Growing numbers
According to our political masters, we are (apparently) now a nation composed entirely of obese, chain-smoking,
soap-dodging dole-polishers; and therefore are about to die of indifference. So, it was really cheering to hear some good news from ‘officialdom’ for
a change…
In this instance the bearer of good news was the National Caravan Council which has just published its 2003 report. According to the report, the ‘value of the UK caravan industry broke through the
£3 billion mark last year.
For the purposes of the report, the caravan industry was defined as consisting of motorhomes, touring caravans, caravan holiday homes and residential park homes. Over £1.9 billion was spent on caravan holidays in 2002. When all the figures have been collated, 2003 looks to have been another record-breaking year, with probably over
£2 billion-worth of expenditure.
Similarly, we know that over 7500 new motorcaravans were registered last year, making it the best for several decades. Early feedback during 2004 shows that despite increasing production, demand for new motorcaravans continues to outstrip supply.
Incidentally, the National Caravan Council has calculated that there are around 112,000 motorcaravans in use in the UK and Northern Ireland. However, I’m not sure whether that includes dismountables, fifth-wheel units or day vans, so the actual figure may be higher. Brilliant, eh?
A previous life
Another in our series of motorcaravans that used to be something else. This bespoke micro-coachbuilt (shown above) used to be a car!
A Seat Terra (Fiat Panda doppelgänger) provided the base, and O’Leary Motorhomes built the one-off body. Natty isn’t it?
O’Leary’s ‘Landsleeper’ model name has been applied to all sizes of motorcaravan from the ‘diddy’ up to rolling palaces built on lorry chassis. The owners reported that the 903cc engine pulled well and that they had toured in some hilly countryside with absolutely no problems.
24 hours 'Exploring'
The Explorer Group has just carried out an incredible feat of endurance. The Group’s Stuart Hicks and John Davison, plus Derek Munro of Peugeot, lapped the Rockingham Motor Speedway circuit in a bog-standard Elddis Autostratus RG for 24 hours continuously, covering a total of 1535 miles at an average speed of 64mph. Fastest
speed attained was 87mph and they only needed to replace one tyre. Hardly surprising if one drives around left-hand corners at this sort of speed and for this long! Congratulations to Peugeot and Elddis – a fine achievement.
In addition to the Endurance Test, the Explorer Group had laid on some entertaining but informative and useful activities for the press pack. Our tutors were from the highly skilled (and very patient) Rockingham staff.
Activities included motorhome and touring caravan manoeuvring and some revealing experiences on the skid pan. Actually it wasn’t a skid-pan in the shallow swimming pool sense, it was a normal tarmac road surface on which we were competing in BMW cars that had been specially modified by the addition of a controllable trolley to simulate skid conditions. Very revealing, and while I didn’t win, I did gain hands-on knowledge about how to control a skidding motor vehicle. We think such an experience should be part of everyone’s driver training.
Rockingham Motor Speedway is a new purpose-built racetrack with several different circuits, a fabulous hospitality provision (including grandstand seats for 52,000, all of whom have an uninterrupted view of the whole circuit) and a go-ahead management team. It was built with the help of BMW and features a wide range of motor sport and related activities throughout the year. It is centrally located within the country, on the outskirts of Corby, and there’s plenty of parking for motorhomes.
Enjoy a holiday with the relatives
We’ve already looked at some different ways of providing an ‘extension’ to the motorcaravan’s residential accommodation for use when family or friends invite themselves along. So far we’ve discussed canvas extensions (awnings and free-standing tents) and also towing a cheap touring caravan, folding caravan, or trailer tent.
This month, by way of concluding the ‘mini-series’, I’ll let you into the secret of a cheap accommodation ‘extension’ that will suit
most of you, requires no modification to the motorcaravan, won’t require you to tow anything, and above all, requires zero investment in equipment!
You should head for a touring campsite that also offers accommodation for rent. This usually takes the form of mobile homes or chalets. This year some friends enjoyed such a holiday abroad. They used Alan Rogers’ special camp guide that includes such versatile sites. The holiday was a great success and enabled a large family to go away together while avoiding the less-than-appealing spectacle of
seven of them trying to sleep in
a four-berth motorcaravan. That would have been a real disaster. Instead, all enjoyed a relaxing break!
In a similar vein, readers who are members of either the Camping and Caravanning Club or the Caravan Club can use their certified locations. These are not campsites but other businesses, farms or individuals that allow up to five units to camp on their land. Many of these are in idyllic countryside. Some are in the grounds of a public house that also has accommodation! With the latter there is the added advantage that you can enjoy a tipple or two without worrying about driving back to the campsite. Now that sounds like my cup of G&T!
Smashing times
Regular readers may recall that our motorcaravan is used ‘as a car’, and as such has to carry passengers. The dedicated rear travel seat in our Auto-Sleeper is a masterpiece of craftsmanship from the Cotswold crew. It has a high-back, metal-framed backrest and an anti-submarine squab together with a head restraint and inertia reel three-point belt. However, many from other manufacturers are not as
well constructed.
In addition, sometimes sales staff claim that a particular motorcaravan has been crash tested, whereas in reality it is only the seat-belt mounting points and frame that has been tested, usually in isolation and on a sled.
Very few manufacturers
can afford to crash test complete motorcaravans, though the Italian CI group did it as long ago as 1996. However, having successfully campaigned for the last 12 years for the inclusion of proper rear travel seats in motorcaravans of more than two-berths, I’m now ‘upping the ante’ a bit by suggesting that all rear passengers should be protected by a safety cell. After all, a very light side impact to a sandwich construction panel could have very serious consequences for a passenger sitting on the other side of
the damaged wall. It will of course add to the weight
and the retail price, but just how much are your loved ones worth? Come on chaps, how about it?
Nice to meet you
Southport made us very welcome for the Practical Motorhome reader rally. What
a fabulous venue! Flora and
I are already planning a
return visit. We’ll be back, no question. It was great to meet so many readers, we hope to meet more of you at the forthcoming readers’ weekend to be held
at Stowford Farm in late September. Once again Practical Motorhome will be holding a Q&A session which I hope to attend.
Several of you approached Flora and me after the formal question and answer sessions at Southport, just to say ‘hello’. Don’t you be shy – do come over whenever you see us on site in our 1998 Auto-Sleeper Medallion on VW LT (reg YCE 615T). Don’t worry about the dog, she hasn’t eaten too many motorcaravanners
this year, and anyway the publisher has allowed me some natural wastage!
Happy motorcaravanning!
Gentleman Jack Bancroft |
