Table of contents for March 2017 in Practical Caravan

‘There are boat trips across the lake to Innisfallen Island, with the fabulous backdrop of MacGillycuddy’s Reeks’ Alastair Clements Where are we? Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland What’s going on? With easy access to the beautiful Ring of Kerry and the rugged Wild Atlantic Way up the west coast, Killarney makes a fantastic base for an Irish tour. It’s also a Mecca for golfers, with the Killarney Golf Club boasting three courses including Killeen (pictured here), host venue for the 2010 and 2011 Irish Open championships. It’s on the shore of Lough Leane, with views of the stunning MacGillycuddy’s Reeks mountains Which outfit? We towed the Swift Lifestyle 6FB, a Sprite-based Marquis dealer special, with our long-term Kia Sorento 2.2 CRDi KX-2 auto…

1 Hotline to the blooms Avoid turning up to see snowdrops and finding that you’ve missed the best display by calling Nymans, in West Sussex, to check which blooms are in the gardens that day. Dates House closed 1 Nov-29 Feb Web www.national trust.org.uk/nymans Stay at Blacklands Farm (opens 10 Feb) Web www.blacklands farm.co.uk 2 Spot the difference Cheshire’s Rode Hall grounds are home to 50 different varieties of snowdrops; you can take the annual mile-long walk that’s perfect for a crisp winter’s day. Dates 7 Feb-8 March Web www.rode hall.co.uk Stay at Glencote Caravan Park (opens 1 Feb) Web www. glencote.co.uk 3 Hidden histories As well as enjoying the white blooms at Hodsock Priory in Nottinghamshire, you can learn all about the history of snowdrops…

‘Maybe it’s just my rose-tinted spectacles, but I have happy and sun-filled memories of summer from my childhood’ I CAN’T BELIEVE that it’s the start of another new year already, and we’re looking forward to all of the delights that the coming 12 months will bring. I thought that 2016 went pretty well, and I hope it did for you, too. For me, it was made by the lovely summer that we had. Following the washout of summer 2015, I said to my wife that we would give the first part of the season a chance, but that if it looked as though gloomy weather was to prevail, I’d book us on a cheap getaway to a place with guaranteed sunshine. I love this country and its idiosyncratic weather, with…

Alde heating! Plus hot chocolate and cuddling with my boys. We will be testing this theory when we go away next weekend. Sarah Barnes We’re in Greece – sunny days but cold, cold nights. Our hot-water bottle keeps the bed warm. Our throw from Aldi is a great draught excluder for the entrance door, and we have Truma heating. We’re looking forward to a Greek Christmas in our van. Susan Dalgety We put the heating on and close the blinds as soon as the sun is on the wane. I occasionally get chilly shoulders, so a shawl or wrap is handy. Otherwise, I do the same as at home. Always warm, even with blown-air heating. Often too hot! Kay Sumpner Heating on, good film on, with the wife and kids…

Rob and Sue Coyne have been caravanning for 15 years, but this was their first Irish tour. “We were put off by the poor roads, but there has been tremendous investment in infrastructure,” said Rob. “Last year we purchased a new Swift Challenger and decided to make Ireland our main holiday. “We sailed from Holyhead to Dublin, then drove to Co Donegal, where Sue’s parents were from. From there we headed south via Knock and Adare to Schull, south-west of Cork. "The Irish are lovely – so hospitable and with so much time to chat. We certainly enjoyed the craic!”…

WAY TO GO We stayed overnight at the family-run Bodowyr Caravan and Camping Park (Bodedern, Anglesey LL65 3SS; 01497 741 171; www.bodowyrcaravansite.co.uk), just 15 minutes from the ferry terminal at Holyhead. We caught the Stena Superfast X ferry to Dublin Port; it takes three hours and 15 minutes, and there are four crossings a day (www.stenaline/routes/holyhead-dublin). After arriving at around midday we took the M4 and M6 motorways to Galway, then the R338 and R337 to Salthill. We allowed half a day so that we could stop for lunch and to exercise our dog. WHEN TO GO Any time of year. The summer doesn’t guarantee good weather, and autumn and winter can be reasonably mild. FIND OUT MORE Fáilte Ireland, the national tourist board, has produced an excellent series of…

1 Honister’s heights Climbing and high-ropes centre Via Ferrata at Honister Slate Mine (honister.com/via-ferrata), has zip-wires to try, too. Stay at Borrowdale Caravan Club Site Web http://bit.ly/2hReu2G 2 Action hero Take an off-road tour into the wilderness. Rookin House Activity Centre (www.rookin house.co.uk) has an Argocat eight-wheeler and more to enjoy! Stay at Troutbeck Head CC Site Web http://bit.ly/2hoga6F 3 Trail blaze Hit the mountain-bike trails at Whinlatter Forest Park, on your own bike or a hired one from the Cyclewise bike centre (www.cyclewise.co.uk). Stay at Derwentwater Caravan Park Web http://bit.ly/1sqzRgb 4 Take a walk on water To get to know the Lakes, you need to get out on the water. Head for Glenridding Sailing Centre (www.glenridding sailingcentre.co.uk). Stay at Patterdale Hall Estate Web www.patterdalehallestate.com 5 Kayaking by…

THE TOWN OF Louisville, in the US state of Kentucky, seems fairly unassuming at first sight, but has plenty of claims to fame: its racecourse plays host to the legendary Kentucky Derby, and it was Cassius Clay’s home town, long before he became Muhammad Ali. For fans of trailers (caravans) and RVs (motorhomes), however, it’s most famous for being the location for the National RV Trade Show, the annual headline event for the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association. The most recent show – the 54th – filled seven halls of the Kentucky Exposition Center last winter, and was better than ever. Practical Caravan was previously in Louisville two years ago, so it was great to reacquaint ourselves with the American market – and there’s no better place to do so, with…

IT’S NOT QUITE true to say that Bailey has dispensed with optional extras completely. An Al-Ko ATC trailer control system is still an option for those who want perfect peace of mind when towing. Whether to fit an iNet remote-control system to the Truma heating will also be a matter for the dealer to decide on. But that aside, the Pursuit line-up for 2017 is very much a case of what it says on the tin. The range comes into the new season with a total of six models, as before, although there is now more focus on tourers for larger families. While the two- and four-berth layouts continue largely unchanged, the old fixed-bunk 540-5 and twin-lounge 560-5 – both five-berths – have been dropped. In their place comes an…

WELCOME TO THE fifth Owner Satisfaction Awards, brought to you this year by Practical Caravan with our new partner, The Camping and Caravanning Club, and sponsored by Club Care Insurance (08001 244 633; www.clubcareinsurance.com). These awards are based entirely upon our readers’ and members’ ownership experiences, gathered via our survey over the past year. We’re not only interested in tourers that have been bought new, but also pre-owned vans and the supplying dealers of both. The purchase of a caravan usually represents a significant investment, so buyers are entitled to expect a well-built product that has been properly checked by the dealer prior to collection, and also to good after-sales support. Over the years I have personally experienced excellent service, but also sub-standard products and poor customer care. Because caravans…

First drive Suzuki SX4 S-Cross 1.6 DDiS Allgrip SZ5 Price £24,349 Kerbweight 1360kg 85% match 1156kg Towing limit 1500kg Towball limit 75kg THIS IS NO blink-and-you’ll-miss-it facelift. Suzuki has done a thorough job of updating the looks of its Nissan Qashqai rival. Out goes the wide-mouthed grille and startled-looking headlights of the previous generation. In comes a more upright front end, redesigned lights and a much chunkier appearance. Changes aren’t restricted to the exterior, either. Suzuki has also introduced two ‘Boosterjet’ turbocharged petrol engines in place of the old 1.6-litre unit. The range starts with a 109bhp 1.0-litre Boosterjet, which we’ve yet to drive. The larger 1.4-litre Boosterjet makes a more convincing alternative to diesel power, provided that you own a lightweight caravan. It’s a lively engine, with 162lb ft…

How much? £8000-£30,000 You’ll need to shell out at least £8000 to bag yourself a CX-5, for which you’ll get a well-used example with a six-figure mileage. That shouldn’t necessarily be a deal-breaker though, because the CX-5 is a robust and reliable car that can easily cope with hefty mileages. If you have the wherewithal to increase your budget to around the £14,000 mark you’ll be in line for a facelifted post-2014 car with lower mileage and those suspension refinements to make the CX-5 more comfortable. What will it tow? Kerbweight ..........................1605kg 85% match...........................1364kg Towing limit....................... 2000kg Towball limit............................ 88kg (figures for the 2012 CX-5 2.2D 173bhp) How much is a towball? Witter flange towbar ....... £128.16 Witter detachable towbar ................................... £211.68 Fitting extra (figures from www.pfjones.co.uk) What about servicing?…

Layout finder DD Island-bed layouts are, for many caravanners, the height of touring luxury – they offer a domestic-style sleeping area in which you don’t need to make up a bed from cushions each night. Elsewhere the floorplan can vary, but one popular variety is to have the washroom split across the van's central aisle. It usually means that the shower and toilet are separate: handy if there are two of you getting ready at the same time. Pros The island bed is as close to a domestic example as you can get. The lounge usually makes up into a second double Cons Split washroom areas might not be hugely spacious A You'll usually find lots of storage under the island bed B Check that the kitchen is large enough…

Focus on… Knaus Knaus is Germany's most popular touring-caravan brand; it has been building units in southern Bavaria since 1960 (although its parent company, Knaus Tabbert, has had a few ups and downs in that time). For 2017 it has substantially slimmed down the range of caravans it is offering the UK market. But that hasn't stopped it being innovative – in fact, the Sport & Fun and Lifestyle ranges provide some of the most radical designs currently on sale. The former is very much geared towards a younger audience; it features a fixed bed at the front, a large garage for bikes, and a sprawling lounge. The Lifestyle range, meanwhile, manages to fit in a breakfast bar and a window seat, and comes with very modern styling. Knaus…

THIS ISSUE PROVIDES an interesting juxtaposition between the US and the UK, with my report from the annual RVIA show in Kentucky (p58), and the results of our Owner Satisfaction Survey (p81). It would be wrong to suggest that build problems in the industry are a thing of the past – our survey shows that there are still far too many customers suffering faults with their new caravans – but it’s reassuring to hear that the major manufacturers take these results very seriously, and are working hard to improve. The American market provides a stark contrast: while over here six- or even 10-year bodyshell warranties are the norm, with manufacturers’ warranties of between three and six years, the banners in Louisville were proclaiming ‘industry-leading’ cover of between 12 months and…

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…

My daughters both qualify for an Irish passport, yet they’ve never been to the land where their grandfather grew up, and that their mother has always seen as her spiritual home. So Eire seemed the natural choice for a tour, taking in County Limerick, where my father-in-law Jerry was born and raised, and the dramatic south-western coastline. First, we had to get there. Breaking with tradition, we decided that it was time that mum and dad got a bit of luxury with a fixed bed, so we opted for a Swift Lifestyle 6FB, a Marquis dealer special based on the twin-axle Sprite Quattro FB with a fixed nearside double at the rear, a corner washroom, central dinette and kitchen and a parallel front lounge. This layout proved ideal for the…

HULL-BASED CARAVAN manufacturer Coachman has passed into the full control of the second generation of the Hibbs family, after HSBC bank backed Elliot Hibbs in a management buy-out of the company co-founded by his father, Jim, and George Kemp some 30 years ago. The deal sees Managing director Elliot taking full control along with three other members of Coachman Caravan Co’s current senior management team, including technical director Ian Kershaw, purchasing director Jason Thompson, and finance director Steve Shipley. Jim Hibbs and the other former shareholders have now left the business, although Jim will continue to be involved as a consultant to ensure a smooth transition. Elliot described the new arrangement as a “wonderful opportunity”. He said: “Operationally the business will remain unchanged, however the management buy-out will provide additional…

Refine your search by location, make and model, price, berths and more to find your next tourer quickly and easily Scroll through our gallery of large images and get to know the van before hitting the road Explore each caravan’s vital statistics on our mobile- and tablet-friendly classifieds website to see if it’s the right tourer for you Our simple-to-navigate ads will help you check out each van and contact the seller 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…

Nick Page, Group commercial director, Swift Group Gold award for manufacturers of new caravans (Sprite) This is tremendous news, and everyone at the Swift Group will be thrilled. To win the award two years in succession is outstanding and I would like to thank all our customers who took the time to provide feedback on the different Swift ranges. It is always rewarding to win awards for excellence, but it is especially pleasing when they are based on customer feedback. It is the best endorsement that we could receive. In my opinion, three things set Sprite apart from the competition: family focus, value and customer care. Family has always been at the heart of Sprite, and this has had a major influence on development in recent years. Like all Swift…

Price £27,495 What Car? Target Price £26,296 Retained value after three years 43% Kerbweight 1554kg 85% of kerbweight 1321kg Gross vehicle weight 2020kg Max towing limit 1500kg Gross train weight 3520kg Towball limit 90kg Boot size 522-1446 litres Payload 466kg 30-60mph 10.8 secs 50-60mph 4.7 secs 30-0mph 11.3m Test conditions Dry Engine 1600cc, petrol turbo Maximum power 168bhp @ 4800-5600rpm Maximum torque 184lb ft @ 1800-4800rpm Official combined economy 39.8mpg Towing economy 20.1mpg CO2 emissions 164g/km Insurance group 24 Euro NCAP overall protection rating…

Mazda CX-5 2.2D 173bhp This is a fantastic tow car that’s also very nice when not towing. Our caravan is over a 100% match, but it does not sway or feel out of control at any point, possibly helped by it being a twin-axle. I would not hesitate to recommend this car for towing heavy loads because it pulls and performs excellently. O Cox Mazda CX-5 2.2D 147bhp We find the combination or our CX-5 2.2 diesel and Bailey 530/4 very good. We bought both brand new in 2013 and have used them regularly since. The car pulls the caravan effortlessly from a standing start and cruises nicely at 60mph, with ample power for overtaking lorries. Jason Wicks Mazda CX-5 2.2D 147bhp auto First-class for towing, and leaves others standing.…

1 Always rewind Once the hitch is attached to the towball, wind the jockey wheel in the opposite direction until you see the rear of the vehicle lifting. This ensures that the coupling is secure. Forgetting this on your test will gain you a major fault, and will mean that you fail. 2 Double it up Remember that your unit is now double the length of your car, so allow double the time to emerge from junctions, double the time to join a roundabout, double the stopping distance required and look twice as far ahead of you to help you anticipate the actions of other road users. Top tip! Leave double the space between you and the vehicle in front when queuing in traffic to allow you room to manoeuvre…

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 up to lounge A Storage is limited, but you will find some under the sofas…

This Pennine town ended 2015 under several feet of water, after extensive Christmas flooding. Just over a year later it’s back to its old thriving self and is the perfect place to visit this coming season, says Peter Baber 1 Stay here Because the Calder Valley is so narrow, there’s not much flat space at the bottom that could take a caravan park. Hebden Bridge Caravan Club Site is in a picturesque spot halfway up neighbouring Cragg Vale. It’s a fair (although pleasant) walk into town, but you can take a bus from outside the site. 2 Eat here People have been visiting the White Lion in the centre of Hebden Bridge for well over a century: composer Franz Liszt stayed here during a piano tour during the 1840s. There’s…

Bag of tricks Price £74.95 Web www.stmbags.com Constantly taking things in and out of your backpack can quickly turn it into a free-for-all, where you need blind luck to find the item you are looking for. Not so with the STM Haven, which has more pockets than you can shake a stick at. One of the best features is the ‘SlingTech’ design, which comprises an internal compartment that suspends your laptop above the bottom of the bag, so it’s protected from damage. There’s also a cable system that keeps the backpack organised when you are charging your phone or camera, using discreet ports between the sections. A zipped side pocket is handy for keeping keys in an easy-to-reach place, and there’s a bottle holder on the other side. Finally,…

Industrial revelation DID YOU KNOW that this March marks the tricentenary of the death of Abraham Darby, the man who is largely recognised as the instigator of the Industrial Revolution in Coalbrookdale, Shropshire, by using coal to smelt iron? This also coincides with the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust in 1967. To celebrate, the Museum of Iron will reopen in time for Easter (mid-April). The geology of the gorge provides all of the raw materials for making iron and the museum follows that history from medieval times to the production of modern steel. It promises to be fascinating. The Trust is celebrating the double anniversary with a community art project, animal-inspired activities for the Easter holidays and summer events with a theme of ‘fire,…

‘Temperatures reminiscent of the Mediterranean meant that the beaches were packed’ GAZING ACROSS THE sun-spangled waters of Galway Bay, it’s easy to imagine why America’s long-distant shores seemed to offer an attractive escape for the starving Irish during the mid-19th-century potato famine. As a result, vast numbers set sail across the Atlantic and many made their way to a new life Stateside. Others died or were shipwrecked on the way, and there’s a poignant seafront memorial on the atmospheric promenade at Salthill, west of Galway City, to those who lost their lives. But on a heart-stoppingly hot day in July, when temperatures reached 33 degrees celsius, it seemed impossible that anyone would choose to leave such an idyllic location overlooking the impressive limestone landscapes of County Clare and the wild…

IT WOULD HAVE seemed almost negligent not to take advantage of the unexpected balmy weather we had in late September, so we dug out our walking boots, consulted the map, hitched up and set off for the Lake District, or Coniston Water to be more precise. We were relative newcomers to this part of the Lake District, having previously only visited Windermere and Ambleside, and were pleasantly surprised to find that Coniston was less crowded and more peaceful than other Lakeland areas. Ideally, when on holiday in our van we like to be within walking or biking distance of points of interest, and Coniston Park Coppice Caravan Club Site fitted the bill nicely. It is set in 63 acres of National Trust Woodland, approximately one mile from the heart of…

Barefoot with the bare essentials Barefoot Caravans is planning to launch a stripped-down version of its quirky tourer at the NEC in February. The new van is still a GRP monocoque and will include wiring and sockets inside, but will otherwise be empty for buyers to fit out themselves. The firm, which launched the Barefoot just over a year ago, has created the new model to appeal to those who, for example, may want to use the van as a mobile office. The price has yet to be decided, but it is likely to be considerably cheaper than the current model, which retails at £23,950. Elite back into new vans again Northampton-based Elite Caravans has returned to the new-caravan market for the first time this decade, after taking on the…

Q Why did you start this awards scheme? A We wanted to provide help to potential purchasers by giving them the benefit of the experiences of current owners. This is achieved by highlighting and rewarding manufacturers and dealers who consistently deliver high levels of customer satisfaction. This also hopefully raises standards and makes buying a caravan less of a lottery. Q Why did you decide to feature pre-owned caravans in the survey? A The pre-owned caravan market is very large, and many readers and Club members buy them – indeed, pre-owned caravans accounted for 41% of responses this year. We know that many caravanners will not buy new, instead waiting for the first owners to sort out any problems. For some, committing £1000 to a caravan purchase is a bigger…

Price £52,300 What Car? Target Price £52,300 Retained value `after three years 51% Kerbweight 1884kg 85% of kerbweight 1601kg Gross vehicle weight 2570kg Max towing limit 2400kg Gross train weight 4970kg Towball limit 100kg Boot size min/max 650/1740 litres Payload 686kg 30-60mph 7.3 seconds 50-60mph 3 secs (kickdown) 30-0mph 13 metres Test conditions Wet Engine 2993cc turbodiesel Maximum power 296bhp @ 4000rpm Maximum torque 515lb ft @ 2000rpm Official combined economy 47.1mpg Towing economy 25.4mpg CO 2  emissions 159g/km Insurance group 42 Euro NCAP overall protection rating n/a…

WHAT HAPPENS IF you have an accident with your caravan and damage its windows, especially if your model is a few years old or the manufacturer is no longer in business? It’s hard enough to get spares for newer caravans, let alone those of more than five or six years old. Older caravans have even been written off by insurance companies due to such damage. While there’s a number of caravan breakers about, even if you can find the correct replacement window you can’t guarantee what condition it will arrive in, or how long it will last before it begins to delaminate (which can be a potential problem with any window, not simply one sourced via a breaker). This issue faced my parents several years ago. Unfortunately, the front centre…

The course comprises several elements, to ensure that you can tow safely in all conditions: • An eyesight test to check that you can read a licence plate from 20m (or 20.5m if it is an old-style numberplate). • Reversing manoeuvre. You will line up with two cones in front of the car, before reversing around a cone and back into a bay with a barrier at the back. You are allowed two ‘shunt’ manoeuvres to pull forward and correct the positioning of the trailer, and are allowed out of the car to judge surroundings once at the start of your manoeuvre and once during the bay reverse. • Show-and-tell questions (see right). These often come first, as you approach the car to begin the test, and the questions are…

Layout finder AG While the mid-washroom, transverse-island-bed layout used to be rarely seen, and then only on top-end luxury models, it’s become more and more popular in recent years. The washroom is often split across a central corridor, with one side featuring a shower, and the other a toilet. While it makes an en suite for the main bedroom, it can also be used by guests sleeping up front. Pros Occupants can use the toilet when another is showering. The island bed feels like a real, domestic example, and usually has lots of storage space beneath. Cons The fixed bed at the back can eat up quite a bit of the floorplan. A Check that the lounge area and the sofas are big enough B Shower cubicles are usually large,…