Top Ten things to see at London Motorhome Caravan & Camping Show

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by Chris Jefferies
For the first time in six years caravans are coming to London, with a massive show being laid on at the Excel Centre from February 14th to 19th.
The inaugural NCC Motorhome, Caravan and Camping Show (to give it its full title) will include all the biggest names in the industry, as well as some exciting celebrity appearances.
With hundreds of stalls and exhibits to explore it can be easy to get lost in the melee, so CaravanTimes has put together the following guide to help you get the most out of this enormous caravan extravaganza.
Read on for the Top Ten must-see exhibits at the London caravan show, as well as some insider tips on a few things that you might have missed…

Learn how to tow a caravan

A perennial favourite at caravan shows, this year’s towing lessons will be run by the Caravan Club. These free 20-minute taster sessions will include helpful tips and advice over at Stand S160.

See the brand new Venus Caravans range

Launched this week, these adorable little tourers are the lightest models on the market and boast a surprisingly high spec level. But don’t take our word for it, head over to Stand N110 to have a look for yourself.

Try your hand at archery

Ever fancied yourself as something of a Robin Hood or William Tell? Step up to the mark and prove your skills with a bow and arrow and you could win yourself a prize for the highest score. Free lessons will be taking place all day.

Admire the new Elddis Crusader Hurricane

For couples that want luxury in their compact two-berth tourer, this new and improved layout from Elddis is ideal. Featuring a unique J-shaped lounge, this is sure to be a very popular tourer. Pop over to Stand N200 to get a closer look, or click here to watch our video review.

Pick up some cooking tips from James Martin

The host of BBC One’s Saturday Kitchen (right) will be cooking up a storm at the Cookery Theatre on Saturday 18th February. James will be doing three demonstrations at 1pm, 2.45pm and again at 4pm. Be sure to get their early as seats will fill up fast.
Click here to read the Top Five 

Caravan Club teams up with DFDS for French ferry fare

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by Tom Lowenstein

The Caravan Club has joined forces with DFDS Seaways to offer cut-price ferry fares between Dover and Dunkirk.

Running for the duration of the current NCC Motorhome, Caravan & Camping Show which is being held at the Excel Centre in London, caravanners can take advantage of the discount prices until Sunday February 19th.

These reduced prices mean that a caravan and towcar can board a DFDS ferry with up to four people for as little as £29 each way in low season and £39 in high season.

If you’re travelling with a motorhome these prices are knocked down to £19 and £29.

There is a maximum length of 12 metres for a car and caravan combined, but a £15 per metre surcharge is allowed if your vehicle stretches further.

Following a recent relaxation of the rules regarding taking your pet abroad in the EU, it’s now even easier for the family dog to go too.

VIDEO: Reinventing the Elddis Crusader Hurricane for 2012

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by Chris Jefferies
Elddis Caravans has revamped its popular two-berth Crusader Hurricane layout, offering couples more space and luxury in a single-axle caravan.
With an innovative J-shaped lounge and class-leading kitchen and washroom space, this should be a very popular tourer, and CaravanTimes has met the team behind this clever configuration.
Priced at £18,999 and weighing in at just 1,335kg MPTLM, this model will surely be high on the list of any discerning caravanners looking for a new two-berth tourer in 2012.
If you want to look around the Elddis Crusader Hurricane for yourself then head along to the NCC Motorhome, Caravan and Camping Show, which runs at the London Excel Centre until February 19th.

The Queen offers Windsor Great Park as Olympics caravan site

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by Tom Lowenstein

Caravanners heading to the London 2012 Olympics could be counting The Queen among their neighbours.

Nearly 300 pitches are to be set-up in the grounds of Windsor Great Park after Her Majesty gave permission for the land to be used during the games.

Working with The Camping and Caravanning Club, Windsor Great Park will provide home to around 1,000 people bringing their tents and caravans to stay in when watching Olympic events.

The estate, which is the royal family’s former hunting terrain, is near to the Dorney Lake in Eton where the Olympic rowing events will take place.

Deputy Ranger at Windsor Great Park, Philip Everett, said: “The Crown Estate is delighted to be working with The Camping and Caravanning Club.

“This is a unique opportunity to camp in the Park and we are pleased to be able to assist by providing an opportunity for much needed additional and reasonably-priced accommodation in Windsor around the period of the Games.”

A total of 286 pitches will be available between July 20th and August 16th with plots set to cost £40 per night. On-site catering selling food from the royal farms on the Windsor Estate will also be available.

Elddis offers special London caravan show deals until Sunday

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by Tom Lowenstein

Every approved Elddis Caravans dealership in the UK is currently running a range of special offers that could save buyers up to £899 on a new caravan or motorhome.

Throughout the duration of the NCC Motorhome, Caravan & Camping Show at ExCel in London, the Durham-based manufacturer is offering a selection of special deals.

This means that people buying an Elddis vehicle have until Sunday February 19th to take advantage of the offer, which sees freebies and upgrades included at no extra cost.

Usually worth £399, Elddis is offering a free SE pack with any Xplore tourer, while those buying a caravan in the Avante or Odyssey ranges will get a BPW iDC that normally sell for £549 included in the price.

The company is also offering to fit air conditioning in Crusader or Buccaneer models for £499, knocking £700 off the usual price.

Other offers include free BPW Diamond Standard wheel locks for Crusader models and free awnings or luxury packs with Elddis motorhomes.

Fifth Wheel Company to put on a 10th birthday bash

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by Tom Lowenstein

The Welsh caravan company Fifth Wheel is inviting caravanners to come and help it blow out the candles and eat some cake when it celebrates its tenth birthday next month.

On March 10th, the company is hosting a birthday bash at its HQ in North Wales and there will be plenty going on.

“We wanted to celebrate our 10th birthday with the ultimate Experience Day,” said Adrian Parry-Jones, sales director at the company.

“So the activities have been planned to appeal to caravan and motorhome fans to have fun and share our passion four touring.”

Party-goers are invited to bring their own caravan or motorhome and stay at the nearby Vale of Clwyd in Denbighshire and the company will be taking people on tours of their showroom and offering test drives of new Fifth Wheel tourers.

To fill hungry bellies there will also be a birthday barbeque with top-notch local food on offer.

If you want to get involved in the festivities, visit the Fifth Wheel Company website or give them a call on 01745 583 000.

Airstream brings a Valentine’s surprise to London Caravan Show

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by Tom Lowenstein

The pioneering US caravan company Airstream unveiled its latest family-oriented five-berth trailer at the ExCel Motorhome, Caravan and Camping Show yesterday (February 14th).

Showcasing the latest additions to their award-winning range of aluminium trailers, Airstream has surprised Valentine’s Day visitors to the London show by giving them the first look at the new International 685 and the Series 2 534.

Having flown in from the US to take part in the show, the president of Airstream & Co partner Airstream Inc, Bob Wheeler, said: “Airstream has always been synonymous with great style and design and these two additions to the European range have got both in abundance.”

The new 685 has a neat layout that includes three fixed bunks at the rear, with a clever partitioning door allowing a children’s bedroom to be created in addition to the traditional double or twin singles at the front.

Anthony Slocock, technical director of Airstream & Co, said that in creating the 685 the company was responding to demand for a bigger family model.

“The Series 2 534, meanwhile, is still gracefully compact but is incredibly roomy for a single axle trailer,” he added.


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London Motorhome Caravan and Camping Show off to a great start

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by Chris Jefferies
The doors have finally opened on the first day of the inaugural NCC Motorhome, Caravan and Camping Show at the London Excel Centre, with thousands of punters flocking to see all the latest tourers.
Major launches from Bailey, Venus, Elddis, Eterniti and Airstream have ensured a strong turn-out and with so much to see, the CaravanTimes team are discovering new highlights all the time.
From the kayak and canoeing pool to the various celebrity appearances, there is plenty to get excited about, and you can keep up to date with all these developments in the CaravanTimes forum.
We have set up a discussion thread where members can get the latest updates and see pictures from the show, as well as sharing their own thoughts on the event.
Alternatively, if you want to follow us on Twitter or like our Facebook page, then you can get regular updates from there instead.
With five more days to go, there is sure to be plenty of exciting updates still to come, so keep checking back for more highlights from the London caravan show.

Coachman Caravans dealerships set for old Discover Leisure sites

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by Tom Lowenstein

Coachman Caravans has revealed that two dealerships set to take over former Discover Leisure sites will be stocking its models.

The Hull-based caravan manufacturer will be providing its award-winning 2012 ranges of touring caravans to dealerships taking over the former sites in Darlington and York.

After the Discover Leisure group was put into administration with debts of approximately £35 million in October last year, its outlets in Birtley, Chorley, Darlington, Delamere and York were closed.

However, with Ebor Leisure World taking over the former Malton Road premises in York and Kimberley Caravan Centre acquiring the Burtree Gate branch in Darlington, Caravanners will now be able to get Coachman models from the sites.

Both dealerships are preparing to welcome their first customers by the end of the month.

Matthew Kinsell runs Catterick Caravans with his brother Chris and the family business is set to expand with the opening of the Ebor Leisure World outlet.

Discussing the takeover of the Malton Road site last month, he said: “We’re saving jobs, and will be creating them too in the longer term.”

BP looking to sell its LPG business

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by Tom Lowenstein

Caravan owners could soon find themselves buying and filling up their liquid petroleum gas (LPG) canisters from a new supplier, after BP announced it was to quit the industry.

The second-biggest oil company in Europe, BP has an LPG bottle and filling business across the world but is now looking to find a buyer for the operation, Bloomberg reported.

LPG canisters are widely used by caravan owners as fuel for their ovens and heating systems but the oil giant plans to dispense of its storage terminals and bottle-filling plants as well as other assets related to the business.

No company has yet come in with an offer for the business, however, and BP refused to comment on what it thinks the operation is worth.

With the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster off the Gulf of Mexico costing the British oil company dear, last year it carried out a review of its operations and is looking to sell around £24 billion worth of assets.

Venus Caravans: Prices, weights and photos revealed for compact range

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by Chris Jefferies
Lunar Caravans has confirmed the details of its all-new brand Venus, which will be publically unveiled at the London Excel Centre tomorrow (February 14th).
This completely new range will come in a choice of four single-axle layouts, and with weights as low as 905kg, these tiny tourers can be towed by pretty much anyone.
The classic exterior design is just what we have come to expect from Lunar, while the interior boasts an impressive level of specification for such an affordable price.

Standout items in the Venus range include the Whale underfloor space heating system and rapid heat-up water heater, which have both proved so popular on the Elddis Xplore collection.
Move into the kitchen and you will find a three-burner gas hob and combination oven/grill, both of which are made by Thetford. What’s more, each caravan comes fitted with a Dometic fridge and a full-width freezer section, although there is no mention of a microwave.
In terms of upholstery, the Venus features a floral design called Lolita, which is complimented by Oak-coloured woodgrain panelling.
The fab four
At launch, this range will be offered in a choice of four layouts – the two-berth 320/2 and 380/2, as well as the four-berth 490/4 and 500/4 options.
Starting at the smaller end of the scale and the 320/2 is the one most likely to get people talking, as it weighs in with an MTPLM of just 905 kg, making it 25kg lighter than any other caravan built in the UK today.
This two-berth layout features a parallel lounge arrangement, a side washroom and an end kitchenette.
When set up at night, this model makes an amply sized double that measures 6’4″ by 4’7″ – and fitting this into a caravan that is just over 16-feet long is no mean feat.
Alternatively, for couples who want a little extra space…
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Elddis launches new iPhone and Android caravan app

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by Tom Lowenstein

A brand new smartphone app for Android and iPhone has been launched by the Durham-based caravan manufacturer Elddis.

Putting the full Elddis Caravans range at the touch of a button, the free application has profiles on every one of its caravans that feature 3D layouts and virtual tours.

Users will also be able to navigate photo galleries and view guides, prices and optional extras to make choosing the right caravan from their range as easy as possible.

For anyone looking to buy an Elddis caravan, the app also has an interactive map that details all official retailers and provides contact information to simplify arranging a viewing.

All of the content is available offline, but by connecting your smartphone to the internet, the app also allows users to connect with the caravan maker through Twitter and Facebook to stay up to date with the latest goings on in the North East.

Android phone owners can download the app from the Elddis website later this week, and for iPhone users it is available from the App Store right now.