Table of contents for March 2025 in Practical Caravan

I've just returned from a Christmas and New Year trip to the US, and while I was there I was reminded how much their experience of caravanning differs from ours. ‘Travel trailers’ are relatively rare over their RV cousins, but those that are seen are big, brash and require monster trucks to tow them – there's simply not the diversity of tourer that we have here. I love the British caravan industry, which can produce everything from the cute little Wayfarer Quad (p48) right through to the luxurious, bells-and-whistles models featured in our Buyer's Guide (p88) – we are so lucky to have such a great amount of choice. Long may it continue! Also this month, I've been busy testing out the latest Garmin sat-nav that's designed specifically for caravanners…

Sarah Wakely Editor sarah@practicalcaravan.com Paul Critcher Deputy editor paul.critcher@futurenet.com Peter Baber Reviews editor peter.baber@futurenet.com David Motton Tow car editor motty@practicalcaravan.com John Sootheran Consulting editor practical.caravan@futurenet.com Andrew Jenkinson Used-van contributor practical.caravan@futurenet.com Peter Byrne Content editor peter.byrne@futurenet.com Q HOW CAN WE PICK A CARAVAN COVER? Finding our caravan covered in leaves and detritus after Storm Darragh, we're now thinking of buying a cover for it. However, there seem to be so many types on the market, we're not sure what we need to be looking for. Could you please advise? Peter McFadden Peter Byrne replies… When you buy a caravan cover, one of the most important things to look out for is the hydrostatic head. This is the gauge used to determine how waterproof a particular material is. Our expert John Sootheran…

Between January and March is peak snowdrop season, when swathes of these pretty white flowers pop up in gardens and parks across the country. The best displays are those to be found at large country estates, and here are a few to consider visiting. Chippenham Park, Cambridgeshire Chippenham Park in East Anglia opens from January through to 16 April, when visitors can enjoy the Winter Snowdrop Walk, offering superb displays of aconites, hellebores and, of course, snowdrops. This is followed by daffodil season, when white turns to yellow. chippenhampark.co.uk Stay at Cambridge Cherry Hinton CAMC Campsite caravanclub.co.uk Forde Abbey and Gardens, Somerset These magnificent gardens become a cloud of white in February, when the grounds are completely carpeted by a spectacular display of snowdrops. Forde is open for Snowdrop Weekends…

It felt positively other-worldly as we wandered across the moorland plateau of the Long Mynd. Below us, the valley was blanketed in fog, but on the high ground, we were bathed in afternoon sun. As we took in the undulating landscape, almost on cue, a string of wild horses came into view – the perfect foreground for the setting sun. What a great introduction to the beautiful county of Shropshire! We loved visiting this wonderful region lying on the border of North Wales, with rolling hills, beautiful landscapes, and plenty of culture and history. Carding Mill Valley We visited last year and stayed at Brook Farm Campsite in Leebotwood, near Church Stretton. It's our favourite site because it's quiet, out in the sticks, away from the crowds, with good facilities.…

WHAT'S ON Around 1 March 2025 St David's Day Where better to celebrate St David's Day than in his namesake city? Celebrations include parades, cathedral concerts, live music and bustling street markets. visitwales.com May 2025 St David's Cathedral Festival A weekend of vibrant live musical events, from choral works to Celtic folk, hosted at the 12th-century cathedral. Make sure you catch the annual performance by the famous BBC National Orchestra of Wales! stdavidscathedral.org.uk/music-festival Late September 2025 Narberth Food Festival A two-day festival in the town of Narberth, celebrated with live music, activities for the children, expert cooking demonstrations and plenty of great street food. facebook.com/NarberthFoodFestival PLACES TO STAY Caerfai Bay Caravan & Tent Park This scenic site is a stone's throw from the glorious Pembrokeshire Coast Path and a 20-minute…

Rare van goes under the hammer An early 20th-century bow-top caravan is due to be sold at auction later this month. The 3.25m-long wooden trailer has an outer cabin painted in burgundy, gold and white, with spoked wheels and a bright yellow, green and black undercarriage. The neat interior is equipped with a bunk bed, cupboards, drawers, a mirror and a stove. The caravan had been sited at Dunkirk Manor, a Grade II* listed building in Gloucestershire. The van is one of the last items from that estate to be auctioned off, owing to the difficulties involved in moving it. It was due to go under the hammer at the Cotswold Auction Company's Cirencester office on 21 January, and expected to fetch between £2000 and £3000. Caravan Guard helps the…

The new season is off to a good start It might still be early in the year, but recently, when I was on a forecourt browsing some used buys, there were plenty of people looking at caravans, even though the weather was pretty chilly. One couple, after their first van, wanted a seasonal pitch, while another had bought their first tourer a few years ago, but now planned to upgrade to an island bed and midships washroom. After the midwinter slowdown, the early start to the new season is looking encouraging. practical.caravan@futurenet.com ANDY'S PICKS OF THE MONTH 1 Sterling performance 2010 Sterling Europa 460 This cracking two-berth with end washroom was priced at just £5995. It was in good order and came with a spec that included blown-air heating and a…

Nice places with nice people Towing a caravan takes you to some wonderful places. It also enables you to meet some wonderful people. For example, the couple who came to the rescue when an overcooked pizza threatened to set fire to my van. Or the company boss who travelled halfway across the country one weekend to find out what PC readers thought of his vans. Then there's the campsite wardens at Inverewe in Scotland, who put the kettle on to welcome me and a colleague after we arrived in the small hours. Yes, you visit some nice places when you go caravanning. But it's the people who make those places so special. motty@practicalcaravan.com FIRST LOOK TOYOTA RAV4 Plug-in Design Price From £44,175 Kerbweight 1975kg 85% match Above max tow Max…

Choosing a layout People's needs differ, and your van layout choice will depend on your companions and how you want to use your caravan. To understand which layouts are available, spend a day at one of the big shows in Birmingham or Glasgow, where dealerships and manufacturers show their latest models. A dealership is also a good place to start, but can be affiliated with a limited number of manufacturers. A chat with a dealer, though, could raise issues or offer ideas that you had not considered. Think about your needs: will you want to carry bikes, sports kit, barbecues or outdoor furniture? Perhaps creature comforts are a bit higher on your list. You might want a separate sleeping area, a lounge with parallel sofas and TV points, and an…

Where are we? Whitesands Bay, Pembrokeshire Why tour here? This glorious spot on the south-west coast of Wales is home to one of the best surfing beaches in the UK, with superb views of Ramsey Island. This is classic touring country, where the Pembrokeshire Coast Path runs alongside the stunning Blue Flag beach with its wide expanse of sand. The sunsets are especially fabulous in this west-facing location. Caravanners will be spoiled for choice by the many campsites in the area, along with access to water-based activities, such as coasteering and kayaking. Don't miss… The nearby city of St Davids, with its historic cathedral. See our suggestions for spending 48 hours in the area on p42. Photograph Michael Roberts, Getty Images ‘St Davids, the UK's smallest city, is bordered by…

Saker Portable Firepit This stainless-steel tabletop stove is a great smokeless option for barbecues or nights around a fire pit, with easy ignition and fuelling, 360° airflow and an integrated stand. Price £29.99 Web sakertool.co.uk Compact Chopping Board A foldable chopping board designed with non-spill enclosed edges and a stable cutting surface. It also doubles as a travel box for your favourite knife. Price £6 Web olproshop.com Snowdon Gas Lantern Perfect for offgrid caravanning, this lantern offers warm illumination without a mantle, using low gas consumption (4g/h). It lasts up to 56 hours, is easy to use, and comes with a hard carry case. Price £41.99 Web robens.de/en-gb Travel Recycled Ripstop Blanket Compact when packed, this cosy blanket offers warmth with 120gsm recycled insulation, and includes a sack for easy…

Timing is everything One of the many wonderful things about living in the UK is having distinct seasons. Speak to any Brit who has moved to a hotter clime and invariably they will tell you how much they miss spring rain, crunchy leaves in autumn and frosty breath in the winter. We're in the heart of winter now, a time when we pile on the layers, make the walks a little quicker and reward ourselves with a pie and a pint in a pub with a log fire, or afternoon tea in a cosy café – with scones, jam and clotted cream, of course! But if you can climb out of any midwinter malaise, there's still much to experience across the UK. It's snowdrop season now, when country estates are…

It was only when we were already halfway up the mountain that I realised, perhaps we had made a wrong turn. Here we were in the magnificent Eryri National Park, climbing up mighty Mount Tryfan – and I'd forgotten how to get to the peak! A fact which, given that I'd climbed it twice before, came as a surprise to me and even more so to Suzy, who I had earlier assured that we would encounter easy paths and not too tricky an ascent. Betws-y-Coed We chose a summer break in Snowdonia (Eryri National Park), in North Wales, for good reason. It has amazing scenery, beautiful lakes and challenging mountains. We were staying at Gwern Gof Isaf Farm & Campsite, at the foot of Mount Tryfan, with soaring hills and…

Morecambe Bay has exerted a magnetic pull on me since the days when I spent the summer holidays there with my parents in the 1960s. Perhaps it's the majestic curve of the coast, the sea's sudden shifts from sombre to sparkling, its moody mudflats at low tide, or the hazy blue peaks of the Lake District soaring in the distance. Whatever its fundamental appeal, this is a truly spiritual place that never fails to reinvigorate the soul, whatever the season. This time we were headed to its northern shores in high summer, to indulge our passion for horse-racing at Cartmel Races. Our base was the ideally situated Meathop Fell Caravan & Motorhome Club Campsite, a stone's throw from Grange-over-Sands. Grange-over-Sands Grange has an elegant, slightly understated atmosphere, harking back to…

WHEN TO GO We visited during the autumn, which was fine for climbing in the Shropshire Hills and enjoying the views. But any period of dry weather would be superb – a great region to try early in the season. WAY TO GO We took the M40 to Bromsgrove, to the M5/M6, heading north to Walsall. We then continued past Walsall on the M6, taking the M54 East at Junction 10A. We followed the M54/A5 to Shrewsbury, then continued on the A5 ring road around Shrewsbury until we reached the left turn, A49 to Hereford. We then followed the A49 for about eight miles, until we reached Leebotwood, where we turned right just before the Pound Inn, right again opposite the church, and then found the campsite down the road…

Caravanning: freedom and adventure It has to be said, I've never been a massive fan of TV presenter Anne Robinson. But her latest pronouncement has got me wondering whether her famous catchphrase shouldn't be applied to her. In answering a letter from a reader in the latest Saga Magazine, she says caravans are “like giant cat litter trays on wheels”. Overlooking the slightly snobbish (and anti-cat) edge to this remark, I would only say Ms Robinson has clearly never enjoyed the freedom and sense of adventure – not to mention cosiness – a good caravan can impart. I might just as well say TV quiz shows are like a tapestry – all stitched up! peter.baber@futurenet.com HOW WE TEST VANS Our review types explained In-depth test In our most detailed test,…

TECH SPEC Price £46,195 What Car? Target Price £46,195 Retained value after three years N/A Kerbweight 1929kg 85% of kerbweight 1640kg Gross vehicle weight 2600kg Max towing limit 2500kg Gross train weight 5100kg Towball limit 100kg Price of towball £833 Boot size 616-2011 litres Payload 671kg Test conditions Dry Engine size 2151cc Power (hp/rpm) 191@TBC Torque (lb ft/rpm) 325@TBC Official combined economy 42.8mpg Towing economy 27.6mpg CO2 emissions 173g/km First year car tax £1095 Second year car tax £195 Insurance group 31D Euro NCAP overall protection rating What's new? Kia has updated the Sorento SUV with fresh looks, revised infotainment and some tweaks inside the cabin. The new styling makes the car look similar to the big EV9 electric SUV, but the Sorento is powered by a choice of hybrid, plug-in…

◆ Kerbweight As defined by EU Directive 95/48/EC (which still applies), the car or other vehicle's weight with a 90% full fuel tank, all necessary fluids, 68kg for the driver and 7kg of luggage. This is the figure that is used to calculate a tow car match ◆ GTW (Gross train weight) The maximum allowable combined weight of the towing vehicle and the caravan, as specified by the maker of the towing vehicle ◆ Hook-up Cable connection to the mains electrical supply at a campsite. Provides power to mains sockets and appliances ◆ Maximum towing limit The greatest weight that a car can legally tow, as specified by the manufacturer of the towing vehicle ◆ MiRO (Mass in running order) The van's weight, with all factory-fitted equipment, when it leaves…

Caravan and Motorhome Club 01342 326 944 caravanclub.co.uk Camping and Caravanning Club 024 7647 5448 campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk CRiS 020 3282 1000 www.cris.co.uk Approved Workshop Scheme www.approvedworkshops.co.uk NCC (National Caravan Council) thencc.org.uk Caravan Storage Site Owners’ Association (CaSSOA) 0843 216 5802 www.cassoa.co.uk Towsafe towsafe.co.uk DVLA 0300 790 6801 www.gov.uk/dvla Mobile Caravan Engineers Association (MCEA) 01249 651 036 mobilecaravanengineers.co.uk For the very latest reviews and brilliant buying guides, visit Practical Caravan at www.practicalcaravan.com…

WHEN TO GO We went in summer, the best time for climbing mountains and great views. Whenever you visit, be prepared for rain! WAY TO GO M54 from Birmingham, then the A5 North-West to Betws-y-Coed, continuing on the A5 for eight miles, until we reached Gwern Gof Isaf Campsite, on the left. FOOD AND DRINK Y Stablau Restaurant ystablau.com There are plenty of eateries, pubs and cafés to choose from in the area. The intriguing menu at Y Stablau includes the aptly named Baa Burger, but they have vegetarian options, too. FIND OUT MORE Eryri National Park visitsnowdonia.info Swallow Falls, Conwy Falls visitconwy.org.uk Mount Tryfan, Penrhyn Castle, Glyderau nationaltrust.org.uk Fairy Glen betws-y-coed.com/place/fairy-glen…

WAY TO GO From Derbyshire we followed the A537 to Macclesfield and Knutsford, joining the M6 at J19. After a stop at Charnock Richard Services, we continued up the M6, leaving at J36 and taking the A590 dual carriageway signposted South Lakes. Turning left via a slip road towards Barrow, we eventually turned left at a roundabout onto the B5277 (signposted Lindale and Grange), then immediately left (signposted Meathop). After about three-quarters of a mile, we turned right up an incline then forked left to our site. FIND OUT MORE Visit Grange-over-Sands visitlakedistrict.com Humphrey Head cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk Holker Hall & Gardens holker.co.uk Cartmel Races cartmel-racecourse.co.uk FOOD AND DRINK The Hazelmere thehazelmere.co.uk Woodlands Hotel whpl.uk/restaurant…

Britain is home to a huge number of competitions for numerous sports, with many of the events featured here being among the most prestigious, longest-running or most hotly contested in the world. There really is something for every caravanner. We've highlighted events you have probably already heard of, but you might also want to check out the English National Surfing Championships in Newquay, Cornwall, watch the London Marathon on the streets of the capital, follow the Tour of Britain cycle race or enjoy the UK Athletics Indoor Championships in Birmingham. Many of these events are fun-packed affairs, with plenty to entertain the whole family. We've also suggested a great place to stay while you enjoy the excitement! FA Cup Final Wembley Stadium, London May or June The men's FA Cup…

THE NEW YEAR has seen more trouble among caravan dealerships, with one longestablished retailer, which claimed to be Dorset's biggest, closing at Christmas, and another calling in restructuring specialists to look at the possibility of a sale. Lady Bailey Caravans had been a Bailey dealer at Winterborne Whitechurch, near Blandford Forum, for more than 30 years. But just before Christmas, owners Nick Farmer and Chris Gray announced they were closing the business “with a heavy heart”, on account of Chris's poor health. They had put the business up for sale in 2022, but didn't find a buyer. The company is currently in the process of contacting customers with active service plans to discuss refunds, and says anyone with a Bailey warranty can have this transferred to another dealer. But it…

Internet connection in your caravan We all rely on technology to make our touring lives better, but for that, you need a decent internet connection, which isn't always easy when you're out and about on a caravan tour. That's why, this issue, we asked our Consulting editor John Sootheran to investigate everything you need to know about getting mobile internet – you can find his full report on p76. And we have two other great technical features to inspire you. Former editor Nigel Donnelly reveals the latest updates to his project van, Penny (p82), while Techno Tom Bedworth shows you how to construct a handy reading light (p86). practical.caravan@futurenet.com OUR TECH EXPERTS include (left to right) John Sootheran, former PC editor Nigel Donnelly and Nigel Hutson PC'S TOP TIPS POWER…