Our Caravans: Eriba Ocean Drive

The Eriba Ocean Drive, a themed version of the classic Eriba Troll 530, has just landed on Britain's shores, and we are the first to review it

Words by Val Chapman Photos by Richard Chapman

We're a long way from the magical Miami Ocean Drive in deepest rural Lincolnshire, but we can dream of Florida…

We've brought the bright blue diminutive pop-up-roof Eriba Ocean Drive tourer to one of England's little caravan site gems. Keal Lodge Touring Site in Deeping St James is on the border of Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire, a delightful, tranquil site of manicured bushes, picnic benches and hardstandings surrounded by fields.

Keal Lodge is on edge of the village of The Deepings – that's Deeping St James and Market Deeping; it's half a mile from the restaurants, cafés and small shops in village and this is ideal territory for walking and cycling. It's flat, so no challenges; you can cycle for miles at an easy pace.

But our stay at Keal Lodge isn't about eating in the village or cycling. All our attention is focused on heady imaginations of touring in Miami, following the theme of this new Eriba special that has 'ocean' blue edging on its cream leather-look seating and a blue rim around its kitchen. It's a new arrival in the UK, and we are lucky enough to be the first to get hold of it.

Outside Living

It's cold during our stay – well, this is not Miami, but we try to perpetuate the illusion by putting to use a unique Eriba table device: you can bring the caravan's table outside and clip it to a ridge on the side of the caravan.

Vango has loaned us some ultra lightweight fold-up chairs called Microlite Tall, with aluminium tube frames you build a bit like constructing a little tent frame. They fit the theme perfectly, and we get on with making lunch on our first day.

It's spaghetti carbonara in its simplest form – you have to keep recipes simple to get the best out of this kitchen which, like the whole of the Ocean Drive, is caravanning in miniature. A pan for the spag, a wok for the rest.

Honey-roast ham, vine tomatoes, an onion, chives, an orange pepper and a block of French Emmental cheese. (In the Chapman household it's known as 'mouse cheese' because the holes in it look as if a mouse has nibbled.

The actual explanation – the holes are formed by gas bubbles released by bacteria during the manufacturing process – is almost equally off-putting.) Our Eriba Carbonara is ready in minutes, and we devour it greedily, thoughts drifting off into Miami – and mice.

The Ocean Drive's little kitchen with just two burners, no oven, no microwave, passes its first test easily. Lesson learned: if you downsize your cooking ideas to suit the kitchen, it works well. Importantly, it's worth noting our medium-sized wok fitted on one of the burners easily.

Impressed with the Peep

Keal Lodge Touring Site owners Keith and Alison Rogers come to our pitch to see how we're getting on. They peep inside the iconic-shape Eriba which packs in a permanent double bed and, with the roof popped up, and has headroom enough for tall caravanners. They're impressed and fascinated by the site's head-turning, ocean-blue visitor.

Over an afternoon snack of chocolate cookies – we bring the table inside this time – we get a iPad out, make use of the site's free WiFi and discover for our future reference that Keal Lodge is open from Easter until the end of October and that the £20 per night fee doesn't increase for bank holidays and high season. We love it here!

Read our full review on the Eriba Ocean Drive here, including video!