Innehållsförteckning för April 2018 från Practical Caravan

WRITE TO Letters, Practical Caravan, 69 London Road, Twickenham TW1 3SP 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…

New routes to explore DID YOU KNOW that Wales has more Blue Flag beaches per mile than anywhere else in Britain? Add a coastal national park, Victorian and Edwardian resorts, harbour towns, modern marinas, plus 870 miles of coastal path and it’s easy to see why the Welsh tourist board has declared 2018 the Year of the Sea. The country is also fifth on Rough Guide’s list of places to visit in 2018. This year, Visit Wales is launching the Wales Way, a series of routes – coastal, castle and mountainous – that you can arrange a tour around, exploring a theme. For maps and a list of attractions, see visitwales.com. More choice of tours in Europe The Caravan and Motorhome Club has expanded its portfolio of tours to Europe.…

WHEN TO GO If you love spring bulbs, then go when the Keukenhof Gardens are open. This year’s dates are 22 March-13 May. WAY TO GO Visit www.stenaline.co.uk for crossings between Harwich and the Hook of Holland FIND OUT MORE ■ Delft Tourist Information Kerkstraat 3 (Marktplein) 2611 GX Delft Web www.delft.com ■ Amsterdam Tourist Information Noord-Zuid Hollandsch Koffiehuis, Stationplein 1 Web www.iamsterdam.com ■ Giethoorn Tourist Information Web giethoorntourism.com ■ Delft Pottery factory tour Rotterdamsweg 196, 2628 AR Delft Web www.delftpottery.com ■ Bicycle hire Hire bikes from Fietsplus, behind Delft railway station. Web www.fietsplusdelft.nl OUR OUTFIT We tow our 2013 Eriba Troll 530 (Eddie) with our 2015 white Škoda Yeti (Snowy)…

Where tested Chertsey Camping and Caravanning Club Site, Bridge Road, Chertsey, Surrey KT16 8JX When tested January 2018 THE UNICORN CABRERA and its twin-axle sister, the Pamplona, were relatively late entries into the previous generation of Bailey Unicorns. This was possibly because they feature an in-line island bed layout that has only recently started to become more common in mainstream caravans – Bailey does not offer such a layout in its other two ranges. An in-line island bed has been a staple feature in motorhomes for many seasons. Caravans can take advantage of the extra width that they enjoy to offer transverse island beds instead, which results in a shorter vehicle overall. The Unicorn Vigo, for example, which includes a transverse island bed, has always been a popular model. But…

First drive Mercedes-Benz E350d All-Terrain Edition Price £58,880 Kerbweight 2010kg Towing limit 2100kg 85% match 1708kg Towball limit 84kg IT’S TRUE TO SAY the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class All-Terrain is something a little bit special, writes Lizzie Pope. But why? The E-Class All-Terrain is a car in the mould of the Audi A6 Allroad, a jacked-up four-wheel-drive estate. It promises off-road ability to rival an SUV, with the load-carrying capacity of one of the biggest and best – the boot capacity is unchanged from the regular E-Class Estate’s 640 litres. That go-anywhere ability comes from the four-wheel drive technology, but also the fact that the All-Terrain sits 29mm higher than the standard E-Class Estate – 14mm of this is the tyres, 15mm the air suspension. The suspension can raise the car…

HAVE YOU EVER collected your caravan from storage and found that it is covered in green algae, black smears and leaves? There is probably also a dull tone to the paintwork. This is a perfect time to give your caravan a good wash and polish, ready for the touring season (1, 2). There are many cleaning agents to choose from, such as Autoglym, Fenwick’s, Care-avan and Muc-Off, to name but a few (3). They all vary in price and performance, so it comes down to personal preference when choosing which one to buy. If you are unsure, visit one of the many national shows and speak to the experts to help you make an informed decision. For this article, Autoglym kindly invited me to their Training Academy, to observe the…

TA * Twin-axle * Practical Caravan top pick Layout finder R Flexibility is one of the strongest points of this popular front-lounge, rear-washroom layout: if you're travelling as a couple, you can choose to leave the lounge bed made up during the day, because you can still relax and eat at the side dinette. Those with children, meanwhile, will find that the dinette can often be made up into bunk beds, creating an extra berth over the single below. The full-width washroom is usually large enough to use as a dressing room. Pros A great-sized washroom. Two places to dine and lounge Cons Shorter vans can sometimes have a smaller front lounge A You'll usually find a great-sized shower cubicle in this layout B There should be lots of storage…

 LET ME JUST go straight out and say it – there is nowhere in the world more beautiful than the UK at this time of year. ‘There’s a woodland walk close to where I live that is just about to explode in a carpet of bluebells’ Who cannot be captivated on a bright spring morning, when winter is being pushed to a memory by an army of enthusiastic bulbs, eager ferns and energised wildlife? I’m lucky that during my 35 years as a property and travel journalist and TV presenter, I’ve had the opportunity to travel to the furthest corners of the globe – from the ice fields of Alaska to the deserts of Africa. And each place has its own unique appeal. Watching sunrise over an extinct volcano in…

Handy hydration Price £32.99 Web www.outwell.com Carrying water (or anything else you might like to drink) out into the awning or even into the open has never seemed so elegant with this new 12-litre water carrier from Outwell. Nor has it been so simple, because (as its name implies) the Collaps Water Carrier collapses so you can stash it away in the smallest of nooks. The carrier, which comes in a choice of five colours – terracotta, deep blue, turquoise, lime green or white – has a sturdy handle and is made of break-resistant TPE and plastic. Its wide quarter-turn screw lid makes cleaning easy, although it is dishwasher-proof too. Take this with and you can reserve the water actually in your caravan for more prosaic purposes, like washing-up.…

Adgestone Camping and Caravanning Club Site This is a fantastically family-friendly site – your kids are sure to make friends in the huge sports field, playground, games area, or even in the heated pool (open June-September), which is for residents’ use only. Although the site is large, meaning a decent walk to the washblocks for some, it’s laid out to retain an intimate feel, and is well looked after by the wardens – although being mainly grass, it can suffer in the wet. There’s an independent on-site shop with fairly limited stock, and a café attached serving breakfast, plus evening takeaways in high season. The two amenities blocks are large and clean, albeit a little dated, and a scenic dog walk is easily accessed from either end of the site.…

1 Whitby Abbey Towering over the bay at Whitby and the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula are the gothic remains of an important 13th-century Benedictine abbey, just a three-minute drive from the campsite. Stay at Whitby Holiday Park Web www.whitbypark.co.uk 2 Rievaulx Abbey The spectacular ruins of North Yorkshire’s 12th-century Cistercian abbey, near Helmsley, have long been a popular subject for artists and have been attracting visitors since the 18th century. Stay at Wrens of Ryedale Web www.wrensofryedale.co.uk 3 Lindisfarne Priory Monks first came to Holy Island in the year 635, but the ruins seen today date from the 12th century. Check the safe crossing times before you cross the causeway. Stay at Budle Bay Campsite Web www.budlebaycampsite.co.uk 4 Battle Abbey Learn about William the Conqueror’s abbey, commemorating the Battle…

A NEW STRIPPED-DOWN basic caravan with just a double bed inside and a kitchen under a canopy at the back has been brought to the UK by T@B dealer Adventure Leisure Vehicles. The Teardrop caravan, built by Kaiser Fahrzeugbau in Germany, has an aluminium roof and tailgate and a MiRO of 650kg, so it should be capable of being towed by even quite small cars. With an overall height of 1.9m, it should also offer less wind resistance. Inside, along with the bed, there is a set of birch plywood cupboards, while the kitchen at the back has a stainless steel sink with tap, 12-litre tanks for fresh and waste water, and a cool box. There is also a table you can clip on the side at the rear near…

WHILE SOME VIEW touring as a 12 months a year activity, most of us are happy to restrict our trips to spring, summer and autumn. After all, the hubbub of Christmas can become all-consuming over the winter period, and exploring new, or even favourite, locations in chilly temperatures isn’t for everybody. So if your caravan has been out to pasture since last autumn, now is the time to get it prepped up and ready for a busy 2018. Which is why, this month, we are looking at a selection of recommissioning products. Nothing freshens up a van like a thorough valeting, so we’ve been busy trying out a whole host of different cleaners. Whether you’re tackling tired leather, black streaks, tar-spattered wheels, or simply stained carpet, read on to find…

 FOLLOWING COLLECTING its gong for best manufacturer of new caravans at January’s glitzy ceremony in Manchester, Adria UK’s managing director Slavica Sterk reveals what it takes to top our annual poll. “Our philosophy is always, ‘What more can we offer?’ Adria focuses on fully functional layouts, durable construction, top-level design and luxurious comfort” How satisfying is it to score 89.2% and top our poll for the manufacture of new caravans? We are extremely proud of our score, which has improved from the previous two years. And this progress is the result of taking the Owner Satisfaction Survey very seriously – we address every single point and have an ongoing process to improve all areas where a requirement for improvement has been highlighted. We are in constant communication with our factory…

VW Passat Estate 2.0 TDI 170 I’ve towed with this for a year and am very happy with the combination. It tows safely up to the legal speed limit of 60mph in the UK and behaves well around lorries and buses. I have Al-Ko ATC fitted to the caravan to protect from the unexpected, but not from reasons of poor driving or van loading. Towing fuel economy has been 25-37mpg, depending on weather conditions and terrain. I suspect one could better these figures with very careful driving, but personally, I prefer to make progress. I’ve achieved fuel consumption of 57mpg solo, driving at 70mph on dual carriageways and motorways. Richard Tyler VW Passat Estate 1.6 FSI I’m quite new to towing. I have a Bailey Ranger 500/5 1044kg, but my…

The correct noseweight is really critical when towing. A quality noseweight gauge is all that’s required for everyday use, because there are too many variables to get truly accurate readings every time. I’ve used a Milenco noseweight gauge for the past few years, and have been happy with its performance. Recently, though, I bought an Al-Ko Premium jockey wheel, which incorporates a built-in derived noseweight scale. I say ‘derived’ because it’s not simply a direct reading – you need to do some basic measuring and calculating before using the device. If you need a 90kg noseweight (and have that reading on a traditional gauge), don’t think that you need a 90kg reading on the Premium jockey wheel’s scale. The Premium jockey wheel simply replaces the standard one that came with…

TA * Twin-axle *Next to layout code denotes floor plan not mirrored for the UK Layout finder K Featuring a full-width rear washroom and a pair of twin sofas that make up into a double bed up front, this layout is ideal for couples on tour. The washroom is usually spacious enough to also serve as a dressing room, while the kitchen is very often a really good size – ideal if you enjoy cooking up a storm while you’re away. You might get the option of additional seating in lieu of a chest of drawers between the lounge sofas. Pros This layout allows for a roomy washroom and kitchen even in more compact vans Cons Occupants need to make up the bed each night, leaving nowhere for anyone still…

HAVING not made it to Caravan Salon in Düsseldorf last August, it was good to catch up with some of the latest developments doing the rounds in Europe. As you’ll see in our report starting on page 74, Germany’s CMT 2018 show featured something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue (and red, too). Alongside the Continental mega-producers spread around the many halls, it was cheering to see Lunar and Sprite keeping the British end up. This month, we spend some time on the south coast and test a car and a van near the top of our wish lists for 2018 – a new Bailey Unicorn and a Škoda Kodiaq SUV – plus we get you in the mood for spring with a roundup of caravan cleaning products…

1 Lough-side hopping Follow the clues hidden near Co Down’s pristine Strangford Lough to unlock the secret to a prize in the Cadbury Easter Egg Hunt. Date 30 March-3 April Web www.nationaltrust.org.uk/mount-stewart Stay at Rockmore Caravan Park Web www.rockmorecaravanpark.co.uk 2 Step back in time Gloucestershire’s magnificent Sudeley Castle will be the setting for some epic jousting on Easter Sunday, with knights in shining armour evoking the drama of the castle’s past. Date 1 April Web www.sudeleycastle.co.uk Stay at Winchcombe CCC Site – http://po.st/XqygrX 3 Flock to Paradise Children can get to know the animals at Cornwall’s Paradise Park while searching for clues leading to their very own egg-shaped treat. Plus, there are two new bird shows. Date 30 March-15 April Web www.paradisepark.org.uk Stay at Calloose Holiday Park Web www.calloose.co.uk 4 The hunt is…

When to go Any time of the year, but if you want to swim, aim for summer to avoid cold toes. Booking around school holidays makes sites and ferries more affordable. Way to go We used the Wight Link ferry from Portsmouth to Fishbourne (0333 999 7333; www.wightlink.co.uk). Food and drink ■ Lifeboat View Café Tel 01983 875 568 Address Lane End Road, Bembridge, Isle of Wight PO35 5SZ Informal restaurant serving fresh fish and local wines and ales. ■ St Peter’s Finger Tel 01202 622 275 Address Dorchester Road, Lytchett Minster, Poole BH16 6JE Walking distance of South Lytchett Manor, and serving good pub food. Find out more ■ Bembridge Lifeboat Station Web www.bembridgelifeboat.org.uk ■ Adgestone Vineyard Web www.adgestonevineyard.com ■ The Model Village Godshill Web www.modelvillagegodshill.co.uk ■ Rock Reef…

IF YOU’VE EVER read Ellis Peters’ stories of the medieval detective Brother Cadfael or seen the 1990s TV adaptation, starring Derek Jacobi, you will know that the Abbey of St Peter and St Paul in Shrewsbury was the supposed home of the fictional monk. I have listened to these enthralling stories on the radio and the abbey was to be my first stop on my weekend in Shropshire. It took less than 10 minutes to make the 2.5-mile drive from my pitch at the Love2Stay campsite at Emstrey into the medieval town of Shrewsbury. There is a handy car park opposite the abbey, where you can leave your vehicle for up to 10 hours, Monday to Saturday, for a very reasonable £2.70, and for £1 on Sunday. I was slightly…

GETTING AROUND... Places to visit 1 National Botanic Garden 2 National Wool Museum 3 Carreg Cennen Castle 4 Brecon Beacons 5 Carmarthen 6 Twm Sion Cati’s Cave 7 Dolaucothi Gold Mines 8 Ginhouse Deli 9 Aberglasney Gardens 10 Kidwelly Castle Places to stay 1 South Wales Touring Park 2 Cwmcuttan Caravan Site 3 Dolaucothi Caravan Site 4 Erwlon Caravan & Camping Park 5 Moelfryn Caravan Park 6 Abermarlais Caravan Park 7 Waungadog Farm Caravan & Camping 8 Dolbryn Campsite TOP EVENTS... Great Welsh Marathon The largely flat route takes in the Millennium Coastal Path, starting in Llanelli, so that you can enjoy the incredible scenery around Llanelli beach and the Laugher Estuary. Date 15 April Web www.greatwelshmarathon.co.uk Torch Trwyth Festival Take part in the Enchanted Boar Festival to celebrate…

Tracking a stolen van Surrey police recovered a caravan stolen from a storage site in January, thanks to it being fitted with Tracker technology that interacts with Tracker devices on other vehicles to help locate it. The Sprite Major 4 was stolen while a skip blocking the site entrance was being removed. Once it had been reported as stolen, any time the caravan passed another Tracker-fitted vehicle, its location was reported to Tracker HQ. As a result, the caravan was soon located on an industrial estate in Guildford. Leisure World’s new managers North of England dealership Leisure World Group has appointed new managers at its three branches. Gary Boanas has been promoted internally to become branch manager at York, while Nigel Cooney takes over at the Tyneside branch, having previously…

THE OWNER SATISFACTION Awards 2019 will be organised by Practical Caravan in partnership with The Camping and Caravanning Club for the third consecutive year, and we need your help to make the 2019 Awards the biggest and best yet. If you’ve bought a new or pre-owned tourer since 1 January 2015, and have owned it for at least six months, we’d love to hear from you. How were you treated during the purchase, how has the van behaved, and would you buy again from the same manufacturer or dealer? Launched in 2012, the Owner Satisfaction Awards is the only industry scheme that is completely based on owners’ feedback, including both the practicality and reliability of the tourer itself, as well as the buying and owning experience. We’ll be launching the…

How much? £1000-£7000 All of the Passats covered are available for relatively bargain prices. You’d be advised to steer clear of bargain-basement versions, available for around £1000. These have usually covered a mileage equivalent to that of the Space Shuttle, and led accordingly hard lives. About £3000 will net you a car that has been looked after, even though the mileage will still be up into six figures. Still, condition is more important. If you can stretch to £7000 you’ll get a well looked after example with comparatively low mileage of about 60,000. What will it tow? Kerbweight............................1574kg Towing limit......................... 1800kg Noseweight limit....................90kg 85% match............................ 1338kg How much is a towball? Witter flange towbar........£113.94 Witter detachable towbar ............................................... £203.04 Fitting extra (From www.pfjones.co.uk) What about servicing? Interim service.................... £224.31 Full…

THE MOST CONVENIENT place to mount a spirit level is on the drawbar, where you can see it while winding the jockey wheel. If it shows level side to side as well as front to back, that is so much the better. The small, triangular unit shown here is a design that is readily available from caravan accessory shops and online. Levelling off Having levelled the caravan in both directions, experiment with different positions for the unit on the drawbar, until you find one that accurately shows level in both directions. Some flexing of the plastic drawbar cover is acceptable, but try to find a position where double-sided adhesive foam tape will adhere. Use masking tape to record the exact position where the spirit level is to be mounted, because…

TA * Twin-axle * Practical Caravan top pick Layout finder S With a nearside-rear dinette as well as rear corner bunks, this layout has lots of space for the kids, while mum and dad relax in the lounge. The amidships kitchen is often short on work surface, but the side dinette provides extra room. The washroom, opposite the kitchen, is useful for nighttime visits, but there is not as much elbow room in the shower. Pros Children can take over the rear while their parents relax up front. The rear dinette offers a separate play space, and can usually be shut off from the rest of the van Cons The washroom has limited space, and the kitchen is squeezed between the lounge and the main door A This area may…

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 hardw to make these classifieds as easy…