The Summer of The Onesie

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By William Coleman

What better way to spend a record breaking heatwave bank holiday weekend by gearing up in a onesie and trying to break an official Guinness world record?

Golden Sand Holiday Park on Beach Road, Northumberland and the St. Oswald’s Hospice set themselves a fantastic challenge in the name of charity.

The site, owned by family run Northumbrian Leisure Ltd, set their eyes on breaking the Guinness World record for the world’s largest gathering of onesie wearers at one location. The current record, as of the 2015 attempt in China, stands at an 1,879.

The money raised at the event will be going to the St. Oswald’s Hospice. A charity that provides free access to specialist care for the North East’s adults, youngsters and children suffering from life limiting conditions.

On Sunday 27th of August an impressive 326 participants of all ages ranging from 2 weeks to 93 years old took part in the money raising event. Despite the heat wave hundreds descended on the holiday park to take part in the challenge.

Nigel Thompson, the park’s owners, decked out in his Great White Shark onesie said: “We’ve had an amazing day and are delighted that so many people of all ages turned out in onesies of all different types to support our attempt.”

The world record attempt was aided by the Free Bank Holiday Fun Day being held at the Golden Sands Location which has had added support from the very generous community. With such a worthwhile cause to be part of, Danielle Callender, Community Fundraiser at St. Oswald’s Hospice said: “We are thrilled to have the support of Golden Sands Holiday Park, who have organised this brilliant event in support of us.”

The Visit England five-star rated Golden Sands Holiday Park also had other attractions on that weekend for families to enjoy. Live music from The Pretty Woods, a daredevil Stuntman show featuring Dangerous Steve, children’s rides and many more.

Despite not quite beating the current world record the day was still a huge success for both the holiday park and the St. Oswalds Hospice. It just shows you what can be done with a good community spirit with a very worthwhile cause that is close to many people’s hearts.

Would you take part in a onesie gathering? I think I’d wear my pink monkey onesie, just for journalistic purposes, of course.

If you have a go to camping onesie leave it in the comments below and we will pick a winner.

VIDEO: Self Parking Caravans Are Here!

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By Tom Evans

Even the most experienced of us have had the odd scare when parking with a caravan in tow, so wouldn’t it be great if we all had a van like this lucky Frenchman, which appears to reverse park itself, not only that but whilst manoeuvring through a gate.

In reality, it’s a very close shave and courtesy of youtuber “geogie hagaid” you can watch the near miss here, as a caravan detaches and rolls back perfectly into a parking space.

Tell us about your near misses and lucky moment in the comments below.

Great Leisure Industry Figures Ahead of NEC Show

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By William Coleman

Over the past several years there has been a massive boom in the domestic holiday industry within the UK. Things such as “Staycations” are now becoming a new trend among many Britons.

Ahead of the 2017 Motorhome and Caravan Show, being held at Birmingham NEC from the 17 th-22nd October, the National Caravan Council (NCC) have released some great figures for the UK’s leisure industry.

According to the figures there has been a 13.7% increase in the production of touring caravans within the first 6 months of 2017. With a staggering 44.7 million Brits taking domestic holidays in 2016, 10.4 million of those using caravans, motorhomes or camping as accommodation. This makes for exciting times ahead of the show where manufacturers will be showcasing their 2018 range of products. Event organisers are estimating over 100,000 people will visit the NEC arena over the 6-day event.

Speaking with Jenny Summers, the Group Marketing Director for the NCC, she has said “We see a consistently strong market for leisure vehicles, and their continual appeal as accommodation on a wide range of trips away both in the UK and abroad.”

With such huge numbers of British public taking UK based holidays there are a lot more varieties of holiday and short breaks available. The increase in Glamping, short breaks and weekends at sporting events have had a huge impact on the leisure industry. Motorhomes, tents, camping sites and caravans are now the go to for many who are looking for UK based breaks.

This year alone I have attended several festivals using a motorhome and taken lots of short weekend breaks in caravans using Caravan Club sites, there are over 100 across the UK. Caravan Club have had a 2.2% increase in bookings during the 2017 summer period, with motorhome bookings up by 8%.

There is so much variety in the UK now that “staycations” are now a lot of people’s first choice. I will be attending the 2017 Motorhome and Caravan show to see where the next “Go to” place is for a weekend away. What will you be in search of for your 2018 adventure?

Calor Light on Answers About Product Phase-Out

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By Tom Evans

As many of our good readers have been speaking about on the Forum, Calor are phasing out the 6kg CalorLite, it’s increasingly harder to find any stockists and they’re now unavailable on-line too. So why are Calor taking this step? What are our other options? And what do we do with the cylinders we already have?

Well calor seem to have all the answers and their even looking for feedback and advice from us, the caravanning community, to help them develop a new light and practical cylinder!

Here’s the full Q&A from Calor which can be found here

Q: Why are you phasing out the 6kg Calor Lite (the ‘6kg Lite’) cylinder?
A: We carry out inspections on every empty cylinder returned to us before it is refilled and sent back out to the network. We have been finding that increasing numbers of the 6kg Lite are failing our routine quality inspections and, as customer safety is paramount, we have to remove these from circulation. This is having an impact on availability which is causing some customers to have difficulty obtaining these particular cylinders.
As a result, we have decided to replace the current 6kg Lite cylinder with a more robust model to improve product performance and availability (further details are provided on the research and development of this new cylinder below). This means that it makes no sense to purchase any further 6kg Lite cylinders knowing that we are going to replace them in the near future. Instead, we are switching this investment to the standard 6kg cylinder in the short term, with an additional £1 million invested in 2017, prior to the introduction of the brand new 6kg model.

Q: Is the 6kg Lite cylinder safe to use?
A: Yes, it is completely safe. All cylinders supplied and filled by Calor are subject to a rigorous inspection at our filling plants to ensure they are always completely safe for use.

Q: Is this anything to do with the recall?
A: No, the recall was in relation to a specific batch of 6kg Lite cylinders (made between 2008 and 2011) which were found to have possible material defects. Only a very small number were subsequently found to be faulty and withdrawn from circulation.
This recall closed on 1st July 2017.

Q: I still have a recall voucher, does this mean it is no longer valid?
A: No, simply take your voucher to your local retailer where it can still be redeemed for a 6kg Lite if one is available. If not, the voucher can be exchanged for a standard 6kg cylinder.
In addition, if a cylinder is returned for the first time from the affected year without a voucher, then it will be exchanged by the retailer in the normal way.

Q: Will I still be able to purchase (refill) a 6kg Lite?
A: Yes. We will continue to fill and distribute the 6kg Lite cylinders that we have available and currently, there is still good stock availability. Our stockists are all aware that their first priority should be to replace like-for-like wherever possible.

Q: What should I do if my local retailer doesn’t have any 6kg Lites available when I go to purchase one?
A: If one isn’t available then we would recommend you switch to a standard 6kg cylinder which is similar in size with an identical gas valve. You would then be able to switch back to a 6kg Lite if one is available the next time you need a refill.

Q: Will you have enough 6kg cylinders to supply the market?
A: This year we have invested a record amount (over £1 million) in new, standard 6kg cylinders to ensure our retailers have enough stock to meet demand. In addition, we still have stocks of 6kg Lites which remain on sale.

Q: Will I be charged for a 6kg cylinder when I only have a 6kg Lite to return?
A: No. The standard 6kg is freely interchangeable with the 6kg Lite, so if you have an empty 6kg Lite then all you will pay for is the gas. In the event that you have no empty cylinder, then you will need to take out a new ‘Cylinder Refill Agreement’ (CRA) for a one-off charge of £39.99, as well as paying for the gas.

Q: I still want a lightweight cylinder for my caravan, what are you doing to address this?
We are currently undertaking a comprehensive research programme in advance of the development of a new and improved cylinder for the caravanning and camping market. Our aim is to bring a more robust cylinder to market and as part of this activity, we are actively seeking the input of the community to ensure any new product is fit for purpose. We are already working with a number of stakeholders, including the Caravan and Motorhome Club, The Camping and Caravanning Club and caravan manufacturers, but we would very much welcome input directly from end users.
We have therefore created a dedicated email address, caravaninsight@calor.co.uk, where users can register their interest to be involved in the research.

Q: When will a new cylinder be available?
A: As research is still ongoing, it is too early to provide any definite timescales but you can be assured as soon as we have something which is suitable for the market and which has the approval of our customers then it will be brought to market. In the meantime, we will provide regular updates to keep our customers informed on progress.

Let us know your thoughts on all this in the comments below.

The Motorhome & Caravan Show is Ready For Launch

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By Tom Evans

As the summer holidays are coming to an end, every keen Camper, Caravanner and Motorhomer looks forward to October’s Motorhome and Caravan Show. Held at the NEC in Birmingham, this year it is set to be the most exciting yet, with DAILY launches of brand new vans in the LIVE theatre. Everyday we’ll get a first peek at new vehicles from all over the world.

So what can we expect to see and when?

17th October

Opening day kicks of with an icon of American design making a debut under Swift stewardship, It’s the all new Airstream.

18th October

Wednesday sees the new Tracker LB from Auto-Trail (stay tuned for our review as we’ve already taken it for a spin), a brand new take on the very popular Tracker range.

19th October

On Thursday it’s Hymer’s turn, Celebrating their 60th anniversary in style with their Exsis-I and Exsis-T model as well as a whole host of Jubilee special editions – More on Hymer’s Anniversary here.

20th October

Friday sees Bailey take centre stage as they welcome showgoers to take a look at the brand new layouts in their revamped Unicorn range, which you can check out here.

21st October

Hillside Leisure are hoping to steal the show with it’s take on the VW Crafter, which looks to us like the Caravelle’s big brother.

22nd October

Everything is wrapped up on Sunday, with what’s set to be one of the more interesting innovations of the year, the Opus Air Camper. Opus Air, takes the idea of an inflatable awning and puts it into practice as a modern trailer tent, we’re very excited to see this in action.
So while the LIVE theatre looks exciting you’ll also able to catch new vehicles on stand, including Elddis’ new 2018 Encore range of Motorhomes, Swift’s new Bessacarr’s and Adria’s Action caravan makes a U.K Return.

So there you have it, a full week of launches, not to mention all of the unveilings that will be happening across the show on various exhibitor stands. It all leaves us with the very real problem of deciding which day to go!

Let us know what you’re looking forward to seeing at this years Motorhome and Caravan Show, in the comments below.

Hymer & Travelworld – 100 Years of Experience

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By Tom Evans

As Hymer celebrate their 60th Annivesary, Shrewsbury based exclusive Hymer Group dealer Celebrate their 40th. As Managing Director, Ross Edwards puts it, “That’s 100 years of Experience”.

So CaravanTimes caught up with Ross and the gang to see what Hymer has in store for its Jubilee year and how Travelworld are celebrating 40 years with their customers, check out the video.

Tribute – CaravanTimes Full Video Review – The End of Our Long Term Test

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by Dan Cartwright

So After nearly 3 months and over 3000 miles we have the full review of the Auto-Trail Tribute, along the way we’ve look at it in depth as everything from a day van, to a family tourer you can check out all of our mini-reviews below, but first watch the video!

Practicality, Driving, Long Breaks, Short Breaks, and Family review

Are We Getting The Most From Our Vans?

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by Dan Cartwright

Do you spend 40 nights a year on holiday? Heres how you can… even if you work full time!

We were recently sent a press release from the Caravan and Motorhome Club saying that 30% of their members spend between 40 and 70 nights holiday a year in there leisure vehicles. This figure came from their inspiring adventures report.

This got passed around our office at CaravanTimes and everyone agreed that they would love to be able to spend 40 nights away but many believed this was impractical if you’re not a teacher or retired. But what about the average worker? Can we holiday-strapped workers really expect to spend 40 nights on holiday? Yes. To inspire you and show you how easy it is we got out the calculator and calendar and worked out how easy it would be for the average worker to spend over 40 nights in their leisure vehicle… So here’s how.

According to the gov.uk website “almost all workers are entitled to 5.6 weeks paid leave per year. A employer can include bank holidays as part of this statutory leave”. So this gives us something to work with. If you work full time the minimum holiday you can expect including bank holidays (but not including weekends) is 28 days.

Now we are going to show three potential break plans, with breaks of different length throughout the year. We have split breaks in to 4 types

The Two week holiday – assuming you leave on a Friday after work and return two weeks on sunday. This is a total of 16 nights away and 10 days leave

The one week holiday – assuming you leave on a Friday after work and return one week on Sunday. This is a total of 9 nights away and 5 days leave

The Long weekend – assuming you leave on a Thursday after work and return on the following Monday. This is a total of 4 nights away and 2 days leave

The weekend – assuming you leave on a Friday after work and return on the Sunday. This is a total of 4 nights away and 2 days leave

So using these terms here’s three sample plans of how you can use your leisure vehicle for more than 40 nights.

The big breakers

Take 2, two week holidays, using a total of 20 days leave but giving you 32 nights on holiday.

Take 2 long weekends, using a total 4 days leave but giving you 8 nights on holiday

Take 2 weekends this uses no leave and gives you another 4 nights on Holiday.

This plan gives the big breakers 2, two week holidays, 2 long weekends and 2 weekends away visiting potentially 6 destinations and a total of 44 nights on holiday and importantly 4 days leave left over for those house repairs or doctors visits.

The frequent breakers

Take 4, one week holidays, using a total of 20 days leave but giving you 36 nights on holiday.

Take 2 long weekends, using a total 4 days leave but giving you 8 nights on holiday

Take 2 weekends this uses no leave and gives you another 4 nights on holiday.

This plan gives the Frequent breakers 4 one week holidays, two long weekends and two weekends away visiting potentially 8 destinations and a total of 48 nights on holiday and importantly 4 days leave left over for the those house repairs or doctor visits.

The mini breakers

Take 12 long weekends – thats one every month using a total of 24 days leave but giving you 48 nights on holiday.

Take 12 weekends away – giving you another 24 nights on holiday

This plan gives the Frequent breakers a long weekend away and a normal weekend holiday Every month, and a total of 72 nights on holiday and importantly 4 days leave left over for the those house repairs or doctor visits.

There are an almost infinite amount of combinations that achieve you more than 40 nights holiday on a regular holiday allowance with 4 days leave left for what ever you want or need to do but our point is this – go more, do more and holiday more.

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In pictures: testing the new Auto-Trail V-Line Sport 635 to the extreme

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Photography by Alessi Heitman-Rice

You may already be familiar with DC sponsored snowboarders, Simon Cudlip and Faye Young, as we previously teamed up with the two adrenaline junkies on the slopes of Austria, which you can read about HERE. This weekend however, we decided to test out how sporty the Auto-Trail V-Line Sport 635 really is.

Our adventure started at the New Forest Water Park, which is home to a state of the art zip-wire used to pull wake boarders across the lake. This was the perfect summer solution for Simon and Faye, who could adapt their skillset and pull-off some extremely impressive tricks out on the lake.

When not shredding it out on the lake, Simon and Faye were making full use of all the Auto-Trail’s home comforts.

They were also keeping well connected with the outdoors.

Little did we realise, they were organising a summer gathering outside the V-Line, at least we had no neighbours to worry about!

The next day they were assing around with some new found friends on the way to their second activity.

Simon had informed us the day before that horses were one of his fears, so we thought we’d organise a little surprise for him.

All in all the V-Line was able to meet the high demands of Simon and Faye’s hectic lifestyle, whether it was offering warm showers and home comforts after a session out on the lake or transporting them and their gear with ease, the V-Line is the ultimate sporting companion.

We Try a Towing Course with the Caravan and Motorhome Club

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by Dan Cartwright

A few weeks ago I wrote a “top tips for Newbies” article about trying before you buy. Encouraging people entering the leisure vehicle market to make their purchasing decision based on their holiday and family requirements not how or which type of Leisure vehicle to drive to your holiday. I suggested that newbies try a caravan and motorhome manoeuvring course to gain confidence, dispel myths and preconceptions, freeing their buying choices to focus on that all important holiday. 

I was subsequently contacted by the Caravan and Motorhome Club who assured me that both courses were as useful for the experienced and the inexperienced and invited me to come along and sample what happens on these courses. The Caravan and Motorhome club are the country’s biggest leisure industry training organisation, training up to 1800 people a year. What better way to spend a few sunny days out the office and see what I can learn. I Attended a day of the caravan towing course and a day of the motorhome manoeuvring course… and heres what I found. 

Before talking about each course individually the first thing I found is – nobody knows everything and old dogs can learn new tricks. I drive or tow vehicles just about every day but I learned a hell of a lot, from the theory behind why things are done a certain way, to some really good tips and even some essential safety aspects that we had been unaware of.  I consider myself confident and able with both caravan and motorhome but most of my learning is evolved learning over years, I can manoeuvre but why am doing it that way and is it the best way?

Caravan manoeuvring
The course focus’s on 5 key areas below and is both theory and hands on. Your instructor will guide you through manoeuvres and talk through the theory behind each section. 

How to ‘hitch up’ and tow safely and efficiently
How to manoeuvre an outfit forwards and backwards, easily and confidently
How to ‘load’ and how it affects towing
Curved reversing – nearside and offside
Everyday safety checks and the laws affecting caravaners

In one day I learned and improved my towing and towing safety more than in the last few years. Even hitching I found I was attaching the lighting cable un-safeley, I was levelling wrong (pulling forward on the levelling blocks instead of reverse) and why you have to rub new tow balls… and thats just hitching! 

Motorhome manoeuvring
The course focuses on the 6 key areas below, you can bring your own motorhome which is great as much of the course is about confidence building and familiarisation so using your own set up is a great idea. 

The principles of driving a larger vehicle
Manoeuvring an outfit forward and backwards
Simple maintenance information
Straightforward safety checks
The laws affecting motorhome drivers
Feedback from the one-to-one on-road session

The biggest thing I learnt from the motorhome course was about simplification, there are so many little tips and hints that just make motorhoming less stressful. From the correct way to set the split mirrors every time! to marking the rear axel so you can always see it in the mirrors when manoeuvring. This makes the manoeuvres so much easier for motorhomes of any size. 

So who should attend the course? Well these courses do offer something for everyone. Even if you consider yourself an old dog you really can learn new tricks. Perhaps you are a couple looking to share the driving more, or you’re a family looking for those “stress free” journeys. Caravans, motorhomes and cars have changed a lot in the last decade and you may want to check you are doing things the best and safest way for modern caravans and motorhomes, I know I wasn’t.  It is fair to say that I am committed to better driving standards and have been a member of the IAM for 15 years and I believe everyone should consider refresher training at regular intervals to stay refreshed, updated and always learning. If you have a leisure vehicle and a couple of days then these courses are all over the country, the instructors are friendly and knowledgable and you will leave being more confident, safer on the road and safer on site. 

You can find further information here forMotorhome Courses and Caravan Courses

The Marquis Crown Gets Bigger But How Can You Use it to Grab a Bargain? 

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by Dan Cartwright

The country’s largest caravan and motorhome dealer, Marquis has just got even bigger with the purchase of Michael Jordan caravans in Surrey. What does this mean to the average caravaner and motor homer?

Michael Jordans caravans was a very successful, large dealership in a great location between Dorking and Guildford on the A25 and right next to the main line train station. The seven acre site will soon be displaying all of the Marquis stocked brands and dealer specials. Marquis also plan to expand the (already 12 bay) workshop and customer service area. 

This is a significant purchase and one no doubt aided by the recent acquisition of Marquis by the Trigano Group. So what does this mean for us, the average caravaner and motorhomer? Well with size comes buying power and the ear of the manufacturers. For both their import ranges and dealer specials the more they sell the more the manufacturers will give Marquis. 

Marquis’s retailer/dealer specials are already some of the most popular caravans and motorhomes in the country and the more units they take from the manufacturers the more specification the manufacturers will add. Much like the incredibly popular Elddis Majestic range of motorhomes…if you like the Elddis but want the extra’s at a great price look at the Majestic as it works out cheaper than buying the base Elddis and adding them yourself. 

Like wise Marquis’s import ranges, the very popular Benimar and Mobilvetta ranges of motorhomes and Caravelair caravans are all specified and made specifically for Marquis to there UK specifications… but again the more Marquis sell the more the manufactures will value the UK market so expect these ranges to get even better over the next few years. 

So if you are thinking of a new caravan or motorhome over the next few years it would prove wise and potentially lucrative to look at what Marquis have to offer.  

Below are the press release comment from Mike Crouch of Marquis and Geoff Scott of Auto-Sleepers group UK.

Mike Crouch MD for Marquis commented; “I am truly excited that Marquis has acquired the perfect platform on which to launch an immediate impact in the area. MJC is a reputable business currently selling top UK brands of Swift, Bailey caravans and motorhomes. The extensive site will enable Marquis to further enhance the display of new and used stock from franchises within the Marquis stable. The existing 12-bay workshop and customer service area will be expanded to cater for the needs of all existing and future customers.”

Geoff Scott, CEO of the Auto-Sleepers Group comments; “Being part of the Trigano Group has given Marquis the opportunity to continue its successful growth over recent years and Marquis Surrey represents another significant and sound financial investment for the business. It further consolidates the Marquis brand as the market leaders.”

All New Elddis For 2018

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by Dan Cartwright

Erwin Hymer Group UK, or Elddis have launched their 2018 range of caravans this morning with a new fully responsive website. The video opposite is an overview of the 2018 offering supplied by Elddis and the new Websiteis live this morning. 

All brands, models and ranges have refreshed for 2018 and some ranges have new layouts. Ethe Ewrin Hymer Group UK Ltd produce over 50 different caravans and motorhomes. 

Elddis Caravan ranges including Avante, Affinity and Crusader
Elddis Motorhome ranges including Autoquest, Accordo, Encore 
Compass Caravan ranges including Casita, Capiro and Camino
Buccaneer Caravans
Xplore Caravans 

All caravans and motorhomes are built using SoLiD construction, a strong, light and dry bonded construction technique introduced in 2014 and still proves to be one of the best within the industry. 

As well updates you can find more on each range at Eldiss.co.ukElddis.co.uk the new models for 2018 include

Xplore 422 – A two berth with big let down lounge, side bathroom and end kitchen. Both lightweight and easily towed. 
Avante 462 – A two berth with big let down lounge, side bathroom and end kitchen. Both lightweight and easily towed. 
Avante 574 – Fixed twin beds at the back big lounge at the front and en-suite bathroom seperating the two
Avante 860 – A huge fixed transverse island bed with huge front lounge in this 8ft wide palace
Affinity 462 – A two berth with big let down lounge, side bathroom and end kitchen. Both lightweight and easily towed. 
Affinity 574 – Fixed twin beds at the back big lounge at the front and en-suite bathroom seperating the two
Crusader Supercyclone – Twin axle layout, twin bedroom at the rear with a central bathroom, with an en-suite or family bathroom.
Buccaneer Barracuda – An innovative L-shaped lounge with full rear transverse island bed and en-suit washroom. 
Casita 462 – A two berth with big let down lounge, side bathroom and end kitchen. Both lightweight and easily towed. 
Casita 860 – A huge fixed transverse island bed with huge front lounge in this 8ft wide palace
Capiro 462 – A two berth with big let down lounge, side bathroom and end kitchen. Both lightweight and easily towed. 
Capiro 574 – Fixed twin beds at the back big lounge at the front and en-suite bathroom seperating the two
Camino 674 – Twin axle layout, twin bedroom at the rear with a central bathroom, with an en-suite or family bathroom.