A news story which passed us by, for some reason.

In the quiet village of Upton Scudamore in Wiltshire, an armed robber stole a motorhome in the early hours of the morning. The owner fought back, and recovered the vehicle. More details (such as they are) – here –

Clarion Events have announced a new show for London, to be held at good old Earls Court between the 15th & 18th November 2007. This is to replace the cancelled Excel show.

More details soon from the website: http://www.caravanshows.com/

To me, this would seem to be a bit close to one of Clarion’s other major shows, the Birmingham Caravan and Motorhome Show, being held at the NEC from the 16th - 21st October. Last year, we went to both the NEC and Excel shows, but this year we’ll probably give one of them a miss.

There’s another petition up on the Prime Minister’s 10 Downing Street website. This time, it’s to petition for “Motorhomes Only” spaces in local authority car parks throughout the UK.

It’s a nice idea, although it does give the PM another chance to ignore the will of the people. I don’t know if any of these petitions have ever been successful. We can but try.

Fresh from the pages of the latest issue of Which Motorcaravan are their latest awards for motorhomes. Some interesting choices.

1. Best multi-purpose caravan: Bilbo’s De Zine
Runners up: Adria 3-way Space, Bilbo’s Kombi LWB, Torbay Maverick

2. Best budget buy under £30k (OTR): Ci Carioca 625
Runners up: Elddis Autoquest 115, Chausson Flash 08, Adria Coral Sport S574SP

3. Best compact motorhome: Murvi Morello
Runners up: La Strada Trento, IH Oregan R, Knaus Van TI550MD

4. Best family motorhome: Chausson Flash 03
Runners up: TEC FreeTEC 638, Swift Sundance 630L, Mooveo C647

5. Best luxury motorhome (under 3.5t): Pilote Aventura G630DC
Runners up: Swift Bolero 630PR, IH J1000, Rapido Le randonneur 9048dF

6. Best luxury motorhome (over 3.5t): Burstner Argos A747-2
Runners up: Hymer S790, Swift Kon-Tiki 669, Autocruise Augusta

7. Best base vehicle: Fiat Ducato 160 Multijet Power
Runners up: Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 318CDI, Ford Transit 2.2TDCi (front wheel drive), Renault Master 2.5dCi 120

8. Best motorhome kitchen: Autocruise Wentworth
Runners up: Burstner I-Elegance 821G, Auto-Trail Mohican SE, Swift Kon-Tiki 665

9. Best motorhome bathroom: Swift Bolero 630EW
Runners up: Hymer S790, Auto-Trail Mohican SE, Burstner Argos A747-2

10. Most innovative motorhome: Knaus S-Liner 800LEG
Runners up: Dethleffs Globebus I3, Hymer Exsis-i, Giottiline Genetics K900

11. MOTORHOME OF THE YEAR
Burstner Argos A747-2
Runners up: Knaus S-liner 800LEG, Murvi Morello, Pilote Aventura

The Burstner Argos is a wonderful motorhome, and the leather interior adds an air of luxury to the complete package. Yes, it may be expensive, and at over 8m long with a tag axle, access to some sites may be challenging, but if you want the most comfortable motorhoming experience I’m encountered, this one is for you.

The Knaus S-Liner, as famously purchased by Jay-Kay of Jamiroquoi, is an interesting development. Knaus, for my money, are just pushing back the frontiers of motorhoming comfort and luxury, and yet still keeping within a reasonable budget.The S-Liner is not something I would buy, but I like to see what they’re doing with it as their flagship motorhome, and to see what innovations will make it into every day motorhomes in a year or two.

The Murvi deserves plaudits for making it into such esteemed company. It’s a fine quality motorhome, and uses good design to make it a viable long-term motorhome for the explorers amongst us.

I don’t know much about the Pilote, other than what I’ve seen in picutres and read about.

It is interesting to see that out of the 9 categories (excluding base vehicle), UK-manufactured motorhomes only win 2 of the categories. You would have thought that we should know what appeals to a UK audience by now, but I’m afraid repeated concerns over build quality and reliability have opened up our own market to continental manufacturers. Hymer have been popular for many years, and have the build quality and relibility, if not the excitement, that we like. Other big-named suppliers to the UK market include Knaus, Rapido, Burstner, and relative newcomers like Adria, Chausson.

Of the 36 category finalists, only 15 were UK-based. We excelled in the “kitchen” category, providing 3 of the 4 finalists, which is not surprising, since most continental manufacturers still don’t fit ovens to their kitchens - something we Brits consider essential (if only for warming up the croissants for a continental breakfast).

The danger is that we will start to lose our national identity, as we turn away from traditional UK manufacturers and persue better value abroad. Our compromises will be in the design of the motorhome, and we will begin to accept the tiny kitchen areas, the “Euro lounges”, and the habitation doors opening on the wrong side!