By Chris Littley

By the beginning of May, most caravan enthusiasts would usually be embarking on regular trips in their trusty motorhome, but this year things are a little different.

The coronavirus lockdown has affected so many parts of our lives and caravanning is not exempt.

If you’ve taken your caravan out of hibernation and cleaned it up ready for the season, you’ll be wondering if you can put it into use while you wait for restrictions to be lifted. Here are five alternative ways to enjoy your motorhome during the crisis:

Self-isolation pod

Anyone displaying symptoms of coronavirus or working in a high-risk job may wish to isolate themselves from other members of their household. A caravan parked on the drive could represent a convenient solution to this particular issue.

Remote classroom

Home schooling can be tough, especially if there are a lot of distractions around. Take the kids out of the house and away from their toys, computer games and other siblings to complete their lessons. The change of scenery will also help to define the lines between school work and home life.

Home office

It may be you and not the children who need a space free of distractions in order to be productive. A caravan is just the right size to create an office, so set it up with your laptop, desktop lamp and filing system. Bring a houseplant out to complete the look too.

Romantic date setting

Keeping the spark alive in lockdown can be tricky, but it’s worth thinking outside the box and continuing to have regular date nights. Put up some fairy lights in your caravan and, before you know it, you’ve got a romantic setting for a delicious home cooked meal.

Weekend away

We’re not allowed to go far, but you can still pack a holdall and escape to your caravan for a simpler way of life. Parked up outside your house, you can imagine you’re on your usual adventures and cook up all your caravan favourites in the kitchen. That first cup of coffee looking out of the van will taste just as good as when it’s parked up in the countryside.

By Chris Littley

The CaravanTime’s Classic Gold feature returns, with a look back at the 2009 Coachman Pastiche 520/4.

Our reviewer back in July 2011, El Beardo (no, we don’t think that’s his real name), wasn’t particularly impressed with the model, but he did have some nice things to say about it.

He said there was “plenty of space, but some of the design makes me wonder if the people designing these vans ever use them”.

Indeed, El Beardo noted there were “silly under cushion slats, no shelves in any upper lockers, wardrobe rail wrong way around, limited workspace, etc”.

That said, he was pleased with the level of comfort, claiming it was a “beautiful, light and airy van, with comfortable seating and bed”.

Overall, he scored the Pastiche 520/4 a solid four out of five for value for money and space and practicality, although his rating did drop to three for quality and reliability.

“I know a lot of people rate these vans very highly, but personally I have had a lot of irritating problems,” he commented.

The locker hinges came with screws missing, the carpets needed to be replaced after the first outing and the bathroom sink had a crack in it – so, not great overall.

Give us your thoughts on this classic caravan and let us know if you agree with El Beardo’s review. We’d love to hear from you!

By Chris Littley

Even during these difficult times, it’s great to see the community spirit of the caravan and camping community continues to shine through.

Inverness-based campervan rental business Highland Auto Campers has typified this sentiment, offering up three vehicles as temporary accommodation for key staff at a local care home.

The firm responded to a request from Victoria Connolly, manager at the Isobel Fraser Care Home, to help to support the facility in its time of need.

The vans will now be used to ensure key staff are able to self-isolate on site and not risk spreading coronavirus either to their own loved ones or residents of the home. It all forms part of the care home’s plans to help to limit the chances of infection.

Mark Jarratt, one of the owners of the business, told North Coast 500: “Whilst we are overwhelmed by the reactions we have had in recent days, the real heroes in this story are the care home staff, who are sacrificing time at home with their families and loved ones, to carry out their job.”

He went on to add that the dedication of nursing staff to isolate in this way and to forego seeing their own loved ones to help to protect some of the most vulnerable people in the local community is admirable.

“I hope that other companies in our position will be able to do similar in other parts of the country,” Mark concluded.

By Chris Littley

It’s not every day when you give a five-star review across the board, but that was just the case for the Gobur 12 2T, as we look back in time in this edition of Classic Gold.

The 2010 12 2T was a standout performer in every area, according to our reviewer Michael Hayes in October 2011.

He highlighted the excellent build quality and attention to detail by the designers, with outstanding craftsmanship and a spacious interior that made the model a pleasure to own.

“We have had nine new caravans before our Gobur, all with faults, some serious and some minor but all poor workmanship,” Michael stated.

“Our Gobur has no faults at all, build quality is perfect – a credit to Gobur.”

Overall, he described the 12 2T as “perfect”, scoring the vehicle a top rating of five out of five for equipment and comfort, build quality and reliability, space and practicality, and value for money.

“As always, you get what you pay for; we have no complaints at all,” Michael concluded.

Let us know your thoughts on the 2010 Gobur 12 2T, was it really as good as our review made out? We’d also love to know how the model fared over the years, did it stand up to the rigours of regular use?

By Chris Littley

The country’s still in lockdown and that means there’s plenty of time at home for the majority of us, so what better way to wile away the hours than to get to grips with essential upkeep for your caravan or motorhome?

There are plenty of easy tasks you can keep on top of at times like these, and let’s face it, there’s only so much Netflix you can watch or new hobbies you can pick up before you’re craving something else to keep you occupied.

Why not take the time to give your caravan or motorhome a thorough deep clean? With the sunny weather (hopefully) sticking around for the next few weeks, you’ve got lots of time to really get into those nooks and crannies and make sure both the interior and exterior are just like new for when the lockdown finally ends.

Other tasks that you might have put off up until now include refitting carpets or cupboards that are tired or worn, sprucing up the interior by adding a new splash of colour or improving your storage situation.

Indeed, some space-saving tips include putting in stackable storage tubs, hanging shoe racks to keep loose shoes out of the way, installing overhead shelving to make use of space that would otherwise go to waste, as well as putting up magnetic strips for things like knives, bottle openers or other small objects.

There really are a whole host of things you can be doing in your caravan or motorhome right now and we want to hear from you. What are some of those annoying jobs that you’ve put off in the past, but you’ve tackled head on now the lockdown is here?

By Chris Littley

We’re starting the week with another look back into the caravans and motorhomes of yesteryear; it’s a Classic Gold outing for the Bailey Retreat Sycamore.

Looking back at the 2012 model and our review from the same year, we gave the vehicle something of a mixed bag of praise and disparagement.

The interior was an undoubted highlight according to our reviewer Mark Hannam, who argued: “The best in its class, Bailey have got this one right.”

He rated the Retreat Sycamore a perfect five out of five stars for its space and practicality, but it scored just three out of five for quality and reliability.

Indeed, Mark noted that, upon close inspection, some sections of the wood decor had not been properly glued in place and there was a small crack in the kitchen splashback.

The water was also very slow to drain in the sinks, while the front seats had been finished in plywood and were not hinged, like those in the rest of the cabin.

Despite these problems, Mark still felt the model was a good all-rounder, giving it a not-too-shabby four out of five overall rating.

We’d love to know your thoughts on the Bailey Retreat Sycamore. If you’ve ever owned or rented one, why not drop us a message and get in touch!

By Chris Littley

How do you feel about the Sprite Alpine 4? We’re looking back at this classic vehicle as part of our latest instalment in the Classic Gold series.

Peter Holden reviewed the Alpine 4 back in March 2014 and, we have to say, it didn’t blow his socks off, unfortunately.

He gave the vehicle a slightly lacklustre three out of five stars at the time, highlighting several issues that made it a less than perfect choice for many enthusiasts.

Indeed, Peter had a long list of bugbears, including: “Seating foam soon flattens down. Heating system useless – either too hot or too cold. Radio in an awkward position and overly complicated.”

He was also not impressed by the cramped interior, stating that the model he saw was “excellent for one person”, but he’d “hate to try four people”.

That said, one positive was the low initial price of purchase for the caravan, which he described as being “value for money”. Overall though, he wasn’t impressed.

Let us know about your experience of the Sprite Alpine 4 and if you think we got it right in our initial review. There’s also plenty more to come in terms of Classic Gold content, so give us your thoughts on the models you’d like to see in future editions.

By Chris Littley

Catching up on our reviews of yesteryear, it’s time for the Sterling Europa 540 to receive the Classic Gold treatment from the CaravanTimes.

Our reviewer Andy Legg took on the challenge of reviewing the model way back in August 2011 and he certainly wasn’t one to pull his punches!

With fours across the board in terms of scores for reliability, equipment and value for money, the Europa 540 was less than perfect but nonetheless did show some promise and impressed in some key areas.

“It looks fantastic inside with the silver aluminium effects. Reminds me of my Audi,” stated Andy. “But the quality was a little disappointing, I did change all the door handles for metal ones as the cheap chrome-plated plastic ones were horrible.”

The fact that two battery chargers failed and the vehicle had some leaky pipes meant it wasn’t the most glowing of reviews; however, with plenty of room for four people to relax in comfortably, the Europa 540 at least had that going for it.

We want to hear from you, so let us know how you’ve found the Sterling Europa 540 over the years and if you think we got it right in our initial review.