Wednesday 18th August 2010
Vintage At Goodwood and My Cool Caravan

Well after many months of phone calls, paperwork and sleepless nights organising our display of 'cool caravans' at Vintage At Goodwood I can happily report it was a massive success.

Despite the weather playing games with us the festival proved a massive hit and ticket sales exceeded the organisers expectations.

In all we got together 38 cool caravans ranging from Carlights to Airstreams and it was an amazing sight. Owners travelled the length and breadth of England to get to Goodwood and we are hugely grateful because without their dedication it would have been a flop for the My Cool Caravan display.

The feedback from the caravan owners is extremely positive and all enjoyed waxing lyrical to the public about the virtues of cool caravanning.

The organisers, including Wayne Hemingway and Lord March, have personally thanked us for the work we did and we really do hope to be involved next year.

Aside from the caravans the festival encompassed music, design, art, fashion spanning five decades from the 1940's to 1980's.

This was my very first festival, myself and my family really enjoyed the experience and it's triggered something in me to now go to more, so next stop Glastonbury.

Click here to see some photographs or visit the festival website at www.vintageatgoodwood.com

 

 

Tuesday 29th June 2010
Weekend away

Well after three months of hard work restoring our 1965 Shasta we have just returned from Southwold after our maiden voyage. What can I say... weather was amazing, campsite was amazing and the Shasta performed better than I could have ever asked for.

Friends of ours where already at the campsite in Southwold with their vintage Cheltenham Springbok caravan - so we pre-arranged that we would meet up for the weekend. We quickly setup the Shasta to make the most of the warm weather along with a glass of wine.

There are still a few things to do on the caravan - mainly cosmetic things but on the whole it's finished. Emma and the kids loved the extra space as did the dog. Our previous touring caravan was only 10 foot long so the Shasta seems huge in comparison.

Southwold Camping and Caravan site is a real gem. It was our first time staying at a council owned site and to be honest it's better than some that are privately owned. One field has a number of well maintained static caravans and then two further fields for tents, caravans and motorhomes. It's a very relaxed informal site, which I like, good clean facilities with a pub and a fish and chip shop nearby - what more could you need?

The site manager Richard Alexander should be praised for his skills in running the site, he is always on hand to help but his relaxed manner puts everyone in a good mood from the off - even after a long drive.

Another great thing about the site is the location; a 5 minute walk to the beach and 10min walk to the shops in Southwold. We spent three nights away and Sunday morning the reality hit that we had to go home - very tough indeed when the previous days had been a mixture of retail therapy, sunbathing, eating and drinking - what a tough life.

The only way I can get back into work mode is by planning another trip away.

Chris

 

Tuesday 1st June 2010
Insurance - sorry but it's important

Whether it be a vintage or new caravan the word 'insurance' is an important issue. Before heading out on your first trip double check with your car insurance provider that you and your car are suitably covered for towing your caravan. You don't necessarily have to have your actual caravan insured but if you have been restoring a vintage caravan or purchased a new one then it is advisable.

Insurance is often overlooked and you must not just assume you and your car is covered. It's something very important and it should be high on your list and is just as important as making sure you have packed the fresh coffee and mobile phone charger.

For those heading abroad confirm that your covered for continental travel - insurance is tricky enough in English let alone a foreign language.

Be straight and honest with the insurers, especially if you are towing something unusual such as an American caravan, as they often require different tow hitches - and therefore the insurer may have issues. Below is a list of companies for those who own American caravans such as Airstreams.

http://www.caravanguard.co.uk
http://www.sureterm.com
https://www.kdibonline.co.uk

For British and European caravans I googled combinations of 'car caravan insurance' and Asda, amongst others, scored highly on service and price - here is their link.

http://www.asdafinance.com/insurance/car-insurance/

Just as the insurance company will ask you questions ask them your own questions and queries too - it's better to ask now than god forbid find out your not covered when you need to make a claim.

Have a happy and safe caravan trip!

 

 

Tuesday 12th January 2010
Looking forward to the summer.......?

Now that for some of us the grip of winter seems to be loosening for a while, it's the perfect time to start looking for that spring caravan project so you can make the most of what we hope will be a long and warm summer.

Many people at this time of year are looking to shift unwanted things around their homes and for those with neglected old caravans taking up space on their driveway, it's the ideal time to move it on.

For most, looking for these caravans so deserving of a make over starts on internet auction sites such as ebay or online classifieds. Often the sellers may not use terms such as cool; retro; vintage; classic; to describe their caravan so it is important to use search words like old and small along with makes of caravans for example 'Sprite'.

Gone are the days, unfortunately, where you purchase these caravans at rock bottom prices because people are becoming wise to their value, but it is still possible to get a great project to work on at a fraction of the cost of a new caravan - and what's more you can make your mark on it and customise it to your hearts content.

Also keep a look out for caravans on farms, a quick word with the farmer might result in a sale. We have even come across individuals who have been bold enough to knock on people's doors and enquire about a sorry looking caravan in their garden - again an offer of cash and a no hassle sale might prove worthwhile.

It goes without saying that the cool caravan of your dreams might take a while to find and even when you do find a suitable candidate for a make over it's going to need some imagination to see through the years of careless styling, but it's amazing what can be achieved.

The following is nothing more than a shameless plug for our new book 'My Cool Caravan' but it's not every day you have something published. So if your looking for inspiration to see just what can be achieved there's no better place to start than our book which is due for release on February 15th advanced orders are being taken on Amazon. - Chris

Happy hunting

 

Tuesday 27th October 2009
A once in a lifetime opportunity

Recently I had a very interesting conversation with Samuel Harkness of www.vintageairstreams.co.uk I hope life myself you will find it interest too. Below, in his words, is the story behind the purchase of a lifetime.

"It started off as a pretty normal Saturday night in mid winter, kids off to bed, wine breathing yet a glass had already gone.

We had nearly completed our first year living outside of a major city for over twenty years and were still on the hunt for that life changing moment that could help reignite my trading insincts that started many years back while working for my families caravan business in Ireland.

Then bang, I noticed an auction for Wally Byams #1 caravan. One little problem was the auction had already started. I phoned the auction house in America and expressed my intent, I did not take no for an answer and proceeded with scanning and faxing off a bank statement. 15mins later I was taking part in a live auction that there was only ever going to be one winner. I wanted that trailer and I could feel that this was what I'd been waiting for, it was like 'the quickening' from the highlander. The connection was so strong, my caravanning roots, my love of all things old, my years spent in America camping, my Amercian daughters and my years selling aluminium to amongst others, Airstream Inc.

Our bottle of wine had disappeared during the build up to the auction and we ended up cracking open a bottle 85 Dom Pérignon that had been gathering dust.

We have never looked back, we took a bit of stick from the Americans for buying her but I like to think that one day we will return her to the States. In the meantime we aim to use her for what Wally had her built for, to promote Airstreams in Europe. Wally spent the summer of '55 with his wife in her scouting the '56 Europe trip, some say they fell in love all over again that year."

 

 

Tuesday 6th October 2009
My Cool Caravan is on Facebook!

With our aim of creating a community of like mind 'Cool' caravan owners, we have choosen to embrace the Facebook trend and have started our own group 'My Cool Caravan'

We are a little over a week in and we already have 125 members - not a bad start but we know there are a lot more of you out there.

So far we have members from America, Canada, Europe and UK so we will be able to canvas a good cross section of oppinions, tips and stories.

If your interested in joining please click on the Facebook link on our home page and request to join the group - don't be scared we are a very accepting bunch and we don't judge you on the size of your caravan - all sizes and styles welcome.

In the coming weeks we will be introducing some interesting conversation starters on Facebook and we would value your feedback.

Whilst you doing this please consider sending us some photographs to feature on the website, and let us know if there is something you would like us to feature on the site.

 

 

Tuesday 26th May 2009
Enfield Pageant of Motoring 2009
It's been a few years since my last visit to this show and I am happy to say it's as good as ever. Despite the increased costs of life that we are all suffering from at the moment there was a good turn out of exhibitors and visitors - the day was also boosted by the glorious weather.

The pageant is organised by Whitewebbs Museum of Transport and attracts owners of vintage transport such as cars, caravans, dormobiles, buses and military vehicles from bygone years.

Needless to say I made a beeline for the exhibitors with their array of retro and vintage caravans.

By no means did this pageant have the biggest display of retro caravans when compared to other shows, but the caravans that did attend were a good cross section of models with owners who are fastidious with detail and were only too happy to explain in detail the work and history behind their caravans.

Past Times UK was in attendance and on display was a 1954 Cardinal American (Canned Ham) trailer which has been restored and customised by Steven and Lisa.

Jennie and Dave (Past Times club organisers) brought along their 1954 Airstream Wanderer which was one of the first Airstreams ever to be imported into the UK.

Their Airstream is in beautiful, untouched original condition. It's good to see an Airstream that's got that 'weathered' look rather than a polished gleaming example - this may come across hypocritical to some especially as I have just embarked on the long and tedious process or polishing my Airstream!

Also on display was a 1977 Biod caravan which some of you may be aware of has a unique egg shaped appearance.

Unfortunately I was unable to take a look inside as the owners had gone off for a wander around the show - I will have to wait for another opportunity to see what retro style wonders are inside.

Peter and Viv from the Historic Caravan Club brought along their 1954 Winchester Pipit caravan. Chris Sander and family who are members of the same group had on display their 1958 Cheltenham Waterbuck caravan and the last known Berkeley caravan in existence.

Other retro caravans were at the show but not necessarily on display as they were the sleeping quarters for classic car owners - Jim Miles fits this scenario as he brought along his late 60's Fisher Holivan with it unique metal quilted side panels.

The highlight of the show for me was the Swedish 1962 SMV caravan. Words cannot do justice to this masterpiece of futuristic design from our Scandinavian friend... all I can say is Google SMV and prepare to want one!

All in all it's a great day out and additional transport related exhibits mean there is something for everyone. - Chris

Insurance the basics

Looking for a project? click here

 

Quick bits and links

7th July 2010
Vintage At Goodwood

More details will follow soon, but just a quick message to say that My Cool Caravan are working with Goodwood on a display of 40 cool caravans from the 40's through 80's.

We have been in talks with the organisers since January and in the last few months things have been gathering pace.

The caravans have been located and we are just in the final stages of logistics and styling.

More details will follow but I just wanted to keep you informed of this exciting news.

Have a look at their website:

www.vintageatgoodwood.com