Tabla de contenidos para February 2026 en Caravan

Winner: Elddis Whirlwind 868 Highly Commended: Swift Challenger Grande 630 The final shortlist for this title was a tough call for our judges. Two twinaxle, spacious, maximum-width family caravans, both with outstanding layouts. Would the one with the lowest price claim the title? It wasn’t that simple, although price is undoubtedly an important factor when assessing family caravans. By a whisker, the Elddis Whirlwind 868 took the top spot, with the brilliant Swift Challenger Grande 630 Highly Commended. The Elddis Whirlwind 868, at £29,999, is the largest model in a new range launched for 2026 that was devised specifically to appeal to buyers looking for great-value prices. The 868 is a sixberth caravan with a family bedroom at the rear, providing a double bed plus two bunks. So it has…

Winner: Adria Action What constitutes a cool caravan, you may wonder. Certainly a departure from traditional shapes. Certainly a caravan that stands out from the crowd by reason of its looks. And with a good measure of practicality to ensure its wide appeal. There is one caravan that ticks all of those boxes. It’s not new. And that’s just the point. It was launched in 2005, originally as a run of just 50 units, made to celebrate Adria’s fortieth year of manufacture. It quickly attained icon status for its curvy bodylines that ensured it looked so dramatically different from every other caravan on the market. Now, as Adria celebrates 60 years of making caravans, our judges found there was nothing to beat this awesome little caravan both in terms of…

Winner: Barefoot Bothy The definition of a bothy is a basic shelter. Not, you might think, the first name to spring to mind for a caravan. Yet here it is – the latest caravan from the manufacturer that, for almost 10 years, has been redefining the concept of a caravan to give us the stunning little fibreglass micro caravans with monocoque, smooth, rounded shapes that are called Barefoot. And that name, in itself, is chosen to evoke thoughts of simplicity and freedom. And so the Barefoot Bothy arrived for 2026. Yes, it is basic, in that, as standard, it has no cooking equipment and no shower. But it does have comfort – exemplary comfort, in fact, delivered by not one but two seating areas. Which, for a caravan that measures…

Winner: Elddis Whirlwind 868 What makes a Caravan of the Year? To qualify, a caravan has to be absolutely stunning in several ways. Great value, for certain. And with wide appeal. A pinnacle of excellence in the industry – that’s a certainty, too. And it has to make a statement of importance in its marketplace. The Elddis Whirlwind achieves all of the above handsomely. Its importance in the marketplace is that this is a maximum-width, twin-axle, spacious six-berth caravan for a price tag that places it in the affordability bracket. The crucial factor on price is that Elddis has created, for 2026, the new Whirlwind range in response to a market that has become increasingly price driven. Whirlwinds are lower in price than the long-established Avante models that they replace.…

From the tiniest to the longest and widest caravans, this comprehensive guide features the models in the arena for the coming year. For some manufacturers, 2026 is a year of big changes, while for others the changes are less dramatic but nonetheless interesting. So, before you buy your next or first caravan, make sure you read this useful guide! The digital edition is completely free and we’ll deliver it to your inbox so you can start planning your next purchase and looking forward to lots of new adventures. Get your free digital guide now and start planning ahead. Visit bit.ly/caraessentialguide26…

Grantham’s, the dealership which has branches at Grantham, Lincolnshire, and Retford, Nottinghamshire, will donate 10% of all proceeds from full caravan services carried out until August 2026 to Cancer Research UK, through the Work for Good platform. Grantham’s, stockist of Bailey, Coachman, Swift, Knaus and Weinsberg caravans, says the idea behind the campaign is to help fund lifesaving research while driving vital health awareness among its customers. The campaign centres around a witty video that has quickly caught attention across social channels. In the clip, a Grantham’s technician finishes explaining a customer’s completed caravan service, before saying, “Other than that, I think that’s it – unless there’s anything else?” The customer replies “Actually, you couldn’t take a look at these could you?”, then humorously drops his trousers, implying a “check…

Winner: Coachman Laser 480 Xtra Highly Commended: Elddis Whirlwind Evolve 520 Xtra special? Definitely, yes. In lots of ways. Xtra width, though, is what makes the new Laser 480 a superb and very significant caravan. This is Britain’s first eight-foot-wide two-berth. When the judges assessed it they were, of course, impressed by the spacious feel created by the extra width. And they were impressed by the generally luxurious ambience. They felt that this new caravan for Coachman’s 2026 line-up truly beats all other classic two-berth models on the market by reason of the extra width, backed up by its pedigree: Lasers are caravans built to appeal to discerning buyers, with a high level of specification. The L-shape of the kitchen impressed the judges for the amount of surface space it…

Winner: Bailey Phoenix 640 Black Edition £25,649 Highly Commended: Sprite Major 4 EB The under-£30,000 price bracket is a crucially important sector in the market – and, when looking for the winner, our judges searched for a caravan that not only represented great value for its price, but also something special. They found it in Bailey’s new-for-2026 Phoenix Black Edition range. The 640’s layout, with the luxury of a rear bedroom, and a central shower area, lends itself to adaptability and thus has wide appeal. And it appears we’re far from alone in our enthusiasm for this layout; Bailey tells us that the rear bedroom configuration, which also appears in other ranges, is the company’s best-selling layout. This is because the layout is as good as a couples’ caravan as…

Winner: Kimberley Caravans Highly Commended: Leeds Caravan Centre Kimberley Caravans, the major northeast and Midlands caravan dealer, has won our Caravan Dealer of the Year Award – by gaining the largest number of public votes following our invitation to readers to vote for their top dealer. Caravanners from across the UK voted for their favourite caravan dealer; one that goes above and beyond to give topquality service. Kimberley Caravans, specialising in Coachman and Swift, has two sites, one close to Nottingham and the other close to Darlington. Both sites offer, as well as new ranges, a wide choice of used caravans. Kimberley says, “Every used model on our forecourt is hand picked, work-shopprepped, and backed with Kimberley’s Low Prices Guarantee, giving you peace of mind as standard.” The enormous choice…

It had started to become a little bit of a problem; having lived in Scotland for 15 years, we still hadn’t properly visited any of its islands. We had ventured onto Skye a couple of times, but it’s not the same if you can just cross a bridge to reach it. What I’m talking about here are islands that you have to sail to. So we – that’s me, my partner, my twin and her partner, along with our dog, Dolce – decided to rectify this oversight by booking at a campsite on Skye and then a few more on Harris and Lewis. I must add that Dolce had no emotional involvement in the planning of this trip! The first day of our Skye-Harris-Lewis adventure started off excruciatingly early at…

Love2Stay isn’t your typical touring park. Set on the edge of Shrewsbury, this five-star escape feels more like a boutique retreat than a campsite. It’s nicely landscaped, thoughtfully designed and very much a resort. It’s the sort of place where you can swim in a natural pool one minute and enjoy the view from your pitch the next. Our visit began with that instant ‘this is special’ moment. Wideopen skies, grassy meadows, and a central lake give the whole site its calm, resort-like feel. Each pitch is level, generous in size and fully serviced, while the layout makes clever use of space, so even when it’s busy, it never feels crowded. Our mornings began with coffee overlooking the water, the soft splash of paddleboards drifting past, and the distant hum…

As we announce the winners of the 2026 Caravan Awards, a huge message of congratulation goes out from the Caravan team to the manufacturers of the models that have been awarded titles. And our thanks go to our sponsor, Creation Finance. Our awards are a celebration of excellence in the caravan industry – and also, this year, of achievement in response to challenging economic conditions. We applaud the arrival of ranges and models specifically created in the interest of affordability – and these are recognised in our awards. At the other end of the price spectrum, we applaud, too, advances in specification among Britain’s top-spec, super-luxury caravan ranges. For 2026 some impressive and inventive new caravans have been launched. There are also some distinguished consistent best-sellers and some of these…

Winner: Buccaneer Starliner Barracuda Highly Commended: Coachman Lusso II Our winner in this category is a star in its class in both name and nature – for a number of reasons. But nonetheless the judges has an arduous task in separating the Barracuda from the superb new Coachman Lusso II that eventually made it to the runner-up spot. Both won the judges’ praise – predictably – for their high level of equipment, for their superlative luxury ambience – and also for the way in which these two models have been elevated for 2026 in providing enhanced payload. That’s super-important in terms of the level of equipment that arrives as standard on caravans in this class and the amount of payload left for owners to add in additional kit. Buccaneer has…

Winner: Sprite Alpine 4 DB Highly Commended: Xplore XC Lite Always a super-important category, given the large number of buyers for whom weight is their first consideration, the new-for-2026 Sprite Alpine 4 DB passed that test in the judging process with flying colours. And there’s more to like. A lot more. This new family caravan has a layout never before seen. It has a dining area in the nearside rear corner. This transforms into two bunks when you fold the top one down from the wall. It’s a nicely secluded area. And it has a large cabinet alongside, complete with a mains socket and a mirror above – so it doubles as an all-purpose cabinet and a dressing table. In the offside corner, the shower room is larger than you…

Winner: Holme Valley Camping & Caravan Park Highly Commended: Blair Castle Caravan Park Nestled in a wooded valley, just outside the Peak District National Park near Holmfirth, Holme Valley Caravan & Camping Park offers everything you would expect of an award-winning site. Spread across 16 acres of woodland and meadows, it provides a peaceful, natural backdrop for your carfavan, ensuring a wonderful holiday in the great outdoors. What truly elevates the holiday experience here is the commitment to high-quality facilities and eco-conscious operation. The park boasts a luxurious amenities building with underfloor heating, family bathrooms and fully accessible showers. On the environmental front, Holme Valley has earned the prestigious David Bellamy Gold Award for many years and actively nurtures local wildlife and habitats. It’s just a short stroll to the…

My husband, John, decided that he wanted to visit the Haynes Motor Museum, located near the small village of Sparkford in Somerset. As a lad he and his mates had spent many happy hours tinkering with cars, often referring to the Haynes manuals to help them with technical problems. So, what better place to begin our trip to the West Country than at the museum? On entering, we were greeted with an incredible collection of vehicles from around the world spanning all the decades of motorised vehicles. Among the many exhibits, the collection of red cars took our fancy and we both spotted makes of cars which we had owned in our early days of driving. Now that John had had his day of nostalgia, it was time to introduce…

RIVERSIDE CARAVAN & CAMPING PARK & COUNTRY CLUB, DEVON Marsh Lane, North Molton Road, South Molton, Devon EX36 3HQ T 01769 579269 W exmoorriverside.co.uk Nestled in the north Devon countryside, Riverside is the perfect base for both adventure and relaxation. From here, you can stroll along a footpath into nearby South Molton, explore Exmoor National Park, cycle the Tarka Trail, or spend a day on north Devon’s golden beaches. At the heart of the site, the country club offers a warm welcome. This dog-friendly bar and restaurant, with free WiFi, serves breakfasts, lunches, a traditional Sunday carvery and local ales. Spread across 70 acres of landscaped meadow and 10 acres of peaceful woodland, this family-run, AA five-star holiday site lives up to its name – the scenic River Mole runs…

New outdoor kit show announced There’s something about looking ahead to spring that gets every caravanner itching to get on the road – when days stretch out, evenings brighten, and thoughts turn naturally to new adventures and new gear. So, the timing couldn’t be better for a brand-new event joining the Out & About Live family — The National Motorhome, Campervan & Camping Exhibition, taking place 17–19 April 2026 at NAEC Stoneleigh. This day-visitor-only event spans four indoor halls packed with new and used vehicles, accessories, live demos and features designed to help you kick-start the touring season with confidence. Across the halls, you’ll find awnings, tents, outdoor living gear, off-grid technology, electric bikes, furniture, tools, gadgets, accessories, clothing and footwear – plus a huge range of tech designed to…