Full review

The new Elddis Osprey range, with a £200-plus package of extras and an exclusive fabric scheme, has a very special mission quite apart from appealing to buyers of touring caravans.

The range, named after the magnificent, huge fish-eating bird of prey that was once extinct in the UK, celebrates the reintroduction of the species to Britain. And every buyer of an Elddis Osprey caravan will be presented with a celebration limited edition print; a fine-detail painting of a pair of nesting ospreys.

Ospreys are made to the specification of Raymond James Caravans of Atherstone in Warwickshire. There are seven models in the range: A two-berth with a rear shower room, three six-berths, and three caravans with fixed beds, specifically designed to appeal to couples. One of these has twin single beds and two have fixed double beds. These are the 550, with the bed at the rear, and the transverse island bed 554. We picked the 554 as an example of the Osprey rang for this review because its layout is fast becoming Britain’s most popular one for couples.

The package of extras that distinguishes Ospreys features an exclusive upholstery scheme, along with additional equipment amounting in value to £2271.

The extras include an AL-KO Secure wheel lock, a gas barbecue point, an exterior mains socket, exterior access to an under-settee locker, and an external cold-water shower, ideal for washing mud off boots. 

Ospreys also have an external outlet for the blown-air heating system, to direct warmed air into your awning, and a light inside the gas bottle locker where there’s also an automatic gas cylinder changeover system.

The long list of extras also features an upgraded awning light, and an offside light so that you can see clearly when you refill your water container after dark.

Elddis Ospreys are also distinguished from the Avanté models on which they’re based by unique graphics, and larger roof lights, plus heavy-duty corner steadies complete with big-foot load spreaders.

The Osprey story is an interesting one. The bird after which the new range was named is the fourth rarest bird of prey in Britain. They can now be seen in Scotland, Wales, Leicestershire and in the Lake District.

This special-edition caravan specifically celebrates the return of the Osprey to one of those regions, the Lake District.

For 15 years the Lake District Osprey Project has been working to establish Ospreys here. In 2001 a nest platform was built overlooking Bassenthwaite Lake, which is a National Nature Reserve. A pair of ospreys took to the platform and nested, successfully rearing one chick. These were the first wild Ospreys to breed in the Lake District for over 150 years.

The limited edition print which every purchaser of an Osprey caravan receives celebrates the new range’s launch and also the conservation work in the Lake District.