Scottish caravan hermit stars in award-winning documentary

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by Arash Hekmat

If you find life so much more appealing when you can park up your caravan in the middle of a field and breathe in the tranquility of nature, then this story’s for you.

For that is exactly the situation that Jake Williams found himself in, after he became so disillusioned with his nine to five job that he decided to pack it in and move relocate to the middle of a forest.

According to the Scottish Sun, the 62-year-old completely cut himself off from society, living in a tiny cottage with only two cats for company.

While he set up a greenhouse in the back of an old car, the divorced father, who enjoys the solitary life, also managed to park his caravan in the branches of a tree to create a perfect snoozing spot.

He told the newspaper: “It’s perfectly conventional to me – nothing startling at all. As far as I’m concerned I’m just a normal homeowner. It’s everyone else’s lives that are strange.”

Whether or not that’s the case, it is a life that is so interesting to the outside world it’s been documented for a feature film, called Two Years At Sea.

Released in May, the 88-minute black and white movie has earned rave reviews. The Independent called it “quietly extraordinary” in a five-star review, while the Guardian described it as “strange and intriguing” and gave it four out of five..

What’s more, the artsy film also received plenty of acclaim at the 2011 Venice Film Festival, winning its director Ben Rivers the International Critics Prize.

To see what all the fuss is about, watch the official trailer for Two Years At Sea below.

Cannabis haul seized from caravan in Nottingham

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by Arash Hekmat

A haul of cannabis worth £16,000 has been seized by police officers during a search of a caravan in Nottingham.

According to the Nottingham Post, officers found 32 cannabis plants when searching the tourer at Danes Hill in Lound, near Retford.

Despite the impressive haul, no one was occupying the caravan at the time so an arrest has not yet been made.

However, samples have been sent to the lab for testing, with the plants being destroyed.

PC Nathan Thomas explained to the newspaper that the next step for the police force is to identify who was responsible for cultivating the plants, so that “appropriate action” can be taken against them.

He told the news provider: “This discovery will have caused significant disruption to those who planned to profit from this particular cannabis grow.

“It should also send out a clear message that we will act positively if we have any reason to suspect that drugs are being produced or sold in Nottinghamshire.”

While we all enjoy holidaying in our caravans, this is not the first time that some people have used their tourers for altogether more illegal purposes.

It was only in February that Scottish police seized heroin and cannabis worth £60,000 from a caravan park in Moray.

Fifth Wheel Co planning open day at Welsh caravan factory

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by Arash Hekmat

A Welsh caravan maker has announced that it will be holding a special Expo Day at its head office on July 28th.

The Saturday event at manufacturer Fifth Wheel Company’s Vale of Clwyd headquarters in Denbighshire will be open to all caravan enthusiasts and anyone interested in learning about the company’s various tourers.

The itinerary will include a chance to drive a Fifth Wheel tourer on various roads in the North Wales countryside, including dual carriageways and country roads.

There will also be a tour around the firm’s showroom, which displays its Dream Seeker and Celtic Rambler models, and a barbeque party offering delicious local produce.

Adrian Parry-Jones, sales director at Fifth Wheel Company, said that its annual expos are always great events.

“This is our tenth anniversary so it promises to be bigger and better than ever before,” he said. “We have planned lots of activities to appeal to caravan and motorhome fans alike.

“We have over 100 people coming including existing customers and general enthusiasts who simply want to find out more.”

COMPETITION: Win a free caravan cool box in this month’s prize draw

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UPDATE: Thanks for all your entries, this competition is now closed

by Chris Jefferies
One of the big challenges of a summer caravan holiday is how to keep all your drinks cool without completely filling up the fridge.
Low-tech solutions include getting a bucket full of ice and putting it in the awning, but the winners of our latest competition will have a much cooler option.
This month, CaravanTimes has teamed up with Towergate Insurance to offer you the chance to win a 240V electric cool box.
Made by Dometic Waeco, these 32-litre mini refrigerators have more than enough space to keep your drinks cool, and the electrical supply ensures cooling power of 20C below ambient.
What’s more, the option of hooking up to 12V electrics means you can plug it into the boot of your car to keep things cold while towing.
We have two of these nifty gadgets to give away, worth £65 each – all you have to do is fill in the form below. Make sure to include a valid e-mail address, otherwise we can’t contact you to tell you if you’ve won or not.
The competition deadline is midday on Friday 27th July, best of luck to everyone who enters and happy caravanning!

UPDATE: Thanks for all your entries, this competition is now closed

Competition rules:
The lucky three winners will be picked at random on the 27th July 2012 and the winner will be notified via the email supplied in the entry form
The value of the cool box will be £65
Only one entry per person
No purchase necessary
No cash or alternative will be offered
The competition is open to UK residents aged 18 and over

Lake District caravan park offers free pitches for rainy holidays

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by Arash Hekmat

A caravan park in Cumbria is planning to offer its guests a “rain cheque” if their holiday plans are ruined by the miserable weather this month.

Skelwith Fold Caravan Park wants to make sure that families aren’t put off a stay by all the rain, so anyone booking will receive a free night’s stay for every day of their holiday that rainfall exceeds the monthly average.

Henry Wild, director of the park, said that although the offer could end up costing his business thousands of pounds, he hopes that it will pay off by convincing holidaymakers not to head to the south in search of a bit more sun.

He explained that the park will carefully monitor rainfall levels with a scientific collector situated on the roof of the reception building – if its wetter this month than it was last year, then the free stays will “kick in”.

Mr Wild added: “The level will be set at two millimeters of rain in a 24-hour period which is actually a little below what the Met Office recorded in Cumbria on an average July day last year.

“Once that water mark is reached, everyone on the park will be offered a free night’s stay which can be taken anytime this year.”

Northern Motorcaravan Show coming to Cheshire Showground

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by Arash Hekmat

The Northern Motorcaravan Show will be bringing caravan lovers from across the north-west together in Cheshire this weekend, for what is the region’s fastest growing outdoor motorhome show.

Taking place at Cheshire Showground in Knutsford from July 13th to 15th, the event will attract more than 190 exhibitors, with visitors able to peruse countless motorhomes in search of that perfect model, whether it’s a new or pre-owned vehicle you’re after.

The show will offer a comprehensive selection of models from Britain, Europe and the US, with thousands of accessories also to be showcased – ranging from cooking equipment and holiday essentials to satellite navigation systems and solar panels.

It promises to be ideal for both motorhoming virgins and seasoned tourers, and there will even be an opportunity to camp out over the four-day event if you fancy making a holiday of it.

You’ll be able to pick up a bargain from several dealers including Spinney Motorhomes, Glossop Caravans, SMC Motorhomes, Motor Plus Derby, Timberland Motorhomes and Cleveland Motorhomes, among many others.

New layouts and features announced for 2013 Adria Caravans range

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by Chris Jefferies
The first of the 2013 season of new caravans has begun to emerge, with Adria Caravans announcing a significant update to their Altea, Adora and Astella ranges.
Announced this week, the Slovenian-based manufacturer has introduced two new layouts – the Adria Altea 532 UP (Trent) and the Adria Adora 643 UT (Thames).
As you might have guessed, the new models are all now named after major rivers, ranging from the lightweight Altea 390 DS (Shannon) to the range-topping Astella 613 KB (Rio Grande).
Key kit upgrades for 2013 include a new Truma heating system, soft-close drawers, redesigned soft furnishings, and a stylish new black refrigerator in the entry-level Adria Altea range.
Weights are unchanged across the board and prices are yet to be confirmed, but the company has confirmed that the first models will go into production in October.
Appealing Alteas
The most eye-catching changes have been made in the Altea range, with Adria clearly aiming for the more affordable end of the market with their 2013 collection.
For added safety, the 2013 Alteas will come with AKS stabilisers as a paid-for optional extra, while the new 532 UP layout promises to be very popular indeed, due to its spacious island-bed configuration (see right).

Click here to continue reading 

VIDEO: Why do C&CC members love to go camping?

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by Chris Jefferies
Camping and caravanning mean different things to different people; with some valuing the peace of the great outdoors, and others looking to introduce their children to nature.
In this video, the CaravanTimes team heads to The Camping and Caravanning Club’s Sandringham site to meet some of the eager campers who turned out for National Camping and Caravanning Week.
We find out what people make of camping on a Royal Estate, how often they manage to get away with their caravans, and we ask what the best thing about caravanning is.
With the summer weather turning out to be worse than many had hoped, we hope this video serves as a timely reminder of how enjoyable and relaxing camping holidays can be – enjoy!

Overturned caravan causes delays in the West Midlands

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by Arash Hekmat

An overturned caravan caused delays on a busy road between Telford and Shrewsbury at the end of last week.

Commuter traffic quickly lead to tailbacks behind the tourer, which had flipped over while being towed by a saloon car on the A5.

According to the Shropshire star, the incident occurred on the westbound carriage of the busy road, close to Junction 7 of the M54 at approximately 4pm on Thursday (July 5th), leading to delays of up to 20 minutes.

One lane needed to be partially closed by the police as firefighters cleared the caravan to the side of the road. By 6.30pm, both lanes were reopened and traffic had cleared.

Drivers are advised by the Highways Agency to take extra care when they are towing a caravan or a trailer, a message that is echoed by local police forces and the Caravan Club.

In the first half of last year, there were more than 500 caravan incidents on motorways in the West Midlands alone, with stats from the Highways Agency showing that burst caravan tyres, breakdowns and collisions with other vehicles are the most common incidents involving tourers.

Willerby Caravans set to lose 28% of its staff

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by Arash Hekmat

It appears the economic gloom continues to swirl around many of the UK’s companies, with a Hull-based caravan maker the latest to be forced into making job cuts.

Willerby Holiday Homes has announced it is to cut 193 from its workforce of nearly 700.

The reduction in its workforce comes shortly after the introduction of the highly controversial five per cent VAT ‘caravan tax’.

Originally, the Government had wanted to add 20 per cent VAT, but was forced to reduce this figure to five per cent in the face of strong opposition from the industry.

The National Caravan Council warned that such a move would lead to as many as 7,000 jobs being lost, but the latest news suggests caravan makers continue to struggle with the five per cent tax.

With so much of the caravan industry centred on Hull and East Yorkshire, fears are being raised about what further job cuts in the industry could mean for the north-east.

In its statement, Willerby admitted that the number of job losses would have been much higher had the proposed caravan tax gone through.

It said: “The reduced level of employee redundancies from the 350 initially estimated in May is a result of the company’s view of its market in the ongoing tough economic climate together with the Government’s decision to limit the increases in VAT from the original 20 per cent proposed.”

Recession changing the face of UK motoring, study shows

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by Tom Lowenstein

While we have all been effected by the recession in some shape or form, the true impact that the downturn has had on UK motoring has been laid out in a new report by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

With funds a lot tighter these days, British car owners are holding onto their vehicles longer than before, with the average motor now 7.44 years old, two months more than in 2011.

We are also now more likely to opt for a fuel-efficient vehicle according to the survey, with diesel cars now holding an all-time record 50.6 per cent of the market.

Meanwhile, there are fewer petrol cars in the UK than at any point since 1988, although the overall number of cars on the roads has increased by 0.3 per cent to 31,362,716.

If you can afford a car it is likely that you will benefit from better fuel economy, however, with the study also revealing that people are finding their shiny new vehicle offers 20 per cent improved efficiency compared to the UK average.

And if you were wondering, Ford and Vauxhall are named the two most popular manufacturers – with the Focus, Fiesta, Astra and Golf as the top four most-owned models.

Caravan crash forces A12 closure in Suffolk

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by Tom Lowenstein

A caravan crash caused a major traffic incident in Suffolk last night when the touring vehicle and its Land Rover towcar overturned on the A12 at Stratford St Mary.

The incident occurred close to junction 29 during rush hour and caused a major tailback, with the contents of the caravan spilled across the road surface.

Fortunately all the people involved escaped with only minor injuries, the East Anglia Daily Times reported.

A spokesperson for the local police revealed that officers were initially guiding traffic around the strewn debris, but by 10pm they were forced to close the road as darkness made it too dangerous.

A diversion was then set up so that a tidy-up operation could take place, with the road eventually reopened at around midnight.

These incidents are relatively common – a recent survey from Club Care Insurance revealed that last year eight per cent of all caravan payouts came as a result of road accidents. A further eight per cent of claims were wheel-related, including burst tyres and wheel detachments.