Welcome to the (slightly shorter than normal) December edition and we wish you all season's greetings. Don't worry, it will all be over soon.
Joking aside (pass the humbugs) we do wish everyone a merry and peaceful Christmas and safe and healthy New Year.
This is traditionally a quiet time at Crossings' HQ. There are no more tours now until next year and all of the exhibitions are done and dusted for the year. We like to go and re-introduce ourselves to the grand-children, watch everything we missed on Netflix and plan for the year ahead.
With that in mind we have been putting together the list of exhibitions we will be doing next year. See later. Also, as a teaser, the New Year will be bringing some new tours for 2024 and some new tour leaders. Keep an eye on the January edition for that one.
2023 will soon be here and it's not too late to book for a tour next year. 2023 is shaping up to be a great year - exceeding pre-pandemic levels. Although we are busy, there are still spaces up for grabs. See below for details about our early bird offers and reserve lists below.
As usual we have another great one-pot recipe and the motorhome/travel tip this month is about preparing your van for the winter.
2023 Tours - Early Bird and Waiting Lists
Our Early Bird Offers end on 31st December 2022, Booking this month will save you £100 off all tours. Most of our tours are now full but we do have limited availability on Sweden and on both of our French Tours. If you are interested, please book soon. Please note that the Early Bird Price is always our best price - we never do late deals.
All of our other tours are now at the waiting list stage. We do have reserve spaces come up from time to time where people have to cancel. To get onto the reserve list, simply fill in a booking form for the desired tour. If a space comes up we will contact you immediately. There is no commitment to take the space as we realise that you may have made alternative plans while you were waiting.
If you are interested in travelling with us in 2023, the best bet is to give us an email or call and we can talk you through the options.
2023 Exhibition Schedule
We love a motorhome show. It is a great place for us to meet existing and potential customers and for you to decide whether you want to spend 16 to 25 days in our company!
So far, we are confirmed for the following shows with more to be added later:
Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show at the NEC.
21st -26th February. Please note that you have to buy your tickets in advance for the show. This is anticipated to be another big show with expected visitor numbers approaching 100,000.
The Yorkshire Motorhome and Campervan Show at Harrogate. 17th -19th March. A really cracking venue with indoor and outdoor stalls and only a couple of miles from Harrogate town centre.
The Norfolk Motorhome and Campervan Show in Norwich.
21st - 23rd July 2023. One of our favourites as the sun always shines (not contractually binding) and the locals are sooo friendly!
The Western Motorhome and Campservan Show. Malvern.
18th - 20th August 2023. By far the most scenic location with the Malvern Hills as a backdrop.
The Motorhome and Caravan Show. NEC.
17th - 22nd October 2023. Quite simply the biggest and best show in the UK. New models, hundreds of stands and famous (ish) people.
Coq au Van (the amusingly titled recipe feature)
Beef Rissoles
Ingredients
1 onion, grated
50g panko breadcrumbs
400g beef mince
1 courgette, trimmed and grated
1 carrot, grated
1 egg, beaten
1 garlic clove, crushed or finely grated
2 tsp dried mixed herbs
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp vegetable oil
peas and mash, to serve (optional)
Method
STEP 1 Mix all the ingredients, except the oil, together into a large bowl with 2 tsp each salt and pepper. Use your hands to make sure everything is well combined. Shape the mince mixture into 14-16 balls, then flatten into small burger-like patties and chill for 15 mins, if you have time (this helps the patties hold their shape).
STEP 2 Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium-low heat and, once hot, fry the rissoles for 3-4 mins, then flip and fry for 3-4 mins more until cooked through. (You may need to do this in batches.) When ready, they should ready 65C on a meat thermometer. Serve with peas and mash, if you like.
Motorhoming Tips
This months' tips are seasonal and are all about preparing your van for winter. We don't do that much to ours to be honest...
The most important thing you need to do before the first big freeze, is to get rid of all the water in your tanks and pipes. You need to drain your gray water and your fresh water, Make sure you empty the boiler (by opening the frost valve) and run the taps after everything is empty to ensure there is nothing left in the pipes. Also, make sure the loo is empty.
Ideally, you will keep a charge running to your vehicle and lesiure batteries throught the winter. I do this through the solar panel but you might do it by hooking up.
We leave our blinds in the down position (I can feel the emails coming in already). This might sound odd, but it is when the blinds are up that you lose all the springiness in your springs that make the blinds go up and down! Also, any winter sun will get a bit of heat into your motorhome to minimise that horrible cold, damp feeling.
From time to time during the winter, we either use our van, or go and fire everything up. This way you shouldn't get any nasty surprises when it comes out of storage in the Spring.
Keep in touch
Please feel free to contact us at any time. When we are away, calls will bounce to our mobiles at no expense to yourself.
