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MOTORHOMENEWS

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

MOTORHOMENEWS

Monthly Archives: April 2017

Motorhome sales are booming.

27 Thursday Apr 2017

Posted by chrismacgowan in Marketing

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Christopher Macgowan, motorhome, motorhomenews, motorhomes, National Caravan Council, NCC


The UK motorhome market continues to boom. The total number of new registrations in March 2017 was up by nearly a quarter on 2016, according to figures just released by the NCC.

The statistics show that registrations of new motorhomes in March 2017 reached 2,877, a 22.3% increase over last year, taking them to their highest ever level for the first quarter at 3,670. March, with its number plate change, is a popular month for consumers to buy, ahead of the spring and summer season.  

Source: National Caravan Council NCC

Christopher Macgowan

@motorhomenews

The Peterborough Motorhome Show

21 Friday Apr 2017

Posted by chrismacgowan in Exhibitions and Shows

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Christopher Macgowan, motorhome, motorhomenews, peterborough


A tad chilly – but definitely the place to be this weekend.

Christopher Macgowan

@motorhomenews

Hawes, Wensleydale, Yorkshire.

16 Sunday Apr 2017

Posted by chrismacgowan in Sites

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camc, caravan and motorhome club, Christopher Macgowan, Hawes, Ingleton, motorhome, motorhomenews, wensleydale, white hart hawes


The Caravan and Motorhome Club site in Hawes is within a ten minute walk of the town centre which is a delight and has a wide range of shops and no less than four pubs. I randomly selected The White Hart and only just managed to get back to the motorhome by midnight which I think speaks volumes for the establishment.

The site itself is undergoing a huge upgrade and only half the site is open at the moment but it is easy to see how good it will be on completion. Because it is where it is, the Club is upgrading the site totally in keeping with the beautiful area in which it sits and on completion I can imagine it will be in even greater demand than before.

As my photo shows, I also stopped by the amazing Ribblehead Viaduct. The site wardens gave me the tip that the B6255 Hawes to Ingleton road was a beautiful run and how right they were – simply stunning.

Christopher Macgowan

@motorhomenews

Wonderful Chatsworth Park

12 Wednesday Apr 2017

Posted by chrismacgowan in Sites

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camc, caravan and motorhome club, Chatsworth, Christopher Macgowan, motorhome, motorhomenews


This week I have been at Chatsworth Park.

A wonderful site set in a former walled garden with direct access to Chatsworth itself and displaying all the characteristics which make Caravan and Motorhome Club sites so enjoyable.

Christopher Macgowan

@motorhomenews

A visit to Jodrell Bank.

11 Tuesday Apr 2017

Posted by chrismacgowan in General, Places

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Christopher Macgowan, jodrell bank, motorhome, motorhomenews, nasa, neil armstrong, observatory, sputnik, telescope


When I was at school we had – of all things – an observatory tacked on to the end of the school buildings kitted out with a big telescope with a mechanical timing mechanism which enabled you to track the moon and stars without losing them because of the earth’s movement while you were sat at the telescope watching things. This instilled in me a love of astronomy and later the NASA space programme.

I was staying with a school friend in Chelsea when Sputnik cut across the night sky – a thrilling but slightly frightening experience because it was Russian – The Cold War was running full tilt then.  Years later when Neil Armstrong landed on the moon I was living in Toronto and enjoying at the time a very good party in Mississauga. Everything stopped and we watched in amazement on the TV screens as the events unfolded. Never to be forgotten despite the many subsequent conspiracy theories that actually it all took place on a sound stage in Seattle and there was a really anxious moment when the studio cat nearly strolled into the picture……

So this interest has been with me since early childhood but somehow along the way I had never been to Jodrell Bank which even now is still the third largest radio telescope of it type in the world having slipped from its original premier position. A great day out for me amongst the earnest parents teaching their reluctant children the difference between stars and planets and goodness knows what else; how lovely it was for me just to enjoy it!

Christopher Macgowan

@motorhomenews

Visit to Auto Trail.

06 Thursday Apr 2017

Posted by chrismacgowan in General, Motorhomes

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Auto-Trail, biomass, Christopher Macgowan, coach built, grimsby, motorhome, motorhomenews, tribute, Trigano, van conversion

I was lucky enough this week to be included on a visit to the new Auto Trail factory in Grimsby. Part of the all powerful Trigano Group this factory produces Tribute van conversions and Auto Trail coach builts in a modern, light and well laid out environment. As we all know, Trigano encourages brands to keep their very strong individual identities but the sheer size of the group must make their central purchasing operation based in Paris for the big components such as the power train a serious force to be reckoned with.

It was an extremely good visit and the Auto Trail management team was generous with its time answering literally hundreds of questions very openly indeed. On the day we were there we saw motorhomes being built for the UK, Australian and New Zealand markets. 

And what one thing most stuck in my mind? Care and attention to detail by everyone involved.  And maybe one unexpected fact? Like most motorhome manufacturers, Auto Trail has eliminated wood from the structural components but continues to build nearly all its own furniture. Waste timber is converted to pellets which feed a biomass boiler making the factory self sufficient for heating and hot water – coupled with a rain water collection system dramatically reducing fresh water consumption.

Christopher Macgowan

@motorhomenews

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