Paws of Approval and Countryfile live …

While the start of June was a bit of a washout for Britain, then the last few weeks’ of sunshine suggests that the long-awaited summer is finally here! To celebrate, here are a few tidbits of news that might give you an idea or two for the next outing with your caravan.

Dog-friendly sites get the Paws of Approval

One of the great attractions to owning a caravan is the freedom it gives to dog-owners to take their pets along with them on outings and holidays.

Whether that is a successful and stress-free experience, of course, depends very much on the kind of reception you are likely to get when you arrive at your caravan site.

To encourage more sites to be paws-itively dog-friendly, the Caravan and Motorhome Club has launched a campaign called Paws of Approval, to highlight and promote those where its members and their four-legged friends have found a positive experience.

More than four in ten Club members are dog-owners, says the Caravan Times, and they are now being invited to award sites they have visited with one to five “paws” as a mark of their dog-friendliness.

Dirty dishes no more at eco-friendly site!

Washing up – it’s a chore that follows you wherever you go, even when you’re on holiday in your caravan. Indeed, the basic facilities available at some caravan sites might make it even more of a chore.

You’ll be in for a pleasant surprise if you stay at Skelwith Fold in the Lake District, therefore, which is said to be the very first to in the UK to have installed a free-to-use automatic dishwasher which cleans all your tableware in an eco-friendly cycle which takes just 5 minutes or so to clean and dry a full load.

As the Caravan Industry and Park Operator puts it you can say goodbye to being up to your arms in soap-suds, confident that your dishes are washed, cleaned and dried in a fast and eco-friendly way.

NCC adds further protection for leisure vehicle dealers and consumers

When you’re buying your caravan or motorhome, of course, you want the assurance you’re getting a fair deal with which you feel entirely satisfied.

Take comfort, therefore from new model terms and conditions devised by the National Caravan Council (NCC) to be followed by its dealer members throughout the UK.

Choose an NCC registered member when you buy your next leisure vehicle and you may be more than usually assured you are getting a fair deal.

Join in BBC Countryfile Live

It’s been aired for 30 years and currently attracts an estimated 5 million viewers every week – Countryfile is one of the BBC’s favourite series, especially for the many caravanners who appreciate their forays into Britain’s glorious working countryside.

A welcome addition to the schedules is an inaugural Countryfile Live event in the stunning grounds of Castle Howard in Yorkshire, from the 15th to the 18th of August.

Special attractions include the Craven Arms Pub Garden, the Village Green, Passion for British Livestock displays, stalls from more than 400 exhibitors – and, of course, the chance to meet some of the presenters of the flagship programme.

The icing on the cake for touring caravan owners is that you can pitch the ‘van within a stone’s throw of the event, within the grounds of Castle Howard itself, on a site specifically set up by co-hosts the Caravan and Motorhome Club – and qualify for the cheapest tickets available for entry into the Countryfile Live showground.