Indholdsfortegnelse for March 2019 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 practicalcaravan.com/forum facebook.com/practicalcaravan 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…

Cosy canines Web www.petslovescruffs.com Price £39.99 Make sure your furry best friend is as cosy as you when winter starts to bite, with a new, fluffy and comfortable dog bed. The Scruffs Ellen dog bed collection promises the ultimate luxury for your pet, with textured faux fur for them to snuggle down in, and a tweed outer cover. These dog mats and doughnut beds are machine washable (at 30 degrees), so you can easily keep them clean and stop pet fur taking over your van. They also have non-slip bases, and are made with 100% recycled green fibre filling. The fixed centre cushion offers improved support and enhanced durability. These beds are more than just a place for your canine best friend to rest; they provide a stylish and practical…

I wouldn’t call it that unusual, but we’ve been as far as Slovakia. It was an amazing site on a working farm, very family orientated and just how camping used to be – children having fun, playing with the baby goats and helping to milk the animals, riding ponies and collecting eggs and wood from the forest. It was wonderful to see. And not one was using a mobile phone! We even learnt fire breathing in one of the free workshops they held. Every pitch had a campfire and the owners provided pots and advised you on how to cook authentic goulash. Cath Wall Morocco was probably our most unusual destination, but Austria last year was great. We camped in Oberammergau and had a great time, even though we had…

1 Naseby The battle of Naseby in Northamptonshire was said to be the most important of the Civil War. You can follow a trail or take a tour. Visit http://naseby.com/walks to understand the detail. Stay at Stanford Hall Web stanfordhallcaravanpark.co.uk 2 Marston Moor A monument marks the location of what is said to be the largest battle ever fought on English soil, and interpretation panels will give you the gist of what went on. Stay at Grantchester Caravan and Camping Web grantchestercamping.co.uk 3 Newark-on-Trent Visit the National Civil War Centre and watch the Civil War unfold using the augmented reality trail on your smartphone. Find out more at nationalcivilwarcentre.com . Stay at Smeaton’s Lakes Web smeatonslakes.co.uk 4 Worcester The last battle of the Civil War was fought…

Construction Fully bonded SoLiD construction method with StrongLite aluminium one-piece sides; chip-resistant front panel and ABS rear panel on Al-Ko chassis with ATC and AKS 3004 stabiliser; spare wheel and underslung carrier; alloy wheels plus Sky-Scape panoramic sunroof External equipment Highflow submersible pump with Whale IC intelligent controller and inline filter; LED rear-light clusters; high-level light and side-marker running lights; awning light and awning rail; multi-directional TV aerial Heating Whale 4.3kW dual-fuel (gas and/or electric) heating with iVan touch screen control Lounge/bedroom OZIO upholstery covered in ‘Daytona’ Aquaclean fabric; removable carpet Kitchen Thetford dual-fuel four-burner hob and separate oven and grill; Russell Hobbs microwave; Dometic RMS 8551 103-litre fridge + 12-litre freezer compartment Washroom Eco-Camel Orbit shower; Thetford electric-flush swivel casette toilet Safety and Security Smoke alarm; CO detector; Al-Ko…

First drive Suzuki Jimny THE NEW SUZUKI Jimny is a hard car to review objectively. It’s deeply flawed, but somehow enormously likeable. In no particular order, the Suzuki is slow, impractical, has an uncomfortable ride, disappointing economy… the list goes on. But it’s hard not to grin broadly whenever you get behind the wheel. Head off-road to enjoy the Jimny at its best. It has a four-wheel-drive system called Allgrip Pro. Put the car into the low-ratio 4x4 mode and there’s almost nowhere it won’t go, even on standard road tyres. We took the car around a demanding course, full of deep mud, steep climbs, and vertigo-inducing drops. Towing on damp grass would only tax a fraction of its abilities. On the road, the car is certainly a more refined…

Meet the dealers United British Caravans Newcastle-upon-Tyne-based United British Caravans, established in 1938, can lay claim to being the second oldest dealer in the country (Yorkshire Caravans is older). Today, the firm is owned by former general manager Alex Levington; he took over from Tom Lambert – former chairman of the NCC – who was, according to sales manager Sean Almond, “involved in the caravan world since he was in short trousers”. The dealership has since become multi-franchise, with Swift, Bailey and Elddis, and marked its 80th anniversary by becoming one of 10 dealers to launch a dealer-special based on Bailey’s Phoenix model. Two years ago the accessory shop had a makeover and expanded – there is now even more room to display a range of awnings. There are also…

NOW LISTEN. I’M all for ‘going green’, but not when it comes to my caravan. Once again, the ravages of winter have left my beloved ‘home from home’ looking like a cross between a petri dish that’s growing penicillin, and a stagnant pond. Crisp, clean lines are now ragged and dirty. The shiny, highly polished, gleaming white exterior is a sad camouflage green. Where does this blasted stuff come from? I mean, I don’t wake up in the morning and find my car looking like a reject from an SAS survival weekend, or the guinea pig hutch so thick with algae, moss, ferns and general forest floor undergrowth that I have to attack it with an industrial jetwasher. And yet, the caravan sucks in every piece of fungal natural history…

EARLY LAST SUMMER, as the country was about to go ga-ga yet again over another royal wedding, it seemed to me that a corrective might be in order. And what better corrective than a visit to the hometown of the one man best known in British history for standing up to the monarchy – Oliver Cromwell? Let me explain. It’s always seemed strange to me that, while Britain continues to have numerous well-funded attractions centred on people whose role in history was relatively minor (Queen Victoria arguably being a case in point), there are only a couple of museums solely devoted to the Lord Protector, as Cromwell was called when he ruled the realm. And the only one in the town of his birth was recently threatened with closure. So…

GOODNESS ME, DOESN’T time fly? The school holidays had come around again, and our two excited grandsons were ready for their next adventure. We were staying at Chichester Camping and Caravanning Club Site and had already planned lots of visits for the holiday; so we wasted no time on our first day, catching a bus that delivered us close to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard just as it was opening. I’d ordered our tickets online – by far the cheapest way – and joined the shorter queue to collect them. We dashed off to the far end of the Dockyard to visit Nelson’s famous flagship, HMS Victory, before it got too busy. We were issued with headphones and handheld audio guides, which the boys enjoyed. Laid down in 1759 and launched in…

LUNAR IS EXPANDING its mid-market Quasar range with the launch of a second eight-foot-wide model. Due to be unveiled at February’s Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show at the NEC, the 696 features an L-shaped lounge in the front for the family to dine in and an L-shaped kitchen in front of a central washroom. This straddles the van, and sits in front of a rear section with fixed double bunks on the offside and a dinette on the nearside that can be converted to sleep two more in bunks. The 696 follows in the wake of the 686, the first eight-foot-wide van in Lunar’s Quasar range, which Lunar launched at last October’s NEC Show. The Preston manufacturer has also started the new year off with a special offer on motor…

The Caravan, Camping & Motorhome Show 2019 – which takes place at the NEC in Birmingham – includes the usual line-up of celebrity speakers, mainly in the Freedom to Go theatre, compèred by show regular Rowland Rivron. This time you can also expect to hear from adventurer Alastair Humphreys, travel blogger Claire Hall and former Great British Bake Off contestant Karen Wright. Others keen to show you just how easy it is to cook in a caravan include the Chef Campers and BBQ expert Richard Holden. If you are new to towing, there’s a chance to try it out with Camping and Caravanning Club experts to guide you. This includes an opportunity to test drive a car from show sponsors Hyundai. If you’d prefer just to brush up your reversing…

IN ASSOCIATION WITH CaSSOA Lunar Clubman SE Tested by Nigel Hutson Price £22,649 Berths 4 MiRO 1296kg Payload 204kg MTPLM 1500kg (upgrade from 1450kg) IN A NUTSHELL Some niggles, but nothing to stop us enjoying the van AT THE LUNAR’S last service, in May 2018, the van was given a clean bill of health and we were looking forward to another year of trouble-free touring. Our last report came at the end of an unusually cold snap in March 2018 when the ‘Beast from the East’ gripped the UK, during which we enjoyed a splendid trip to York. Since then we’ve had a number of breaks in the UK and a three-week holiday on the south coast of France, where temperatures at times hit the mid-30s. So, with our Lunar…

Model tested BlueHDi 180 GT Auto Price £36,439 Kerbweight 1610kg What’s new? The all-new Peugeot 508 is the French car maker’s flagship saloon. Striking to look at and packed with high-tech features, the Peugeot also has promise as a tow car. We’re testing the most powerful diesel model in the well-equipped GT spec. What are we looking for? In profile, the 508 looks much like a coupé. Has practicality been sacrificed for style? Is it easy to make the most of the car’s technology? And, most importantly, how well does the Peugeot tow? Towing ability The 508 BlueHDi 180 has a kerbweight of 1610kg, including 75kg for the driver. That gives an 85% match figure of 1369kg; well within the 1800kg legal towing limit. The maximum noseweight is 75kg –…

How much? £19,000-£26,000 Discovery Sports have fallen in price with age, but they’re still not cheap. You’ll need £19,000 to get into even one of the earliest cars, which will have the undesirable Ford diesel and a mileage akin to the International Space Station’s. A budget of £20,000 will buy you an earlier Ingeniumengined model, but this will still have done the thick end of 100,000 miles. However, £24,000 will net you a much more desirable proposition – a 2017 car with a good trim and sub-50,000 mileage. Another £2000 will get you a 2018 car with less than 10,000 on the clock. What will it tow? Kerbweight...........................1884kg 85% match............................1601kg Towing limit........................2200kg Noseweight limit..................100kg How much is a towball? Brink swan-neck towbar..£177.41 Brink detachable towbar.............. ................................................ £274.56 Fitting extra (From…

Store your blanket discreetly, but make sure it’s within easy reach of the kitchen I ASKED MY local fire brigade for advice before fitting fire equipment to my van, and they said “Don’t fight the fire, just get everyone out.” No-one could disagree with this, but most cooks would be happy to throw a fire blanket over a flaming pan once everyone had left. After that, most people would be prepared to operate an easily accessed fire extinguisher from outside the van in the hope of limiting the flame until help arrived. While such an action must be without risk to life and limb, anything that improves the chances of turning off and removing the gas bottles reduces the likelihood of quite a serious explosion. The Caravan and Motorhome Club…

Meet the dealers Forest of Dean Caravans Based in Lydney, Gloucestershire, this Swift and Bailey dealership has been owned by the same family for 50 years. Joe Turley, the grandson of the firm’s founder, Clive, joined two years ago to run it with his father, Mark. Along with a new and extensive used-caravan sales area, the site includes two workshops and an accessory shop. Joe says that, although they recently started going to the NEC, customers are still overwhelmingly local, or repeat business. “People holiday here especially to deal with us,” he says. Current plans include making the sales process more IT-based, although Joe says there is only so far he wants to go with that: “People still like the personal touch.” Address Parkend, Lydney GL15 4JR Web forestofdean caravans.co.uk…

OF ALL THE problems that we receive letters about, technical issues perhaps form the majority. We know how frustrating it is to pour your hard-earned cash into the caravan of your dreams, only for it to turn out not to be as perfect as you’d hoped – even the tiniest niggle can be enough to put you off. That’s where our Owner Satisfaction Survey has a vital part to play. Each year we ask those who have bought a new or pre-owned caravan over the past 36 months to tell us all about their experiences – both good and bad. This year almost 2500 of you did just that; we’ve now crunched the numbers to come up with the results, which you’ll find on p79 of this issue. There’s everything…

1 Celebrating wordsmiths Historic York again spends a whole fortnight celebrating the written word this March, with workshops and competitions for budding writers. Date 15-30 March 2019 Web yorkliteraturefestival.co.uk Stay at York Caravan Park Web www.yorkcaravanpark.com 2 Paddington’s favourite Head to The World’s Original Marmalade Festival at Dalemain House, in Cumbria, to indulge in one of Paddington Bear’s favourite things. Date 16 March 2019 Web www.dalemain.com/marmalade-festival Stay at Waterfoot Park Web www.waterfootpark.co.uk 3 A way with words Take in the beauty of Derwentwater at the annual Words by the Water Festival, with exhibitions, talks and workshops. Date 8-17 March 2019 Web www.wayswithwords.co.uk Stay at Derwentwater Camping and Caravanning Club Site Web www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk 4 Variety is the spice of life With the renowned Mitchell Library as its base, you can expect a varied programme…

IF YOU’RE HEADING to the Lakes this year, you might like to know that the Camping and Caravanning Club has bought two campsites located between Derwentwater and Bassenthwaite Lake and close to Keswick. This brings the number of C&CC sites in the Lakes to eight. Both sites were formerly owned by Scotgate Holiday Park and will continue under the Scotgate brand for the 2019 season. Meanwhile, the Club’s Hertford site has won Hertfordshire’s Best Small Accommodation Provider in the ‘Rest Your Head’ category at The Hertfordshire Tourism Awards 2018. The all-year site is one of the club’s largest, with 245 pitches. Game of Thrones in Belfast Fans of the TV blockbuster hit Game of Thrones will already know that Northern Ireland provided many of the locations used in…

Camping Les Puits Tournants A fishing lake lies at the heart of this four-star, 4.5-hectare site, set in lovely countryside and just a short walk away from the River Somme. Some of its 35 spacious, level touring pitches are on the lakeside, while those nearer the amenities block are separated by hedges. Wi-Fi is available throughout the site. There was a bit of building work going on – those staying in 2019 will have the benefit of a new indoor heated swimming pool and paddling pool, and a restaurant. At reception, you receive a friendly welcome and you might want to order bread and croissants for collection the next morning, as there is no local shop. Aside from the quacking of happy ducks, this is a quiet site offering stargazing…

1 Sail the Endeavour Learn the art of nautical knots and navigate by the stars and actually take to sea in this scaled replica of Captain Cook’s Endeavour, which is 40% of the size of the original. endeavourwhitby.com Stay at Whitby Holiday Park Web www.whitbypark.co.uk 2 U-boat story Discover what life at sea was like for the servicemen aboard the German U-534 submarine during wartime, with the interactive displays and film archives at this Birkenhead attraction. Museum is open daily. Stay at Arrowe Brook Farm Web http://arrowebrookfarm.co.uk 3 Luxury liner Brunel’s SS Great Britain was launched in 1843 and ended up in the Falklands before returning to Bristol for restoration. Discover her story in the Dockyard Museum. Stay at Baltic Wharf Caravan and Motorhome Club Site Web…

Carbon marvel Fancy a carbon-fibre caravan? One has recently been delivered to a customer in Australia. Zone RV’s already upmarket Summit Series has been further upgraded to include a carbon-fibre shell, a bespoke digital switching system through which you can control everything electrical in the van, and remotely controlled airbag suspension. The new vehicle will cost you a pretty penny, though: it starts at AUS$220,000 (£123,000). C&MC chair honoured Caravan and Motorhome Club chairman Grenville Chamberlain was awarded an OBE in the New Year’s Honours List for services to caravanning and charity. Grenville has worked for the club for 37 years and became chairman in 2007. Since then he has championed caravanning and road safety at home and abroad, and has helped raise nearly £150,000 for his chosen charity, the…

Where tested Sumners Ponds, Barns Green, Horsham, West Sussex RH13 0PR Tel 01403 732 539 Web www.sumnersponds.co.uk FOR 40 YEARS the Compass brand has been a familiar name in caravanning circles, delivering a solid, across-the-board range of layouts that has consistently met the varied needs of the UK caravan market. And, as with all the ranges in the Explorer Group, it’s now part of the Erwin Hymer Group, which was recently bought by Thor Industries in the US. The brand also benefits from the SoLiD construction method, meaning the units are fully bonded, and are guaranteed by a 10-year water-ingress warranty. The Casita – meaning ‘little house’ – is the brand’s entry-level range, and comprises four standard-width layouts and three twin-axled, eight-foot floor plans; ideal for seasonal touring. The…

Tested by Claudia Dowell Price £58,195 Kerbweight 2070kg Towball limit 140kg Maximum towing limit 3500kg This mid-sized luxury crossover SUV feels like a car that’s bigger than its dimensions – I used it for our cover shoot at Sumners Ponds in West Sussex, and on the way I felt confident and reassured by its size. I had the lane-keep assist system on for wider roads and could feel it gently tugging back into the centre of the lane when necessary. On the road, the car offered a smooth, comfortable ride. I found it pleasingly easy to manoeuvre in car parks, although I did have to look for a big enough space to open the door easily. For our cover shoot and live-in test, I needed a huge amount of kit,…

New caravans Our congratulations go to Coachman on topping this year’s ‘New Caravans’ category, by achieving an excellent satisfaction rating of 84.0%. Coachman performed well last year, also winning a gold award. But this year’s win is a reward for a significant improvement on their 2018 80.5% satisfaction score. Bailey and Swift have often been closely matched in this survey, and they couldn’t be any closer this year. Bailey scores 79.1% and Swift Group... 79.1%. These two take joint second spot and complete the podium. There are Silver Awards for Lunar (74.9%) and Elddis and its associated brands (71.1%). As shown in the table above, last year’s results were dominated by Continental caravan makers. Their disappearance from the sharp end of the results isn’t due to a sudden drop-off in…

Price £27,855 What Car? Target Price £26,710 Retained value after three years 44% Kerbweight 1501kg 85% of kerbweight 1276kg Gross vehicle weight 2150kg Max towing limit 2000kg Gross train weight 4150kg Towball limit 100kg Price of towball and electrics £730 Boot size min/max 561/1756 litres Payload 649kg Test conditions Damp Engine size 1498cc Power (bhp/rpm) 171@5600rpm Torque (lb ft/rpm) 162@1900-5000rpm Official combined economy 44.8mpg Towing economy 27.7mpg CO2 emissions 143g/km First year car tax £205 Second year car tax £140 Insurance group 24E Euro NCAP overall protection rating TBC…

Model tested BlueHDi 180 GT Auto Price £36,439 What Car? Target Price NA Retained value after three years NA Kerbweight 1610kg 85% of kerbweight 1369kg Gross vehicle weight 2127kg Max towing limit 1800kg Gross train weight 3927kg Towball limit 75kg Boot size min/max 487/1537 litres Payload 517kg Test conditions Damp Engine size 1997cc Power (bhp/rpm) 174@3750rpm Torque (lb ft/rpm) 295@2000rpm Official combined economy 60.1mpg Towing economy 26.8mpg CO2 emissions 124g/km First year car tax £205 Second year car tax £140 Insurance group 32E Euro NCAP overall protection rating…

Security measures offer peace of mind, so here I show you how to keep keys safe and fit a tracker, while Sam Coles makes a portable 12V supply (p106) and Tony Brown has fire-safety projects (p109) IT’S A RATHER sad reflection of our society these days that we are obliged to protect our possessions against thieves. It’s a bit of an arms race, too – just as the manufacturers think that they’ve solved the problem with technology, along comes another criminal who’s found the means of defeating that particular technology. And so it continues. It’s fair to say that caravans traditionally haven’t been the most tricky vehicles to steal: window catches can almost seem to be made of jelly, door locks don’t always feel secure, and so on. Unfortunately, until…

Extinguishers are weighty so be sure to use plenty of screws under the trims WHEN IT COMES to your fire extinguisher, the Caravan and Motorhome Club recommends installing a 1 kg aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) device manufactured and tested in accordance with BS EN 3 and with at least a 5A rating. This is a bulky object and, while it must be easily accessible for instant use, it’s best if you’re not constantly knocking into it as you pass through the van. My solution to this problem is to recess it into a conveniently positioned cupboard in an open-front plywood box. I used some small offcuts of 8mm ply which provided the necessary rigidity for this heavy object without adding excessive weight. Start by carefully measuring your extinguisher and…

Alan Sheldon and Emma Arterton run North Western Caravans in Cheshire, a family buisness. They are always keen to offer great service at the right price. North Western Caravans are Swift main dealers, but also aim to provide a good selection of used tourers. In addition, they have a rather good shop on site, brimming with accessories. Alan and Emma also try to attend most of the major shows. Address Earl Road, Stanley Green Trading Estate, Cheadle Hulme SK8 6QE Tel 0161 486 6055 Web northwesterncaravans.co.uk…

Awning Porch Kampa Fiesta Air Pro 280, awning, sun canopy, poled annexe, rear uplight, pole set, cushion, carpet, £320, buyer to collect. Mr Tottingham, Maidstone, Kent (01622 687189 or 07551 376850) Vango sun canopy, grey, 3m, lightweight, in excellent condition, £45. Mr Ellis, Bury, Lancashire (07982 053534) Panama 260, 260 x 240, burgundy, £40 plus postage. Mr Kuyser, Southampton (02380 871951) Towmore Portico, 190 x 180, £30 plus postage. Mr Kuyser, Southampton (02380 871951) Heavy-duty Kampa Fiesta Air Pro 420, excellent condition, storm straps, pump, fitted carpet and front canopy included. Genuine bargain. Buyer collects, £350 ono. Mr Malkin, Hastings (01424 720582) Kampa Fiesta Air Pro 280 awning, with poled annexe, rear upright pole set, sun canopy, cushioned carpet, £300. Buyer collects. Mr Tottingham, Maidstone (01622 687189) Awning <850cm Kampa…