Sommaire pour Summer 2019 de Practical Caravan

‘Ramsgate played an important part in WWII’s Operation Dynamo, when all manner of small boats crossed the Channel to rescue the troops from the beaches of Dunkirk’Claudia Dowell Where are we? Ramsgate’s yacht marina What’s going on? Caravans and yachts both say ‘holidays’, and with the marina in Ramsgate’s Royal Harbour bustling with activity, we just had to join in – as you’ll find in our Great Escape on p22. The Victorian arches along Military Road house cafés, vintage shops, galleries and a sailors’ church. It’s packed with interest. Outfit Adria Altea 472 DS Eden towed by a Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer 2.0 170PS…

Taken great pics on your travels? Let us see them! EMAIL letters@practicalcaravan.com or HASHTAG us on social media #practicalcaravan Poppy the Springer and Bella the cat check out a squirrel outside the van at Broadway Caravan Club Site. Sue and Bev Forbes Our dog Max really doesn’t like going home after spending a lovely few days at Eye Kettleby Lakes! Paul and Maryann Prime Daisy, our Westie, in our Swift Eccles 650 at Woodhall Spa C&CC site, while Matilda, our Chihuahua, makes herself at home in the awning! Simon and Wendy  Here’s a photo of my parrot at the lovely Delph Bank Touring Park, Holbeach. He really enjoys his hols in the caravan! Carol Lange  Lacie and Lexi love our caravan. Here, we are at Linwater Caravan Park, Edinburgh. Lyn and…

Looking for a place to relax for a couple of weeks at the tail-end of the holiday season? You might like to try Cornwall’s north coast, in particular Holywell Bay near Newquay. Five-star holiday park Trevornick is offering an extension to your holiday of up to seven nights half-price if you book a seven-night stay between 1 and 28 September. During that time, there’s still lots to enjoy, including the St Ives Festival, on 14-28 September, and the Little Orchard Cider & Music Festival, on 13-15 September. Poldark fans can walk in Ross’s footsteps in Holywell Bay. On site, you have use of a pool and tranquility spa, a golf course, a farm shop, and café and bike hire. Find out more at https://trevornick.co.uk/offers-at-trevornick/september-specials.…

‘The old town is packed with vintage shops and artists’ studios’ “I love it more than all the world and Margate,” is an exclamation often used by an effusive friend, who adopted the phrase from a TV comedy from way back. It has always rather tickled me. But why Margate? ‘Cool’, ‘hipster’, ‘Shoreditch-on-Sea’ and even ‘the new Brighton’ are all recent descriptions in the press of this former popular holiday resort, which was very much down-at-heel only a decade ago. As a one-time resident of Brighton, I wanted to find out why these accolades were being applied to this newly revitalised coastal hotspot and rival to my favourite seaside town. Margate is perhaps the best known of the three historic towns on the Isle of Thanet, in Kent’s eastern corner,…

ECCENTRICITY IS A special gift bestowed on us Brits – particularly when it is pursued in group activities – and our rich historical tapestry has spawned some magical events. Peering into the shadowy mists of time, long before the first footballer thought of inflating a pig’s bladder, it’s possible to catch a glimpse of sporting traditions from yesteryear that, unlike football, few nations have adopted and even fewer folks have actually mastered. Sporting events Our caravan has taken the whole family to some unexpected places and allowed us to experience things we didn’t know existed; which is why we decided to try out a series of eccentric British sports. Sporting events are often the preserve of the super-fit, but as a 48-year-old father of two, I’m pleased to report you…

This large, flat site has two toilet blocks, kept immaculately clean as is usual for Club sites. We were given a warm and helpful welcome at reception. There are 162 hardstanding pitches and nine serviced pitches. We chose the site mainly for its cycling opportunities, alhough in the end, we didn’t do as much as we had planned. If you don’t want to shop before setting off, there’s a Morrisons supermarket at the other end of Victoria Park. Address The Esplanade, Southport PR8 1RX Web www.caravanclub.co.uk Open All year Pitches 171 Pitch+2+hook-up £20.90-£32.50…

Price £17,199 Berths 2 MiRO 836kg Payload 114kg MTPLM 950kg Awning size 790cm Specification highlights • Truma Combi heating • Status TV aerial • Radio/CD • Microwave • Oven • Dual-fuel hob • Fridge • USB points • Heki roof vent Contact Lunar Caravans, Sherdley Road, Lostock Hall, Preston, Lancashire PR5 5JF Tel 01772 337 628 Web www.lunarcaravans.com Measurements A Shipping length 6.88m B Interior length 5.54m C Width 2.30m D Front double bed 1.83 x 1.82m E Twin single beds 1.82 x 0.60m…

WHICH AWNING IS best for you? 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 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 ‘A divorce in a bag’ – that’s the unfortunate handle that’s been attached to the otherwise quite blameless caravan awning. This is basically the…

1 Bending the cage lugs to enable removal of the unit 2 Different brands of radio will have different cages 3 This is the radio mounting in our previous caravan… 4 …and the removable panel in the overhead locker 5 Standard-fit radio in our current caravan 6 Remove radio, disconnect electrics and aerial leads 7 Self-adhesive antennas 8 Making electrical connections 9 DAB aerial connection 10 Reconnect electrics and aerial leads (then test) 11 Refit the radio and replace fascia trim as necessary 12 Removing/refitting the interior panel 13 FM and DAB antennas on back of internal panel 14 The panel refitted inside the overhead locker 15 Job complete! Now we can enjoy crystal-clear radio…

Vital statistics Price £17,995 Internal length 6.27m Overall length 7.92m Overall width 2.26m MiRO 1525kg Payload 275kg MTPLM 1800kg Kit list ■ Galvanised chassis ■ AKS hitch/ATC/Alloy wheels ■ Oven/dual-fuel hob ■ Fridge/freezer ■ TV aerial ■ CD/radio ■ Alarm ■ Alde heating ■ Gas barbecue point ■ Solar panel…

“How do I match my car and caravan?” The most commonly asked question in caravanning is whether a certain car is appropriate for pulling a certain caravan. To answer this, you must know the kerbweight of your tow car (X), the legal towing limit of your tow car (Y) and the maximum technically permissible laden mass (MTPLM) of your caravan (Z). Car details are often found in the handbook, but if not, you can contact the car manufacturer. The weight of the caravan can usually be found on a chassis plate, by asking the seller or, if it is a new model, by checking the brochure. *See our glossary opposite for explanations of all terms “Is my combination of car and caravan legal?” Your car and caravan are a legal…

Meet the dealers Tilshead Caravans Tilshead Caravans, in Wiltshire, was set up by Malcolm and Marilyn Redshaw in 1979 as a caravan-hire business. The firm moved to its current home on the Hampshire/ Wiltshire border in 2000, but it wasn’t until 2006 that it started selling new Swift vans; partly at the suggestion of Swift Group, which was impressed by the number of new vans it was buying from other dealers for its hire business. Tilshead took on Coachman in 2012 and, alongside sales and hire, there is a small shop, an awning display and an AWS-approved service centre. James Redshaw, one of the second generation now in the business, says the dealership remaining a family business is one of its key strengths: “We know that we need to get…

I have been reading with much interest about all the various methods other caravanners are using to keep their clothes from ending up in a heap on the wardrobe floor. We were given this tip some years ago and it works well, with minimal cost. We bought a couple of packs of large curtain rings that have a tiny ring underneath. The curtain rings slide onto the hanging rail and the clothes hanger hook goes through the small ring. You can only use hangers with slim hooks, but I have found that most supermarket hangers will fit. Ginny Doe Practical Caravan says… Thanks for the great idea, Ginny! If anyone else has tips they would like to share, please send to letters@practicalcaravan.com. CHECK FOR DAMP IF YOU BUY PRE-OWNED A…

Price From £79.95 Web https://fit2gotpms.com Enter here www.practicalcaravan.com/winYou might have seen the Michelin TPMS in our previous issue. This month, we’ve got a great competition – three lucky readers can win one of these handy gadgets! The standard system includes four sensors for car tyres, but add an extra pack of sensors and you can monitor your caravan, too. We’ve got three sets of the standard system, plus the extra four sensors for your caravan, to give away.Head to www.practicalcaravan.com/win to enter the draw and see terms and conditions. BS…

Berkeley Castle has a series of family fun events lined up for summer. Visit this lovely Gloucestershire estate to enjoy storytelling in the Great Hall, jester-skills training – such as tightrope walking and juggling – in the Inner Bailey, and archery on the Queen Elizabeth I lawn. You can meet the Boleyns and Henry VIII, watch Tudor dancing in the Great Hall, enjoy falconry displays and learn all about knights in armour. Jazz and theatre are also part of the offering. For dates, times and tickets, visit www.berkeleycastle.com/whatson.html.…

How many of us have envied the romanticised lifestyle of the Larkin family in HE Bates’ novel The Darling Buds of May? The enterprising, tax-dodging Larkins lived off their wits and picking strawberries in the Garden of England – Kent. This was vividly brought to our television screens in the early 1990s in a series that starred David Jason, Pam Ferris and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Kent, the home of fruit farms, glasshouses and orchards, was also a centre for growing hops, used to flavour and stabilise beer. Fruit- and hop-picking was far from the idyllic life depicted in Bates’ book, but it was fun and is still remembered fondly by those who took part. A chat with my Dad revealed that as a lad, he went hop-picking with his aunt, uncle…

The M25, aka the London Orbital, was considered to be out of date by its completion in October 1986, with traffic levels already exceeding designed capacity. The idea of a road around London was first conceived at the beginning of the 20th century, with proposals put forward in 1938, 1944 and 1969. It was originally intended as a long-distance route, but to appease local objections, junctions to neighbourhood areas were included. The M25 is the second longest city bypass in Europe. The longest circumnavigates Berlin The first section opened in 1975, the last in Hertfordshire in 1986  33 JUNCTIONS Among the worst for congestion: ■ JUNCTION 23, the South Mimms interchange, which joins the M25 to the A1 and A1081 ■ JUNCTION 21, the Chiswell interchange, where drivers join the M1…

“After discovering how much we enjoyed stone-skimming on Brighton beach, Dad and I had decided to enter the Welsh Open Stone Skimming Championships. I was a bit nervous in case it was really competitiv e. “I needn’t have worried, though. When it was my turn to throw, everyone was encouraging, giving me tips on how to throw and complimenting me if the stone went a long way. It was a friendly atmospher e and we talked to lots of other competitors. Alex, a pro skimmer and organiser of the Stone Skimming Championships in Scotland, gave me lots of tips on how to grip the stone and skim it. His winning distance was 105m!”…

Camping Berger (Germany) Address Uferstraße 71, 50996 Cologne, Germany Web www.camping-berger-koeln.de Charges (pitch+2+hook-up) €26 Alpsee Wellness Camping (Germany) Address Seestraße 25, 87509 Immenstadt/Bühl, Germany Web www.alpsee-camping.de Charges (pitch+2+hook-up) €28 Campingplatz Tauberromantik (Germany) Address Detwang 39, 91541 Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany Web www.campingtauberromantik.de Charges (pitch+2 +hook-up) €26 Kamp Koren (Slovenia) Address Ladra 1b, 5222 Kobarid, Slovenia Web www.kamp-koren.si Charges (pitch+2+hook-up) €28 A rural site in a picturesque valley by the river, within easy walking distance of Kobarid town. This is Slovenia’s first ecological campsite, with 100 pitches and a small café/bar, which serves light meals and drinks. On site is a small shop, plus clean but small washblocks and a launderette. Basic but well-maintained campsite in a great location for outdoor activities. Camping Bled (Slovenia) Address Kidriceva 10c, 4260 Bled,…

GERMAN BRAND KNAUS has been around since the early 1960s, arriving in the UK in 1974. One market sector that does particularly well over here is the compact family line-up, so we were keen to get a close look at the Sport Silver 400LK – the model we’re reviewing had in fact been sold just days before. The 400LK has very little competition in the UK, except for the Elddis Xplore 304, which is an impressive little tourer. Priced at £16,499, the Sport looks like good value, but we wanted to assess the general build quality before we made our final judgment. Using a layout that had reigned supreme up until the late 1980s, the Knaus has a front lounge, side kitchen plus wardrobe and washroom opposite, and a single…

IN A NUTSHELL Fave new hybrid is quiet, certainly, but is it economical? IT’S A LONG time since Practical Caravan has had a hybrid car on long-term loan. But the world is becoming less friendly to conventional diesels, so electric cars could be on your horizon. Or at least, cars somewhere between being conventionally powered and electric – such as the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. PHEV stands for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle: you can charge it with three kinds of commercial charger, using the connector provided, or via a standard mains socket at home. This will power up a 13.8kWh battery that controls two electric motors. But there is also a conventional 2.4-litre petrol engine that will charge the battery on the move. It will also take on some of the…

What’s new? Volkswagen’s Arteon is based on its Passat, but is longer, lower and wider. The striking design marks it out as a more stylish car than the Passat, but VW has engineered the Arteon to offer practicality as well as good looks. The Arteon is available with a choice of petrol and diesel engines. We’ve been towing with the most affordable diesel, powered by a 150PS (148bhp) engine. What are we looking for? Regular readers will know we’ve named the Arteon our overall winner at the Tow Car Awards 2019. The car we’re testing this month is almost identical to the one that took the top prize, apart from its manual gearbox and adaptive suspension. Do these improve the Arteon further? Towing ability This really isn’t your typical tow…

WITH THE SUMMER holidays upon us, it’s understandable that everybody just wants to hitch up the caravan and head for far-flung places in search of fun and adventure. However, before you get out on the road, there are some important checks that need to be carried out in order to be properly prepared for the journey ahead. Personally, I am an advocate of checklists and use them all the time when I’m touring. Whether you are starting out for the first time with a new caravan, or preparing for the first trip of the year, a checklist gives you that extra reassurance that you have not forgotten anything essential ( 1 ). The key items in my caravan pre-departure checklist are: Gas Before leaving home or a site, it is…

1 CBE MCV-2 fridge fan kit, 40 x 40mm aluminium angle 2 Begin the installation by removing the fridge vents 3 Attach a strip of double-sided Gorilla Tape to the aluminium 4 Marking and attaching timber to aluminium angle 5 Marking, drilling and attaching the fan unit 6 Having a ‘dry run’ will help to ensure everything fits 7 Applying beads of Sikaflex 512 adhesive/sealant 8 Feeding the cable/plug from the fan unit inside the van 9 Filing a slot in the mounting plate for the cable/wires 10 Attach the plug from the fan to the control unit 11 Secure the control unit 12 Attach the power feed (+ve and -ve) via a fuse 13 Switch to manual (M) and check the fans are running 14 Switch to automatic (A)…

BARDSEA LEISURE, a family-run caravan park and dealership in Ulverston, Cumbria, has been established for many years. The site, originally developed back in 1976 on the grounds of a disused quarry, hosts a mix of static and touring pitches. Over the past few years, the dealership has doubled in size, with new buildings and extended forecourts. We were looking for family-sized tourers offering a good level of spec, and we spotted two promising models – one sleeps up to six, while the other is a four-berth. Although they are both the same age, the Challenger is £2500 dearer than the Pegasus. The Pegasus is a four-berth with a fixed side bed and end washroom, and some great spec. The Challenger is the dearer model, but it is also bigger, and…

Tim Hilton may be the new boy at Bardsea Leisure, in Cumbria, but he has more than 35 years of experience in sales. Tim is in charge of sales at Bardsea and says: “We sell new Bailey and Swift tourers, plus motorhomes. We are in the process of a big expansion. We also hire out motorhomes, have our own caravan park with static and touring pitches, and offer plenty of pre-owned tourers, too.” Address Priory Road, Ulverston, Cumbria LA12 9QE Tel 01229 584 712 Web bardsealeisure.co.uk…

‘Our tasks here have included clearing land, planting trees, assisting with goats, sanding and painting’ IT’S 2PM ON a Monday and I’m relaxing on one of the most beautiful beaches on the west coast of Portugal, watching my husband and three teenage children being battered by the waves as they try to improve their surfing skills. A week ago, our daughter, Ella, announced that there was absolutely no way she would be surfing – this week, she is the first one in her wetsuit and the last out of the water. This all sounds lovely, but why aren’t the kids in school, and what on earth are we all doing lounging on the beach? One-year tour Back in October 2017, my husband and I decided to move the whole family…

WHY WERE WE in Southport? Well, it’s only 26 miles from home and an easy day trip to the coast. Actually, the story starts at October’s NEC Motorhome and Caravan Show, where we were looking to have our trusty 10-year-old Bürstner reupholstered. But then we saw the Knaus Starclass 560 and it was love at first sight for both of us. On your bike So Southport Caravan and Motorhome Club site was our base to try out the new caravan. But this wasn’t our only reason for going to Southport – it’s flat and we were keen to get on our bikes again. It’s a cycle-friendly town and you can pick up routes from the Eco Visitor Centre, not far from the campsite. Next day, we cycled from the campsite…

WE CARAVANNERS LOVE to spend as much time outside as possible during the summer months, whether that’s hanging around on site, or using the great weather to go deeper into the country and explore what’s around you. With a few apps, you can make all this even easier, so you spend less time planning and more time enjoying. Here, we look at apps that make it simple to walk or cycle in the wilderness, as well as some that make it easy to enjoy a day barbecuing at a campsite… or even the middle ground, because perhaps you’ll find a new hobby with the local geocachers! AccuWeather: Weather Radar Price Free (In App Purchases) Made for iOS, Android If you’re planning a weekend away, you’ll want to make sure that…

A caravan that is claimed to be the lightest on the UK market with its own washroom has been officially launched. The Tripbuddy Anyone, which was shown at February’s NEC as a prototype, provides a standard MTPLM of just 750kg, but, along with the washroom, still manages to have a 4kW Truma Combi heater, 40-litre fresh-and waste-water tanks, 90-litre fridge and two-burner hob. With a choice of 1600 exterior colours, you can also select either a clamshell tailgate or a 60:40 door split. The two-berth, from £24,995, is a sister van to the twin-axle Tripbuddy Anywhere.…

IN 1995, LUNAR replaced its Meteorite range, a couple’s tourer that had grown in size over the years. The replacement, the compact Ariva, retained the popular end-kitchen, two-berth layout. It was also briefly joined by a four-berth version. The Ariva has seen off its competitors from home and abroad, and continues to be one of Lunar’s steady sellers. But this is no basic entry-level tourer: it comes fully equipped with Quasar spec and is classed as one of that family. The Ariva may be looking a little long in the tooth in terms of styling, but it seems that many buyers’ priorities don’t include the latest fashions. This is a lightweight van, too, so as with all Lunars, it is well suited to the new generation of tow cars, which…

Price £16,499 (including Cozy Home pack) Berths 4 MiRO 900kg Payload 200kg MTPLM 1100kg Awning size 828cm Specification highlights • Spare wheel • AKS hitch • 45-litre water tank • Fridge • Blown-air heating • Exterior aerial socket • Alloys • Awning light • Glazed stable door • Water heater • Cozy Home pack Contact Knaus Tabbert, Helmut-Knaus-Straße 1, 94118 Jandelsbrunn, Germany Tel +49(0) 8583 211 Web www.knaus.com Our thanks to Preston Caravans & Motorhomes for test caravan Web www.prestoncm.co.uk Measurements A Shipping length 5.99m B Interior length 4.00m C Overall width 2.32m D Front double bed 1.98 x 1.37m E Rear single bed 1.98 x 0.76m F Rear folding bunk 2.13 x 0.62m…

IN A NUTSHELL Stylish good looks, a bit short on storage THIS MONTH WE have finally waved goodbye to our Adria Altea long-term loan caravan, and as the artic tows it away to a future life on some dealer’s forecourt, no doubt, it seems a suitable occasion to look back on what we liked – and didn’t like – about this caravan. It’s fair to say that we were all bowled over by its style, especially at the price. An interior decorator might point out the sleek minimalism you get inside here isn’t exactly novel. But given that many UK manufacturers still wheel out far more conventional interiors with floral patterns, much use of natural wood, and fussy handles, the white-and-grey colour scheme and handle-free doors of the Altea make…

JAGUARS HAVE ALWAYS been about looking very glamorous, travelling briskly and doing so in space and luxury. However, the company can add ‘towing confidently’ to that list of attributes, because the current-shape XF executive car also makes a tremendous and award-winning way to tow your trailer. The firm has experience in the tow car sector, because the previous-generation XF won its weight class in the Tow Car Awards back in 2012, a feat the new car repeated in 2017. Indeed, it was the old XF (see Practical Caravan January 2017) that was largely credited with turning around the company’s fortunes at the time. Fast-forward to 2015, and Jaguar saw little need to change what was a hugely successful formula; so the new XF featured evolutionary styling inside and out, although…

Vital statistics Price £15,495 Internal length 6.22m Overall length 7.92m Overall width 2.24m MiRO 1443kg Payload 163kg MTPLM 1606kg Kit list ■ Galvanised chassis/Alloy wheels ■ AKS hitch and wheel receiver/ATC ■ Oven/Dual-fuel hob ■ Fridge ■ Whale blown-air heating ■ Electric flush toilet ■ CD/radio ■ TV aerial ■ Barbecue point…

SLOVENIAN FIRM ADRIA has been in business for many decades, manufacturing caravans and other leisure vehicles for the European and UK markets. It was back in November 1971 that the company sold its first UK range, at the Earl’s Court Caravan Show in London. Since that time, Adria has become a firm favourite with caravan buyers and a very well-established brand. It hasn’t always been plain sailing, though. In 1994, importation of the firm’s vehicles into the UK almost came to a halt. Luckily, an enterprising couple, the Cooks, set up a small-scale business importing the models into this country, keeping the brand alive in the UK. Then in 2003, Adria took over and set up at Fleetwood Caravans, in Suffolk, as the main importation base. Featuring durable tourers, the…

Layout finder UU Fitting six people into a caravan is always going to be a challenge, and while having two bunks in parallel at the rear is a good space-saving solution, it can feel a bit like a dormitory. If your kids don’t mind that, however, such a layout does have its advantages. Unlike many other layouts, here the kids can be sent off to bed early in the evening without you having to give up your evening as well. And on a rainy day they can have their own den in here. Pros Adults and children can have their own, clearly delineated areas to relax in Cons The back of the van can feel dark and cramped with so much furniture in here A The front lounge should still…