130 years of The Wanderer

Twitter followers of The Caravan Club Collection, based at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, will be able to retrace the steps of The Wanderer online over the summer months.

Owned by popular Victorian Author, Dr William Gordon Stables, The Wanderer caravan travelled 1,400 miles during the summer of 1885. It was towed by two horses from Twyford in Berkshire to Inverness, from where the caravan returned to London by rail before continuing its journey along the South Coast, reaching as far as Lymington in the New Forest.

Highlights of this pioneering journey will be shared via The Caravan Club Collection’s Twitter account along with accompanying blogs. Details of the tour will be taken from Dr Gordon Stables’ account of his travels in his book The Cruise of the Land Yacht Wanderer, along with photographs and illustrations of the caravan which are on public display for the first time.

This incredible caravan was bequeathed to The Caravan Club by the daughter of Dr William Gordon Stables in the 1960s, and can now be viewed by members staying at the Club Site at Broadway, Worcestershire, where it is on permanent display.

“William Gordon Stables was a true adventurer, with a pioneering spirit and a genuine appreciation of the great outdoors and the benefits the natural world brings to mind and body,” explained Nick Lomas, Director General of The Caravan Club.  “For many Club members this is still the essence of touring caravanning and the freedom that goes with it, so we are delighted to mark this anniversary and inspire others with that same spirit of adventure.”

To keep up to date with this celebration of The Wanderer’s first journey, follow The Caravan Club Collection on Twitter @TheCCCollection or through the hashtag #Wanderer130. Followers will also be invited to share their own pictures of the towns, villages and landmarks which Gordon Stables visited en route.

Contact information

Margaret Rowles   
Public Relations Officer   
01590 614603   
pr@beaulieu.co.uk   

Angela Willis
Curater of The Caravan Club collection
01590 614659
angela.willis@beaulieu.co.uk

Kelly Adams
Kate O’Brien
Katie Wright
Siren Communications
0207 759 1150
caravanclub@sirencomms.com

Nikki Nichol
External Communications and Sponsorship Manager
The Caravan Club
01342 336 797 / 07771 834 443
nikki.nichol@caravanclub.co.uk

Notes to editors

The National Motor Museum Trust at Beaulieu is a charitable organisation with an educational mission. Dedicated to preserving and promoting motoring history, it has Designated Collections of vehicles and associated items, many of which are displayed in the National Motor Museum. Large collections of motoring objects, images, documents and books are housed in the Collections Centre, located close to the Museum. The Caravan Club Collection has been hosted at the National Motor Museum Trust since 2006 under a partnership agreement. The Collection expands on the museum’s existing leisure motoring themed holdings.

For more information visit www.nationalmotormuseum.org.uk

Champions of the great outdoors, The Caravan Club represents the interests of over one million caravanners, motorhomers and trailer tent owners across the UK.

For further information about becoming a member of The Caravan Club please visit www.caravanclub.co.uk or call 01342 318813.