A video sneak peak into an Elddis retailer preview

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by Ed Davies

With Elddis’s new Camino launch hyped as the new caravan with the “whoa factor” we take you behind the scenes at an Elddis preview event to see what it is all about

Following the considerable changes to the lineup this year Elddis is keen to showcase their new models.

There will be 56 vehicles on show, 42 caravans and 14 motorhomes and is the culmination of years of preparation.

There is considerable excitement at the new layouts and changes to the lineup with a clear favourite being the developments in the Compass Camino range.

Seen as the ‘stand-out’ vehicle across all the new models but others such as Affinity received attention for its furnishing and colour touches.

As can be seen in the video a great deal of effort clearly goes into arranging the preview, with a sizeable team on hand to get it all ready.

Elite Caravans becomes official Lunar sales dealership

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by Ed Davies

Northampton-based Elite Caravans has been announced as an official dealership for the award-winning caravan collections from Lunar, Venus and Alaria

Elite Caravans is an independent, family owned and run business conveniently located in Blisworth, Northamptonshire just off the A43.

The company has been established for over 60 years and the friendly and knowledgeable team boasts over 65 years of expertise in caravans and caravanning.

The Lunar, Venus and Alaria collections will be on display at the dealership, which is NCC Approved for sales as well as its comprehensive workshop.

Other services on offer include caravan storage and a well-stocked accessories shop and valet service.

Gary Glenn, manager of Elite Caravans, said: “The Lunar and Venus ranges are the perfect addition to our offering here and we are excited to welcome the new premium Alaria range as we are seeing a huge rise in the demand for luxury in modern touring caravans.

“We have been impressed with the build quality and the huge specification offered by Lunar across all of its brands.

“The choice of versatile layouts will also appeal to a wide spectrum of customers with varying budgets and needs, whether it’s a perfect getaway for two or escape for all the family.”

Automated motorhomes now the future?

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by Ed Davies

Are companies unwittingly seeking to deprive us of what is so great about driving or holidays in general by looking for ever more ways to automate our vehicles?
For myself, although long drives are, of course, sometimes a chore there is something unique about setting off on the journey finding the way and possibly occasionally getting lost.
The anger and confusion that this causes is almost part of a ritual that I am sure an automated bot would do away with were the invention to come to fruition.
Therefore, hearing the news that three companies have recently received approval from the local government in Ontario, Canada to start autonomous driving tests, one of them being motorhome manufacturer Erwin Hymer Group, gave me pause for thought.
The director of engineering for the company, Joel Adams, said: “The age of the driver is over. The age of the passenger is beginning.”
GOD NO! For me the only thing worse than driving such long distances is the infernal wait in the back seat not able to read for fear of being sick.
In terms of the the new tech, each vehicle being tested will be connected to the internet and use visual sensors, radar and sonar to scan the surrounding area.
This will enable the vehicle to deal with various types of road conditions, other traffic and people.
They will also be able to communicate with other driverless vehicles and ensure safe distances are maintained from other vehicles.
The three companies who have received approval are the University of Waterloo, BlackBerry QNX and The Erwin Hymer Group, which will be using a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Van.
This is the base vehicle for a number of its HymerCar panel van conversions.

Somerset couple’s park scoops gold

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by Ed Davies

Autumn turned into a truly golden season for the family owners of an Exmoor holiday park after it scooped a top accolade in the 2016 Bristol, Bath and Somerset Tourism Awards

Waterrow Touring Park in Wiveliscombe received the gold award in the camping and caravanning category of the competition in which hundreds of other contenders took part.

Stepping up to receive the winning trophy at Bristol’s Cadbury Hilton hotel in October were Lynette and Jamie Cook who, along with Jamie’s parents, own Waterrow.

The husband-and-wife team quit their successful careers in IT and customer services four years ago to take on the tranquil picture-postcard park on the fringes of Exmoor.

“One of the things we most value as caravanners is a welcoming and friendly atmosphere on the parks we visit, and that is what we have tried to create here at Waterrow,” Mrs Cook.

“I know the awards placed a big emphasis on the quality of hospitality and customer care provided, so we are particularly pleased that this came across.

“It is wonderful to be able to live and work in such a beautiful part of Somerset, and to know that our efforts are enjoyed by both guests and judges.”

Not that the park is any stranger to accolades for its other honours include a maximum five-star VisitEngland grade, and a top five pennants award from the AA.

Waterrow Touring Park has also been named as a finalist in the South West Tourism Excellence Awards in the camping and caravanning park of the year category.

Work begins on £200,000 touring caravan park

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by Ed Davies

Work has begun on a new caravan holiday home park on the edge of the historic market town of Ludlow, which is renowned as the food capital of England

Morris Leisure is investing £200,000 in developing the new park for 36 caravan holiday homes alongside its successful Ludlow Touring Park,

The park has 135 pitches on a 20-acre site alongside the River Teme and A49 near Richards Castle, just a short bus ride from the town.

“We are delighted to report that our bookings at Ludlow Touring Park are increasing every year, mostly through personal recommendations and repeat business,” said Edward Goddard, Morris Leisure’s managing director.

“We have many regular customers who return and bring friends with them.

“It’s great to be able to develop a caravan holiday home park alongside the touring park and we now feel the time is right to press ahead with the work to bring even more sustainable tourism to Ludlow, which is a very popular destination.

The first phase of work is expected to be completed next spring and will 20 see pitches created.

The touring park, a prestigious affiliated site of The Caravan Club, opened in May 2012 and is estimated to generate around £2 million a year for the local economy.

It is one of six parks in Shropshire and North Wales owned by Morris Leisure based in Shrewsbury.

“We believe the new park is going to further enhance the local tourism offer and generate extra income for Ludlow and the surrounding area, which has got to be good news for the local economy,” he added.

“People who love visiting the area will have an opportunity to own a holiday home in Ludlow and we hope many of the touring caravan and motorhome owners who regularly stay on our park will be encouraged to invest.

“We are immensely grateful for the tremendous support that we have received from customers, councillors and the local community since we opened the touring park and hope the holiday home park will be equally successful.

“Ludlow is such a fantastic place to visit with its castle, top restaurants, food shops and major events, which attract thousands of visitors.

“It is also an ideal base from which to explore the many wonders of the Welsh Marches.”

Double award win for Argyll Holidays

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by Ed Davies

It was a lucky weekend for Argyll Holidays, who scooped not one but two awards at separate ceremonies

The holiday park provider beat stiff competition at the Visit Scotland Thistle Awards and the Scottish Outdoor Leisure Awards, adding to their growing collection of accolades.

First up, Ross Coutts was named ‘Rising Star’ at the Visit Scotland Thistle Awards.

The 27-year-old digital marketing assistant from Lochgoilhead picked up the award on November 25, at the ceremony held in the stunning Grand Central Hotel in Glasgow.

A prestigious award ceremony which recognises and celebrates excellence in Scottish tourism, the Rising Star is given to a passionate and talented individual who shows real promise in the industry.

Winning the West region heat, Ross will now go on to compete in the national finals in March 2017.

On Sunday evening (27 November) Argyll Holidays picked up its second award of the week at the Scottish Outdoor Leisure Awards. Held in the Glasgow Marriott Hotel, the evening celebrated the very best outdoor leisure and trade businesses, as voted for by their customers.

Drimsynie Estate Holiday Park was named ‘Best Family Holiday Park’, with Hunters Quay and Loch Lomond holiday parks just narrowly missing out.

Lisa Allan-Downie, head of marketing at Argyll Holidays, said: “Tourism in Scotland is teeming with a host of fantastic businesses and organisations so to even be nominated for multiple awards in this competitive climate is a real honour.

“At Argyll Holidays we continually strive to make sure our guests have a fantastic time while visiting, and to be recognised for our efforts – against such stiff competition – is a real coup for the business and tourism in the area.

“We are delighted with our win at the Scottish Outdoor Leisure Awards and so proud of Ross’s achievement – we’ll be rooting for him at the grand final next year!”

Argyll Holidays is a family run company which will celebrate its 50th anniversary next year. From humble beginnings of just a few caravans, to a spectacular mix of hotels and luxury hot tub lodges, there are now parks across Argyll, including: Drimsynie Estate, Loch Lomond, Hunters Quay, Loch Awe, Loch Eck and Stratheck.

Take a look at the Caravelair Antares 455

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Voted the best caravan under £17,000 at the Caravan Design Awards, the Caravelair Antares 455, is certainly a well-thought out clever camper

It is spacious, has a large fixed French bed at the back and the living room can easily be folded out to make another double bed in the front.

Also tagged onto the back is the roomy lavatory, while the well-decked kitchen has been put in the centre.

The four-berth single-axle comes in at 6.4 metres long, has an unladen weight of 1000kg, with a lay-out set to appeal to UK tastes.

It is a robust caravan and has been given a new plastic front and polyester roof and side plates.

There is a five-year body integrity warranty and another five-year warranty for body shell water ingress.

The 455 offers a high level of equipment including a modernised stabiliser, shock absorbers, water heater, large service hatch, comfort mattresses and waste water tank.

In all, it is a well-designed perfect camper for families with one or two kids looking to take them on a little caravan adventure.

Video analysing the Caravelair Antares 450

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Ideal for small families, the Caravelair Antares 450 is a compact but perfectly formed touring vehicle

It is practical and sleeps three, with two twin beds at the front which can be combined into a larger king-size bed.

In the middle there is a well equipped kitchen and at the rear is a spacious dinette which also converts into a bed.

It has a fully equipped bathroom in the centre, alloy wheels, exterior locker access and more efficient stabilisers for safer towing.

To find out more have a look at the video.

Holgates scoops four green gold awards

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by Ed Davies

Staff at South Cumbria holiday parks group are celebrating after winning four top environmental awards from TV botanist David Bellamy – and a chain of honours for their first-class loos

Four parks in membership of the Holgates group, including its flagship Silverdale holiday park, have received the prestigious David Bellamy Conservation Award at its top gold level.

Each park was subjected to an independent wildlife audit commissioned by Professor Bellamy, and judged to be making exceptional achievements in helping to safeguard the natural world.

Announcing the award this autumn, David Bellamy described Holgates as “fantastic flag-wavers for the causes of green tourism where nature is given the same VIP treatment as guests”.

As well as Silverdale park near Arnside, golds were also given to neighbouring Hollins Farm park, Silver Ridge park near Milnthorpe, and Bay View park near Carnforth.

Across all the parks, said David Bellamy, a raft of imaginative initiatives demonstrated that the company was a true friend of the countryside and a champion of conservation.

Among the measures he praised was the planting of thousands of native trees and shrubs on the parks to provide valuable habitats and food and breeding resources for wildlife.

He highlighted too the creation of many wildflower areas where high nectar-bearing blooms attract honey bees and a wide range of common and less familiar butterflies.

Holgates, noted David Bellamy, worked closely with a wide range of bodies such as the RSPB and local red squirrel protection groups to make its parks havens for many protected species.

Traditional countryside practises such as hedge laying coppicing and dry stone walling – carried out by local craftspeople – also helped maintain the parks’ wildlife-friendly characters.

Other measures included the harvesting of rainwater for irrigation, shielded illumination so that guests can enjoy the night sky, and the siting of many bat, owl and bird boxes.

Holgates also adopt many different energy conservation steps to minimise the parks’ carbon footprint, including a super-efficient woodchip boiler for heating Silverdale’s swimming pool.

Professor Bellamy also praised the close links the parks enjoys with local schools and other community bodies, and the emphasis put on locally sourced food in its shops and restaurants.

Michael Holgate, whose family business is this year marking its 60th anniversary, said that safeguarding the natural world has long been an important facet of the group’s activities:

“Our conservation work is very much a team effort, and we encourage all our staff to contribute new ideas on how to protect the amazing flora and fauna of our parks.

“This results in a constant stream of fresh initiatives, and of course also makes the parks even more attractive to holiday guests by encouraging them to make new wildlife discoveries.

“We’re delighted with these four awards, and it’s given us a real boost to know that we have the support of someone like David Bellamy behind us,” said Michael.

But that wasn’t the end of Holgates’ accolades this autumn, for news also came through that Silverdale had won a top platinum prize in the 2016 Loo of the Year awards.

It was made after the park’s shower and toilet facilities were mystery shopped by inspectors – confirming, said Michel, that Silverdale was indeed the best pace to “go” in Cumbria.

Cornish holiday park raises thousands for child Hospice

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by Ed Davies

Beach-front holiday park Pentewan Sands has raised £2,604.65 for Children’s Hospice South West

The five star family holiday park on the south coast of Cornwall named CHSW as their 2016 charity of the year, and have since run a number of fundraising events including weekly raffles, bingo sales and various other fun activities on the site.
Pentewan Sands rounded off the year with its annual end of season fireworks display, which helped raise £1,750 on the night, thanks to donations from those who attended.
Graham Brown, general manager at Pentewan Sands, said: “It is wonderful to see customers and guests support Children’s Hospice South West during the various events and fundraisers we have put on over the year.
“As a family resort, we are delighted with the total amount raised for this very important organisation.”
Children’s Hospice South West helps and supports children who are not expected to live into adulthood due to life limiting or life threatening illnesses.
The charity has grown to have three children’s hospices in the region, in Devon, Cornwall and Somerset with Little Harbour children’s hospice being just a few miles from Pentewan Sands
Bernadette Chambers, corporate partnerships fundraiser for Children’s Hospice South West, said: “We have been overwhelmed by the generosity of Pentewan Sands and their guests throughout the year.
“It was fantastic to be named as charity of the year especially as we have been celebrating our 25th Anniversary throughout 2016.
“On behalf of all of the children and families that we support I would like to thank everyone who has made a donation.”
Pentewan Sands is also celebrating been awarded Silver for best Holiday Park in Cornwall at the county’s annual tourism awards, being recognised for the great facilities and service that is available at the Holiday Park.
The campsite which sits just a stone’s throw away from the beach has over 400 Camping and Touring Pitches, 120 Holiday Homes and a range of excellent family facilities.

Bailey joins forces with Peugeot UK for Children in Need

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by Ed Davies

Bailey of Bristol has once again joined forces with Peugeot UK to support The One Show Rickshaw Challenge 2016 in aid of the BBC’s Children in Need Appeal

As in previous years Bailey supplied a fully equipped motorhome, in this case an Approach Autograph 765, as a support vehicle providing on-the-road living space for the team during their eight-day challenge.

It was part of a seven vehicle convoy specially provided by Peugeot UK for the eight-day 470 mile challenge.

Setting off on November 11 from Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders, the team worked their way down the East Coast of England stopping at Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, Hartlepool, Scarborough, Hull, Skegness, Kings Lynn and Duxford on the way, before crossing the finishing line at the BBC Studios in London.
The rickshaw was pedalled by six young riders, all of whom have been supported by BBC Children in Need funded projects.
The One Show presenter Matt Baker was also on hand throughout the challenge, cycling alongside the team to offer advice from his own rickshaw experiences, whilst Alex Jones followed them every step of the way, cheering on the team, live from studio each day.
The team hopes their efforts will not only help them raise money, but also awareness of the real difference being made to disadvantaged children and young people’s lives across the UK thanks to the Charity.

Devon park lands top business women title

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by Ed Davies

Popular East Devon holiday park Ladram Bay has been crowned “company of the year” in a major award scheme celebrating successful women in business

The park was named as overall company winner in the 2016 Devon Venus Awards at a glittering ceremony held on November 18 at the Great Hall at the University of Exeter.

Stepping up to receive the accolade were director and member of the park-owning family member Zoe House, and Ladram Bay’s general manager Claire Williams.

Described by Channel Four as “the working women’s Oscars”, the Venus Awards recognises, rewards and champions local working women in business.

Competition was fierce this year with almost 2000 nominations and applications received in one or more of the different categories of the awards.

“We knew we were up against some stiff competition, and to reach the finals underwent a rigorous judging process which looked at all aspects of our business,” said Ms House.

“We have always believed in providing equal career opportunities for both women and men, and in helping employees achieve their goals with support and training.

“This award is for everyone who works at the park, and we would like to thank all those who have supported us along the way.”

Runners up in the Company of the Year category in Devon were agricultural suppliers Mole Valley Farmers of South Molton, and business clothing supplier PenCarrie of Willand.