Bailey of Bristol opens doors to members

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by Ed Davies

Caravan manufacturers Bailey of Bristol has opened its doors again to the Bailey Owners’ Club (BOC) for their biennial Works Rally

More than 150 outfits from all over the UK, including a record number of motorhomes, took part in this year’s event held at Dyrham Park near Bath.

The main attraction of the event for members is the opportunity to visit the company’s South Liberty Lane manufacturing facility where they received a guided tour of the premises by the Bailey production team.

There they witnessed first-hand the assembly process from start to finish, giving them a greater understanding of how their caravan or motorhome was produced using the Bailey patented Alu-Tech construction system.

“We always enjoy hosting the BOC on their Works Rally weekend,” said managing director Nick Howard.

“It is great for our staff to meet people who are genuinely interested in what they do and who really enjoy using the leisure vehicles they produce.

“We were particularly encouraged by the positive feedback we received on the changes we have made to plant as a result of the Aurora programme since their last visit two years ago.

“It has been a period of great change for the company and it reassuring to know that our most loyal group of customers are appreciative of our efforts to take ourselves forward as a business.”

Club members got a glimpse into the future when they were shown round the brand new £2.3 million replenishment centre, the first phase of Bailey’s extensive 5-Year site re-development programme.

As part of the weekend itinerary members also got their first chance to visit the new Bailey parts direct centre located to the north of Bristol near the M4 / M5 motorway interchange.

Close look at Benimar Mileo 313

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by Ed Davies

The Benimar Mileo 313 is one of three family vans produced by the Spanish manufacturers and it certainly packs a lot in to its six metre long frame

The five berth motorhome can take a maximum of six people and would be great for families with two to four children.

Stuffed with all the mod-cons, the 313 includes a proper cooker, an oven/grill combo, microwave, a sink with drainer and a large fridge freezer.

Marquis Leisure have put in a 150 bhp engine, an external gas point, with fixing points for a bike rack.

The table, which can be converted into an extra bed, also extends across the other side of the vehicle in a nice touch to the family vehicle.

Throughout the van there is plenty of natural light with a large window in the lounge area and roof lights.

A couple of nice touches include a DAB radio and an awful lot of storage space such as a wardrobe, storage units under the bunk beds and sites above the kitchen area with restraining racks to keep everything in place.

The Benimar Mileo 313 is now on offer for £44,995.

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Most popular motorhomes and caravans for first time buyers revealed

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by Ed Davies

According to a poll, Bailey caravans and Auto-sleeper motorhomes are the most popular vehicles for first time buyers

Insurance specialists, Caravan Guard, asked both new and old buyers to select the manufacturers they had bought their first caravans or motorhomes from.

Auto-sleepers came out on top for motorhomes, with 10 per cent of the vote whereas Bailey models were preferred by 13% of caravan buyers.

For motorhomes Auto-sleepers were closely followed by Volkswagen and Elddis, who notched up eight per cent of the votes.

The figures also showed that many owners had picked up their first caravan during the 70s and 80s.

Keen caravanner Ian Sherwood, whose first caravan was an Ace Diplomat, which he bought from new in 1977.

“This was a two-berth caravan with only a gas mantle above the front window for light,” he said.

“The Diplomat was 11 feet long but had a toilet compartment in which we used a Porta Potti 33.

“We could not afford the 13 feet long Ace Rallyman but we were proud of our little Diplomat which we towed behind a Ford Capri 1600.

“The wardrobe overhung the double bed and lost count of how many times I banged my head on it.”

Other big name manufacturers, such as Swift and Elddis were also very popular for both motorhome and caravan enthusiasts.

However, there were votes for some caravan makes that are now no longer being manufactured, like Abbey, Avondale, Lynton, Thomson and Robin.

Caravan dealer Golden Castle celebrate 40th anniversary with premises move

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by Ed Davies

Established in 1977 by Richard Dee and his father-in-law Bert Miles, Golden Castle started out on a small trading site at Stratford Bridge, near Tewkesbury

The dealers then moved to Cheltenham Road East near Staverton Airport, where it has been based for over 30 years.

Now in new premises, the dealership boasts floor space of 50,000 sq ft, which allows them to display their touring caravans, both outside and inside, with two modern showrooms.

The new dealership also includes a well-stocked accessories shop with awning display area.

Current managing director Craig Dee, had recognised an opportunity to expand its workshop and servicing offering as well as increasing the number of caravan models and accessories on display.

Mr Dee said: “This is the perfect start to our 40th anniversary celebrations and to the launch of the new 2017 caravanning season.

“We have got more space than ever before to offer the most comprehensive range of products from the leading manufacturers and brands.

“We’re the largest caravan retailer in the region and should be the first port of call for anyone considering getting into caravanning, changing their tourer or stocking up on essential equipment. They will not be disappointed.”

As part of the redevelopment work, the Golden Castle NCC approved caravan service centre has also been expanded to offer more service bays in the workshops, all of which have been fully approved by the National Caravan Council, The Caravan Club and The Camping and Caravanning Club.

Caravan manufacturer invests £8 million in new facility

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by Ed Davies

Caravan manufacturer Swift Group is developing a new £8 million purpose built modern facility at its headquarters in Cottingham, Yorkshire

The new facility will take an estimated nine months to build and from the summer of 2017 will house production of all the company’s holiday homes and lodges.

The opportunity to build a whole new production facility from scratch is virtually unheard of within the industry.

Swift plan to create a state of the art facility that will “set new standards in the manufacturing of holiday homes and lodges”.

“This is a most exciting time for Swift Group,” said managing director James Turner.

“We are starting to see significant benefits from our manufacturing investments over the last few years and have high expectations for the opportunities this new facility will provide.

“It is fantastic news for the local area, especially with two local companies securing the project management and construction work.”

Swift Group has engaged two local firms, Alan Wood Partnership and Houlton, to project manage and construct the facility.

The £8m outlay follows on from other major investments in capital equipment over the past four years as Swift Group introduced its SMART innovative construction systems in touring caravans and motorhomes.

The most recent development will be commissioned in the coming weeks and fully operational after the summer.

LEGO Caravan returning for Motorhome & Caravan Show 2016

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by Ed Davies

The world’s largest lego caravan is making a return to the Motorhome and Caravan Show 2016 after it was unveiled there last year

The LEGO brick caravan was certified the world’s largest by an official Guinness World Records adjudicator with celebrities Carl ‘Foggy’ Fogarty and Matt Baker laying the final bricks.

Built by a team of 12 certified, professional LEGO builders the two meter long caravan took 1,000 man hours to construct and features a full interior, with electric lights, fridge – just like the real thing.

The 2015 record breaker has enjoyed its place at top spot for the last two years as the biggest caravan ever made from the plastic bricks, with 215,158 used in total.

It can be seen up close at the The Motorhome & Caravan Show at The Birmingham NEC between 11-16 October.

CEO of the National Caravan Council, John Lally, said: “The caravan is an amazing tribute to the motorhome and caravanning industry. We’re delighted that it’s retained its Guinness World Record this year and will come to the Motorhome & Caravan Show 2016.

“The level of detail is incredible and we hope that it continues to help inspire young people to get involved and enjoy our industry.”

The LEGO caravan will join almost 400 exhibitors at the popular show, with nearly every leisure vehicle under one roof, along with holiday idea, accessories and much more.

The show is the biggest leisure vehicle launch event of the year and the only show where all the new-for-2017 motorhome, caravan models and accessories are revealed.

Along with all the latest product news, the show will also be attended by several well-known celebrity faces keen to share their love of the great outdoors.

Swift reinvents best-selling coachbuilt motorhome

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by Ed Davies

Swift Group’s Escape range, their best-selling coachbuilt motorhome, has been completely redesigned for 2017

The newly designed range will boast a streamlined low profile bodyshell built using Swift Group’s enhanced SMART Plus construction.

It will also have a fully revised interior and model line-up, which Swift claim will completely “redefine the entry-level coachbuilt sector”.

The new Escape has been cast in the mould of some of Swift’s more premium motorhome ranges and will cost between £40,000 and £45,000 depending on the model.

Nick Page, Swift Group’s commercial director, said: “The stylish exterior, great standard specification and amazing value already meant that the Escape range was our best selling motorhome range, widely chosen by those looking for their first new motorhome.

“The new make-over takes this winning formula to an unbeatable level and is even a serious rival to more expensive ranges.”

All models will have a new GRP overcab pod, white extruded skirts linking to a new full GRP rear panel with exclusive LED rear light clusters.

Swift upgraded the SMART construction system to SMART Plus in 2016 by adding a new sandwich floor construction with a GRP outer skin.
SMART Plus has been further enhanced for 2017 with new balanced panel side walls having both GRP outer and inner skins to create a full GRP bodyshell.

Check out the new Benimar Mileo 231

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by Ed Davies

The CaravanTimes team has been down to check out the new Benimar Mileo 231 analysing its key features and design

The layout of the 231 consists of a fixed rear bed with corner bathroom, centre kitchen and front lounge.

The standard spec on the 231 includes dual fuel blown air heating and water heater, blinds and flyscreens, heki rooflight, fridge, separate freezer and three burner hob.

The six meter long four berth camper also has a grill/oven, swivel cab seats and loose fitting carpets.

There is a fixed French bed and a good lounge making the 231 perfect for two people but also has seating for two others.

It has an unladen weight of 2,940 Kg and a max weight of 3,500 Kg and includes all the equipment you could want in a classic touring vehicle.

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New £1.5million caravan park development announced

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by Ed Davies

A new £1.5 million development has been announced for a caravan park in Ingoldmells, near Skegness in Lincolnshire

The land is to be developed by Blue Anchor Leisure and would be the seventeenth park across the coastal strip.

The new development will boast a large family bar and restaurant offering a variety of food and drink, live entertainment and showing live sports.

It will also contain a large indoor children’s soft play area, with a substantial south facing decked area complete with seating and a large outdoor children’s playground.

A spokesman said: “This new facility will be a fantastic centre piece on a wonderful park.

“As a family run business we understand the need to create jobs in our local area so the surrounding villages have prosperous communities to live in.

Developments such as this fuels local employment not just in the bars and hospitality sector but also the construction industry.”

Caravan nostalgia: Do you have any old pictures of your favourite caravans?

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by Ed Davies

We here at CaravanTimes are thinking of introducing a new feature called Caravan Nostalgia

We would like our readers, you guys, to send in as many pictures you might want to share with us and to possibly give us a call about your old caravans and tell us your memories.

As the new editor my email address is edward.davies@stantonpace.com but you can call us on 020 7167 2663 and ask for Eddie.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Campers turning to motorhomes for comfort

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by Ed Davies

Campervans and motorhomes are back in fashion according to experts, with young campers increasingly drawn to new trends in the industry

Britain’s caravan industry has recently seen a boom in its sales and its popularity is particularly prominent among people in their 20s and 30s.

Advisor to the Forestry Commission Scotland, Kevin Lafferty, believes modern campers are looking for a more comfortable way of enjoying the outdoors and are turning to motorhomes to provide them what they want.

The new trend has been highlighted in documentaries such as Carry On Caravanning, which shows the increase in the younger generation taking up camping.

“There has been a significant increase in the number of motorhomes and requests for provision for them, not just for us but other land managers, that is an emerging market,” Mr Lafferty told the Sunday Post.

“Customers now have a higher level of expectation of the type of services which would be provided so they may look elsewhere.

“How people use the outdoors and stay overnight is changing and some of the emerging site managers and providers are providing different opportunities now.

“We work closely with other land managers and we have seen in areas like Loch Ness that there are a lot more motorhomes than there were five or ten years ago.”

It was recently reported in CaravanTimes that there had been an increase of 16 per cent in motorhome sales in the UK for the year up to June 2016.

More families are now turning to camping in part due to the increase in trends such as glamping.

However, figures show there is a real growing market in campervans and motorhomes. This is largely due to the sharp rise in holiday prices after Brexit, with more people opting to stay in the UK.

“The sites are more geared up in terms of power being available and other facilities so that they can get rid of waste,” Lafferty added.

“That is meeting a demand and they see it as a business opportunity as well.”

Swift continue 2017 renovation with interior revamps

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by Ed Davies

Swift is continuing the revamp of several of its models for the 2017 season, with the renovation of the Swift Conqueror and Sterling Elite

Introducing a completely new interior across the ranges, both will be kitted out to have soft furnishing schemes and select enhancements.

Although, no pictures are available yet, the Swift Conqueror models will have new ‘Graceland’ furniture and include soft, tactile suede like seating and backrest cushions in a muted mink colourway.

Curtains have been given an aubergine geometric design and scatter cushions to add colour to the new motif.

All complementing the ashen brown hue of the wood grain and the upper locker doors, which have a gloss finish and an oakish lower inlay.

The Sterling Elite models have modern hessian effect furniture and matt white locker doors.

The new scheme will have two different textured beige fabrics used to make up the seating and backrest cushions.

Both ranges have the option of SwiftShield fabric, have a soft suede type feel, were treated during manufacturing to resist stains and clean simply using water and a damp cloth.

The ranges benefit from the cast foam bedding that gives greater durability and superior comfort.

Fixed beds retain the Duvalay Duvalite mattress, exclusive as standard equipment to the Swift Group.