Caravan owners to benefit from bumper butterfly season

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by Chris Jefferies

Wildlife enthusiasts have been given yet another reason to fire up their tow car and take the caravan out over the coming months, as the National Trust claims that this will be the best summer in more than 30 years for spotting butterflies.

June is halfway through the butterfly season, the wildlife organisation says, and these beautiful insects have seen their numbers increase strongly in the UK.

The warm spring period has resulted in the earliest sighting of a White Admiral on Bookham Common in Surrey for nearly 120 years.

Matthew Oates, wildlife adviser and butterfly expert at the National Trust, said: “The populations of spring butterflies are as good as they can be. It’s all gearing up to what could be the best butterfly summer for a generation.”

This blockbuster butterfly summer is expected to culminate in August, when around 40 species should be in flight across the UK.

To co-incide with this, the National Trust will be running its first annual Love Butterflies weekend from August 6th to 7th.

Scottish man has lucky escape after caravan fire

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by Chris Jefferies

Emergency services in Scotland have said that a man who escaped after a caravan fire was very lucky, as he was saved by a passing ambulance.

In the early hours of Saturday morning (June 11th) a caravan, parked near the man’s home in Prestonfield, caught fire and the flames spread to the adjacent building, the Scotsman reports.

The unnamed man was reportedly asleep when the fire started and was only alerted to the blaze by paramedics, who happened to be passing in an ambulance.

A spokeswoman for the Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service said that there were gas cylinders inside the caravan, which could have helped the fire to spread quickly.

“The man was lucky he was taken out of the house when he was,” she added.

Two dogs were also saved from the building, although the roof collapsed and the house was later deemed to be unsafe by the local authorities

Caravan park proposed again for Derbyshire

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by Chris Jefferies

Caravan owners looking to explore the Peak District may be given another option before long, as plans for an 11-acre site in the village of Riddings have been submitted to the local council.

The new site on Bullock Lane would be able to hold up to 75 caravans as well as several tents and a shower block, Ripley and Heanor News reports.

However, success is by no means guaranteed, as the owners of the land have previously been denied planning permission by Amber Valley Borough Council, due to a green belt land related dispute.

The first such application, which included plans to house 150 static and touring caravans, met with 117 formal objections from local residents last year, the newspaper added.

Holidaymakers can choose to stay at several nearby Derbyshire touring sites certified by the Caravan Club instead, including Blackwall Plantation and The Firs caravan sites.

Lakes comedy festival to delight caravanners

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by Chris Jefferies

Caravan owners visiting the Lake District this summer can catch some of the UK’s funniest stand-ups at an annual comedy festival.

The second Lake Comedy Festival will start on July 1st and feature popular acts, such as Lucy Porter (July 2nd) and Jon Richardson (July 8th), who TV addicts may be familiar with from the BBC show Mock The Week.

Furthermore, Simon Donald, creator of classic British comic Viz, will be appearing at the festival on July 9th at the Alhambra Theatre in Keswick.

Various venues across the Cumbria region will be taking part, including the Theatre by the Lake in Whitehaven.

Tickets are on sale now, with prices starting at just £8 per head.

Those looking to combine a caravan break with some stand-up comedy can choose from a range of Caravan Club-accredited sites in the nearby area, including Dockray Meadow and Low Manesty.

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Vauxhall Astra Tourer named greenest caravan tow car

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by Chris Jefferies

With the price of petrol spiralling ever upwards, energy-efficiency is becoming more and more important for towcar buyers, so the Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer could see a rush in sales after winning a recent award.

The diesel version of this British-built towcar scooped the Green Award at this week’s Towcar of the Year awards 2011, as well as taking plenty of praise for its mid-range acceleration.

Under testing, the Astra Sports Tourer 1.7 CDTi SE ecoFlex was able to get from 30 to 60 mph while towing a caravan in an impressive 19.2 seconds, meaning it won’t take too long to get up to cruising speed on dual carriageways or motorways.

The judging panel concluded: “The Astra Sports Tourer is an excellent small estate with impressive economy and low emissions.”

Other key winners at the Towcar of the Year awards included the Land Rover Discovery 4 3.0 SDV6 XS model, which was named as the winner of the 1900kg category for the second year running.

Award-winning Airstream caravan gets revamp

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by Chris Jefferies

The latest version of the Airstream Series 2 International 684 has been unveiled and this tourer has quite a reputation to live up to.

Following in the footsteps of the original International 684 was a challenge for Airstream, who wanted to capitalise on the popularity of the model that was named Best Caravan in the Caravan Club Design Awards for three years running.

The all-new body shell includes a ‘loft-style’ interior and new features include 12 drawers – twice as many as in the old model.

Despite the chassis and shell being no bigger, Airstream’s clever use of space means that the shower is now 15cm wider, the kitchen is 10cm longer and the seating space is 30cm bigger.

With modern caravan owners in mind, Airstream has included a dedicated storage space for laptops and books, as well as a drinks holder in the seating area.

The kitchen boasts a clever rotating worktop extension, which Airstream hopes will add to the overall ‘wow-factor’ of this exciting new tourer.

Anthony Slocock, technical director of Airstream, said: “With the Series 2, a big goal in the design phase was to look at the most common after-sales comments to try and design any minor faults out of the trailer and increase customer satisfaction.”

Prices for the new Airstream Series 2 International 684 start at the princely sum of £52,575.

VIDEO REVIEW: Inside the new 2012 Range Rover Evoque

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by Marcus Dubois

Its the most anticipated car launch of 2011, and promises to change the way we think about 4x4s. The Caravan Times video team were on hand at the first public viewing of the Range Rover Evoque in the UK, and we took a closer look at the latest Land Rover towcar.

The sleek coupe-like shape has generated plenty of headlines and is faithful to the Land Rover LRX concept of 2008. Yet it’s under the bonnet where some of the biggest advances have been made.

Land Rover has achieved its best fuel economy yet with the new ed4 diesel model, promising an unheard-of 58mpg (combined) and less than 130g/km of CO2. Two other SD4 diesel variants offer greater power, while the 2.0 turbocharged petrol is the performance choice.

Unlike its siblings, a manual shift option appears on this Range Rover. And three trim options are available from Pure through the luxury of Prestige to the sportier Dynamic interior. Let us know what you think of the new Range Rover Evoque using the comment box below

Devon holiday park offers half-price caravan breaks

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by Chris Jefferies

Caravan owners looking to take their tourer to Devon this summer have been offered a great value promotion by Woolacombe Bay Holiday Parks.

The popular coastal site is running a four-for-two promotion, whereby visitors arriving on Mondays can stay until the Friday and pay for just two nights.

This offer is open to anyone arriving with a tent, a touring caravan, or a motorhome between July 1st and 22nd.

Furthermore, those looking to take a long weekend can get three nights for the price of two when arriving on a Friday between those dates.

Guests wanting to take advantage of this offer must stay at Easewell Farm Holiday Village, which offers sea views and various leisure facilities, such as an indoor pool and an 18-hole golf course.

With this promotion, prices for a caravan pitch start at £60 for a three-night weekend stay or £61 for a four-night midweek break.

Caravan Club highlights great sporting days out

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by Chris Jefferies

British holidaymakers can discover their country’s rich sporting heritage this summer, from horseracing to cricket, the Caravan Club has said.

Those taking a caravan break within reach of London are advised to visit the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum, which gives a glimpse into how the game was invented over 450 years ago.

Furthermore, cricket fans are sure to be excited by a visit to the oldest sports museum in the world, the Marylebone Cricket Club Museum, which is the home of the Ashes.

Those looking to explore the Suffolk countryside can head to Newmarket and discover the National Horseracing Museum, which the Caravan Club describes as “a perfect destination for all ages”.

Special exhibitions on show at the museum this summer include the Heath and the Horse, and Man’s Best Friend: Dogs and Hounds of Field and Show.

Caravan owners heading to Newmarket this summer can stay at the nearby Caravan Club-certified sites Round Plantation and Cherry Hinton.

Manchester Caravan and Motorhome Show finds new home

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by Marcus Dubois and Chris Jefferies

While the caravan calendar is traditionally centred around shows in February and October, it’s often straight after Christmas that people make their first trip to see new models ahead of the summer. For years the Manchester Caravan and Motorhome Show has proved popular with visitors due to its location and attractions – and following a record 25 per cent increase in visitor numbers in 2011, the organisers have announced a move to larger premises.

Next year’s Caravan and Motorhome Show will leave its previous home at Manchester Central and move to the larger Event City near the Trafford Centre from 19-22 January 2012.

Organisers Clarion Events say that the move will allow them to increase capacity by 50 per cent, allowing more people than ever to see the new caravans after this year’s record attendance from enthusiasts.

Sam North, director of the Caravan and Motorhome Show, said: “We are delighted to take this extremely positive step. Adding a far greater choice of caravans, motorhomes and accessories is sure to create a fantastic opportunity.”

Next year’s event will take place from January 19th to 22nd and exhibitors already confirmed include the National Caravan Council, Swift Group, Campbells Caravans, Glossop Caravans, and the Camping and Caravanning Club. And with new additions to the calendar such as the NCC Motorhome, Caravan and Camping Show taking place in London during February 2012, this becomes a crucial show for those in the Midlands and North of England.

Event City is the second largest event space outside of London and is spread across a 24-acre site. Having opened in March last year, the venue can accommodate up to 150,000 visitors. And if you used to travel by train to the easily accessible Manchester Centre, then fear not: bus service X50 or 250 takes you directly from Manchester Piccadilly to the Trafford Centre, while bus 100 does the same from Manchester Victoria.

For more information on new venue EventCity please click here

Hobby caravan owner turned away from Yorkshire site

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by Chris Jefferies

An owner of a Hobby caravan has accused a Yorkshire caravan site of discrimination after he was turned away for his choice of vehicle.

Otterington Park caravan site, near Northallerton in North Yorkshire, said that they would not let Thomas Newby and his family into the site as it would encourage travellers to try and get in as well.

Mr Newby, a local businessman, told the Northern Echo: “I am frankly disgusted by [their] attitude and clearly discriminatory behaviour. We are not travellers, though that is beside the point.”

He added that discriminating against caravan owners because of their make of tourer is “unbelievable”.

Carol Bowe, the site’s owner, said that the park was privately owned and hence they could “take who we want and refuse who we want”.

German manufacturer Hobby is Europe’s largest caravan maker and many of its models are popular amongst the travelling community.

Cost of fuel can stack up on European caravan holidays

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by ChrisJefferies

Caravan owners thinking of heading abroad on a European touring holiday this summer have been advised that the rising cost of petrol is having an impact on the continent as well.

New research from the Post Office shows that a combination of a weak pound and the rising prices at the pumps means that caravan owners could pay up to 35 per cent more for the petrol in Europe this summer.

However, there is some good news, as the survey highlighted that Luxembourg and the popular holiday destination of Spain are cheapest places to buy petrol.

Sarah Munro, head of travel money at the Post Office, said: “The high fuel price increases in Europe mean that UK holidaymakers should plan their routes carefully in advance to cut costs.”

She suggested that motorists driving through eastern France should consider hopping over the border into Luxembourg, as they can save up to 27p a litre on unleaded.