Latest news with #campervan
The Herald
5 hours ago
- Automotive
- The Herald
VW to reveal updated Grand California camper at Caravan Salon
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles will unveil the updated Grand California camper van at the Caravan Salon in Düsseldorf, running from August 29 to September 7. The latest version of the Grand California introduces several visual and functional upgrades aimed at improving on-board comfort. Available in two wheelbase options, the revised camper will enter series production in the second half of 2025. Refreshed interior with yacht-inspired finishes Inside, the Grand California gains a new 'Atami Bamboo' décor for the tabletop and kitchenette surfaces, complemented by updated PVC flooring that carries through the kitchen, dinette and load areas. A redesigned black kitchen tap contrasts with the lighter tones, lending a calm, lounge-like feel with hints of Mediterranean yacht design. A new exterior table-mounting option allows the dining table to be quickly attached to the outside of the kitchen unit — ideal for meals or drinks outdoors. Storage has also been improved, with added luggage nets in the upper cabinets of the 600 (6m, transverse bed) and 680 (6.8m, longitudinal bed) variants.
Telegraph
23-07-2025
- Automotive
- Telegraph
The idiot's guide to campervanning
If you imagine the midlife campervan dream as an idyllic sequence of waking to birdsong, sipping espresso with panoramic views and gliding effortlessly along sun-drenched coastal roads, I regret to inform you that this is not that story. What follows is a cautionary tale – an idiot's guide, if you will – drawn from a year of trial, error, mild hysteria and the kind of hasty improvisation that would make Bear Grylls weep. This is not for the die-hard experienced motorhome aficionado, more for the enthusiastic beginner full of well-meaning good intentions. Our Bürstner Eliseo C602 campervan, subsequently christened Bertha, arrived during my midlife 'moment', a shiny, gadget-laden symbol of freedom and adventure. After a summer spent zigzagging across the UK and France, she was winterised with all the seriousness of a military operation (credit here goes to my partner, Pete, who finally resigned himself to reading the manual). Bertha slumbered peacefully on our driveway for months, until spring came calling and we decided it was time to take a 10-day road trip to Île de Ré via Le Shuttle. We foolishly believed that a full week of preparation time would be more than enough. Initially, it was. The cleaning and trip-organising ticked along nicely – until we attempted to turn on the taps. Not a drop emerged. Our hearts sank as we opened The Manual (capitalisation deserved) and began the frustrating hunt for the elusive water pump. Convinced it lay beneath the rear passenger seat, we spent 30 bewildering minutes flicking switches and peering into compartments. Nothing. Fortunately, salvation was just up the road at the Warminster Motorhome Showroom, from where we had purchased Bertha; the ever-patient staff suggested a fuse might be to blame. I dutifully trotted off to buy a pack of five-amp fuses and we spent the next hour slotting them in with the blind optimism of people who have no idea what they're doing. Still no joy. Another phone call, and a new theory emerged – perhaps the pump itself was faulty. Pete, ever the Googler, discovered that the pump was located inside the water tank. Even better, its connecting lead had mysteriously severed during its winter nap. A small miracle: when I bought Bertha just under a year ago, I had the foresight to extend the warranty. One free replacement pump from the showroom and a YouTube tutorial later, Pete installed it with surgical precision. At last, water flowed. What we learnt Lesson 1 Start your preparation for any trip a full month ahead, do a dry run, and – for the love of all things plumbing and electrical – stock up on fuses. Bertha's Apple CarPlay system had always been temperamental, losing connection at critical moments like a toddler throwing a tantrum. Determined to solve it once and for all, Pete installed a wireless adapter, digging into the dashboard to fit a new USB-C to USB-A cable linked to a tiny Wi-Fi hub. It was as fiddly as it sounds, but it worked – a stable connection at last, with no satnav dropouts to test our already-fragile nerves. Feeling confident, we set off with Maya the Boxer in tow, trundling towards France. Twelve hours in, as we rolled along the French péage, a warning light blinked and a chime pinged: low AdBlue. That's the additive used in diesel vehicles to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions. Cue an emergency detour to a service station that had all the charm of a Soviet bus stop and none of the useful motoring supplies – bar one last dusty five-litre can of AdBlue. It came with a bendy tube, which, naturally, didn't fit the AdBlue intake of our van. Pete attempted to pour it in, only to coat his hands in the pungent clear liquid. Ingeniously, he inserted a large screwdriver into the tube to create enough rigidity for insertion – a solution more Blue Peter than Bosch, but effective nonetheless. While we were at it, we then checked the oil and resolved to carry both on all future trips. Always carry AdBlue, oil, gloves and the knowledge that all service stations are not created equal. Lesson 2 On the topic of vehicle health, we were fortunate enough not to break down – but we've since realised that good fortune is not a strategy. If you're planning a campervan adventure, a basic mechanical check before departure is essential: inspect tyre treads and pressures, check oil and coolant levels, and make sure your windscreen washer fluid is topped up. It's also worth carrying jump leads, a tyre inflator and a high-vis vest – particularly if you're heading abroad. And perhaps most importantly: invest in decent breakdown cover that includes Europe. While adventure is wonderful, being stranded on a hard shoulder in rural Brittany is not. One of the most crucial, yet tragically underestimated, components of any road trip is snacks. I had lovingly stocked Bertha's overhead compartments with our preferred treats. However, I slightly overestimated their capacity. The first pothole we hit caused an open (but barely touched) bag of dry roasted peanuts to rain on my head like nutty shrapnel. It was as if the heavens had opened and declared war, one salty missile at a time. Slimline, sealed snacks only up top. Heavy artillery goes below. Lesson 3 Campervan cupboards present another conundrum. If not tightly packed, they rattle, clatter and fling themselves open during high-speed cornering. Pete, who occasionally drives Bertha like she's qualifying for the British Grand Prix, prompted a cupboard door to fly open mid-swerve. We solved the problem with a bulk pack of cheap childproof locks from Amazon. Classy? No. Effective? Absolutely. The bathroom, Bertha's smallest and most treacherous chamber, is a wonder of spatial engineering. I'd managed to pack it with just the right number of lotions, potions and roll-on deodorants. Unfortunately, during one fuel stop, I opened the cupboard to grab some face cream, forgetting two important things: the toilet seat was up, and the hole cover was open. Pete's roll-on leapt from its snug cubby like a startled gymnast, bounced once, then spiralled into the bowl like a roulette ball, before disappearing into the sewage tank beneath. Pete's sausage fingers were no match for the retrieval mission, so my more-delicate digits were reluctantly drafted. With the precision of an arcade claw machine, I reached in and retrieved it. Subsequently, drenching both my hand and the roll-on in water and disinfectant. Suffice to say, more vigilance above the brink of the abyss is now always applied. Seat down, lid on, cover closed. Always. Even if you're in a rush. Lesson 4: Packing up a campsite sounds like a simple reversal of the setting-up process – it's not. The devil is in the details, particularly in flaps. The protective flap that covers Bertha's mains electric hookup seemed determined to remain open, visibly flapping in the door mirror like a forgotten tea towel. We've now added 'check and secure all flaps' to our departure checklist. Other learnings included the need for a reliable tyre inflator (you never know), heavy-duty pegs and ratchet straps for awning security, as well as an understanding that inflatable tents have a personality of their own – and that personality is often difficult. Campervanning, it turns out, is not for the faint-hearted, but for the well prepared, well stocked and well humoured. It's gloriously imperfect. Owning your own van allows you to keep it loaded with the essentials. And even if that means enduring the odd airborne peanut or blue-handed AdBlue debacle, it's all part of the experience. In the end, it's less about the perfect trip and more about the perfectly laughable moments you'll never forget.
The Guardian
19-07-2025
- Automotive
- The Guardian
Campervans: how to buy the pick of the pop-tops in the UK
Whether for weekends, music festivals or longer overseas adventures, many Britons have fallen in love with the idea of owning a campervan. The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. A home on wheels means you can enjoy the great outdoors without worrying about broken tent poles or deflating airbeds. With a memory foam bed, air conditioning and wifi on the long list of bells and whistles you can add, Daniel Lopez, the managing director of Sussex Campervans, jokingly describes van life as 'camping with standards'. He says: 'Campervan life suits people of all ages. The one thing they tend to have in common is a love of the outdoors and the desire to make the most of their leisure time.' But how much does a pop-top roof under the stars cost and what are the other financial outlays involved? How much you need to budget for your vehicle depends on whether you are happy with a secondhand model or have your heart set on a brand new top-of-the-range Volkswagen California Ocean, complete with a two-tone white and blue paint job for an extra £3,000. You can get your hands on a used campervan for under £10,000 but new vehicles can cost anything from £40,000 for an entry-level model, such as the Peugeot Boxer, to north of £85,000 for a hybrid Ocean. Prices for used campervans are largely dictated by age, mileage, condition and desirability, says AutoTrader's Tom Roberts. 'A used 2001 Mazda Bongo campervan conversion that sleeps four people with a pop-top roof will cost £5,000-£7,000, while a similar 2001 Volkswagen Transporter would set a prospective buyer back an extra £11,000.' Most offer the same basic amenities such as gas connections, water tanks, a small kitchen area and sleeping areas, but some come with showers, pop-top roofs and solar panels. 'A 2017 version of the Transporter would probably cost about £30,000 due to more modern used campervans being in better condition and therefore holding their resale value,' Roberts says. As a buyer you could opt for a finance deal to spread the cost. A key step is to decide whether you want to buy from a dealership or a company that specialises in bespoke conversions, or hunt down a classic such as the VW type 2. A growing number of Britons are also embarking on DIY conversions. Traditionally campervans have been based on panel vans with diesel engines because they provide the most torque and the best fuel economy when the van is loaded up. However, petrol models are becoming more common, and there are electric options such as the Nissan e-NV200 and Vauxhall Vivaro-e. These are especially good for city dwellers worried about Ulez charges. For many people the ideal is a new VW. Its bestselling California comes in three progressively expensive models: Beach Camper, Coast and Ocean. You can drive away a Beach Camper for £63,500 (£71,300 hybrid), while the Ocean starts at £77,600 (£85,400 hybrid). However, these prices are a guide as the bill can soon mount once extras ranging from a bespoke paint job to parking sensors and cameras are added. The lead times for orders vary, depending on specification, but the average is three to four months, so you won't be taking it on holiday this summer. Lopez, whose company builds bespoke campervans, advises would-be buyers to consider the 'total cost' of ownership as well as 'usability'. They don't expect to, but some buyers find they end up using the van every day, he says. One customer uses his to pick up his newspaper and then heads to the beach with his dog. Afterwards he 'sits in the campervan reading the paper, drinking a coffee and the dog has a little sleep', Lopez says. While the investment is substantial, campervans lose value more slowly than cars, he says. 'We generally say that you lose the VAT in your first year, which is 20% and then 10% a year after that. So say you paid £50,000 for a campervan, after a year it is probably worth £40,000, after two years £36,000 and so on.' You need a dedicated policy for your campervan – you can't just drive it under your existing car insurance. Typically, cover costs less than general van or car insurance. The usual factors affect the price, such as make and model, value, storage location, age and number of drivers, claims history and annual mileage. Depending on your circumstances, you could get a quote for as little as £250 or more than £1,000. If the campervan is your main mode of transport this could drive up the premium but on the other hand, if you use it infrequently, this should bring it down. Specialists, such as Safeguard, Caravan Guard and Adrian Flux, are seen to offer the best value. It is important to tell the insurer if it's a self-build or professional conversion. A DIY conversion can make finding insurance more complicated, and insurers may ask for more information, including photos, before they give you a quote. You must be upfront about any modifications you have made. Earlier this year Guardian Money reported on the case of an aid worker whose Transit van was stolen only for his claim to be rejected. This was because he had been using it as a campervan and had not told his insurer about an overhaul that included a kitchen, heater and solar panels. These add-ons change the vehicle's value and make it more attractive to thieves. Had the insurer known the full picture it might have upped the premium or pulled cover. Insurance providers base their prices on risk – so if your van seems more likely to get stolen or damaged, you will pay more. The value of the vehicle and where you live are the biggest drivers of price. 'A high-risk postcode can make a huge difference to the premium,' says the Caravan Guard marketing director, Craig Thompson. For those buying a van as an additional vehicle, it may be possible to mirror a no-claims bonus from an existing car insurance policy. Experience of driving larger vehicles can also lead to a bigger introductory discount. You could also opt for a higher excess. Fitting a Thatcham tracking device can result in a considerable saving (25% at Caravan Guard), while an alarm can help, too. (Thatcham provides independent ratings for car alarms and immobilisers.) Insurers are also a fan of owners being able to park it on a driveway behind locked gates. Thompson adds: 'Physical security such as steering wheel locks can also qualify for insurance savings, as do safety devices such as reversing cameras – as you can imagine, reversing prangs are not uncommon.' Being able to store it in a secure location, such as a locked garage, will also help. Write a list of must-haves. For example, do you want to be able to stand up inside but still sail under car park barriers? Think about the sleeping arrangements as most manufacturers start with the bed design. What about a sink with running water, a Porta Potti or cab seats that swivel? Also think about how many people will be along for the ride as this will dictate storage needs. You will need a rainy day fund for servicing and repairs, not to mention membership of a roadside recovery service in case something goes wrong. Before investing thousands it is a good idea to get a sense of what sharing a small space with loved ones might be like. Rental sites such as Indie Campers or Quirky Campers allow you to try out different makes, models and conversion styles, and vans are available to pick up at locations around the country. Not all campervans are created equal, and with a bold interior featuring plants and animals inspired by the work of the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, 'Frida' has personality in spades. Five years ago Lindsay Berresford and her husband, David Ffrench, paid £19,000 at a dealership for a Citroën Relay and then spent almost the same again to turn it into the 'ultimate family campervan'. The couple used the professional converters Rustic Simplicity to bring it to life with a wooden interior made of oak from reclaimed whisky barrels. The clever layout incorporates fixed triple bunks for their children Isaac, 11, and nine -year-old twins Autumn and Skylar. 'For us the biggest expense was the electrical setup – everything runs off a lithium battery which is charged from solar panels,' Berresford says. While touring with a family of five sounds ambitious, that's not the case, she says. Although you do need to pack light. 'Our wardrobe is made up of five wicker baskets which can be taken out and brought into the house to pack. You can only take the clothes that fit in the basket. 'We've been doing this since the kids were born. I think Isaac was three weeks old on his first trip, the twins were slightly older. It's been amazing for us.' The family spend about five weeks a year in the van, which does about 10,000 miles annually, including rentals. While it is possible to fit lots of gadgetry the Bristol family's setup is at the 'simpler end' of the scale. 'It's luxurious to have a proper mattress but we don't go for lots of fancy tech, which means there is less to go wrong,' Berresford says. Their love of van life resulted in the couple inadvertently finding the rental website Quirky Campers. It was set up in 2010 to rent their previous van, Bella, when they spent some time overseas but the idea took off when friends wanted to use it to rent out their vans. Hiring Frida out through the site more than covers its annual running costs, which include £1,500 for insurance and breakdown cover. The family's most exciting adventure to date has been a six-week road trip across Europe, making it as far as Albania. A stop off in Croatia was particularly memorable with an unspoilt beach to play on. 'We found a wild camping spot by the beach,' Berresford says. 'For a few days we were totally off-grid.'
Telegraph
17-07-2025
- Automotive
- Telegraph
How Britain fell out of love with the caravan
If I had a pound for every time someone has asked me: 'Why didn't you just get a campervan?', I'd probably have enough money to book a hard-standing, electric-hook-up touring pitch on my favourite campsite in the UK (Culzean Castle, if you're wondering). I have felt the need to justify and defend my caravan persuasion on several occasions over the past few years since I bought my 1997 Eriba Familia, a small two-by-four-metre white metal box on wheels that hitches to my car's towbar and follows me dutifully on my travels around the UK and Europe. When I reel off the reasons I love my caravan and chose it over a camper or motorhome – the main argument being that I prefer to have the freedom of the car, rather than packing up my camper every time I want a day out – it seems to go some way to convincing friends, family, and occasionally strangers, that I'm neither mad nor old beyond my years. But there is always a slight tinge of judgement from people who learn I'm a caravanner instead of a campervanner – a look that says 'surely you're too young for that?' or 'oh, I thought you were cool'. The thing is, once upon a time, well before #vanlife and digital nomadding became a thing on Instagram, caravanning was actually quite cool. It all began with retired naval surgeon Dr William Gordon Stables, who in 1885 had a 'land yacht' built out of wood by a Bristol-based wagon company. Dubbed The Wanderer, it weighed two tons, had mahogany-lined walls and was more than 18 feet long. His two heavy horses pulled it all the way up from Twyford to Inverness, creating something of a spectacle along the way and making him famous for pioneering this outdoors lifestyle – so much so, he was dubbed the Vice President of the Caravan Club (now Caravan and Motorhome Club) in 1907. 'It wasn't until 1919 that the car came into being with the car-pulled-caravan,' says Andrew Jenkinson, author of Caravanning in the 1970s and The Touring Caravan Story among others. 'By the mid-1930s, car ownership was getting more affordable for the middle classes and there were more caravan manufacturers producing cheaper caravans, so it all started to take off.' The Second World War put paid to any progress in the late 1930s, but leisure caravanning resumed in the 1950s, and by the late 1960s and early 1970s, there was a real boom. Caravanning became the go-to holiday for families seeking more affordable breaks. Those were the days, says Jenkinson, when you could set off at a moment's notice and park up in rural lay-bys for the night. 'When I went caravanning with my parents in the late 1960s we hardly used campsites at all. We'd go to the Yorkshire Dales and find a small back road pull-in, we'd unhitch the caravan, head out for the day, then come back, have our tea and go to sleep. My mum's idea of security was to leave the table set with knives and forks – it made it look as though somebody might be back anytime. Of course, all that came to an end in the early 1980s when they stopped caravans from going in lay-bys.' It wasn't just new regulations that slowed the popularity of caravanning, either. The economic disruption from the 1970s oil crisis – inflation rises, a three-day week – had an impact on the market. Caravans shot up in price while the public stopped spending, and so sales began to decline. 'It never picked up again to the dizzying heights of pre-1973 and so in the early 1980s, caravanning took a real downturn. Manufacturers went bust and output was way down,' explains Jenkinson. 'In the 1970s, 65,000 caravans were manufactured in the UK each year. It's down to about 12,000 now.' The modern picture of caravanning today certainly isn't as rosy as it once was. While there are estimated to be half a million caravans on the road in the UK right now, according to the National Caravan Council, the campervan and motorhome markets have taken a sizeable chunk of sales. 'The demand for both motorhomes and tourers peaked during the pandemic as they provided a self-contained and easily accessible form of holiday accommodation that proved particularly popular during the UK's staycation boom,' says Simon McGrath, the Council's director of communications. 'Since then, touring caravan retail sales in the UK have fallen and are following a growing trend seen in most European countries. In contrast, the market demand for campervans and motorhomes has risen significantly and this crossover was seen for the first time in the UK in 2023. The current statistics suggest this trend is continuing into 2025. Motorhome sales in 2024 rose by 38 per cent compared to 2023, while touring caravan sales declined by 12.7 per cent year-on-year.' Campsites are seeing similar trends, too, with only 16 per cent of pitch reservations on popular booking site coming from touring caravans this year, while more than 50 per cent are campervan and motorhome bookings. The call of the open road and ability to park up almost anywhere you like is certainly appealing to the masses, and social media influencers have turned the #vanlife movement into something of a cult. You'll rarely see a caravan influencer pulling back the curtains or opening their side door to reveal a dramatic coastal backdrop or beautiful lakeside view. More often than not campsites offer pitches side-by-side with other caravans, and views tend to be into your neighbour's kitchen rather than over a beautiful ocean vista (except at my beloved Culzean Castle). In fact, you rarely see caravanning influencers at all. There are thousands of accounts dedicated to bragging about epic adventures in campervans and motorhomes, some, such as Courtnie & Nate, with well over half a million followers, but the caravanning contingent is small with far more modest followings. Rachel Witek, known as @thecaravanningmummy to her 22,000 followers on Instagram, says most of the caravanning online community is found in Facebook groups rather than influencers posting idyllic pictures on their pages. 'Van life can be made much more aspirational for social media,' she says, 'whereas caravanning is more practical.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rachel Witek (@thecaravanningmummy) There's no denying, the aesthetic of caravanning isn't quite the same and perhaps that's feeding into the pastime's apparent decline. Caravans, and caravanners, are a misunderstood breed, says Witek: 'The idea that caravans are slow on the roads just isn't true anymore. And many think it's just for older people, that it's something you do in retirement.' Like me, Witek began caravanning in her mid-thirties, so there are other younger travellers taking up the towbar. The caravan industry has a multitude of challenges to overcome in the future, says Rob Ganley, editor-in-chief at Camping & Caravanning magazine, including 'lighter cars, concerns around towing with the growing crop of electric cars, and increasing costs of producing and buying caravans'. But the future isn't entirely bleak for those of us towing our white boxes behind us: 'Caravan makers at home and abroad are working hard on making caravans funkier, lighter, more appealing to younger audiences, more affordable and more compatible with the modern breed of electric vehicles.' New models such as the Swift Basecamp and iconic outfits like the Airstream – and modern versions of my own Eriba – offer a less conventional version of the caravan that might just shake off some of the preconceptions built up over the years. And besides, how can you tell me that my little vintage van with its silly pop-top and curved corners isn't the epitome of cool on the campsite?
RNZ News
16-07-2025
- Climate
- RNZ News
Elderly man still recovering in hospital after his campervan was flipped in suspected Northland tornado
A 79-year-old man remains in hospital in Northland after suffering multiple injuries when a suspected tornado flipped his campervan. What was described by campers as a twister hit Tauranga Bay Holiday Park in the Far North at 8.05am on Tuesday, picking up a caravan and hurling it into a tree about 60m away. The owner of the caravan, Phil Wallan, told RNZ he was certain he would have died if he had been in it at the time. He had driven to Kerikeri to pick up supplies just a short time earlier. Phil Wallan's caravan was destroyed when it was blown more than 60m into a tree by a suspected tornado. Photo: Supplied A large campervan was also flipped onto its side, trapping its injured owner inside. Fellow campers managed to climb inside to offer first aid while emergency services were on their way. He was rescued by volunteer firefighters from the Kerikeri and Kāeo brigades who cut through the windscreen to get him out. A campground staff member who visited the 79-year-old in hospital said he had a gash to his head, a broken collarbone and a sore back, but was recovering. The nature of his back injury had yet to be ascertained. The suspected tornado flipped this campervan on its side, injuring the 79-year-old occupant. Photo: Supplied Kerrin and Jane Mangos, who were parked nearby, said it felt like an earthquake when the twister hit. Their caravan's stabilisers had been damaged so they were planning to take it for repairs before any more wild weather hit. Campground manager Leah Bowsher said the flipped campervan had been righted and loaded onto a truck on Wednesday. A cleanup of debris from the destroyed caravan was continuing. A power box had also been wrecked and several campervans had lost their awnings. Co-manager Harry Bowsher told RNZ campers were shaken by Tuesday's drama, and "very, very lucky" no one had been more seriously injured. No one was luckier than Phil Wallan, whose caravan was picked up like a plaything and smashed into a Norfolk pine. "If he'd been in there we'd be taking out a body," he said. No one spoken to by RNZ saw a tornado that morning but some campers saw a waterspout forming a day earlier. CCTV from the holiday park office showed debris swirling in circles, lending credence to claims of a twister, before the caravan half-rolled, half-flew across the campground. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
