Table of contents for January 2017 in Practical Caravan

Taken great pics on your travels? let us see them! EMAIL letters@practicalcaravan.com  or HASHTAG us on social media #practicalcaravan Here’s the early-morning dew on our outfit at Doe Park Caravan Site, near Barnard Castle. It’s a lovely site, with everything you could wish for. Keep up the good work! Paul and Yvonne Dickinson This pic is from our couple of days at The Camping and Caravanning Club’s temporary holiday site at Criccieth, North Wales, earlier this year. We just loved the peace and quiet. Adrian Shepherd This sunset shot was taken at Pavilion Royal Campsite in Bidart, France, where our family stayed for a week in our Swift Danette in August. The campsite is great, with large pitches and cosy, shady spots beneath the trees, but those…

Camping Jungfrau This fabulous site occupies a stunning location within the Lauterbrunnen valley, with mountain and waterfall views in all directions, including the Jungfrau peak on a clear day. The reception staff, as well as speaking excellent English, are incredibly friendly and helpful. We were able to buy discounted rail passes and tickets to Jungfraujoch. Some of the pitches are a little closely spaced, but the facilities are outstanding. They include a well-stocked shop, a bar/restaurant, heated toilets, a play area, showers, a drying room, a laundry and a pet shower. All are kept spotless. Address Camping Jungfrau AG, CH-3822 Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland Tel 0041 33 856 2010 Web www.campingjungfrau.ch Open All year Price (pitch+2+hook-up) SFr45.52-56.90 Camping de Vidy Some of the facilities at this site are somewhat run-down and…

We loved the location of Campez à la Tranquillité: it’s only five miles from the bustling seaside resort of Saint-Jean-de-Monts, and is far enough away from the coast to be peaceful, yet close enough to be just a short drive to the beach. The facilities are excellent: there’s free Wi-Fi around the campsite and the three toilets and four showers are kept very clean. There’s a play area and, unusually for a small site, a heated swimming pool. Access to the site is good. Taking a left off the Chemin de la Bonnette, you find yourself in the owners’ front garden and a short drive around the house takes you into the campsite. The owners, Béatrice and Claude Vrignaud, are very welcoming. Each emplacement (pitch) is a good size and…

Situated between Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells, just off the A21, this recently created CL is set in 13 acres so the pitches are spacious, each with an electric hook-up. The site also offers a toilet block, including a disabled toilet and shower, which is shared with the fishing club. Adjacent to the site, established over 25 years, there is a peaceful fishing complex comprising three lakes for coarse fishing, as well as a little café stocked with a range of essentials. Horsmonden is an ideal base to travel around the local area, with a variety of National Trust properties within easy reach and the Spa town of Royal Tunbridge Wells just a 15-minute drive away. There’s a number of local pubs and nearby Bewl Bridge reservoir offers excellent walks, plus…

Price £22,300 Berths 4 MiRO 1396kg Payload 154kg MTPLM 1550kg Awning 1045cm Contact Bailey of Bristol Address South Liberty Lane, Bristol BS3 2SS Tel 01179 665 967 Web www.baileyofbristol.co.uk Measurements A Interior length 5.83m B Shipping length 7.37m C Overall width 2.28m D Front single beds 1.49m x 0.66m E Front double beds 1.99m x 1.25m F Rear fixed bed 1.77m x 1.39m Or try these alternatives Lunar Clubman SR Price £23,799 There’s a new look for 2017 Clubmans, and the SR offers a few surprises, such as a full-width external locker. Coachman Pastiche 545 Price £21,645 Matches the Unicorn’s weight, at 1546kg when laden, and has a similar spec and price. It’s a shade smaller inside. Compass Capiro 550 Price £20,899 With an MTPLM just 5kg over the Lunar’s,…

Price .................................. £67,950 Berths ............................................. 4 MiRO ................................... 2100kg Payload ................................400kg MTPLM .............................. 2500kg Awning size .................... 1050cm VANMASTER IS CELEBRATING 21 years of manufacturing luxury tourers – caravans that aren’t just made, they are built, and not by robots on a production line, but by a small and dedicated workforce. In fact (and sit down before you read this next bit), it takes five weeks to build a Vanmaster from scratch, which equates to many man-hours. So, as you might expect, a pretty hefty, bank balance is needed should you want to buy one. We tested the first Vanmaster, back in September 1995: an end-washroom, two-berth layout named Ovation. It was a cracking tourer with real wood veneers plus a high spec; it cost £15k then, which was a…

IT MAY BE branded Ventura, but this porch awning is produced in exactly the same way as Isabella awnings, with the textile manufactured in Denmark and the awning put together in Poland; that’s because Ventura is actually Isabella’s budget brand, first launched in the year 2000. The Pascal 390 is the only air awning that Ventura will be selling this year, and it’s aimed, the company says, at caravan owners who want an awning that is quick and easy to install. That said, we found that the two-litre hand-pump supplied needed to be worked almost 150 times before the internal pressure neared the required level and the awning began to feel taut. Also, because as you pump air through four different valves into built-in chambers in the awning – rather…

Elddis Avanté 866 Tested by The Johnston family Price £21,499 Berths 6 MiRO 1559kg Payload 179kg MTPLM 1738kg IN A NUTSHELL Our competition winners meet their prize – ‘Ellie’ the Elddis! Space, superb kitchen/ diner and kids’ zone We’ll tell you after our first trip away! Miles towed this month Months on test fleet WITH THE THEME for our year of caravanning in the Elddis Avanté 866 being ‘Go Big’, the surprise of winning has been the biggest thing so far. After all, it’s always someone else, isn’t it? Not this time, and we have big plans to make the most of it. Along with two extremely excited children – Abi (8) and Tom (6) – we headed to Perthshire Caravans to meet ‘Ellie’ (naturally, the newest member of the…

MAINSTREAM MANUFACTURERS HAVE largely dropped the nearside-fixed-bed layout from their current portfolios, but this floorplan continues to be popular on the used market. And although such models sleep four people, they are mainly favoured by couples looking for a tourer that doesn’t involve daily bedmaking. Over the years there have been plenty of variations on this layout, but the two we spotted at Broad Lane Leisure’s Coventry branch, the group’s original dealership, were identical. The devil will be in the detail. We set our budget at £9000, knowing that for that sort of money we could get a decent, well-specified caravan. Our first choice was a rather nice Abbey GTS 418 from 2008 – among the last of the Abbeys to be produced; the brand was dropped in early 2009.…

ENGLAND’S MOST BEAUTIFUL GARDENS Claudia Dowell is inspired by the 300th anniversary of Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown’s birth to visit some of his most famous and stately landscapes PLUS Counting down the gardening legend’s greatest works LIVING WITH A FAMILY FAVOURITE After a year on test, what do we make of our fixed-bunk Bailey Pegasus? TOW CAR TESTS Find out how two of the year’s hottest new cars, the Seat Ateca and Mercedes GLC, fare in the UK’s toughest tow test A WINTER GETAWAY Exploring the stunning scenery of North Wales on an off-season break DIGITAL MAG bit.ly/pcaravan  & bit.ly/practicalcaravanapp TV Sky 212, Freesat 161 and Freeview 254 youtube.com/  practicalcaravan…

This was the big one. Having bought our first caravan less than eight months previously, and with only a few outings in the UK under our belt, we planned to tow it through France for a two-week holiday in a country I have always wanted to visit – Switzerland. Some of our friends said we were mad, and I will admit to just a hint (or rather a gigantic bubbling trough) of trepidation. The longest stay we had managed in our caravan had been four nights and the farthest we had towed it was about 150 miles – well short of the 1600-mile round trip that we now planned. We had never driven a right-hand-drive car in Continental Europe, much less towed with one. We hadn’t spoken French since leaving…

NOT WANTING TO go too far for our half-term holiday we opted for Kent, which, thanks to its abundance of fruit and hop farms, is fondly known as ‘The Garden of England’. With our new mountain bikes attached to the roof, we ventured to the 2007 Tour de France area to test our latest purchases – probably (and for the first time) more excited than eight-year-old Ben about the prospect of some unscheduled play time! Greeted by the owner upon arrival, we were told that we were only the third visitors to Pittlands Fisher Caravan Club CL, which offered a pitch with plenty of room to run around. The beauty of caravanning is that you are instantly at home so, with electrics connected and steadies down, it was time to…

GETTING AROUND... Things to do 1 Turner Contemporary 2 Dover Castle 3 Kent & East Sussex Railway 4 Beaney House 5 Dover’s White Cliffs 6 Dungeness RSPB Reserve 7 Howletts Park 8 Cinque Ports 9 Quex Park 10 Reculver Park Places to stay 1 Broadhembury Caravan & Camping Park 2 Thriftwood Holiday Park 3 Homing Park 4 Birchington Vale Holiday Park 5 Tanner Farm Park 6 Seaview Holiday Park 7 Hawthorne Farm Holiday Park 8 Monks Cottage Caravan Site TOP EVENTS... A An apple a day… 14-15 October 2017 The National Apple Festival features free talks and demos, hot-food stalls, tours of the orchards and even live music. You can sample up to 70 varieties for free, too. Web www.apple festivalkent.co.uk B The sounds of Kent 11–18 August 2017…

EVERY FOUR-BERTH Bailey Unicorn layout comes in both single- and twin-axle forms, and the new centre-washroom model is no exception. For a floorplan in which space is at a premium, the extra length afforded by a twin-axle chassis should make a world of difference, addressing the compromises in particular in the lounge and master bedroom. One thing is for sure, it’s a better-looking van than its single-axle sibling, with the windows well spaced to make the most of the distinctive Bailey graphics. It rides on a quartet of alloys, too (with two Secure wheel locks and receivers part of the standard kit). Pitch and set-up The spec will look familiar to anyone who is au faitwith the rest of the Unicorn range, but that’s no criticism because it’s packed with…

Price £67,950 Berths 4 MiRO 2100kg Payload 400kg MTPLM 2500kg Awning size 1050cm Contact Vanmaster Caravans Address 8 Croftwood Square, Martland Mill Industrial Estate, Wigan WN5 OLG Tel 01942 212 194 Web www.vanmastercaravans.co.uk Measurements A Interior length 6.44m B Shipping length 7.94m C Overall width 2.30m D Front double bed 2.08m x 1.62m E Fixed single beds 1.90m x 0.62m Or try these alternatives Alaria TS Price £32,499 Lunar’s flagship brand is the costliest of the mainstream models, but still £35k cheaper than the Vanmaster. It’s stylish and well-equipped, too. Buccaneer Clipper Price £31,699 Like the Alaria this 8ft-wide tourer has a self-levelling system, but its innovative transverse single beds are unique. Adria Alpina 613UL Colorado Price £26,495 Affordable option on a twin-axle, yet still weighs in at 1900kg and…

Price.....................................£11,995 Berths...............................................2 MiRO ...................................... 726kg Payload..................................274kg MTPLM................................ 1000kg Awning..................................777cm TOWARDS THE END of the criminally neglected 1970s weepie Love and Pain and the Whole Damn Thing, a terminally ill Maggie Smith and her young lover escape for a romantic getaway on the then-deserted Spanish costa in the cosiest and tiniest of caravans you have ever seen (towed, apparently, by a 2CV). I hope Hollywood never gets around to doing a remake of the film, but if they do, they wouldn’t go far wrong in using as a modern alternative the smallest model in the six-strong Caravelair range that Marquis Leisure has just introduced to its network. The two-berth Caravelair Antarès 335 has a MiRO of just 726kg. Marquis hopes that the low weight will appeal to the first-time buyers it…

‘While most popular commercial sites have great electrical facilities, most of us have at least one favourite site that’s little more than a well-kept field on a cliff-top’ SCEPTICS WILL ALWAYS insist that the only truly quiet generator is one that’s switched off. And, in generator terminology, even ‘silent generator’ is very much a relative term – referring to generators that slip under a certain sound output level. But, for some, a decent generator is an absolutely essential part of the touring kit. The big question is why, when most decent sites have excellent hook-up facilities? Well, that’s half the issue. While most popular commercial sites have great electrical facilities, most of us have at least one favourite site that’s little more than a well-kept field on a cliff-top, or…

If you plan to carry adults in all seven seats, then there are better MPVs available. But if the third row is going to be used once in a while or by young children, the S-Max is a very practical and capable tow car. The Ford’s heft (it’s more than 200kg heavier than the equivalent Volkswagen Touran) makes it a reasonable match for a wide range of family tourers, especially for an experienced tow car driver who is happy to tow caravans that weigh between 85% and 100% of the S-Max’s kerbweight. Being heavy wouldn’t count for much if the S-Max wasn’t up to the job of pulling a large caravan, but we’ve found that the Ford makes a stable and reassuring tow car. At a steady 60mph the S-Max…

IT’S HARD TO believe these days, but Jaguar was on its knees in 2007. It had a product line comprised of a dressed-up Ford Mondeo and larger executive and luxury offerings that were a pastiche of cars Jaguar had been making decades before. The company’s cars were selling like cold cakes and its future was measured in months, not years. However, behind the scenes, the company was banking its survival on a super-sleek, high-tech new model – the XF saloon – that had nothing to do with cars from decades gone by. It worked. The stunning exterior turned buyers’ heads, and the sheer drama and theatre of the interior sealed the deal. Come 2012, the car that best suits tow car buyers, the XF Sportbrake estate, was introduced. It offered…

Please do not forget the importance of smoke alarms! While staying at the Broadway Caravan Club Site in August this year, we witnessed a horrific sight. We were woken at 5am by the sound of loud bangs – our first thoughts were ‘terrorists in Broadway – surely not?!’. Suddenly, there was an alarming whooshing sound and we opened the blinds of our caravan to see a ball of fire on the upper level of the site. One of the motorhomes had gone up in flames, which was a frightening sight. Luckily, all of the people inside got out in time, but all they had left was the clothes that they were wearing – their money, phones, etc all went up in flames. When you think of the combination of fuel,…

We spent part of our week on a full-facilities site, but much preferred the simplicity of the small Plum Pudding Campsite in Birchington-on-Sea. The facilities are pretty basic, but there’s hookup and the owners are very helpful, plus the kids loved being beside a riding centre! Emma Conba Site essentials This small, basic site is nestled between Minnis Bay and Reculver, where there is great walking, stunning views and interesting history to explore. In terms of facilities, there are very few; a toilet, shower, fresh water and waste water. Electric hook-up is available on request and dogs are welcome. The beauty of this site is that it is very laid-back and welcoming, with access to a secluded beach just a short walk or bike ride away, and mile upon mile…

Price................................... £22,300 Berths.............................................. 4 MiRO .....................................1396kg Payload.................................. 154kg MTPLM..................................1550kg Awning............................... 1045cm BRISTOL-BASED BAILEY is different to the other British manufacturers: while most rivals unveil updates to all of their ranges every year, Bailey tends to launch a new model then leave it largely unchanged for three seasons before an all-new replacement arrives. So what are we doing reviewing a new Unicorn, just two years into its production cycle? This is market forces at work: such is the popularity of the centre-washroom, rear-island-bed floorplan adopted by every other manufacturer over the past two seasons, that Bailey wanted a piece of the action. The result is the Unicorn Cabrera, which breaks with Bailey flagship precedent by having its washroom in the middle, rather than across the rear – where instead you’ll find…

Price £23,999 Berths 4 MiRO 1554kg Payload 160kg MTPLM 1714kg Awning 1091cm Contact Bailey of Bristol Address South Liberty Lane, Bristol BS3 2SS Tel 01179 665 967 Web www.baileyofbristol.co.uk Measurements A Interior length 6.38m B Shipping length 7.92m C Overall width 2.28m D Front single beds Nearside 1.69m x 0.66m Offside 1.79m x 0.66m E Front double bed 1.99m x 1.54m F Rear island bed 1.77m x 1.39m Or try these alternatives Sterling Elite 650 Price £27,795 This pricey number outweighs the Bailey at 1796kg, and has less internal space, but looks good and has a 6ft rear bed. Coachman Laser 650 Price £26,995 The Laser’s rear bed is just 5ft 11in long and, at 1810kg, this pioneer of the layout is hefty, but it’ll draw envious looks on site.…

Price.................................... £18,795 Berths.............................................. 4 MiRO .....................................1357kg Payload.................................. 155kg MTPLM...................................1512kg Awning...............................1020cm TWO NEW MODELS join Coachman’s entry-level Vision range for the 2017 season: the five-berth 630, with a large end washroom, vast kitchen, bunks and side dinette, and the central-transverse-washroom 545 layout, with a rear island bed. Gone are the two-berth 380, with end kitchen and corner washroom, and the 560, with the nearside fixed bed – a floorplan that is disappearing as the island-bed format increases in popularity. Also gaining a firm foothold in this season’s ranges is the central washroom. It’s a practical solution when you have two people sleeping at the front of the van and two at the back: each pair can access the washroom without disturbing the other. The layout divides the van into distinct rooms,…

Price £11,995 Berths 2 MiRO 726kg Payload 274kg MTPLM 1,000kg Awning 777cm Contact Marquis Leisure Address Winchester Road, Lower Upham, Hampshire SO32 1HA Tel 08000 267 777 Web www.marqiusleisure.co.uk Measurements A Shipping length 5m B Interior length 3.30m C Overall width 2.10m D Double bed 1.92m x 1.20m or 1.92m x 2.04/1.74m Or try these alternatives Eriba Touring Familia 320 Price £14,590 Longer inside (3.66m), but shorter overall (4.83m). It’s not a full-height van, and costs more than £2500 more. Freedom Jetstream Flare Price £11,995 A more exciting exterior but a smaller payload and a shorter internal space. The interior is more basic-looking. Lunar Ariva Price £15,399 For £3400 more you get an AKS stabiliser, sprung upholstery, a swivel loo, dimmable LED lights and a microwave.…

Model tested 2.0 TDCi 180PS Titanium Price £29,945 Kerbweight 1838kg What’s new? An all-new Ford S-Max was launched in 2015, promising improved practicality, more on-board technology, greater comfort and a range of strong and efficient engines. This version, one of the more powerful diesel models with 180PS (178bhp), is a new addition to our long-term test fleet. Despite the engine’s power, the big Ford promises respectable fuel economy. By MPV standards, the S-Max is a heavy car with a kerbweight of 1838kg. That’s good news if you are looking to match an MPV to a heavy family tourer. The legal towing limit is 2000kg. What are we looking for? Does the S-Max justify its high price, and is it still the best MPV for keen drivers as well as a…

Model tested xDrive 20d M Sport Auto Price £38,590 Kerbweight 1820kg What’s new? The original BMW X3 was one of the first mid-sized 4x4s from a prestige brand. The second generation has been around since 2010, but was revised in 2014. Changes included a more economical new 2.0-litre diesel. We’ve been testing this version with and without a caravan. What are we looking for? Are the latest revisions enough to keep the X3 competitive against rivals such as the Jaguar F-Pace, Land Rover Discovery Sport and Porsche Macan? Towing ability You can bet that the next X3, due in 2017, will be lighter than today’s car. With a kerbweight of 1820kg, it’s quite heavy for a mid-sized SUV. That’s a good thing if you have a hefty caravan, though; an…

FACTFILE 2004 Geist LV485 Price £4995 Berths 2 MiRO 1193kg Payload 207kg MTPLM 1400kg Internal length 4.82m Width 2.29m Seen at Red Lion Caravans, 300 Southport Road, Scarisbrick PR8 5LF Tel 01704 889 973 Web www.rl caravans.co.uk EASY TO ACCESS The LV485’s service points are all handily located on the offside RELAX ON LONG SOFAS The LV485 has a large front lounge. A double bed can be made up here by using pull-out slats and the cushions ROOM FOR EVERYONE The There 5 ’s plenty of floor aciou area, so the as interior doesn’t feel cramped. A side o dresser offers extra worktop ge double space COOK UP A STORM IN HERE The side kitchen has a full oven and brilliant storage, but the green enamel sink can get…

Caravans up to £3000 Abbey Lincoln County 2-berth, good condition, no smokers from new, mover, Al-Ko hitch, battery, spare wheel, new tyres, full awning, £2725. Mr Clayton, Grimsby, Lincs. (01472 814 895) Adria 13ft, 4-berth, lovely van, well cared for, maintained, serviced in 2016 inc damp check. Tyron bands on wheels, inc spare. Equipped ready for first trip, including toilet, water bottles etc. £1800. Mr Frankham, Bath. (01225 422 940) Abbey Vogue GTS 215 With warm-air heating, 240V/12V, hot and cold water, shower and toilet, good tyres and clean bodywork. Electrics and gas tested 15/3/16. Now given up touring so must go, £1400 ono. J Tuplin, Lincoln. (01526 729 041) Awnings Porch Dorema Davos 200cm x 200cm, four-seasons awning, used once, pegs, curtains and draught skirt included plus two extra…