Exeter newspaper offers £10 caravan holidays

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Exeter newspaper the Express & Echo is set to launch a series of £10 caravan holiday offers.

Beginning tomorrow, the initiative will give readers the chance to spend a vacation in a mobile home this summer.

St Thomas residents Chris and Nicola Harris have taken advantage of the scheme in the past and plan to take their two children on one of the bargain breaks this year.

“We have been doing it for years and I have to say we really enjoy our times away,” Mrs Harris told the newspaper.

“We have a dog and we love to take him with us and a caravan or chalet is the ideal base for us.”

She added that the breaks are great value for money and that there is lots to do for both adults and children.

The family usually head to Shaldon caravan park on the River Teign and enjoy the walks around the area.

Meanwhile, caravan sites in the south-west have been given the chance to attend a number of health and safety events ahead of the summer season, the Bideford People revealed.

Caravan sites offered health and safety advice

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Caravan owners heading to sites in the south-west may notice an improvement in health and safety standards this summer.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and South West Tourism have teamed up to offer caravan parks advice ahead of the new season, Bideford People has reported.

A number of events will take place at sites throughout Devon, Somerset and Cornwall, with information available on a range of subjects.

Topics include gas and electricity safety, risk assessment, fire regulation, asbestos and legionnaires disease.

Further optional sessions will be offered covering swimming pool management, play equipment, crime prevention and marketing.

“The caravan, camping and holiday park sector is a very important part of the tourist industry in the south-west and looks after thousands of visitors each year,” explained HSE head of operations Max Walker.

He added that health and safety should be paramount for anyone working in the industry and said this is especially important during the peak months.

The south-west is popular among caravan enthusiasts thanks in part to its good weather, beautiful scenery and surfing opportunities.

New motoring law to affect those with caravans

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Caravan holidaymakers heading to Devon and Cornwall this summer have been reminded about a change in the law relating to rear view mirrors.

Motorists driving vehicles first used after January 26th must have at least two exterior view mirrors fitted, both on the driver’s and passenger’s side, BudePeople.co.uk reported.

A Devon and Cornwall Police spokesperson told the website that the change in the law was brought about to make it safer for drivers towing a caravan.

“One way drivers may be caught out is if they are towing a caravan which is considerably wider than the car. When the caravan is detached, the mirrors stick out more than the 25cm allowed and so could be dangerous to other road users,” the representative told the site.

Police also advised that, given the number of caravans found in the region during the summer months, motorists need to remember to remove their mirror extensions upon reaching their location and parking their caravan.

Caravanning could become even more popular among Harry Potter fans this summer as Daniel Radcliffe, who plays the boy wizard in the film series, told the Sunday Mail earlier this month he thinks caravan holidays are “great”.

Provision for caravans at new Suffolk development

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Some 15 touring caravans will be catered for at a new countryside development in Suffolk.

Permission has been granted by Suffolk Coastal District Council for the construction of 12 log cabins, toilet facilities and a shop at the site near Halesworth, the Beccles and Bungay Journal reported.

Caravans will also be permitted at the New Farm location, which is situated on Blackheath Road near Wenhaston and is just 600m from a designated area of outstanding natural beauty.

Chairman of the local parish council Bernard Orme told the newspaper that the majority of locals believe it will be “a positive development”.

“We very much hope it will bring jobs to the area and encourage people to visit,” he commented.

“We only have one pub in the village – which we very nearly lost at the beginning of last year, but now seems to be doing very well.”

Suffolk is popular with caravan owners thanks to its award-winning beaches, such as those at Kessingland and Dunwich.

Park Holidays UK presses ahead with winter improvements

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The coldest winter in years has not stopped Park Holidays UK from pressing ahead with its improvement plans.

Commercial director Tony Clish recently wrote to the caravan site operator’s customers, explaining that while some members of staff had to dig their way through the snow to get to work, the upgrades are still very much on track.

Among the improvements is a new swimming pool at the company’s Seaview site in Kent, which has just received planning permission and will see work begin as soon as the weather permits.

Park Holidays UK is also looking forward to a busy year, with a record number of advance bookings taken towards the end of 2009.

Furthermore, a large number of holiday home owners have signed up to stay with the company for another year.

“At many parks we have held pitch fee prices for a second year – together with cuts in insurance costs, electricity costs and finance interest rates we are doing everything we can to make ownership as affordable as possible,” Mr Clish explained.

Meanwhile, Park Holidays UK recently launched its new website, complete with a £10 cashback offer for those who spot a mistake.

Parkdean to be represented at Boat & Caravan Show

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Holiday site operator Parkdean has confirmed that it will have representatives at a major industry event taking place in Birmingham next month.

The National Exhibition Centre will host the Boat & Caravan Show from February 23rd to 28th and will see a number of top companies displaying their wares.

With 24 holiday parks around the UK, Parkdean claims to have something for everyone, whether they prefer the beach, the countryside or a forest setting.

Many of the sites have pitches for touring caravans and tents, while all offer a full range of entertainment, bars, restaurants, kids’ clubs and swimming pools.

The company is keen for potential customers to come along to the show and check out what it has to offer by chatting to its advisors.

It also intends to give away a short vacation at one of its eight Cornwall parks.

Earlier this month, the company redesigned its website to allow potential customers to book online.

Northampton caravan park set to play host to popular balloon festival

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A Northamptonshire caravan park will again play host to one of Europe’s most popular hot air balloon festivals this summer, it has been announced.

The Northampton Balloon Festival has been held in the town for more than 20 years, attracting large crowds and enthusiasts from all over the world.

However, over recent weeks, speculation has been mounting over the likelihood of this year’s event going ahead, with the cost of £250,000 believed to be unfeasible now that it no longer has the backing of the local borough council.

But it has now been confirmed that the festival will be going ahead, in spite of the financial concerns, with the Billing Aquadrome holiday park and camping and caravan site to be the host once again, the BBC has reported.

At present, however, exact dates of the popular summer family event have not been confirmed.

Billing Aquadrome boasts some 400 electrical hook-up points for touring caravans, while it also plays host to the annual Spirit of the Horse show and the world’s largest Land Rover rally.

Bailey Caravans enjoy record year, thanks to popular Pegasus range

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The massive popularity of its new Pegasus range helped Bailey Caravans enjoy a record year for sales in 2009, it has been announced.

Reporting news of its performance over the past 12 months, the company has revealed that the Bailey Retailer Network sold just over 9,500 new caravans over the course of last year, a record high achieved in spite of the tough economic climate.

Notably, of these, 65 per cent were caravans from the ground-breaking Pegasus range launched towards the beginning of the year, making these models among the most popular on UK roads and at campsites across Europe.

At the same time, however, Bailey has confirmed that it has discontinued its Senator Series with immediate effect.

“[The success of the Pegasus range] has been to the detriment of the performance of Senator Series 6 – to the extent that this established range no longer generates enough orders to justify its continued inclusion within the portfolio,” a company statement read.

Bailey will, however, continue to carry on with its after-sales and replacement part service for caravanners with any of the Senator models.

Bristol-based Bailey celebrated its diamond anniversary in 2008, making it the longest-established UK caravan manufacturer.

Caravan owners to be given towing tips at NEC show

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Caravan owners are to be offered taster courses in manoeuvring their trailers at the upcoming NEC Boat and Caravan Show, it has been announced.

Due to take place in the last week of February, the annual event will once again see thousands of caravanning enthusiasts head to Birmingham to view the latest models and learn of the latest tourist hotspots, both in the UK and overseas.

What’s more, it has now been confirmed that the Caravan Club will be offering informal classes on manoeuvring caravans for the duration of the week.

However, the club has stated that, as well as only being available to its members, the taster courses will only be offered to caravanners able to produce a valid driving licence on the day.

Further information and other pointers regarding best practice when it comes to towing a caravan of any size will be available at the Caravan Club’s stand at the NEC event.

This year’s Boat and Caravan Show will also feature a canoe and kayak pool, a climbing wall and a mini marina, while visitors will be given the chance to try their arm at a number of new pursuits, including scuba diving.

Caravannners could head to a Blue Flag beach

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by Chris Malone

Caravannners planning a holiday in the UK this summer have been encouraged to choose one of Park Resorts’ sites near to a Blue Flag beach.

A number of its 39 coastal parks are in close proximity to award-winning seaside locations.

Those heading to the Isle of Wight’s Lower Hyde and Landguard are just half a mile and 1.5 miles from Shanklin Beach and Sandown Beach respectively.

Meanwhile, Nodes Point is just 4.5 miles from Ryde Each Beach – also on the island.

East Anglia is something of a hotspot for great beaches, with no fewer than six Blue Flags in close proximity with Park Resorts sites.

These include Kessingland Beach, which is in easy driving distance of both Shouthwold Beach and Lowestoft Beach.

Meanwhile, Kent’s Warden Springs is close to Beach Street Sheerness and Leysdown Beach, which is also one of the two Blue Flag sites accessible from the Shurland Dale facility.

Park Resorts recently encouraged holidaymakers to keep an eye on its website for all its latest offers.

Caravanners advised to enjoy Scottish sailing

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Holidaymakers enjoying caravanning breaks in Scotland are being encouraged to take advantage of some of the finest sailing in Europe.

The latest figures published by Wild Scotland show that around six in ten of its members, who include both big and small tourism operators, saw an increase in visitors over the course of 2009 as Britons opted to holiday at home.

And, according to Sail Scotland, growing numbers of those heading north of the border are looking to get active, with the country’s image changing among those taking a caravan holiday or other type of break there.

“They’re now identifying Scotland not just as the whisky, the tartan and the golf, but they are seeing it as a sailing destination,” explained the group’s director Tony Bennett.

As well as the historic Firth of Clyde, Mr Bennett also advised visitors to pitch their caravans close to the Firth of Clyde or Argyll and the Inner Hebrides so as to be close to the best sailing the country has to offer.

Of those polled in a recent study by travelsupermarket.com, one in three UK holidaymakers stated their main summer break would be a ‘staycation’.

Yorkshire caravan holidays to benefit from new cycle and walking path

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Holidaymakers looking to get on their bike while caravanning in Yorkshire are now able to enjoy a new walking and cycle path in the north of the county.

Aided by local volunteers, the Yorkshire Sustrans group has completed work on the new Harrogate path ahead of schedule.

The route, which allows holidaymakers staying in any of several nearby caravan parks to enjoy improved access to the Great Yorkshire Showground, was made possible by a recent funding award from Yorkshire Water and Laing O’Rourke.

Sustrans member Martin Weeks, who helped pitch the project to the panel of the construction firm’s Dragonfly’s Den competition, explained: “We were awarded a runner-up prize of 40 tonnes of road building stone by Laing O’Rourke following their approval of the idea to construct a new cycle path.”

News of the new cycle and walking route comes soon after the British Marine Federation reported that growing numbers of holidaymakers are opting to enjoy Britain’s inland waterways.

In particular, the growth in visitors to the country’s canals has been driven largely by the growing popularity of ‘staycations’, including caravan holidays in the UK.