50 things to do in 2015, in association with The Caravan Club (part two)

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Take time on a caravan trip to have fun in the forest, holiday abroad, enjoy festivals, get cultural and more

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Don't forget to head back to the 50 Things in 2015 homepage for parts one, three, four and five of our activities list, and make sure you match up the trips below with Caravan Club campsites too.

10 Feed the birds

Most of us know how important it is to give birds a helping hand by feeding them in winter, but it’s just as important to continue in spring and summer, when they have young to feed.

Treat yourself, and the local birds, wherever you are going on your caravanning break, to a stick-on window feeder. If you are staying at a particular site for any length of time, they may overcome their wariness and use it. Mixed seed, with peanuts too, will attract a wide variety of birds, especially tits and finches.

Feeders come in all shapes, from a single tube to a three-fat-ball feeder, and a gourmet dining table, with food tray, water bowl, fat-ball holder, and perch. Always put water out, too. Then sit back and enjoy the show, knowing you’re doing your bit for the next generation of feathered friends. LM

W meripac.com

11 Stay in a forest

The New Forest was created by William I in 1079 for the royal hunt. Today the New Forest National Park comprises some 220 square miles of forest, heathland and unenclosed pasture land across Hampshire, Wiltshire and Dorset.

The Caravan Club’s Centenary Site is located in the south west of the park just three miles from the picturesque village of Bransgore. It has 275 spacious pitches, reserved for members only.

Teeming wildlife, including the legendary New Forest ponies, plus historic houses and museums are never far away. Cycle routes start just 200 yards from the site and, during the summer months, you can take the New Forest Tour Bus to explore the area.

Visitors can also experience nearby beaches and seaside resorts including Bournemouth and Christchurch. TO

T 01606 889231
W caravanclub.co.uk

12 Visit the bubble car museum, Boston, Lincolnshire

Microcars, or bubble cars as they are better known, were common on the roads in Britain in the 1950s and early 1960s. Powered by tiny engines of no more than 700cc, they offered a cheap and fuel-efficient alternative to a full-sized car.

Their popularity increased after the Suez crisis in 1956, which sent fuel prices soaring. Most of the UK models are three-wheelers as this qualified them for cheaper taxation as motorcycles.

The museum has 50 microcars on display, many in period settings. There is also a row of recreated shops along with memorabilia, a gift shop and a café.

A selling point for the museum is the admission charge, which is just £3 for adults and £1 for children. You can even take your caravan and stay on its campsite. Small rallies can be accommodated in a one-acre rally field next to the museum. TO

T 01205 280037
W bubblecarmuseum.co.uk

13 Take a Segway tour, Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria

Exploring the depths of forests and rough terrain at speed used to be something you could only do on horseback or on a mountain bike. But now all you have to do is stand still!

With a Segway you can explore the best of the British countryside without moving a foot. The latest models are capable of coping with all manner of terrain and up in the Lake District there’s a tour that does just that.

Familiarise yourself with the Segway (it took me about three minutes to feel at home with the intuitive controls) before gliding across parkland on your electronic mount. Now you’re ready for the Adventure tour, across rougher terrain through ancient woodland. The whole experience of the combined tours takes just over two hours – perhaps longer if you linger over the views. It’s suitable for those aged 14+. RC

T 0845 619 3456
W lakelandsegway.co.uk

14 Go punting

Whether it’s on the River Cherwell in Oxford, or the River Cam in Cambridge (and even the Kennet and Avon Canal in Bath) punting is an enchanting experience, if a bit strenuous for the person in charge of the pole! The first time I went punting was in Cambridge with a bunch of people from the university.

More recently I hired a punt for an hour in Oxford, and had a go at punting myself. I wasn’t very good, but found I excelled at relaxing in the punt while letting someone else (my husband Vic) do the work!
Punting is particularly enjoyable if you go with a group of friends and take a picnic along.

Always make sure you haggle on price. Competition is stiff and large discounts (30-40%) can be had. SK

T 01865 515978
W cherwellboathouse.co.uk

15 An Englishman abroad, Brittany, France

If you’re considering a first-time trip to France but have concerns about squeezing the caravan onto the ferry and driving on the other side of the road, fear not, it’s time to make 2015 your year for European travel. Whether you’re crossing the Channel by ferry or tunnel, plenty of help is at hand while boarding with more room than you’d imagine and nothing trickier than weaving your way around the access roads of your favourite site.

Driving on the right is also easier in practice – give yourself a careful five or 10-minute ‘bedding-in’ period, it helps enormously. As you’ll be exiting the ferry or tunnel at the same time as other traffic, follow other folks for a while, ideally heading in roughly the right direction.
It will settle any nerves.

Details on all aspects of foreign touring are downloadable from The Caravan Club website plus it offers competitively priced crossings and sites. JS

T 01342 316101
W caravanclub.co.uk

16 Sail a wherry, Ludham, Norfolk

On a summer’s day on the Norfolk Broads you might be lucky to see Albion, gliding past St Benet’s Abbey, her black sail stately against a blue sky. Or make your own luck and charter her for a day, or longer. She is one of only two former trading wherries still plying the Broads, and the oldest still afloat, first launching in 1898.

Wherries were the perfect cargo vessel for these waterways, with their shallow draft and need for a crew of only two. Your charter fee of £335 for a weekday or £390 for a day at the weekend or Bank Holiday for up to 12 people (the fee is for the boat and crew hire, not per person) includes a skipper and mate to sail her, but you are welcome to help out, or simply enjoy the view. LM

T 01692 630593
W wherryalbion.com

17 Enjoy a foodie festival, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire

If you like the idea of Glastonbury but with loads of really nice food, then The Big Feastival is for you. Run by Jamie Oliver and former Blur-bassist-turned-cheesemaker-by-Royal-appointment, Alex James, it’s basically a chilled-out, family-friendly festival on Alex’s Cotswolds farm. More than 16,000 people went in 2014, with Samantha Cameron, Zoe Ball and Amanda Holden among the celebrities spotted.

You can enjoy plenty of music (Fatboy Slim and Jamie Cullum were on the list of performers last time around), while the presence of an abundant number of incredible and rather posh food stalls mean that the whole event feels like a festival run by Waitrose. Jamie Oliver and Alex James, among others, run live cooking demonstrations, and you’ll be doing very well to resist going home without buying copious jars of very middle class jams and chutneys. Next year’s festival is on the August Bank Holiday, so best book your tickets early… HS

W jamieoliver.com

18 Visit an open-air theatre, Porthcurno, Cornwall

If you like a cheeky play or musical, then the Minack Theatre makes Stratford’s Royal Shakespeare Company look like some sort of tacky new-build. The reason? The Minack is an unbelievable open-air theatre that might have built in the early 20th century, but looks like Julius Caesar and a merry band of thespian Romans built it 2000 years ago to satisfy their artistic urges.

Set just four miles from Land’s End, the theatre is literally placed on a stunning cliff face. Although there’s the odd show over Christmas and Easter, the main schedule packs out the five summer months between May and September with an amazing variety of productions to suit all tastes – next year hosts everything from King Lear to Carmen to, er… Legally Blonde: The Musical. The most expensive tickets are £11.50, so not only is the Minack an absolutely unique experience, it’s considerate on the wallet as well. HS

T 01736 810181
W minack.com

19 Contribute to Caravan magazine

I have been fortunate enough in the past few years to be able to have been paid for my weekends away by the lovely folk at Caravan magazine!

How has this been possible? Well, I have my little point-and-shoot camera in the glove compartment of my car and, when I see something that looks interesting, caravan-wise, I go and investigate.

I achieved Grade 4 English in my CSE’s back in 1972 so I’m not the world’s greatest journalist, but what I do have is an eye for a story.

Whether you subscribe to Caravan magazine or this is your first read, don’t be afraid to ask questions about the interesting caravan that you may come across on-site, as most people are more than happy to tell you ‘why, when, where and how’ they came to own and use it. If your story is of sufficient interest and the magazine uses it you could have made enough to pay for your weekend away! PH

E [email protected]
W caravanmagazine.co.uk