Monthly Archives: February 2018

Experience Freedom and the NEC Show.

25 Sunday Feb 2018

Posted by in Exhibitions and Shows

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Spent a fair chunk of this week at the NEC show on the CAMC temporary site. The convenience of it outweighs all other considerations – just stagger the hundred metres to the bus and the next thing you’re at the main entrance to the halls.

I was really impressed with the Experience Freedom stand – all about attracting newcomers to the lifestyle and offering alternative accommodation types for people to consider. The website is well worth a tour at EXPERIENCE FREEDOM and also of course on twitter @XPFreedomUK On the subject of twitter some people tell me they are using it less – for me I am using it more and love it just as much as ever @motorhomenews

All in all a great show – but nice to be home!

Christopher Macgowan

@motorhomenews

A visit to Manchester.

17 Saturday Feb 2018

Posted by in Places

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One of my children – Anna – is by way of being a standup comedian and I was in Manchester this week watching her gig. Obviously I am totally biased but it was another excellent performance, a fifteen minute chat with edge which got lots of laughs and applause.

Later that evening I walked the mile home and in doing so walked past Manchester Southern Cemetery. This is Europe’s second largest municipal cemetery and takes a long time to walk past even at eleven o’clock at night along Barlow Moor Road. It is the final resting place of Sir Matt Busby, L S Lowry, Tony Wilson “Mr Manchester” and Ernest Marples and many other famous people. One of the signs also reminded me this is a famous Commonwealth War Graves Commission site with some 1228 identified casualties.

So, as I wandered home smiling at Anna’s act I resolved to return to the cemetery in daylight and have a wander round. Readers of this blog will know I have an interest in WWI and WWII history and it often escapes notice that many casualties – of many nationalities – were returned to the UK for operations and treatment but, sadly and inevitably, perished as a result of their wounds and of course they were afforded in death the same respect as had they perished in the active field of warfare.

During the First World War, Manchester contained between thirty and forty war hospitals including the 2nd Western General Hospital and the Nell Lane Military Hospital for prisoners of war. Many of those buried in the cemeteries and churchyards of the city died in a long list of Manchester hospitals. It is to the enormous credit of Manchester that the city cared for so many casualties many of whom survived even though by today’s standards medical knowhow for trauma injuries was in its infancy.

There is also a screen wall (one of my pictures) bearing many names who were cremated and, of course, rightly honoured.

For me these visits remind me of the numbing number of casualties, that it remains as important as ever that we remember and, above all, we avoid for ever conflicts of this scale.

For some factual information I have referred to the CWGC website:

Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Christopher Macgowan

@motorhomenews

The Scottish Caravan, Motorhome and Holiday Home Show.

09 Friday Feb 2018

Posted by in Travel

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Caravan Times’ William Coleman caught up with CAMC Director General Nick Lomas at the show.

LINK TO CARAVAN TIMES

By William Coleman

On the opening day of the Scottish Caravan, Motorhome and Holiday Home Show we caught up with Nick Lomas, The Director General of The Caravan and Motorhome Club. We spoke with Nick about The Club’s sites in Scotland that are pitched on locations that film fans will certainly recognise.

Nick also gave us the rundown on The Club’s ‘Adventure Outside’ campaign which will include the Cycle Fest. We have a full article of CAMC’s CycleFest.

For those who love films here are a few of The Club sites that have been given the Hollywood treatment. Some of these are contenders for list of all time greats. The films are good too.

The Highlands: Film- Stardust

Kinlochewe Club Site

Set at the bottom of the rugged slopes of Beinn Eighe and along the shores of Glen Docherty, Kinlochewe Club Site is somewhat famous on the network. The Site played host to the stars of 2007 romantic fantasy film Stardust; including Robert de Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer, when it was used as a base camp for filming in this beautiful region. Kinlochewe offers a slower pace of life and is a great spot to wind down after a busy day outdoors exploring the surrounding mountains. This Site is also popular with bird lovers trying to get a glimpse of the golden Eagle at nearby Beinn Eighe National Nature Reserve.

From £18.70 per standard pitch per night based on two adults sharing

Glencoe: Film- Skyfall

North Ledaig Caravan Club Site

Home to one of the most famous battles between Scottish Clans, Glencoe also played host one of the most recognisable Special Agents in the country. Featuring in the 2012 film Skyfall, the childhood home of James Bond, Skyfall Lodge, was set and filmed in the natural beauty of Glencoe. For 007 fans, combine a visit to this stunning landscape with a stay at the North Ledaig Club Site. This 30-acre Site is located on two miles of sandy beach and has been awarded the David Bellamy Conservation Award. The Site is ideal for those who love watersports and is only a 40 minute drive to Glencoe.

From £20 per standard pitch per night based on two adults sharing

Fort William: FIlm- Harry Potter

Bunree Caravan Club Site

Deemed one of the most iconic film locations in Scotland, Fort William and the surrounding area welcomed the magic of the Harry Potter movie series for over ten years of filming. Muggles will recognise the infamous Rannoch Moor in the area, where the dementors boarded the Hogwarts Express in the first instalment of the final movie. The West Highland Line also runs through Fort William with services from Edinburgh and Glasgow and will be familiar to Potter fans as the route of the Hogwarts Express. For those looking to be close to all of the enchanted action, Bunree Club Site offers a great pit stop. The Site is only a 20 minute drive from Fort William town centre and is on the water’s edge of Loch Linnhe.

From £17.50 per standard pitch per night based on two adults sharing Mon-Thurs during mid-week discount periods

Perth: Film- Braveheart

Balbirnie Park Caravan Club Site

Situated just north of Edinburgh, Perth plays host to the filming location one of the most iconic Scottish movies of all time, Braveheart. Some of the best known scenes of the 1995 classic starring Mel Gibson, were filmed at Loch Leven in Perth including the famous mountain walk of William Wallace after the killing of Mornay. For the perfect Scottish getaway this year, combine a trip to Loch Leven with a stay at nearby Balbirnie Club Site only a 30 minute drive away. The Site is set within 400 acres of parkland and is a popular stop off point on the network with hikers, cyclists and dog walkers.

From £13.50 per standard pitch per night based on two adults sharing Mon-Thurs during mid-week discount periods

SOURCE: William Coleman of “Caravan Times”

Christopher Macgowan

@motorhomenews

Burrs Country Park and Castleton CAMC sites – and a bit of drama.

03 Saturday Feb 2018

Posted by in Sites

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TOP: The scenery and walks around the town of Castleton are stunning.

SECOND: Burrs Country Park.

THIRD: History is well preserved at Burrs.

BOTTOM: Well; the road was closed for goodness sake!!

It was only three degrees Centigrade with a bitter wind and a tiny sprinkling of snow but my stay this week at the Caravan and Motorhome Club’s sites in Bury, Lancashire (Burrs Country Park) and Castleton in Derbyshire was quite simply brilliant. I am a great one for my creature comforts and both sites have the latest of everything and on both sites my set-up time was a mere eight minutes despite one set-up at Burrs being at eleven o’clock at night in a snow storm.

Castleton is a tourist trap and has wonderful walks all around but the side effect for me is the tiny town can support six pubs and two restaurants. The Master Plan was for Faye and I to embark on our usual Dry February but my side of the bargain fell apart in Castleton so Faye is ahead of me in will power and smugness.

The A623 was closed but I never take any notice of those signs because mostly they are out of date. The weather was cold but dry – but on this occasion I was partially caught out due to heavy lifting equipment removing trucks and indeed closing the road. A truck in front of me had a major drama turning round but I took a couple left tuns into deepest Derbyshire countryside and was soon back on track. There was a slightly anxious moment when I came face to face with a seventeen tonne FedEx delivery truck on a single track road. We had a Camp David meeting in the mud between our two vehicles and the upshot was I put my reversing skills to work – such as they are.

Christopher Macgowan

@motorhomenews