Elddis Caravans to sponsor 800-mile charity runner

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by Tom Lowenstein

A 30-year-old mother of two is attempting an epic charity run with the help of Durham-based caravan maker Elddis.

Beccy Davis is aiming to run the 874 miles from John O’Groats to Lands End in just 12 days, racking up a sole-blistering 70 miles per day in the process.

Running the best part of three marathons every day, Beccy has her work cut out but help is at hand from Elddis, which has agreed to sponsor her and is providing one of its Autoquest 165 motorhomes for the fundraising attempt.

Both Beccy and her support team will stay in the vehicle throughout the gruelling 12 days, during which she will run for between 18 and 20 hours each day.

As well as providing beds and transport for Beccy’s team, it will also double up as a massage and physio room, helping to keep her muscles from seizing up in her bid to raise more than £10,000 for Cancer Research UK and Mind.

“The logistics of planning an 850-mile run have been difficult,” explained Beccy.

“But when Elddis came on board as a sponsor they solved our problems of transport, accommodation and finding space throughout the day for physio all at once by supplying us with the Autoquest 165.”

Three new sites join the Caravan Club’s network

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by Tom Lowenstein

The Caravan Club this month announced that three new sites have been added to its network for 2012.

Strathclyde Country Park near Glasgow joins The Club in addition to the Royal Vale Caravan Park in Cheshire and Wagtail Caravan Park in Lincolnshire.

Located just 12 miles from the iconic Scottish city, the Strathclyde park is nestled within a stunning country park and will be open for 365 days a year when The Club finishes its renovation works in October.

The site is set to boast 107 all-weather pitches for touring caravans as well as 296 storage bays, meaning that in total it will offer almost 135,000 nights for members and non-members alike per year.

Lawrence Bate, director of marketing at The Club, said: “The addition of these sites to the network is very exciting for The Club, which is continually striving to provide more pitches in more locations for its members and British tourers.”

Cobleland caravan site shortlisted for Green Tourism award

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by Tom Lowenstein

Folk at the Camping and Caravanning Club are celebrating after the Cobleland Camping in the Forest site was placed on the shortlist for a GoldStar Award in the Green Tourism Business Scheme.

The nomination is in recognition of the site’s contribution to sustainable tourism, with the award presented to those with only the very highest commitments to green ambassadorship, innovations and cost savings.

Certified by the VisitBritain tourism agency, the prestigious award is a national sustainable tourism certification scheme and the Cobleland Club Site is featured in the Gold Holiday Parks & Camping Sites category.

Lesley and Graham Logan, site managers at Cobleland, are understandably delighted at making the shortlist.

“We know how prestigious and competitive the Green Tourism Business Scheme is, so it’s such an honour to be shortlisted,” they said.

“We hope this acknowledgement will inspire holidaymakers to visit our campsite – it’s perfect for walkers and cyclists alike, located on the grassy banks of the River Forth within Queen Elizabeth Forest Park in Scotland.”

VIDEO: Towergate Insurance explains what to do after a caravan fire

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by Chris Jefferies
During the peak season for caravanning, barely a week goes by without a news report surfacing of a devastating caravan fire in the UK.
These can be caused by arson or they can be started by accident, but they are almost always catastrophic for the caravan involved, let alone the poor owners.
With this in mind, CaravanTimes has been to visit Towergate, one of the UK’s leading insurance brokers, to find out what caravan owners should do in this troubling scenario.
In this video Edward Cross, underwriting director at Towergate, offers his valuable advice and practical tips, which could help you deal with this highly stressful situation.

Defra survey shows 28 per cent of caravan sites are at risk of flooding

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by Tom Lowenstein

Caravan and camp sites across England and Wales have been offered advice to prevent them flooding after a report found 28 per cent were at risk.

According to a survey by the Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (Defra), more than two-thirds of those sites at risk of flooding from rivers or the sea are at ‘significant’ or ‘moderate’ risk.

In association with organisations including the Caravan Club, the Camping and Caravanning Club and the Environment Agency, Defra has produced a report that aims to make sure staff at caravan parks are prepared in case a flood occurs.

It has also set out a list of recommendations for government bodies and local emergency planning authorities designed to improve flood defences and advance warning mechanisms.

A range of caravan parks, including Billing Aquadrome near Northampton and Riverside Caravan Park Plymouth Devon have already worked with the Environment Agency to put emergency flood measures in place.

Welsh caravan show to return to Carmarthen in May

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by Tom Lowenstein

The family-friendly South & West Wales Caravan and Motorhome Show is returning to Carmarthen in May for the sixth year running.

Held at the United Counties Showground in Nantyci, the show will have all of the usual trade stands and displays, with a comedian, singer and Elvis impersonator all getting in on the act to provide extra entertainment.

A distinctly home-grown affair, the show is organised by Daffodil Events, the brainchild of Carmathern local Lois Gibbon, who set up the company after a career as an events manager, the Carmarthen Journal reported.

“This year, in addition to our regular trade stands there will be stands selling static holiday caravans, trailer tents, specialist camping tents and insurance companies to allow the vehicles to be on the road,” she told the newspaper.

Visitors to the show will also be treated to a display by the Towy Valley Vintage Club, with over 30 vintage vehicles taking part in displays across the weekend.

The South & West Wales Caravan and Motorhome Show runs from Friday May 11th until Sunday May 13th.

COMPETITION: Win an Al-Ko caravan hitch lock in this month’s prize draw

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Update: This competition is now closed, thanks to all those who entered

by Chris Jefferies
It’s competition time again at CaravanTimes and this month we are offering readers the chance to win a very handy caravan security gadget – an Al-Ko hitch lock worth £100.
With many caravan parks across the country opening this month and the days getting ever longer, the urge to hit the road is surely at the forefront of many caravanners’ minds.
But before you set off, it’s important to make sure you’ve got all the security, safety and insurance essentials covered.
A hitch lock is a very valuable device to own, as it makes it almost impossible for a thief to hitch up to your van and simply tow it away, as it blocks the towball from connecting with the hitch.
There are a number of devices available on the market, and some of the more premium products can even get you a discount on your annual caravan insurance premium.
For this reason, CaravanTimes has teamed up with Towergate Insurance, who will be providing this month’s top prize.
Update: This competition is now closed, thanks to all those who entered

VIDEO: Remaking the 60-year-old Sprite Caravans brand for the 21st century

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by Chris Jefferies
The compact, lightweight Sprite Caravans range has been completely revamped for 2012, bringing a whole new exterior look to these classic caravans.
With a curved front-end and a sleek roof-line, this seven-layout range has inherited the good looks from the recently launched Swift Challenger Sport range.
In this video feature, CaravanTimes meets the team behind this new project to find out what they have done to bring this much-loved brand bang up to date.
Prices in the 2012 Sprite Caravans collection range from £12,031 to £14,621 and MTPLM weights start from as low as 1,164kgs

VIDEO: Triple your living space with French expanding caravan

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by Chris Jefferies

The last 12 months have seen a real explosion of interest for slide-out caravans in the UK, with both Fifth Wheel and Eterniti Caravans launching expandable tourers.

Well now it appears that the French want to get in the act too, as Gallic inventor Eric Beau is looking into bringing his BeauEr 3X to our shores.

Originally launched back in 2010, this tin-can shaped tourer looks like just another micro-caravan, until you put the key in and operate the telescopic sliding mechanism, which allows this tourer to slide out in both directions, tripling the interior space in just 20 seconds.

The 3X has already proved very popular on the continent, attracting much attention at the 2011 Dusseldorf Caravan Show and following a French TV appearance, Mr Beau’s YouTube videos have already attracted more than 70,000 views.

His company is now looking into launching this exciting product in the UK, and with a very competitive level of specification and a surprisingly low weight, this could be quite an appealing prospect.

Despite a maximum interior space of 12 metres squared, which is more than the average four-berth caravan, the 3X weighs with an MTPLM of just 1,203kg – making it much lighter than any other slide-out model on the market.

Built on an Al-Ko chassis with a polyester bodyshell, Mr Beau claims it is also highly aerodynamic due to its smoothly curved exterior design.

Moving to the inside and you get a shower, toilet, 130-litre fridge, sink and hob, but no oven or microwave, while the gas heater and water heater both come as optional extras.

The four-berth layout comprises a pair of double beds, measuring up at an ample 6’3″ x 4’7″ and 6’10” x 4’7″ respectively.
However, the price could prove to be the major stumbling block, as the BeauEr 3X is currently retailing at 23,000 euros, or just over £19,000. But one thing’s for sure – if you pitch up in one of these this summer you will certainly turn heads…

Caravan parts maker Whale wins hattrick of Sunday Times awards

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by Chris Jefferies

The Sunday Times has named caravan parts supplier Whale in its ‘Top 100 best small companies to work for’ list once again for 2012, making it three wins in a row for the Northern Irish company.

Bailey Orion and Elddis Xplore owners will be familiar with the name, as Whale provides the award-winning under-floor heaters for these popular tourers.

But as well as making lightweight and compact caravanning products, it seems that Whale also treats its employees rather well indeed.
The Sunday Times Top 100 list is compiled after in-depth study of each company, including anonymous employee questionnaires to find out what the workers really think of their bosses.

Whale’s ranking of 77th out of more than 1,000 entrants is made all the more impressive by the fact that they are the only company from Northern Ireland and the only manufacturer to feature in the national newspaper’s list.

Patrick Hurst, Managing Director of Whale, said: “To be listed again in 2012 is just fantastic for all the team at Whale. They have all worked hard together to continually maintain the quality and introduce innovative, market leading products.”

This win is just the latest in a long line of accolades for Whale. Back in 2011, the company’s underfloor caravan heater was voted as the best innovation of the year in the annual CaravanTimes Readers’ Poll.

New owner of £3.5 m caravan park looks to boost Northumberland tourism

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by Tom Lowenstein

The new owner of a caravan park in Northumberland has revealed his plans to expand it and improve tourism in the local area.

Dennis Dunham paid George McLaren-Brown around £3.5 million for the South Meadows Caravan Park in Belford, near Bamburgh.

Now, the experienced caravan park manager is hoping to boost tourism in Belford by adding an additional ten acres to the 40-acre site, allowing an extra 100 caravans to be accommodated, the Newcastle Journal reported.

However, Mr Dunham does not plan to change things too much and is happy to continue the park’s peaceful and serene style adopted by its former owner.

“We’ll certainly try to bring more tourism to Belford,” he told the newspaper.

“Around 100 extra caravans will bring another 200-300 people in on the weekends, and they’ll certainly get around a few of the shops and pubs.”

He added that Mr McLaren-Brown had developed the park to a very high standard and it has very good feedback from visitors.

In 2010, Mr Dunham sold two Scottish caravan parks that he had developed into five-star sites.

Another Northumberland caravan park announced expansion plans back in January. Seafield Caravan Park in Seahouses, a few miles south-east of Belford, plans to build 188 extra static caravan plots by 2013.

Caravan preparation tips offered in advance of spring holidays

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by Chris Jefferies

With the days lengthening and weather warming, caravanners up and down the country will be looking forward to picking up their trusty tourer from the storage centre and taking it out on their first getaway of the year.

But before you head straight off there are a few important things to check, both on the inside and the outside of your caravan.

Issues such as frost damage, burst pipes or interior mould could have developed during the long months in storage.

Even more importantly, you should check your caravan’s running gear, such as the hitch, the wheels and the tyres.

When left in one place for months on end, caravan tyres can easily develop bald patches and the tyre walls can become damaged, so it makes sense to change them regularly in order to avoid a blowout.

At this time of year, caravan insurers are inundated with calls from caravanners noticing problems as they prepare for their first trip away.

CaravanTimes recently spoke to Edward Cross, insurance expert at Towergate, who said: “The most common things we tend to hear about are water ingress issues after the winter.

“Most of these problems are easily preventable – from mildew to vermin damage. I would certainly suggest dry storing any removable items during the winter, particularly the awning.”

For more tips and advice from Towergate on how to prepare for the upcoming season, read their original article: Preparation tips for spring caravan holidays