Alpine And Other Motorhome Adventures

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There is a sixth dam that never got finished, the one that was used in the famous WWII Dambusters film. Natasha previously worked in the motor industry and her passion for all things automotive seamlessly transferred over to the leisure vehicle industry. In 2019, Natasha (and Jon) were loaned a motorhome for 12 months by the Erwin Hymer group to tour and share their experience via social media.

Karina is available for commissioned work, reviewing caravans, motorhomes, campers and any other presenting work. A470 heads north, following the river Wye as it meanders its way from the Brecon Beacons National Park up into the county of Powys in Mid Wales. This is where you need to know the limitations of your van. The weather hadn’t been favourable; the road was wet and even though there was no signpost indicating the percentage of the incline it looked damn steep to us! We sat there watching cars snaking their way up and around the hairpin bends in second gear. Building on the hard work and success of the previous Awards Co-Ordinator Terry Owen, the Awards were updated this year to include new criteria for both the entry qualifications and the judging process. We were down to second gear round the hairpin bends but overall our VW Cree managed it without an issue. The main distraction for the driver are the views. We simply had to pull over a few times and take it all in.There is a poignant reminder of this at the Visitor Centre where 27 large stones stand like sentinels, each reminding us of the villages that were lost forever when the taps were turned on and the water filled the valleys. 27 standing stones, each representing a village in the Elan Valley that was lost under the water The old metal mines at Cwmystwyth has been a whirlwind year for a relative newcomer to the industry, Karla Baker. In a short period of time, her writing skills, enthusiasm, and her passion for inspiring others has earned her commissions with high profile magazines across different markets. It was a touching piece written for the Caravan and Motorhome Club Magazine that won over the judges and saw Karla win the Douglas King Award for Journalism 2019. The Elan Valley had captured the heart of romantic poet, Percy Shelley, some 200 years ago (1). Now it was about to capture ours. Home to the fastest zipline in the world and the longest in Europe, Penrhyn Quarry on the edge of Snowdonia National Park is unlike any other average zipline you’ve ever been on before. Named Velocity 2, Zipworld will have you soaring like a bird, as you zoom head first, for over a mile, 500 metres above the bright blue quarry. Afterwards you can learn all about the history of the quarry on the Penrhyn Quarry tour. It led to an interesting discussion about which is best for road trips: motorhomes or cars. Assessing the pros and cons of each, for us the motorhome wins every time – until you come to a hill!

You can see why Shelley loved this place so much. Though, of course, in his time before the dams were built the landscape would have looked very different. Hay-on-Wye: if you love books you’ll be in paradise. (And if you’re in a campervan or motorhome you can park for free overnight in the main car park) From Left to Right, Chris Apperley (Guild Chairman), John Sootheran, Nigel Coppen (Business Development Director of Vantage Insurance). Crossing a 10km stretch of frozen Baltic Sea with a caravan, reaching an island that’s only accessible by ‘road’ for a few weeks each year. Spending the night inside a caravan during Grade 3 insulation tests. Temperatures in the climate centre dropped as low as -30’CA grand total of 16 entries were received for the Douglas King Award for Journalism, encompassing both established magazine titles and personal blogs. It was delightful to see so many writers enter the Awards for the first time. All entries were judged by an independent panel who assessed many aspects including structure, presentation and accuracy of facts, grammar, and level of engagement and creativity. In 2017 Nigel took part in Bailey of Bristol’s “Arctic Adventure” which saw the team drive from Millbrook to Ivalo in Northern Finland and joined them again in 2023 on the “Sahara Adventure” which had been postponed from 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic (he was part of the 2020 team too).

Nigel regards himself as a caravan enthusiast who writes about his lifelong hobby (having owned caravans for the best part of forty years and towed for a few more!), and lets his work do the “talking”. The UK is filled to the brim with striking scenery and picturesque landscapes, making it ideal for extreme sports and outdoor adventures. Nigel is Swedish company Alde's first Brand Ambassador, working closely with both Alde UK and Alde Sweden. He has also produced features for both the Caravan and Motorhome Club and the Camping & Caravanning Club. Michael Howorth is one half of The Howorth’s an award winning team of professional freelance travel writers. Together with Frances, his wife, he is a Features writer of Motor Caravanner Magazine published monthly by The Motor Caravaners Club. Having successfully negotiated the roads around several of the spectacular reservoirs and dams we now sat staring at a hill ahead of us that was probably beyond the van’s capabilities.After popping in to the Elan Valley Visitor Centre where we acquired a free map, we set off and spent a glorious autumnal day negotiating the tiny roads that led to the five dams: Claerwen, Craig-goch, Pen Y garreg, Garreg ddu, and Caban-coch.