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MOTORHOMENEWS

~ A personal take by Christopher Macgowan on tourism, travel and motorhomes.

MOTORHOMENEWS

Monthly Archives: August 2014

The Dusseldorf Show

30 Saturday Aug 2014

Posted by chrismacgowan in Exhibitions and Shows

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Christopher Macgowan, Dusseldorf Salon, Messe, motorhome, motorhomenews

As ever the show was crowded and the atmosphere positive. Am showing just a few photos from my visit on Saturday. I always think with the show that as a pure spectacle it is being one of the 2500 motorhomes and caravans efficiently pitched on the perimeter that almost matches the much more important business of what is going on inside the halls!

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Christopher Macgowan
@motorhomenews

Mercedes-Benz at the Dusseldorf Show with the Marco Polo Activity

29 Friday Aug 2014

Posted by chrismacgowan in Exhibitions and Shows

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Christopher Macgowan, Dusseldorf, Marco Polo Activity, Mercedes-Benz, motorhome, motorhomenews

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Mercedes-Benz is presenting a new star that stands for freedom and independence at the Düsseldorf Caravan Salon: the all-new Marco Polo ACTIVITY recreational vehicle. Featuring modern design, the ultimate in functionality and excellent sleeping comfort, it is equally ideal for long trips or daily and urban use. The compact Marco Polo ACTIVITY recreational vehicle boasts exceptional versatility. With a highly variable interior, comfortable berths for up to five people, five engine variants and three drive types, it can be customised to individual requirements. As such, it is the ideal vehicle the whole year round for young families as well as for sports and outdoor activity enthusiasts.

The Marco Polo ACTIVITY combines leisure and daily use. The compact exterior dimensions, with a length of 5.14 metres and a width of 1.93 metres (excluding mirrors), combine with the electromechanical power steering to ensure great manoeuvrability and impressive agility. And with a height of 1.98 metres, it is able to enter all standard garages, multi-storey car parks, underground garages and car washes. At the same time, the Marco Polo ACTIVITY offers a standard of dynamic performance, comfort and economy on a par with a Mercedes-Benz passenger car, allowing the utmost flexibility and spontaneity in daily and leisure use.

Exemplary safety is ensured by a wealth of innovative driver assistance systems based on state-of-the-art radar, camera and ultrasonic sensors. The vehicle is equipped as standard with Crosswind Assist and ATTENTION ASSIST, which can warn of inattention and fatigue. Optional features include Active Parking Assist, COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST, Lane Keeping Assist and the LED Intelligent Light System. This is the first time that most of these assistance systems have been available in the compact recreational vehicle segment.

The Marco Polo ACTIVITY opens up a whole new way of enjoying freedom and spontaneity to the full. Start the day by driving to the office or doing the school run, quickly attach the mountain bike to the rear-mounted rack in the evening and exchange the urban jungle for the nearest forest, drive to the beach at the weekend for a spontaneous surf trip with friends and family or enjoy an open-air festival – the new recreational vehicle from Mercedes-Benz offers maximum flexibility and comes with comfortable overnight accommodation built in.

The Marco Polo ACTIVITY is equipped as standard with a three-seater bench with one-piece backrest and bed extension. The bench can be slid forward on rails. In this way, the capacity of the luggage compartment can be more than doubled in an instant to accommodate surfboards, paragliding equipment or even a bicycle inside the vehicle. Anyone who requires even more room, e.g. for carrying newly purchased shelf units, can also use the surface of the bed and the floor underneath the bed as load space. Under the bed are two drawers that can be removed, allowing items to be loaded through the resulting space.

When spending the night in the vehicle, the bench seat easily converts into a comfortable bed measuring 1.93 metres by 1.35 metres for three people. An additional sleeping facility for two people is offered by the roof bed under the pop-up roof on board the new Marco Polo. Featuring a cold foam mattress and special spring elements with high point elasticity, this bed offers a standard of lying comfort that is exceptional in the segment.

When the luxury roof bed is not in use it can be folded upwards at the front when the roof is raised. This provides plenty of headroom in the vehicle interior. At the same time, the two side ventilation slits in the concertina direct even more fresh air into the interior. The two standard-fit vent windows in the rear provide for an added supply of pleasant fresh air. They can be opened and closed electrically – a unique selling point for the Marco Polo ACTIVITY in the compact recreational vehicle segment. Curtains in the rear also come as standard. To allow the interior to be darkened completely, an opaque and washable curtain is available for the windscreen and the front side windows.

The Marco Polo ACTIVITY features a standard folding table with a scratch-resistant surface, which is ideal for sitting around in bad weather or for children to play at. In addition to an amply sized surface, the table also includes a bottle holder and two cup holders. More bottle holders, cup holders, stowage compartments as well as a total of five 12 volt power sockets are to be found on the sidewalls of the rear compartment, in the cockpit and in the luggage compartment. Ideal lighting is provided by a total of four reading lamps in the rear and two adjustable LED gooseneck lamps on the roof bed.

For spending many a pleasant hour outdoors shaded from the sun, the Marco Polo ACTIVITY offers the option of an awning above the sliding door, which is also detachable – a first for this segment. This means there is no need to have it permanently attached and allows it to be removed before driving through an automatic car wash.

Christopher Macgowan
@motorhomenews

The Mosel Valley

28 Thursday Aug 2014

Posted by chrismacgowan in Places, Technical, Travel

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barges, Christopher Macgowan, CL, Hatton, MOSEL, motorhome, motorhomenews, narrowboats

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I lived in the Midlands for over twenty years and during that time became absorbed with the UK canal system and narrowboats in general. They were but one of the driving forces behind the industrial revolution and after years of pain and neglect are now an important part of our tourist and leisure industries. I lived near the Hatton Locks flight in Warwick and today one of my long list of favourite CLs is in Leighton Buzzard next to a narrowboat marina – and an excellent pub.

Here on the Mosel, locks and barges are an altogether bigger proposition with some fantastic design and engineering deployed.

I guess my next step up is to visit the Suez and Panama canals!

Christopher Macgowan
@motorhomenews

Wellhouse Leisure increases Ford Terrier production.

28 Thursday Aug 2014

Posted by chrismacgowan in Motorhomes

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Christopher Macgowan, Ford, Ford Terrier, motorhome, motorhomenews, Wellhouse Leisure

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Wellhouse Leisure has created 10 new jobs at its factory in Huddersfield to meet phenomenal demand for its new Ford Terrier campervan launched last October.

Production of Ford Terrier increasing to 250 per year – worth over £10.5 million

16 Ford retailers from across the UK already appointed as Wellhouse Leisure agents with more to follow in the coming months

Ford Terrier voted Campervan of the Year 2014 in The Motorhome Awards 2014

Wellhouse Leisure is investing over £125,000 in new equipment and recruiting 10 extra staff for its factory in Huddersfield to meet the strong demand for its new Ford Terrier campervan after its successful launch last October. This investment will enable Wellhouse to increase production to 250 vehicles a year, worth over £10.5 million, making the Ford Terrier one of the best-selling campervans in the UK and Wellhouse Leisure the biggest campervan manufacturer in the UK.

In addition, Wellhouse Leisure has already recruited 16 Ford retailers from across the UK to sell the Terrier, which is the first UK campervan conversion based on the new Ford Transit Custom. This provides Wellhouse with one of the most comprehensive nationwide networks of agents, with more Ford retailers expected to join soon, making it easy for everyone to see the new Ford Terrier as demonstrators will soon be available in showrooms in the south east and west, the midlands, Wales, northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Commenting on this success, David Elliott, managing director of Wellhouse Leisure said: “It has been an amazingly positive year for us. We have broken all our sales forecasts and records in 2012 and feel really positive about the next 12 months, which is why we’ve invested in improvements in our factory and already taken on six new people to meet the demand for this great campervan.”

Christopher Macgowan
@motorhomenews

Love these conversions!

23 Saturday Aug 2014

Posted by chrismacgowan in History

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Christopher Macgowan, Citroen, motorhomenews

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The Dutch are fearless and intrepid tourers.

Indeed there is a story that if you were to mount an expedition to some far off place with friends and family which takes months of planning and weeks of actually getting there, just as you round the final corner full of satisfaction at executing such a complex journey and with a strong sense of “I did it against all odds” – there would be a Dutch couple all pitched up looking as if they do the journey every week.

And I liked this Dutch registered Citroen conversion.

Christopher Macgowan
@motorhomenews

Staycations are proving popular again

21 Thursday Aug 2014

Posted by chrismacgowan in General, Travel

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caravans, Christopher Macgowan, motorhomenews, motorhomes, staycations, The Caravan Club, Tony Hall, trailer tents

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Staycations are proving popular again this year with 55,000 more caravan, motorhome and trailer-tent holiday bookings made with The Caravan Club, than in 2013!

It seems that the wonderful weather this summer has persuaded more of us than ever before to holiday at home, rather than run the gauntlet of the airport and head overseas.

Even with the school summer holidays reaching their penultimate week, there is still time for a last-minute staycation. The Caravan Club recommends that people don’t just enjoy one summer break, but spread out the fun, making the most of their time while the children are off school, by taking several mini breaks. The Club also encourages people to value their leisure time – whether spending it with friends or family or taking a well earned retirement, it is precious!

By taking a caravan or motorhome holiday, you can pop away for just one or two nights locally or embark on an epic tour of your homeland – the choice is yours. Either option allows you to spend quality time in the outdoors with loved ones, while discovering what the UK has to offer.

Director of Marketing for The Caravan Club, Tony Hall, says, “This year it seems that many more people have discovered the great outdoors and the benefits of a caravanning or motorhoming holiday and taken the opportunity to enjoy a break in the UK.

“So many people spend the first half of the year looking forward to their one-and-only annual overseas summer holiday, and then the second half of the year feeling blue because it is over.”

Hall added, “The Club isn’t suggesting that a touring holiday must replace your main overseas summer trip, rather supplement it, helping you to make the most of your precious annual leave.”

With a caravan or a motorhome, every weekend can be a last-minute holiday. Research shows that taking many shorter breaks away can be better for recharging your batteries than you than taking fewer longer ones, resulting in a more rejuvenated self when you return to work.

The Caravan Club represents over one million caravan, motorhome and trailer-tent owners and gives them access to around 2700 campsites in the UK – this means that there is one Caravan Club badges site for every 30 square miles of the country! Whether you are looking for a rock pooling beach holiday, a quiet countryside retreat, a cultural city break or an activity based family adventure, there is a Caravan Club site to suit everyone.

Visit http://www.caravanclub.co.uk to find out how you can get started.

Christopher Macgowan
@motorhomenews

A very English day beside the seaside.

17 Sunday Aug 2014

Posted by chrismacgowan in General

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Christopher Macgowan, motorhomenews

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I travel extensively as followers of this blog will know. However, a day at the seaside with my daughters and four grandchildren takes some beating!

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Christopher Macgowan
@motorhomenews

Airbourne!

17 Sunday Aug 2014

Posted by chrismacgowan in Exhibitions and Shows

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Airbourne, Christopher Macgowan, Eastbourne, Lancasters, motorhomenews, Red Arrows

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The Eastbourne air-show goes from strength to strength. I found a spot at Beachy Head and enjoyed a spectacular view. Whilst the Red Arrows are brilliant and exciting and quite literally take your breath away, I think the pair of Lancasters did it for me more than anything else.

Christopher Macgowan
@motorhomenews

The Caravan Club introduces the Hi5 Wave and a safety video featuring youngsters

12 Tuesday Aug 2014

Posted by chrismacgowan in Road Safety, Sites

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Christopher Macgowan, Hi5, motorhomenews, Natasha MacDonald, site safety, The Caravan Club, Tony Hall

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A caravan or motorhome holiday is perfect for families, giving children a sense of freedom and the chance to play, explore and meet new friends in the great outdoors. Of course, it’s important that parents feel confident their children are safe, and while The Club already provides a secure environment on site, it has introduced some new initiatives to make youngsters and older members aware of potential dangers.

This Spring, The Club ran a competition for members’ children, asking them to design a poster that would reinforce the importance of the on-site 5mph car speed limit and promote the ‘Hi5’ wave. Hundreds of entries were received and winners announced in three age categories – under 7 years, 8-10 years and 11-13 years. The overall winning entry belonged to eight-year-old Dani May, and her design now features on signage across The Club’s UK network of over 200 sites!

Meanwhile a children’s Hi5 safety video was filmed at Hillhead Caravan Club Site in Devon during Whitsun week. Starring members’ children, the film focuses on five key safety areas such as the 5mph speed limit and playing safely in the correct areas on site. The video can be viewed by all members on The Club’s website and it is hoped that its lighthearted presentation of important safety messages will appeal to both parents and youngsters.

Natasha MacDonald, Head of Product Development for The Caravan Club, says, “We have been working on a new family initiative to help parent and grandparent members with entertaining their children and grandchildren while away in their vans. However, the theme of safety is an important aspect which underpins the project. The Club is keen to do whatever it can to ensure that adults and children alike are safe while they enjoy their holidays.”

Tony Hall, Director of Marketing for The Caravan Club, adds, “Touring is all about the freedom to explore and it is important to The Club that it does everything it can to enable children to have fun holidays in a safe enjoyable environment.”

MacDonald continues, “The video covers many areas of safety that are relevant to areas of everyday life; The Club believes it will be an extremely useful resource for adults and children.”

Christopher Macgowan
@motorhomenews

Snape and Orford

10 Sunday Aug 2014

Posted by chrismacgowan in Sites

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Christopher Macgowan, CL, motorhomenews, Orford, Snape, The Jolly Sailor

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Have spent the weekend with friends at an excellent CL in Orford. I like this area a lot and a visit to Snape (photo) once again reminds me how much I like the waterways around here. And that despite Hurricane Bertha’s best efforts you can have a cracking weekend here topped off with a long leisurely supper at Orford’s The Jolly Sailor which is worth checking out at http://www.jollysailororford.co.uk

Christopher Macgowan
@motorhomenews

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