Dealership interview: Greentrees Caravan Store

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By William Coleman

The UK has an abundance of caravan dealers that have been providing vehicles, services and expert knowledge for decades and we want to know more about how they operate. The CaravanTimes team decided it was time to sit down with the Greentrees Caravan Store team and find out just how many different services they provide.

When you visit as many different leisure vehicle dealers as we do you cannot help but notice how each location evolves to match the ever-changing needs of touring holidays.

We took a trip up to Dereham to visit a dealership that focuses on so much more than selling caravans and motorhomes. Greentrees is a one-stop-shop for all things touring. The business covers all touring needs from holiday van hire to awnings and everything in between.

Our initial visit to the site was to review the latest Elddis models, but we could not help but ask questions about all the great things we saw. One of the co-owners, Marc Jordan, was kind enough to talk us through all the exciting things happening at Greentrees.

CaravanTimes: You are more than just a leisure vehicle dealer, right?

Marc: Yes indeed. We sell caravans and motorhomes, carry out services; we have a bespoke coachworks repair centre around the corner specialising in paint and damp repairs; we host in-house towing courses and lessons, as well as hiring caravans and motorhomes. On top of all that we also have a large outdoor living accessory shop.

CaravanTimes: You do new and used vans. What are the benefits of buying used?

Marc: The benefits of buying pre-owned vehicles, of course, is financial savings against new prices. The availability can sometimes be better too. Pre-owned vehicles are in stock and ready to go. For the last three years the lead time on new models has been increasing. You can typically wait an average of five months to receive your order.

New leisure vehicles do have bedding-in periods and often experience niggles and issues within the first year, they tend to be nothing major, but expect several trips to the dealer to have warranty work undertaken.

When buying pre-owned, often these vehicles have settled in and the teething problems have been dealt with, delivering less hassle ownership at a lower price and without the long wait for it to arrive.

If you chose the wrong vehicle, Greentrees offers what we believe is a first in the UK – a 30-day no quibble exchange policy. If for any reason at all you change your mind or see something you prefer arrives in stock, you can exchange within 30 days at zero cost.

CaravanTimes: Have you seen an increase in newcomers buying leisure vehicles this year?

Marc: We have seen a huge increase in “new blood” enter our market sector. Since the crash of 2008, we have not seen large volumes of newcomers to our market and young families have been few and far between.

Since Covid set in and the travel restrictions were announced we immediately saw an upswing in newcomers and first-timers of all age demographics arriving in the hundreds. We’ve seen around a 60/40 split between the newcomers and 50-65-year-olds who have never toured before.

CaravanTimes: How was 2020 for Greentrees?

Marc: 2020 has been a whirlwind of business, custom and emotions. From going into the first lockdown in March wondering, like most business owners, how our company would look when we were able to return and planning for the worst whilst hoping for the best.

We knew it would not be the same and would go one of two ways: exceptionally quiet or extremely busy. What we didn’t forecast is just m business we’d receive. We increased our working hours by 20-30 per cent per day to keep up, something our team stepped forward and offered to do to help the business.

In all departments, from sales to shop to service and certainly hire, we’ve seen a large increase in demand. In October we smashed sales records, despite missing the largest event of the caravan calendar year, the NEC show. As 2020 comes to a close, we have reported our best year trading performance since we opened our doors over 50 years ago.

Greentrees is a family business and has massive respect and value for the staff. The directors decided to donate a profit share of £10,000 to our team just before Christmas. After receiving another lockdown in November, we wanted our staff to end the year with smiles on their faces. £10,000 was shared amongst our team, which saw staff going home with a £500+ surprise for their families at this, a special time of year.

CaravanTimes: What are your plans for 2021

Marc: We plan to enter 2021 ready for the continuation of high demand for our lifestyle, holding a huge selection of stock of both new and pre-owned vehicles.

The buying of new stock has already started in preparation for spring, something we do not usually do at this time of year. In addition to that, we have added more vehicles to our HireMe leisure fleet. HireMe is our in-house rental business, which caters to people who want a taste of the lifestyle without a large initial buy-in price.

With luck, we will aim to start progress on our latest land purchase directly across the road from here. This site will see a dedicated aftercare/workshop department, allowing our current site to double our retail capacity and extend our display area for vehicles. This new area will hopefully include a new indoor showroom, as well as several commercial units we will rent to local businesses.

CaravanTimes gets hands-on with the Elddis Crusader Borealis

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By William Coleman

As we head towards the end of the year, we visited GreenTree Caravan Store to get our hands on a luxury caravan from Elddis, but is this four-berth one of the best touring vans for 2021?

Elddis’ leisure vehicles are instantly recognisable for a multitude of reasons, so we wanted to see if this year’s Crusader lives up to the very high expectations the company has set for itself.

The Crusader Borealis is a new model for 2021, which has a ton of new interior design features and an all-new Alde heating system. This new twin-axle is a bit of a show-stealer within the Elddis line up and we may see a lot more of these vans come the new year.

Exterior

Elddis has brought a real head turner to the market with this 2021 model. The exterior colour – matt grey – makes this van stand out from most you’ll come across on site.

Ensuring that you can use this van all year round, Elddis has used Grade III thermal insulation for guaranteed all-weather comfort.

From the outside, this caravan looks extremely smart and we are very much on board with how many new vans are using different coloured exterior shells. It is refreshing to see caravans being made in different colours and I am sure this will appeal to younger buyers too.

Another great feature is the new Kromex badges, which show off the strong branding Elddis incorporates into all of its leisure vehicles.

If you are into your wheels, you’ll be overjoyed with the exclusive ‘Tardis’ Sports alloys with wheel spats. They are modern and trendy without having that boy racer look that some alloys have.

Interior

Inside the Borealis is quite striking and unique when compared to 90 per cent of other vans on the market. Through the entire caravan, you are treated to light wood and lots of bright lighting, which highlights the amount of space provided.

Elddis’ lighting redesign does wonders for the Borealis’ interior, especially the multiple directional LED lights that are found throughout.

A magnificent panoramic Sky-Scape sunroof gives a flood of natural light into the front dinette. This may be the largest skylight we have seen on any Elddis caravan.

The new ‘Ashton’ craftsman built cabinets look amazing and provide a huge amount of storage – a perfect balance of style and function.

As there will be a lot more touring in the colder months, the all-new Alde 24-hr multi-programmable central and water heating system should come in handy for when the temperature plummets. The new system runs on both gas and electricity (up to 3.15KW).

All the cupboards on board are ‘Quiet-Close’, something all manufacturers should be investing in moving forward. To keep the sound down even more, Elddis have added soft close draws throughout.

The interior colour scheme – Elddis calls it Ashton – is one of this van’s best selling points and we are wondering what can be done next season to top this?

Nighttime

Being a twin-axle four-berth model means you have enough space to sleep four and still have around 65 per cent of the van to use.

Boasting a fixed rear island bed and mid washroom gives great separation from day and night time living. Once the lounge bed is made up, the rear bedroom can be completely cut off, ensuring total privacy.

The fixed bed mattress is lightweight, yet super-supportive with soft-touch Argentum+ anti-bacterial and anti-allergy technology.

As you’d expect, the L-shaped lounge is where your second bed is located and the new spring-assisted beech slats provide a very comfortable sleep and ease of access to the concealed storage.

Kitchenette

Here you will find one of the nicest kitchenettes of all the 2021 caravans. When it comes to kitchens we love seeing new innovations like this. The extended work space separates this kitchenette from most other caravan kitchens you are likely to see in 2021. There is a ton of prep space, a giant sink (maybe the largest we’ve seen) and under-panel LED lighting.

A lot of caravan kitchens follow a very similar pattern, which seems a bit ‘off the shelf’. Elddis have made a mobile kitchen that any chef would be happy with.

The Dometic grill/oven combo can handle anything from baking cookies to a full Sunday roast. The three gas-ring hob and hot plate sit quite deeply into the hob so any spillage will be contained.

In the kitchen, you have durable ‘taupe grey’ smooth-finish worktops with taupe brushed-effect acrylic edging. We really cannot say enough good things about this kitchen!

Washroom

The Borealis’ washroom area benefits greatly from the separation of the toilet and shower. You have a large shower cubicle that is similar to the size you’d expect to find in a house or flat.

Inside the shower cubicle is an exclusive Eco Camel Orbit water-saving Halo shower head with built-in Aircore Technology.

The spacious restroom has lots of storage and a domestic style towel rail, which may be a tad close to the toilet. This same toilet is an auto-fill system that features an electric flush, so no more pull chains for this caravan.

Verdict

The Borealis is the first Elddis van we got our hands on this year and we have a second review coming up. It was a pleasure to review the Crusader Borealis from start to finish.

We did a double-take when we saw the price tag, because you do not usually get this level of luxury and build for just under £30k.

Both the internal and external design and build quality of this caravan are magnificent. The colour scheme, the LED lighting, large sky-light and brilliant kitchen are just a few of the many features that make this one of the best caravans we have reviewed in 2020.

If you’re interested in seeing this van or finding out more, you can visit the Greentrees Caravan Store or have a browse of the website.

Park finder website gets a big financial boost

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By William Coleman

The acquisition of Caravan Sitefinder by Michael Paul Holidays is anticipated to see the online portal to the caravan, camping and holiday parks across the UK become ever more popular and accessible than ever.

Each year the website draws around one million visitors and will see a major cash injection to strengthen the services it provides to hundreds of thousands of customers.

CEO of the company, Michael Paul, has said that the biggest enhancement to the site will be the introduction of an online booking facility to create the largest park holiday sales platform in Britain.

Caravan Sitefinder first came online over 25 years ago and has grown to list and describe over 6,000 parks. During its the two and a half decades of operation the site has presented holiday homes to rent and to buy, plus those offering touring pitches.

The site will now operate alongside the holiday property website Michael Paul Holidays, which has been in operation for 12 years. The site was created by chartered surveyor and long-time leisure sector specialist, Michael Paul.

“This acquisition is destined to be a game-changer for parks and consumers, and comes at a point when UK staycations are enjoying a massive renaissance,” he said.

“Park businesses realise that in order to secure their fair share of this booming market, they must achieve as high an exposure as possible to prospective customers.

“Our two platforms, Caravan Sitefinder and Michael Paul Holidays, now make this an economically realistic goal for park enterprises of all types and sizes”, continued Michael.

He added that visitor numbers for both websites had increased vastly over this year, and were continuing to rise this winter in defiance of the traditional seasonal lull.

“All the indications are that 2021 will be a staycation year like no other, and that many more Britons than ever will be shunning foreign travel and committing to a UK holiday,” he added.

“Their expectation will be to go online to research and book their stay in an easy, seamless and professional manner – which is just the experience we will be delivering”.

Advice for first-time caravan buyers

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By William Coleman

Buying your first leisure vehicle is quite a big decision, with many factors that can influence the final choice. Let us help guide you through this process and remove any looming questions you may have.

The world of caravans, motorhomes and campervans is a large and varied one, which can be quite daunting when you first enter it. There are a lot of choices to make, starting with what type, layout and colour you like. Once you’ve solved that initial mystery you’re then faced with the trickier stuff like weight, MLTPM (maximum technically permitted laden mass) and the question of whether your current car will be able to tow your chosen caravan.

It seems like a heck of a lot of things to try and figure out all at once. With these tips, you should have all the questions ready to ask your dealer and have enough information to do some independent research ahead of opening your wallet.

Questions to ask when buying a caravan for the first time

Can my car tow a caravan?

Depending on your budget, the best advice is to look at your current vehicle and then see what van best suits what you already have. Doing this will save you a lot of time when it comes to what size and weight caravan to look at.

Not all cars are suited for towing so have a good look at what you currently own. Make sure, unless you’re going to buy a new tow car, that your current vehicle is up to the task.

Another aspect to look at is the combined weight of your tow car and caravan. If you passed your driving test after 1997 and don’t have a B+E grade on your licence, you won’t legally be able to drive a setup over 3500kg. This limits your options quite a bit, so it may be worth looking into additional driving courses once you’ve found your feet with towing.

What weight and berth?

Once you’ve determined whether your car is capable of towing a caravan, you’ll be looking for leisure vehicles under a particular weight. The average weight of a caravan is around 1300kg, but this doesn’t account for any personal belongings when setting off on a holiday. How confident you feel when driving and the size you require will further narrow down your choice.

The construction type and the materials your caravan is made from will also affect the towing weight. The higher the berth, generally the higher the weight, as you get more van to sleep and move around in.

In today’s market, a lot of manufacturers are building larger vans, with a higher berth capacity, at a much lower weight to ensure younger holidaymakers can get better vans at these lower towing weights.

What is the van for, and how often will it be used?

It’s very tempting to go and buy the biggest and best caravan or motorhome you can get your hands on. But, in reality, do you need all that leisure vehicle if it will only be used a handful of times a year? The answer is probably no, so why not spend some time looking at why you want a van and how it will be used?

Being honest with yourself at this stage is going to be extremely beneficial. Is this purchase going to be a family van that will be used on half-terms and bank holidays? Or will the van be taken away twice a year?

Once you have these questions answered you’ll have a much better understanding of what you need, then you can match a van to your needs and look at different price brackets.

New or second-hand?

Do you remember when you were first learning to drive and had your heart set on that brand new car down the road at the local forecourt? Then your mum and dad turn up with a very old, just MOT-able car that saw its best years before you were born. This was a wise lesson as we all trashed our first car.

Should you apply the same life lesson when looking at a new caravan or motorhome? This is a yes and no answer, but we’d say buying second-hand when first touring is the safest bet.

If you go to an approved dealer you can walk away with a fantastic second-hand model that’s just like new. This will save you some money and you can try the lifestyle without spending top dollar on a new van.

There are times when people have been on caravan holidays with friends and family and loved it. They then go and buy a van and realise they much prefer to be a guest on these trips than an active tourer.

You could also try before you buy – another great financial decision. Nowadays there are so many different rental options where you can spend a few hundred pounds on a trial run before making the big purchase.

Final thoughts and advice

Do your research! We cannot stress this enough. Consider all makes, models and sizes to find exactly what suits your needs and budget. The last thing you want to do is put a large deposit on a van and then change your mind.

Forums and other social media channels can be useful for answering common questions. If in doubt, you can discuss your needs with a caravan club or a local dealership. Most dealers are more than happy to help you rather than shove sales tactics down your throat.

The Caravan and Motorhome Club Tow car of the Year 2021

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By William Coleman

This year the Caravan and Motorhome Club’s tow car testing was a little different from what we were used to. We took part in the virtual judging to bring you the best tow vehicles on the market.

Each year the Club goes to extreme lengths to assemble a crack team of tow car judges to spend a week at the Millbrook test course, where they drive dozens of top-class vehicles and decide which one is the king of towing. 2020 marks the 38th edition of the annual testing and the first-ever virtual version.

We were unable to test at the Millbrook site as the Club felt it was a better option to host virtual judging. Our very own Dan Cartwright was a judge once again this year and found that virtual judging was surprisingly insightful and enabled him to look at each vehicle from a different point of view.

Taking this year’s top spot, in spectacular towing fashion, is the Skoda Superb Estate SE L Executive 2.0 TDI 150PS DSG. This is the second win for Skoda in the past three years, with the world-class Skoda Kodiaq taking the 2018 award. We tested the Kodiaq around Europe for three weeks and it is easy to see why Skoda keeps taking home the gold.

We know just how valuable these awards are and the information passed on by judges gives buyers the details they need to be confident when purchasing their next, or even first, tow car.

On top of that, the feedback is also given to manufacturers who take it away and see how the info can help them cater better to the touring world. Over the past four decades, the feedback from this testing has been taken on board by a lot of manufacturers, and we’ve seen these changes implemented in the following years to the cars submitted.

The 40 entrants were put into caravan weight categories – they are usually listed by price – to make it easier for buyers to know which cars could tow their caravans. Cars were entered into classes using their 85 per cent kerbweight figure or by their towing limit, whichever was the lower. The competition had seven weight classes, as well as Pick-up, Alternatively Fuelled, and two Family Tow car categories.

The entrants were then matched with caravans from Bailey of Bristol’s 2021 range with virtual loads, both in the car and the caravan, ensuring the vehicle’s other weight limits were not exceeded.

Nick Lomas, director general of the Caravan and Motorhome Club said, “Caravan holidays have never been more popular and it’s important to the Club to make sure we provide relevant information to our members – and all those interested in touring and towing. The Club, with its 110-plus years of experience, has worked with respected industry colleagues and journalists, all of whom are themselves caravanners, to bring together this invaluable set of data and information.”

Category winners

Overall Caravan and Motorhome Club Tow car of the Year 2021: SkodaSuperb Estate SE L Executive 2.0 TDI 150PS DSG

Skoda is a regular in the ‘Tow car Top 3’ and this year’s Superb appears to be no exception. You can’t go wrong with one of these. If you want a large estate, the Superb has to be on your shortlist.

Caravan Weight Under 1100kg: Renault All-New Captur

Caravan Weight 1100-1200kg: SEAT Leon Estate FR 1.5 TSI manual 150

Caravan Weight 1200-1300kg: SkodaOctavia Estate SE L First Edition 2.0 TDI 150PS DSG

Caravan Weight 1300-1400kg: Skoda Superb Estate SE L Executive 2.0 TDI 150PS DSG

Caravan Weight 1400-1500kg: Vauxhall Insignia SRi VX-Line Nav

Large Family Tow car: Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Caravelle 6.1 SE Long Wheelbase 2.0 TDI 199PS 7spd DSG

And here are the new category winners

Caravan Weight 1500-1700kg & Alternatively Fuelled: Volvo XC40 Recharge Plug-in Hybrid T5 FWD R-Design

Caravan Weight Over 1700kg & Family Towcar: Volvo V60 Recharge Plug-in Hybrid T6 AWD R-Design

Pick-Up: Nissan Navara dCi190 Double Cab N-Guard Automatic

Is 2021 going to be a new age for the caravan holiday?

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By William Coleman

Every few years the caravan holiday goes through a resurgence and the industry experiences a surge in popularity. With so many global factors in place, is 2021 going to be the boom of all booms for the UK staycation?

Ever since the Brexit vote in 2016, the love for the caravan and camping holiday has grown each year. This could be because of the vote, or just pure coincidence. Whatever the reasons are for the upswing, we’re glad it’s happening.

This year saw another large issue impact the caravan holiday; yes, it’s Covid. Due to travel restrictions, anxiety and a general unease of going abroad, the masses have been flocking to sites, parks and leisure vehicle dealers across the UK.

Now that so many people have experienced just how fun and varied a staycation can be, site bookings for next year are already through the roof.

The question we’re asking is, has the combo of Brexit and Covid put the caravan market in an extremely strong position?

In the UK, the caravanning industry contributes more than £9.3 billion to holiday parks and campsites every year. It currently employs over 130,000 people across the UK and next year’s numbers may be even higher. With so many jobs being lost at the moment, this rise in employment could be just what the doctor ordered.

Has the travel industry priced itself out?

A few decades ago, it was financially unfeasible for a family of four to hop on a plane and spend a week in Spain. Then there was a period when overseas travel became an option for everyone. Fast forward to the present day and it’s once again become extremely expensive to take the kids abroad.

It seems as though the travel industry set a rod for its own back and slowly started to outprice loyal customers. Not to mention how the masses feel about the school holiday price hikes, which is daylight robbery at its finest.

Add to that the uneasy feeling of how Brexit will change the way we travel, sprinkle the events of 2020 on top and you have the perfect recipe to keep us all home for our holidays.

However, this can only be a good thing for all aspects of the UK economy, not to mention the much needed financial boost for sites and parks.

An area with a high-quality caravan park can be an extremely important part of a local financial ecosystem. We know many businesses that get continual repeat custom due to a local caravan park or resort and rely heavily on this holiday trade.

Come 2021, the world will look very different than it did from the same time a year prior. With such high demand for holidays, leisure vehicles and all manner of outdoor living equipment, it’s a safe bet that our staycation tourism industry is going to be strong.

Not only will this pump a lot more money into our own economy, it will also mean holiday abroad spend will now be kept in the UK. It was estimated back in January of this year that £27 billion of abroad spend would be kept in the UK. What will it be next year, with all the changes?

Looking at the trends online

Numbers do not lie and Google has some astonishing data showing just how popular the caravan holiday has become.

Data collected through Google search trends revealed that the topics “caravan” and “camping” have been at their highest this year. Furthermore, in July 2020, the data also showed that interest was 56 per cent higher than it was in the previous year (July 2019).

When we look at this data more closely, we can see that those who were searching online for these terms were also asking questions such as, “when will caravan parks open?” and “how are caravan parks responding to Coronavirus?”.

Alongside this, there was a huge spike in interest for queries such as, “caravan for sale”, “caravan holidays”, and “caravan insurance”.

The Future of caravanning

According to the National Caravan Council, it is estimated there are around 555,000 touring caravans, 365,000 caravan holiday homes and a further 255,000 motorhomes currently in the UK. However, with the pastime becoming a more viable and appealing option to people residing within the UK, it could be suggested this number will gradually begin to rise.

In fact, caravan accessory company, Motor Movers Direct has seen first-hand the rise in demand for the products they sell.

A spokesperson for the company, said: “Over the last few months, we have seen a rising demand for caravan and motorhome accessories, which suggests to us that there has been an even greater demand for the vehicles themselves. Many of these customers have been first-time buyers, just beginning their journey into the world of camping and caravanning.”

Get covered and get protected

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By William Coleman

Using a cover for your caravan, or motorhome is a method that should be employed by all responsible owners who want to get more mileage out of their leisure vehicle. A cover can be used for both towing and storage, so you will get your money’s worth from the moment you purchase one.

Imagine saving up all those hard-earned pennies, travelling to your dealer, buying a caravan, towing it for the first time and then seeing a nice big chip or crack on one of the panels or windows. This happens more often than you’d think and can be easily avoided by something as simple as a cover.

Like most aftermarket purchases, covers come in all shapes, sizes and qualities and it’s wise to invest well when it comes to protecting your leisure vehicle. As the saying goes, buy cheap and you’ll end up buying twice.

Despite the gargantuan amount of protection a cover provides, you still see an awful lot of vans being both towed and stored without one attached.

If you are in two minds on whether you should splash out on a cover, we have a few essential reasons why you really should.

Stored at home safely.?

If your caravan is stored on the drive or down the side of the house it should be safe, right? Unfortunately, this is not always the case and can sometimes actually be quite a bad idea.

Over the years, countless caravans have been stolen from front doorsteps all across the UK, many of which without covers.

First and foremost a cover can deter would-be thieves. The time it takes to remove a cover, not to mention the noise and effort, does not make for a very swift getaway. This alone makes a cover very much worth its weight in gold.

The same logic applies for vandalism as caravans are still very much a victim of pointless and random attacks. It’s a simple case of, out of sight out of mind.

Stay safe from the elements

A van’s life can sometimes be tough, so you should do all you can to keep it safe and sound when in storage.

From the end of October to the beginning of March, the majority of leisure vehicles are not in use and are either kept at home or at a storage facility. Either way, you should still cover it up.

One day before the February show this year, a CaravanTimes team member lost the roof to their house during a storm and their home flooded, so imagine what a storm of that scale could do to a defenceless caravan?

With the weather seemingly getting worse each year, it is more than likely that stored caravans will start to bear to the brunt of it.

Water ingress and storm damage can be reduced by using a good cover. It will also prevent the wind from throwing stones, leaves and all manner debris directly against the van.

Another point worth mentioning is how filthy the exterior of the van can get during the winter months. Nobody wants to clean the van two to three times just to remove the layer of grime mother nature has provided.

Protection on the move

Roads can sometimes be very tricky to navigate when you have a caravan hitched up. It is our firm belief that those who tow are perhaps some of the safest drivers on the road, but poor road conditions and other drivers are where the dangers come from.

Debris is enemy number one when it comes to towing, especially on A-roads and motorways. Chips, dings and dents on a caravan tend to occur while driving and are very much unavoidable.

If your caravan is well wrapped, it will provide a layer of protection between road shrapnel and precious cargo. This will also stop the caravan from becoming a squashed-bug graveyard. Nobody wants to spend their first hours on-site removing bug body parts!

Club driving courses launched for 2021

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By William Coleman

2021 is just a few short weeks away and it’s already shaping up to be one hell of a year for the touring world. Ahead of the new season, why not brush up on your towing and manoeuvring skills with the Caravan and Motorhome Club?

This year the majority of caravans, motorhomes and campers have been stored more than usual, meaning owners have spent less time behind the wheel sharpening their driving skills. A quick refresh may not be the worst idea, seeing as the UK driving holiday will be a very popular option come the new year.

The Caravan and Motorhome Club have launched its 2021 driving courses, which will operate under the Club’s COVID-Secure measures. These brand new practical training courses will run across 13 locations in the UK. There is also a new partnership in place with Go!Driving, which is offering B+E driving licence courses and tests.

These training courses have been run by the Club for well over 40 years, so you know you’re in good hands. They have been designed specifically to give tourers additional peace of mind and give confidence to those towing or driving a motorhome for the first time. Over the past four decades, over 55,000 participants have benefitted from the courses.

If you are interested in taking part in these training courses, they will be running from February to October. The caravan and motorhome manoeuvring courses both take less than seven hours, while the Practical Caravan Manoeuvring course for people who are completely new to caravanning is completed within ten hours split over two days.

Training courses include:

  • Manoeuvring advice
  • Hitching and towing safely
  • Straightforward safety checks
  • Understanding the laws that affect caravanning and motorhoming
  • Practice in manoeuvring an outfit forwards and backwards
  • Understanding loading and how it affects towing

The courses are priced as follows:

Practical Caravanning Course – £189.00
Caravan Manoeuvring Course – £159.00
Motorhome Manoeuvring Course – £189.00

Harvey Alexander, director of marketing and membership services at the Caravan and Motorhome Club, said: “We are delighted to be able to offer this excellent range of courses to new and seasoned tourers alike, as we know everyone is excited to get back out on the road next year.

“These COVID-Secure courses provide great value for money and mean that people have the confidence to relax and enjoy their touring adventure with real peace of mind.”

The Christmas season has officially started in Somerset

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By William Coleman

The end of the national lockdown is here and a family-run Somerset park is pulling the Christmas crackers in celebration as they officially kick off the 2020 festive season.

The Bath Chew Valley Caravan Park has now officially reopened and the owners are planning to make it Britain’s most Christmassy place to stay.

The Betton family has run the multi-award winning park for over 20 years. This Christmas, Keith Betton is expecting the site’s festive display to be more hotly anticipated than ever (a sentiment we agree with, having seen the large number of houses going all out with their decorations this early into December).

As of now, both Bath city and Chew Valley are in Tier 2, which alongside the park’s COVID-secure gradings by the AA and Visit England, provides assurance for guests wanting to enjoy a Christmas break.

Looking forward to welcoming guests, Keith said: “Visitors bring their motorhomes and caravans from across the country to join in the festive fun and great atmosphere.

“We even hold a competition for the best-decorated unit, and some guests go to amazing lengths to outshine their neighbours in a spirit of friendly rivalry.

“This year will definitely top last Christmas, as we now have two luxury lodges for hire, which will be decked inside and out with all the sparkle of the season.”

Following the end of July’s lockdown, business at Bath Chew Valley has been monumental, despite running at a lower capacity to ensure social distancing measures were followed.

Those looking for a quieter stay will enjoy this site as it is an adult-only park, which is spread over four acres of pristine landscaped grounds that feature dog exercising areas and a woodland conservation trail.

Following a month of staying home, Keith firmly believes his site is the perfect remedy for post-lockdown holiday anxieties. With an abundance of fresh air, woodland and closeness to nature, you’ll find all you need to clear your head and get back to being outside and having great holidays.

“We have many bookings now for Christmas, the New Year and well into 2021, so we are naturally very optimistic about the long-term prospects for the park,” commented Keith, who also serves as a director on the board of the Best of British caravan, camping and holiday parks group.

“Everyone here is dreaming of a bright Christmas, and we can’t wait to see guests arrive and set up their units!”

As 2020 draws to a close, it’s important to start looking at the small things we can all do to remove the likely shadow this year will leave, and slowly get back to normality. Go to sites, enjoy nature, stay safe and, most of all, do your best to enjoy the world we have.

Pro-Tec Covers talk winter storage and caravan protection

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By William Coleman

A caravan cover is an essential part of a caravan inventory and can protect your leisure vehicles from more than just the elements. Pro-Tec Covers will ensure your van stays safe in both storage and transit.

We’ve all pulled up on-site and pitched up only to find the caravan covered in a layer of squashed bugs, dirt and debris. One major issue having no cover can create is chipped windows. Not only do you have to clean the van on site, but you also have to check the van over for further damage that can sometimes lead to the van needing immediate repair.

With a good quality cover, you can remove a large part of these potential nightmare scenarios, not to mention saving a shed load of cash down the road.

You can buy a cover off the shelf or order a generic one online, but you run the risk of it not fitting or ending up with a poor quality one. To avoid all that wasted time and money, you should look into investing in a Pro-Tec caravan cover.

Not only are they handmade right here in the UK but the technology used for these covers has been developed in the UK too, Scotland to be exact.

We spoke with Nicole Topham from Pro-Tec to find out more about the covers and how best to use them for storage and travel.

CaravanTimes: It has been a while since we caught up with Pro-Tec, and we won’t be seeing the team at the February NEC show. So, how has Pro-Tec been this year?

Nicole: Fortunately we are one of the lucky businesses that were able to stay open through both our national lockdowns this year. The majority of our staff did go on furlough, but we remained open and manufacturing with a small team.

Alongside making covers, we dedicated part of our manufacture towards making PPE for the NHS during this period. As the year progressed we steadily got busier, our staff members slowly came off of furlough and we went full steam ahead to get our orders manufactured for all our new and existing customers.

The increase in people getting into ‘staycation’ holidays really had an impact on our business and orders – definitely keeping us busy through these uncertain times!

CaravanTimes: There has been a huge increase in newcomers to the world of caravan and motorhome holidays. Would you advise new leisure vehicle owners to invest in a cover?

Nicole: We would definitely recommend investing in both a storage cover and front towing cover when purchasing a caravan or motorhome, as it is protecting your investment.

However, we would always advise any customer to do their research before making a purchase. We know there are a lot of online forums and friendly experienced caravan and motorhome owners who are always happy to advise newcomers to the community who are seeking information on protecting their vehicle.

CaravanTimes: What are the benefits of having a Pro-Tec cover?

Nicole: The fabric we use to manufacture our covers is exclusive to us and designed with vehicle protection in mind. Our fabric, which we call ‘CaravanShield’ is manufactured by a company in Scotland, and not only is it waterproof and UV-stabilised, it is also highly breathable.

This breathability ensures you will not encounter any issues with condensation build up on your vehicle. The fabric we use also has a non-abrasive inner lining, ensuring that no damage will occur to your windows or paintwork when using our covers.

Not only is our fabric manufactured in the UK, but from start to finish, all of our covers are made in house in our factory in Bradford, West Yorkshire – so you can be assured not only are you supporting a small UK business with your purchase, but you are also supporting the British manufacturing industry.

CaravanTimes: Your covers are quite different from what can be bought off the shelf. What makes your covers so unique?

Nicole: Unlike off the shelf covers, our pro-tec covers are fully bespoke to each make and model of caravan or motorhome. This means we can tailor both our covers and service to ensure any requirements for the covers are met.

All of our full storage covers come with door access for your habitation door, and allowance for any external items such as TV aerials, bike racks etc. We can also add clear panels for solar panels, or additional access points if these are required by our customers.

Every one
of our storage covers also come with our exclusive Easy-Fit system that is only available on a Pro-tec cover. This Easy-Fit system means it is far easier to fit your cover no matter how big your vehicle. You simply roll up the rear panel of the cover, and walk the cover from the front of your vehicle to the back using the extending poles provided and then secure the straps underneath.

CaravanTimes: Storage is very much on people’s minds at the moment. Is a cover essential for storage?

Nicole: If you are storing your caravan/motorhome outdoors it is definitely beneficial to have a cover. Not only does having a cover protect your vehicle from condensation, rain and UV, it also keeps your vehicle clean so you’re not spending precious time cleaning your vehicle before your trips when you could be off and away on your holidays.

Covers can also act as an extra level of security against theft or vandalism. Some storage sites also require that your vehicle has a cover on to store your vehicle, so this is also something to consider.

To find out more about Pro-Tec and its unique and bespoke covers, check out its website here?.

Tow car Review: Ford Puma ST-Line X

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By William Coleman

Tow cars come in all different shapes and sizes. Some people like a large 4×4, some like an estate car, and then there’s those who opt for a saloon model. Well, how about a 1.0 Ecoboost hybrid Ford Puma?

When browsing which tow car we’d like to get our hands on, we were looking at Audi, Land Rover, Volvo and various other common towing vehicles. One of the CaravanTimes team then suggested we see how a smaller engine car does, as we will soon have lots of people with a post-1997 licence hitching a caravan to their car.

Seeing as the future of motoring seems to be headed towards the hybrid and electric vehicle sector, we thought we’d try a lightweight eco-friendly tow car and test just what a low CC engine can do with a caravan attached.

There will be a lot of people who would never look at a Ford Puma as a tow car, due to its size and engine capacity. After putting the Puma to the test we were surprised at its performance and just how well it handled towing a caravan.

It’s models like this that may one day become the backbone of towing. Either that or UK driving licences need to change their weight allowances. What do you think is more likely, a law change or everyone who passed their driving test after 1997 taking, and passing, a B+E course? It seems as though lighter cars may be the logical option for future towing holidays.

Driving and handling

When reviewing a tow car, especially one of this size, it’s important to look at both towing and day-to-day driving. Most people use the same car for towing and commuting unless they’re lucky enough to have one vehicle for each. So let’s look at how the Puma handles without a van attached.

Ford’s smaller vehicles like the classic Fiesta and the ever-reliable Focus are extremely popular options across the UK. From the first time cars all the way to family and tow vehicles, Ford does it all. So where does the Puma sit?

For a one-litre model, the Puma really does pack a punch and people will be surprised at just how speedy this car is. You can quite easily get up to 30+ miles an hour and not even realise it. That’s the ST kicking in.

The six-speed manual gearbox provides 152 bhp with a top speed of 124mph, which is impressive for an engine of this size. On a full tank of petrol, depending on your driving style, you will get around 563 miles out the 42-litre fuel tank. That number is combined with the hybrid side of the engine too.

When driving, you will feel just how well the Puma sticks to the road. The manoeuvring is spot on, but being so lightweight we’d expect nothing less. Having driven a Focus, KA, Fiesta and even a Ford Mustang, the Puma is one of the smoother drives out of them all.

One thing we were not keen on is the position of the gear stick, it felt far away and out of place. At times we found ourselves searching for the gear stick as it was not placed in a natural position where you’d find it on most cars or vans.

Aside from the oddly placed gear stick, our driving time was good. We especially enjoyed the miniature tank feel that the Puma has. If you like a fun smaller car that is economic to run and looks great then the Puma should be on your list.

Towing and loading

The Puma’s kerb weight is 1280kgs, so it is definitely one of Ford’s lighter models and is perfect for anyone who wants to tow a much smaller van.

With this tow car, you have a towing limit of 1100kg with a laden caravan attached. So you are quite limited to what type of caravan you can tow. For example, Bailey’s smallest van range is the Discovery, which comes in at 995kg, so you are not too far away from your limit with small entry-level vans.

If you want a larger touring caravan like a Swift Sprite Alpine 4, which has a MTPLM of 1218kg, you’ll need to look at a different tow car.

Towing smaller vans with the Puma is not going to be too much of an issue, but you may see high revs when going uphill. The engine copes well with the extra weight and at times the towing feels effortless. It is only when you start to face inclines you really see the limits of the Puma as a towing vehicle.

Interior, exterior and gadgets

This is a compact SUV and it looks like someone took a 4×4 and shrunk it down to a hatchback size. The shape and design is great and has all the modern trademarks of Ford. This is a vast improvement on previous models.

All of Ford’s ST models have a plush interior and can look a little boy racer-ish. These more modern cars are not as flamboyant as the ST models of 2005-2008.

It does have a lot of style inside and the flat-bottomed leather steering wheel and bucket seats with lumbar adjustment are both smart and comfortable.

If you like gadgets then you’ll love this car! The more we used the Puma the more we found. There’s even a wireless charging pad for your phone!

The stereo system has everything you need from Apple CarPlay to voice control and heating options.

Ford is known for its high-quality safety features and there are lots of these on board the Puma. The pre-collision assist works well and is not overly sensitive, and the autonomous emergency braking system could help you get out of incidents caused by other drivers.

Verdict

The Ford Puma is not your everyday tow car due to its size and weight limitations. It does very much have its place in the towing world, as it may serve the younger staycation lovers out there.

As we mentioned, there is a whole generation of caravan lovers who cannot legally tow a set up of over 3500kgs so these small cars and lighter caravans will be a big part of the leisure industry in years to come.

When the times comes for the younger generation to take over the towing world, the Puma should be a front-runner as Ford has made a great smaller towing car.

It’s an extremely fun car to drive but for bigger caravans, the Puma simply will not do the job.

Campervan Review: The Ford Nugget

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William Coleman

Ford’s newest camper model is here and it’s loud and proud. Can the oddly named Nugget provide stiff competition to the Volkswagen California, or is it just another in a long line of van-converted mobile homes?

Some say the Ford custom campervan will always play second fiddle to the VW models, but the Nugget may start to change minds due to its size and comfort. This may not be a new van but this generation is very different from its predecessors.

When writing this review, we will do our best to not compare the Nugget to the VW California, but at times it is hard not to as they are both front runners in this market and direct competitors.

The Transit Custom Nugget is quite costly, starting at £63,334 on the road or £66,424 with all the bells and whistles, and there are other brands out there that produce something similar for around £8-£10k less. When it comes to what you get for your money, you are going to see the extra value the Nugget provides, making that additional spend very much worth it.

The minibus-based camper has a lot of great features, both inside and out, and a few small elements that were not amazing. The design and build quality is exceptional and throughout the van you will see just how solid all of Ford’s camper components are. Let’s have a delve into what you can expect from the Nugget.

Exterior

The Nugget’s appearance does not scream out ‘leisure vehicle’, which is a good thing as it works perfectly as both a touring and day-to-day camper. What you do see when you look at it is a very smart, well-designed van that is much in line with the modern look of everyday cars, trucks and 4x4s.

On the exterior, the Nugget benefits from a new modern facelift and grille, which make it look smart and sporty.

The UK version of the Nugget features two sliding side doors that, when opened, make the van airy, bright and very easy for a family of four to hop in and out. There are times where you have just one side door on a camper and you find yourself lining up in an orderly fashion to enter and exit the vehicle – not the best when you have the kids with you.

You will find the awning on the driver’s side of the van, pretty normal for UK campers, as well as the two awning poles. Once set up you can see just how trendy-looking this new Ford is. Dare we say it is better looking than the California?

Around the exterior chassis, there are front and rear parking sensors and a perimeter alarm. We found the perimeter sensors to be a tad over-sensitive and at times they seemed to go off when crawling through slow traffic. This was off-putting and when driving at speed could make you jump a bit as they seem to alert out of nowhere.

Interior

One part of this new model that we really like is just how different the layout is for a camper of this size. Ford has very much moved away from the traditional campervan layout and has made fantastic use of a bench seat and rear kitchen set up.

Having the kitchen at the rear means that the bench seat slides down into a double bed without having to use the two cab seats. The long-wheelbase provides so much space inside that you feel very separate from the different areas onboard.

The separation of the cooking and living area means that the two rear barn doors give you the ease of access to the kitchen, with its 40-litre fridge and storage lockers. You can prepare and cook your food without being in the middle of the van and having to manoeuvre around the family.

The front cab does not feel like a transit van – think more modern 4×4. The only drawback we found was just how fiddly the swivel seats are. Depending on your chosen seating position when driving, you may have to totally rearrange the seating to be able to spin the chairs. We can see this annoying a few people.

When the sun goes down the LED interior lighting keeps the van well lit, especially with the fully directional spot lamps.

Internal power points are plentiful: three 340V and 300W sockets, two 12V plugs and then two USB ports. You will not have any issues with charging gadgets while using the kettle and toaster.

In the cab, you have a large screen to control media, maps, radio and music. As always the Apple CarPlay came in handy for both maps and music.

Day and night living

As mentioned above, the rear kitchen frees up a ton of space in the middle of the van. With the two front cab seats spun round and the dining table set up, you can comfortably seat four and still move around the entirety of the van.

Like most camper owners, you’re probably not going to be spending the whole day in the van, as they tend to be for more exploration trips than lazy ones. Despite that trend, you can spend a lot of downtime in the Nugget as the space is there to do so.

This is a four-berth model with two beds that require being set up. Once you are pitched you are more than likely to pop the roof up straight away so the upper double bed will be ready come the evening.

The second double bed is made up from the bench seat and takes no time at all to set up, once you’ve figured it out.

Driving

Here is where the Nugget really excels. Ford Transits are made for driving and transporting, so it is no surprise that the 2.0-litre EcoBlue engine and six-speed automatic transmission makes easy work of carrying the extra weight of the touring gear.

Add to that extra luggage, water, food and people, and there’s still no driving issue. You also enjoy great fuel consumption. On average you will get approximately 31.7 miles per gallon and at its lowest around 23.7mpg. This will of course change depending on the laden weight.

We have been testing a lot of automatic campers and motorhomes in 2020. Is this due to the high demand for autos or is this the industry deciding this is the future of touring? Either way, we enjoyed the automatic gearbox and we welcome more vehicles adopting this option.

A manual transmission does have its advantages at times, but during the 50+ hours we drove the Nugget, we did not find an occasion where we’d rather have a gear stick and clutch pedal.

The acceleration was not the best but with all your kit packed and family on board, you are not going to be putting your foot down like an F1 racer.

Verdict

The Nugget (we still can’t quite decide if we like the name) is a solid campervan that provides an excellent layout and almost flawless driving experience.

The two side doors and rear barn doors make the usage of the van great and is something other manufacturers should look to introduce.

We cannot help but compare it to the VW, but they are quite different, while at the same time having a lot of similarities. The VW was a better drive, but we will put that down to vehicle weight, and the Nugget had a better onboard layout and storage options.

Overall the Nugget is a fantastic choice and should make UK staycations easier for newcomers. When it comes to more seasoned campervan users, it may be hard for them to choose between Ford and Volkswagen.