NEWLY formed company Victory Leisure Homes, run by former Cosalt executives and backed by prominent East Yorkshire industrial business JR Rix, moved into the former Cosalt site at Stoneferry Road in Hull in April and less than three months later the company’s first caravan holiday-homes rolled off the production line.

One of these was the Vermont, an entry level product for the UK market, and I viewed a pre-production prototype; there may be some minor changes to production models.


LOBBY

A double-glazed side door leads into a small lobby with a cupboard for the ‘C’ grade boiler and some neat coat hooks on the wall. There’s even a space to leave muddy shoes, etc under the hooks, on the practical vinyl plank-effect floor covering. The lobby leads to the carpeted hall with the bedrooms and shower room to the right and the open-plan day area to the left.


LIVING

Situated at the front end of the home, the living area had a domestic-style, free-standing L-shaped sofa, which converts to a double bed. The light colour scheme – aqua blue and beige curtains with matching scatter cushions – really did, I think, complement the darker carpet, sofa and matching chairs in the dining area.

The windows across the front and side elevations allow plenty of light to enter the living area and there is a three-quarter-height window behind the dining table.

The focal point of this area is the black and stainless steel gas fire with a large rectangular mirror above it. The cupboard under the TV shelf for the DVD player, etc had a neat, bi-fold, space-saving door, but there was little more storage space other than a shelf to the left of the fireplace.


KITCHEN

When you exit the entrance lobby, straight ahead is a U-shaped kitchen with the same easy-to-care-for floor. To the right, a four burner cooker with oven and separate grill has a small splashback on the wall at the rear, with an extractor fan as standard equipment.

The granite-style worktops with an upstand looked good against the light oak-coloured cabinets, which have the grain running horizontally. There were four eye-level cupboards, five base units and one drawer.

The single sink and drainer is under the window – and it’s a decent sized window at that, with a horizontal blind, too. There was one double power point and one single above the worktop.


MASTER

Turning right from the lobby, at the end of the hall is the master bedroom, with a 4ft 6in double bed and padded headboard, shelves each side, wall-mounted corner cupboard and two overbed lights that are independently switched.

A dressing table sits right under the window – and I’d be concerned that I’d sweep items to the floor when closing or opening the curtains. I’ve raised this with the the company and suggested a nice lined Roman style blind instead.

There was a half-height wardrobe to the left of the dressing table with a good sized cupboard under it. I would suggest fitting a couple of pull-out baskets on runners to make the most of this space. I thought the storage unit under the seat was a good idea – somewhere for the dirty laundry perhaps?

The main wardrobe unit had an upper shelf and two drawers in it and houses the RCD box and amplifier for optional TV socket fitted into the model I viewed. The two hooks on the wall above the radiator I thought were well positioned and great to ensure a warm dressing gown on a chilly summer morning!

There’s no room for a full en-suite shower room, but a washbasin and lavatory are fitted snugly in and, despite the bedroom’s dimensions, the door opens almost 180°


TWIN

The second bedroom had 2ft 3ins twin beds. It isn’t possible to put them to-gether to create a double as there was a fixed shelf unit between the beds, but this may not bother you. As in the master, there were wall-mounted corner cupboards over the beds. At first glance it appeared there were no drawers, but on opening the single wardrobe door, there they were, two of them, and a shelf, too.


SHOWER

The shower room is carpeted – and I’m not keen on carpet in a room with a bath, shower or lavatory; surely it’s much easier to mop up spills and splashes from a vinyl type of floor covering?

The one-piece moulded shower pod had a sliding door and plenty of space for the essentials, and there was a cupboard under the semi-sunk washbasin. In the model I saw, you’d have difficulty combing your hair, but a mirror over the basin will be fitted in production models.


OUR VERDICT

The Victory Vermont is a light and spacious looking caravan holiday home, good value for money and ideal for a first purchase. The light oak effect furniture is modern and practical. Carpet with underlay is fitted to the living area and bedrooms and the curtains, which I thought were good quality, are all lined and hang with eyelets on chrome poles.

The living area has limited storage for all those possessions that you need around you on holiday, and you may find that you need to use the space under the beds to best advantage.




Technical details
• Type: Single unit caravan holiday home
• Standard: BS EN 1647
• Size: 36ft x 12ft
• Bedrooms: 2

Other versions
• 36ft x 12ft Vue, 2-bed; 38ft x 12ft 3-bed

Main features
• End living area
• Low energy lighting throughout
• Vaulted ceilings
• Reticulated aluminium exterior finish and steel pantile roof
• Domestic external gutters and downpipes
• Lagged pipes and 28mm wall insulation
• Steel chassis
• Galvanised corner steadies and front and rear tow bars.

Selected options
• Fridge
• Microwave
• Double glazing
• Central heating

Room sizes
Please note: all dimensions are approximate only.
• Living area 10ft 9in x 11ft 9in
• Kitchen/dinette 7ft 8in x 11ft 9in
• Master bedroom/en-suite 8ft x 11ft 9in
• Second bedroom 9ft 4in x 5ft 7in
• Shower room 6ft x 3ft 8in

Price
£24,982 ex-works (inc VAT)


CONTACT

VICTORY LEISURE HOMES, Stoneferry, Kingston upon Hull, East Yorkshire HU8 8EH. Tel: 01482 822822 Email: [email protected] Web: www.victoryleisurehomes.co.uk


This review was published in the January 2010 issue of Park & Holiday Homes magazine. To order our latest issue please click here.


Park & Holiday Homes magazine offers reprints of all homes and parks we've reviewed in our magazine. If you would like to see a particular review from a previous issue please print off the form found here click here.