prima Leisure who are retail experts in the touring sector and provide an award winning service*. Prima Leisure provide a quality shopping experience including same day dispatch and next day delivery options on all in-stock products online. This is another way in which Club membership really makes touring easier and more accessible for all.”

Roy Carter, Prima Leisure managing director said: “We are delighted to be working with the Caravan and Motorhome Club, we are very proud of the range of products we offer and we have selected many of them specifically with Club members in mind.”

Camplify At The NEC And Their Show Special Competition

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By <>William Coleman

Camplify is going to change the way we book touring holidays. There are around 11 million people in the UK that do not own a touring home and Camplify want them to experience the freedom a tourer can have. Camplify is a peer to peer platform that helps people list their leisure homes and vehicles to possible renters.

The industry saw a huge boom over the last two years and with that comes a whole load of fresh customers who may want to try before they buy. With Camplify you can try all manor or leisure homes and dip your toe into the world motorhoming and caravaning.

Owners can list their homes in the quiet season and make a little extra cash. This really is a win win for everyone involved.

On top of that the Camplify team have a show exclusive competition. So if you are in the market for a free holiday and a different type of touring trip be sure to visit Camplify at the NEC this week.

Alan Buckwell From Marquis Talks Buying At The NEC

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By William Coleman

Buying at the show is one of the main reason tens of thousands of people travel from all over the UK to visit the NEC. With so much on off and so many different types of touring homes to choose from which is the right one for you?

To help guide you through the decision process we speak with Alan Buckwell from Marquis about buying at the February show. Alan, along with Marquis, are very proactive when it comes to buying at the show. Not only do they have a whole range of offers and discounts across their touring vehicles they have a massive team on hand to help you with everything you need to know when you are making your decision.

On top of the sales side of the show Marquis are there to help you first and foremost. So when you visit the show make sure to pay Alan and his team a visit to make sure you get the best experience the show has to offer.