Indholdsfortegnelse for March 2019 i Practical Motorhome

Way to go We drove to Dover, then from Calais across northern France, turning south through Germany to Austria and north-east Italy. Then south, crossing to Salerno and taking the ferry to Catania in Sicily. We drove anticlockwise around the Sicilian coast before returning to Salerno, then north to the Alps and from Lyon, to Cherbourg. Where we stayed • Camping la Chênaie, Laon Web camping-aisne.fr • Campingplatz Siersburg Web campingplatz-siersburg.de • Odenwald Camping Park, Neckar Web odenwald-camping-park.de • Azur Rosencamp Sonnenbühl Web azur-camping.de • Aktiv Camping Prutz Web aktiv-camping.at • Campeggio Bella Italia, Peschiera del Garda Web camping-bellaitalia.it • Camping Green, San Mauro Mare Web campinggreen.it • Campsite Eurcamping, Roseto degli Abruzzi Web eurcamping.it • Campsite Il Vecchio Mulino, Opi Web campingvecchiomulino.it • Campsite Dei Pini, Paestum Web campingvillaggiodeipini.com…

Tell us a bit about your regular customers! It varies, but some have been coming back here for many years. We see lots of backpackers with tents; they say they feel quite safe here because the site is very welcoming. We get a lot of people in motorhomes, too, following the North Coast 500 route. The split is very much 50/50 for caravans and motorhomes, depending on the time of year. Most UK visitors are members of the Caravan and Motorhome Club; this is an affiliated site. Do you get many visitors coming from abroad? We are promoted by the ACSI scheme, so we see a lot of European visitors, many from Germany. – they tend to travel on motorbikes, sometimes in groups of five or six at a time,…

CLAUDIA DOWELL “The amount of technical equipment that you get in this ’van is amazing. It also offers a really flexible layout – I love the fact that you can choose whether to have one large double bed, or a pair of singles.” SARAH WAKELY “Our Motorhome of the Year judges were wowed by this ’van, and for good reason – it has such a clever layout, and you’ll love the kitchen if you enjoy cooking. The coffee maker is just one of many neat little touches that Auto-Sleepers has added.” PETER BABER “The rear kitchen in the Symbol Plus is something you would never expect to find in a van conversion. You could do some serious entertaining using it, rather than just assembling pre-packaged food and shoving it in…

Marquis’s success with Spanish-built Benimar continues apace. Not content with becoming one of the UK’s top-selling brands in just three years, for this season, the dealership has worked with the manufacturer (both subsidiaries of the Trigano Group) to produce the new Primero line-up. This UK-only, entry-level range – four models under £50,000 – seems tempting. But how does it fare in reality? The Primero 301 is similar to the Mileo 301, in having an overcab bed for the kids, and a rear transverse bed. The overcab is not unduly bulbous – it’s just visible at the top of the windscreen in the standard Fiat Ducato cab. But unlike the Mileo, that transverse bed cannot be moved up and down to provide extra garage space. However, you might squeeze one bicycle…

Most motorhomes use LPG; it is a very useful commodity. In our ’van, we use it for cooking, heating and hot water. Some people use it as fuel for a generator and, if your motorhome has a petrol engine, it can be converted to run on LPG. LPG stands for liquefied petroleum gas, a by-product in the oil industry. However, LPG is not a single gas: the term covers a range of gases, all derived from oil. Propane and butane are the two types used in motorhomes and caravans. In Calor cylinders, butane is the blue one and propane the red. Butane has a slightly higher calorific value than propane, which means it contains more energy per unit volume; but it has a major drawback, in that its boiling point…

Let’s face it, riding a bike is so much better when you have a helping hand in the power department, whether that’s in the form of a long downhill stretch, or a tailwind. But this isn’t particularly practical, especially when you’re touring somewhere both hilly and windy. The solution? An ebike, of course. Ignore what the naysayers might tell you – even if you’re as fit as the proverbial fiddle, riding an ebike is one of the best experiences out there. This way, you get all of the advantages of cycling, as you might expect, with the benefit of a little extra leg help when you need it. There are also very few downsides, other than the higher price tag (over an equivalent bike) and a bit of weight gain:…

Time for another U-turn, and on this occasion, it concerns the desirability of fitting a gas tank. For some years I have espoused the virtues of fitting refillable cylinders as opposed to gas tanks. ‘Essential kit’ (aka ‘junk’, according to my wife Flora) changed my mind. Our last motorhome had loads of exterior-access lockers. Add a huge payload and my propensity to acquire kit ‘just in case’, and we quickly arrive at an over-comprehensive inventory. Our new ’van’s shorter length wasn’t the real problem: our difficulties lay in the fact that the Advance arrived with only one exterior-access locker – and we already had plans for filling that! The solution? Fitting an underfloor tank would free up storage space in the surprisingly big gas cylinder locker. However, the desire to…

1 2008 (58) KNAUS SUN TI 650 MF £31,995 German giant Knaus had some success with Renault, marrying the Master to some stylish, coachbuilt bodies – although today, the Sun Ti is Fiat-based. Inside, the 650 MF majors on a rear French bed with washroom alongside. Standard equipment level is high – stretching to a TV, heat exchanger, overcab sunroof and more. It has a clutch of extras, too, such as the reversing camera and awning. Its 2.5-litre engine has done some 56,000 miles, and it’s all covered by the Emm-Bee Gold warranty. DEALER Emm-Bee Motorhomes: emm-bee.co.uk 2 2006 (55) BÜRSTNER DELFIN T680 £25,995 Bürstner also enjoyed a good run with Renault for the best part of a decade, producing stylish coachbuilts that were ‘anglicised’ in terms of their equipment.…

Lowdhams’ reputation is for an extensive, often changing portfolio of imported marques, although it will always point to its role as a key retailer for UK brands Bailey and Swift (including its special editions for the latter), and Summit, now giving it a foothold in the campervan market. It has developed long-established ties with many imports – for example, it was the first UK agent for Germany’s Dethleffs (hence my Super Saver on p102). It shouldn’t be a surprise, either, to hear that the firm’s first motorhome franchise (Buccaneer) dates back to 1996, some 30 years after it set up in business as a caravan retailer. But it’s not just about the franchises at Lowdhams. Massive recent investment on the aftersales side at both branches has seen it expand to…

Long ago, when history was being made in the land now called Germany, kings, prince bishops and counts built castles and ostentatious palaces. Towns grew up around these castles and palaces, but it was a turbulent time and over the next few centuries, there were many wars and conflicts. To protect the towns, fortifications were built, some still to be seen today. Jump forward to more modern times, just after World War II, and Germany’s fledgling tourist industry decided to link these towns together on a route they called the Romantic Road. This runs from Würzburg, in the centre of Germany, to Füssen, on the Austrian border. We decided to follow the road from north to south. We started our trip at Wertheim, a dozen kilometres west. We were not…

Cornwall, Devon, the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales: among the most celebrated places to camp in Britain. We visit them in our droves. But what about Bradford – or perhaps Brentwood? Not on your camping sat nav? They might be now. We’ve found 10 alternatives you might like to add to your motorhome tours this summer. 1 Bradford, West Yorkshire Why? The official Curry Capital of Britain, but it’s not just about ordering lamb balti and poppadoms. Bradford’s architecture is striking, linked to its fascinating history as a textile town. Little Germany is a notable area of today’s city, where 85 buildings constructed for German textile merchants between 1855 and 1890 remain, of which 55 are listed. Cartwright Hall, in the magnificent grounds of Lister Park, is the city gallery,…

■ ‘We love the layout of pitches, as well as the cleanliness of the site and facilities. Friendly and helpful wardens. Location good for shops and walks.’ ■ ‘Well laid out. Very clean. Good facilities and friendly staff.’ ■ ‘Well-managed site, super-pitches, immaculate toilet block; helpful and friendly staff.’ ■ ‘This is our new favourite campsite!’ ■ ‘Well-presented, first-rate toilet facilities. Staff are welcoming and helpful. The site is central for lots of activities, which would suit a host of abilities and interests. Walks to suit everyone and, as a dog-owner, I had plenty of options for walks with the dog. Really impressive!’ ■ ‘Very clean, with friendly wardens. Beautiful grounds and gardens. Fish and chip van on site some evenings.’ ■ ‘Site in pristine condition, really friendly staff.’…

In an ideal world, ’van manufacturers would work out which models and layouts have sold the most, and why, then put the best bits from each together to make a world-beater. This idea seems to have informed Auto-Sleepers in creating the Symbol Plus. The new model takes the L-shaped kitchen and rear washroom from the Stanway, and adds it to the Symbol’s front lounge. Auto-Sleepers’ customers liked the rear layout in the Stanway, but weren’t taken by its front lounge – one reason why it has been discontinued. So the thinking is that you enjoy the front lounge from the Symbol, with its side-facing sofa and nearside forward-facing travel seat, tacked to the Stanway’s rear, on the 6m, long-wheelbase Peugeot Boxer. It certainly appealed to our Motorhome of the Year…

Let’s hear it for the short stuff. It’s only in recent years, after all, that 6m has been considered a ‘normal’ length for a van conversion. The 540 is the smallest in the Cliff range from Sunlight, at 5.41m. It’s not all change for 2019, but it has been spruced up and specified down. Previously, models were slightly quirky in their offerings (such as the larger, 120-litre fuel tank), so some subtle changes mean a lower starting price than last year. However, there’s a bit of ‘buyer beware’ here. It starts at an eye-catching £37,499, but there are three package options: Basic, Chassis and Chassis Comfort. You’ll need to research these for yourselves, but you might end up deciding that at least two are essential. The example we’re looking at,…

Price...................................................................... £61,325 Berths...................................................................................3 Belts.......................................................................................4 Base vehicle............................................ Fiat Ducato Engine.............................. 2.3 litre, 130bhp, Euro 6 Length...................................................................... 7.50m Width.......................................................................2.30m Height......................................................................2.85m MTPLM................................................................3500kg Payload....................................................................436kg…

Kits for converting to electric Want to make your normal bike go a bit faster? Here are the best ways to turn your steed into a speed machine GeoOrbital Its looks are a bit Marmite, but the GeoOrbital can give you e-power in just 60 seconds by swapping your front wheel with the GeoOrbital one. However, with a 500W power rating, it’s not yet legal in the UK. Price $995 Web geoo.com OXYDrive F-series If you’re looking for a more traditional conversion, the OXYdrive F-series comes with a 468Wh battery that attaches to the frame’s downtube, a 250W front-hub motor and an LCD display enabling you to control its six levels of assistance. All in, it weighs 6.9kg. Price £699 Web oxydrive.co.uk Swytch Although Swytch is still in the Kickstarter…

■ Autogas 38-litre tank: £251.53 ■ Al-Ko fitting kit: £141.00 ■ Truma horizontal Mono Control, Autogas filler, LED gauge and sender unit, lever ball shut-off valves, armoured gas piping: £237.85 ■ Labour: £250.00 ■ Bullfinch BBQ point and fittings: £47.73 (+ labour if not fitted with tank) Total project price £928.01 (inc VAT) Fitting by Dave Newell Leisure Vehicle Services, Unit P, Courtworks Industrial Estate, Bridgnorth Road, Tweedale, Telford TF7 4JB Tel 01952 587 702 Web https://davenewell.co.uk…

Auto-Sleepers is the UK’s oldest volume builder. It has endured because of an unrivalled pedigree in building panel van conversions. Fit and finish are excellent, and the firm’s direct-to-the-customer spares back-up is superb. Harmony was launched on the previous Boxer incarnation which, in the UK, was badged as Talbot Express. It was so successful that it transferred to the new Boxer on its release for the 1995 model year. Fascia gearchange is now ubiquitous, but it was these SEVEL underpinnings that pioneered and popularised it. Ford, Mercedes, and to a lesser extent, Renault, spent a long time playing catch-up. It was also the first motorhome chassis to offer PAS (power-assisted steering) as standard on all right-hand-drive models. The Harmony was tightly focused, with many describing it as a ‘space capsule’…

1 YOU HAVE YOUR SAY We’ve been busy analysing the results of our latest Owner Satisfaction Survey – the only one of its kind in the industry. Don’t miss our report next month, particularly if you’re planning to buy a ’van. 2 ON YOUR EBIKE Our guide to ebikes (p82) got us all talking – the opinion in the office being: “I want one!” 3 WIN NEC TICKETS! The season is going quickly; it’s almost time for the NEC February show. We have 10 pairs of tickets to give away (see p12). 4 GETTING TANKED UP Gas is something we don’t give much thought to, but it’s vital in the smooth running of your ’van. This issue, we’ve two top features on it (p76 and p88). 5 SYMBOLIC GESTURE Auto-Sleepers…

Record-breakers rally around! Price £24.99 Web www.megableu.com/uk As the dull winter days wear on, why not get the family involved in an entertaining afternoon of boardgames? The new Guinness World Records game not only puts your knowledge of famous records to the test, it also gives you the chance to try to set records yourself, with everyday household objects. Think you’re a record-breaker at heart? Test your skills and pit them against your family to see who wins. What better way to spend a rainy (or snowy) winter’s day? BS Cosy canines Price £39.99 Web www.petslovescruffs.com Make sure your furry best friend is as cosy as you are when winter starts to bite, with a new, fluffy and comfortable dog bed. The Scruffs Ellen collection promises to provide the ultimate…

The Nightstop Scheme is run by us in conjunction with the Motor Caravanners’ Club (MCC), and the sites are certificated locations (CLs); you don’t have to join any club to use them. You’ll need to ring the relevant site to confirm whether there’s space for you before you visit: you’ll find all the information you need to know at http://po.st/PMHNightstops.For further information on the MCC, visit www.the motorcaravannersclub.co.uk. 1 Airman Hotel SG17 5JF 2 The Black Horse Pub HP16 9AX 3 The Seven Wives PE27 5RF 4 The Penrhiwgaled Arms SA44 6LN 5 Railway Hotel SA32 7LQ 6 Belmont Hall CW9 6JA 7 Mousehole Camping TR19 6XB 8 Blenkinsopp Castle Inn CA8 7JS 9 The Castle Inn EX20 4BH 1O The Highwayman’s Haunt TQ13 0DE 11 The Thelbridge Cross Inn…

Way to go From the Channel Tunnel, we crossed Belgium into Germany close to the Moselle, skirted Frankfurt and took the A3/E41 down to Wertheim. Where we stayed • Wertheim Stellplatz An der Taubermündung, Linke Tauberstraße • Wertheim Erwin Hymer World Hymerring 1, 97877 Wertheim • Würzburg Stellplatz Viehmarktplatz, Dreikronenstraße • Tauberbischofsheim Stellplatz P Freibad, Vittryallee • Bad Mergentheim Stellplatz An der Solymar Therme, Erlenbachweg 3 • Rothenburg ob der Tauber Stellplatz Parkplatz 2, Nördlinger Straße • Dinkelsbühl DCC Camping Park Kobeltsmühle 6 • Dinkelsbühl Stellplatz Mönchsrother Straße • Nördlingen Stellplatz Innerer Ring, Kaiserwiese • Rain Stellplatz Fasanenweg • Augsburg Stellplatz Bürgermeister Ackerman Straße 1 • Landsberg am Lech Stellplatz Waitzinger Wiese, Gottesackerangerweg 1 • Schongau Stellplatz Festplatz, Lechuferstraße • Lechbruck am See Via Claudia Camping, Via Claudia 6, 86983…

‘The site is a 10-minute walk from all that the town has to offer, so you can leave your vehicle on its own very spacious pitch’ Driving in the Cairngorms National Park is spectacular at any time of year, but particularly in the autumn, when the mountain slopes are cloaked in forests of gold, red and green. Follow the A9 as far as Kinveachy, then take the A95, coming off before it turns right to cross the River Spey. At the centre of the Georgian town of Grantown-on-Spey is the Bank of Scotland and directly after that, the road that will take you to the Grantown-on-Spey Caravan Park, in effect behind the main street. It’s just a 10-minute walk from all the town has to offer, so you can leave…

If you are looking for somewhere to have a picnic, there is a little road off the A95 near Speybridge, which will take you down to the river. There’s parking to the left, but if you follow the road to the end, there is more parking near a cemetery. From here, you can watch salmon leaping during the autumn. The whisky trail is fascinating, but perhaps not so much if you are the driver. However, you can pick up an empty tasting kit at some distilleries, so you can take the samples with you and enjoy tasting them when you are done with driving for the day. The biggest whisky-producing area in Scotland, Speyside, is home to more than half of its distilleries. This region forms one section of a…

Auto-Sleepers began back in 1961, when the Trevelyan family were looking for a vehicle to take them on a holiday to the south of France, and decided to build their own motorhome on a Morris J2 van. When they returned and built a more refined prototype, this time on an Austin van, they attracted the attention of Henlys, a dealer in Bristol, who ordered five of the ’vans, and Auto-Sleepers was born. Today, the company is owned by the Trigano Group, with a factory based at Willersey in the Cotswolds.…

BASE VEHICLE Chassis Peugeot Boxer Engine 2.0-litre 160bhp Euro 6 Power 161bhp @ 3750rpm Torque 350Nm @ 1750rpm Transmission Six-speed manual Features Removable cab carpet CONVERSION Grade 3 insulation van conversion with athermic flush-fitting windows. Choice of four exterior colours, including three metallic finishes. LOUNGING AND DINING Side-facing sofa with four scatter cushions, single travel seat. Pedestal table in cab, foldaway table in lounge. Choice of three upholstery finishes – Catalan, Casa Mila or Sagrada. Choice of Lime Wash or Verandah Oak furniture. KITCHEN Three-burner gas-only hob, CAN combined oven and grill, 800W microwave, AES fridge, cocktail cabinet with crystal glasses. SLEEPING Front double 1.86 x 1.66m (6’1” x 5’4”) OR Offside single 1.92 x 0.74m (6’3” x 2’4”) Nearside single 1.80 x 0.65m (5’9” x 2’1”) EQUIPMENT Truma 6…

Many motorhomes have a TV antenna installed as standard and for those that don’t, adding one is a great DIY project. Lots of these antennas pre-date the analogue/digital switchover back in 2012 and are still going strong, which prompts the questions, “Are TV antennas worth upgrading?” and “What should I look for when buying a new TV aerial?” Like so many technical elements these days, antennas come in a variety of shapes and sizes. In this article, I will outline some of the basics, point out the differences between common TV aerials, and offer some practical tips for maintaining perfect TV reception when you are staying in your motorhome. The whole package The antenna system is made up of three main components, and isn’t just the bit that you can…

According to current UK law on ebikes, you are limited to 15.5mph with electric assistance. Any more and you’ll have to pedal with your own power. The trouble is, unless you are going up a hill, exceeding that speed limit is pretty easy to do (provided you’re relatively fit), so you end up spending much of your time wishing for more power higher up in the speed range. While you could, in theory, de-restrict a normal ebike if you were that type of person – not that we’d ever recommend doing so, of course – to give you a much higher top speed with motor assistance, there’s a better way, which also happens to be perfectly legal, if more drawn-out. An S-pedelec is basically an enhanced version of a standard…

When we want something a bit different, it’s firms on mainland Europe that tend to come up with the answer. Germany, France and Italy are home to large-scale manufacturers, but certain brands tend to favour a bit of innovation. Sometimes, it works: for example, Adria’s Twin was at the very forefront of van conversions with fixed rear beds. Bürstner, Rapido and Chausson spearheaded the demand for drop-down double beds, especially in compact coachbuilts, while Westfalia can trace its campervan roots all the way back to 1951. It would be easy to argue, too, that layouts represented by each vehicle in our Used ’Van Challenge this month originate on the Continental mainland – the Marco Polo’s side furniture set-up goes back over six decades, while the multi-berth family coachbuilt with fixed…

AT A DEALERSHIP Dealerships are great for seeing a lot of used motorhomes in one place in a short span of time. The prices will be higher than from private sellers, but in return, a dealer must tell you about any problems and the cost of rectifying them, and give the ’van a pre-delivery inspection (PDI) before you collect it. You’ll also be offered at least a few months’ warranty on used models, which is something you’re unlikely to get from a private vendor. See as many motorhomes as you can before making your decision; you’ll soon start to get a feel for what represents good value for money. If you can, build up a relationship with a local dealer. If problems arise or if it needs maintenance, the cost…

SEPTEMBER 2013 Bailey’s new Approach was our cover star this month, but we also featured models from Bürstner, Rapido and more. Our main travel feature, meanwhile, detailed an extraordinary tour to the Peloponnese What’s your favourite campsite view? We asked that very pressing question for our September 2013 issue, and the responses were staggering. We highlighted some of the very best over four pages The work carried out on our Project Pilot motorhome by our beloved Gentleman Jack continued apace in this issue. Here he modified and improved the ’van’s front and rear seating It was hard to believe that by 2013 Bailey had only been producing motorhomes for a couple of years – we tested the latest Approach models in this issue, coming away very impressed MISSED AN ISSUE?…