COMMENT: Why Prince William and Kate Middleton could take a caravan honeymoon after royal wedding

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by Marcus Dubois

The announcement of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s engagement yesterday was greeted with the expected frenzy of speculation by news outlets worldwide. While many have reacted with hysteria (some broadcasters dispatched helicopters to hover over Buckingham Palace for uninterrupted ‘coverage’) others sounded a note of caution.

The prospect of a lavish royal wedding, funded by the public purse at a time of severe cuts has already caused controversy among campaign groups. Buckingham Palace officials responded immediately by stating it is “too early” to estimate any costs for next year’s royal wedding – yet the likelihood is that extravagance will be avoided.

With this in mind there is evidence to suggest that the royal honeymoon will also be a modest affair. Kenya is offered as the 5/1 favourite destination by bookmakers Ladbrokes, in the main because William proposed there. Yet second favourite Scotland is offered at a tempting 8/1 while Wales is third at 16/1. And in a time of nationwide cutbacks, what greater example of solidarity than for the Royal couple to take a staycation?

In the last two years there has been a sharp increase in the popularity of caravanning amongst young couples. Caravan Times believes that the Prince and Miss Middleton could use a caravan as the perfect base for exploring the wilds of the Scottish Highlands or the valleys of Wales. Below we look at feasibility as well as likely destinations for the Royal couple.

The Scottish connection


Each year the Royal Family reinforces its ties to Scotland with a summer vacation. Balmoral has been the Scottish Home of the Royals ever since Queen Victoria purchased the estate in 1848. And this year Her Majesty was accompanied by the Duke of York and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie on a cruise of the Western Isles before heading to Balmoral. Most recently Caravan Times reader Robert W Reed documented the Queen’s visit to the Braemar Gathering.

Caravan Times would recommend the Royal couple stayed at a Caravan Club Certificated Location – small, five-van sites reserved exclusively for Caravan Club members. Unlike hotel complexes where security arrangements can involve hiring entire floors or areas, the exclusivity would allow members of security to take up the remaining pitches. It could also make setting up an exclusion zone to deter those unwanted paparazzi that much easier.

We believe the Prince should not have too much trouble reserving a pitch – since 1952 HRH Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh has been the Caravan Club’s Patron.

The Royal Caravan


While such a honeymoon may seem far fetched to some, the Royal Family have recently been conscious of showing the way in terms of cutting costs. And they wouldn’t even have to buy or hire a tourer as there is a family vehicle on hand. The Royal Caravan dates from 1955 and has an ash frame clad in aluminium.

Originally given to Princess Anne and Prince Charles when they were children, it was later refurbished for the Caravan Club’s 75th anniversary and re-presented to Anne.

Could you recommend a caravan site in Scotland or Wales for the Royal Couple? Please post your comments below.

Copeland caravan park set for £2 million expansion

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by Chris Malone

A £2 million expansion at Port Haverigg Holiday Village will see the caravan park increase its capacity by 50 per cent.

According to the News and Star, the Copeland site is set to benefit from a large improvement programme after it was given permission to add 100 static caravans, 20 motor home pitches and space for 30 touring caravans and 30 tents.

Part of the project will see the 190-caravan site add a cafe, tourist information centre and public toilets.

It will also create jobs in the area and see the site benefit from landscaping with a view to encouraging wildlife to the area, assisting the nearby Hodbarrow nature reserve.

Co-owner Steve Attwood told the newspaper that it may have taken two-and-a-half years, but that things should move more swiftly now planning permission has been granted.

“It should benefit the local economy, people who have saved to come on holiday will spend money in the shops, the garage. It goes right down the line,” he said.

“I am ecstatic, it has taken so long we opened the bubbly. I am over the moon.”

Caravan cleaning firm Tourershine launch new five-year exterior protection

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by Marcus Dubois

Specialist caravan restorers Tourershine have launched a new service offering customers the option to fully seal and protect the exterior of the caravan or motorhome – with a new product that could last up to five years.

The “Tourershield” finish uses a unique blend of PTFE (a polymer commonly used in insulating central heating systems) and acrylic resins to achieve its effects. Added to this blend are the latest UV screens to protect the caravan exterior against the effects of sunlight.

The company developed the product after a year of testing and research, and believes it will make future cleaning by the customer an easier task as well as preserve its resale value.

Five-year finish

The service is a two-stage process which begins after the exterior of the caravan is made free of dents and defects. Once this is ensured, the first stage of the product is said to remove any “unseen contaminates” which could affect the process. The second stage involves applying the sealer in small sections to avoid missing any part of the body of the caravan. Because the process takes four hours to cure, the company ask customers to leave their tourer in the workshop to ensure results.

An aftercare pack is included within the price giving customers the correct products to use from the on. And the restorers at Tourershine are confident that if instructions are followed using these products, the caravan should remain in good condition for five years.

“A rock-hard lacquer”


Tourershine director Paul Asserati tested the service using the bonnet of his own car (pictured) before moving onto his caravan. “It leaves a rock-hard, very thin lacquer that the eye can’t see at all” he told Caravan Times this week. “I applied it to my caravan, and I got all the way around it before noticing a tiny detail needed finishing. But when I got my mop out it gripped so tightly to the panel…you could really feel the difference.”

Having started out restoring air-cooled Volkswagen campers before moving onto the detailing side of car bodywork, Paul has spent his working life using products designed to bring out the best in vehicles. “It’s sometimes hard to explain to customers the difference between valeting and detailing. What I can say is I don’t offer any services that clean a caravan, we are a specialist service.”


See the sights of Stamford

Based in Barnack near the picturesque town of Stamford in Lincolnshire, this year Tourershine has offered customers a free 2-night stay at a caravan site in Stamford while their caravan is worked on. This deal will return in March at the price of £350, but for the winter months there is a discounted deal of £240 for the Tourershield service excluding the stay. Customers can drop off their caravan as normal and arrange to collect at a later time.

For more information on the Tourershield caravan service from Tourershine please click here.

More choice for European caravan holidays in 2011

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by Holly Tribe

Caravanners wishing to get away to mainland Europe next year now have a new Spanish destination to head for.

Brittany Ferries is introducing a new route from Portsmouth to Bilbao on the North Coast of Spain. The service will run twice a week commencing next spring.

The firm has picked up the route from rival ferry company P&O who dropped the service earlier this year due to a year on year drop in passenger numbers. The route will be Brittany Ferry’s second Spanish destination and also represents their first new destination in nearly a quarter of a century.

The Group Commercial Passenger Director, Mike Bevens, is confident their timing is right. He explained: “We know from CAA [Civil Aviation Authority] statistics that airline passenger numbers to France and Spain have fallen this year and we attribute this to a general disillusionment with no frills airlines.”

“Our services between Portsmouth and Spain have performed extremely well this year so we are building on this achievement by adding Bilbao to give our customers even greater choice,” he added.

A further rise in Air Passenger Duty (APD) last week has put the price of air travel out of reach for many. With APD leaping by as much as 55% on some long haul flights, many families may be looking closer to home for their annual holidays.

The crossing which takes 24hours involves an overnight stay on board the vessel. Mr Beven was quick to point out the benefits of ferry travel on longer routes, believing customers get ‘space to relax, comfort, entertainment, cuisine and, above all value.’

Head to the Brittany Ferries website for pricing and route information.

COMMENT: Are caravan owners facing higher costs for car insurance?

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by Marcus Dubois

Over the last fortnight I have found myself chained to my laptop every evening browsing for car insurance quotes. And the results have proved grim reading, coinciding with recent findings that insurance premiums have gone up by 40% in the last 12 months.

Research by the AA revealed that over 12 months till the end of September, the average cost of comprehensive car insurance had risen to £792 – a jump of £39.3% since last year. This figure also happens to be the largest annual jump registered on its industry-leading ‘Insurance Premium Index’. So as Britain faces the grip of recession with greater than ever demands on our wallets, Caravan Times looks at the problem of rising car insurance costs.

Government inquiry

The debate has moved from grumbles around the dinnertable at home to the Houses of Parliament – and last Monday the Transport Select Committee painted a less than rosy picture. “It appears that the cost of motor insurance has rocketed” said the Committee Chair, and experts believe the costs could rise further after Britons take advantage of no-win, no fee lawyers to make increasing claims of personal injury.

Examples of the problem were shown on BBC Watchdog when Karen Nevey, insured by Sheila’s Wheels last year at a cost of £460, found her annual premium increased by 158% when up for renewal.
She told the programme “I went with Sheilas’ Wheels because they are a well-known reputable company. I don’t like changing insurance companies year by year, I like loyalty, I like to stick with an insurance company.” Yet with none of her personal circumstances changing, her quote increased “due to a three-fold increase in injury claims in her area within a six month period” according to Sheila’s Wheels. “Her details didn’t change but the claims lodged against other local drivers rose dramatically”.

In a similar case, insurer Direct Line said “the single biggest factor (for price rises) is the increase in personal injury claims and associated costs”. So how can caravanners, traditionally a low-risk group, keep their insurance premium as low as possible when taking this into account?

Rewarding careful drivers?

It is ironic that the very tool which can help you is also the agent which is partly driving up prices. Using a price comparison website can save up to 35% according to the Association of British Insurers, yet expert Graeme Trudgill believes “we’re seeing comparison sites keeping prices right down so [insurance firms are] not making the money they used to make”.

As proved earlier, loyalty isn’t always rewarded, so applying as a new customer can mean you receive greater discounts and incentives. It is also worth considering a policy with a higher excess, though remember that this is also the amount you may have to pay in the event of a claim. Using a specialist insurer which focuses on targeting older drivers or women can also help. Despite heavy marketing efforts from comparison businesses, going direct can have its rewards.

Have you been affected by dramatic increases in car insurance? Did you pay significantly more this year when renewing your policy? Click here to have your say on this story in our forum topic

2011 Elddis caravans get BPW road handling and chassis upgrades

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by Holly Tribe

Elddis Caravans has undergone significant design changes for the 2011 season. We take a look under the cabin to see what’s new.

Elddis Caravans have long since differed from other British caravan manufacturers by opting to use frames built by Europe’s leading brand of trailer chassis BPW.

The BPW V-Tec Swing chassis is already used for the higher end Avante, Odyssey and Crusader ranges. However this year all five models in the entry level Elddis Xplore marque were upgraded and will now sit atop the BPW V-Tec galvanised steel chassis.

Anti-roll technology

The V-Tec Swing chassis improves the towing capability of the caravan. It has the effect of moving the caravan roll centre axis closer to its centre of gravity which is achieved in part by the self-steering action of the independent suspension.

Another first for Elddis is the inclusion of the BPW’s Intelligent Drive Control (iDC) system. The technology will be fitted as standard on all new Elddis Crusader models, or as a cost option on the Avante and Odyssey series with prices starting at £549.

The automated anti-snaking device detects when there is a risk of snaking and gives course correction in seconds. A ‘fail safe’ function means the iDC still works even if there is a power failure.

The inclusion of such technology brings the Crusader range in line with rivals Lunar Caravans and Bailey Caravans, who both favour British-made Al-Ko Kober chassis with its AKS stabiliser technology.

Reader wins Apple iPad in our Caravan Times NEC show competition

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by Marcus Dubois and Holly Tribe

During last month’s International Caravan and Motorhome Show at the NEC in Birmingham, the Caravan Review Database saw an unprecedented surge in popularity as vistors flocked to our stand to give feedback on their caravan. We’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who submitted a review of their caravan at the 2010 Show.

We are grateful for the exceptional response from show goers who told us about their caravan ownership experiences. And so at this year’s show we held a prize draw for one lucky entry to win an Apple iPad.

To enter the prize draw, caravanners were encouraged to give their tourers a rating out of five – and write a short review to advise future owners about any potential problems.

As a result the Caravan Review Database now covers the full range of caravan manufacturers – from big hitters Bailey Caravans and Swift Caravans to specialist European models from Geist and Eriba.

Prize draw winner

We are pleased to announce the winner, selected at random from the hundreds of reviews per day we received is Sally Mottram from Surrey.

“I’m absolutely delighted, my children couldn’t believe it when I told them, we’re all so excited!” she told Caravan Times.

Sally’s love of camping and caravanning began twenty years ago after becoming widowed while her children were still young. Every summer Sally would pack up the family and set off for five weeks of camping fun. And after swapping canvas for a caravan fourteen years ago, she still spends up to 8 weeks of the years caravanning.

“We have had many adventures of caravanning and I just love it!” she added.

As a member of the Christian Caravan and Camping Fellowship, Sally enjoys attending rallies all over the country in her ABI Marauder. Full of praise for her “faithful Marauder” which has served her for nearly ten years, she is now drawing on the help of Caravan Times to find a new 4-berth caravan.

Keep an eye out in the Caravan Times Community for future competitions – in the meantime, if you would like to submit a review of your caravan, please click here.

Cornwall named top UK holiday destination

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by Chris Malone

The Cornish coastline has long since been a popular destination for caravanners, and the South Western county has been officially commended as a superior holiday destination.

It was recently crowned Best UK Holiday County or Region at the British Travel Awards, which took place last week.

Cornwall finished ahead of runners-up Devon and the Lake District by some distance in the voting and had more reason to celebrate when St Ives was named Best UK Seaside Town.

Local attraction the Eden Project was also recognised when it scooped a silver award for Best UK Day Out Experience.

VisitCornwall head of tourism Malcom Bell spoke of his pride at accepting the awards on behalf of the area.

“To win at both county and town level is a huge achievement and the fact that the awards are based on public opinion make them even more significant,” he said.

Mr Bell added that it is the third time in five years that Cornwall has triumphed at the awards.

Click here to read about our top five Cornish caravan sites.

New National Forest Food Guide released

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by Chris Malone

Caravanners who love taking breaks in or around the National Forest might enjoy a new publication which could make their holidays even more enjoyable.

The new edition of the National Forest Food Guide is available now and educates readers on the variety of tasty treats to be sampled in the area.

It contains advice on where to buy delicious local food, covering everything from cakes and beer to mushrooms, bread and cheese.

Now in its fifth year, the guide has been compiled by local food expert Barry Smith and is regularly updated with new additions.

“It always surprises me that with every issue I discover more places to include in the guide,” Mr Smith said.

“I always welcome suggestions from members of the public.”

He encouraged locals and visitors to get in touch with any ideas they may have for new additions.

The National Forest is 200 square miles of woodland which extends into Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire.

The Burstner Averso Plus: Reinventing caravan interiors

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by Holly Tribe

German leisure vehicle manufacturers Burstner have launched the first caravan to feature a fold down bed in the Averso Plus range. And for those caravanners frustrated with the uniformity of white tourers, the Averso Plus can be ordered in a mint green colour.

The retractable double sleeping compartment lowers from the ceiling to overhang above the lounge area, avoiding messy bed conversions. An electronically assisted version is available as a cost option. The innovation has led some parties to credit Burstner with ‘reinventing’ caravan interior design.

To see more images of the Bürstner Averso Plus range please click here.

The fold down bed is not the only original feature in the Averso Plus series – there’s also a retractable TV screen that can swivel on a 360 degree axis. When it’s positioned at the right angle, it can be watched from outside the ‘van through the window. Or as the manufacturers put it: “for perfect viewing pleasure both inside and out”.

Three layouts are currently available; from the compact two berth 410TS, up to the six berth 440TK and family friendly seven berth 510TK.

Averso Plus 410TS

The lounge area features sky lighting in the ceiling: a similar setup was recently used by Roma Caravans in their Park Avenue model. Spotlights create a ‘starry sky’ effect creating an intimate atmosphere at night-time.

  • Berth: 2
  • Price: 14,380 Euros
  • Curb Weight: 1,100kg

    • Averso Plus 510TK

    The 510TK is designed specifically for family living with bunk beds in the additional children’s room next to a secondary seating area.

  • Berth: 7
  • Price: 16,100 Euros
  • Curb Weight: 1,270kg

    • Averso Plus 440TK

  • Berth: 6
  • Price: 15,430 Euros
  • Curb Weight: 1,150kg

    • Customers can opt for an eye-catching mint paintwork option with leaf detailing. But if this doesn’t appeal to everyone’s design sensibilities a white or silver finish is also available.

    For now these ‘vans are only available on the Continent, but due to width restrictions for British caravans being relaxed earlier in the year, they are also suitable for UK roads.

    To see more images of the Burstner Averso Plus range please click here.

    Highways Agency issue Amber weather alert to weekend caravanners

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    by Holly Tribe

    Caravanners taking to the roads this weekend are being warned to take extra care due to high winds and inclement weather conditions.

    Strong winds that have swept the country over the last couple of days are set to continue over the weekend.

    The Highways Agency have issued an Amber warning, cautioning high sided vehicles including touring caravans, motorhomes, coaches and articulated lorries.

    Motorists should pay particular care and attention on high ground and exposed roads. Visitors to the North of England, notably those travelling across the Pennines should expect strong cross winds.

    Winds which reportedly hit storm force 10 last night brought down a number of trees in North Somerset and drivers are being advised to check their routes and, where possible, to delay their journey if travel conditions are poor.

    Live traffic updates and road conditions can be found at www.highways.gov.uk .

    Camping and Caravanning Club score a full flush in Loo Of The Year 2010

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    by Marcus Dubois

    One of the great joys of being in a home away from home is being able to keep things to the standards of cleanliness that one is accustomed to. Yet for caravanners who choose to use toilet blocks and site facilities when away, there is the ever-present fear that the loo may not be up to scratch.

    Which is why keen tourers may be interested to hear that the Camping and Caravanning Club has once again achieved high grades in the rigorously assessed 2010 Loo of the Year Awards.

    Ninety per cent of Club Sites entered (19 in total) were awarded impressive five-star grades in the Holiday Parks and Camping and Touring Sites category.

    Additionally, Eskdale and Ravenglass Club Sites also achieved commendable four-star grades.

    The British Toilet Association

    The Awards, which are run independently and promoted by the British Toilet Association, encourage the highest possible standards in all types of ‘away from home’ toilets throughout the UK.

    Bob Hill is the Club’s Sites Director and he was impressed by the results: “As a Club, we pride ourselves on providing fantastic, clean facilities for all campers.

    “It’s encouraging to see so many of our sites achieving five-stars and this number will only increase as our £29 million site development, improvement and upgrade programme continues to further enhance our facilities.”

    National Loo of the Year

    Yet it doesn’t stop here. The Club’s five-star entries will be entered into the National Loo of the Awards 2010 which will be held on Friday, December 3, at the Chesford Grange Hotel, Kenilworth. Grading Certificates and National Awards will be announced and presented on the day.

    The five-star Club Sites are: Barnard Castle, Chertsey, Chichester, Dunbar, Folkestone, Glencoe, Kessingland, Milarrochy Bay, Sailsbury, Sandringham, Scarborough, Scone, West Runton, Cheddar, Hereford, Polstead, Skye, Charmouth, Dartmouth. For more information please visit: loo.co.uk

    To find out more about the Club’s Loo of the Year-winning sites, you can telephone the Club’s Contact Centre on 0845 130 7633 or 024 7647 5426. Alternatively the Club’s website is campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk