by Joe Jeffrey
Join us as we take a look at some of our most popular stories over the years in order to commemorate CaravanTimes’ seventh anniversary
Seven wonders of the world, seven deadly sins, seven days of the week. we could go on. It is unequivocal that the number seven is of great significance for a number of reasons, and CaravanTimes has just added yet another one to the list with today marking our seventh official anniversary.
To say the past seven years have been somewhat of a rollercoaster ride is pretty much an understatement. From starting out as a simple blog in order to share our passion of the great outdoors with other likeminded caravanners and motorhomers, to becoming the world’s most popular outdoors leisure website in the short space of seven years, it is true to say that we’ve travelled a long way in more ways than one – and we couldn’t have done it without you, our dedicated readers.
In order to mark CaravanTimes’ seventh anniversary, we’ve pieced together seven of our top stories which have either proven immensely popular over the last seven years or struck a chord with you, our readers. Read on and enjoy.
First time tips
With staycations on the rise year-on-year and many people choosing to take the plunge and invest in their very own caravan, it made sense for CaravanTimes to provide a users guide to caravanning for the first time and, last summer, we did exactly that. From caravan jargon, to pitching up for the first time, our guide for first timers certainly proved popular for some. So to check it out again if you’re new to caravanning, or even if you jut want a little refresher before your summer holiday, click here
Widow banned from caravan park
Perhaps the most controversial and certainly the most read story CaravanTimes ever ran surrounded the banning of a recently widowed lady from Searles Leisure Resort in Hunstanton because she was deemed ‘single’, despite frequenting the site on numerous occasions with her husband when he was alive. The story led to Annette Gration calling for a change in Searles’ rules on single-person-occupancy, and also gained an unprecedented amount of media attention, bringing Searles reputation into question for all the wrong reasons. To read more about what happened in case you missed it the first time around, click here
Near miss
When it comes to sharing the road with other users, it goes without saying that a vast majority of us are thoughtful enough to respect the rules of the road, irrespective of all the stick us caravanners get on the odd occasion. In a rather strange turn of events, however, one cyclist got a lot more than he bargained for after cycling along the A59 at Samlesbury, Lancashire back in 2014 when a lorry driver transporting caravans to a local dealership decided to over overtake him in such close proximity that it raised many questions and subsequently cost the lorry driver his job. To check out the video, click here.
Measuring your nose weight
When it comes to caravanning, it pays to be cautious and it pays to pay close attention to safety measures required to ensure a happy journey wherever you’re heading. That’s why CaravanTimes pieced together a top five check list when it comes to loading up your caravan and measuring your nose weight. So if you’re a new caravanner, or simply need a refresher in why it’s important to load your caravan to within the correct limits, click here. You never nose (sorry) when you might need to refer to it.
World’s most expensive motorhome
We’d be liars if we said we didn’t have our very own dreams and aspirations, and the Elemment Palazzo is certainly one of those. The motormansion on wheels, brought to us by Austrian company Marchi Mobile, certainly struck a chord with our readers for many reasons as our comments section at the end of the story would attest. And measuring in at 215 sq ft, with a slide-out section doubling this to 430 sq ft, as well as an internal headroom of 8’2″ we can see why. Although we’ve placed this on our Christmas wish list since we ran the story in 2011, we’re yet to have received one of these 20 tonne behemoths, which is probably a good thing though as we wouldn’t know where to pitch up with it. To check it out, click here
Caravan levelling
When it comes to caravanning, everyone likes to start off on even ground and, ultimately, pitch up on it. It’s not always that simple though, as we’ve found out on numerous occasions where we’ve suffered sleepless nights, restless woes and everything else in-between owing to this caravan conundrum. Fear not, however, as back in 2013, CaravanTimes headed along to Golden Castle Caravans in order to find out how to pros do it. To find out for yourself, click here.
Ray Mears
Scandal – you’ve gotta love it. And there was certainly plenty of that following Ray Mears’ appearance on popular BBC One show, Room 101, where the outdoor survivalist labelled caravans as “hideous,” choosing for them to be banished to Room 101 for ever more. ‘Everyone’s entitled to their opinion’ we hear you say; and we’d usually be inclined to agree – but not when Mears was just weeks away from attending the NCC’s Caravan, Camping & Motorhome Show at Birmingham’s NEC. Mears was left rather red-faced following on from his appearance and duly relinquished of his services at the show. To read the original story, as broken by CaravanTimes and subsequently picked up by national newspapers, radio and television, click here.
So there you have it. Our most popular stories all under one roof for you to enjoy one more time, and we sincerely hope you did. Finally, we’d like to say a massive THANK YOU for making CaravanTimes what it is today. Without you, our readers, none of this would have been possible.
