Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2025 i Campervan

Wandering around Hereford, I soon come to realise this is a friendly city. I live in an equally friendly city; a place where, when I leave my house to go to the supermarket or walk the dog, most of the strangers I greet with a cheery hello will reply with a bright salutation. Most cities can be a bit hit and miss: I’ll get a few greetings, a handful of smiles and the occasional questioning look that clearly asks, ‘Why is this person saying hello to me?’ In Hereford, I get a 90% hit rate – which is a high score on the friendly-ometer. On the advice of the lovely gentleman running the tiny Caravan and Motorhome Club CL I’m staying on, I’ve parked at St Martin’s pay and display…

For five decades, Wooda Farm Holiday Park has been welcoming guests to the beautiful north Cornwall coast. Throughout 2025, in celebration of this major milestone, the family-run campsite will be hosting a range of events, and offering exclusive discounts via its social media channels. Wooda Farm was established in 1975, born of a simple dream by the Colwill family to create a peaceful, family-friendly getaway where visitors could enjoy the charms of Cornwall. Many guests who enjoyed Wooda as children now bring their own families to enjoy holidays, too. Wooda was once a working farm, originally brought into the Colwill family by Samuel (known as Jim) and Bessie Colwill. Jim and Bessie ran a bed and breakfast at the farmhouse, whilst looking after 200 sheep and 50 dairy cows. The…

If your dog is not a good passenger, it’s not something you (or your dog) need to learn to live with. It’s time to put in place an action plan! The first port of call is your vet. Any health issues could be causing your dog to be in pain or extra anxious when being driven. Once your dog has a clean bill of health, then you can begin to work on their travelling environment. If your dog doesn’t enjoy travelling then they may already have negative associations with it. You can begin to rebuild their confidence with some travel training. Take it slowly and break it down into stages. Start with the car stationary and use treats or toys, whatever motivates your dog, to build positive associations. Keep sessions…

FOR HOT SUMMER DAYS ISABELLA AIR X-TENSION The Isabella Air X-Tension gives you a spacious living area with plenty of headroom, with a variety of sizes to fit different ’vans. You can also zip out two of the sides and transform the awning into a sun canopy with a fixed screen panel. Weight 23.31kg Dimensions 330cm x 250cm Height 235cm Fabric Polyester/PVC blend Waterproof N/A Price £1,573.99 W isabella.net FOR EXPANDING A SMALL ’VAN EASY CAMP KROSSBU The Krossbu is a versatile, lightweight tailgate awning that provides useful extra living space for smaller campervans based on a VW Transporter. It adds a cosy room for eating, sitting and storage – and coupling it up with the Lom Tri canopy provides additional al fresco living space. Weight 3.2kg Dimensions 190cm x…

It’s fair to say Out and About Campers’ boss, Dan Douglass, is a bit of a thrill seeker. He spent the 10 years before starting the business as a professional skydive instructor. And currently he is studying for his helicopter pilot’s licence. So, after jumping out of planes for a living, starting a campervan conversion company might not seem quite as daunting a prospect as it would to the rest of us. Dan initially started out building campervans for himself, but with the explosion in demand in the wake of Covid, he decided to take the plunge and turn it into a business. Like many others, Out and About Campers began life in 2020 at the height of the post-lockdown campervan boom. However, some of those new converters are vanishing…

West Kent offers an excellent base for campervanners, with good access to charming market towns and countryside. Royal Tunbridge Wells is known for The Pantiles, a historic colonnade of shops and cafés, and nearby Dunorlan Park. Tonbridge features a well-preserved medieval castle with public gardens and riverside walks. Sevenoaks provides access to Knole, a 1,000-acre deer park surrounding a stately home managed by the National Trust. The village of West Malling offers local markets and historic sites such as St Mary’s Abbey. Nearby Leybourne Lakes Country Park has watersports and walking trails. The North Downs Way and Greensand Way offer walking and cycling routes across the area. Campsites and stopovers are available across the region, including several with access to the M25 and M20. When visiting towns, bear in mind…

Spring was in overdrive as we pulled into Doe Park Caravan Site in the Tees Valley; the sun was shining, birds were twittering and lambs were gambolling. We received a warm welcome in reception and, after checking in, it doesn’t take much prompting for one of the friendly staff to tell you the story behind their imposing house. In the seventeenth century James Ledgard, a supporter of the Roundheads in the English Civil War, was in the process of building an elegant mansion. Unfortunately, before he could complete his project, he was brutally killed by Royalists on the village green in nearby Romaldkirk. His bereaved relatives were left with very little money and a building site. Needing somewhere to live, they decided the tall and narrow unfinished house with an…

One of the best things about owning a campervan is the scope it gives us to enjoy our hobbies. Running, cycling, fishing, hiking, going to festivals… it’s all so much easier with a ’van. Once a year my husband, Chris, goes on a five-day fishing trip with his friend, Richard. He takes all his fishing tackle, lots of tinned food, and instructions from me on how to operate the fridge, the gas hob, the kitchen sink, etc. He comes back with plenty of fishy tales, all the tinned food (having lived on takeaways and pub meals) and an unused bottle of washingup liquid. This year, however, was different, as Richard was only able to join Chris for day trips. Chris decided therefore to combine the fishing with a family holiday.…

HI After preparing my campervan for travel, my original plan to head off to Derbyshire for a solo trip didn’t go ahead. But this is all part of the lifestyle, going with the flow. So where did I end up instead? Swindon. No, really! Of course there is nothing wrong with Swindon, it’s just not a place that immediately comes to mind when you’re thinking of places to go in your ’van. Now, this wasn’t technically a solo trip but I still want to share it with you as I found a couple of fantastic stopovers in a place I didn’t expect. Why Swindon? As is the case in my life, the places we stop when we’re not working the motorhome show circuit or off travelling, are dictated by Jon’s…

STRONG SALES AT NEC SHOW The 2025 Caravan Camping & Motorhome Show recorded over 89,000 visitors across the six days it was open, with some manufacturers and dealers saying they experienced higher than expected sales figures. Adria, for example, said sales increased by 20% compared to the event last year, while both dealers and manufacturers commented on the high level of new and existing customers showing interest in new vehicles. Karen Dodd, Marketing Director at NCC Events, said: “It’s been encouraging to see such enthusiasm from both visitors and exhibitors. “We’re delighted to have welcomed thousands of enthusiasts to the show, as well as introducing the benefits of ownership to those visiting for the first time, right at the start of their leisure vehicle and camping journey.” For those that…

Back British Holidays, a campaigned launched by Out & About Live, has warned that the introduction of tourist taxes could seriously damage the UK’s holiday industry, particularly in coastal areas already struggling with falling visitor numbers. Speaking to the Daily Express, Back British Holidays said: “Tourism is at a real crisis point, and a tourist tax could actually tip it over.” Tourist taxes – already introduced in cities across the UK – risk putting off UK visitors, with research suggesting 21% would cancel their trips if a charge was introduced, and a further 21% said they would spend less. The campaign spokesperson, Daniel Attwood pointed to Wales, Cornwall and the Lake District as areas most at risk, calling the measure “a short-term win for a long-term loss”. Out & About…

French manufacturer, Pilote, launched its Joa Camp brand for the 2022 season to compete in the budget sector with both campervans and low-profile motorhomes. Three years on, it is switching from Citroën to Fiat chassis, enhancing the specification and updating the cosmetics. Crucially, it says that its prices remain low but they are realistic figures, so you don’t have to find extra funds for essential packs and options. Even an awning is included as standard. The company also approached customers for feedback on what it should change, with British buyers being a key focus as the UK is one of Joa Camp’s largest markets. The 60G is the mid-sized campervan in the range (5.99m) and the most popular model; it’s also the most changed for the 2025 season with a…

Orange Campers has long been associated with pop-top conversions but last year it moved away from the side kitchen layouts for which it is known to launch its Layout Option 2 with a rear kitchen and toilet. That also marked the arrival of a slightly bigger campervan; although, at only 5.41m long, these things are relative. And this latest Trouvaille Classique still had a pop-top with a roof bed. After all, Richard Tomlin – Mr Orange, if you like – goes camping in his campervans with his own family. The new layout, however, was screaming out to become a high-top camper for a more mainstream audience, especially as the low-roof (H1) Fiat Ducato is not currently available as an automatic. The new, taller (but not that much taller – 2.64m…

Spinney, a franchised dealer with six outlets throughout England and Wales, is celebrating 50 years in business this year. Over the last five decades it has been in business, Spinney has grown to become one of the country’s most important and influential dealer groups, yet has remained a family business, as Managing Director, Charlie Holland, who works alongside his brother, Ben, explains, “We currently operate across the UK with sites in Cheshire, Staffordshire, Flintshire, two in Northampton and one in Warwickshire with 185 staff across the sites.” The dealership prides itself on working closely with British leisure vehicle manufacturers and holds franchises to retail models from all the key British marques: Auto-Trail, Bailey, Coachman, Elddis and Swift, as well as two European marques – Roller Team and Adria, for which…

BILLING AQUADROME HOLIDAY PARK Crow Lane, Great Billing, Northampton, Northamptonshire NN3 9DA T 01604 480181 W meadowbay.com/billingaquadrome OPEN 4 April – 4 November The perfect site for anyone who wants to have access to a host of on-site facilities yet be pitched up away from the hustle and bustle. The touring area, within the Nene Valley, is bordered by trees and the far end of the field is alongside the River Nene. Facilities include electric hook-ups, toilets, showers, and a laundry room. In terms of things to do, there are over 200 acres to explore, including 11 lakes. Activities and leisure facilities include an indoor pool, mini golf, pump track, play areas, splash park, water park, lake-facing saunas, freshwater swimming, a dog agility course, disc golf, and a summer amphitheatre…

One of the biggest advantages of campervans is that they make it so easy for you to head off for a spontaneous weekend break. Simply put everything you need into the back of the campervan and hit the road. And when you find the perfect spot, just pull over, quickly set up your bed and, before you know it, you’ll be asleep and dreaming about the next day’s adventures. But if you’re planning a longer trip or you’re travelling with the kids, it’s not quite so easy. By definition, campervans often have limited interior living space, and while that can be a good thing in many ways – from space on your drive at home to being more confident driving a smaller vehicle in towns and on country lanes –…

Three Premier Parks have been recognised in the annual Dorset Tourism Awards. Monkton Wyld took the gold award in the camping and caravan park category, with Back of Beyond getting silver and bronze going to South Lytchett Manor. Back of Beyond also took gold for Dog Friendly Business of the Year and Jenny Ashley at Monkton Wyld was given the Unsung Hero Award. Many of the gold winners in the Dorset Awards will also be nominated to represent Dorset in the national VisitEngland awards later in the year.…