Indholdsfortegnelse for July 2017 i Practical Motorhome

WHY TOUR HERE? Late autumn is a wonderful time of the year to tour the Loire Valley; the vineyards have already given up their fruit, but if you time it right, not their leaves, which cover the land in gold. Montlouis-sur-Loire is part of the Touraine wine region, where the main grape variety is Chenin Blanc. Base yourself here to visit vineyards and buy wine from the cellar door and to be close to several spectacular châteaux. The area is easy to get to, too. WHAT MOTORHOME? Benimar Tessoro 481…

So Article 50 has finally been triggered and the UK will be leaving the EU. Whichever side you backed in last June’s referendum, there’s no denying that Europe is a major draw for many motorcaravanners and readers of Practical Motorhome. Hopefully our elected masters will negotiate an exit that won’t change any of that, but for the next two years we can continue to enjoy the status quo. So what better time for Francophiles to start considering a summer tour in France? Turn to page 24 where we kick off our annual France touring special, with some essential information about new French speed limits, and two tours of the popular Loire region. Elsewhere, 10 is quite literally the magic number: 10 cracking sites in Wales (p50), 10 wireless reversing cameras…

Here we are hiding from the sun in Silves, Portugal, during a recent motorhome break Angie Moore Our one-year-old Carado T 447 on the edge of Middleton-in-Teesdale last winter. We love County Durham and Yorkshire for taking quick breaks from North Northumberland Pete and Sara Airey Enjoying the late afternoon sun at Castlerigg Hall Caravan & Camping Park in Keswick. Happy days! John Sycamore Pitched up at the beautiful Caravan and Motorhome Club site at Abbey Wood in south-east London Tracey Cooper Email your pictures and their stories (40 words, plus name, address and contacts) to hotshots@practical motorhome.com. The best photo will win these guides: All the Aires Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands; Go Motorhoming and Campervanning; Seaview Camping Scotland; Seaview Camping Wales;…

Way to go We used Brittany Ferries’ Portsmouth-Caen route, which offers two ferries a day in March and November and three ferries a day from April through to October; check the website – www.brittany-ferries.co.uk – for timetable updates. The crossing can take up to seven hours. We opted for an overnight ferry, but you can make a daytime crossing. As a guide, our trip for a motorhome up to three metres in length, plus cabin, cost £546. From Caen we took the N158, A88 and E402 as far as Alençon, then the A28 past Le Mans to join the A10 just before Tours. We crossed the Loire at Tours and joined the Quai de la Loire (D751) heading east to La Ville aux Dames. Where we stayed • Camping des…

1 Dally in Dinan Engross yourself in the medieval streets of this little Breton town on your way south to the Loire Valley and you’ll soon find plenty that will make you want to stay. It is only around 30 minutes from the feryy port of St Malo, and yet perfect for a pootle at the start or end of your break. The orderly pitches of Camping International de la Hallerais are a great place to call home for a night or two, and you can walk from the site down to the River Rance and follow the banks into Port de Dinan. Web www.camping-lahallerais.com 2 Harbour delights Discover what entranced the likes of artist Claude Monet at the old harbour in Honfleur. Towering over the marina and just minutes…

My wife has written a blog on just some of our favourite places in Pembrokeshire. We go every year and are still finding new things to do. Have a read at http://bit.ly/2oirF2M. Alistair Knott (Facebook) Practical Motorhome says… There is plenty to discover in Pembrokeshire, and another resource that can help you to find your favourite places is www.visitpembrokeshire.com. In the blog, Mrs Knotts recommends staying at St David’s Lleithyr Meadow Caravan and Motorhome Club Site, or Whitesands Beach Campsite if you’re happy to go without facilities. Site essentials St David’s Leithyr Meadow Caravan and Motorhome Club Site is open to both members and non-members, so there’s no excuse for not staying here. It has great facilites, but it offers so much more than just a place to pitch up.…

Price £805 Weight 18.5kg Dimensions (W x D) 350 x 380cm Fixing height 190-270cm Pack size 78 x 39 x 39cm Access Single side and front doors Key selling points 300D polyester fabric, manual pump with gauge, sewn-in groundsheet, tunnel privacy screen, storm straps Options Luxury carpet (£84.99). Footprint groundsheet (£27.99). Drive-away awning kit (£14.99) Web www.sunncamp.co.uk SunnCamp had a very successful 2016, when it introduced the Impact 350. So what’s the logical step for 2017? A slightly larger version of the same, of course, named Grande. We fitted our test awning to a 2008 Bessacarr E520 coachbuilt, although its final destination will most likely be campers and van conversions. Nevertheless, it shows the flexibility of the design. The Bessacarr didn’t prove to be the easiest of matches: its habitation…

Bailey Autograph 75-2 Price £53,299 OTR Base vehicle Peugeot Boxer Berths 4 Belts 2 Length 7.51m MTPLM 3500kg Payload 315kg The ’van driven to Finland and back was a standard production version – the only modifications were the addition of Gaslow’s refillable gas bottle system and the fitting of winter tyres. Heating came courtesy of a dual-fuel Alde system (used on electricity only in Finland where there was no way of refilling the gas) while the insulation did a fine job of retaining warmth. And despite sub-zero overnight temperatures, the AdBlue diesel exhaust fluid didn’t freeze (see Dec 2016 issue, p83). Leisure vehicle manufacturers like to talk about bodyshell integrity and insulation qualities. Although not the most glamorous aspects you’ll find in the sales brochure, they’re still very important. Bailey…

If you have ever been unfortunate enough to have lost your motorhome to fire, or to have witnessed one go up in flames, you’ll know that it’s a truly shocking experience. Some caravan sites are in very remote areas; imagine the damage that could be caused if it takes more than 30 minutes for a fire engine to get to you. It really doesn’t take very long to completely destroy a motorhome. Hopefully I’ve caught your attention enough to make you read on and consider the following fire safety tips. Smoke alarms Most modern motorhomes are pre-fitted with a smoke alarm; if yours isn’t, one can be purchased at most camping-equipment retailers or online. All smoke alarms have an expiry date, which can often be found on the rear. After…

Price now £31,995 Price new £38,903 Base Ford Transit Engine 2.2-litre, 125bhp First registered 2014 Mileage 48,542 Berths/travel seats 4/2 Length/width/height 6.23/2.27/2.94m Extras Sport Pack, solar panel, reversing camera MTPLM 3500kg Payload 720kg + Plus points Large rear lounge, choice of beds -Minus points Limited to two for travel This is a typical example of a motorhome that offers more sleeping accommodation than travel seating – not that it’s short of lounge space. Despite being an Italian brand, these Tribute coachbuilts were designed and built in the UK by Trigano Group member company Auto-Trail. That helps explain the rear lounge and nearside habitation door. The rear lounge is generous in its dimensions, as are the three opening double-glazed windows. The seating is easy enough to convert to a large double…

Motorhome: tick. Sat-nav: tick. Provisions and clothes: tick. Site bookings: tick. Two small dogs: tick. So what else is left? The time has come to do what I’ve been planning to do – tour the Lake District – and with everything in place the only thing left was to actually do it. With very little camping experience (one very cold night in a tent as a girl guide and a couple of trips in a caravan some 50 years ago, in the days when you lit a gas mantle to get lights and your ‘facilities’ were a large bucket), there was nevertheless something about a life on the open road that really appealed. So here I was, all set for my adventure, of which I had high hopes but which…

STAR LETTER Ted Martin wins Milenco levelling ramps I am in complete agreement with George Davidson’s letter (‘Don’t dismiss new ’van buyers’, June 2017 issue, p6), having had a foot in both camps. First, the new-’van buyer takes the hit on depreciation (as I know to my cost!) from which the pre-owned ’van buyer benefits. Second – and as I can also attest – buying a brand-new ’van is not a bed of roses: much time, temper and effort is spent on ironing out all of the many small problems that sadly are part of owning a new ’van. It almost seems as though some manufacturers have less-than-perfect quality control and want to leave the details to the poor dealer to sort. I had personal experience of this in 2015…

A true smart-nav Price £349.99 Web www.halfords.com This new sat-nav – the Garmin Camper 770 LMT-D – has brilliantly programmed databases of destinations, such as TripAdvisor lists, restaurants, caravan sites and more. You can even filter campsites by amenities, such as internet access and showers. You can also enter the measurements of your ’van, which can then be saved as a profile, and set preferences such as avoiding toll roads, unpaved roads, car-share lanes, motorways and ferries. There are live services such as weather and traffic information, and you can connect your phone. It’s also possible to simulate the route that you will take when you’re planning your journey, so that you can check it for any tricky turns before you leave the house. This really is a smart…

We’ve turned our attention to the Loire Valley this month, where our Bryony and I toured last year and Margaret Vaughan kicked off her touring season in the spring. If you’re thinking of heading to France this year, be aware that French legislation is turning its attention to speeding and, in common with the UK, to polluting vehicles. By the way, if you’re using Le Havre to enter France, it is celebrating its 500th anniversary this year – see www.lehavretourisme.com/en. Meanwhile, Niall Hampton found himself looking out for cracks as he drove across a frozen sea in Finland in a Bailey motorhome. Are you guilty of having edged over the speed limit in France to catch your ferry? If so, you’re now going to have to allow more time, because…

One of the best things about touring in France for motorcaravanners or camping carists as the French call us, is the variety of overnight parking places. Campsites range from the basic municipal kind to five-star luxury. In addition there are hundreds of Aires de Service, plus the France Passion system, which enables motorhomes to park overnight, free of charge, on vineyards and farms after payment of a modest subscription. It was an invitation to an open day at one of the France Passion sites in the Loire Valley, and the warm April weather, that prompted my friend Raphael and me, plus Altor his dog, to take to the road again in his Kon-Tiki. Signs of spring were all around as we drove the 175km from my home in Brittany to…

A few minutes into our drive on the ice road, the thought strikes us that this might not be such a good idea after all. A 7.5m-long coachbuilt motorhome, loaded close to its fully laden weight of 3500kg, is tackling the frozen expanse of the Gulf of Bothnia en route to the island of Hailuoto. Between us and the sea below is a thick sheet of ice; approaching us as we drive steadily at 30mph are what look like cracks in its surface, occurring as randomly as veins running through a slab of Stilton Blue. It’s a substantial six miles in each direction, and having travelled at least two miles from the mainland, we’re fully committed to our journey. But are these actually cracks in the ice, or something more…

At this time of year, as we gear up for the 2018 launches, it is easy to forget that manufacturers are doing much more than just providing motorhomes under their own badge that are sold direct to the general public. Some may be also be manufacturing motorhomes for other companies – either well-known automotive brands or individual dealers. This means they are potentially less directly vulnerable to the whims of the end consumer. That being the case, the news this month from Westfalia, and the increase in orders for Elddis dealer specials, are a good sign for the industry. Marquis ups order for Elddis dealer specials The new owner of Elddis, Germany’s Erwin Hymer Group, appears to be keen to maintain the firm’s policy of providing dealer special edition models,…

Price From £86,990 OTR (£98,739 as tested) Sleeps 4 Belts 4 Base vehicle Fiat Ducato/Al-Ko Engine 2.3-litre turbodiesel, 180bhp, Euro 6 L/W/H 8.8/2.32/2.98m (28’ 11”/7’ 7”/9’ 10”) MTPLM 5000kg Payload 1062kg Water (fresh/waste) 160/85 litres Leisure battery 100Ah Gas 2 x 6kg Adria has been a serial Gold Award winner in our annual Owner Satisfaction Survey because it builds ’vans that usually delight their owners. It’s as simple as that. The Slovenian-based manufacturer (now set to become part of the Trigano Group) has been building A-class motorhomes for some time, although this is its first offering on the tandem-axle Fiat Ducato Al-Ko Kober combo. Currently all Adria A-class offerings are labelled Sonic. Sonic Axess was the (just-discontinued) compact offering, Sonic Plus models are longer, and the flagship Sonic Supremes boast…

Price From £51,700 OTR Days on fleet 631 Total mileage 10,750 Fuel economy 26.25mpg The Bailey Approach Advance 665 was on our long-term test fleet from 1 May 2015 to 20 January 2017. I can’t recall having another motorhome on test for such a long time, so big thanks go to Bailey for registering the vehicle from new and making it available to us. Running a test ’van for this kind of duration mirrors a period of ownership, and it allowed the Practical Motorhome team to get to know the 665 for just under a year and a half. Last month, our Claudia returned the 665 to Bailey’s HQ in Bristol after stopping off in Dorset for one last cover shoot. During its time on our fleet, the 665 covered…

Not worth doing…” “It can’t be done…” “I wouldn’t have bought a leaking motorhome!” These were all responses I received to my declaration that our ’van was suffering from structural failure caused by water ingress. These doom-mongers were from the trade and specialist press. Both groups should have known better. Last year, during the habitation service debrief, I became aware that all was not well. The damp report showed high-ish readings around the bottom of the entrance door, at the bottom of the aperture on a storage compartment and in the washroom. “It definitely requires another look in a few weeks,” was the recommendation. I’ve used the services of this workshop before and I knew that, if they say something needs doing, it does! So I booked it in for…

Logos are a graphic mark or emblem, a colourful aid to instant public recognition, more effective often than written names yet often synonymous with its trademark or brand. Numerous inventions and techniques have contributed to the contemporary logo – coats of arms, coins, watermarks and hallmarks over the years. Take another look at this month’s cover to see why it’s so important to stand out on the newsstand among potentially hundreds of magazines. The more famous logos (Coke, Nike, McDonald’s) are recognised throughout the world. In the motorhome world logos feature not only on the sales literature but also on the vehicle, with ‘Dormobile’ (really Martin Walter) becoming the generic term for all campervans, as well as earning a place in the English dictionary. So it’s not surprising that many…

It’s not unusual for a motorhome dealership to be family-owned, but Elite has been with the Maynards since the start; son Chris now oversees it all on a daily basis. “We’re a family business and we pride ourselves on our after-sales,” he says. Elite offers its own three-year warranty for all pre-owned motorhomes that are less than 10 years old. This is unusual, because a warranty of this length is usually backed by an insurance company. As director Chris Maynard explains: “We just want to be very fair with our people and cover more things than most.” When it comes to berths, he explains: “What we tend to find is that people buy with grandchildren in their thoughts; that’s when they look for extra seatbelts. First-timers buy very much with…

The fine sandy beaches and towering cliffs of Pembrokeshire’s coastal National Park and the 186-mile long coastal path are a huge draw for those seeking a break by the sea. Wildlife watchers, beachcombers, outdoor adventurers and even food lovers will find plenty to enjoy, too. There is also gentle walking further inland and plenty of sites to accommodate all the motorhomes that are sure to flock there this summer. GETTING AROUND… Things to do 1 Cwm Deri Vineyard 2 Preseli Hills 3 Oakwood Theme Park 4 Terrific Tenby 5 Manorbier Castle 6 Folly Farm 7 St David’s 8 Fabulous Fishguard 9 Elizabethan relics 10 Gentle giants Where to stay 1 Llwyngwair Manor 2 Stone Pitt Holiday Park 3 Caerfai Bay Caravan Park 4 Walton West Campsite 5 Rhosgadw Farm 6…

Price From £47,590 OTR (£50,416 as tested) Sleeps 2 Belts 4 Base vehicle Fiat Ducato Engine 2.3-litre turbodiesel, 130bhp, Euro 6 L/W/H 6.36/2.1/2.8m (20’8”/6’8”/9’2”) MTPLM 3500kg Payload 455kg Water (fresh/waste) 100/92 litres Leisure battery 95Ah Gas 2 x 11kg Despite being a major player in the van conversions market, Globecar has the focus of a small converter: it builds just one type of motorhome, which has allowed it to perfect its offer over the years. Indeed, many widely seen van conversion innovations had their origin in Globecar’s design studio. Based in southern Germany, the brand is a veritable super-producer, with 5100 units carrying the badges of Globecar and sister brand Pössl rolling off the line in 2016. The portfolio sports two distinct vehicle types: D Line (high-tops; 11 models) and…

‘Learning how to accurately manoeuvre your motorhome is a skill that only comes with practice, but one of the biggest issues is the inability to see what’s going on behind the ’van’ If there’s one aspect of motorhome ownership that almost all of us would appreciate a little bit of help with, it’s manoeuvring onto a tricky pitch or getting out of a sticky situation in a built-up area. Granted, after a couple of weeks the dimensions of the ’van start to feel natural, but spend a few months in a car and those skills soon become rusty – making a dread of going backwards all part and parcel of those first few days away. And while learning how to accurately manoeuvre your ’van is a skill that only comes…

The popularity of self-build motorcaravans is on the increase, and the main reason for this is cash. Motorhomes are, let’s face it, pretty expensive items – probably the second-biggest outgoing after buying a house. Converting your own motorhome can save you a significant amount of money if you’re a bit canny about base vehicle and materials – but there are some pitfalls. Of course, some home-converters are more concerned with being able to build a motorhome to their own requirements. This month’s advice should prove beneficial, whichever camp you fall in. The first thing to consider is budget. You need to decide how much money will go on the base vehicle itself and how much will go on the conversion costs. If money is a major consideration there are a…

“Load her up?” asked our latest friendly recovery driver as he approached our stricken ’van. It was a sunny August weekend and, as reported last time, we were sitting at Winchester services on the M3, Cornetto in hand, waiting for the tell-tale lights of a recovery truck. Any recovery driver worth their salt knows their way around an air-cooled VW campervan, and our latest attendant didn’t even have any tools in his hands. As far as he was concerned, Wilma was broken and was going straight onto the truck. I wasn’t happy about this. She had been driving all right until we stopped, and I wanted to at least take a look before we admitted defeat. On closer inspection He wasn’t excited at the prospect of clambering into Wilma’s red-hot…

If you’re still trying to work out what all this motorhome lark is about, as well as reading all about it (why else are you here?), visiting motorhome-related shows is a great way of finding out more about the pastime as a whole, as well as any specific vehicles you’re interested in. There are all kinds of such events, ranging from the twice-yearly (October and February) flagship showcases at Birmingham’s NEC to local events hosted by dealers. Look out for such events, especially if they’re local to you. They’re often that bit more informal, allowing you to walk around, look at vehicles, a k questions etc. And, who knows? You may leave with a bargain! The Dolphin Motorhomes dealer group (joint winners of our Owner Satisfaction Awards 2017 for supplying…

Price now £45,995 Price new £62,149 Base Fiat Ducato Engine 2.3-litre, 150bhp First registered 2012 Mileage 22,196 Berths/travel seats 6/4 Length/width/height 7.6/2.35/3.1m Extras Include Media Pack, Platinum Pack, 150bhp engine MTPLM 4250kg Payload 850kg + Plus points Excellent kitchen and washroom -Minus points A French bed won’t suit everyone It’s quite some jump up from the Tribute (p114) to this Auto-Trail, but you gain in size as well as berths. The Hi-Line overcab option takes it to a six-berth as far as sleeping is concerned, but it’ll only take four for travel, thanks to the half-dinette option that Auto-Trail offers on many models in its flagship Frontier range. However, what it does mean is a certain amount of flexibility at night. The main bed is the French double along the…

IH Motor Campers, IH Leisure, IH Motorhomes… See the pattern? Throughout various rebranding exercises over the decades, the initials ‘IH’ – derived from the name of the company’s founder and CEO, Ian Hartley – have remained. We’ve long admired Ian’s design-and-build skills, ever since he used to convert Nissan Vanettes and similar for a hire fleet. Since then, his company has won a host of awards, and has become a byword for a unique combination of ‘contemporary’ and ‘traditional’ style signatures. It also represents thoughtful designs undertaken by a highly skilled workforce team using quality materials. We say ‘team’, because IH ’vans aren’t built on a production line but in bays, each with a dedicated group of crafts-people. So the products are obviously desirable, but what’s the downside? There’s only…

HOW IT WORKS 1 MAX WEIGHT The Maximum Technically Permissible Laden Mass (MTPLM) is the most that a ’van is allowed to weigh when fully loaded. If you obtained your driver’s licence after 1 January 1997, you’re restricted to driving motorhomes up to 3500kg MTPLM, unless you take a re-test. 2 BERTHS & SEATS Bear in mind that not all motorhomes have the same number of belted seats as they do sleeping berths. You’ll need to make sure that you have sufficient belted seats to carry as many people as you intend to tour with. Our buyer’s guide lists front-facing or rear-facing seats with lap belts as well as three-point belts. 3 LAYOUT Deciding which layout suits you best is probably the most important factor in choosing a motorhome. In…