Practical Caravan October 2021

Regular readers of Practical Caravan are sure to recall our annual awards – each year we’ve recognised the very best caravans and accessories out there. Sadly, Covid-19 put paid to our plans for awards last year – but now they’re back, and they’re bigger and better than ever before. We’ve increased the number of categories to 21, covering everything from budget vans to caravans for seasonal pitches, awnings to caravan cleaners. We’ve also a special tow car category, with various weight ranges to help you find the right vehicle for your needs. This issue we’ve revealed all the categories (p58), but to see our winners first, be sure to visit www.practicalcaravan.com/awards during our special awards week, which starts on 27 September 2021. We look forward to seeing you there! sarah@practicalcaravan.com Editor-in-chief SARAH…

Where are we? Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire Coordinates 51.8868° N, 1.7632° W Why tour here? The Cotswolds are famous for picture-postcard villages, and Bourton-on-the-Water must surely be one of the finest examples. The five bridges that cross the River Windrush give rise to its nickname, ‘Venice of the Cotswolds’, and it embodies all that is great about rural England. Find out more on p44. Don’t miss.. Visit in early autumn, when light turns to honey on the Cotswold stone walls, and the village takes on the timeless mellow fruitfulness of an English idyll. Photographer Getty Images ‘This lovely village is characterised by the River Windrush, which gently burbles through its centre, often little more than a stream, before joining the Thames’ (p44)…

★ Star letter ★ My husband, Graham, and I love caravanning and try to get away every other weekend. Before Covid-19, we toured abroad, too. Graham recently turned 50 and we thought that a caravan birthday cake was very fitting! Our parrot joins us on our weekend trips and he just loves it – we all relax. We do get a lot of double-takes when people see him running along the cushions saying hello to passers-by. Cathy Schofield MILENCO The contributor of our Star letter wins a pair of Milenco Grand Aero towing mirrors, worth £50. They’re designed to fit all wing mirrors and offer an outstanding view. For further details and a list of retailers of Milenco products, visit www.milenco.com The truth is out there... UFO hotspots Fans of science fiction (or could it be…

EN ROUTE // ON SITE // AND EVERYWHERE IN BETWEEN TAG US #PRACTICAL CARAVAN OR EMAIL LETTERS@PRACTICALCARAVAN.COM…

Groove-e portable wireless charger If there aren’t enough USBs in your caravan, this device offers USB, USB Type C and wireless charging, with 8000mAH capacity. Price £24.99 Web www.amazon.co.uk Vango Homestead sleeping bag Stay cosy with this three-season single/XXL or two-season double sleeping bag. Price £19.99 (single), £29.99 (XXL), £49.99 (double) Web outdoorworlddirect.co.uk Keela Puddlebug suit This award-winning baby suit has an outer waterproof shell and a zipin fleece. Ideal if you’re touring with a toddler this autumn. Price £84.95 Web www.keelaoutdoors.com Nexar Beam GPS dash cam This neat dash cam, fitting behind your rear view mirror, has a 135-degree field of view and lets you upload video to cloud storage. Price £99.95 Web www.nexar.com Arlo Essential Indoor Camera Make sure all’s well at home with this clever security camera, which sends video and motion alerts to your phone via Wi-Fi. Price £119 Web…

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 Andy Jenkinson Used-van contributor practical.caravan@futurenet.com DO WE NEED A 4X4 FOR WINTER TOURS? Q I’ve started caravanning this year, and have fallen in love – as has the family! We tow our Bailey Discovery with our Nissan Qashqai, and it has been fine all summer. However, we want to continue touring during the autumn and possibly the winter, too. Do we need to change our car to a four-wheel-drive for four-season caravanning? S Fowler David Motton replies… It’s not essential to have a 4x4 to tour all year round, although there’s no doubt the advantages of four-wheel drive are most keenly felt when the weather conditions are bad. Four-wheel drive helps to put power to the road cleanly when…