From Left to Right, Chris Apperley (Guild Chairman), John Sootheran, Nigel Coppen (Business Development Director of Vantage Insurance). You can see why Shelley loved this place so much. Though, of course, in his time before the dams were built the landscape would have looked very different. And this part of the road trip would take in yet another great route, voted one of Britain’s favourite roads… The A470 – one of Britain’s favourite roads From the Beacons you’ll reach Rhayader within 90 minutes in a motorhome. Then it’s a left turn onto the B4518 that will lead you right into the Elan Valley. Coasteering is an incredibly fun and full-on way to explore the rugged stretch of coastline, through the combination of swimming, climbing, cliff jumping, clambering and possibly some belly-flopping! It gives you the opportunity to experience normally inaccessible hidden coves and secret coastal caves of the magical Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland. Get in touch with Causeway Coasteering to find out more.

Nigel is Swedish company Alde's first Brand Ambassador, working closely with both Alde UK and Alde Sweden. He has also produced features for both the Caravan and Motorhome Club and the Camping & Caravanning Club. Nigel regards himself as a caravan enthusiast who writes about his lifelong hobby (having owned caravans for the best part of forty years and towed for a few more!), and lets his work do the “talking”.Runner up in this category was the very popular and well-known writer Peter Baber for his delightful touring feature ‘A Revolutionary Approach,’ which appeared in Practical Caravan Magazine. In the crowded genre of travel, Peter’s ‘high standard of literacy and engagement’ stood out. In 2017 Nigel took part in Bailey of Bristol’s “Arctic Adventure” which saw the team drive from Millbrook to Ivalo in Northern Finland and joined them again in 2023 on the “Sahara Adventure” which had been postponed from 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic (he was part of the 2020 team too). A desire to showcase the industry to a new audience led to the launch of Holiday Living magazine for Kelsey Media in 2016, extending that scope further to include many other leisure options including short stays, touring, glamping and UK tourist attractions. Michael Howorth is one half of The Howorth’s an award winning team of professional freelance travel writers. Together with Frances, his wife, he is a Features writer of Motor Caravanner Magazine published monthly by The Motor Caravaners Club. Early years were spent running her own PR agency supporting events operators, stately homes/estates, park and leisure home manufacturers, parks and industry suppliers. That led to feature writing for Park Home & Holiday Caravan, editorship of Park Home News and editing and publishing Park Lifestyle.

Having successfully negotiated the roads around several of the spectacular reservoirs and dams we now sat staring at a hill ahead of us that was probably beyond the van’s capabilities. It was such a pleasurable 20 mile drive that we turned around and did it the other way. You’ll probably want to as well. So out came the map and we were soon on our way to Rhayader in Mid Wales, somewhere we’d never been to before. Home to the fastest zipline in the world and the longest in Europe, Penrhyn Quarry on the edge of Snowdonia National Park is unlike any other average zipline you’ve ever been on before. Named Velocity 2, Zipworld will have you soaring like a bird, as you zoom head first, for over a mile, 500 metres above the bright blue quarry. Afterwards you can learn all about the history of the quarry on the Penrhyn Quarry tour.

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We were down to second gear round the hairpin bends but overall our VW Cree managed it without an issue. The main distraction for the driver are the views. We simply had to pull over a few times and take it all in. There is a sixth dam that never got finished, the one that was used in the famous WWII Dambusters film.

Building on the hard work and success of the previous Awards Co-Ordinator Terry Owen, the Awards were updated this year to include new criteria for both the entry qualifications and the judging process.

There is a poignant reminder of this at the Visitor Centre where 27 large stones stand like sentinels, each reminding us of the villages that were lost forever when the taps were turned on and the water filled the valleys. 27 standing stones, each representing a village in the Elan Valley that was lost under the water The old metal mines at Cwmystwyth The couple have written several travel orientated books and have two more in the pipeline. They have been travelling the world together for the last thirty years initially in their own sailboat and now in Voyager their 6.4 metre campervan conversion.

has been a whirlwind year for a relative newcomer to the industry, Karla Baker. In a short period of time, her writing skills, enthusiasm, and her passion for inspiring others has earned her commissions with high profile magazines across different markets. It was a touching piece written for the Caravan and Motorhome Club Magazine that won over the judges and saw Karla win the Douglas King Award for Journalism 2019. We’d already found out during a road trip through the Peak District that our old motorhome wasn’t too keen on going up hills with anything more than a 20% incline. And now, in the Elan Valley, we were faced with the same dilemma. Editor of Holiday Living and Park Lifestyle magazines, and Editor at Large for Park Home & Holiday Caravan and the Residential Parks Guide, Bella has specialised in leisure industry communications for over two decades. This is where you need to know the limitations of your van. The weather hadn’t been favourable; the road was wet and even though there was no signpost indicating the percentage of the incline it looked damn steep to us! We sat there watching cars snaking their way up and around the hairpin bends in second gear. Nigel served for thirty years in the Police, spending fifteen years on Traffic and the final twelve on Forensic Collision Investigation, providing highly detailed reports for various Courts, where he and his colleagues were classed as “Expert Witnesses”.Little did we know that we’d got to within 100 yards of a crashed Wellington bomber that remained hidden from view in the mist!