Caravan showgoers may be interested in visiting Catterick Caravans Leisure World this weekend.

Caravan and motorhome showgoers may be interested to hear that this Bank Holiday weekend is the Great North Caravan and Motorhome Show.

Venue:
Catterick Caravans Leisure World,
Catterick Bridge,
Richmond,
North Yorkshire, DL10 7JB.

For further details, including exclusive show offers, why not visit Catterick Caravans Outdoor Leisure World’s Facebook page.

The Sprite caravan slot on the BBC's The One Show is to be shown this Friday 4th May.

If you want to see a segment of national TV coverage on one of the most iconic touring caravans ever then tune into The One Show this Friday. Ex England Cricket star and now turned TV presenter Phil “Tuffers” Tufnell interviews the restorer (Mike Wye) of the Sprite 14 caravan featured in the show and myself on the Sprite story.

Phil was a great interviewer and seemed genuinely interested in the founder of Sprite, Sam Alper and his caravan manufacturing empire.

The 5 minute slot crams in some old cine film of a Sprite user in the 1970s, plus some stills taken from my latest Sprite book.

Practical Caravan magazine - readers' rally at Stowford Caravan Park in North Devon.

With the Bank Holiday approaching most caravanners will be hitting the roads and one of my destinations will be the Practical Caravan Magazine readers’ rally held at the excellent Stowford Caravan Park, in North Devon. The magazine staff put on an excellent rally with lots to do for the kids and the adults too.

If you’re on the rally come and say hello! I will be using one of Baileys latest Unicorns, the Bailey Unicorn Cadiz (the end washroom single bed layout),  so will let you know my thoughts.

One last note – hope your liking the new caravan history section on the Shield’s website. There is more to come over the next few weeks, so please feel free to ask any questions.

The Mill caravan site I stayed at in Dunkeld, Scotland in 1970 - one of my best caravanning holidays.

When I was in Scotland earlier this year, I took a trip (from where I was staying near Fife) to Dunkeld.

This lovely town was virtually how I remembered it. A place full of character and one where in those days the main road ran through the centre. All this has now changed and the town is bypassed as to is the Mill Caravan Site where we stopped bang by the river Tay.

The site was ideal for fishing and also I remember we had glorious sunshine and lots of wasps!

I made friends with a boy who turned up on the next pitch in a 1950s Bluebird caravan with a MK2 Jaguar towing it. The young lad was called Duncan Glass and they came from either Fife or Ayr not sure! But for a week we played cricket and football and went fishing and had site teams set up for our big matches!

Lunar Clubman's front panel shocked back in 2005, but it looks good years later.

My visit made me feel very nostalgic and I remember vividly having fish and chips sat in our then new 1969 Elddis Tornado which we towed with a new Ford Cortina 1600E.

I recently used a Lunar Clubman 530 from 2005. This tourer was loaned to me for a week’s use in early January.

It’s amazing just how good this tourer still looks, that front end moulded GRP panel was ahead of its time. This saw the demise of the front nose design after a few seasons. But it still has appeal and looks modern too – the Clubman was spacious and light and towed well even in gusty winds!

Holiday homes are going to get the full blast of VAT. Will it badly affect the market?

On 1st October, VAT is being added to holiday caravans, Fifth Wheelers and Baileys’ new Retreats.

In an industry that’s had a tough time and was seeing some slow signs of recovery, this new added VAT will no doubt hammer the holiday home industry – holiday parks, retailers and manufacturers sellng static caravans.

I only hope this won’t be true but we could see some established names badly hit so I do feel for this section of the industry. Sure tourers and motorhomes have VAT on them but why has it taken nearly 40 years for the government to slap this tax on an industry which exports most of its produce as well?

Its simply a stupid thing to do now.

Eccles caravans at the world's first dedicated caravan factory built in 1926.

Shield Total Insurance, the caravan insurance specialist have launched a new caravan history section on their website – features include: the origins of the Britsh “caravan movement” in 1867 (with Dr Gordon Stables and his horse drawn “Wanderer” caravan); the launch of the Caravan Club in 1907; through to caravanning today.

Andrew Jenkinson, the well respected caravan historian, has kindly provided both expert comment and rare photos from his vast archive of caravan images.

Whether your interest is retro or classic caravans, caravan nostalgia or simply the development of the touring caravan, you are sure to find a hidden gem. To access, simply click the following link – caravan history timeline.

Great for browsing - that's the National Motorhome Show at Peterborough this weekend.

For anyone with an inkling, hankering or even just a passing interest in all things motorhomes, there’s only one place to be this coming weekend. For the 22nd year running, it’s the National Motorhome Show at the East of England Showground, Peterborough.

There are plenty of other outdoor motorhomes shows taking place throughout the year but, believe me, this one is “the daddy”. I’ve been to a few of these over the years. I’ve missed a fair few, too. This time around I’m keen to get there on the Sunday.

It’s a massive event. Some 300 exhibitors will be there and you can expect to see upwards of 800 motorhomes – new and used – on display and on sale. Plus, the most extensive array of related accessories as well as enough other “goings-ons” to make a real good day of it.

If you’re travelling over, set your sat nav for the postcode PE2 6XE. Alternatively, look out for the East of England Showground signs as you approach the city from whichever direction. It’s some three miles south-west of the city centre, but the roads around here are pretty good.

For day visitors, parking is pretty plentiful. And it’s free. The show is open from 9.30 Friday to Sunday, and closing at 5pm (4.30pm on Sunday). You can get loads more information at www.outandaboutlive.co.uk (check out here, also, should you wish to stop over in your motorhome). Admission prices start at £7.50 per adult, £2 for children (dogs are welcome, too), and you get a complimentary showguide.

Meet all kinds of motorhomes here, too.

The show actually opens from 1pm this Thursday, but for day visitors it’s Friday onwards. Getting there early will avoid some of the crowds. Alternatively, things quieten down on Sunday afternoon.

The company behind all this is Warners, better known as the publisher of MMM (Motorcaravan Motorhome Monthly), the top-selling magazine on the subject – not forgetting sister title, Which Motorhome, which is aimed more at those looking to buy a motorhome. I should declare a vested interest here, too – I contribute regularly to both of these.

Brand new for this year is a series of free seminars. These are scheduled throughout Friday and Saturday, and cover a wide range of topics – such as advice on buying a motorhome, travelling abroad, vehicle security and more.

The only thing the organisers can’t control is the weather, of course, although they are past masters at organising “tow-outs” and keeping walkways as clean as possible when the conditions do turn out for the worst. All I’ll say is, if the weather does get a bit tricky, don’t turn your ire on the organising staff – they really are doing their best.

PS. Nearly forgot. Representatives from the specialist motorhome insurance provider, Shield Total Insurance will be among those on hand to offer any advice. Shield’s Stuart Craig is presenting a motorhome insurance seminar on the Friday afternoon – there’s seating for up to 100 people, but it’s first-come, first-served.

Next blog: Type Approval for motorhomes. It’s here!

Phil Tufnell (the former England cricketer) and I being filmed at the Riverside Caravan Park, near Malvern.

A few weeks ago I received an e-mail from one of the makers of the BBC 1′s One Show.

The show at some stage is doing a 5 minute slot on Sprite caravans, after one of the directors picked up my latest book “the Story of Sprite Caravans“.

After a few phone calls it was agreed for me to have an interview with a 1957 Sprite 14 classic caravan. The presenter would be the former spin bowler for England and Middlesex, Phil Tufnell.

Our location was Riverside Caravan Park, near Malvern Worcestershire, where a friend of mine Mike Wye brought his fantastically restored classic Sprite 14 for us to use.

The programme is a slot in production, briefly covering the Sprite brand caravan from the 1950s to the 1970s. Phil turned out to be interested in the Sprite 14, especially as we used the Sprite for a backdrop in the interview. The sun shone and Phil did a great job of asking the questions on how Sprite began and became a success.

It was a really good day and everything thankfully went according to plan.

You can view exclusive online extracts from my new book “the Story of Sprite Caravans” on the Shield Caravan Insurance website.

My newly acquired Skoda Superb tow car with our Bailey Ranger GT60 500/5 caravan.

As Easter approached and the threat of fuel strikes faded, the effect on caravanners and motorhome users would ease and many parks became booked up.

Not even the weather could dampen the first bank holiday as I found out when we hitched up our Bailey Ranger to the recently acquired Skoda Superb as our new tow car.

I store my Ranger in a purpose built garage which means I can keep it nicely polished up ready for its first outing.

A 120 mile trip to my family’s favourite Caravan Club site Lady Margaret’s at Chirk in North Wales proved just how stable a tow car the Superb is.

The 140 bhp TDi engine proved more than man enough to tow the Ranger fully loaded for ten days away!

Fuel consumption kept up to 33mpg towing on motorways at the legal speed, while solo the Superb has been turning a 58 mpg figure – so I am pleased so far with the car’s performance (plus just how well it eats up miles!)

Just before I was due to go away, I received a phone call from Adam Hulme at Campbell’s Caravans Kirkham branch.

1979 Safari classic caravan, for sale at Campbells Caravans, was in origlnal condition.

He told me they had just received a 1979 Safari 12/4 in as a trade deal.

Up shot was I was on my way to check the Safari out. Why? Because this was a family four berth model – rare as most produced were two berths.

The Safari was very original, with all its fittings from that era still intact. The original manuals all were still with the Safari, making it a nice original classic. Some work would be needed to sort out some damp issues, but for a classic car owner this luxury brand would be ideal.

It’s for sale as I write this caravan blog, but I suspect it will soon be snapped up by a classic caravan enthusiast!

Practicising to make perfect - it's always worth a trial run putting up your new tent.

Your touring holidays this year. Are they all booked and confirmed, or do you like to wait for last-minute deals, or just head out on a whim?

I’m a bit of all that, really – that’s what the leisure vehicle lifestyle is all about, surely; whether you have a caravan, motorhome or tent (or, in my case, all three).

All the signs are the UK is going to be pretty chokka again, especially during the peak season.

But, there are no shortages of good offers around at the moment if you fancy a break abroad, and it’s interesting to note that a holiday on the European mainland is creeping back onto the agenda for a lot of folk.

Well, as a card-carrying member of the Camping and Caravanning Club, temptation got the better of me and I’ve booked a ten-day break in Brittany at the start of this school holidays via the Club’s Carefree international travel operation.

I actually managed to source a better ferry deal direct, but it’s slightly convoluted – travelling out from Portsmouth to Cherbourg and back on the overnighter from St Malo to Portsmouth; I must admit, the idea was to guarantee ourselves a day in the wonderful walled town of St Malo itself (there’s caravan parking on the outskirts), hence the different routes, which somehow worked out best for costs and timings. But, Carefree came up trumps with the sites.

Our main stay will be at Camping Du Letty, right on the coast, near Benodet. We’ve been before and it’s one of our favourite Continental sites – good facilities, secluded areas for the small groups of pitches, and direct access to a “lagoon” area that promises safe, hopefully warm swimming. All that’s left me to do is pray for good weather… and hope that the pound continues to hold steady against the euro!

Before all this, however, I’ve taken advantage of a great ferry-and-sites offer from Red Funnel Ferries to head over to the Isle of Wight for five days at the end of this month.

Oh, and I’m off to the world-famous Hay Festival in June, too. My first time, but there’s a massive agenda of “interesting things” going on here, and I’m promised it’s not as high-brow as you might think.

And that’s not all. Plans for stays in the Lake District, Somerset, Suffolk and more are already a bit beyond the “pencilling in” stage. And it would be a rare year indeed if I didn’t get up to Scotland at some point. It’s not all about preparation, thankfully.

Which reminds me of one thing. If you’ve invested in new accommodation for the season(s) ahead, it’s well worth making time for a “trial run”, just to make sure everything’s OK and there are no little things to worry about.

That’s exactly what I did at the weekend. When I say I did, what I really mean is my son and his friend. I’ve just become the owner of a Coleman Instant Tent 4 – which promises to go up in one minute.

Well, I let them at it. Needless to say, they took a bit longer than that (about ten times as long, if I’m being honest – but that isn’t bad at all). And they’re now off camping together in Dorset in the next school holidays, having nicked my mallet for “their” tent!

PS. You may be interested to know that Shield Total Insurance offer great value, low cost tent insurance from only £31.80.

Next blog: Surprise, surprise

Aerial view of just a small part of Floriade - the largest horticultural expo in the world.

Well, I’ve just had the most wonderfully relaxing week’s caravanning in the Netherlands – one of the most caravan-friendly European countries I’ve ever visited.

And the experience included the best meal I’ve ever had on any campsite, anywhere! The two campsites we stayed at were based on three nights each at, firstly, De Schatberg (www.schatberg.nl) in the southernmost province of Limburg, where we took advantage of a super pitch complete with our own toilet block!

Honest, it comprised a toilet, shower, washing-up sink and drainer and even underfloor heating – all exclusively for our own use.

Next, we travelled some two hours north to Gelderland for Camping de Wildhoeve (www.wildhoeve.nl), near the small town of Emst.

Did I say wonderful? Apart from being a superbly run forest site (no hardstandings here, but they don’t need ‘em – there are plenty of spacious, firm underfoot pitches in the glades), the adjective also describes the brilliant evening meal we enjoyed at the site’s very own, top-rated restaurant. Yes, we treated ourselves – but even with wine it all came to around £25 per head for four of us – from amazing hors d’oeuvres through to a two-tiered plate of what looked like handmade chocolates with my end-of-meal coffee.

Luckily, the run-up to Easter meant the weather was cool but kind to us, so there were no excuses for not getting out and burning up the calories.

In the Veluwe national park, on the white bikes.

The Dutch are big on camping and cycling, especially, which explains why it wasn’t just luck that we pitched up at two superior campsites.

We didn’t take bikes with us. We didn’t need to, they’re available everywhere. In the Hoge Veluwe National Park (www.hogeveluwe.nl), for example, the “white bikes” can be used free of charge. We made the most of them, literally heading out on our own cycling safari for most of the day.

Talking of safaris, among other day outings were visits to Burgers’ Zoo (www.burgerszoo.nl), on the outskirts of Arnhem, where we saw everything from giraffes to meerkats to all kinds of sealife in the most realistic of natural surroundings; and we rounded off with a day at the absolutely amazing Floriade. Now, if I were to say this claims to be the largest horticultural expo in the whole world, that doesn’t even begin to tell the story.

It only takes place once every ten years, and it’s in a different Netherlands venue each time. This year (it runs until October) it’s near Venlo, in the south of the country. Check out some of it at www.floriade.com, but even the comprehensive website cannot get over the enormity of it all and the various displays, buildings, exhibits and more that tell just some of the tale of our role in growing all manner of plants, environmental impacts, the future and so much more.

The high-quality restaurant on site at Wildhoeve.

I couldn’t help, also, but be impressed by how clean the whole country seemed, and the laidback nature of the Dutch people generally seemed to contribute to this most relaxing of breaks.

Think camping or caravanning in the Netherlands could be for you? You won’t regret it, I promise.

A good start point is the Dutch Tourist Board (www.holland.com) and we organised our trip via the Alan Rogers’ Travel Service (www.alanrogers.com).

Next blog: Summer holidays booked? Or should we leave it until the last minute?