Table of contents for June 2026 in Practical Motorhome

Email your pictures and their stories (40 words, plus name, address and contacts) to hotshots@practicalmotorhome.com. The best photo will win these guides: All the Aires Belgium & Luxembourg, All the Aires France; All the Aires Spain and Portugal; Road Trip Europe – Best of Belgium; All the Aires Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands; Go Motorhoming and Campervanning; Sea View Camping Scotland; Sea View Camping West Country; Road Trip Europe – The Great War and More; and Road Trip Europe – Go Dutch. Note, list of prize books may change depending on stock. All are from Vicarious Books: www.vicarious-shop.com, 0131 208 3333.…

WORDSEARCH Which of these girl-band members shares their name with one of Boris and Carrie Johnson’s children, whose nickname it is? The answer is the one missing from the grid. ASHLEY CHERYL EMMA FRANKIE GERI HEIDI JENNY KERRY LIZ MEL MOLLIE NADINE NICOLA UNA VICTORIA LINKWORDS Fit 10 words into the grid so that each links with the end of the word on its left and the beginning of the one on the right. Then unscramble the letters in the shaded squares to make another word! Clue A mobile device with computer features MINI CROSSWORD The shaded boxes spell out a word. ACROSS 1 Globule (4) 5 Fury (4) 6 Ladies’ fingers (4) 7 Seven days (4) DOWN 1 Forehead (4) 2 Large pond (4) 3 Monster (4) 4 Bill…

As the sun rises over Northern Ireland, the view from one area of the north coast is nothing short of stunning. With the rays bouncing off the Atlantic Ocean, standing on one of the three outcrops of volcanic rock, frozen in perfect hexagonal columns, it seems as though time itself has stopped. With just the sound of the water lapping at the shore, it’s more tranquil than anything you could possibly imagine. It could be the setting of a myth – and, in fact, it is. Legend has it that the causeway was created by giant Finn McCool as he threw rocks into the water to cross to Scotland and teach another giant, Benandonner, a lesson. Things didn’t exactly go Finn’s way, and as he scarpered back to Ireland, he…

It’s a rail trip inside six hours, but the 164-mile-long (264km) journey from Glasgow to the fishing port of Mallaig is spectacular. Construction of the railway line here began in 1889, with the aim of linking Glasgow to Fort William, but the work was not without its challenges as it crossed remote parts of the windy Highlands, and the line was not completed until 1894. Conditions were harsh, cold, and lonely – 37 navvies died in just four years. The line was later extended to the coast, and the link to Mallaig opened in 1901. After leaving behind the tenements, art galleries and stone streets of Glasgow, the train winds along the ‘bonnie banks’ of lovely Loch Lomond – Britain’s largest body of fresh water – then chugs on to…

After retiring 10 years ago, we took to roaming around in a motorhome and we are now onto our third ’van. In September we toured the Bernese Oberland region of Switzerland. We based ourselves in the Camping Jungfrau campsite in the beautiful Lauterbrunnen valley in the heart of the Swiss Alps and used the Jungfrau travel pass to explore the region. After a tricky bit of navigation through the village we arrived at the campsite and were shown to our Stellplatz Prestige. We opted for a prestige pitch as they are fully serviced pitches with a view. And what a view! It was such a treat every day to step out of our ’van, breathe in the pure mountain air and feast our eyes on the alpine panorama. After settling…

Price £62,090 Sleeps 2 (option for 4 in pop-up roof) Belts 4 Base vehicle Fiat Ducato Engine 140hp 2.2-litre turbodiesel Length/width/height 6.36/2.05/2.65m (20’ 10”/6’ 5”/8’ 6”) MTPLM 3500kg MiRO 2905kg Payload 595kg Water (fresh/waste) 70/70 litres Leisure battery 85Ah Gas 25 litres, underslung Contact Marquis Motorhomes Address Orchard Works, Willersey, Nr Broadway, Worcs WR12 7QF Web marquisleisure.co.uk Tel 0800 026 7777 The front-and rear-lounge layout on the longer, 6.36m Fiat Ducato is something of a Trigano warhorse – a version of it seems to appear in pretty much every one of the multinational’s brands. We last looked at this ’van in Benivan format as a Big Test in 2021. But there have been some changes since then, so it seemed appropriate to revisit the model (as a two-berth, without the…

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It’s a fact that some of the most interesting toys can be found on the end of a towbar. From motorbikes to speedboats, canoes and racecars, adding a towbar to your motorhome can open up all manner of exciting hobby possibilities. Even if it’s only adding a couple of ebikes or some extra storage. Any if you are thinking “but I don’t want to tow anything”, you’re missing the point – a tow hitch can carry all manner of interesting items and is best thought of as a universal attachment point. It’s the Swiss Army Knife of versatility! Most motorhomes are well suited to towing, being heavier than most cars and having a longer wheelbase. However, before you get too excited about fitting a towball hitch to your vehicle, there…

‘The late August/early September timing meant we could walk around largely on our own with few interruptions’ While there’s plenty going on in Brittany (France’s most popular region with UK motorhome and caravan users), there’s lots more of interest if you’re happy to push the boundaries. We drew on the C’est si Bon organisation – a family of around a dozen otherwise independent campsites that give you a real flavour of France – for most of our overnight stays. But, as with any trip to Europe, the initial talk was of ferries. First leg of the tour, then, saw us taking Brittany Ferries’ overnight Portsmouth to St Malo crossing. Portsmouth is just a two-hour run from home and it meant we could have an easy late-Sunday afternoon run down to…

Price From £52,340 OTR Sleeps 2 Belts 4 Optional pop-up roof (£4705) Increases berths to 4 Base vehicle Fiat Ducato Engine 2.2-litre, 140hp turbodiesel Length/width/height 6.36/2.10/2.55m (20’10”/6’8”/8’3”) MTPLM 3500kg MiRO 2864kg Payload At least 361kg Water (fresh/waste) 100/92 litres Leisure battery 80Ah Gas 2 x 11kg Contact Malibu GmbH Address Carthago Ring 1, Aulendorf, Germany Web www.malibu-carthago.com/en Seen at www.tmdmotorhomes.com The Malibu Relax has been introduced to bring the company’s much-coveted campervans slightly more within the reach of a greater number of people – offering, as it says, “Premium for everybody”. That’s why it can have an MTPLM of 3500kg, so anyone can drive it. It’s also why, rather than having an overwhelming list of extras, Malibu only offers you three equipment lines here: Active, Ambition, and Exclusive – note…

Calder adds a low-cost off-grid camper Calder Campers has unveiled a special, off-grid version of its Toyota Alphard-based camper conversion that offers full self-sufficiency for those who prefer to go beyond campsites. It’s gas-free and instead relies on a sophisticated electrics set-up of features comprising 300Ah Fogstar Drift lithium leisure battery, 3000W pure sinewave inverter, Victron Blue smart charger and 200W solar panel (as well as the usual mains hook-up). That allows for camping kit such as a 2800W dual-function double induction hob and microwave oven, plus hot water via a six-litre boiler. Calder’s Gordon Charlton adds: “We have further improved these campervans with a Tesla-style Android head unit and, as the power management is all Bluetooth, we have the apps running on the Android stereo head unit so owners…

We don’t go motorhoming to graft, but there are numerous essential chores that cannot be avoided. Reversing, setting up, cleaning, and that daily trek to the chemical waste disposal are just some of the tasks that can take the shine off a weekend away, or even bring a premature end to your touring aspirations, when all the bending and exertion becomes a bit too much. In this guide, we’ve listed a host of accessories and tactics that minimise toil and maximise leisure time. So, put your feet up and read on! 360° view Minimise the need for getting out and checking all around your motorhome every time you manoeuvre, by fitting a good-quality, rear-view camera. The best options give a crystal clear, wide-angle view of what’s going on out of…

How to use the guide We’ve organised our listings by layout, which is generally the most crucial aspect for buyers. Simply locate the floorplan you like in the guide; then, on the left of it, you’ll find details of every UK model with that layout. Simple! This month, we’re looking at van conversions (aka campervans). HIGH TOP, FIXED ROOF RAISING ROOF great for… A car-like experience WILDAX EQUINOX (p99) Price £78,495 Sleeps 4 Belts 4 Base vehicle Ford Transit Engine 2.0-litre, 130bhp Length 5.98m MTPLM 3500kg Payload 392kg Water (fresh/waste) 100/51 litres Leisure battery 100Ah Gas 1 x 6kg Preferring campervans that feel more like cars isn’t just an aesthetic thing – although that can be important for many. Comfort has much to do with it, too. Fortunately this campervan from…

Ankle deck boots This classic unisex boot, made in collaboration with Finisterre, has Yulex natural rubber, a Seawool knit lining, a BioLite footbed and full waterproof protection. Great for use on site and in wet British weather. Price £120 xtratuf.co.uk One Push shelter Coleman’s new Fast Pitch OnePush Shelter can be assembled by one person in minutes. The steel frame folds itself out - you just peg down the adjustable legs. Price From £219.99 colemanuk.co.uk Norste waterproof jacket Designed for hiking, travel and everyday mountain use, this waterproof jacket is built to last and has improved breathability through reduced seam taping and a laminated pit-zip to allow excess heat to escape. Price £180 montane.com Wee Banshee air pump This super compact pump is USB rechargeable and weighs under 100g. It…

We’d booked a week’s trip to the Camping and Caravanning Club’s Derwent water site for early in the year, but then I broke my arm, so we had to revise our plans. To avoid losing any money, we transferred our booking to the club’s Kingsbury Water Park site for October to coincide with The Motorhome and Caravan Show at the NEC. It’s a site we’ve stayed at countless times, usually for two or three nights in order to visit the show, but this time we were staying for a week. How would we fill the remaining days? Fast forward to October and as we drew up at the barrier to Kingsbury Water Park, the answer came in the form of a warden who asked us if we liked walking. Receiving…

Q My wife and I are relatively new to motorhomes. We visited the recent Caravan, Camping & Motorhome Show at the NEC, and were particularly impressed with the new Ace campervans, particularly the 1200 SLT with single beds at the back and a pop-up roof (we hope to take our grandsons away occasionally). But before we splash out £66,305 on a new campervan, we were just wondering if there is anything with perhaps slightly more spec we could buy on the used market instead - with the same layout, although we are less bothered about the choice of base vehicle. Duncan, Worcester A The new Ace campervans are certainly interesting – they do seem to bring the cost of a new ’van down to within the reach of more people.…

Auto-Trail’s Comanche has gone up in the world over the years. It first appeared in the 1980s as a front-lounge, sub-6.0m, Bremen Merc-based coachbuilt. It had a serious growth spurt for the 2009 model year, changed underpinnings, gained an additional rear axle, underwent an interior refresh, and then joined A-T’s premier Frontier Range. More recently it became the Humberside-based converter’s flagship. Auto-Trail frequently names its models after native American nations, and these are no exception. Frontier motorhomes offered new buyers the opportunity to personalise their motorhomes. Not only was there a choice of cab colours and of soft furnishing fabrics, but three different overcabs and three different lounge designs were also available. New buyers could choose between a Super Lo-line streamlined overcab with panoramic rooflight, a Lo-line with overcab lockers,…

Go with the flow Pretty much every motorhome worthy of the title has a water pump on board these days, and in general they are pretty reliable pieces of kit but, as with everything mechanical, sometimes they fail. There are three main types of water pump: the diaphragm pump, which sits in line between water tank and taps; submersible centrifugal ones, which live in the water tank itself; and in-line centrifugal, which are similar in function to the submersible type but are mounted outwith the tank and in line between the tank and taps. Of the three types, the centrifugal in line are almost never seen these days – in fact I can’t recall the last time I saw one in a motorhome. Diaphragm pumps are by far the most…

You know that nice feeling when everything in the motorhome is just perfect – all the small outstanding jobs such as the extra USB adapter, and spare plug for the sink, are all ticked off the list. You have eventually managed to escape the winter blues of the UK and get back down to Spain for temperatures at least 10 degrees warmer, if not more. That was the situation we were in, and the team (my wife and I) had just completed the weekly ’van service. We’d emptied the grey water using a wheel-along Fiamma 20-litre tank that I tow behind my electric bike, and refilled the fresh water using a 25-litre plastic container that I carry on a DIY trolley, again behind my bike. A small submersible pump was…