Sommaire pour June 2022 de Practical Caravan

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TIME TO TAKE A LONG WEEKEND! Upcoming UK bank holiday dates for 2022 ■ 15 April Good Friday ■ 18 April Easter Monday (not Scotland) ■ 2 May Early May bank holiday ■ 2 June Spring bank holiday ■ 3 June Platinum Jubilee bank holiday WE’RE JAMMING! Top driving tips to keep you on track ■ PetrolPrices When it comes to saving money on petrol and diesel, it makes sense to use a smartphone app, especially given the current volatility in fuel prices. The PetrolPrices app aims to find the cheapest or nearest petrol stations in any UK postcode, town or city, potentially saving you significant sums over the bank holidays, and the rest of the season. ■ Keep it local You don’t always have to travel far to enjoy…

WE HUMANS HAVE become rather clever at squeezing lots of good stuff into small packages. Whether it’s mobile phones and laptops, or vehicles and apartments, we’ve become expert at offering all of the same features and services within ever-more compact proportions. Caravans are no exception. Today’s tiny tourers offer showers, kitchens, lounges and, well, luxury – so whether it’s towing weight or caravan storage that limits your choice, the need for easier manoeuvring or just a simple desire for lots of lovely hygge*, right now there’s a whole host of brilliantly cool and compact caravans for you to choose from. In search of the very best in smaller tourers, John Sootheran (all XL, six-foot-two-inches of him) headed to the NEC show to check out what’s on offer for the 2022…

ABBEY CARAVANS have a long history, and the GTS range was a luxury line-up from the 1970s. The Abbey name was dropped at the end of 2008, and although you’ll see some of these later models on the forecourts, they are few and far between. For the 2007 season, though, the range was revamped, with improvements including wider bodies. By then, Abbey had also stopped using GRP sides, instead switching to thicker, tougher one-piece aluminium. Dealer specials based on the Abbey GTS were available from firms such as Michael Jordan Caravans (now part of Marquis). Six layouts were offered for the 2007 season, from a two-berth to a five-berth. Model history The Abbey GTS 416 layout provided a front lounge, a side kitchen with a single dinette opposite, and a…

WHICH AWNING IS the best one for you? Of course, the obvious answer to that is, only you know. And don’t let any pushy sales folk try to persuade you otherwise. That said, specialist awning retailers will be your real friend as you make the journey from initial research to purchase. You can use these experts to help you decide particular models that are best for you. But first, you’ll need to set yourselves some basic criteria, including what you want to use the awning for. Are you looking for helpful cover and weather protection on short trips, or perhaps extra living/sleeping space on full holiday breaks? First, a warning ‘Divorce in a bag’ – that’s the unfortunate handle that’s been attached to the otherwise quite blameless caravan awning. This…

> Consider taping your pump tubes together, to prevent them from popping apart in mid-inflation. > Think about colour-coding your poles, to show how they connect together. This is especially important if you are only going to be using your awning once or twice a year. >Take a headtorch if your awning build will continue after dark. >On hardstandings, consider using a cordless drill and slim masonry bit to drill guide holes for your pegs (ensuring that you cause absolutely no damage to the pitch). >When folding your awning for storage, try to fold on the seams as much as possible, and keep the plastic window panels as flat or curved as you can. > Always aim to put your awning away bone-dry. If it’s damp or wet, you should…

The cost of living is going up, with record fuel prices helping to drive inflation ever higher. If you are thinking about changing your tow car this year, here are five of the very best budget vehicles you can buy, whether you are shopping new or secondhand. SSANGYONG REXTON VENTURA Price £37,995 Kerbweight 2180kg 85% match 1853kg Legal towing limit 3500kg For many years, the SsangYong Rexton has been a bargain heavyweight 4×4. Today’s car isn’t as cheap as it used to be, but it is considerably more polished than its predecessors. Choose the Rexton and you get four-wheel drive, a kerbweight of well over two tonnes, seven seats and a diesel engine with 325lb ft. That’s plenty of muscle for towing big twin-axle caravans. As a tow car, the…

IF YOU’RE NEW to towing, your first requirement when matching car and caravan is to adhere to the 85% rule. This should initially come at the time of buying the van, where the MTPLM (Maximum Technically Permissible Laden Mass) is equal to or less than 85% of your car’s kerbweight, and within the car’s towing capacity and GTM (Gross Train Mass), shown on the chassis plate or in the handbook. Load the caravan… Some caravanners hang all the clothes in the wardrobe, while others pack suitcases placed in the car. Cramming the caravan’s cupboards with tins and jars is not a good idea, for weight and safety reasons: try buying local food. Before stocking the fridge, pre-cool it for a couple of hours. You should always carry gas cylinders in…

Featuring the latest 2022 models! YOUR VAN BUYING QUESTIONS ANSWERED WILL YOU NEED TO CHANGE YOUR CAR? Q First and foremost – and especially if you are new to towing a caravan – you should follow the 85% guideline. This states that when fully laden, the caravan should not weigh more than 85% of the tow car’s kerbweight – so you’ll need to find out the latter figure before you can start to consider which caravan you might want to buy. If you find a caravan that complies with the 85% guideline with your existing vehicle, then all you will need to do is have a towbar fitted (if it doesn’t have one already). That way, you save yourself all the hassle and expense of having to buy a bigger…

Where are we? Lake Bled, Slovenia Why tour here? Justifiably Slovenia’s most popular attraction and only 34 miles from the capital, Ljubljana, the glacial Lake Bled offers breathtaking views from every vantage point. With a backdrop of forests and mountains, a medieval castle sitting high above and an island home to a 17th-century church, it is almost too beautiful to be true. Legend has it that dancing fairies created the lake and it certainly has a mystical, magical quality. Read more about Slovenia on p36. Don’t miss… Take the chairlift to Straža for the best view over the lake. Photographer Getty Images ‘Legend has it that dancing fairies created Lake Bled, and it certainly has a mystical, magical quality’…

Muggi Multi-Cup Holder Carrying multiple hot drinks into the awning is easy with the Muggi Multi-Cup Holder – it’s super-tough, lightweight and available in seven different colours. Price £7.99 Web leisureshopdirect.com AutoGlym Bodywork & Wheels This bumper pack includes shampoo, polish, gloss protection, clean wheels product, tyre dressing and wheel protector. Price £49.99 Web autoglym.com Dometic Power Care Tabs Much lighter to pack than a two-litre bottle of toilet fluid, Dometic’s Power Care Tabs are ready to drop into your waste-holding tank. Price £16.75 Web leisureshopdirect.com Bigjigs lightweight flyer These brilliant flyers are made of soft silicone, so won’t hurt little hands. Weighing only 100g, they can also be easily folded into a pocket without creasing. Price £4.99 Web bigjigstoys.co.uk ZNOKA multipurpose kitchen tool This space-saving tool has many functions,…

Focus on... spring festivals › Cheltenham Jazz Festival 27 April – 2 May The UK’s premier jazz festival, held in association with BBC Radio 2, takes place in Montpellier Gardens, and features a veritable feast of free outdoor music, food and drink stalls, and fun family activities. cheltenhamfestivals.com/jazz › Stay at… Cheltenham Racecourse CAMC site; www.caravanclub.co.uk › Brighton Festival 7-29 May This leading arts festival, with more than 150 events taking place throughout May, has everything from contemporary music to outdoor theatre and dance, from circus acts to visual arts and film. Venues include the Royal Pavilion Music Room, the Dome and the Duke of York’s Picturehouse. brightonfestival.org › Stay at… The Barn Caravan Park; www.barncaravanpark.co.uk ›Hay Festival 26 May – 5 June This popular event (1) is held near the…

THE MEDIA HAS a huge influence on how we feel about a place, and this is certainly true for one of England’s most underrated counties – Essex. Behind its portrayal on TV and in the tabloids, Essex hosts so many beautiful surprises that a visit is a must. Let us whet your appetite and ensure that it is firmly placed on your touring map! Seek out new territory Keen explorers, we had not given much thought to Essex before the pandemic hit, but the halt on foreign travel soon set our sights on some UK destinations. When the country opened up enough for us to travel again, we searched for places that were new to us and which would not fall foul of high-season crowds. Essex was calling! Dig into…

‘Woodpeckers, black grouse, golden eagles and osprey are among the impressive birdlife here’ DEEP WATER, Highland cattle and the possibility of a close encounter with the elusive Nessie are just some of the many things that draw people to this uniquely alluring reach of fresh water, lying to the south of Inverness and stretching some 23 miles. The Loch Ness monster, of course, is the most evocative image associated with the area, but visitors will find plenty of other things to entertain them in this fascinating region. Walking trails For a start, the loch contains more water than all the lakes of England and Wales combined, and reaches a depth of 230m at its deepest point. It is also incredibly beautiful, providing fantastic walking and cycling trails, and the opportunity…

Price £19,995 Berths 4 MiRO 926kg MTPLM 1100kg MARQUIS LEISURE is the UK’s largest dealer network; it primarily sells motorhomes, but also offers new caravans from Coachman, Adria and Erwin Hymer Group UK (EHG UK), as well as used models, at five of its 13 branches: Durham, South Yorkshire, Surrey, Suffolk and Exeter. (If you order a caravan, you can collect it at the Marquis branch nearest you.) Among those new caravans are Marquis’s Majestic range. Built for the company by EHG UK and based on its popular Xplore line-up, in 2022 Majestic consists of four models, all packed with additional kit. Here, we take a look at the four-berth Majestic 304, the smallest in the range. The Xplore costs £16,444, while the Marquis version is £19,995 – so what…

Caravan prices are skyrocketing for all sorts of reasons, so customers looking for value holidays and weekend breaks might be feeling that they can’t afford a tourer. The good news is, you probably can; but you’ll need to do your homework, and once you find a possible buy, be sure to ask all the right questions about damp, previous ownership, damage, servicing and so on. Private sales can be a tad cheaper, but there’s no comeback on any problems you might have with the van, so a dealership is still the best option for many buyers. Family models in this price range become harder to get hold of as spring gets underway, and some sellers tend to price accordingly. For example, we spotted a 2007 Bailey Ranger 556, a lightweight…

CARAVANS AND AWNINGS go together like sunrise and mornings, you could say. Go onto a campsite anywhere in the world and you’ll find that pretty much all of the caravans pitched there have some kind of fabric contraption attached to them. And it’s really not that difficult to see why. Putting up an awning on your van can more than double the space you have to move around in, and you are often in one place for a while, so it is well worth the effort of putting one up – and then taking it down again! But are you confused by the numerous brands out there? Here are some major players. 1 Bradcot Bradford-based Bradcot is best known for producing traditional poled awnings, very much geared for the seasonal…

Glow in the Dark Hard Ground Pegs Price £11.95 Web towsure.com Tackle any surface with these sturdy pegs. Made from stainless steel, they also have a glow-in-the-dark plastic hook, to help prevent trips or falls. They are 20cm long and come in a convenient plastic storage box with a handy integrated cleaning brush. Via Mondo outdoor curtains Price £29.99 (pack of eight) Web caravanstuff4u.co.uk If your awning doesn’t come with curtains and you’d like a bit more privacy, you can purchase dedicated sets, including this pack of eight white curtains from Via Mondo. They feature a clip and a stitched top, so are suitable for curtain poles, and various sizes are available. Fabsil waterproofer & UV protector Price £21.51 (five litres) Web wowcamping.co.uk If your awning looks a bit tired,…

Price From £40,245 Kerbweight 1715kg Towing limit 1650kg 85% match 1458kg Kia has launched a new generatio of the Sportage SUV. Sure to be spotted at many campsites over the next few years, the new car is available with petrol, diesel, full hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains. We’ve been driving the full hybrid 4×4. In range-topping GT-Line S specification, it costs £40,245, but if you can live with fewer toys and two-rather than four-wheel drive, prices begin from £33,245. The 4×4 has a healthy kerbweight of 1715kg, giving an 85% match figure of 1458kg. We haven’t yet had a chance to tow with the Kia, but there’s every sign it will make a capable tow car. With 258lb ft of pulling power, the hybrid has plenty of mid-range muscle. Accelerate…

IN THE MODERN world, where you’re either first or you’re first loser, it might be tempting to see the Audi Q7 in a ‘second best’ light. But that would be an error, because as plenty of people have found since it appeared in 2015, the Q7 is a superb car to live with and a brilliant choice when you need to tow on a regular basis. Indeed, it came close to winning its category in the annual Tow Car Awards, only beaten by the Land Rover Discovery. What’s it like inside? If there’s an area in which the Audi Q7 has its rivals well and truly licked, then the interior is that place. For a start, it’s huge. There’s a vast amount of space for the two people in the…

SO LONG as you are driving sensibly and the van has been loaded well, there’s no reason that a snake – when the van begins to move from side to side while you’re towing it – should occur. Responsible caravanners take steps to ensure it doesn’t happen. But there’s a certain inevitability that every now and again, you might have to contend with it, and it’s good to be prepared for the eventuality, just in case. Seeing a snake So what should you do? To start with, you’ll see the caravan grow larger in one mirror, then in the other. You’ll feel the back of the car beginning to move with the van, and you’ll be gently rocked from side to side in your seat. Don’t panic, and don’t start…

UNLESS YOU TOW a very narrow caravan (think Lunar Ariva or Swift’s new Sprite Compact) with something like a huge Dodge Ram pick-up, you need towing mirrors. Even the Compact is more than 2m wide, so it’s actually not that narrow. Put another (even simpler) way, if the body of your car is narrower than the caravan, you need towing mirrors. How do I know? Well, legally, using your tow car’s external mirrors, you must be able to see along both sides of the caravan (and that means seeing the rear corners!) and 20m to the rear of the mirrors, see outwards to at least 4m. You must be able to see 4m either side, at a distance of 20m behind the driver Set mirrors to caravan width Mirrors required…

CAMPSITES, MUCH LIKE the people (and vehicles) populating them, come in all shapes and sizes and to suit all tastes. There are large sites with more creature comforts and facilities than you can shake a kebab stick at, and tiny places amounting to little more than a patch of grass and a composting toilet. There are campsites close to popular attractions and others in the middle of nowhere. Some sites have rules you need to follow, others just let you pitch up and get on with it. With such a huge variety, choosing the right site for you can be a bit daunting. A good place to start is deciding where you’d like to go and what you wish to do while there. Do you want to be close to…

‘It was lovely just to stop, gazing out over the gorgeous blue water’ WHERE WAS THE site? The guidebook said it was easy to find – but our faulty sat nav placed it in the sea! It was one of those days: we had missed a turn in Trieste, then had to return through the centre of the city. Now, though, we were in Rovinj, Croatia, and had taken several different roads, at one point arriving at the Old Town. We managed to retrace our steps – we didn’t want to drive up the cobbled streets. Luckily, we spotted a man cutting a hedge, so I jumped out and asked him for directions to Campsite Veštar. Good neighbours At the site, we chose a pitch and the ‘fun’ started again…

May launch for voluntary towing training scheme Providers beginning to seek official accreditation THE GOVERNMENT’S NEW voluntary trailer training scheme should be launching in May, transport minister Baroness Vere has revealed. The Government scrapped the compulsory B+E test last year, but has announced plans for the scheme to ensure that all who use a trailer for business or leisure can do so safely. Baroness Vere said the DVSA is now in the process of recognising accreditation schemes from three organisations, with a fourth due to follow. It has been holding webinars to show training providers how to become accredited, ahead of the public launch. In a letter to Karyn Smyth MP, chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Trailer and Towing Safety, Baroness Vere said that her department wanted…

Price From £29,860 Berths 5 MiRO 1654kg MTPLM 1900kg THE SÜDWIND – a big, heavy, conventional layout van that’s been a staple of Knaus’s lineup for years – seemed to be on the way out in recent times, with more attention given, at least in the UK, to new North Star models. But the Südwind name is back for these 60th anniversary special editions, which come with an exclusive exterior colour scheme and UK-only goodies. We took a peek at the five-berth 580 QS, the first of these in the UK, at the recent NEC show. Pitch and set-up The 60th-edition models come with side panels in Campovolo Grey – not boring off-white, but not overly blingy silver, either. Alloys and heavy-duty corner steadies are standard, and there is an…

1 All conquering 2008 Swift Conqueror 480 A popular model with a spec that’s not to be sniffed at. The 480 would make a good tourer for a couple wanting to upgrade to a newer model. Well looked after and priced up at £9495, this luxury Swift still looks good and provides a large lounge and excellent storage. › callendercaravans.co.uk 2 Lifestyle choice 1998 Swift Lifestyle 500 This vintage Swift’s family layout sleeps up to five. The double dinette, based on the Danette at the time, benefited from Challenger soft furnishings. At £5495, this is an ideal model for first-timers. In fine condition and with a good spec, it is bound to sell very quickly! › callendercaravans.co.uk 3 Madrid style 2011 Bailey Unicorn Madrid On the forecourt for less than…

1 The most difficult part of an awning build can be feeding the cord through the awning rail, so consider lubricating the rail with some silicone spray. 2 Always try to erect your awning in dry weather, although an advantage of air awnings is the speed at which you establish the basic waterproof structure. With practice, you could have the shell inflated in just four to seven minutes. 3 To keep your awning clean, roll out your awning carpet close to the end of the caravan, where you’ll start feeding the cord into the rail. 4 Now empty the awning out of the bag onto the carpet, and unroll it. 5 Position it so that the correct end is close to the slot where the cord slides into the awning…

AFTER PURCHASING YOUR caravan, an awning or canopy is probably going to be one of the most expensive accessories you decide to buy. An awning can offer you much needed respite from the elements, providing shelter from the sun and protection from the rain. And for those of you who enjoy long stopovers, the awning can also be a really useful source of additional sleeping space (1), as well as increasing the room you have for dining, or storing kit. My first one was an Isabella porch awning, given to me by my father. Having bought a new van, finances were tight, so this was a welcome addition. I would estimate it’s about 28 years old now, but it is still in super condition and remains waterproof. The only tell-tale…

Price £53,930 Kerbweight 2140kg What’s new? We’ve driven the Land Rover Defender 110 before and came away very impressed by its towing ability. This is our first chance to tow with the smaller Defender 90, which has three doors rather than five. It’s also the first time we’ve been behind the wheel of a petrol, in this case the P300 with its 300hp 2.0-litre engine. This particular engine is not currently being offered in new Defenders – Land Rover blames the shortage of semiconductors affecting the whole motor industry – but nearly new examples are available. The X-Dynamic model we have been driving is intended to bridge the gap between the standard Defender and the expensive X versions, with a tougher look than the regular car. What are we looking…

BMW X5 The X5 kicked off the market for roadgoing SUVs more than two decades ago, and is still a major player. No, you wouldn’t want to climb a mountain in one, but it’s easily capable of manoeuvring a heavy trailer at a slippery campsite. The X5 is also brilliant to drive unhitched. The interior feels sumptuous and is full of cutting-edge tech, including one of the best infotainment set-ups available. JAGUAR F-Pace The F-Pace is the company’s excellent first attempt at an SUV. It looks superb, and the cabin is full of technology and space, albeit only for five. Quality is good, although the interior of the Q7 feels like a step up from the Jag. The driving experience is superb, too, with the F-Pace proving to be an…

SOME PEOPLE MIGHT turn up their nose at the very thought of watching TV in their caravan when they’re holidaying in the sunshine and amazing scenery. But the reality is that on rainy days, or if you have young children to keep entertained, having access to TV can be a godsend. Plus, you won’t miss key sporting events just because you’re touring abroad. Having internet access can be equally important for staying in touch with family, streaming your favourite shows and keeping in contact with the world. During the lockdowns, many people even used their caravan as a home office, where having a reliable internet connection for video calls and email was essential. So how do you get TV and internet in your caravan? It depends on where you go…

AN OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE sensor and a load monitor are well worth fitting. The latter will be especially useful if you often tour abroad, where the electricity supply can vary a great deal. Before starting either job, make sure the 230V mains and 12V battery are safely disconnected from your van, and the Alde system is turned off. Temperature sensor Tools required for the job are: ■ Screwdriver ■ P-clips ■ Small screws, cable ties First, find a suitable place to mount the sensor, ideally away from any heat source but close enough for the lead to plug into the Alde boiler unit. Extension leads are available from Alde if the latter proves to be difficult. I mounted ours under the floor just inside the skirt, at the base of the…