Practical Caravan August 2022

I must admit that I’m a bit of a sucker for a whacky British festival – from celebrations that date back to Pagan times, to gurning, bog-snorkelling and cheese-rolling events, our shores have a great range of weird and wonderful events to enjoy. So why not make one of them part of your next tour? We have a fantastic round-up of some of the UK’s most unusual events, and great places to stay for their duration, on p40. While you’re away on tour, you’ll probably want to take some reading material – so this issue we have a trio of free e-books just for you! We’ve selected three that we think you will love, featuring must-visit travel gems, a guide to saving money – which we could all do with…

‘Lake Como is one of the biggest and deepest lakes in Europe – a bizarre Y-shape with three extremities’ (p34) Where are we? Varenna, Lake Como Why tour here? Exclusive, beautiful, historic, inspiring... the list of superlatives to describe Lake Como in Italy comes easy. Varenna, on the east coast of the lake, dates back to the 11th century, when it was best known as a fishing village. Today, tourism is the major attraction, with visitors coming to enjoy the smart bars and restaurants, superb lake views and delightful villas and gardens, such as those at Villa Monastero and Villa Cipressi. Read more about Lake Como on p34. Don’t miss… Excellent views from the medieval Vezio Castle Photographer Getty Images…

I must admit that I’m a bit of a sucker for a whacky British festival – from celebrations that date back to Pagan times, to gurning, bog-snorkelling and cheese-rolling events, our shores have a great range of weird and wonderful events to enjoy. So why not make one of them part of your next tour? We have a fantastic round-up of some of the UK’s most unusual events, and great places to stay for their duration, on p40. While you’re away on tour, you’ll probably want to take some reading material – so this issue we have a trio of free e-books just for you! We’ve selected three that we think you will love, featuring must-visit travel gems, a guide to saving money – which we could all do with…

‘Lake Como is one of the biggest and deepest lakes in Europe – a bizarre Y-shape with three extremities’ (p34) Where are we? Varenna, Lake Como Why tour here? Exclusive, beautiful, historic, inspiring... the list of superlatives to describe Lake Como in Italy comes easy. Varenna, on the east coast of the lake, dates back to the 11th century, when it was best known as a fishing village. Today, tourism is the major attraction, with visitors coming to enjoy the smart bars and restaurants, superb lake views and delightful villas and gardens, such as those at Villa Monastero and Villa Cipressi. Read more about Lake Como on p34. Don’t miss… Excellent views from the medieval Vezio Castle Photographer Getty Images…

Returning to caravanning after more than 25 years (and now touring with a Swift Celebration 550 and VW Touareg), it has been interesting to see the many advancements – from gas mantles and foot-pumped cold water to today’s centrally heated, all-mod-cons caravans and fully serviced pitches. So I’m surprised that no sites appear to have adopted safety deposit boxes, such as those that one finds in hotels, particularly when travelling abroad. With today’s caravanners carrying gadgets, tablets and laptops, not to mention other valuables such as jewellery, it would be very handy to lock items up when leaving the site to visit places. And even more so for motorcaravanners, who will often take their vehicles into car parks with them. As with hotels, the boxes could be located in reception…

THIS MONTH WE CHAT… CAMPSITES // TOWBALL CARE // POP-UPS CARING FOR FRICTION PADS Your DIY article about cleaning Al-Ko stabiliser friction pads (issue 451) mentions contamination of friction pads. However, you don’t discuss where the initial (main) contamination comes from in most cases. When you have a new towbar (towball), or perhaps on a used car purchase, you’ll notice the whole towball is painted (usually black). This paint will rub off onto the friction pads. This will impair the stabiliser operation and also produce a ‘groaning’ noise. Before first use of the towball, the paint should be carefully removed, using emery cloth, and wiped clean. Dave Hollins JOIN THE VENUS OWNERS’ CLUB! I recently read your article on the Venus 460/2 and the Venus range as a whole (issue…