Caravan and Motorhome Club Magazine – February 2023

Corfe Castle

Near Haycraft Club Campsite

Photo by member Andy Pattenden

camc.com/contact

Editorial

Editors Gary Martin, John Thynne

Deputy Editor Stuart Egan

Assistant Editors Clare Disano, Stephen Hollis

Design Michaela Millar

Postal address

Caravan and Motorhome Club Magazine, East Grinstead House, East Grinstead, West Sussex RH19 1UA

Club contact details

For comprehensive contact details, see camc.com/contact

Membership services and magazine circulation 01342 318813 (calls may be recorded)

Site booking (members only)/ UK Club sites advance booking 01342 327490

Cover Caravan 01342 336610

Insurance (Devitts)

Car/motorhome 0345 504 0334 Home/contents 0345 504 0335

Travel Service 01342 316101

Red Pennant (European breakdown and travel insurance) 01342 336633

Brochures on Club services 01342 327410

Technical advice 01342 336611

Club Magazine editorial 01342 336640

Legal helpline 01275 378728

Advertising enquiries 01342 336817

Commercial Manager Ian Lea 01342 336753 ian.lea@camc.com

Commercial Executive Jason Clarke 01342 779368 jason.clarke@camc.com

Commercial Executive Adam Johnson 01342 336742 adam.johnson@camc.com

Production Controller Tara Erroll 01342 779371 tara.erroll@camc.com

Digital Advertising Co-ordinator Vicky Powell 01342 779378 victoria.powell@camc.com

WELCOME

John Thynne says:

This month Philip Moon writes about his quest to trace the course of the River Wye from its source on the eastern slopes of Plynlimon Fawr in mid-Wales to where it finally empties into the Severn Estuary (he described a similar odyssey based on the Thames in the December 2021 issue – you can download the Digital Magazine from the App Store or Google Play if you’d like to read about it). Breathtaking walks, cycles – and gold to celebrate local residents’ triumphs in the 2012 Olympic Games, and challenges to see how many of the 1,000+ Parkruns you can complete across the UK. We’re not yet aware of anyone who has managed to visit every single campsite on the Club network (in the UK and the Republic of Ireland)...

paddles – were involved as he used CLs and Club sites as bases for his 150-mile adventure.

It seems many of us now use our holidays to take on challenges. Last month Jonathan Manning wrote about the practice of ‘Munro bagging’ and attempts to complete each of Alfred Wainwright’s famous Lake District walks. I’ve also read about quests to visit each of the post boxes that were painted

We’d love to hear from members who have set themselves particular touring or other goals – drop us a line at magazine@camc.com. Maybe you could start off gently by making a commitment to visit all seven of the sites mentioned in Lee Davey’s inspirational feature on Hampshire and Dorset (pages 26 to 36)...

Enjoy the issue!

COVER IMAGE:

Corfe Castle, by Andy Pattenden

President: Thomas Coke, 8th Earl of Leicester

Chairman: Grenville Chamberlain OBE Director General: Nick Lomas

We would like to thank image libraries Alamy, Getty Images/iStock and Shutterstock for supplying a number of images used in this magazine.

Editions of your Club magazine – with lots of extra content – are also available via an app on iPhone/iPad and Android tablets and phones.

“He used Club sites as bases for his adventure ”

INSIDE

MEMBER BENEFITS

CYCLE ROUTE Jonathan Manning rides from Wharfedale Club Campsite

OPINION

camc.com/contact

The Caravan Club Limited, which trades as Caravan and Motorhome Club, is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority for general insurance and credit activities.

This magazine is also available free of charge as a page turner on the Club website and as an app via Google Play or the App Store. For non-members who download the Caravan and Motorhome Club Magazine app, each issue costs £3.49.

Readers are asked to note that the Caravan and Motorhome Club cannot accept responsibility for the quality, safe delivery or operation of any products advertised or mentioned in this journal. Acceptance of advertisements does not imply any form of approval or recommendation. Advertisements or other inserted material are accepted subject to the approval of the publishers and their current terms and conditions.

The publishers will accept an advertisement or other inserted material only on the condition that the advertiser warrants that such advertisement does not in any way infringe copyright or contravene the provisions of the Trade Descriptions Act.

All copy is subject to the approval of the publisher, who reserves the right to refuse, amend, withdraw or otherwise deal with advertisements submitted to it at its absolute discretion and without explanation.

All advertisements must comply with the British Code of Advertising Practice.

Mail order advertisers are required to state in advertisements addressed to the public, their true surname or full company name, together with the address from which the business is managed.

Calls to phone numbers starting 084 and 087 cost up to 7p per minute plus your service provider’s charge.

Nick Lomas says:

We know how much you enjoy sharing your adventures with the Club and with fellow members. In fact, over 20,000 photographs have been submitted by members to help the Club inspire others to enjoy the great outdoors.

Member research tells us that the majority of you take pictures every time – or most times – that you go touring, and there seems to be no limit to your collective creativity and compositional skills. We love to use your photos in the magazine, online, in social media and in our publications. It’s so much more satisfying to know the view you see is one that was captured by a fellow Club member.

modified to withstand the vibration, radiation and temperature extremes of space. These are set to be some of the highest resolution photos from a distance of the Earth and the Moon that we have ever seen, but the core technology is the same as that owned and used by members.

One of my particular favourites is Andy Pattenden’s photo of Corfe Castle in Dorset, near our Haycraft and Hunter’s Moon Club campsites, used on the front cover of this issue. Just as inspiring are images by Simon Torr (the Milky Way) and Mark Humphrey (the incomparably beautiful Lake Bled in Slovenia), both of which have also graced recent covers.

Photographic technology has come such a long way in recent years and the ability to take photos with accurate exposure and pin-sharp focus has become easier than ever before. I was recently surprised to learn that NASA’s very latest Artemis mission made use of popular Go-Pro cameras to capture images of the Moon, the spacecraft and Earth. Admittedly they were not standard, shop-bought versions, but

To share your photos and for a chance to be featured on our website, in our monthly magazine and on our social media pages, head to camc.com/photowall or use the QR code at the bottom of this page.

Lower-resolution photographs from your phone are often fine to be used online and in social media. However, if you want them to be considered for the front cover of the magazine or the wall displays at one of our Club campsites, they need to be of a higher quality – at least 300dpi.

While your photographs don’t come to us from space, your travels do take you to some of the most beautiful and evocative places on Earth. Thanks for sharing them and do keep sending them to us.

“ We love to use your photos in the magazine ”

YOUR PHOTOS

Your most memorable touring moments caught on camera

ON THE ROCKS

Basalt, yes... Giant’s Causeway, no. This is the equally spectacular Fingal’s Cave on the Inner Hebridean isle of Staffa. (Nearest Affiliated campsite: North Ledaig.)

Robert Kletz

Cumbria FRANKIE ’S FANTASTIC TRIP

This is our girl, Frankie, enjoying a tour of the Lake District and Scotland. (This picture was taken near Borrowdale Club Campsite.)

Lesley Fraser

Argyll & Bute

Cambridgeshire

LIVE LIKE A KING A kingfisher poses for the camera at Ferry Meadows Club Campsite. David Weeks

PEAK PERFECTION

The view over Ladybower Reservoir in the Peak District. (Nearest Club campsite: Castleton.)

STORR ATTRACTION

CHRISTMAS COOKS

Van life at Christmas... but still warm enough for some bangers on a barbecue! Taken during a stay by the Castle Ward Estate, Downpatrick.

Lynette Bradley

WADER GO!

Stayed at Sandringham Club Campsite in November to visit RSPB Snettisham and witness the ‘whirling wader spectacular’ at dawn. (This rare event occurs when high tides force the birds (mostly knot) from their feeding grounds on The Wash onto the lagoons of the RSPB reserve – see rspb.org.uk for more information.)

Upload your images at camc.com/inspiring adventures or tag us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter using #inspiringadventures

Katie Dudley

Christopher Wicks

TAX BREAK

The stunning view from Tax Farm CL, Matlock. Michelle Sleigh

County Down

Norfolk

Highlands

Derbyshire

Skye’s spectacular Old Man of Storr, taken during a tour along Scotland’s North Coast 500 route.

Peter Ravald

Derbyshire

We are delighted to announce that the Club has purchased the fantastic Dornafield near Newton Abbot in South Devon*. The campsite, which since 1998 has operated as Dornafield Touring Park, an Affiliated Site, is available to book at camc.com now for stays from 10 March to 1 November 2023. Situated in a quiet valley and surrounded by beautiful countryside, the campsite is ideally placed for exploring the seaside towns of Torquay, Paignton and Brixham and is within easy reach of the wild and wonderful Dartmoor National Park.

History enthusiasts will be drawn to the National Trust’s Compton Castle, just a 10-minute drive away in Marldon. Explore the Great Hall, ‘Sub Solar’ (formerly a cellar) and kitchen before wandering through the grounds, which boast a rose garden, orchard and medieval-style knot garden (a formal garden set in a square frame).

Just a mile away from the Club campsite is Daignton Park Golf Club – why not pop into the restaurant or bar after 18 holes in the lovely Devon countryside?

Or what about a trip to the Devon Bird of Prey Centre – here you can see the likes of eagle owls, barn owls and Harris hawks, and even take part in a handling experience.

Devonshire MONEY

Canonteign Falls

Enjoy peaceful walks beside waterfalls and lakes at Canonteign Falls in Christow near Exeter. The Victorian Fern Garden gives visitors the chance to climb through ancient woodland, while the adventure playgrounds, offering trampolines, a wooden galleon, zip wire and mini assault course, will go down well with younger guests. Members save 15%.

Pecorama

Visit one of the finest narrowgauge railways in Britain and enjoy a mile-long circular route from Much Natter station, past formal gardens, over bridges and through a tunnel. After your journey explore the extensive gardens, take the younger ones to an outdoor play area or test your skills on the crazy golf. Round your day off with a snack at The Junction. Members receive a 10% discount on entry.

Shaldon Wildlife Trust

Half an hour's drive from Dornafield, in an acre of woodland garden, visitors can see the likes of ring-tailed lemurs, squirrel monkeys, meerkats, armadillos and blue dart frogs. Club members get a 20% discount.

Please check opening times and dates of attractions. For terms and conditions – and details of savings at even more attractions –visit camc.com/greatsavingsguide

cream!

FANTASTIC FACILITIES

The campsite boasts more than 100 fully serviced, all-weather pitches as well as two excellent facilities blocks, electric vehicle charging points, Wi-Fi access, an indoor games room, two adventure playgrounds, a tennis court and more.

There is also a large caravan storage facility – to find out more see camc.com/ dornafieldclubcampsite.

Harvey Alexander, the Club ’s Director of Marketing and Membership Services, said, “We’re delighted to have successfully purchased Dornafield Touring Park. Situated in a lovely part of Devon, it’s already a firm favourite with members and has even more potential for the future.”

To find out more about the campsite and book your stay, visit camc.com or use the Club app.

*Existing bookings in 2023: If you have an existing booking, don’t worry. Your stay is confirmed, your deposit is secure and we’ll do our best to honour your original pitch allocation where possible. We will contact you regarding your booking in due course.

MORE NEW INVESTMENTS

Here’s a quick reminder of exciting development plans at sites in 2023.

Incleboro Fields, Norfolk: partial redevelopment will see more hardstanding, serviced and premium pitches, a new, multi-use games area and more.

Bridport Bingham Grange, Dorset: full redevelopment including a new café with indoor and outdoor seating, new facilities block, improved pitches and new Experience Freedom village.

Coed-y-Llwyn, Gwynedd: partial redevelopment, including new serviced pitches and new facility block.

Pandy, Monmouthshire: full redevelopment including new serviced pitches, refurbished facilities block and dog and bike wash.

Durham Grange, County Durham: extra storage pitches and touring pitch improvement work.

Steamer Quay, Devon: full redevelopment including conversion of grass economy pitches to non-awning serviced pitches, new motor van waste points, new vehicle charging point and refurbished toilet block.

For further details see pages 22 and 23 of the December 2022 issue. At the time of going to press, most projects are still subject to planning approval.

Incleboro Fields

Photo by member Jon Orme

Relaxing at Dornafield

Photo by member Janet Rees

Above left: Dornafield Club Campsite

Torquay harbour

Photo by Andy Styles

Dartmoor

Photo by Brian Waring

Cordless High-Pressure Cleaning

Power Clean can use water from a tap as well as from any other source you choosea bowl or bucket, a swimming pool or even a river. Power Clean has up to ten times the power of a regular garden hose and an impressive running-time of up to 60 minutes* from a single charge. Power Clean comes ready to use with a detachable 2.0Ah or 4.0Ah Li-ion rechargeable battery pack and all the handy accessories you’ll ever need. Now you really can use a pressure washer anywhere you want - even

Headlines

The latest stories from the touring world

Your chance to win a dream holiday

We’re giving away a dream motorhome holiday in Southern Africa – and as a valued Club member you will automatically be entered into our prize draw for a chance to win. To be eligible, all you have to do is ensure that your membership is current on 8 March 2023 (remember to renew your membership before that date if it expires between now and then).

PRIZE DETAILS

The prize is an exciting 28-day escorted motorhome tour in Southern Africa for two people (including flights) – worth £11,998. Travel from Windhoek, Namibia, to Cape Town, South Africa, in a Bobo Campers Discoverer four-berth motorhome, guided by South African tour hosts.

The tour gives you the chance to see wildlife on game drives in Etosha National Park and in Erindi Game Reserve, and to discover sea life around Swakopmund, Walvis Bay and the Skeleton Coast. You’ll also discover the red deserts of Sossusvlei, the rock formations in the Giant’s Playground and the Fish River Canyon.

As you travel through the Western Cape of South Africa, witness an extraordinary spectacle of nature as a brilliant array of diverse wild flowers transforms this evocative semi-arid landscape into an unforgettable portrait of extraordinary colour and beauty. Finally, you’ll end your tour in Cape Town, where you can enjoy stunning views of Table Mountain.

The tour will depart on 23 August 2023 (please note that this date cannot be amended). For more information, to opt out and to read terms and conditions, please visit camc.com/ africaprizedraw. We can’t wait to see the prize winner’s photos and hear all about the adventure*. Good luck!

Please note: Park fees, optional excursions, fuel and food are not included, and must be paid for locally.

*The winner will be required to provide their own photography of the tour, a quote for the Club magazine and be interviewed for an article about the holiday.

Club Band celebrates 30th birthday

The Caravan and Motorhome Club Concert Band will be celebrating a major milestone during 2023 – its 30th anniversary!

The Club Band consists of 40-50 players of all ages and standards, and it’s not unusual to see children and grandchildren playing alongside parents and grandparents. The band often plays at major events and also holds its own rehearsal rallies each year. A busy anniversary year will see members playing at the Edinburgh Fringe, performances of their classic ‘Proms’ night on at least three occasions, and also an appearance at the Whit Marches – the annual marching brass band contest in Saddleworth near Manchester – in June.

Other plans include trips to play at the Spraoi Festival in Waterford, Disneyland Paris and the Menin Gate. Closer to home, the band will perform in Southport and will join Derbyshire Centre at its Easter Rally.

The band is always looking for opportunities to support Regional and major Centre events, or co-host rehearsal weekends with Centres – if you would like to find out more please visit facebook. com/CAMCBand or email camccbchairman@gmail.com.

We’ll be including a special article on the Club Band later this year. In the meantime, we thought you would enjoy these photos of their last rehearsal rally of 2022, during which their Christmas piece was recorded. The piece in question, A Floral Christmas, was arranged and conducted by Musical Director Chris Cobon (with some helping hands!) and you can watch a video at youtu.be/ HhBEKcQOh40. If you would like to learn more about Chris and his music please visit cobon.co.uk.

The Club Band would like to wish all supporters and friends a very happy new year.

See you at the NEC show!

The Caravan, Camping & Motorhome Show will take place at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre (NEC) from 21-26 February 2023.

The show will feature over 350 exhibitors, and new models from leading manufacturers such as Adria, Auto-Trail, Bailey, Coachman, Compass, Chausson, Elddis, Hillside, Knaus, Pilote, Frankia, RP Motorhomes, Roller Team, Westfalia Mobil, Wildax and more. Visitors will also be able to browse a large selection of tents, trailer tents and camping equipment in a new, dedicated Tent and Camping Hall.

A number of guest speakers will be present during the week. On Club day, Tuesday 21 February, we will be hosting a number of well-known touring fans at Stand 2000, Hall 2, including Matt Allwright, Annabel Croft, Martin Dorey and Karen Wright. Others scheduled to appear during the week at the Inspiration Theatre include comedians Paul Merton and Suki Webster (Thursday 23 February), and adventurer and writer Marcus Leach (every day), while talks on various stages will cover Galician wine tours, travelling in Germany, nature and conservation, the magic of Morocco and more.

Club staff will be on hand at our stand should you wish to say hello or ask any questions. The Club will also be holding free motorhome and campervan manoeuvring sessions throughout the week –these can only be booked at the Club stand during the show.

For an exclusive discounted ticket offer for Club members, please see pages 4-5 of this issue.

ACCESSIBILITY AND INCLUSIVITY

For people with a disability, reduced mobility or other special needs, touring is a great way to enjoy a holiday without worrying about access or compromising your independence.

At the Caravan and Motorhome Club, we understand that it is important to encourage, consider and act in support of accessibility and inclusivity, and there are many ways in which we support our members. An estimated 25% of Club member families enjoy caravanning and motorhoming with some form of disability – many with physical disabilities, and many more with non-visible disabilities.

You may have read about the Club’s involvement with Sunflower Hidden Disabilities in the Club magazine (July 2022 issue, p16). If you attended the NEC show or any of our pop-up campsites you will have seen our staff sporting the Sunflower Hidden Disabilities badges or lanyards, and we are about to roll out training to CLs, Affiliated Sites, Centres, Regions and all Club staff.

You may also have read about the improvements we have made on sites

with new signage for accessible and inclusive bathrooms and the addition of an extra accessible WC on newly developed sites (September 2022 issue, p23). Research conducted with members on the future of our facility blocks – as well as a separate survey about accessibility at Club sites – has helped to inform our redevelopment work, and improve sites for everyone.

There is a plan to trial accessible pitches on some of the newly developed sites in 2023, as well as hearing loops in some receptions. We will also be reviewing our access locks

You recommend... Garlieston

Views on a peaceful, waterside campsite in Dumfries & Galloway

“The scenery is spectacular and the variety of birds at low tide was amazing, a stroll along the coastal path was not too difficult and I am 80% sure I saw a sea otter. My field glasses were back in the van! ... Food at the Harbour pub was delicious, the ‘Hive’ cafe did lovely ice cream and the local garage/ shop had everything we needed.” (September 2022)

“This site is a gem... Places worth visiting close by include Isle of Whithorn (a ‘must see’ village), Whithorn with its museum and priory, and Wigtown. All with free motorhome parking... A lovely offroad run is from Isle of Whithorn

on springy short turf with amazing sea views south to Burrow Head. (This path is signposted from Isle of Whithorn.) I also recommend Stranraer Parkrun due to being especially friendly with great views over the sea.” (September 2022)

at blocks that require access control and will be testing new signage that is clearer to read.

Our site arrivals efficiency trial at Clachan (September 2022 issue, p15) is also a good example of how we are making it easier for members to arrive on site without exiting their vehicles; we hope to continue trials on more campsites during 2023.

We have included information on the facilities and services that we offer in the new edition of the Sites Directory & Handbook, while resources on the Club website have also been improved – see camc.com/ accessiblecampsites. Here, you can find out what the Club offers at each campsite, including access guides to help members make informed decisions as to how a site may suit them. There is also advice on purchasing an adapted vehicle, more on Sunflower Hidden Disabilities, information about Experience Freedom accessible accommodation and inspiring articles and blogs from members who use our sites.

More updates will be published in the Club magazine and online throughout the year.

“We have just spent five nights there before coming back down south. The site is in our opinion.. idyllic. I found the pitches to be a nice size and very well spaced out.” (August 2022)

Staff at the 2022 Holkham Hall pop-up campsite wearing Sunflower supporter badges

Garlieston Club Campsite

Photo by member Errol Crowe

YOUR FEEDBACK COUNTS!

We would like to thank members for taking the time to send feedback to the Club during 2022. Your feedback and suggestions help to shape the future of the Club in so many ways –here are a few examples.

UK Club Campsites

Between January and November 2022 around 60,000 of you took part in our Welcome Home survey, covering all aspects of your stays from arrival onwards. The average rating you gave us for ‘Overall experience’ was 8.9/10, while ‘Customer service’ scored a fantastic 9.3/10. Visitors’ likelihood to recommend sites was also extremely high.

“The feedback we get from our surveys is just so helpful – it’s like having 60,000 mystery shoppers,” says Anthony Davies, Director of Sites and Accommodation at the Club. “One of our key focuses within the Sites and Accommodation team is how we can improve member experience, and the valuable insights that we gain through this feedback helps us design, build and operate better facilities and services while you enjoy the great outdoors.”

Some of the responses we received said that the Club needed to be more inclusive on our sites, and you can read about changes that we have made with regard to accessibility and inclusivity on page 16.

You also said that you wanted clear guidance on charging electric vehicles (EVs) on sites, so we reviewed our on-pitch charging policy, brought

in a simplified system, and ensured that those charging EVs knew the safest way to do so. We continued to introduce dedicated EV charge points at sites where major development work was carried out.

Our three major redevelopments at Winchester Morn Hill, Scarborough West Ayton and Clumber Park Club campsites have been well-received, with doubleentry ‘no close’ amenity blocks and striking wall murals getting the thumbs-up. (Lady Margaret’s Park Club Campsite, our fourth major redevelopment of 2022, had just re-opened at time of going to press.) More than £20m is lined up for further development and new UK campsites during 2023!

Site managers appreciate your feedback and regularly review it. In our annual staff survey, one site manager said: “The feedback from members is very encouraging for me as a member of staff. It does make me feel pride in my role.” And your insider tips – for things to do, places to eat, etc –feature in our site welcome packs and leaflets, promotional emails and articles in the Club magazine. Please keep them coming!

Experience Freedom

Guest feedback continues to help shape and improve the expansion of our Experience Freedom glamping accommodation. In fact, over 1,300 survey replies during 2022 included 550 from Club members and their family and friends. Two

examples of changes following your feedback are the introduction of larger cabins (sleeping more people) at Coniston Park Coppice Club Campsite and a communal firepit at Moreton-in-Marsh Club Campsite.

Overseas travel

“We truly appreciate members’ feedback all year round on the hundreds of European campsites we work with,” says Contracting Manager Sam Jackson. “Based on this, we’ve dropped some sites from our programme and found better quality ‘stopover’ replacements for members driving south to Spain.

“On the flipside, members also help us to select new campsites to add to our programme, such as Vorrelveen in The Netherlands. It’s a small, charming campsite and we’re delighted to be able to offer it to members for summer 2023. Plus we’ve launched a brand new Escorted European Tour for 2023 (Wines of the Loire, September 2023) based on members’ suggestions – two thirds of the members who loved the ‘22 Wines of Alsace’ tour are already booked!”

Your feedback will help us to continue tweaking and improving what the Club offers in the future. Please keep it coming during 2023 – for example by completing surveys, making comments on social media, chatting with our staff, sending compliments or complaints to the Contact Centre or writing letters to the Club magazine.

COME AND TALK TO THE CLUB!

Question and answer-style events will be hosted by two of the Club’s Regions in March. If you have any burning questions that you want to ask the Club, please contact the Region in question, book a spot and come along.

The West Central Region will be hosting its event at 11am on 11 March 2023 at the National Waterways Museum in Ellesmere Port (CH65 4FW). Attendees will be able to meet some members of the Executive Committee and Club staff, while a representative from a dealership is planning to attend. There will be refreshments available to members from 10.15am. Numbers are limited to 100 members. There will be free parking and free admission to the museum after the event. To book a spot, please email Janet (secretary@ westcentralregion.co.uk).

The Home Counties Region will welcome visitors at 11am on 25 March 2023 at Silverstone Museum, Silverstone (NN12 8TN) – and refreshments will be provided. Attendees will be able to meet members of the Executive Committee, Club staff and technical experts. After the meeting members will be offered a complimentary tour of the museum. To reserve your spot, please email Dave (chairman@homecounties region.co.uk). A temporary pop-up site is being offered by Buckinghamshire Centre and bookings can be made at buckscaravan.club/ question-time.

Winchester Morn Hill Club Campsite

Photo by Mark Jones

SHOWTIME

FEBRUARY

2-5 Glasgow: Scottish Caravan, Motorhome & Holiday Home Show, SEC (QD Events, see caravanshowscotland.com)

21-26 Birmingham: Caravan, Camping & Motorhome Show, NEC, Birmingham (NCC Events, see ccmshow.co.uk)

MARCH

17-19 Yorkshire: The Yorkshire Motorhome & Campervan Show, Great Yorkshire Showground, Harrogate (Warners Shows, see outandaboutlive.co.uk or call 01778 391123)

24-26 Hampshire: Go Explore, Farnborough International, Farnborough (QD Events, see goexploreshow.co.uk)

Note: details subject to change and pre-registration or tickets may be required – please check websites or telephone event organisers in advance for up-to-date information.

Digital Magazine

The digital version of the Club Magazine contains extra content each month – you can download it for free from the App Store or Google Play by searching for ‘CAMC Magazine’. The February issue features extended versions of our Bailey Alicanto Grande and Auto-Trail Expedition C72 tests, a new cycle route from Wharfedale Club Campsite with accompanying video as well as puzzles and an extra page of Tail Lights.

SCREEN READER

We are in the process of updating our Digital Magazine to make it more accessible for visually impaired members. We are looking for members with a visual impairment or experience of using a screen reader to test a new facility on the updated app. If you would like to get involved please email clubmagapp@ camc.com.

BALTIC WHARF

We are pleased to report that Baltic Wharf Club Campsite in Bristol is now open until Sunday 26 March 2023. Pitches are available and can be booked now!

Baltic Wharf Club Campsite is a waterside haven, located right in the heart of Bristol’s re-developed dockland and close to the city centre with its lively shops and entertainment. For families

staying at the campsite, great attractions include the zoo and The Downs – a great place for picnics and more.

The Club has been operating Baltic Wharf campsite for several years on a renewable, short term lease while the council planned for redevelopment of the site into new homes. Please visit camc.com for the latest information regarding the campsite.

New venues for training courses

The Club runs training courses throughout the year at various locations across the country. Whether you’re a beginner looking to build confidence or a more experienced caravanner or motorhomer wanting to give your skills a boost, we have a course to suit your needs. We are pleased to report that for 2023 we have added the following to our list of venues for training courses:

Keep Legal Ltd,South Ockendon, Essex

Go!Driving, York, North Yorkshire Boston LGV Training, Boston, Lincolnshire

Lancaster Driver Training, Lancaster, Lancashire

To see a full list of courses and venues, and to book a place on a course, please see camc.com/training

FROM THE ARCHIVES

News from the Club’s Collection

As the proud custodian of The Wanderer, the first ever caravan custom built for leisure, the Club is delighted that it has been awarded ‘Engineering Heritage Listed Status’ by the Institute of Mechanical Engineers.

The Engineering Heritage Awards were established in 1984, and recognise pioneering engineering artefacts, locations, collections and landmarks.

Designed and commissioned by author and retired Royal Naval surgeon Dr William Gordon Stables in 1884, the iconic Wanderer provides a point of continuity, linking the origins of the pastime to the modern day.

While technology has progressed and caravanning has become a far more socially-inclusive activity, the essence of what The Wanderer was able to grant – access to the great outdoors for leisure, in comfort and in safety – is as true of a modern caravan as it is of this pioneering tourer.

Despite the passing of nearly 140 years, today’s caravan owners would still recognise many fundamental

aspects of The Wanderer ’s design in their own outfits.

Although periodic restorations have been carried out, fundamentally The Wanderer remains as originally built, in terms of structure, fixtures and fittings.

Taking to the road in the summer of 1885, Stables charted his journey in a book entitled The Cruise of the Land-Yacht Wanderer (1886). This inspired others to follow, and by the early 20th Century the craze for caravanning had taken off among

wealthy ladies and gentlemen, who had the funds and the free time to take a leisurely caravan tour.

By 1907 the pursuit was so popular that it led to the formation of The Caravan Club of Great Britain and Ireland, today known as the Caravan and Motorhome Club.

The Wanderer now resides in the renovated railway goods shed at Broadway Caravan and Motorhome Club Campsite, alongside a display which shares its story.

Angela Willis

Looking for that perfect pitch with a view to die for, or need to park your caravan in the most awkward of tight spots? A touch caravan wherever you like with that’s accurate to 1mm and tested to move over 2 tonnes on a 1:4 slope across all surfaces.

UK, with a Year Guarantee, it’s hardly surprising touch are still the UK’s No1 Caravan Movers

So, no matter what caravan you own or whatever your budget, has the No1 mover that’s perfect for you. Why choose second best?

Truma Ltd, 2000 Park Lane, Dove Valley Park, Foston, Derby, DE65 5BG

Pop-up campsites are back for 2023!

This year, we’re returning to the New Forest at the delightful Beaulieu Estate and Holkham Hall on the magnificent north Norfolk coast

We’re delighted to be running pop-up campsites at two superb venues once again in 2023. The Beaulieu Estate in the New Forest National Park is a top visitor attraction and home to the National Motor Museum, World of Top Gear, Beaulieu Abbey and more. It also offers fantastic access to the south coast and the finest cycling and walking routes this picturesque part of England has to offer. Meanwhile, stunning Holkham Hall – home of the Club’s President, the Earl of Leicester – is situated on Norfolk’s coast, giving you the chance to spend time on the beach and also visit local jewels Blakeney, Sheringham and Cromer.

We believe a stay at one of our pop-up campsites will give you a unique experience in

magnificent surroundings... and we know that you love them, too. The Club ran successful pop-up campsites at the Beaulieu Estate and Holkham Hall during 2022, and members who stayed at them provided fantastic feedback afterwards. In fact, over 80% of the 787 people who responded to our ‘welcome home’ visitor survey rated all elements of the guest experience ‘excellent’, while an incredible 94% said that the experience of staying on a pop-up campsite ‘matched or exceeded’ their expectations.

There are more details about the two different pop-up campsites on these pages. If you would like to book a pitch or find out more please visit camc.com/popups. See you there!

Early bird offer

Take advantage of our early bird offer and save 10% on your pop-up campsite pitch fee when using the code ‘POPUP10’ when booking. This offer is exclusive to Club members and only available for bookings made by 1 March 2023. Plus you can cancel for free up to 30 days before your arrival date.

10%

Holkham beach

Photo by member Charlotte Fowler

Holkham Hall

Photo by Andrew Purbrick

New Forest Pop-up Campsite

Open: 4-31 July 2023

From £39* per night. Price includes:

Two adults on a standard touring pitch with electric hook-up

Toilets and showers on-site, plus fresh water and waste disposal 25%^ discount, plus free re-entry to the Beaulieu visitor attraction during your stay 30%^ discount on entry to Buckler’s Hard Museum

Activity area with free garden games, outdoor activities

Free cancellation up to 30 days before arrival date

Tent camping pitches are available to book if your non-touring friends and family want to join you.

* Price quoted for two adults and a standard pitch per night, staying between Sunday-Thursday. Two-night minimum stay and £1 transaction fee applies.

^ Terms and conditions apply – see camc.com/popups for details.

10%

Holkham Hall Pop-up Campsite

Open: 11 July-7 August 2023 and 21 August-17 September 2023

From £41* per night. Price includes: Two adults on a standard touring pitch with electric hook-up

Toilets and showers on-site, plus fresh water and waste disposal 30%^ discount on admission tickets to the Hall, Walled Garden and Holkham Stories exhibition

Free cancellation up to 30 days before arrival date

Tent camping pitches are available to book if your non-touring friends and family want to join you.

* Price quoted for two adults and a standard pitch per night, staying between Sunday-Thursday. Two-night minimum stay and £1 transaction fee applies.

^ Terms and conditions apply. Details on the process to gain discounted attraction tickets for Holkham visitor attractions will be available online soon (campsite bookers will also be notified by email).

Spotlight on... wooden yurts at Daleacres*

Do you fancy a magical glamping break in one of our new, attractive roundhouse solid wooden yurts at Daleacres Club Campsite in Kent?

The spacious wooden yurts are equipped with solid wood furniture and comfortably sleep two adults and two children, featuring a double bed plus two full-sized singles (all with proper mattresses).

They will also include appliances, crockery, cutlery and a heater to keep you cosy – so you’ll have all you need for a restful and memorable holiday. We also provide an outdoor patio area with a fire pit incorporating a barbecue grill for al fresco cooking, so you can truly make the most of the great outdoors!

Daleacres Club Campsite sits near the fantastic Port Lympne Safari Park, so you may even hear the occasional distant roar during your stay! The coast is also within easy reach, while Folkestone and Dungeness offer two very different days out.

The yurts will be available from spring but you can book your stay now – please see experiencefreedom.co.uk to find out more. Remember Club members and friends and family save 10% on Experience Freedom bookings – see camc.com/experiencefreedom for more details.

*Picture for illustration purposes only – our yurts will be similar but will have wood effect stoves.

Crystal Palace lease extension

Following further discussions between the Club and Bromley London Borough Council, we are pleased to report that the Council has agreed to grant a new, two-year lease. You can book right now for stays up to the end of January 2024.

We know that London is a very popular destination and we are pleased to give you more time to enjoy one of our most popular and historic sites within the Club network.

“ The stay in the yurt was fantastic... everything you need for a great stay. Spotlessly clean and nice comfy beds and bedding, loads of room inside and a great, safe decking area. ” Review of a stay in a canvas yurt at Cayton Village Club Campsite

London Eye

Photo by member Lisa Dutton

National Motor Museum

Photo by member Martin Bishop

DAYS OUT FOR LESS

MEMBERS RECEIVE DISCOUNTS AT HUNDREDS OF ATTRACTIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY THANKS TO OUR GREAT SAVINGS GUIDE. HERE ARE FIVE FANTASTIC DAYS OUT TO CONSIDER...

SKEGNESS NATURELAND SEAL SANCTUARY, LINCOLNSHIRE

A great day out for animal lovers, Natureland is a sanctuary for orphaned and injured animals – primarily seals –found along the Lincolnshire coast. It is also home to penguins, meerkats, exotic butterflies (Mar-Oct), reptiles, sheep, goats, alpacas and beautiful tropical fish. Club members receive a 10% discount off the full-price admission.

Info: skegnessnatureland.co.uk

Nearest Club campsite: Skegness Sands

LOCKED IN A ROOM

Put your problem-solving skills and team spirit to the test at locations in Bristol, Milton Keynes, Southampton and Exeter. Choose your room and level of difficulty before being locked in with puzzles to solve in order to escape. Sessions last around 90 minutes and Club members receive a discount of 10% on the ticket price (prebooking required).

Info: lockedinaroom.co.uk

JORVIK DIG, NORTH YORKSHIRE

Budding archaeologists will love this attraction where you have the chance to excavate ancient artefacts. With four different pits – Roman, Viking, Medieval and Victorian – children can dig up clues and discover how people lived in these eras. One child goes free with every full-paying adult with Club membership. Pre-booking is advised. The terrain is not suitable for pushchairs.

Info: digyork.co.uk

Nearest Club campsites: York Beechwood Grange, York Rowntree Park

BEAMISH MUSEUM, COUNTY DURHAM

Take a tram ride and experience the sights, sounds, smells and flavours of the past at Beamish, The Living Museum of the North. Club members can enjoy a 15% discount on an individual Beamish Unlimited Pass, which gives you entry for a year. Motorhome parking is available; please contact venue directly for details. Open weekends only until 17 February – please check website before travel. Info: beamish.org.uk

Nearest Club campsite: Durham Grange

LASERZONE

With locations in Brighton, Castleford and Leeds, Laserzone offers an atmospheric treat. Score points by zapping your opponents with your laser and blasting their bases! Club members enjoy two minimissions for the price of one (either one person playing two minimissions or two people playing one mini-mission each). Admission subject to availability; walk-ins only. Info: laserzone.co.uk

Nearest Club campsites: Brighton, Knaresborough

Picture this!

Lee Davey bought his first caravan after researching family holidays in Dorset and Hampshire. Fifteen years later, the region still has so much to offer...

Amazingly, some people choose to bypass the UK’s central south coast, preferring instead to follow the tourist trail to Devon and Cornwall. But just look at the variety of places of note on offer in Dorset and neighbouring Hampshire – such as the Jurassic Coast, the New Forest and South Downs national parks, buzzing resorts like Weymouth and Bournemouth, as well as the historic maritime cities of Southampton and Portsmouth!

These hot spots do still attract a significant number of holidaymakers during the summer months, but the two counties are ripe for wider exploration. An

Photo opportunities aplenty on the Isle of Wight

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

See camc.com for the latest site information and follow official guidelines at all times. We also recommend that you check with businesses/attractions that are listed regarding opening dates/restrictions.

There is a wealth of attractions in Weymouth

1

East Fleet Farm Affiliated Site

A relatively large site spread out across different levels, with good facilities, including a shop and restaurant.

Pitches: 362

Max outfit length: 8.5m Tent camping available here

Member view

“The perfect location from which to enjoy views of the sea, Chesil Beach and the gorgeous sunsets. Genuinely friendly and helpful staff on site. The facilities were really clean and well-kept.”

Simon, Nicky and Charlie

Food & drink

Restaurant Les Enfants Terribles, 19 Custom House Quay, Weymouth DT4 8BG

Contact: les-enfants-terribles. co.uk, 01305 772270

Culture

Castletown D-Day Centre, Admiralty Buildings, Castletown, Portland DT5 1BD.

Contact: ddaycentre.com, 01305 443444

Outdoor fun

Portland Bill Lighthouse, Old Coastguard Cottages, Portland DT5 2JT

Contact: trinityhouse.co.uk, 01305 821050

For the family

The Dinosaur Museum, Icen Way, Dorchester DT1 1EW

Contact: thedinosaurmuseum. com, 01305 269880

Member saving available: see camc.com/ greatsavingsguide for details, terms and conditions

abundance of picture-postcard villages and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (not forgetting the magnificent Isle of Wight) ensure that time here is time well spent.

Picturing visits to this part of the UK prompted our first caravan purchase some 15 years ago, and the counties remain firm favourites to this day. For this tour we decided to travel west to east, starting at the seaside town of Weymouth and finishing at Hampshire’s Hundred Acre Wood, with a detour to the Isle of Wight along the way.

Our journey begins at East Fleet Farm Touring Park, an Affiliated Site on the edge of the Fleet Lagoon, with Chesil Beach lying beyond. This isn’t an area for swimming or fishing, although with lots of wildlife around it’s perfect for nature lovers, or folk who enjoy walks with spectacular backdrops.

The pitches at this family-favourite are spacious and divided between two fields, with refurbished wash blocks for both. And if you’re looking for something decent to eat on site, East Fleet Farm’s WhyNot Inn has been

“ William established the region as a hunting ground in 1079 ”

Sunset near East Fleet Farm

Photo by member Matt Redgate

Castletown D-Day Centre near East Fleet Farm

BOOKING INFO

For the latest details and opening information for all our sites, please see camc.com

rebranded as The Lady of Loretto, boasting indoor and outdoor seating. The seaside town of Weymouth is just three miles away and is understandably popular thanks to its award-winning beach and local amenities. The golden sands attract large numbers during the day, especially if the weather is favourable, while Weymouth Pavilion hosts an impressive array of evening entertainment.

Late afternoon or early evening is a great time to visit, and we enjoyed fish and chips from King Edwards’ on The Esplanade (eaten

on the sand), followed by dessert from local institution Rossi’s Ices. Weymouth is also an excellent place for a family swim; an inflatable kayak accompanies us on most trips, and it has been used many times in Weymouth, particularly if we can grab a space in the nearby Pavilion car park.

WAYS TO GO

Travelling east through Dorset, we reach Crossways Club Campsite. Set in a disused quarry, the cul-de-sac-style layout works

2

Crossways

Club Campsite

Lovely cul-de-sac layout with small groups of tourers in wooded areas.

Pitches: 97 Max outfit length: 9m Tent camping available here.

Site view

“Members enjoy the walled garden at Moreton... with some choosing to walk there.

T E Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) is also buried at Moreton. Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door are also a short drive from the site.”

Food & drink

Convivial Rabbit micropub, 1 Trinity House, Trinity St, Dorchester DT1 1TT

Contact: convivialrabbit.co.uk

Culture

Tutankhamun Exhibition, High West St, Dorchester DT1 1UW

Contact: tutankhamunexhibition.co.uk, 01305 269571

Member saving available: see camc.com/ greatsavingsguide for details, terms and conditions

Outdoor fun

Dorset Adventure Park, Arfleet Mill Lakes, Studland Road, Corfe Castle BH20 5JG

Contact: dorsetadventurepark. com, 01929 505030

For the family

The Tank Museum, Linsay Road, Bovington BH20 6JG

Contact: tankmuseum.org, 01929 405096

Scan here to book a pitch at Crossways

The New Forest

Photo by member Andy Pattenden

Chesil Beach

incredibly well, giving the feel of a much smaller site while having all the facilities of a larger one.

Crossways has been another favourite of ours for many years, partly thanks to the abundance of walks and cycle routes nearby – we’ve often used it for last-minute getaways. It is equidistant between the county town of Dorchester and the ‘Jurassic Coast’ – a stretch of coastline that is the UK’s first wholly natural World Heritage Site, erosion having exposed 185 million years of geological history. Take the time to see the natural coastal arch of Durdle Door, or Lulworth Cove which is famed for its fossils. (Like East Fleet

Farm, Crossways can be used as a base for visiting Weymouth.)

If you want to leave the car, camper or motorhome behind, Moreton station is close to the site and trains run west to Dorchester and east to Wareham. Details of walks and cycles near the site can be found in the information room and, should you require a suitable spot from which to plan such activities, The Frampton Arms is a short walk away. But the site itself is also a lovely place in which to relax – deer are frequent visitors, with the woodland and nearby quarry offering convenient refuge.

Continuing east, and skirting Bournemouth, we cross into Hampshire, on

3

New Forest Centenary Club Campsite

One of the larger sites on the Club’s network, with an enclosed dog walk and extensive children’s play facilities.

Member view

“An excellent location with easy access to family attractions like Beaulieu and Paulton’s Park. If we’re staying closer to the site, there’s direct access to several bike routes that suit all abilities.”

Lex, Rachel, Benjamin & Tobias

Food & drink

The Carpenter’s Arms, 103 Burley Road, Bransgore BH23 8BA

Contact: carpentersarms christchurch.co.uk, 01425 672295

Culture

Sammy Miller Motorcycle Museum, Bashley Cross Road BH25 5SZ

Contact: sammymiller. co.uk, 01425 620777

Member saving available: see camc.com/greatsavingsguide for details, terms and conditions

Outdoor fun

Pitches: 275 Max outfit length: 10m Avon Beach, Christchurch BH23 4AN

Contact: visit-dorset.com

For the family

National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, Brockenhurst SO42 7ZN

Contact: beaulieu.co.uk, 01590 612345

Member saving available: see camc.com/greatsavingsguide for details, terms and conditions

Scan here to book a pitch at New Forest Centenary

Durdle Door

Photo by member Steve Woodman

New Forest Photo by member Andy Pattenden

“ Crossways site is a lovely place in which to relax – deer are frequent visitors ”

Portland Bill Lighthouse

Foxhill Farm Certificated Location

A well-equipped CL with hardstanding pitches and excellent facilities. Offers access to the New Forest, Poole and Bournemouth.

Sites Directory & Handbook 2023/24 p346

Site view

“Members always comment on our lovely facilities with wet rooms, and the great location with south coast beaches only 25 minutes away.”

Food & drink

The Churchill Arms, Daggons Road, Alderholt SP6 3AA

Contact: churchillpub.co.uk, 01425 652147

Culture

Breamore House, Breamore, Fordingbridge SP6 2DF

Contact: breamorehouse. com, 01725 512858

Outdoor fun

Moors Valley Country Park. Horton Road, Ashley Heath, Ringwood BH24 2ET

Contact: moors-valley.co.uk, 01425 470721

For the family

Dorset Heavy Horse Farm Park, Edmondsham Road, Verwood BH21 5RJ

Contact: dorset-heavy-horsecentre.co.uk, 01202 824040

Member saving available: see camc. com/greatsavingsguide for details, terms and conditions

the way to the Club’s New Forest Centenary campsite. As you’d expect of a New Forest location, there are even more walking and cycle routes nearby, and it’s possible to reach the outer edges of the woodland if you have the time and energy.

This area is rich in history. William the Conqueror established the region as a hunting ground in 1079, and the system he set-up to manage and protect it is still in place today. The ‘street’ names at the site itself also hint at past events. Visitors may pass by unaware of its

significance, but a portion of the campsite was once part of a runway used during the Second World War. If you turn left out of the main gate and turn left again, you’ll see an ageing concrete section that stretches into the distance. During the war, Spitfires, Hurricanes and B-24 Liberators would have roared through, hoping to return later that day.

FOREST FUN

In its modern-day guise, the site is incredibly popular with families, offering a large play

FREE HORSE FEED

Tony Gage

area, play park, and seemingly limitless things to do nearby. Perhaps you could try the night-time drive-in movie venue up the road, or venture farther afield to the quay at Lymington or attractions of Beaulieu.

Although we didn’t visit on this occasion, Black Knowl Club Campsite is worthy of mention. Also located within the New Forest, it’s a popular venue, and we’ve enjoyed visiting many times, enjoying footpaths and cycle routes that extend far into the forest beyond the various river crossings.

5

Southland Club Campsite

A great base for touring the Isle of Wight. Safari tents are available and can be booked via camc.com/experiencefreedom.

Pitches: 140 Max outfit length: 9m Glamping accommodation available here

Member view

“Friendly wardens, spotlessly clean facilities, excellent pitches and a good play area... It’s a beautiful place to visit, and you’ll be spoilt for choice when choosing a beach!”

Gareth, Laura, Sam and Jack

Food & drink

The Pointer Inn, High Street, Newchurch PO36 0NN

Contact: pointernewchurch.co. uk, 01983 865202

Culture

Brading Roman Villa, Morton Old Rd, Brading, Sandown PO36 0PH

Contact: bradingromanvilla.org. uk, 01983 406223

Outdoor fun

Robin Hill Country Park, Downend Road, Downend PO30 2NU

Contact: robin-hill.com, 01983 527352

For the family

The Garlic Farm, Mersley Lane, Newchurch PO36 0NR

Contact: thegarlicfarm.co.uk, 01983 865378

Scan here to book a pitch at Southland

“ The Jurassic Coast is the UK’s first wholly natural World Heritage Site ”

Stair Hole, near Lulworth Cove

Near Black Knowl Club site

Photo by member Julie Chantler

Sandown Pier, Isle of Wight

Meadow Lakes Certificated Location

Low light pollution makes this site an excellent spot for stargazing. A bus stop (approximately ½ mile) provides access to West Wight and Newport.

Sites Directory & Handbook 2023/24 p358

Site view

“Meadow Lakes is a peaceful, adult-only, dog-free CL... with lovely walks and safe bike rides to our village, the coast and the spectacular Military Road. Our local village, just a two-mile walk away, has a well-stocked shop, public house, church, hairdressers and two tea shops. Our campers enjoy fishing for coarse fish in three ponds as well as catching some trout for their barbecue.”

Food & drink

The Piano Cafe, Gate Ln, Freshwater PO40 9PY

Contact: thepianocafe.co.uk, 01983 472874

Culture

Dimbola Museum and Galleries, Terrace Lane, Freshwater PO40 9QE

Contact: dimbola. co.uk, 01983 756814 Member offer available: see camc.com/ greatsavingsguide for details, terms and conditions

Outdoor fun

Isle of Wight Mountain Bike Centre, Cheverton Farm, Cheverton Shute PO30 3JE

Contact: isleofwightmountain bikecentre.com, 01983 219909

For the family

Dinosaur Expedition Centre, Military Road, Brighstone PO30 4PG

Contact: dinosaurexpeditions. co.uk, 01983 740844

On the Dorset and Hampshire border, at the edge of the New Forest, is Foxhill Farm CL. It is located away from the major routes but close enough to the B3078 to make the journey as stress-free as possible. The site offers hardstanding pitches, electric and water hook-ups, and grey waste drainage. There’s also a heated shower block, wetrooms, and a washing machine and tumble dryer.

Many years ago, while working for a local newspaper, I used to cover this part of the UK and, consequently, I know it pretty well. The pretty villages remain unchanged, and the warm welcomes received in pubs, restaurants, and cafes are a constant despite the passing of time. One place that’s new to

me – and one that I highly recommend – is New Forest Water Park. After spending time on the cable wakeboard I discovered muscles I didn’t know existed, while a ‘warm down’ on the aqua park inflatables zapped any remaining energy. An excellent, if exhausting, time was had by all.

ISLE OF WONDER

The port town of Lymington, on the southern fringes of the New Forest, has a Wightlink ferry terminal, from which there are regular crossings to the Isle of Wight. It can be an expensive crossing, especially when towing a caravan, but savings can be made by booking through the Club’s travel service.

In case you didn’t know,

The Needles, Isle of Wight

“ It’s true – the Isle of Wight has a different feel from the mainland”

the Club books many ferry crossings on behalf of members, with combined site and ferry bookings offering great value (see camc.com/iowoffer for details).

I hadn’t visited Southland Club Campsite on the Isle of Wight for several years, but, on arrival, it was like bumping into an old friend. It’s a cliché, but true – the island has a different feel from the mainland, and although it’s impossible to pinpoint exactly why, it’s this feeling that keeps us returning year after year. Perhaps it’s because the ferry crossing gives the trip an ‘overseas’ feel, but one which doesn’t require passports, currency exchanges or struggles with another language.

The touring pitches here are divided into several sections, and a handful of safari tents

Left from top: Quay Hill, Lymington, Hampshire; the Jurassic Coast is famed for its fossil specimens; all the fun of the fair on the Isle of Wight; why not take a ride on the Isle of Wight Steam Railway?

7

Rookesbury Park Club

Campsite

(provided under the Club’s Experience Freedom banner) allows folks without a caravan, camper, or motorhome to stay as well.

During our visit, Europe’s largest scooter rally was in full flow, and many safari tents had gleaming two-wheeled machines parked outside. The site team couldn’t have been friendlier – and should you be stuck for ideas, their knowledge of the island’s attractions knows no equal. Regardless, with Amazon World Zoo just up the road and the resorts of Shanklin and Sandown nearby, you shouldn’t struggle for things to do.

Shanklin has a good selection of eateries on the front and along the High Street, and days can be whiled away on the beach or at the adventure golf course. Similar can be said of Sandown, where there’s also a pier, go-kart track and the Dinosaur Isle museum. If you are feeling fit and energetic it’s all walkable from the campsite.

If travelling by bike, the traffic-free Red Squirrel Trail can be picked up from Southland. If you’d like to explore by bus, there is a stop just half a mile away. In the past I have travelled around the island on foot (walking and running), by car, on my motorcycle and by steam train.... next time I’ll take the bus to complete the set. I’m told the island’s bus network is excellent, with Newport serving as a central hub from which to reach all destinations.

Staying on the Isle of Wight, we headed west for Meadow Lakes Certificated Location. This adults-only, dog-free site is near trout and coarse fishing lakes (tuition, tackle hire and bait are available) with views towards Tennyson Down and The Needles, the famed row of chalk stacks off the coast. This is another fantastic site for nature lovers – you could see swans, little grebes, tufted ducks and Canada geese, while sightings in the wood next door include buzzards, green and spotted woodpeckers, kestrels, long tailed tits and barn owls.

The Isle of Wight has been a firm favourite in my family for many years, and I could fill

Delightful woodland location on the edge of the South Downs with a wide variety of wildlife, a playpark and dog walk. Pitches: 142 Max outfit length: 9.5m Tent camping available here

Site view

“It is a peaceful site, nestled within 100 acres of woodland, teaming with wildlife – deer, owls, buzzards, red kites, and many other bird species... We have a lovely off-road walk from the site to the historic village square of Wickham, where there are lovely tea rooms.”

Food & drink

The Roebuck Inn, Droxford Rd, Kingsmead, Fareham PO17 5AY Contact: roebuckwickham. co.uk, 07366 473737

Culture

HMS Warrior, Victory Gate, Portsmouth PO1 3QX Contact: hmswarrior.org, 023 9277 8600

Outdoor fun

Stansted Park, Stansted House, Rowland’s Castle PO9 6DX Contact: stanstedpark.co.uk, 023 9241 2265

For the family

Eastleigh Lakeside Steam Railway, Lakeside Country Park, Wide Lane SO50 5PE

Contact: steamtrain. co.uk, 023 8061 2020 Member offer available: see camc. com/greatsavings guide for details, terms and conditions

Scan here to book a pitch at Rookesbury Park

Walking App

You can use the Outdooractive app to enjoy a variety of walking routes in the region.

The basic app is free to use, but Club members benefit from a €10 discount on Pro or Pro+ first-year subscriptions. With the Pro version you receive features such as access to topographical maps and special activity networks, while Pro+ gives you 3D maps and more. To find out more and to see a collection of routes near Club sites, see camc.com/outdooractive

Cycling

A circular 21km ride from Southland Club Campsite explores the coast and countryside of the Isle of Wight. The route has sections on the traffic-free Red Squirrel Trail and visits Sandown and Shanklin. You can view details in the August 2021 edition of the Digital Magazine, available via the App Store or Google Play. You can also download directions from our Strava page at strava.com/activities/5699148936.

these pages just by talking about the island alone. It’s easy to get around – nowhere is more than an hour away – and there’s so much to see and do. I’ll finish with a quote from the site staff at Southland: “If you visit a large town in Cornwall or somewhere similar, everyone tends to congregate in the same place. People who visit the Isle of Wight have the whole island to explore.”

A LOOK AT ROOK

After our return ferry journey, we set off for our final destination – Rookesbury Park Club Campsite in Hampshire.

Perched on the edge of woodland and accessed via a long driveway, Rookesbury Park’s location is quiet, with arterial routes just a few miles away. The park that gives the site its name gives you access to the Forest of Bere, home to more owls and buzzards, as well as red kites, the ever-popular pheasants and the occasional deer. No wonder many members choose the campsite because of the furry and feathered neighbours.

Once you have set up and wound down, it’s time to explore the surrounding area. The M27 is just six miles away, and can speed you to Southampton and Portsmouth, while

the M3 takes you to Winchester and its incredible cathedral or the A27 east links with Chichester and beyond.

Head north-east from Rookesbury Park, however, and you’ll move farther into the South Downs National Park. This magnificent region has proven quite the attraction for some 5,000 years – the earliest visitors made their homes on the highest points! Today, it’s a mecca for walkers and cyclists, with the occasional classic car or motorcycle rally added for good measure. Should the inclines of the national park trouble younger or older members, Portsmouth’s Historic Dockyard and Marwell Zoo proved popular among people I spoke to at Rookesbury Park.

If you’re planning to visit the south of England during 2023, remember that Dorset and Hampshire have much to offer, and if you choose your destinations wisely you can even find peace and tranquillity during peak periods. We will be back soon – there is always more to discover.

CL SITES UPDATES

CL SITES

Also see the CL section of the Club website (camc.com) for the most up-to-date information on CLs. Pitch fees may be subject to variation –please check with the CL owner before booking. New CLs are also listed at camc.com/newcls.

NOTE: CL entries are identified by a reference/map number in the Sites Directory & Handbook 2023/24. They are listed here using the same number, unless otherwise specified. The latest handbook will be going out to members in batches from mid-December and we hope that everyone will have received their new editions by mid-January.

NEW CLS

ENGLAND

NORFOLK

(7.1m E) – Rookery Farm, Mr Norbert Mersseman and Mrs Melanie Mace, Church Lane, Ashwickem, King’s Lynn PE32 1LN.

01553 636585; rookeryfarmcl@gmail. com. 132:TF700182; 52.735266, 0.516803. Open 1 Mar-31 Oct; 0.5 acre; dogs; adv bkg req; sl pitches; levelling blocks req; grass; 16A; peaceful; price fr £19 (pitch + all occ).

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE

RETFORD (5.5m E) – Willow Beck Retreat, Mr Abie and Mrs Aiesha Marshall, Willow Beck, Main Street, North Leverton, Nottinghamshire DN22 0AZ. 07863 008561; 01302 874121. 120:SK779819; 53.32899, -0.830497. OAY; 1.2 acres; dogs; levelling blocks req; grass; peaceful; ideal for families; WC (exc); Sh (exc); info rm; dog walk fr site; fr £17 (pitch + 2 ad).

SUFFOLK

LOWESTOFT (3m SW) – Southview, Mr Neil and Mrs Luz Sage, Ivy Lane, Carlton Coleville NR33 8HY. 07905 004607; ivyfarmcampingcl@ outlook.com. 134:TM513919; 52.46733, 1.698661. OAY; 0.5 acre; dogs; adv bkg req; sl pitches;

levelling blocks req; grass; peaceful; price fr £15 (pitch + all occ).

WARWICKSHIRE

ALCESTER (3.7m N) – Elmdale Caravan Park, Mr John Poole and Miss Katy Poole, Bromsgrove Road, Studley B80 7PF. 07545 131123; 07758 001521; poolek1@aol.com. 150:SP073625; 52.261008, -1.893246. OAY; 0.5 acres; dogs; adv bkg req; hdstdng; grass; 16A; peaceful; price fr £20 (pitch + all occ).

WALES

NEWPORT

NEWPORT (4.2m SW) –

Six Counties, Mr Andrew Groombridge, Nant Y Moor Park, Cefn Llogoll Lane, Blacksmiths Way, Newport NP10 8DF. 07812 784488; andrewgroombridge81@gmail.com. 171:ST271848; 51.5579, -3.051957. OAY; 1 acre; dogs; adv bkg req; hdstdng; peaceful; ideal for families; coarse fishing CL; views; WC (sh);

Wi-Fi; in form; price fr £15 (pitch + all occ).

CLOSURES

The following five-pitch CLs are closed and no longer certified by the Club. This does not affect any other business that a landowner may be operating.

337 MELBOURNE – Hill Byre 602 BROCKENHURST –

Valesmoor Farm 1063 HUNSTANTON –The Queen Victoria – Fjord Inn

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

See camc.com for the latest site and CL information. Routes provided by autoroutes or satellite navigation systems may include roads unsuitable for vehicles towing trailers or caravans. For caravan-friendly local routes to sites we advise using directions published in the Sites Directory & Handbook and on our website.

Your chance to have your say. The writer of our Star Letter will receive a £30 National Trust Gift Card

STAR LETTER

JUST REWARDS

Back in 2020, I was just about to complete my final-year exams at university when Covid-19 was first mentioned on the news. Within the next 24 hours I emptied my student accommodation, handed in my keys and moved back home. The rest of my studying took place behind my computer at home and my plans I had in place for further study got cancelled. From this point I decided to go straight into paid work rather than further my academic interests.

My mum, dad and I have always travelled extensively around the UK in our family campervan and we have all enjoyed lots of camping trips over the years. I have so many fond memories of my childhood holidaying along the Norfolk coast, whether it be Hunstanton, Cromer, Wells-next-the-Sea or Great Yarmouth (just to name a few), and so it has always been a dream of mine to one day have my own campervan and pursue my own solo adventures.

Although my current paid work is unrelated to my studies, I decided to take full advantage of my circumstances, save like mad and work every overtime opportunity available. And I can now say that, as of October 2022, I was extremely excited and fortunate to take ownership of my first campervan, ‘Ronnie’.

Within my first two months of ownership, we have travelled 2,000 miles and visited five counties. I look back upon the past couple of years and never expected to be doing what I am today and cannot help but feel incredibly proud to have achieved such a dream at 25. I have absolutely loved my first experiences of the ‘van-life’ so far, the friendly waves as you drive by and meeting so many lovely, like-minded people on the campsites. For me there has been no greater feeling than returning to my van after a day out, popping the kettle on, feet up and relaxing in my

Send your letters to: magazine@camc.com

Members can save 8% on National Trust Gift Cards, which can be redeemed in National Trust cafés and shops, in the Trust’s online shop and towards gift membership packs. See camc.com/nationaltrust for more information.

David Chapman’s recent interesting article on taking

photographs [Country Matters, December 2022 issue] reminded me of one I took in October, also in Cornwall. In the same way as described, I took it in the afternoon when the sun was low in the sky.

We were staying on a lovely CL just a 10-minute walk from Bedruthan Steps and were returning from a coast path walk. At the time there was no access to the beach, so there were no footprints and nobody down there, the sand being just as the retreating tide had left it.

We will certainly be going back to this lovely stretch of Cornish coast.

Stewart Edwards, via email

own space, and never really knowing where you could end up next.

I now look forward to the new year and who knows where I may end up? As long as I turn up to work on Monday, the rest is up to me. It just goes to show what you can achieve when you really put your mind to it, and if things don’t always go to plan, play with what you have.

Lauren Brown, via email

THE ROAD IS LONG

After two previous road trips around France, Spain and Portugal, we decided on another epic trip into Europe. We started on 1 September 2022 from the Club campsite in Brighton and then took the ferry from Newhaven to Dieppe. Our route took in the following: Paris, Lyon, Turin, Lake Garda, Venice, Dubrovnik.

We then took the overnight ferry from Split to Ancona in Italy and visited Abruzzo National Park, Pompeii, Sorrento, Naples, Rome,

Florence, the Cinque Terre, Genoa, Grasse, Nice, Cannes, Marseille, Aix-en-Provence, Lyon, Versailles, Paris and Dieppe before returning by ferry on 31 October.

Whilst this trip is not for the faint-hearted, as some of the driving is very challenging towing a caravan, the extraordinary places and scenery more than make up for it. In total 18 campsites, three countries and 3,500 miles. Our next planned trips are the Scottish 500 [North Coast 500] and the Irish Atlantic Way.

Chris and Dawn Collison, via email

landscape

BRAKING NEWS

Attached is a photograph taken looking back toward Wemyss Bay while on the CalMac ferry to Rothesay, Bute.

In the photo, you will note that my van was lucky enough to be in prime position for a quick getaway when we reach Rothesay! However, what you don’t see is its true proximity to the vessel’s stern door. While up on deck I noticed my van slowly roll forward as the ferry got underway. Leaving my dog in the charge of a helpful CalMac lady, I rushed down to the car deck to see what I could do. The moral of the story is, when on a ferry always apply the handbrake and put it in a low gear. Luckily the van touched the door so gently that no damage was done.

Phil Harley, via email

PLEASE BE CONSIDERATE

We recently stayed on a Club campsite and while walking my dog across our pitch she picked something up in her mouth. We took it off her and discovered that it was a used tea bag.

On searching around the pitch we found another five used tea bags, hard to see because of their colour amid the autumn leaves.

People may not realise how dangerous tea bags can be to

dogs; they can cause blockages in the digestive tract and the caffeine can affect their hearts, breathing and cause tremors. They can be fatal. Many also contain plastics that can get into the wider environment. This is not the first time I’ve seen (and picked up) discarded tea bags.

Please can people dispose of tea bags responsibly along with their other litter.

Jackie Banks, via email

Everybody needs good neighbours

We have recently returned from a wonderful holiday in the Borders, staying for one week at the amazing Bee Edge CL near St Abbs then on to the Yellowcraig Club Campsite. We found the site staff to be very friendly and helpful and extended our stay. Unfortunately, while walking back from North Berwick along the beach (what a gem of a town) I was knocked down by some boisterous labradors and broke my wrist.

I managed to walk the rest of the way back to the site with the prospect of a drive and wait at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary’s A&E. But what about our dog?

Step in Bev and Dave from Bury who we’d just met camping next to us. “Can we look after your dog?” they asked. We were so grateful, and four-and-a-half hours later they were ready with a cup of tea (and a tot of whisky) when we returned. Not only that, as regular visitors to Yellowcraig they filled us in on some great places to visit.

This is what the Club is about, isn’t it?!

Colin and Linda Cooper, via email

No regrets!

During lockdown in early 2020 we made a big decision to join the motorhoming world. Despite never having used a motorhome or caravan before, we took a gamble that we would both enjoy this new lifestyle. How right we were! We took delivery of ‘Molly’, a three-year-old Elddis Evolution 155 in June 2020, and have loved every minute of our extensive travels!

In just 30 months we have covered 20,000 miles and reached the milestone of spending our 365th night in Molly. A whole year!

We travel widely throughout England, Wales and Scotland enjoying a mixture of Club sites and CLs. So far we have enjoyed 39 different Club sites, 21 CLs as well as 45 independents. In 2022, as soon as Covid restrictions eased, we spread our wings and headed for Spain (with a little of France on the way) and have spent 20 weeks, over three trips, touring in Mediterranean sunshine! Currently home, sitting by a log fire, planning our 2023 adventures!

Motorhoming life – loving it!

Richard and Jan Mercer, via email

Your mag needs you!

We would love to hear about your previous adventures and plans for the future! Please email us at magazine@camc.com .

YOUR CLUB SAVINGS

Collectively, members saved over £1.5m between January and October 2022

We have more than 50 Member Offers to choose from – here’s a small selection to get you started! Find out more at camc.com/memberoffers...

THE RAMBLERS

The Ramblers is offering a 10% saving on Individual or Joint membership. When joining you are granted access to 50,000 Ramblers walking groups, each of which has a leader that can guide you along safe, accessible routes. A library full of tried and tested routes is also available via the app or online. Ramblers members receive a welcome pack and a quarterly magazine and can benefit from savings on walking gear and gadgets. Find out more at camc.com/ramblers

ENTERPRISE CAR CLUB

Enterprise Car Club is offering one year’s standard membership for just £20 (usual fee £60 per year). In addition, new members will receive £20 free driving credit! Enterprise Car Club has a range of fuel-efficient, hybrid and electric vehicles available to rent. Join and you can access vehicles across the UK, picking up from a convenient street, train station, car park or Enterprise Rent-A-Car Branch. Find out more at camc.com/ enterprisecarclub

YOUR MEMBER OFFER STORY...

“I’m delighted to have saved over £80 on a new dishwasher through the Club’s Member Offer scheme. Ordered on Sunday afternoon and it arrived the next morning with free delivery! I just wanted to thank the Club and highlight a less obvious benefit of membership to others.” Club member Isabelle Lea

If you have saved via our offers we would love to hear from you! Please send us your story and/or image to memberoffers@camc.com

£40

CLASSIFIED ADS

Are you looking to buy or sell your caravan, motorhome or camping equipment? The Club has a dedicated Classifieds section in partnership with ‘Caravans For Sale’ – see camc.com/ memberoffers and scroll down to ‘Classifieds’.

LOOKING TO BUY?

Check out thousands of listings from dealers and private sellers.

LOOKING TO SELL?

It’s completely free to post an ad on the Classifieds section but Club members can receive a 30% discount on a premium ad. The benefits of a Premium ad include:

Your ad appears above free ads

Unlimited photos Highlighted in listings Your ad stays online longer

See website above for more info and 30% discount terms and conditions.

COLAPZ

Colapz offers an innovative range of high quality, durable products, including flexible waste pipes, dog accessories, collapsible water containers, portable showers, shower and beach tents and utensils. Members can save 10% on all full-price products. Find out more at camc.com/colapz

AVTEX

Members can save £25 on the new Tourer Three Plus Sat Nav with HD dash-cam. Developed by Avtex and Garmin, the sat-nav comes packed with caravan and motorhome-friendly features. Enter the size and weight of your motorhome or towing outfit and the Avtex Tourer Three Plus will guide you to your destination avoiding height, width and weightrestricted roads. Find out more at shop.camc.com

Leasing Options provides access to every car from every manufacturer – and if you find a cheaper deal elsewhere Leasing Options will guarantee to match it! Members save £137.99 on the processing fee (standard processing fee is usually £275pp inc VAT). Find out more at camc.com/ leasingoptions

La Motte

(Club ref: D33)

A campsite for nature lovers, nestled in 3.5 hectares of luscious woodland, offering peaceful stays all year round.

Touring pitches: 45 Open: all year Price from: £13.62 per night for electric pitch plus two adults (based on 1 Jan-10 Jun 2023)

Food

& drink

GAEC Les Barbins, Les Barbins, 17210 Orignolles

Contact: lesbarbins.fr, 0033 5 46 04 43 35

Culture

Château Chalais, 15 Rue du Château, 16210 Chalais

Contact: chateaudechalais.fr, 0033 6 12 33 32 76

Outdoor fun

Charente Montgolfières (hot air balloon rides), 7 Rue Saint-André, 16250 Coteaux-du-Blanzacais

Contact: charente-montgolfieres. fr, 0033 5 45 67 01 45

Licence

to chill

Some people use their leisure vehicle to tour from site to site in search of the next thrill, while others like to delve deeper into a particular area. Some drive long distances to explore faraway lands, while others happily pitch up five minutes from home. Some are out sight-seeing every day, and others prefer to spend their time relaxing in a camping chair with a book.

For the family

Zoo de Bordeaux Pessac, 3 Chemin du Transvaal, 33600 Pessac

Contact: zoo-bordeauxpessac.com

Scan here to book a pitch at La Motte

Perhaps living with a life-limiting disability has given me a ‘seize the day’ attitude, or maybe it’s just naturally ingrained in my partner and me to explore. Regardless, we have been locked into adventure mode ever since buying our caravan: every trip is go-go-go and we barely find time to breathe.

Don’t get me wrong – we absolutely love exploring new places, soaking up the sights and really getting stuck in – but when we found ourselves in the sunny Dordogne as part of a larger French tour, it presented the perfect opportunity to slow down for once.

We arrived at our campsite, La Motte – around 75km north east of Bordeaux – on a warm afternoon in late May, and were greeted by the friendly Dutch owners. The rural setting attracted us, and the site certainly didn’t disappoint! Each spacious pitch is nestled in its own patch of woodland, and with nothing but greenery surrounding us and gentle birdsong in the trees, it was something of a personal haven. It was finally time to breathe!

The campsite benefits from the likes of electricity on every pitch, good showers and toilets (including an accessible wet room), laundry facilities, fresh bread and pastry deliveries, and a peaceful fishing pond full of carp and roach. It’s fairly basic in comparison to many other sites, but sometimes that’s exactly what you need.

Being one of the few French campsites that is open all year round, it makes an ideal stop-off point en route to finding some Spanish winter sun, or is simply a good base for relaxing and exploring the local area. Surrounded by forests and vineyards, with Atlantic beaches to the west and the

Karla Baker finds it easy to relax in and around the Dordogne region

picturesque wonders of the Dordogne to the east, there is much to be discovered.

RED RED WINE

The city of Bordeaux is about an hour’s drive away, plush with landscaped gardens that line the Garonne river as it cuts gracefully through the centre. The surrounding region is famed for wine growing, and, unsurprisingly, the city is a hotspot for making, drinking and learning about the stuff. Head for the striking Cité du Vin attraction, which offers themed tours and audiovisual productions dedicated to wine and its history as well as the opportunity for tasting.

Following the Dordogne river to the south-east, we made it to our next campsite, Pomport Beach. Amenities here include modern wash blocks, laundry facilities, tennis courts, a restaurant/bar, an indoor pool, an outdoor pool with waterslides, crazy golf, bouncy castles, a private beach, and a two-hectare lake for

swimming, fishing and water sports at the centre of it all! We don’t usually opt for this style of campsite, but as it was off-peak there was barely a soul around, and it was so peaceful that we instantly felt at home.

After setting up on our luxurious, fully serviced (a first for us!) lakeside pitch, we headed to the on-site restaurant for dinner overlooking the water. It was at this moment, as we watched the sun set over the lake, that we smiled at each other and said, “We’re going to be very happy here.” The cherry on top of a perfect day was a relaxed evening stroll along the smooth path that circles the lake with the stars twinkling above us, the chirping of crickets providing the soundtrack.

As you can imagine, we found it difficult to tear ourselves away from the campsite, but the region offers plenty, should you wish to explore.

Pomport Beach is surrounded by vineyards that seem to roll out as far as the eye can see, as well as picturesque settlements full of bright

Inset from left: swimming at Pomport Beach;

Pomport Beach

(Club ref: A17)

A modern campsite with high-quality facilities and an endless list of on-site activities for people of all ages.

Touring pitches: 97

Open: 13 May-2 Sep 2023

Price from: £19.83 per night for electric pitch plus two adults (based on 13 May-23 Jun 2023)

Food & drink

Le Foncaussade, lieu dit le foncaussade, 24240 Mescoules

Contact: le-foncaussaderestaurant.business.site, 0033 7 80 45 21 90

Culture

Château de Bridoire, 24240 Ribagnac

Contact: chateaudebridoire.com, 0033 6 31 83 92 99

Outdoor fun

Pro Sports 24 (outdoor activities provider specialising in watersports on the Dordogne river)

Contact: pro-sports-24.com, 0033 6 80 88 06 72

For the family

Griffon Park, 47120

Caubon-Saint-Sauveur

Contact: parcdugriffon.fr, 0033 5 53 20 23 81

Scan here to book a pitch at Pomport Beach

Cité du Vin

The river Dordogne running through Bergerac

Tony Gage

floral arrangements and shutter-clad buildings. About 20 minutes’ drive away is the town of Bergerac, which straddles the Dordogne river and offers opportunities for peaceful boat trips.

On the northern side of the river you’ll find the cobbled streets of Vieille Ville (‘Old City’). Dating back to medieval times, it’s easy to feel like a time-traveller as you stroll along the narrow streets lined with half-timbered houses.

ANCIENT ART

If you want to journey even further back in time, a visit to one of the Dordogne’s many caves is a must. Famous for the sheer quantity and quality of its prehistoric artworks, the Lascaux Cave was discovered in 1940 and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The original cave is closed permanently to visitors in order to preserve it, but an impressive, full-sized replica has been created at the International Centre for Cave Art. The paintings have been immaculately recreated, using the same techniques as the original CroMagnon artists, and the temperature, humidity and acoustics of the space reflect conditions in the cave. Understandably, wheelchair-accessible caves are hard to come by, but the whole replica site is accessible, and

it also benefits from modern technology that helps to bring history to life.

Back in the present day, the temperature on the campsite was creeping up to the mid-30s and we were in full relaxation mode. For various reasons, I hadn’t been swimming in about 15 years, but as I sat on the shaded pontoon, the glistening turquoise lake was looking increasingly inviting. So when Stephen asked me if I wanted to take a dip, I answered with a nervous “Yes please!” As we edged our way into the cool water together, I felt the sand between my toes for the first time since childhood, and any anxieties I had about swimming just melted away. The water allowed me to freely move my limbs in ways that are impossible on dry land, and, in more ways than one, I felt totally... weightless.

This was a completely different type of adventure for us, but it was one that we’ll remember for a very long time. It just goes to show that there is no right or wrong way to travel with a leisure vehicle – it’s all about enjoying yourself and making memories.

If Karla has inspired you to visit this region, please visit camc.com/overseas to book the sites featured (and others).

“ As you can imagine, we found it difficult to tear ourselves away from the campsite ”

Illustration: Louise Turpin

Crazy golf at Pomport Beach

When you travel with Brittany Ferries, France really comes to life. From space to relax and unwind, to delicious onboard food, you’ll find your journey to France… Fantastique!

With great value deals, you can book with complete confidence that your holiday is in safe hands.

In partnership with the Caravan and Motorhome Club. camc.com/overseas

You can read about Worldwide experiences with the Club in our brochure. Visit camc. com/brochures to view online or order your free copy

Wherever you want to visit we’ll support you every mile of the way. We offer free cancellations* if the FCDO advises against travel to your destination and have ABTA and ATOL bonded financial protection. Find out more at camc.com/ wwconfidence

* Covers holiday cancellations in line with FCDO advice. T&Cs apply.

To find out more, please visit camc.com/australiarally

West side story

Spectacular wildlife, vibrant cities and dramatic, white-sand beaches – Western Australia has it all...

Duration/type: 37 days/centre rally Departs: 14 October 2023

CHESHIRE CENTRE RALLY TO WESTERN AUSTRALIA

This fabulous tour, organised by the Club’s Cheshire Centre, gives you the opportunity to discover the best of Western Australia in a comfortable, six-berth motorhome and in the company of like-minded fellow adventurers.

Your journey begins in the state capital of Perth, where white-sand beaches and clear, calm waters await. Options here include a visit to Rottnest Island, a protected nature reserve that boasts wonderful flora and fauna and is home to the charismatic quokka. Or maybe you would rather simply stroll around Kings Park – one of the biggest inner-city parks in the world – before enjoying an art gallery or visit to a cocktail bar.

Once you have picked up your six-berth, Let’s Go motorhome, the adventure starts in earnest with a visit to Wave Rock, a spectacular natural formation that resembles a 15m-high breaking wave. Believed to have formed over the course of 2.7 billion years, the ‘wave’ of multicoloured granite is some 100m long. Check out nearby Hippo’s

Yawn – a granite tor whose name speaks for itself!

Next on the itinerary is the famous gold mining town of Kalgoorlie. Here you could visit the Museum of the Goldfields – where you can see a large display of bars and nuggets and learn about the lives and hardships faced by mining families during the early 1900s – or perhaps pay a visit to Hannans North Tourist Mine to learn about gold panning and modern-day mining processes.

Heading south you will arrive at Esperance, a place renowned for its white sand beaches. Watch kangaroos basking in the sun at Lucky Bay or embark on Cape Le Grand National

you can spot everything from hermit crabs to seals and dolphins.

Your next destination is Albany, which, between late May and early October, plays host to the annual migration of Southern right and Humpback whales – a spectacular sight if you are lucky enough to witness it. It’s then on to the Margaret River Region, an area of breathtaking natural

wonders. Take in magnificent stalactites at Jewel Cave or Ngilgi Cave, venture into Boranup Forest to see the towering karri trees or snorkel in the pure shallows at renowned for its wineries – so why not indulge in a tour?

Having taken in the magnificent trees of Tuart Forest National Park to the north, you must now head back towards Perth. But before your flight home there is the opportunity to explore the port city of Fremantle – an undeniably ‘cool’ place where street art and al fresco cafes abound. Here you could visit the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Fremantle Prison and learn what life was like for a Victorian-era convict, or see the 1983 America’s Cup race-winning yacht, Australia II, at the Western Australia Maritime Museum.

For further information about this unforgettable tour, as well as a booking form, please visit camc.com/australiarally.

Price: from £4,768pp based on two sharing (not including site fees of £678pp payable locally and a rally fee of £35 payable to the Cheshire Centre)

Price includes: return flights from Manchester to Perth with Qatar Airways, all transfers, two nights in a Perth hotel including breakfast and a welcome dinner, Let’s Go six-berth Journey motorhome hire with a Platinum Insurance Pack, unlimited kilometres, outdoor table and chairs, GPS (on request) and more.

Clockwise from main image: Lucky Bay, Esperance; Wave Rock; Perth; Cape Leeuwin lighthouse; you’ll be able to drive in comfort; Tuart Forest National Park

Look out for special offers on campsites in our brochure – visit camc.com/brochures to view online or order your free copy

DON T FORGET

If you book an overseas site, Eurotunnel or ferry crossing through the Club you’ll get the lowest price –guaranteed! To find out more see camc. com/lowestprice.

And if you combine your crossing with a campsite stay you benefit from package travel protection – see camc.com/ overseaspackages

Red Pennant European breakdown and travel insurance will give you peace of mind on your touring holiday. See camc. com/redpennant

For ideas for a fun summer break go to camc.com/ overseas-holidays/ holiday-ideas/ summer-holidays

Find out more at: camc.com/confidence

FUN IN THE SUN

Keep all members of the family entertained at this selection of sites

Looking for a European site where there are plenty of activities to keep your family entertained right on your doorstep? Check out these specially selected campsites from our overseas network…

NOUVELLE-AQUITAINE, FRANCE

Stay at: Sequoia Parc (Club ref: A28) A fantastic pool complex boasting water slides, a lazy river and splash pool for youngsters is one of the highlights at this site. Adults can relax with a massage, sauna, hammam or spa treatment in the wellness centre. Other attractions include kids clubs, evening entertainment with live music, horse riding, a mini farm and free fitness gym for adults.

Special offer*: book from 1 February for a stay of between 7 and 20 nights and get 20% off, or receive 30% off stays of 21 nights or more (offer applies for stays between 7 April and 7 July/2 September and 23 September 2023).

PAYS DE LA LOIRE, FRANCE

Stay at: La Garangeoire (Club ref: A42) Boasting the likes of a heated pool complex, equestrian centre, pedalNEW FOR 2023

BRITTANY, FRANCE

Stay at: Le Domaine de Bel Air (Club ref: B42)

Nestled in the beautiful Breton countryside, this site has an amusement park on its doorstep offering more than 50 attractions, with free access for all campsite residents. On-site, there’s a great swimming pool complex with water slides.

kids occupied including an adventure playground, go-karts, mini golf and more. Special offer*: enjoy 5% off stays between 3 and 6 nights and 10% off stays of 7 nights or more (offer applies for stays all season).

ZATON, CROATIA

Stay at: Zaton Holiday Resort (Club ref: X14)

ANTWERP, BELGIUM

Stay at: Lilse Bergen (Club ref: H23)

Situated in a forest, beside a lake, a short drive from Antwerp, this site is a paradise for families. There is free entertainment during high season and plenty to keep the

karting track, archery, bike hire, kids club, crazy golf and canoeing, La Garangeoire is the perfect fit for the whole family. The sandy beach lagoon is ideal for hours of fun and games and the onsite spa, Libellule, is a great place to relax.

Special offer*: book 14 to 20 nights and receive 2 nights free, or book 21 nights or more and get 3 nights free (offer applies for stays between 16 May and 30 June/27 August and 9 September 2023).

This site on the Dalmatian coast boasts a beautiful sandy beach, entertainment to suit all ages and a fantastic swimming pool complex. Those who enjoy getting active will be spoilt for choice with windsurfing, waterskiing, parasailing, jet-skiing, mountain biking and more on offer. Food lovers will enjoy the Dalmatian tavern and à la carte restaurant

Special offer: first dog goes free (offer applies for stays between 22 April and 3 June/ 10 September and 6 October 2023).

CATALUNYA, SPAIN

Stay at: La Torre del Sol (Club ref: E14) A pool complex and spa facilities are just two of the major draws at this superb site. Families will enjoy the Port Aventura theme park, while history buffs will love Tarragona and its Roman amphitheatre. Back on site there is entertainment provided for children all season.

Special offer*: book 7 nights or more and get 1 night free (offer applies for stays between 15 March and 21 June/31 August and 3 November 2023).

*Terms and conditions apply. All offers are subject to availability and can be withdrawn at any time.

NEW FOR 2023

Sequoia Parc, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France (Club Ref: A28)

Club ref: H23

Club ref: A42

Balancing

Some species of bird from the Mediterranean, including the bee-eater, now breed in the UK

ACT

To we humans, the effects of climate change are increasingly evident, from hotter summers to flash-flooding. The impact of global warming has been felt across wildlife populations too – evidenced through shifts in distributions and reproduction patterns. This month, I am going to look at some recent changes in the UK that are likely to have arisen due to the environmental crisis.

In the past few decades there have been notable changes among butterfly populations and their distribution. Some species are emerging earlier in the year to take advantage of warmer springs – the speckled wood, for example, was appearing 49 days earlier during the 1990s than in the 1940s (based upon the mean date of first appearance for each decade).

Other species are spreading their wings to head farther north as our climate warms. This is true of about one-quarter of all our butterflies, an example being the comma butterfly, which was once concentrated in the south of England, but now breeds in Scotland, and continues to progress northwards at a rate of 10km per year.

Another butterfly, the brown argus, is following a similar pattern, making use of a different food plant which has enabled it to adopt new habitats. As a result it seems to be avoiding the parasites that once kept its population in check. But it is now encroaching into the habitat of the northern brown argus, a different species that does not appear willing to head north. Hybridisation between the two is causing a decline in the latter.

MOVING ON UP

Dragonflies are also on the move. The willow emerald damselfly was first recorded in East Anglia in 2009, and is now found in Yorkshire, while the small red-eyed damselfly was identified in Essex in 1999 and now populates most English counties as well as south Wales. Many other dragonflies that were once recorded only as

migrants, including the red-veined darter, are currently breeding in Britain.

Other insects and bugs spreading north due to the milder climate include the wasp spider, ivy mining bee and conehead (both long- and short-winged). Research suggests that, despite the fact they struggle in warmer weather, bumblebees are reluctant to follow their lead, so their populations are taking a hit. However, the tree bumblebee, which was first recorded in Wiltshire in 2000 and is now found as far north as Scotland, is a notable exception.

Global warming has also impacted the synchronisation of nature. For example, oak trees grow their leaves in response to temperature, so are coming into leaf much earlier than they used to. The caterpillars that depend on fresh oak leaves emerge earlier as a result, but the blue and great tits that feed these caterpillars to their young lay their eggs in response to day length, and this mismatch threatens their survival.

Top: the brown argus is successfully spreading north in response to warmer summers

Above left: the comma butterfly is spreading north at a rate of 10km per year

Below: the great white egret is a recent coloniser and seemed to enjoy the drought of 2022

Bottom: wasp spiders, which spread significantly during the warmer summers of the 1990s, are now found as far north as Derbyshire

Global warming is profoundly affecting wildlife populations in the UK. David Chapman examines some notable shifts

Dreambigger

ThinkSmaller

Getaway on your own terms with the new Discovery range, launching February 2023.

Lightweight and compact, the Bailey Discovery has everything you need –and more. Experience the three new models at the February NEC .

Wherever you want to go, go with The Nation’s Favourite, Coming soon at baileyofbristol.co.uk

The glossy ibis is being recorded more frequently in Britain

BIRD WATCHING

Birds are enjoying mixed fortunes. Among seabirds, the puffin and kittiwake populations in the North Sea are decreasing, the latter by about 70% since the 1980s. For puffins the situation is more complicated, with some North Sea colonies seeing significant falls. Others – including those on Skomer Island in Wales – are doing well. These birds feed largely on sand eels, which in turn eat plankton, an ecosystem which is challenged by warmer waters, though overfishing complicates the issue.

species such as the glossy ibis won’t be far behind. The influence of the changing climate isn’t always obvious on these species, but last summer when water levels dropped, great white egrets on the Somerset Levels had a great breeding season (35 nests raised 67 young) because the shallows allowed them to find more food.

Some birds are non-migratory so won’t move further north. For some, this poses a serious challenge; the ptarmigan, which lives in Scotland, has been heading to increasingly higher ground to find cooler conditions, but when it reaches the top of its mountain there is, of course, nowhere left to go.

As well as warmer temperatures, it is likely that we will experience more storms, and some areas of the UK will see more rain in the years ahead. Storms impact bird species that nest on beaches; for example, the breeding attempts of little terns and ringed plovers are being devastated by spring storms. In Scotland the already diminishing population of capercaillies is badly hit by wet spring weather as their youngsters are ill-equipped to cope with being drenched.

Warming seas

kittiwake population

Some of our migrant birds are changing their behaviour. Swallows are now regularly recorded in the UK during winter, and we see more overwintering blackcaps and chiffchaffs. Fewer Bewick’s swans from Russia are wintering in Britain because they can find the warmer climate they need closer to home. The same is happening to starlings; winter murmurations have become smaller, and though this is partly down to a general population decline, many remain in eastern Europe through the winter.

Small birds that overwinter in the UK are surviving in higher numbers than they once did; goldcrest, wren and Cetti’s warbler are all

Several Mediterranean species now breed in Britain. Over the past few years we have seen plenty of new colonisers, including great white egret and cattle egret; last year we had black-winged stilt and bee-eater nesting successfully, and it seems that colourful

This brief overview shows that the outcomes of global warming on British wildlife are complex and interconnected. While we may have opportunities to observe new and different species, it likely that others will become harder to spot in the years ahead.

MYSTERY PHOTO

Every month I will show you a photo of something from the natural world. It might be a close-up, or a subject that is difficult to identify. All you have to do is figure out what it is! No clues or prizes – it’s just for fun. (I will give you the answer next month, but if you can’t wait, log in to the app!)

January 2023 issue answer: goldfinch.

“

The impact of global warming has been felt across wildlife populations ”

may be affecting the

Soul

Storyteller Rose hosts an evening of enchantment

The narrow streets of Robin

searching

Prepare to be spooked! Jonathan Manning joins a night-time ghost walk around an historic Yorkshire fishing village

Ablack tent of night sky hangs over Robin Hood’s Bay, while the murderous North Sea laps at its cobbled slipway. During storms the fangs and bones of fossilised creatures are washed from its cliffs. At its heart the village is a warren of twisting streets and shadow-filled alleyways, its residents fenced in on all sides by the menacing North York Moors. A setting like this is inevitably perfect for supernatural stories to ice the marrow in your bones.

Telling these tales of ghostly goings-on is local storyteller Rose, dressed in a long black coat and velvet top hat, and carrying a flickering Victorian lantern.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, boils and ghouls,” she begins, introducing an evening that’s part paranormal, part pantomime, and hugely good fun.

This is the last week of October, half-term and pre-Halloween, and the promise of spine-chilling stories has drawn a crowd of about 80 people to this walking tour. Safety in numbers and a gaggle of children encouraged to make ghostly ‘wooh-wooh’ noises mean this is never going to feel like the late-night walk home after watching The Exorcist , but Rose has enough accounts of things that go bump in the night to provide unsettling pause for thought.

Whitby, a seven-mile walk up the coast, might be a more obvious setting for a ghost walk, with the haunting silhouette of its gothic abbey inspiring Bram Stoker to write Dracula, but Robin Hood’s Bay’s history and the claustrophobia of its dark passageways offer a disquieting backdrop for a spooky saunter.

The North Sea, the angry ‘widow-maker’ on the village’s doorstep, had its part to play, filling streets in an instant with the impenetrable fog of sea fret, while prematurely claiming the lives of men who

fished and whaled. As with many coastal communities, superstitions to keep sailors safe have run deep for centuries, from not setting sail on Fridays (the day of Jesus’ crucifixion), to putting a gold coin under the mast for good luck, and never mentioning the name of a boat lost at sea. Nor is there any shortage of prayers and incantations for mothers, wives and children to sing to secure the safe return of their loved ones.

When Rose talks of a black carriage pulled by six headless, black horses, whisking the souls of sailors from graveyards and carrying them out to sea, it sounds a bit Hollywood. But when she tells of widows who reported their doors opening and their rooms filling with the smell of pipes that their long-departed husbands used to smoke, it’s more unnerving.

As Rose says, the veils between this world and the next were thinner then.

GHOST TOWN

And like any village that became its own ghost town following the decline of its fishing industry, Robin Hood’s Bay had years to fashion its own myths and mysteries. There’s the friendly ghost who appears with a smile at bedsides, the poltergeist that breaks glasses, the nightmarish footsteps which follow people up stairs, and, of course, the fabled house where no local dare set foot. Visitors beware!

INFO

The Robin Hood’s Bay Ghost Walk with Rose costs £8 for adults and £4 for children. Visit whitbystoryteller.co.uk for further details.

Stay: North Yorkshire Moors Club Campsite

Arunas Staponas Photography

Arunas Staponas Photography

For the spiritually sceptical, Rose cites the evidence of apparitions that have had scores of witnesses over the years, like headless Bert, a local farmer who was decapitated by a train while drunk, and still wanders the old trackbed looking for his head.

Ghosts have also been linked to spirits of another kind, particularly the ‘demons’ who rattled barrels and chains in the smugglers’ tunnels below the village. Rose explains that contraband could be carried from boats in the cove to the top of the hill that dominates the bay and out onto the moor above the village without ever seeing daylight, and there’s more than one suggestion that the scariest ghost stories were spread by smugglers keen to deter Customs officers from venturing onto the streets or moors at night.

There are also long-standing accounts of whistling spectres spooking coffin-bearers who carried the dead past Bronze Age burial mounds on the North York Moors, along a death march celebrated in the 16th-century song Lyke-Wake Dirge with its chorus refrain ‘an’ Christ tak up thy saul’. To this day, the Lyke Wake Walk, which runs 40 miles across the moors from Osmotherley to Ravenscar on the cliffs above Robin Hood’s Bay, uses a coffinshaped badge as its symbol.

Guided by Rose’s flickering lantern, we head up the narrow, winding alleys between a mish-mash of tightly packed houses, before stopping outside the old Coroner’s Room and Mortuary, to where corpses would be dragged

on stretchers. It’s a good spot for Rose to tell us about teenage sweethearts William and Eileen, who had promised themselves to each other before William was pressganged into the Royal Navy. As he was being abducted, Eileen pushed a ring into his hand and promised to wait for his return. Years later a body in tattered uniform, its skull pecked clean of flesh, was washed up on the shore of the bay. There had been neither shipwreck nor storm, but when Eileen spied the corpse, she recognised the ring on its finger and promptly died of shock.

Reciting poetry, lyrics and folklore, Rose subtly weaves into her world of phantoms and spectres a lament for modern life’s missing connections with the soil, sea, sky and stars. Our ancestors sensed these connections and lived a more spiritual existence. Or maybe it was just hocus-pocus, a way to explain and accept inexplicable and unacceptable premature deaths, and deal with the constant risk faced by coastal communities whose living depended on the sea.

Either way, there’s one more heartthumping drama on this ghost walk tour of Robin Hood’s Bay. If the spooky tales don’t raise your pulse, the 30% gradient of the path out of the village certainly will!

GHOST WALKS

Three more locations to consider...

Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire

Dive into tales of Robin Hood, as well as witchcraft, child spirits and ghoulish military men patrolling the forest paths, on this one-hour guided walk (£10).

Info: hauntingnightsghost walks.co.uk Stay: Clumber Park Club Campsite

Edinburgh

The City of the Dead Haunted Graveyard Tour (£16) includes access to Edinburgh’s Covenanters’ Prison and the Black Mausoleum, with the promise of frights and fun in equal measure.

Info: cityofthedeadtours.com Stay: Edinburgh Club Campsite

Brighton & Hove

Departing from the appropriately named Druid’s Head pub, this ghost walk (£12) visits eight haunted sites, each with its tale of murder, apparitions and poltergeists in Brighton’s Lanes quarter.

Info: ghostwalkbrighton.co.uk Stay: Brighton Club Campsite

“

Guided by Rose’s flickering lantern, we head up the narrow, winding alleys ”

In search of more surprises

OVERALL WINNER

We will

’Roq you

Flick through the list of previous Towcar of the Year champions and there’s one brand that wins again and again: Škoda. Although its Superb and Kodiaq have taken home the overall title in previous years, the mid-sized Karoq SUV had yet to grace the winner’s podium.

That all changed last year. The judging panel voted unanimously for it, believing the Karoq ticked all the boxes for caravanners. Fresh from a recent update, and powered by the ubiquitous Volkswagen Group 2.0-litre TDI diesel engine and four-wheel drive system, judges felt it offered the best package for those looking for a new towcar.

COMFORT

Škoda received some criticism when it replaced the quirky and characterful Yeti with the rather unremarkable-looking Karoq in 2018. Still, the Karoq has become one of the leaders in the

mid-sized SUV pack, and has proved to be a very practical choice for families and towers alike.

Four years after its launch, Škoda decided to give its high-selling Karoq a facelift. A new set of front and rear bumpers modernise the exterior and, more noticeably, there’s a new, pouty grille, and slimmer LED headlights and tail lights. My test car is the range-topping SportLine model which, as the name suggests, has a sporty look with gloss black trim instead of chrome, completed with the optional £390 metallic red paintwork. It also came with a set of aerodynamic 18in black alloys, although Škoda has changed these to a more handsome set of 19-inchers with a different design for 2023.

The interior has seen fewer changes, which is a good or a bad thing depending on your point of view. Compared to the Peugeot 3008 and Kia Sportage, the Karoq’s simpler dashboard might come across as a little dated, but it is a logical and unfussy set-up, with big knobs and buttons – and, importantly, the quality screams at you.

James Batchelor puts our Towcar of the Year 2023 through its paces

The doors thunk with a pleasing sense of solidity, and there’s squidgy, soft-touch plastic virtually everywhere. There are practical touches too, like a large storage bin in the centre console, elasticated netting in the door bins to securely store items, and a small umbrella under the passenger seat; the test car even had a small removable bin bag in the driver’s door pocket.

The tech updates are more evident, with all trim levels getting an eight-inch digital instrument display rather than the old model’s pair of clocks, and there are a number of new option packs. The Travel Assist Package Plus, at £1,495, for instance, adds features such as lane and traffic jam assist, adaptive cruise control and even a USB-C port in the rear-view mirror – perfect if you want to power a dashcam. The test car also had an upgraded infotainment system with wireless phone-charging, and a ‘Rough road package’, which adds protective panels to the underside of the car.

Even the standard infotainment system is simple to

use, and it’s easy to get comfortable in the Karoq. I’d question whether the SportLine’s high-backed bucket seats are needed in a family SUV, but they’re nevertheless supportive on long journeys.

Aside from the tech updates, it’s standard Karoq inside, so there’s plenty of leg and head room in the back. Škoda has carried over its clever VarioFlex rear seats, the £745 VarioFlex package (not available with the SportLine trim) replacing the standard rear bench with three individual seats which can be folded or even removed separately, adding a greater degree of flexibility. Boot space is very good, and although 4x4 models have slightly less room and there’s no height-adjustable floor at any trim level, it’s a practical area with cubbies, hooks and rails. And of course there’s Škoda’s trademark ice-scraper in the filler cap.

DRIVING

Unusually, Škoda didn’t take the opportunity with this update to introduce some electrified powertrains in the form of mild-, full- or even plug-in hybrids. That

Clockwise from left: simple, effective cabin set-up; digital display; reversing camera; test car 2.0-litre diesel was perfectly matched to sevenspeed DSG automatic gearbox; bucket seats at this trim level; modernised exterior

“ Four years after its launch, Škoda decided to give its highselling Karoq a facelift ”

Clockwise from left: plenty of room in the back; surefooted on the road; boot space is more than adequate

Price as tested: £40,530

Insurance

21E

Engine: 1,968cc, 4cy, in-line, turbocharged diesel Power: 148bhp (110kW) Torque: 360Nm (266Ib ft)

Transmission: Seven-speed dualclutch automatic

Spare Wheel: Tyre inflation kit

Kerbweight: 1,646kg

Gross Vehicle Weight: 2,240kg

Gross Train Weight: 4,340kg

Noseweight Limit: 90kg

Towing Equipment: Removable tow bar with adaptor (£1,090)

Fuel/tank/test econ: Diesel/11 gals (50 litres)/48mpg (solo), 27mpg towing 1,447kg CO2 : 151g/km

Figures from

means the Karoq soldiers on with 108bhp 1.0-litre three-cylinder, 148bhp 1.5-litre and 187bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrols. And, while other carmakers are turning their backs on diesel power, the Karoq still comes with a pair of 2.0-litre diesels – 114bhp, or the 148bhp tested here. Only the 2.0-litre petrol and 148bhp 2.0-litre diesel come with four-wheel drive as standard, while it can be optioned on the lowerpowered 114bhp 2.0-litre diesel. Due to its sportier positioning, the SportLine is the only trim level that gets the 2.0-litre petrol and high-powered diesel.

On first impressions the Karoq drives pretty unremarkably, but spend more time with it and you realise that it’s a highly competent car. It steers, handles and goes with polish, and the suspension is more supple than the comparable Volkswagen Tiguan and SEAT Ateca. It’s very sure-footed and the four-wheel drive system gives a dose of extra traction in slippery conditions. The 2.0-litre diesel, meanwhile, is extremely smooth and is perfectly matched to the seven-speed DSG automatic gearbox; it’s frugal too – I easily managed 48mpg on long runs unhitched.

Whether around town, on country roads or on motorways, the Karoq is a very comfortable and refined companion, and makes for an excellent daily driver.

TOWING

A good towcar needs to excel when unhitched and hitched, and this is exactly why the Karoq came out on top in 2023’s Towcar of the Year competition. During the judging, fully ballasted and hitched to a ballasted caravan, the Karoq acquitted itself impressively, attacking an assortment of roads and surfaces with confidence – one judge even remarked it ‘bossed’ the caravan.

In this test a few months after the Karoq’s moment of glory in the competition, the car again impressed on public roads. In every situation the 2.0-litre diesel feels punchy, the gearbox smooth and the car agile; it even returned 27mpg when towing.

In some SUVs, opting for upgraded dampers can improve ride and handling when towing. Škoda does offer the Karoq with Dynamic Chassis Control, which can stiffen and slacken the dampers even further, but it’s not a necessary addition as the car is smooth and flat when hitched. Small but important features like mirrors that are easy to attach extended mirrors to, and an icon on the digital instrument display that shows when the electrics are properly hooked up are just bonuses.

VERDICT

The Škoda Karoq is certainly one of the best towcars currently on sale. It’s a superb all-rounder whether hitched or driving solo – it was clearly an easy decision to name it Towcar of the Year 2023.

Send us proof of a current renewal invitation from your existing car insurer and we’ll beat it by at least £25*. Visit camc.com/insurance for more information and full terms and conditions.

If your vehicle has won any Towcar of the Year class or category discount on new or renewing car insurance through the Club. Visit camc.com/towcar and camc.com/insurance/carinsurance for more information and terms and conditions.

*Offer only applies when switching to the Club, is subject to insurers’ acceptance of the risk, terms and conditions and cover being arranged on a like-for-like basis. Future renewal prices will always be less or the same as an equivalent new business price. Caravan and Motorhome Club’s Car Insurance is arranged for the Club by Devitt Insurance Services Limited. Caravan and Motorhome Club is a trading name of The Caravan Club Limited. The Caravan Club Limited and Devitt Insurance Services Ltd are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Bargain, hunted

For a company that rather quietly celebrated 40 years of continuous motorhome production in 2022, Auto-Trail knows how to blaze... well, a trail.

It offers the most comprehensive range of all UK motorhome manufacturers, with coachbuilts, van conversions and A-class models in its portfolio. When it comes to the former, the company is better known for its more premium products – but it’s not afraid to turn its considerable power to more affordable models.

And, just when other manufacturers are starting to switch to Ford-based coachbuilts, Auto-Trail heads back to Fiat with its new-for-2023 Expeditions – a four-model line-up that continues the value-for-money ethos of its van conversions under the same name. The C72 on test here is a traditional overcab coachbuilt design, with that Hi-line front pod offering a double bed, although it does mean overall height is some 3.16m.

Keeping things very straightforward also means a frills-free list of optional extras. Prices start at less than £60,000 for the standard, four-seater Expedition C72. Here, though, we are testing the six-berth variant, which also boasts a no-extra-cost chassis upgrade (to 3,650kg) and the £921 double dinette with additional seatbelts option.

There are two other extra items on this example – an Xzent infotainment system (£367) and concertina blinds to all cab windows (£620). Other factory-fit options you may wish to consider are restricted to an alternative upholstery, alloy wheels, and a rather pricey upgrade to the 180bhp engine with nine-speed automatic transmission.

There’s nothing stopping you from adding to the initial specification (perhaps a reversing c amera, additional security or a solar panel), but the additional cost means you might want to take a look at the C72 equivalent in the Imala line-up, the next range up.

TECHNICAL

Price (as tested)

£61,752 OTR Engine 2.2-litre Euro 6d Power

140bhp (104kW) @ 3,500rpm Torque 258lb ft (350Nm) @ 1,400-2,250rpm

Transmission

Six-speed manual, FWD MRO 3,075kg MTPLM 3,650kg User payload 575kg

Overall length 23ft 9in (7.25m) Overall width (mirrors folded) 7ft 9in (2.35m) Overall height 10ft 4in (3.16m) Max internal height 6ft 6in (1.99m) Fuel/tank/econ Diesel/15.4gals (70 litres)/26-30mpg

Figures from literature

Nick Harding puts the spotlight on Auto-Trail’s latest competitively priced, family-friendly coachbuilt

The C72 offers an array of seating and sleeping options and also boasts a practical kitchen and washroom

BUILD QUALITY

At Auto-Trail, the coachbuilt bodies are a single component, which is mechanically lowered onto the chassis, giving greater structural rigidity. The standard cab colour is Expedition Grey, graphics are kept to a minimum and the finish hints at the lower-cost level of the vehicle – standard wheels with plastic trims, the windowless habitation door, etc.

That maximum chassis weight upgrade (check that your driving licence permits you to drive this version) gives an extra 150kg of payload, although the double dinette lounge option also added here incurs a 25kg weight penalty.

It’s worth checking the exact details of warranties offered on any new leisure vehicle. Auto-Trail is something of a leader here, with five-year cover for the conversion as well as the bodywork.

DRIVING

Can you believe this is the Series 8 version of Fiat’s venerable Ducato? Latest models have Euro 6d engines, with all Expeditions offering the 140bhp version as standard.

There’s also fixed seating opposite, and the cab seats swivel (although that’s not really of much benefit with a lounge like this).

Those cab seats are in standard Fiat trim, which blends well with the upholstery throughout the rest of the living quarters.

Then there’s the U-shaped seating at the back, where generously sized windows to three sides give you good views out. There’s a standard rooflight overhead and the upper walls are lined with lockers (six in total), broken up by open shelving in the corners. As with the front lounge, there are individually switched reading lights and strip lighting to the undersides of the lockers.

NIGHT-TIME

Vehicle supplied for testing by:

Auto-Trail, Trigano House, Genesis Way, Europarc, Grimsby DN37 9TU

Contact: auto-trail. co.uk, 01472 571000

The published mpg rate for the C72 is 26-30, depending on load and your driving style Cab air-conditioning is standard, while the Xzent X-227 double-DIN infotainment system option offers DAB+ digital radio, Apple CarPlay, Bluetooth and USB connectivity.

DAYTIME

It may be all about keeping costs down, but the C72 still offers two seating areas. In double dinette format as here, the forward seating space allows four to sit at a table that attaches to the side wall.

Sleeping six in a motorhome is no mean feat – and even if you don’t want to go the full complement, it’s great to have some flexibility. That overcab double, for example, is easy to put into place: just pull down the hinged section, remembering to clip in the retainer, and ensure you can get to the ladder as you do so. This is when you’ll feel the benefit of that high overcab pod, especially as there’s also an opening sunroof for ventilation.

Making the rear lounge into a transverse double is straightforward – pull-out slats bridge the gap between the side seat bases, then it’s just a question of rearranging the cushions to suit.

The biggest challenge is likely to be where you put the excess of unwanted cushions when you have all the beds made up: smaller ones can go on the floor under the rear double; the backrests for the travel seats will be trickier, but you might get away with leaving them in situ.

“

Sleeping six in a motorhome is no mean feat ”

KITCHEN

The kitchen unit sits along the nearside mid-’van and includes a Thetford Triplex cooker with three gas burners and a combined oven and grill. To its right, a rectangular sink sits over a Dometic 85-litre fridge with removable freezer compartment. There’s handy permanent worktop space between the hob and the sink, where you’ll also find a clever pull-up set of three mains sockets.

Storage includes upper-level lockers (all shelved), a small cutlery drawer under which is a shelved cupboard, and a floor-level pan store b eneath the oven. A strip light provides the main illumination. For extra kitchen storage, you c ould steal space from the wardrobe (the pedestal leg and table for the rear lounge also stow in here) or the double-doored, shelved locker below it.

WASHROOM

Despite its budget credentials the C72 boasts a large washroom with space for a separate, fully-lined shower cubicle as well as plenty of room to use the other facilities – a swivel-bowl toilet and fixed handbasin. Some of the other fittings here you might struggle to find in far pricier vehicles – the solid, locking door with clothes hood and towel-holder, the opaque window, the fixed hanging rail in the shower.

On the down side, the shower is on a holder rather than a riser bar, and storage is limited to a single high-level locker.

DETAILS

You’d expect anything calling itself budget to be short on details, but the C72 can hold its head high. Significantly, all-round storage is very good. As well as the usual upper lockers, there’s space in the seat bases, with exterior access on both sides those at the very back. Removable carpets, a 100Ah leisure battery, concertina blinds and flyscreens as well as net curtains, and a flyscreen at the habitation door (where you’ll also find a couple of coat hooks plus a branded umbrella) are also on the kit list.

The central locking might only cover the cab doors, but you get an audible warning before the habitation door step retracts when you turn on the ignition.

Hardly a detail, but Truma’s Combi 4, working from gas and/or mains electricity can also be used whilst on the move.

VERDICT

Auto-Trail has absolutely nailed it here, offering the most competitive of pricing against an overall specification that’s more than acceptable – and a floorplan of utmost flexibility.

You can insure this motorhome with the Club for £369.08 per year. Please see camc.com/ insurance or call 0345 504 0334 for further details.

LOOKING TO BUY OR SELL YOUR VEHICLE?

From brand new models to used caravans and motorhomes, we display thousands of vehicles at camc. com/classifieds

It’s free to post an ad and Club members can receive a 30% discount on a premium ad. See website above for more info and terms and conditions.

*Quote (correct as of 15 December 2022) is for the model tested worth £61,752 OTR with a working tracker fitted. Based on a 57-year-old male living in Kent, with a maximum no claims bonus (unprotected) coming from a vehicle of similar value/experience, who has no accidents, claims or convictions and keeps the vehicle on a drive, driving 3,000 miles a year, with a £350 damage, fire and theft excess. Subject to underwriting. The Club’s Motorhome Insurance is arranged for the Club by Devitt Insurance Services Limited, Insurance Brokers. Caravan and Motorhome Club is a trading name of The Caravan Club Limited. The Caravan Club Limited and Devitt Insurance Services Limited are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Diana Heath - Club member

Coniston Park Coppice Club Campsite

Evora-one’s a WINNER

The debut of Bailey’s Alicanto Grande Evora was the equivalent of a star striker scoring a hat trick on his first appearance, and against his new team’s biggest rivals to boot.Not only did this twin-axle win the prized Any 8ft Wide Caravan Class in the Club’s Caravan Design Awards 2023 competition that was judged at the NEC Motorhome & Caravan Show, but it went on to become – by some distance – Bailey’s best-selling model at the same exhibition. Not bad, given that the Evora’s asking price is nudging 40 grand. So, what’s all the fuss about? Only one way to find out.

BUILD QUALITY

Evora’s huge, sharply styled body is supported by corner steadies of the ‘let’s keep going until they look too big’ variety. The absence of a gas locker and that enormous panoramic window give the front end an attractively streamlined and modern look.

I ndoors there were a couple of little niggles on our example, foremost of which was that the smaller front window blinds were very stubborn in operation. A noticeably uneven panel gap between two of the kitchen overhead lockers detracted from the otherwise faultless joinery evident throughout the rest of the vehicle.

Bailey’s latest offering became an instant hit at the NEC show. Rob McCabe puts the eight-foot-wide tourer through its paces

TOWING

This is a huge caravan in every respect. It is, of course, 8ft wide – and I’ve mentioned in previous reviews the compromises involved in towing such a beast around the UK’s busy and sometimes narrow roads. It’s also a giddy 25ft 10in long and weighs nearly 1.7 tonnes before you even think about packing. These stats need to be factored into any buying decision – but they’re clearly no barrier to sales success, as this model’s performance at the NEC show proves.

Twin-axle tourers are reassuringly stable performers, thanks to the fact they have four wheels on the road. More reassurance comes from the guardian angel of caravanners, Al-Ko’s ATC trailer control system.

DAYTIME

The lounge is wonderfully spacious. Both front corners of the sofas are served by headrests, which are very nice to lean back into – and they simply

detach if you’d rather not use them. That vast panoramic window floods the entire front area with light, and it also opens a generous distance.

The built-in stereo system features DAB radio, aux-in and Bluetooth, and has outputs via the two branded speakers in the lounge as well as another pair above the island bed. There are USB ports dotted about everywhere and a plethora of mains sockets too. The 80W solar panel on the roof is a boon for off-grid stopovers and for keeping the battery fed during extended lay-ups.

The front chest has the usual slide-out extension, although I can’t for the life of me think why they didn’t make it sit flush with the existing surface when it’s pulled out. Storage has been thoughtfully provided –there is everything from two exterior-access hatches (one to the wide-open spaces beneath the double bed) to a ‘shoe hatch’ just inside the entrance door.

NIGHT-TIME

The transverse island double bed is… well, really rather large. Its 5ft width exactly matches that of a domestic king-size bed, and its 6ft 3in length will luxuriously accommodate all but the very tallest of us. It is outstandingly comfortable, whether fully extended or when pushed back into ‘day mode’.

You’re generally spoiled rotten in the bedroom, what with the lovely lighting, stereo, TV viewing station, central heating, huge bedside shelves and drawer units, sunroof… I can well imagine that

CLASS WINNER

TECHNICAL

Price: £39,144 OTR

Bed sizes:

Front double: 7ft x 4ft double; or two singles: 6ft x 2ft 1in and 5ft 11in x 2ft 1in

Rear transverse island double: 6ft 3in x 5ft

Heating: Alde central heating, programmable Fridge: Dometic built-in tower fridge/ freezer Toilet: Thetford MRO: 1,694kg MTPLM: 1,855kg

User payload: 161kg

Overall length: 25ft 10in (7.86m)

Overall width: 8ft (2.45m)

Overall height: 8ft 7in (2.62m)

Max headroom: 6ft 5in (1.96m)

Figures taken from literature

Clockwise from left: a panoramic window floods the lounge with light; colourful low-level lighting; L-shaped kitchen; stylish body; sink cover doubles as a chopping board

RATINGS

many buying decisions are reached while trying out this wonderful room for size.

Up front, overnighting guests can choose between a quickly made-up double or even lower-maintenance singles. It’s worth emphasising that the washroom is right at the back, so guests will have to nip out to the block if they don’t want to tip-toe through the main bedroom at night.

KITCHEN

The generous width means you get a kitchen with a bit of an L-shape vibe going on, meaning there’s a useful chunk of extra work surface. The sink cover and the top hob cover (there’s also a glass lid) have the same finish as the work surface, which looks great when they’re all in place. Lift up the sturdy sink cover and you’ll see an equally sturdy chopping board on the underside – good work.

The door of the glossy built-in fridge opens either way (impresses me every time, that one) and there’s the full house of cooking options: dual-fuel hob, separate oven and grill, and a very neatly built-in microwave. I’m a wee bit less keen on the garish splashback and the next-to-thecooker wine rack, however.

WASHROOM

Ladder-style radiator? Check. Wash basin lifted straight from a Sunday-supplement hotel? Oh yes. And the marbled-tile-effect wall panels above the basin and in the shower are also very posh. With plenty of storage, an opaque window with blind and flyscreen, a usefully big, dressing-room-like mirror and a generally spacious feeling, what’s not to like?

LIGHTING

In a recent test, I gave the Coachman Acadia my unofficial award for the most lighting permutations in a caravan. Well, scratch that. The Alicanto has a touchscreen console on the side of the kitchen unit, operable from the lounge, that offers thousands of options. It controls the colour of the low-level ambient lighting that runs under the lounge seating and just above floor level in the kitchen – and it’s a dimmer control too, adding even more permutations.

There’s plenty of serious illumination too. Outside, there’s an offside services lamp as well as the usual awning light above the entrance door, and the wardrobe illuminates upon opening the doors, which is an excellent, user-friendly touch.

In the washroom a pull-cord brings on all the lighting, which is powerful and – thanks to backlit panels in the shower and above the wash basin – glamorous too. Lounge, kitchen and bedroom are all very well catered for, with lots of individually switched lamps and LED strips.

VERDICT

Imposing in every way, with space (lots of space!), luxury and practicality all rolled into one. Will it be a success? Well, the caravan-buying public have already answered that one, it seems.

Caravan Cover you can trust

With our award-winning Caravan Cover, our members come back to us year after year. Nearly 90% of all cover holders renewed with us.* Plus, we have been voted by our members 5 out of 5 stars Excellent on Trustpilot.

To find out what makes our members rate our Cover so highly visit camc.com/caravancover or call 01342 488 395 for a quote today.

*Nearly 90% of all cover holders renewed is based on renewals data 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022 (89%) **Trustpilot rating correct as of 1 December 2022, but is subject to change. Caravan Cover is provided directly by the Caravan and Motorhome Club.

Ashley Sansom - Club member

Rated

SHINING LIGHTS

Sammy Faircloth focuses her attention on the Club’s Lightweight

Judged at October’s big NEC show in Birmingham, the 19th edition of the Club’s prestigious Lightweight Leisure Trailer Awards attracted 27 entries.

Our independent judges carried out a thorough assessment of each vehicle, looking at the likes of build quality, the on-site setting-up process, sleeping and living accommodation and Thermal Insulation Grading.

CLASS ONE TRAILER TENTS WITHOUT KITCHEN

No stone was left unturned as we examined units ranging from trailer tents and folding caravans to pop-tops and lightweight caravans. So, whether you’re looking to upgrade from a tent, seeking something you might like to tow behind an electric vehicle or in need of a tourer you can store easily on the driveway, there should be a vehicle here for you.

Leisure Trailer Awards

Read on as we reveal the top three in each of the award’s seven classes…

For more information about all the entries, see camc.com/ lightweightleisure, where you can also search for dealerships selling your selected model. Please ensure that your chosen vehicle is available to view at the dealership prior to travelling.

toilet block during the night. Offering a comfortable ambience, the 1000LX was pipped to the post in this class by its smaller sibling as it didn’t come with the additional canopy.

THIRD PLACE

TRIGANO CAMPTRAIL 750

WINNER CAMPMASTER 600LX

It is said that ‘small is beautiful’, and that is certainly the case with this compact trailer tent, which really wowed our judges. What catches your eye initially is the stylish curved design of the trailer itself, but there’s substance to go with this –with a payload of 210kg, there is space inside for all your personal belongings as well as the extension

canopy. Offering two-berth accommodation, this unit boasts a comfortable double bed with a memory foam mattress, while, best of all, it can be set up in a matter of seconds thanks to its Airbeam inflatable tent section. Designed with ease and comfort in mind, the 600LX is a worthy winner of this class.

RUNNER-UP CAMPMASTER 1000LX

The class winner’s bigger brother, the 1000LX, also offers accommodation for two people, but with more space you gain a handy toilet/dressing area in addition to the bedroom – so there is no need to make a dash for the

A winner of this class back in 2019, the Camptrail 750 is a more traditionally-styled trailer tent compared with the pair of Campmasters. Made from heavy-duty, breathable polycotton material, designed to maintain warmth at night and keep you cooler on hot days, this two-berth trailer comes with a separate full awning. Adding versatility, the tent platform can be removed so that the trailer can be used to transport largish items.

OTHER CLASS ENTRIES

Trigano Camplair S Venter Trailers Savuti

WINNER: CAMPMASTER AIR 600LX

RUNNER-UP: CAMPMASTER AIR 1000LX

THIRD PLACE: TRIGANO CAMPTRAIL 750

CLASS TWO TRAILER TENTS WITH KITCHEN

WINNER CAMP-LET NORTH (FOUR BERTH)

Combine the quality of the Isabella acrylic canvas section with the redesigned fifthgeneration trailer that offers increased internal storage space compared with its predecessors, and it is no surprise that the four-berth Camp-let North takes gold in this class. The pair of double beds makes this trailer tent popular with young families, and you have the handy option to convert one of the beds into bench seating and storage. The kitchen, which includes a sink, swings out with ease.

RUNNER-UP CAMP-LET PASSION

A close second, the six-berth Passion has an additional annexe compared to the North. One judge was particularly impressed with the comfortable beds, but slight negatives are the not-so-generous payload of 220kg and the fact it takes two to set up. The model admitted for judging came with optional extras including a front box, Power Plus kit and Living Plus sun canopy.

THIRD PLACE JAMET OUTDOOR ALL SEASON

This new kid on the block was only introduced onto the UK market in 2021. It is easy to set up thanks to its pram-hood design and is designed to be used in all seasons. This trailer tent has two double beds, one with plenty of underbed storage and the other with a cute underbed tent – a cosy den that your kids will surely fight over! The deluxe kitchen has a sink, drainer, three-ring gas hob and plenty of storage. One to watch!

Note: While many trailer tents have areas designed for cooking, it’s sensible to always be cautious when cooking in a confined space and/or one surrounded by flammable fabric. Read manufacturer guidance carefully and consider risks to ensure you and others are as safe as possible.

RUNNER-UP: CAMP-LET PASSION

WINNER: CAMP-LET NORTH (FOUR BERTH)

THIRD PLACE: JAMET OUTDOOR ALL SEASON

CLASS THREE FOLDING CAMPERS

WINNER

PENNINE PATHFINDER

Offering six-berth accommodation, the Pathfinder exudes luxury and style. Stand-out features include a fully-fitted kitchen with oven, grill, three-burner hob, sink/drainer (with hot and cold water) and fridge/ freezer, plus a separate washroom complete with cassette toilet.

There are two fixed beds – one king, the other double – while the wrap-around lounge area not only offers comfortable seating by day, but can be converted to a further double at night. The Isabella awning is made from quality, fully-breathable acrylic.

The Pathfinder has the interior luxury and comfort of a caravan, with the ability to be towed by a medium-sized car. Outstanding!

RUNNER-UP

PENNINE FIESTA

Completing a one-two for Pennine, the Fiesta might lack some of the

features of its class-winning cousin, such as an oven, but at 750kg it is lighter and smaller, which means it should easily fit in a garage and can be towed by a smaller car.

Offering accommodation for four, the Fiesta boasts many of the same attributes as Pathfinder, including hot and cold running water, a flush toilet and the quality, all-weather, breathable acrylic Isabella awning.

THIRD PLACE

CONWAY COUNTRYMAN

Very similar to the Pennine Fiesta in terms of layout, with two fixed sleeping pods, parallel bench-style seating and Isabella awning, the Conway Countryman boasts a smart, contemporary interior finish as well as a useful kitchen with a decent amount of worktop space. However, it lacks an oven. While there is no separate washroom, there is a cupboard in which to store a portable toilet.

CLASS FOUR POP TOPS

WINNER FREEDOM MICROLITE SPORT FLARE

This cute-looking pop top is the lightest (750kg) and most affordable model (prices start at £14,695) in the iconic Freedom range. In an overall body length of just 13ft, Freedom’s designers have cleverly provided users with a main dining area that converts to a good-sized (6ft 1in x 4ft 1in) double bed at night, plus a dinette that turns into a further 6ft 1in x 1ft 6in single. With generous internal headroom of 6ft 2in, a kitchen equipped with Dometic appliances and a 110W roofmounted flexi solar panel, the Microlite Sport Flare is a really well thought through caravan. However, there is no washroom.

RUNNER-UP ERIBA TOURING

430

This iconic Eriba is a worthy silver medallist. With an MTPLM of 1,100kg, the stylish Touring 430 can be pulled by a medium-sized car, while inside it offers three-berth accommodation courtesy of a generously-sized (6ft 2in

x 4ft 6in) fixed rear double bed plus dinette-derived 6ft 2in x 2ft 4in single. Although compact, the separate washroom is a usable and welcome feature. It is worth noting that Eribas do come with a plethora of optional extras.

THIRD PLACE

ERIBA TOURING 310

Sporting a similar layout to that found in the class-winning Freedom, the Touring 310 boasts a

double bed to the rear, a dinette to the front that converts into a single (sizes the same as the Touring 430) but no washroom. As with its stablemate, the big appeal of this Eriba is its solid build quality and retro, aerodynamic exterior featuring tubular steel construction. The judges felt that the innovative magnetically-attached lights were deserving of a mention – they can be removed to be used as table lamps or torches.

RUNNER-UP: PENNINE FIESTA

THIRD PLACE: CONWAY COUNTRYMAN

WINNER: FREEDOM MICROLITE SPORT FLARE

RUNNER-UP: ERIBA TOURING 430

WINNER: PENNINE PATHFINDER

THIRD PLACE: ERIBA TOURING 310

CLASS FIVE

CARAVANS 750KG AND UNDER WITHOUT WASHROOM

WINNER

LION CARAVANS CUB

New for 2023, this two-berth teardrop is truly eye-catching –especially that large porthole-style door. Measuring just 4.3m long and with an MTPLM of 750kg, the Cub can be pulled by smaller, lighter towcars. An elegant panoramic window allows light to flood into the Cub’s interior, while impressive standard fittings include a 135W solar panel, 19in TV, 55-litre fresh water tank, 47-litre compressor fridge and integrated sink and single burner hob. The Webasto diesel heating system will ensure you stay warm and cosy on the coldest of nights.

RUNNER-UP FREEDOM SUNSEEKER CLASSIC

The Sunseeker Classic boasts a very traditional style of caravan construction – proving that there is

CLASS SIX CARAVANS 750KG AND UNDER WITH WASHROOM

WINNER

CAMPMASTER

more than one way to skin a cat.

The largest three-berth in the Freedom range, this model is ideal for a couple who like to accommodate an occasional guest. Boasting a fully-equipped kitchen and seating for up to six, there is plenty of space to entertain friends and family when on site.

THIRD PLACE MINK CAMPER

2.0

The brain-child of Icelandic adventurers, this tiny but robust ‘bed on wheels’ teardrop promises to get you closer to nature. At just 520kg, the Mink is so light that it could be a good option for electric towcar users or those who have

small petrol/diesel/hybrid vehicles. The solar panel and Webasto heating system allow you to travel in a variety of conditions. A funky, eco-friendly little camper.

THIRD PLACE FREEDOM JETSTREAM FIRST CLASS

KING

New for 2022, the Campmaster King is a diminutive caravan that still feels quite spacious once you step inside. The rear kitchen offers sufficient worktop space for meal preparation and is equipped with a two-burner hob and integrated sink, 60-litre fridge and plenty of storage, including innovative plinth drawers. The wetroom-style washroom is of a decent size and comes with a swivel toilet, corner sink and shower. At night, you have the choice of a very large double (6ft 3in x 6ft 3in) or a pair of single beds. Campmaster certainly packs a lot into this tiny caravan.

RUNNER-UP FREEDOM CARPENTO 310

The Carpento range is new for 2023, and is a complete contrast to the traditionally-styled line-ups this UK

company usually creates. A stylish wood interior and atmospheric lighting shout ‘quality’, while the extreme curves of the Carpento’s body and that panoramic front window combine to give it a sleek and determined look – it is bound to turn heads on British roads and campsites. Ideal for a modern couple with a smaller car, the Carpento really is something different.

A true couples’ caravan, the Jetstream First Class sports a dining/lounge area that converts into a generously-sized (6ft 5in x 4ft 3in) double bed, fully-equipped rear kitchen and corner washroom. It is let down by a payload of just 50kg, so you have to watch carefully any extras you add and the kit you take away with you.

OTHER CLASS ENTRIES

Freedom Carpento 360 Freedom Jetstream Twin Sport Flare

THIRD PLACE:

“ This two-berth is truly eyecatching – especially that large porthole-style door ”

WINNER: LION CARAVANS CUB

RUNNER-UP: FREEDOM SUNSEEKER CLASSIC

THIRD PLACE: MINK CAMPER 2.0

RUNNER-UP: FREEDOM CARPENTO 310

FREEDOM JETSTREAM FIRST CLASS

WINNER: CAMPMASTER KING

CLASS SEVEN CONVENTIONAL CARAVANS 750KG -1,100KG

WINNER XPLORE 422

A solid, lightweight entry-level caravan, the Xplore 422 has become a popular seller in recent years. Its rear L-shaped kitchen is fitted with quality appliances – including Dometic’s Series 10 98-litre fridge and Thetford’s new Triplex oven with three-burner hob – and offers plenty of storage space. The washroom oozes panache thanks to its ‘boutique’ washbowl, while the rapid heat-up eight-litre Whale water heater ensures you’ll be enjoying a lovely shower in the separate cubicle in next to caravan.

THIRD PLACE

FREEDOM CARPENTO 410

It may not have won its class, but the Carpento 410 deservedly walked off with the Innovation Award. Freedom has excelled with its new Carpento range, which is particularly striking and looks like nothing else on the road. Just like the Carpento 310 in Class Six, the panoramic front window is particularly noteworthy – but the innovation doesn’t stop there. Step inside and you will be taken aback by the quality furniture and its futuristic curved edges, while discreet touches such as the ladder to the top bunk, hidden bottle holder and lighting features make this a real stand-out vehicle.

RUNNER-UP XPLORE 304

Making it a double for Xplore in this class, the second-place 304 comes in at £19,299 and has an MTPLM of 1,043kg. This four-berth features an L-shaped lounge, dinette area to the rear and compact rear corner washroom. We think this model would suit grandparents who like to take the grandchildren away occasionally, as well as a family of four.

RUNNER-UP: XPLORE 304

THIRD PLACE: FREEDOM CARPENTO 410

Natural selection

Jane McGowan checks out a range of products allowing you to get a fresh perspective on wildlife

10%

NEBO Mycro Rechargeable LED Headlamp

The NEBO Mycro is the ideal torch for a spot of night-time exploration. It offers up to 400 lumens of illumination and features six modes, including a direct-to-red option for stealth viewing. The unit, which has an integrated tilt feature for ‘precision positioning’, is constructed from anodised aluminium, and is waterproof and impact-resistant. The elasticated head strap is fully adjustable, while there is also a fitting that allows you to attach the torch to your cap.

RRP: £19.99 (available for £14 through Prima Leisure; further discount of 10% for members using Club Shop; see shop.camc. com for details, terms and conditions)

Weight: 47g (incl strap)

Contact: nebotools.co.uk

Learning Resources GeoSafari SeaScope

Budding marine biologists will have hours of fun with the SeaScope. Extending to 56cm and boasting 5x magnification, curious youngsters will be able to see just what is going on in ponds, rock pools and streams without getting wet – well, that is the aim at least! The torch enables them to illuminate their subject while the built-in ruler and thermometer help them take measurements and nature notes. Aimed at children aged seven and above (supervision recommended), the scope will encourage curiosity in the natural world.

RRP: £38.95

Contact: learningresources.co.uk (for info); available via amazon.co.uk

Nikon ProStaff P3 Binoculars

The ProStaff P3 binoculars are were created with the casual explorer in mind, and are ideal for nature-spotting while out and about, or simply birdwatching in the garden. Sitting at the lower end of Nikon’s range, these binoculars are a robust yet lightweight option, featuring a highly reflective silver-alloy prism coating designed to provide a clear and crisp view. The binoculars offer up to 10x magnification and are waterproof up to one metre (for a maximum of 10 minutes), making them a great all-weather option.

RRP: £159

Weight: 465g

Contact: nikon.co.uk

Solognac Treematic Backpack Seat

Find the right spot, then settle down and wait for nature to come to you with this handy camouflage-pattern backpack/seat. The 25-litre rucksack provides plenty of room for binoculars, notebook and the like. Designed to support up to 110kg, the frame is constructed from steel, while the seat and pack are polyester.

RRP: £29.99

Colour: khaki

Contact: decathlon.co.uk

The Nature Tracker’s Handbook

Written by presenter and naturalist Nick Baker and published by the RSPB, this guide is designed to help would-be trackers learn how to spot the signs left by various creatures as they go about their lives. It teaches the reader how to recognise footprints and look out for leftover food, droppings and other evidence of activity. The easy-to-follow information and illustrations mean you will soon be able to differentiate between a poo and a pellet – and between pellets regurgitated by a variety of bird species!

RRP: £14.99

Contact: rspb.org.uk

Butterfly Conservation membership

Why not enjoy nature spotting and make a difference at the same time with a Butterfly Conservation membership? The organisation provides advice to landowners, managers and gardeners on how to look after and restore habitats for moths and butterflies, while also collecting vital data and conducting research into the habits of the various species. Members receive colourful information about butterflies and moths, three copies of Butterfly magazine over the course of the year and a booklet written by garden writer Kate Bradbury.

RRP: £3.16 per month (Club members benefit from a 50% discount on their first year’s membership. For further information and terms and conditions, visit camc.com/ butterflyconservation)

Contact: butterfly-conservation.org

Left: with a little care you can keep your washroom looking like this

Below: there is a wide variety of toilet products on the market

Spick & span

Leisure vehicles are constructed from so many different materials that it can be hard to ensure you’re using the right cleaning products for a particular purpose. This is particularly true in the washroom, which tends to feature a variety of surfaces within a small space.

Many modern caravans and motorhomes feature high quality, boutique-style washrooms with an array of ambient lighting, toothbrush holders, towel radiators and light-up mirrors. Care needs to be taken with these elegant washrooms so they retain their ‘wow’ factor.

Furthermore, I have heard tales of cracked plastic shower trays and damaged sinks –often caused by the use of domestic cleaning products on surfaces that aren’t built for them. Cold weather can also damage plastic fittings, so extra care may be needed over the winter months.

In this article, I’ll guide you through toilet, shower cubicle and sink maintenance, and hopefully help you keep your washroom looking as good as new.

TOILET

The toilet is a very important facility, particularly if you like to explore off-grid or visit sites with minimal facilities.

Toilet cassettes can become rather dirty and smelly, and may develop limescale in hard water areas. Chemical treatments are required to break up solids, and to refresh and clean cassettes; these are available as liquids or tablets. It is increasingly common for sites to request the use of eco-friendly products, such as Dometic GreenCare Tabs or Wessex Blue Bio. (The Club encourages the use of eco-friendly chemicals on all Club campsites. While we do not currently insist upon their use, some of our CLs do due to their sensitive sewage systems.)

It is important that you use the correct dosages of these treatments. Many caravanners tend to ‘overdose’ their cassette waste tanks so administer with care (Thetford models feature a measuring facility in the cassette’s screw cap). Tablets are a neater option than liquids, as they come in sealed bags or plastic wrappers and the dosages are pre-measured.

Some sites are now fitted with CamperClean stations, which provide an automated service. For a fee, these machines will empty and sanitise your cassettes, meaning you can keep a comfortable distance away.

If the cassette tank gets really dirty, a product like Dometic Tank Cleaner can be used to effectively remove deposits and limescale. This job is best carried out just before laying up the leisure vehicle for winter and should only need doing once a year.

The washroom can be the hardest space in your caravan or motorhome to maintain – but Sammy Faircloth has advice on how to keep it looking great

For a finishing touch, give the rubber lip seal a spray with either a dedicated lubricant, or a little olive oil.

Thetford customers also have the option of purchasing a Toilet Fresh-up Set, should the cover, seat and/or tank suffer damage. Or, a caravan breakers yard may sell parts.

Another important aspect of caring for your toilet system is emptying the flush water tank, particularly over the winter period. Not only can frost potentially damage the components, but black grime can also build up. Toilet lockers usually contain a hose that you can use to drain the tank down, but if you don’t have one, just flush it into your toilet bowl until it is empty. You could also invest in a flush-water tank product, like Elsan Double Rinse Anti-bacterial Toilet Rinse or Thetford’s Aqua Rinse – these emit a fresh, clean smell, and also kill germs and bad odours.

SHOWER CUBICLE

The main issue in the shower is damage to plastic shower trays as a result of heavy loads, accidents or stress fractures. Replacing a complete shower tray can be costly, especially when parts may have been discontinued in older vans (plus there can be substantial labour costs involved in stripping out the cubicle to replace the old tray).

One way around this is to restore the tray using a coating. For example, Speedcoat Europe’s ‘Speedliner Euro HC’ product results in a tough and durable polymer lining that also offers anti-bacterial and anti-microbial properties. The product is only supplied to trained and authorised Speedcoat Europe dealers/applicators and is not for DIY use.

SINK

Do not use the products that you use at home when cleaning an on-board plastic sink: the chemicals contained can be quite abrasive and may cause damage. A product like Thetford Bathroom Cleaner is specifically designed for plastic surfaces and can also be used to clean the fridge. Once again, a spray coating could be the answer if your sink is damaged.

FINAL THOUGHTS…

Cleaning your washroom regularly with appropriate products will prolong the life of your bathroom furniture. And not only will it sparkle, it will smell better too!

Although there are ways to repair any damage caused in the washroom, the best approach is to avoid loading heavy objects in the shower tray, particularly when towing, and to prepare your toilet properly for the winter months.

MEMBERS BENEFIT FROM UP TO 10% OFF ON CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE PRODUCTS AT CLUB SHOP. VISIT SHOP.CAMC.COM TO START SAVING TODAY.

Measuring out a dose of waste holding tank fluid

Pre-measured doses are available in the form of sachets and tablets

For a fee, a CamperClean station will empty, clean and re-dose your toilet cassette

Shower trays can crack if items are dropped on them, and can become brittle with age Give your cassette waste tank a deep clean every year

Forgetting to empty the flush water tank can lead to black grime build-up and frost damage

Flush water tank chemicals can prevent grime and limescale build-up

A seal lubricant will help prevent the rubber seal from drying out

TALES

THE

riverbank

to sea

In 2021, emerging from lockdown, I set myself the challenge of tracing the Thames from its origin in Gloucestershire to the Thames Estuary by boot, boat and bike (see the December 2021 issue). I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to do something similar in 2022.

Following the River Wye – the fourth longest river in Britain – felt like the right option. The Wye rises in mid-Wales and meanders through Powys, Herefordshire and Gwent to its mouth 155 miles away, south of Chepstow. (Some sources contradict this and state that the Wye is 130 miles long.) There it empties into the Severn, which widens at that point into the Bristol Channel.

It was an expedition that I would find challenging both physically – obviously so for an overweight septuagenarian with a gammy knee – and intellectually, with careful planning needed to navigate the complexities of getting to and from start and finish points using car, bike, public transport and taxis.

It would take me through some of the most beautiful parts of Britain and enable me to use some delightful Certificated Location (CL)

sites. To make life easier, I planned my route in two parts: one week at the beginning of July; and a second trip a few weeks later.

PART 1: PLYNLIMON FAWR TO HEREFORD

DAY 1: UPPER GLANDULAS CL

My base for the first four nights was Upper Glandulas CL, near Llanidloes. I hadn’t been to a CL before and I was a bit nervous – I needn’t have been. The field was as flat as you could hope for and the grass well mowed. There was no toilet block or shower, but it did have electric hook-up, and the surrounds were stunning. It felt great to be on a working farm with sheep grazing in the next field.

I was greeted by Harry, the farmer who owns and manages the site with his partner, Emma. He told me enthusiastically about his plans to expand his herds of sheep and cattle. Talking to farmers and learning about their experiences was to be one of the many joys of using CLs.

DAY 2: PLYNLIMON FAWR

The Wye rises on the eastern slopes of Plynlimon Fawr, the highest peak in mid-Wales. My plan was to ascend by way of a track from

From the Cambrian Mountains to the Severn Estuary, Philip Moon follows the River Wye from source

Philip Moon on the Wye Valley walk

View of the Wye from Symonds Yat

FROM

Monmouth Viaduct on the Wye

the south and then head east down a slope to pick up the rivulets forming the nascent Wye. It was a grey and drizzly day, and visibility became increasingly difficult. From the summit of Plynlimon I could see next to nothing, and to have continued off-piste to the source of the river in such conditions would have been irresponsible. I had to retrace my footsteps to camp, but could still claim I had looked upon the source of the Wye, even if I hadn’t been able to identify it.

DAY 3: PONT RHYDGALED TO LLANGURIG

I picked up the Wye Valley Walk where the river crosses the A44 at Pont Rhydgaled. The signpost said it would be 6½ miles back to Llangurig. The walk was a delight – at least at

first – but waymarks are easy to miss and my path became increasingly boggy, my feet sinking deep into the mud. This couldn’t be right. I retraced my soggy steps and picked up the correct track. It continued as a pleasant stroll, although there was a nervous encounter with a herd of cows, who eyed me suspiciously before bolting away. Footsore, and certain I’d walked much more than 6½ miles, I finally arrived in the village of Llangurig.

DAY 4: LLANGURIG TO HAY-ON-WYE

A cycling day along National Cycle Route 8 from Llangurig to Glasbury, and then a short section of B-road towards my destination, Hay-on-Wye – some 48 miles in total. The scenery is beautiful in this under-visited part

of Wales, but beauty means hills, which was tough for a cyclist well past his prime and more used to the flatlands of Lincolnshire.

DAY 5: MOORHAMPTON

A day for recuperating and moving my van on to my next base – the pleasant Moorhampton Club Campsite, built on the site of an old railway station. The pitch next to mine was occupied by a vintage H-series Citroën goods van converted into a motorhome. A chance to practise my French? No. It turned out to belong to a family from Sheffield: Steve, Marie, Kaya and Bronte, making the most of post-lockdown freedom with their amazing motorhome.

DAYS 6 AND 7: HAY-ON-WYE TO HEREFORD

Next, two days on the water, travelling by canoe. The upper reaches of the Wye are only navigable from October to March. Even downstream from Hay there are many places where the river is shallow, and it’s easy to run aground. ‘Still waters run deep’, I told myself, but the principle didn’t always work.

Gradually, I learned to read the river, although at one point the rush was a bit too powerful, propelling me at great speed into the branches of an over-hanging tree. For a moment everything held in the balance – the force of the water, the resistance of the tree – but something had to give, and it was me and my canoe. Over we went. There was a moment of panic as I flayed around trying hold onto canoe and paddle but, once in control, I found I enjoyed the refreshing dip.

There was much birdlife to enjoy as I made my way along the river – swans, ducks, herons, egrets and a flock of sand martins busily flying in and out of their burrows in the mud bank. And then a flash of blue darting down the river. Was it a kingfisher? I’d like to think so.

Finally, at the end of day 7, I pulled in at Hereford Rowing Club, where marquees were up and a jazz band was playing. It was the annual Beer on the Wye Festival. I felt obliged to sample a couple of beers while waiting for my taxi to take me and my canoe back to base.

Tintern Abbey National Cycle Route 8

viewpoint near Tintern,

Right: Steve, Marie, Kaya and Bronte with their vintage van

WYE NOT?

In addition to those mentioned by Philip, the following CLs could be considered as bases for walking or cycling along the River Wye. Please see camc.com or the Sites Directory & Handbook 2023/24 for details.

Lower Nantserth, p555

Ty-Mawr, p553

Llandrindod Hall Farm, p554

The Halt, p555

Pencaerhelem, p553 Noyadd Farm, p553

Tirmynach Farm, p554

Dark Orchard, p353 Ash Meadow, p554 Ashley Farm, p353 Grafton, p354

The Paddocks, p354 Rugden Farm, p356 Lyndor, p355 Benhall Farm, p355 Royal Oak Inn, p546 Highmeadow Farm, p340 Brookside, p340

The Firs (CL), p340

PART 2: HEREFORD TO THE SEVERN ESTUARY

DAY 1: HEREFORD TO LUCKSALL

My first base on this trip was the Club’s Lucksall Affiliated Site, five miles south-east of Hereford. Situated right on the riverbank, it’s a big, beautifully laid-out venue with plenty of open space and bushes. The facilities are excellent, and include a restaurant and bar.

The aim for the afternoon was to complete the 7½ miles downstream from Hereford to Lucksall. Luckily for me, the authorities had decided to release water reserves to protect fish and other wildlife. The greater flow of water made the canoeing a lot easier.

DAYS 2-3: LUCKSALL TO ROSS-ON-WYE

I canoed from Lucksall to Hoarwithy, then cycled back to base. After a shower and a quick bite to eat, I headed out for a bit of culture – a concert at Hereford Cathedral, part of the annual Three Choirs Festival (an annual musical meeting of the three cathedral choirs of Gloucester, Worcester and Hereford). The next day I drove to Ross, left the car there and cycled back to Hoarwithy to pick up the canoe and continue downstream.

DAYS 4-5: ROSS-ON-WYE TO MONMOUTH

Time to move the van to my next base: Hollymount CL, just south of Ross – a pleasant, spacious site based on a 200-acre fruit farm. A short canoe trip in the afternoon took me past Goodrich Castle, preserved from medieval times, and on to the village of Kerne Bridge. The following day would be a big one: 14 miles on the river to Monmouth, including the rapids at Symonds Yat. I was feeling nervous.

The area around Symonds Yat is staggeringly beautiful, even by the high standards of the rest of the Wye, and many people were out enjoying themselves, not only on the river but also on the pub-lined shores.

Downriver from there lie the rapids. Heart in mouth, I let the water take me. ‘Keep right’, I’d been told. I paddled furiously. There was a huge bang as I hit a submerged boulder, but I stayed upright and soon I was safely through. Was it luck or was it skill? I suppose a little bit of both. [Note: the Symonds Yat rapids can be dangerous for the inexperienced – so do your research before making a decision whether to paddle them.]

DAY 6: MONMOUTH TO TINTERN

In the morning I moved my van to my final base: Innage Farm CL, just south of Chepstow. Then I drove to Tintern, left the car and cycled back to Monmouth to begin my walk. My 10-mile route alternated between the left and the right banks, the English and the Welsh sides. Finally, exhausted and thirsty, I staggered into Tintern, where I fell into the first pub I could find. The day had been hot and humid, and so was I – which probably accounts for why, as I approached the bar, everyone else moved away.

DAY 7: TINTERN TO SEVERN ESTUARY

For the final stretch of my adventure, I hopped on a bus back to Tintern, where I paused to admire the wonderful abbey ruins. Today’s walk took me up steep, wooded slopes to the Eagle’s Nest viewpoint, which offers magnificent vistas over the Wye as it meanders towards the sea. Finally, I headed down into Chepstow, where I picked up my bike to cycle the last leg – across the Severn Bridge to view the point at which the two rivers meet. Mission complete!

Lucksall Affiliated Site

Upper Glandulas CL

Ross-on-Wye

Centre Lines

The latest news from around the country

MAGNIFICENT EFFORT

Festive fun

East Kent got into the festive spirit early by hosting its annual Christmas party at the Abbey School in Faversham on 3 December. More than 30 caravans and motorhomes pitched up, while many friends and family of East Kent Centre members attended the children’s and adults’ parties.

The school hall was turned into Santa’s Grotto for the evening, and a number of ‘special guests’ were spotted getting into the spirit of the season, including Father Christmas, a pair of elves, a reindeer (we can’t confirm if it was Rudolph or not!), two snowmen and Postman Pat!

Witches, ghosts and ghouls were the order of the day at West Hampshire’s spook-tacular Halloween rally at Wareham in Dorset at the end of October. Highlights of the rally were a variety of socials, including competitive children versus adults games, a music quiz with both acting and observation rounds, ‘Wareham’s Got Talent’ (a chance for the kids to show off their skills) and a fancy dress-style disco and games night.

RALLY ROSTER

Each month we highlight a few rallies taking place within or near the region covered by our main touring feature (p26-36 this issue). See centre websites for more information.

10-12 March

East Dorset Centre (eastdorset. org), South Lytchett Manor, Poole, Dorset

And getting into the spirit of Halloween, both trick or treating and a walk in the deep, dark woods (no torches allowed) were enjoyed by all.

North Essex Centre hosted a Children in Need Rally on behalf of the Anglia Region at Hallowtree in Ipswich. An auction, raffle, dishwashing session and more contributed to a magnificent total of £856. A great fun weekend was enjoyed by 64 ralliers in a total of 29 different outfits.

As a side note, Anglia Region has raised around £8,000 for the charity in recent years – a magnificent achievement. Former Chairman John Kent thanked all the members for their generous support.

Another classic

A Christmas cracker!

South Essex Centre members had a fantastic time at their ‘It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas Rally’. Mulled wine, mince pies, homemade cupcakes, Christmas music, a pantomime (Aladdin), a movie matinee, a disco, children’s party games and, of course, a visit from Saint Nick himself ensured everyone had a rally to remember.

Mystery at the Rodings

17-20 March

East Dorset Centre (eastdorset.org), St Patrick’s Day,The Cross Keys Inn, Lydford-on-Fosse, Somerton, Somerset

24-26 March

West Hampshire Centre (whampshirecc.co.uk), Springtime Shamba, Shamba Holidays, St Leonards, Ringwood, Hampshire

An incredible 135 units attended Hertfordshire Centre’s Sywell Classic Rally in September. Ralliers were able to view classic cars and motorbikes from every era and witness some superb flying displays. Sunday proved to be a very busy day with a number of members dressing up in keeping with the 1950s theme. The organisers are already looking forward to next year! Email sandiejevans@gmail.com for information.

The Room in the Rodings was the venue for murder most foul as South Essex members held their King Tut’s Revenge mystery rally.

Following Friday afternoon’s cakes, music and chat, members enjoyed a movie on Saturday before the main event (which marked 100 years since the discovery of the Tomb of Tutankhamun).

Ralliers had to solve two cases as cast members were ‘murdered’, one then becoming the policeman charged with interrogating suspects.

Following the big reveal, there was then a chance for everyone to relax for the rest of the evening and look back on another highly successful rally.

Please send Centre news and rally reports to magazine@camc.com

Nothing short of spook-tacular!

EVENTS DIARY

Dartmouth Rotary Beer Festival

4 - 5 March

Stay at: Old Stone Farm CL

The third annual Dartmouth Rotary Beer Festival at the town’s Flavel Arts Centre combines the best of beer, food and music. As well as tasting a variety of real ales, visitors can enjoy excellent local food and a variety of musical entertainment. Money raised throughout the event will be donated to local charity Dartmouth Caring. To find out more, see southdevon.camra.org.uk.

Cheltenham Festival 14 -17 March

Stay at: Bourton-on-the-Water Club Campsite, Tewkesbury Abbey Club Campsite

One of the biggest National Hunt meets of the horse racing calendar, the Cheltenham Festival is a must for any sports enthusiast. Famous for the roar that rises from the stands as the tape is raised for the first race, the excitement builds until the climax of the meet, Friday’s signature Gold Cup. And all this within a furlong or two of the picturesque and historic Regency town of Cheltenham. To find out more, see thejockeyclub.co.uk/cheltenham.

Glasgow International Comedy Festival

5 March-2 April

Stay at: Strathclyde Country Park Club Campsite

This festival has been bringing world-class comedy to Glasgow for 20 years, and yet again for 2023 top stars from the UK and beyond will be raising laughs in the historic city. Household names such as Frankie Boyle, Ardal O’Hanlon, Zoe Lyons and Tim Key will

be performing at a variety of venues around the city. To find out more and to book tickets, see glasgowcomedyfestival.com.

Thriplow Daffodil Weekend & Country Fair 25 -26 March

Stay at: Hertfordshire Centre temporary site in Fowlmere village (24-25 March)

This colourful, charity fundraising festival takes place in the village of Thriplow, close to the M11, about eight miles from Cambridge. Browse around 100 stalls, enjoy family activities, watch the blacksmiths at work in the smithy and be entertained by the Morris dancers. The temporary site is set in Fowlmere Village – fresh water and chemical waste disposal available.

Contact Sandie on 01767 640263/07887 541762 or email sandiejevans@gmail.com. For information on the Daffodil Weekend, see thriplowdaffodils.org.uk.

Royal Windsor Horse Show 11-14 May

Stay at: Bucks Centre temporary site at Windsor Racecourse (10-14 May)

Held in the grounds of Windsor Castle, this event sees some of the world’s best horses and riders competing in carriage driving, show jumping, dressage, polo and more. You may also like to explore Windsor and Eton or visit St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle and pay your respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II. The temporary site will be on Windsor Racecourse and is hosted by Buckinghamshire Centre. Electric hook-ups, fresh water and a chemical waste disposal point will be available (please note you will need to use your on-board washroom and toilet facilities). Members booked to stay on site will be offered discounts on tickets for both the Horse Show and the expected evening pageant. Contact Pat on 07950 841702 for further information or email buckscentreevents@gmail.com. For more information on the show, see rwhs.co.uk.

Events listed may be subject to change –please check with organisers prior to travel.

Note re temporary sites: please book in advance where possible. If you would like to promote a temporary site set up around a major event, please contact magazine@camc.com.

Are you looking for some holiday inspiration? Why not take in an event while staying at a Club campsite, a CL or a temporary site?

Cheltenham Festival

ASK YOUR CLUB

Shapes and sizes

Q What kinds of outfit are allowed on Club sites? Do rules apply?

AFor as long as the Club has operated campsites, people have turned up with outfits that are out of the ordinary. Usually they are a delight to see, but sometimes they can raise questions over whether something unconventional is acceptable or not.

We compile guidelines so that our site staff and head office teams can deal with the unusual as consistently and in as fair-minded a way as possible. There’s an overview of this on the Club website at caravanclub.co.uk/advice-andtraining/advice-for-beginners/ outfits-we-welcome-on-ourclub-campsites.

We expect all vehicles used on site to be legal, safe and roadworthy, but it’s the owner’s responsibility to ensure that is the case, not the Club’s to check. If we do spot something that looks wrong, it might be pointed out, but it would be very, very rare for a vehicle to be turned away on these grounds.

Our basic criteria is that the clear intended design and purpose of the vehicle is to provide leisure accommodation use in the course of a recreational touring holiday. That allows for a very broad range of acceptable outfits, but rules out examples such as an unconverted car or a van with a mattress in it.

The motorhome sector is probably the most diverse. There’s a definition of

‘motorhome’ in international vehicle regulations which requires seats, table, beds (that can convert from the seats), cooking facilities rigidly attached to the internal structure, and storage facilities. That list sounds great and suits many types, but there are plenty of smaller, more affordable campervans that don’t comply with it, and neither would smaller teardrop and similar caravans. We happily accept all of these as long as they meet our basic criteria above. That also includes bespoke one-off models and self-build conversions. If considering one of these, however, do make sure they meet minimum acceptable build standards to keep you safe.

We love caravans of all shapes and sizes (within legal limits). If you want to paint your caravan or motorhome in bright colours and psychedelic patterns, that’s also fine, although the Club draws the line at decoration that includes offensive text or images. Fifth wheel caravans are also acceptable, subject to the size note below.

Trailer tents and folding campers provide a spacious and often very affordable option for families. Although ‘tent-like’, we consider them to be equivalent to a caravan, so they can be used on all Club sites. Roof tents which attach to a car roof rack have become increasingly popular in recent years and these can be used either on a conventional pitch on any Club site, or on a tent field where vehicle access is allowed.

Not a conventional caravan or motorhome, but acceptable on Club campsites

The Club’s technical team answers your pressing questions

Even where a particular outfit is generally acceptable, we sometimes have to limit the size of outfit on certain sites – usually due to pitch sizes or site access limitations. Length restrictions are indicated on individual site webpages and in the Sites Directory & Handbook on each site page and the summary tables on pp32-39.

Overall, we try to accommodate as wide a range of outfit choice as possible. We review our guidelines regularly and we’re always interested in hearing of new outfit types you want to use.

Please address your questions to: Technical Information, Email: technical@camc.com Tel: 01342 336611

...and quote your membership number

“ We try to accommodate as wide a range of outfit choice as possible ”

£90 in Club gift vouchers to be won CROSSWORD

Digital Magazine features a variety of interactive puzzles! Download it from the App Store or Google Play. Remember to search for

ACROSS 1 Large gathering (5)

Duplicated crime (7)

Forearm bone (4)

Striped street crossing (5)

Backside (6)

Reference list (5) 14 Goes first (5)

A hitch (4)

Male singing voice ( 8)

Red and yellow mix (6) 19 Distance across (4) 22 Hygiene operative (7) 24 Limb (3) 26 Waterway for barges (5)

Courtyard (5)

Usually kept in the boot (5,4)

Stage costume assistant (7)

Hundred years (7)

Stuffed toy (5,4)

Gold bar (5)

Unit of capacity ( 5)

Pub counter (3)

Cherry used in kirsch (7)

Cwm or glen (4)

Light cake (6)

Charitable gift ( 8)

Academic gown (4)

General truth (5)

Small shoot or twig (5)

Men’s toilet (6)

DOWN

NAME:

MEMBERSHIP NUMBER:

The Caravan and Motorhome Club is processing your personal data for the purpose of administering your competition entry. If you would like to know more about how we process personal data, please visit our Privacy Policy at camc.com/privacy-policy.

To counterfeit (5)

Without speech (4)

Gymkhana ribbon award (7)

Silky fabric (5)

1 Circus jester (5) 2 Eight-sided shape (7) 3 Training weight (8) 4 Buttoned knitwear (8) 5 Jail inmate (8) 6 Dinner jacket (6) 7 Rhododendron-like shrub (6) 8 Rocking cot (6) 13 Horseriding discipline (8) 18 Alcoholic drink (3) 20 Vegetable (3) 21 Bright light signal ( 5) 22 Outfit of clothing (7) 23 Ventilate (3) 25 Insane (3) 26 Bye-bye (7) 28 Settlement smaller than a city (4) 30 Foot digit (3) 31 Scarlet (3) 33 Melodious ditty (4) 34 Hairy part of head (5) 36 Low-life lout (3) 37 Bullfighter (8) 38 Hive insect (3) 40 Hooting bird (3) 42 Gratuity (3) 44 Twelve hours after noon (8) 45 Clothing business (3, 5) 46 Big cat’s young (4,4) 47 Jury’s judgement (7) 48 Zig-zag ski run (6)

Two or ten (6)

A rubber (6)

Muscular strength (5)

Dealer Marketplace

Dealer Marketplace

brought to you by the Caravan and Motorhome Club

brought to you by the Caravan and Motorhome Club

TAIL LIGHTS

Box clever

CAP THAT

Carl Greenhalgh would like to introduce good friend Clodagh, who was enjoying her time at Pembrey Country Park Club Campsite chasing the squirrels! She looks very smart indeed.

Club member James Naylor shared these photographs of an unusual adaptation of a horsebox, as seen at Slinfold Club Campsite. According to James, the owner is also a Club member –what a fantastic conversion!

Permission to land

“Parking’s impossible in Edinburgh these days,” laughs Pat Dorman, who came upon this scene on the Cramond foreshore near Edinburgh Club Campsite. Perhaps they need to build a gull-ti storey garage, Pat! A gull -ti storey garage. Pat? Anyone?

To see an additional Tail Lights page, download the Digital Magazine via the App Store or Google Play. Remember to search

If you see something fun or unusual on a Club site, CL or while you’re out and about, please send a picture to magazine@camc.com or tag @candmclub on Instagram and we’ll print the best.

A NOTOW-PRO

“If you don’t want to tow your caravan, just put it on the back of a truck!” joke David and Linda Glennie, who spotted this unusual outfit on Île-Grande, off the coast of Brittany.

Your observations on the fun and unusual world of touring

TAIL LIGHTS

Dogs on tour

Thank you for sharing your lovely pictures of your dogs, who all seem to enjoy the touring lifestyle

It seems that sprocker Fergus likes to get involved in the planning stages. Here he is with the Club Magazine, about to look for inspiration.

(According to owner Jim Harkins, Fergus is a great caravanner!)

Becky and Betsy, pictured here relaxing at Longleat Club Campsite, are relatively new to caravanning. According to owner Ang Climpson 2022 was their first year of touring. Here’s to many more!

All this holidaying lark can be a bit tiring, can't it?

Ken O'Brien's beagle Chloe definitely has the right idea, finding a shaded spot during last summer's heatwave for 40 well-earned winks.

Rusty the Jack Russell is a seasoned tourer and loves travelling around the country in Melanie Michie’s motorhome, perhaps fancying himself as the navigator as well!

Xanne and Simon Booth have a young boxer named Wilbur, who is seen here waiting for the rain to stop so he can go to the doggy park while on holiday at the Love2Stay Affiliated site in Shrewsbury.

All things bright and beautiful

Pe dal through the landscape of Calendar Girls and the new series of All Creatures Great and Small on this fabulous loop through the Yorkshire Dales. Starting from Wharfedale Club Campsite, the route serves up one magnificent view after another, crossing the River Wharfe in Grassington (Darrowby in All Creatures Great and Small ) and passing meadows, drystone walls and rocky cliffs as it follows the river north.

By hugging the floor of the valley, the route is largely flat, especially for the Dales, and it’s cars, not contours, that may be of more concern for some riders. Fortunately, the roads were largely free of traffic when I visited midweek.

Kettlewell, backdrop to Calendar Girls marks the halfway point, with two pubs, a hotel and a café to slake a thirst and restore energy, before a short, sharp climb out of the village heading south along the other side of the Wharfe.

There’s still time to stop for a cuppa – Yorkshire tea, obviously! – at the Café by the Lake in Kilnsey Park, with its red squirrels

and wildflowers, all overlooked by a vast limestone crag, before riding on to Wharfedale.

Navigation throughout the route could hardly be easier, with the only ‘left or right’ decision to be made in the tiny village of Conistone. Everywhere else the directions are straightforward, which allows cyclists to admire the outstanding scenery in this beautiful part of the world.

DIRECTIONS

1

From Wharfedale Club Campsite, follow the very long driveway all the way to the B6160 and turn right. Pass a Texaco garage on the right, then turn left, signposted to Grassington and Pately Bridge, along the B6265. Cross the river then look out for a turn on the left.

2

3.3km – Turn left along Wood Lane, with The Mountaineer outdoor shop on the corner, and follow the road all the way to Conistone. 3

8.1km – Turn right at the triangle of stone walls in the middle of Conistone, and continue to a T-junction in Kettlewell.

13.2km – Turn left at the T-junction, signposted to Grassington and Skipton, along the B6160. Stay on this road all the way back to the Club site on the right-hand side of the road.

Jonathan Manning discovers a stunning river valley on this ride through the beautiful Yorkshire Dales

ABOUT THE ROUTE

Start/finish: Wharfedale Club site, Long Ashes Park, Threshfield, Skipton BD23 5PN

Distance: 22.4km /14 miles Time: 1½ hours

Level: Suitable for fitter riders – the route does undulate, but it’s easy by Dales standards.

Terrain: Asphalt all the way

Landscape: Stunning Yorkshire Dales, the River Wharfe, drystone walls, and eye-catching rocky outcrops.

Refreshments: Blue Bell Inn, Kettlewell; Racehorses Hotel, Kettlewell; The Cottage Tea Room, Kettlewell; Café by the Lake, Kilnsey Park; The Tennants Arms, Kilnsey.

Grassington