K N A U S K O N T A K T October 2014

A Newsletter for the Knaus Owners Club in the UK

CHAIRMAN’S CHATTER

Dear Fellow Members,

Where has the year gone? It only seems a few weeks ago we all

met up for the first rally of the season at Peterborough. We were

sorry to miss the meet at Lowdhams in June due to a prior

engagement; I heard it was a great success.

Malvern Western show was a new experience for many

members, sixteen vans met up with several new members. Bill

arranged a barbeque where we met up for a chat and exchange views and problems, and the

evening entertainment was excellent. Although at times we wondered if we were at a dog

show, so many stands displaying everything you could imagine for a dog!

Lincoln once again went really well, the weather was very kind to us for which we were really

grateful, as once again we had power problems this time far worse than Malvern! The first night

we only had five LEDs on and the red light came on, thankfully the solar panels kept us going

for the basic needs, we have booked the motor home in to get the problem fixed! We had a

good attendance for the Jacobs supper with delicious food and some amazing cakes! There

was a lot of discussion over the weekend about vehicle weights and how to solve the problem -

several members have had their motorhomes upgraded.

There is a meet at Lowdhams on the 8th of November for a beer fest, hog roast, band and fire-

works, sadly we cannot attend, I know several members are going and I am sure they will have

a good time.

Finally I would like to thank Bill and Jacquie, Andrea and Kevin and all the other members who

have helped this year to make the club a great success, and of course a warm welcome to all

the new members.

We know several members are snowbirds and are going south to warmer climes so Christine

and I would like to take this opportunity to wish you a very Happy Christmas and a prosperous

New Year and we look forward to seeing you in 2015.

Best wishes, Mike

Thank you to all members who have attended the Club rallies this year. We have been

fortunate with the weather in most circumstances and each rally has been well attended. It

has been good to hear people's news and to exchange ideas, as well as enjoying a very

informal and social time together. A special thanks to Christine, our Chairman's good lady,

who has kindly treated us to yummy home-made scones and jam plus cream, at each of our

rallies.

We now have dates for all of the Warners Shows next year and we do need to have some

idea of numbers by early January.

The National Motorhome Show at Peterborough, including the Club AGM is from 17th to

19th April (Warners celebrate 25 years there)

The Southern Motorhome Show at Newbury from 15th to 17th May (entertainment

theme is the Sixties)

The Norfolk County Caravan and Motorhome Show from24th to26th July (entertainment

theme is Comedy and Soul)

The Malvern Show from 14th to 16th August (entertainment theme Country and

Western)

The Lincoln Show from 25th to 27th September. (entertainment theme Best of British)

The camping grounds are open from 8am on Thursday until 12noon on Monday at each of the

shows. We shall definitely rally at Peterborough and Lincoln, and will also consider Norfolk

and Malvern if there is sufficient interest from our members. Please contact Andrea via the

Secretary's link on the website if you are interested in attending any if the shows.

There will an additional rally near York in June (see details are on page 9 of this newsletter).

We look forward to seeing you next year

Andrea Wolfe-Hamblin

The end of season show took place 26th to 28th September as usual at the Lincoln Show Ground. It is an onerous task to write a report on our “Knaus” meets without repeating myself because, to coin a phrase, “It does what it says on the tin”, in that they are always wonderful social occasions. The friendly nature of the gathering is always so strong; we had 18 members

Cont’d on next page

CLUB RALLIES 2015 - EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST REQUIRED

LINCOLN SEASON FINALE 2014

attending this year. It’s always a pleasure to be part of the constant chit chat, banter, exchange of views and advice around our area. Arriving on site to the view of the flags, motorhomes, marquees and general buzz of excitement gets the adrenalin flowing for a great weekend. The weather was very kind to us, as we had sunshine all the weekend which of course was very welcome. We held our usual get together on the first afternoon: Mrs Chairman’s Scone Cream Tea, first class as usual. The Saturday saw our traditional end of season “Jacobs Join” or “Faith Supper”, call it what you will, with all the drinks supplied by the Club. What a spread was before us, a wonderful effort by everyone and as usual plenty left over! Everyone sat round consuming the food and generally exchanging views on an array of subjects till dusk. The Entertainment was the usual high standard with acts at three venues each night, something for everyone. The traders were of much the same type, but still had plenty of interest in that most of us are always looking for that new or unusual “thing” for our outfits!

One trader that stood out for me was “Daisy’s Vintage Tea Rooms”, serving traditional afternoon teas all set out on “Kath Kidson-esque” tables, crockery, uniforms, teapots etc. It was very innovative and had a wonderful atmosphere to it. If you have never attended one of the Warners Shows they are fully recommended. Excellent value for money, you get four days’ camping, free entertainment each

night, free all day access to the show as well as all the usual camp site facilities. For any motorhomer, something not to be missed. May I give a special thank you to all at Lincoln for allowing our eldest son Mark to attend the show with us as a guest? He thoroughly enjoyed himself and could not believe the welcome he received from everyone, thank you. Finally a big thank you to our marshals Kevin and Andrea, who did a superb job and looked after us in their usual excellent and professional manner. Thank you to you both.

Tony Poole

LINCOLN SEASON FINALE 2014 (CONT’D)

This was the first visit to this venue for Olive and me. Our first impression upon arriving on site was what a beautiful setting, with the Malvern Hills around with the show ground nestling at their foot. Stunning. We had camped a few miles down the road, arriving the previous Saturday, so we were first to arrive (doing a Harry Dog in his absence ). I’m not sure Bill and Jackie were ready for us but we were soon sited and greeted with a cup of coffee.

During the day all the rest gradually turned up and we were pitched in two straight rows. There were 13 outfits altogether, though two other members chose to camp with other groups, so I suppose we had a total of 15 members in attendance. I noticed one of those who had strayed was parked between two huge R V s, with an RV Club sticker in its window. I can’t mention any names but it did have two rather large satellite dishes on its roof. We had 4 units camping with us for the first time and all were greeted with a

big welcome as is normal in the Knaus Owners Club. The first afternoon we were all treated to Mrs Chairman’s (Christine’s) cream teas - very scrummy! We all crammed into the events tent and created an intimate atmosphere. But before we could use the event tent it had to be erected, which all the guys set about and completed with the added help of the ladies (only watching and giving instruction of course). The afternoon ended with Chairman Mike’s version of 50 Shades of Grey. Sorry but we can’t possibly print it here so if you missed it you will have to ask him yourselves! Friday came and all off to the show we went, there was the usual array of good-ies for sale with the added interest of all the Western Traders where you could buy anything from leather cowboy boots to Indian headdresses, country music Cd’s, DVD’s Books etc. The free entertainment was superb, set over three locations, with country music bands at every one of these each night. They were great to watch: live music of any sort always sounds so much better. Many of the Gentlemen and Ladies dressed for the evening. There was every one from Davy Crocket to Chief Sitting Bull via Doc Holiday, and the Ladies really went to town with their crinoline dresses and fascinators, all fabulous to see.

Cont’d on next page

THE WESTERN MOTORHOME SHOW 15-17TH AUGUST 2014

The daytime entertainment was also a first for Olive and me. There were Native American Dance shows and Western Shootouts, all set in a full Western Encampment which included wigwams, a graveyard, trading post and wolves etc, all manned by cowboys and Indians dressed in authentic costumes. They put on a brilliant and very interesting show.

Every teatime there were line dancing lessons, so after some purgation from Marilyn, Chris, myself, Olive and Marilyn attended a lesson one evening! It was great fun. Marilyn really got into it, Olive gave up because she could not concentrate for laughing at Chris and I as we really got stuck in. Not all the steps were right but we enjoyed it, as did many of the spectators.

Friday night was Communal BBQ night: Bill set up his BBQ and we all joined in with our food, all very well cooked by our resident Chef Bill. The weather was kind and we all sat round enjoying our food, washing it down with a wonderful bowl of Pimms (once again supplied by Mr Chairman’s Wife Christine). Altogether another great social occasion. Saturday and Sunday were spent visiting the show, listening to the music or attending the enactments. If you have never been to the Western Show I can fully recommend it. It has, in my opinion, the best show ground: plenty of toilets and showers, plenty of space, the best located showground with spectacular views, and a very entertaining and different theme. Put it in your diary for next year - I am sure we will be there. Our thanks must go to Bill and Jacquie, our marshals for the weekend, who as usual did a superb job, and to Chairman Mike and Christine for their excellent hospitality. Another truly great Knaus Club weekend together.

Tony Poole.

THE WESTERN MOTORHOME SHOW 15-17TH AUGUST 2014

COMBINING MOTORHOMING WITH ALLOTMENTEERING

We (that’s Terry and I) have been caravanners pretty much forever, and motorhomers for just

2 years; we started off with a Burstner motorhome, and we’ve had our Knaus motorhome for

just a few months. In fact we are still finding cupboards we didn’t know about – we seem to

have so many!!

For the last 10 years, I have had an allotment – the first one I shared with a friend for 3 years,

then, having ‘cut my teeth’ so to speak, I took one on my own. I do love it, and grow all sorts

– the usual stuff like potatoes, carrots, broad and French beans and the like, also lots of fruit –

raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, Japanese Wineberries (my favourites) apples etc etc.

I also employ the ‘no-dig’ method of cultivation, having been on a day course run by Charles

Dowding down in Somerset. It works extremely well for me, and – well I don’t have to dig!

The main difficulty we find is that motorhoming and gardening have the same seasons and as

we aren’t the intrepid sort who like to go abroad for the winter to sunnier climes, we do like to

get the motorhome out as soon as the weather starts to warm up a tad, and that of course is

also when the growing season starts. So after a routine, and I have to admit fairly lazy winter,

we are both raring to go with both, so I have to gear myself up to being not so lazy – no easy

feat when you’re born lazy like me!

So by about March time, it becomes juggle juggle – trying to work out when to sow seeds that

won’t die for lack of attention while we’re away in the spring, then likewise later when things

are in the ground or potted up in the greenhouse; trying to time it so that when we go away

the broad beans don’t become so big they’re inedible, or all the gorgeous strawberries over

ripen and just become fodder for the already well fed slugs. Terry has set up an automatic

watering system in the greenhouse to water the tomatoes and cucumbers which I grow in

there, which is a huge boon. Then when we get back it’s all hands to the pump again to

harvest what’s ready, and to blanch/freeze/cook etc what’s been picked. Also weeds have

usually gone mad (it’s amazing how big weeds can get when you’ve only been away for a

week!) so the hoe comes into its own too. All this alongside the inevitable mound of washing

(and ironing) there always seems to be when one has been away, (and we all know about

don’t we!) plus when one is still working, as I am, I have to fit that in too. (I am self employed

as a reflexologist and I work mainly from home so in theory I’m in control of how much I do,

but it’s not always that simple!).

One of the main reasons for the change to a motorhome from a caravan was that, during the

main growing months our time could be divided, ie I am able to stay at home to tend my

allotment and Terry can much more easily use the motorhome to pursue his interests.

This year, Terry attended the Lowdhams rally and very much enjoyed the break, then a steam

weekend at Elvaston Castle (also a rally). Further excursions to the Great War & Peace

event at Folkestone which of course this year is very special being the 100th anniversary of

the First World War, and on the way there he’s having a day at Duxford. The end of the

season will see him going to the Great Dorset Steam Fair.

Many of the above events would not interest me, so the motorhome works well to fill both our

pastimes. Cont’d on next page

In between all these events we will have had holidays together in Dartmouth, Totnes, Bath,

Rutland and the MMM at Peterborough. We are both looking forward to the MMM show at

Lincoln where we can meet up with all our new friends at the Knaus group!

Finally we’d like to say thank you to all of you for being so welcoming when we first came to

Peterborough and met many of you at the AGM. We look forward to seeing as many of you as

possible at future events, and getting to know you all better!

Adrienne and Terry Robinson

Bolton to Beverley

Jacquie and I have recently spent two weekends away in five-van sites in Bolton and Beverley.

In Bolton we stayed at Park Fold Farm Caravan site. Situated just north of Bolton, next to the Jumbles Country Park it is positioned with super views to the north. The pitches are all hard-standing with EHU. The farm also does bed and breakfast and has an area for a rally. There is a toilet on site as well as the usual CL facilities. In addition there is a gym!!!

The site is a short downhill walk to Jumbles reservoir where there is a car park and café. There are various walks from here up and down the valley. A short walk up the hill and there is a bus stop that will take you down into Bolton. From here you are able to get the train into Manchester.

On the Sunday morning Jacquie and I got a 9.30am train from Bromley Cross to Manchester and spent the day at Salford Quays, using the tram from the centre of Manchester. We spent time in the Lowry museum and walked around the Quays area before eating at one of the many diners.

We have friends livening in Bolton and they took us to Turton Towers. This is within walking distance of the site. They also took us to the Toby Inn (not the chain!) on the moors for a good meal and also Breda Murphy’s in Whalley.

The following weekend we set off east from Doncaster to Beverley, only 45 minutes away. Here we pitched up in Willow Lane Caravan site. It is a basic site but tidy and the owner (if seen) is pleasant. All pitches are hard standing with EHU. A very quiet and secluded site, it is less than 10 minutes walk to the beautiful Beverley Minster. The town centre is only another 5 minutes further on.

Cont’d on next page

COMBINING MOTORHOMING WITH ALLOTMENTEERING

TWO RECOMMENDED 5 VAN SITES,

(BOTH £12 A NIGHT INCLUDING EHU)

Park Fold Farm

There is a good range of shops, pubs and places to eat as well as a very convenient M&S food-hall. There is another grand church and the Buttercross at the north end of town. The tourist information office will provide you with a town plan, on which you can find four “trade” trails taking you to all the areas of Beverly where tradesmen were centred. Trades included coopers, cobblers, cordwainers and creelers, up to a total in excess of 36. There are also things to look out for related to these trades attached to lampposts, seats etc. Having lived so close to Beverley for 45 years we hadn’t realized just how interesting a town it is. We will indeed return.

Beverley also has good transport links to the East Coast, York and Hull, both bus and rail.

The next field along from the site is a rally field, though not owned by the same person. I believe Spen Valley DA were using it that weekend so the owner could be traced if we wanted to organize a rally there sometime.

Two lovely weekends - highly recommended!

Bill and Jacquie Lowes

Jim & Alison Gilmour and Jim & Jan Whitehouse are pleased to announce that a rally will be held close to York from 12-22 June 2015. Members will be welcome to join us for as long as they wish, for the whole event or for a night or two, perhaps on the way to/from another destination.

We hope that by spanning two weekends as many as possible will be able to join us at what should be a great event. The rally field is within the beautiful Vale of York and is located quietly a little way off the A166 York-Bridlington road (see map). Bus stops serving York and onto Leeds or to the coast are around a mile and a quarter away, but we plan to offer an occasional shuttle service to and from the conveniently located park and ride bus services into York (with all its many attractions – see www.visityork.org) as well. These also offer free motorhome parking for those who want to do their own thing, and a choice of two are within four

miles of the site. One of these is also near main supermarkets and other out of town eating and shopping facilities including a new John Lewis store.

Further afield but still with an easy day trip are the North York Moors and coastal towns such as Whitby, Filey and Scarborough, and in the other direction are the delights of Harrogate and the Yorkshire Dales. A choice of pubs are within a couple of miles of the rally field, as are cafes at garden centres and farm shops. The rally field itself will only offer the basic facilities of fresh water, and disposal of both grey and black water. Prices per night will accordingly be kept as low as possible. Early expressions of interest to newsletter@knausowners.com would be helpful for planning purposes.

Jim Whitehouse

TWO RECOMMENDED 5 VAN SITES (CONT’D)

PLANNED YORK RALLY 12-22 JUNE 2015

mailto:newsletter@knausowners.com

Towards the end of 2013 I applied through a social web site to be a volunteer on the 2014 Le Grand Depart for the TDF. Little did I realise what a totally all encompassing experience it would turn out to be, here is my story. Somehow one day late last year I came across an appeal for volunteers to act as Tour Makers for the Le Gand Depart Yorkshire the 2014 TDF. Being a lifelong supporter of the TDF, the biggest annual sporting event in the world, I felt I must apply. I considered the possibility I could be too old etc, but inspired by the Games Makers at the 2012 Olympics decided to make an application: I felt I had nothing to lose. Over the next few months I had several online question and answer sessions as well as an online interview as to my suitability to fill this role. Much to my delight I was eventually offered a post as Tour Maker and/or Supervisor. There followed online training and practical role play training, underlining just how big an event this was going to be. Our Tour Makers uniforms were supplied and sponsored by Asda, to which we were all indebted. We received everything from polo shirt and trousers and jacket to sun cream, umbrella, water, food voucher etc. It was the first time in the TDF history that volunteers had been used and the organisers had recruited 10,000 of us. I was allocated on Sunday the 6th July to the route between Huddersfield and Sheffield near Penistone on the A628. There was to be a 100 days Arts Festival featuring brass band concerts, touring groups of musicians, bike displays and shows etc, and a Le Grand Depart Anthem “The Road”. This was recorded by Alistair Griffin and Kimberly Walsh with a Tour Makers Choir to join in. Many of the towns and villages of all parts of Yorkshire put on their own events leading up to the Tour. As the time grew near volunteer opportunities were coming fast: first the Choir, then for cyclists to take part in the Opening Ceremony rehearsals, Way Finders and Information Guides, and so on. I did not get an invite to the Choir for the studio recording but was able to sing with the Choir and Alistair at the Welcome to Yorkshire offices, the Trinity Shopping Centre in Leeds and St Helens Square in York, during which Calender News ITV recorded us singing for the Evening News! Altogether a truly awesome and uplifting experience. I was however successful in being one of the team rehearsing for the opening ceremony the week prior to the event. This turned out to be a very very special once in a lifetime experience on many fronts, as this enabled me to: stand in for Chris Froome and Team Sky in rehearsals; meet Christian Prudhomme (the TDF CEO) and Gary Verity (Welcome To Yorkshire CEO); be interviewed by both Jill Douglas from ITV 4 and Sebastien Piquet, the voice of the TDF. It also allowed me to meet other members of the media, many of the cast of the Opening Ceremony including Embrace, the Yorkshire Band, Opera North and Band of Hope and Glory etc. The experience of TV cameras coming at you from all angles and directions was really thrilling. To cap everything I was given two free tickets for the Opening Ceremony as a thank you for all my efforts – big grin! The Opening Ceremony was truly amazing, all 22 teams of 198 riders were there, plus all the headline acts to get Le Grand Depart off to a flying start in front of an audience of 6,000.

Cont’d on next page

MY TOUR DE FRANCE EXPERIENCE AS A TOUR MAKER 2014

The weekend arrived. Because I had camped at Penistone to be near my section and was not required till the Sunday( we were only allowed to be on duty one day), I went to the first stage start in Leeds and could not believe the crowds. We had all been told it was to be big, but this was unbelievable. I am informed that 243,000 people passed through Leeds Railway Station that day, an all time record, and there were over a quarter of a million people in the centre of Leeds as well that day. The start was awesome, I was right on the line, first the pre start entertainment, then the Police and Gendarmes outriders, then the caravan (all the advertisers and sponsors throwing out their freebies etc.) the riders, the support teams with all their vehicles and bikes, and last the team buses. In all, taking around three hours to pass through: truly memorable. However, the one memory that will stay with me was Mark Cavendish getting off his bike to give his cap to a disabled teenage spectator sat in his wheel chair, a very emotional moment, little did we know that was sadly all he would do this year.

The big day arrived on Sunday and I got to my check in point at Penis-tone Grammar School very early in order to be bused out to our respective duty points. We clapped and waved all the way, with the public joining in at every opportunity. My team were on the section that had a crossing from the Bank View Cafe (the one painted white with red spots shown on the TV) and The Pedlars Inn, as renamed for the TDF! Huge crowds gathered. The weather being perfect, dry and sunny, everyone was in wonderful spirits. Picnics of every type of food were eaten, champagne was flowing, ice cream was consumed. Flags were waving and a very special carnival atmosphere built up. We even had our own motorbike patrol policeman, Malcom, who got special cheers every time he went by. We kept the crowds entertained with facts and figures about the TDF as well as; songs, funny stories, our Tour Makers experiences, high-fives,

Mexican Waves, cheering and waving at any opportunity. We answered queries and questions from the public and generally maintained the Carnival atmosphere. Then the first of the procession arrived, the Route Checking Car, he then closed the road, no one could even cross. This was followed by the same caravan of support vehicles as seen the day before, then the Race Director’s red car, followed by what everyone had been waiting for, THE PELETON. By then the crescendo of noise was unbelievable. Everyone went crazy, waving, shouting and clapping. What a reaction, it was incredible. All too quickly they were gone. We duly opened up the road and everyone went home with a smile on their faces, wonderful, job done. What an experience! I’ve never known anything quite like it. The people of Yorkshire were absolutely indescribable, fantastic. By the end one of one of the most memorable days of my life, I had my own fan club, had sung, waved and cheered along with them all, done a live interview with Radio Sheffield and met some incredible people. I’ll finish as I started. Never did I realise what an experience this would be, never in my wildest dreams did I imagine what I would be involved in. I fulfilled many of my “Bucket List” at one go: this was my TDF experience.

Tony Poole.

MY TOUR DE FRANCE EXPERIENCE AS A TOUR MAKER 2014

The Club website

www.knausowners.com

Is where Kevin Hamblin would be happy if you could e-mail your experiences to him for others to share. There is also a Discussion Forum where you can post questions or put up subjects for discussion. Why not log on and see? Thank you.

A news sheet for the Knaus

Owners Club in the UK

Membership Secretary

Bill Lowes

4 Birch Tree Close

Barnby Dun

Doncaster

DN3 1QW

Phone: 01302 885826

E-mail:

membership@knausowners.com

treasurer@knausowners.com

Club Website:

www.knausowners.com

Your newsletter compiler, Jim, needs your support

by sending in your items for the Newsletter!! Don’t

be shy – please tell others about your experiences. You

can send your articles for inclusion to:

newsletter@knausowners.com

Thanks to everyone for their items in this edition.

Thanks to all who

had a go and

congratulations to

Bob & Pat and

Chris & Marilyn

for getting 20 out

of 20. This was

despite some

spelling errors by

the compiler and

two exhibitors

whose names did

not appear in the

show booklet!

The winners

enjoyed a bar of

Greens Organic

Chocolate.

Bill & Jacquie

Malvern Exhibitors Anagram

Competition