Indholdsfortegnelse for Summer 2018 i Practical Caravan

WRITE TO Letters, Practical Caravan, 1-10 Praed Mews, London W2 1QY EMAIL US AT letters@practicalcaravan.com JOIN OUR COMMUNITY AT facebook.com/ twitter.com/pcaravan instagram.com/practicalcaravan The contributors of our Star letter and Star photo each win a pair of Milenco Grand Aero towing mirrors, worth £50. They’re designed to fit all wing mirrors and offer an outstanding view. If you have a top tip, send it in for a chance to win four Milenco Stacka corner feet, worth £14. For further details and a list of retailers, visit www.milenco.com…

Over the next few issues, we’re running a competition to find your greatest campsite views. Pictured are some recent winners from our monthly ‘Your Photos’ round-up so you can see the kind of thing we’re after. Send us your stand-out snaps and we’ll put the top ones forward to be judged in our November issue, which goes on sale on 4 October. The winning entry will receive a Manfrotto Befree Advanced camera tripod worth £174.95, with a choice of lever leg locks or twist leg locks. What we’re looking for: send us your favourite shots from tours in the UK and abroad, together with the exact location and a sentence or two on why it’s your favourite view. To enter, and to view the terms and conditions, go to:…

Retro games Price £17.99 Web www.firebox.comKeep small fingers busy with a selection of 150 retro games, all on a small handset that won’t take up space in the van. In the net Price £19.99 Web www.JMLDirect.comThe FunSLINGER is a great way to get the family running about, with netted racquets to cover distances up to 200ft. Rolling along Price £33.18 Web www.amazon.co.ukPump up the colourful and durable Roller Wheel for hours of outdoor fun for the children. Driving seat Price £19.99 Web robertdyas.co.uk Keep the journey interesting with this toy steering wheel, so the kids can drive along with you. Creative kids Price £32.49 Web www.amazon.co.ukKeep the creativity flowing with the Anywhere Art Studio, all in this portable and lightweight kit.…

I like electricity, but we do have a solar panel, so I think we could cope without it. This week we are on a full-service pitch and it is lovely to just let the water run when we are brushing our teeth! Debbie Birch Prefer hook-up, think I’ve become a wuss in my old age. Do like a well-drained pitch, though. Hate muddy, waterlogged pitches. Richie Price Mainly off-grid for weekends, but for longer periods, it’s nice to have the electricity. I never use site toilet/shower, always use my own. Carole French A family room with a bath tub so I can wash my soap dodger properly – he’s terrified of showers. Trudi Michele Electric hook-up and good washroom facilities nearby because my wife has mobility issues. Apart from that,…

Part of Cornwall’s infamous history is that its many coves – the pretty village of Polperro, for example – were perfect for the smuggling trade. The dastardly deeds are recorded in Daphne du Maurier’s classic Jamaica Inn, published in 1936. Smuggling of one sort or another has existed since customs duties were established in the 13th century, but the ‘trade’ reached its peak during the 18th century. Bleak Bodmin Moor was taken advantage of as an unmonitored route, and the smugglers moved their contraband across the moor on their way upcountry for selling on. Jamaica Inn is infamous as a stop-off point for smugglers travelling this route, and steeped in tales of treachery, debauchery and scallywags. When I visited Cornwall, I crossed the moor to this wild spot – by…

Newquay Fish Festival 7-9 September Pick up some great tips on how to cook fish from Cornwall’s top chefs at this three-day festival in Newquay’s harbour. Bands, dancers and singers will be providing entertainment. Web www.newquayfishfestival.co.uk Falmouth Oyster Festival 11-14 October Some like them raw, others like them cooked – cookery demonstrations will help you decide over four days of feasting and music, with food, ale, wine and craft stalls, plus a boat race and shucking competition Web www.falmouthoysterfestival.co.uk The Little Orchard Cider & Music Festival 14-16 September Healey’s Cyder Farm in Penhallow hosts this festival, which features The Wurzels, among other bands. You can take your caravan, but there is no hook-up. Web www.cornwallciderfestival.co.uk…

IN THE PAST two years or so, our caravan has given us many happy memories. From fulfilling a long-held ambition to visit Switzerland, to reuniting with friends in Gloucestershire, Yorkshire and Ireland, to a holiday in Dorset inspired by a TV drama, all while allowing us to discover new sites in previously unvisited parts of the UK and beyond. But surprisingly, it had never been used in combination with my other hobby, scuba diving. A few days in early September gave me the chance to put that right. I had booked three days’ diving off the Northumberland coast, and previous experience has taught me that most of the accommodation available in the area consists of B&Bs, which are expensive, and hostels, which are uncomfortable. Having my own caravan offered the…

‘Many trees have been planted to keep Whitefield Forest connected to its ancient woodland roots’ AS WELL AS providing top-notch accommodation for caravanners, Whitefield Farm Touring Park boasts an interesting sideline: a bug hotel. Situated towards the end of its woodland walk, this wooden structure provides a natural habitat for beetles and other insects. Younger guests can get up close with this cornucopia on a 90-minute bushcraft session at Whitefield Farm: just one way of connecting with nature at this popular Isle of Wight site. Our Top 100 Sites winner for South-East England has topped this category – and many others – several times before. The site’s special ingredient, says co-owner Simon Glover, is blending informality with various influences that the owners have enjoyed on their own touring holidays. Like…

• Osborne House Queen Victoria’s Isle of Wight residence is an imposing pile near Cowes and a veritable time capsule of her happy marriage to Prince Albert. Round off your explorations by trying the Victorian menu in the Terrace Restaurant. www.english-heritage.org.uk • Isle of Wight Steam Railway Ride this charming preserved train line from Smallbrook Junction to Wootton, travelling in period rolling stock hauled by steam locomotives. Family all-day rover tickets start from just £29.iwsteamrailway.co.uk • Isle of Wight Zoo Get set for some animal adventures near Shanklin in a location that had a pivotal role in WWII. Children can collect animal stamps to win some sweet treats.isleofwightzoo.com • Tapnell Farm Park A fantastic day out for all the family on the west side of the island. There’s plenty to…

IT’S DIFFICULT TO think of a retro-styled caravan that needs to be given any added cool, but that’s the case with this season’s latest Eriba offering. Two new models were unveiled at last January’s CMT show in Stuttgart, both sporting colour-coded stying – blue for Ocean Drive and red for Rockabilly. There is already one Eriba manufacturer special edition this season, a ‘60 Edition’ that takes its place alongside other products in the Erwin Hymer Group portfolio to mark that company’s six decades in the leisure vehicle industry, but while the styling is pleasing, it’s a pretty sober execution. Rockabilly and Ocean Drive, on the other hand, are different propositions entirely, and it could be argued that they’ve been conceived to tempt noncaravanners into the market. Airstream travel trailers are…

Audi Q7 4.2 TDI Quattro S Line Tiptronic Year tested 2008 Price then £50,695 Price now £12,227 (07-plate, 80,000 miles) Kerbweight 2525kg 85% match 2146kg Maximum towing weight 3200kg Towball limit 130kg The Audi Q7 was a stand-out in 2008. Expensive? Yes. Thirsty? Yes. But for those with deep pockets and a big tourer, it made a superb tow car. Fuel bills won’t have shrunk since then, but the price tag has. According to What Car?, an 80,000-mile car would now set you back £12,227 – less than the list price of the cheapest Ford Fiesta. Clearly, you can’t expect Ford Fiesta running costs. Before parting with any cash, check for signs of over-ambitious off-roading (such as damage to the exhaust) and make sure all the electrics are working. Find…

DAN TRUDGIAN and his family are fairly new to touring, but have fallen for the lifestyle with their 2010 Lunar Clubman ES HERE WE ARE. The end of the series and the holiday. So now we’re looking at packing up the van and going home. The packing guidance in part 1 (June issue, p102) is also useful for loading the van, but there are a few extras to be mindful of. Clean up On your final day, any time spent cleaning the caravan will shorten the set-up time when you next go away. So clean the kitchen, wash up and put away the breakfast dishes. Now dust and vacuum the van. Power sources Make sure the van is switched off, including the water pump, lights, heating and hot water. Switch…

Vital statistics Price £16,850 Internal length 5.84m Overall length 7.37m Overall width 2.29m MiRO 1325kg Payload 172kg MTPLM 1497kg Kit list Al-Ko galvanised chassis AKS hitch stabiliser Alloy wheels/spare wheel Separate oven and grill Fridge/freezer Dual-fuel hob Alde wet central heating Electric-flush toilet CD/radio TV aerial Alarm Solar panel External barbecue point External mains socket…

Layout finder B This is a relatively new layout in the caravanning world, but one that’s proved popular: it combines the comfort of a fixed bed with practicality, because that bed can be retracted a short distance during the day. As a result, it’s much easier to access the rear washroom – which stretches across the whole of the rear of the caravan – during the day. The space eaten up by the washroom and fixed bed means that the lounge can be small, so check this if it’s important to you. Pros The fixed bed should be a good size, and comfortable. Plenty of room in the washroom Cons Guests sleeping up front will find it tricky to access the washroom at night A There will be room for…

ON THE LOOKOUT for a new caravan? If so, we can help! Just like our travel stories, expert reviews and advice, we reckon that our online classifieds are the best in the business – and now we’ve made them even better with a new search page that makes them even easier to use. So now you can read our review of your chosen caravan, watch the video, then find it online, making www.practicalcaravan.com the one-stop shop for all your touring needs. We already know that 50% of you access our website via mobile devices, so our classifieds are fully responsive — they will work just as well on your tablet or smartphone as they do on your desktop or laptop computer. We’ve worked hard to make these classifieds as easy…

Caravan and Motorhome Club Tel 01342 326 944 Web thecaravanclub.co.uk Camping and Caravanning Club Tel 024 7647 5448 Web thefriendlyclub.co.uk CRiS Tel 020 3282 1000 Web www.cris.co.uk Approved Workshop Scheme Web www.approvedworkshops.co.uk Caravan Storage Site Owners’ Association (CaSSOA) Tel 0843 216 5802 Web www.cassoa.co.uk Towsafe Web www.towsafe.co.uk DVLA Tel 0300 790 6801 Web www.dft.gov.uk/dvla Mobile Caravan Engineers Association (MCEA) Tel 01249 651 036 Web www.mobilecaravanengineers.co.uk…

Lost Gardens of Heligan The chance discovery and careful restoration of this lost estate has given visitors 200 glorious acres of subtropical gardens to explore, full of plants from around the world. There’s also the Victorian Productive Gardens and Pleasure Grounds, and a rich, intriguing history. Web www.heligan.com Trematon Castle Gardens The wonderful blend of romantic planting with the miniature medieval motte and bailey castle ruins is complemented by peaceful woodland and spectacular views of the Tamar Estuary. Web trematoncastle.com Hidden Valley Gardens The many areas of these small but lovely gardens make up a horticultural heaven. A huge variety has been packed into this three-acre cottage garden. Web www.hiddenvalleygardens.co.uk The Eden Project The famous biomes are just the start of an extraordinary, diverse collection of plants.…

A TOUR OF Cornwall means that you get to try some very special produce. Cream teas, Yarg cheese, stargazy pie, crab, hevva cake, Cornish fairings and pasties all say Cornwall. Oggy, oggy, oggy! Did you know that the Cornish pasty, or ‘oggy’, has Protected Geographical Indication status, which means that only the pasties baked in Cornwall can be called a Cornish pasty? It really is a must-try (unless you are vegetarian) when visiting the county. The pasty provided a substantial lunch for miners. The pastry parcel, which contains diced beef, onion, potato and turnip, is crimped at the top for easier handling. Today, the pasty and its many variations are available across the country. Visit Cornwall put out an appeal to followers on its Facebook page to find the makers…

1 Porthkerris, Cornwall Dive from the shore here to see the varied marine life, or take a boat trip to access wrecks and reefs Contact Porthkerris Divers, porthkerris.com Stay at Little Trevothan Camping and Caravan Park. https://littletrevothan.co.uk/ 2 Swanage, Dorset Easy dives can be taken below the pier, which attracts lots of marine life. Boat dives visit many shipwrecks, which lie in deeper water outside the bay. Contact Divers Down, diversdownswanage.co.uk Stay at Downshay Farm Campsite. www.downshayfarm.co.uk 3 Pembrokeshire, West Wales Skomer and Grassholm are famed for flora and fauna. Contact West Wales Dive Company, westwalesdivecompany.co.uk Stay at Meadow Rue Camping Site. campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk 4 Oban, Scotland Many divers are drawn to this area for the huge intact wrecks, reached by boat. Shallow dives from the shore offer sightings of a…

CONTACT Whitefield Forest Touring Park, Brading Road, Brading, Isle Of Wight PO33 1QJ Tel 01983 617 069 Web www.whitefield forest.co.uk Congratulations, but this isn’t your first award… Thank you. We’re very pleased that our customers have voted for us. It’s recognition for what we try to achieve and we’ll continue to develop the site to make sure our customers enjoy their holiday experience at Whitefield Forest Touring Park. What’s your particular magic formula? Providing what we would like and ensuring that we offer that to our customers. There are some key things – the most important of which are the toilets. If you’re going anywhere you want good-quality, clean facilities at all times, and we pride ourselves on that. We wrap all this up with our environment, with the…

1 A bay to remember Discover the beauty of Northumberland’s Heritage Coastline around Beadnell Bay, a perfect horseshoe of golden sand just waiting to be explored. The Camping and Caravanning Club’s Beadnell Bay site is perfectly placed for enjoying the golden sand dunes or watching out for the diverse birdlife. The beach is an ideal launch spot for watersports, too, including surfing, windsurfing and sailing. Don’t forget to take a boat tour to the Farne Islands to watch the colonies of seals. Web www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk 2 By the dunes The enormous stretch of Gwithian Beach is just 300 metres from Church Town Farm Caravan & Camping Site, which overlooks St Ives Bay. There are three miles of coastline here with several surf schools in Hayle, or head to the Hayle estuary.…

Industry seeks to avert compulsory registration THE NATIONAL Caravan Council (NCC) is lobbying the government to make changes to a Bill currently going through parliament, which it fears could lead to compulsory registration and even MOTs for tourers. The industry body says that despite reassurances from the government that it does not intend to make registration compulsory for the O2 trailer class, there is nothing in the Haulage Permits and Trailer Registration Bill that rules out registration becoming compulsory in the future. The Bill was going through the report stage in the House of Commons ahead of its third reading as this issue went to press. The government is also reviewing whether introducing an MOT system for such trailers would be appropriate. This is due to report in May next…

For a longer-term view of touring with an Eriba, we asked regular contributor and Touring Troll 550 owner Harvey Lyon for his thoughts Overall, we love the individual looks and compact size of an Eriba, but we travel as light as possible and are very organised. In our previous Eriba 430GT, Anna and I travelled for long periods around Europe with our son Ben when he was pre-school (it may have been a different story with a couple of children touring!). Why we love touring in an Eriba… The retro style and individual looks always bring a smile to people’s faces. It’s a European Airstream! You don’t need a large tow car for an Eriba – we had an Audi A2 diesel towing a Triton 430 a few years ago.…

No towing duties to log for our largest tow car this month, but having had the opportunity to drive it solo for a few hundred miles, we’ve been able to get better acquainted with this stylish and safe Swede. The V90 is an effortless motorway cruiser, so several of our team have reported actually arriving at a destination after long drives feeling pretty sharp, rather than tired and jaded. This was certainly the case with Phil Russell, our trusty but pampered photographer, when he rocked up at Hendra Holiday Park for this month’s live-in test (see p72). Driven solo with a full load of camera gear in the rear, Phil reported an economy figure just north of 50mpg, which he thought was impressive for a big car. Although it’s comfortable…

MATCHING A CAR and caravan can be difficult. With a plethora of weights, conflicting advice from websites and forums, and the added difficulty of licence restrictions depending on when you passed your driving test, it’s hard to know where you stand. One thing does seem simple, though. By law, your car can tow up to its legal towing limit. This maximum is published in brochures and handbooks, and can be double-checked on the vehicle’s VIN plate. (You take the first figure – gross vehicle weight – away from the second – gross train weight, to confirm the maximum the car can tow when fully loaded.) It would seem clearer to quote a towing limit for standard cooling and a second, higher, limit for a car fitted with uprated cooling Legal…

How much? £2000-£13,500 Earliest examples are coming up to eight years old now, and have had heavy depreciation from new, so you can pick one up for around £2000. Bear in mind that it’s likely to bear the scars of a reasonably hard life. Increasing the budget to around £5000 nets a 2014/15 car with a mileage south of 100k. Such cars tend to be in better condition, and will have spent the bulk of their lives on motorways. If your budget is £12,000 to £13,000, you’ll have the pick of the best cars, most with less than 30,000 miles. What will it tow? Kerbweight .......................... 1653kg 85% match...........................1360kg Towing limit ....................... 1400kg Noseweight limit ...................75kg How much is a towball? Witter flange towbar .....£142.20 Witter detachable towbar ............................................... £240.30…

TRADITIONAL TWO-BERTH caravans with twin front beds are normally equipped with a removable central chest of drawers underneath the front window. This provides a worktop with a pull-out coffee table, but we find the storage unnecessary and the unit gets in our way. However, it is convenient to have an accessible coffee table at sitting height and breakfast-in-bed height, and this avoids having to set up the full dining table when serving small meals for two. It takes a bit of courage to chop up a new caravan, but it is worth it for the convenience. If you’ve bought the optional wrap-around U-shaped seating cushions, these can still be deployed once the top table is folded down; we plan to use just the seat cushion, which will sit on top…

Vital statistics Price £18,995 Internal length 5.92m Overall length 7.49m Overall width 2.26m MiRO 1544kg Payload 156kg MTPLM 1700kg Kit list Al-Ko galvanised chassisAlloy wheels/spare wheelHeavy-duty steadiesOven/grill/dual-fuel hobFridge/freezerAlde wet central heatingElectric-flush toiletCD/radioTV aerialAlarmSolar panelWine bottle rackExternal gas & mains points…

Layout finder DD Island-bed layouts are, for many caravanners, the height of touring luxury – they offer a domestic-style sleeping area in which you don’t need to make up a bed from cushions each night. Elsewhere the floorplan can vary, but one popular variety is to have the washroom split across the van's central aisle. It usually means that the shower and toilet are separate: handy if there are two of you getting ready at the same time. Pros The island bed is as close to a domestic example as you can get. The lounge usually makes up into a second double Cons Split washroom areas might not be hugely spacious A You'll usually find lots of storage under the island bed B Check that the kitchen is large enough…

Layout finder AA End washrooms spread right acoss the back of the van are usually significantly more roomy than those that have to fit in down the side. That certainly tends to be the case in this layout. where they are also tucked away behind a French bed. Designers often take the oppturtunity this layout offers to provide you with an extra large wardrobe. But, as with all fixed bed layouts, make sure that what’s at the rear hasn’t led to a rather cramped front. Pros End washrooms tend to have large showers and plenty of room to get dressed Cons They can sometimes seem quite cut off from the rest of the caravan, particularly at night-time A End washroom windows can sometimes reveal too much! B Make sure there…

Awnings Porch Isabella Magnum 340 x 230, curtains, wheel arch cover, good condition, poles, £400 ono. Isabella Eclipse Sun canopy, £150 ono. Mrs Watson, Stockton-on-Tees. (07790 248 925) SunnCamp Air 390 plus Air Volution porch awning, inner stays, blue groundsheet, modular non-slip units, floor cover, pegs, various pump, all bagged, £250 ono. Mr Hair, Lancashire. (01253 822 729) Isabella Magnum awning, black/grey, fibreglass frame, poles, curtains, in bag, instructions, very good condition, breathable groundsheet, £250. Mr Mortimer, Devizes, Wiltshire. (01380 501 596) Isabella Minor porch, size 260 x 200, colour grey, Carbon X frame, curtains included, very good condition, £300 ono, buyer collects. Mr Tarrant, Reading, Berks. (07894 850 950) Two Isabella annexe extensions, with inner tents, metal poles, colour grey, £60, cash only. Mr Parnell, Tiverton. (07702 488 810)…

1 Flying high Look to the skies for fantastic displays at the 11th annual Bournemouth Air Festival and enjoy the entertainment with an ice cream in hand. Date 30 August-2 September Web www.bournemouthair.co.uk Stay at St Leonards Farm Park Web www.stleonardsfarmpark.com 2 Seaside special Head to the bustling promenade for Spittal Seaside Festival’s live entertainment, donkey rides, sandcastle competitions and more. Date 10-12 August Web www.spittalisgreat.co.uk Stay at Berwick Seaview Caravan and Motorhome Club Site Web www.caravanclub.co.uk 3 Folk and more Sidmouth Folk Week promises concerts, ceilidhs, storytelling, workshops and crafts. Date 3-10 August Web www.sidmouthfolkweek.co.uk Stay at Salcombe Regis Camping & Caravan Park Web www.salcombe-regis.co.uk 4 Northern Irish fare Portavogie Sea Food Festival offers artisan food, cooking demonstrations and family fun. Date 11 August Web www.visitardsandnorthdown.com/events/portavogie-sea-food-festival Stay at Ballywhiskin Caravan & Camping…

Grub’s up! Price £14.99 Web temptationgifts.com Summer is the time to get out the barbecue, but when you’re on the road, it is easy to forget to pack all of the tools you need for perfectly cooked meat. However, it’s easy to avoid this if you invest in the Thumbs Up 5-in-1 BBQ Multi-Tool Kit. This sturdy tool includes a spatula, marinade brush and large fork – all you need for the perfect burger, chicken drumstick and kebab, as well as a bottle opener and corkscrew, so you can enjoy your favourite tipple, too. This keeps all of the tools in one place, and has a case to keep the tough stainless steel from scratching anything else. All you need to do now is pack your barbecue! BS Sitting comfortably…

• Gary Richardson A visit to Land’s End is worth making, especially if you’re like me and have been to John O’Groats as well. A souvenir photo by the famous signpost is a must, too. • Judy D Payne Pentewan Sands is a fantastic place to be. I first came here with my parents, when I was eight years old. There are lovely coastal walks, with Mevagissey only 1.5 miles away. The Lost Gardens of Heligan are a couple of miles away, with beautiful plants and a farm shop. There’s a pop-up fish and chip shop on the harbour, run by locals. Fowey is not far, with its winding streets, and don’t forget Charlestown, where TV drama Poldark is filmed. • Steven Breach Try ‘The Lookout on the Quay’ in…

In 40 years of camping this is the best site we have been to in the UK. Big, flat pitches, immaculate facilities block, designed to encourage the wildlife… Yes, we saw red squirrels! We have visited this site for many years. It’s a tranquil, relaxing place, with spacious pitches and impeccable facilities. We love it here, and wouldn’t stay at any other site on the island. This site is the best we have visited for a long time. Owners are the best and nothing is too much trouble. It is like staying with your best friends. The site is fantastic and is kept very clean. Lovely forest setting. Friendly and helpful owners. Excellent amenities, plenty of hot water. Good for buses. Large pitches, lots of wildlife, including red squirrels.…

Prümtal-Camping The site is in a small village, alongside the River Prüm, and has a fabulous restaurant, outdoor swimming pool and superb facilities. The new washblock has some of the finest facilities you’re likely to encounter. They also cater for larger outfits and motorhomes. We paid 25 euros for a large riverside pitch. Web www.pruemtal.de Lech Camping The site was easy to find and handy for an overnight stop. The facilities and restaurant were excellent. Across the road was a large supermarket, and turning right out of the site, a fuel station 300 yards away, which was 25 cents per litre cheaper than the motorway services. We paid 25 euros for a pitch with hook-up. Web www.lech-camping.de Seecamping Berghof Spectacular lakeside views, and the facilities and restaurant are very good.…

Marquis Surrey officially reopened The Mayor of Guildford, Mike Parsons (above, centre), recently cut the ceremonial ribbon to declare Marquis Leisure’s 12th branch, at Gomshall in Surrey, officially open. Now known as Marquis Surrey, the depot, formerly called Michael Jordan Caravans, has had its offices substantially refurbished and now offers customers an extensive range of Coachman, Lunar and Caravelair caravans. Kampa singled out for high performance Awnings and accessories supplier Kampa has been included in the London Stock Exchange’s latest list of ‘1000 Companies to Inspire Britain’. To qualify for the listing, companies had to show consistent revenue over a period of at least three years, significantly outperforming their industry peers.…

Construction Tubular steel frame overlaid with aluminium skin (sidewalls 28mm; roof 26mm). Galvanised tubular frame chassis. Sandwich construction floor (35mm) External equipment Two front windows and single-piece rear window, all double-glazed. Gas bottle locker. Chrome finish grabhandles to front and rear. Double-glazed side windows. One-piece door with flyscreen and security lock. Steel wheels with chrome hubcaps. Mud flaps. Corner steadies. Steel spare wheel and carrier Heating Truma S3002 Trumatic space heater Lounge/bedroom Grand Oak cabinetwork with metal handles to overhead lockers. Stain guard protection on all soft furnishings. Imitation leather dinette seating. Scatter cushions. Deep-pile carpet. LED lighting. Blinds and flyscreens to all windows Kitchen Two-burner hob. Dual-fuel 70-litre fridge with ice box. Circular sink with cover Washroom Sink with vanity unit. Bench toilet. Mirror. Opaque window Safety and security…

First drive Mitsubishi Shogun Sport Remember the Shogun Sport? Mitsubishi sold 18,500 in the UK from 2000 to 2007. It has now resurrected the name for its latest SUV. It’s a more modern car, but has some things in common with the old one. Both are proper 4x4s, not beefed-up road cars that will run out of ability crossing anything tougher than damp grass. The new model has a low-ratio gearbox, locking centre and rear differentials, and a terrain control system with four settings to tweak the car for different surfaces. With hill descent control and a 700mm wading depth, it will take you just about anywhere you might want to go, as we found driving on a very demanding off-road course. Towing away from a muddy pitch isn’t going…

1 Does it have a towball? On the face of it, finding a used car with a towball is a definite win. It saves you the time and trouble of having one retrofitted. But if you are buying a car privately from another caravanner, just check that the caravan they’ve been towing is a sensible match for the car and won’t have caused excessive strain on the transmission. 2 Does the clutch slip? If the engine revs without accelerating immediately after changing gear, or if you notice a burning smell from the clutch, or if the clutch engages right at the top of the pedal travel, it’s likely the clutch is excessively worn and could soon need replacing. 3 Manual or auto? The decision between manual and automatic gearbox is…

CARAVANNING IS A great way to enjoy the great outdoors; however, occasionally things can go wrong. Back in 2013, we were new to caravanning and hadn’t prepared for every eventuality. Our sporty son (then aged seven) was playing a harmless game of football in bare feet when his sister came in with a tackle and dislocated his toe. I ran around like a headless chicken, not knowing what to do, but my more composed husband stepped in and located the nearest hospital. Luckily, our son was seen quickly and we got back in time for a barbecue. The moral of this story: make sure you know where to find emergency contact information when arriving on site. What follows are some of the things to be aware of, but remember, every…

Alistair Duncan has been brought up with tourers, ever since his parents began selling caravans in the early 70s. Then Ci dealers, the company grew over the years, yet retained their customers’ loyalty. Alistair always carries a good selection of used models, as well as stocking Bailey, Swift, Sprite and Eccles. “We also have our value-for-money deale special, based on Sprite. With a big shop, showroom and camping side, we cover the outdoors and customers keep coming back to us,” he says. Address Wishaw Road, Wishaw, Lanarkshire ML2 8ES Te l 01698 374 224 Web www.duncancaravans.co.uk…

Meet the dealers Don Amott Leisure Don Amott Leisure has been a fixture on the caravan scene for more than half a century, although it is about to become a dealer in used caravans only. As well as having a huge range of used models for sale, the dealer’s NCCapproved workshop contains no fewer than 24 bays, and is a registered MOT testing centre. There’s also a huge camping accessories shop on site, and if you need somewhere to store your caravan, that’s no problem, either, as Don Amott also has a CaSSOAregistered caravan storage facility. Managing director John Broderick says that the close-knit family ethos of the business, which has seen many employees stay with it for over 25 years, is a factor in its continuing success. Egginton Road,…

Meet the dealers Dyce Caravans Aberdeen-based Dyce Caravans is very much a family affair, being run by the Cumming family, who are all really committed caravanners, as are many of the staff. Having initially started as a storage site, it expanded into used caravan sales in 1987. New caravans arrived in 1989 with the Bailey franchise. Nowadays, alongside Bailey you will also find Elddis, Buccaneer and Coachman – and Dyce’s Coachman Vision-based Highlander dealer special editions. There’s also an accessory and awning shop and a six-bay NCC-approved workshop. The company even offers mobile servicing. Sales director Kenneth Cummings says Dyce has customers from all over, even as far as Cornwall. Pitmedden Road, Dyce AB21 0EY Web www.dycecaravans.co.uk Layout finder J End-kitchen two-berths seemed to be on the way out a…

Kerbweight As defined by EU Directive 95/48/EC, the car or other vehicle’s weight with a 90% full fuel tank, all necessary fluids, 68kg for the driver and 7kg of luggage. This is the figure used to calculate a tow car match GTW Gross train weight – the maximum allowable combined weight of the towing vehicle and the caravan, as specified by the manufacturer of the towing vehicle Hook-up A cable connection to the mains electrical supply at a campsite. Provides power to mains sockets and appliances Maximum towing limit The greatest weight a car may legally tow, as specified by the manufacturer of the towing vehicle MiRO Mass in running order – the caravan’s weight, with all factory-fitted equipment, when it leaves the factory. MiRO replaces the old terms ‘ex-works…

NORMALLY, MY COLUMNS for this magazine are not serious, but this one is. I need to save you from a potentially costly trap into which even I, a seasoned journalist and man of the world, nearly fell. It all started with the realisation that our trusty 16-year-old caravan was reaching the end of its useful life and needed replacing. The wear and tear of three dogs, four guinea pigs, three hamsters and two kids had taken their toll. So we set off on the merry hunt for a secondhand replacement. Scouring the internet, our eyes were drawn to a ‘bargain’ 2016 Sprite Major, on sale for just under £10,000. A quick glance at comparables suggested that this was £3000 to £4000 less than the average for a similar caravan. The…