Practical Motorhome January 2020

The eagle-eyed among you will notice that we’ve an all-new look this month – we’ve introduced some new features, and freshened up the overall appearance of the magazine. I hope you love it as much as we do, but this is your magazine, of course; so let me know what you think – and if there’s anything else you’d like to see featured in these pages! In a previous issue, I asked whether you wave to other motorhomes on the road, and loads of you got in touch. A particular mention has to go to reader David, who wrote: “My wife and I are newbies to motorcaravanning. In the times we have been away in hired ’vans and our own, I love to see the wave and wave back. I…

Coordinates & postcode 57.387685, -3.751864. PH23 3NB Why tour here? What better place for an impromptu picnic than sitting in silence with the Highlands surrounding you and your motorhome? This area of Scotland is stunningly beautiful, and a brilliant place for a foodie tour. This month we celebrate the best of British food and drink; you’ll find our 18-page guide starting on p22. Nearest campsite Oakwood Caravan & Camping Park (https://oakwoodcampingpark.co.uk) Don’t miss… The old packhorse bridge in Carrbridge – it’s the oldest stone bridge in the Highlands. Photographer Andy McAndlish…

letter of the month Upon taking our fairly new motorhome to fill up with LPG at our nearest supermarket, we were surprised that they refused to allow us to fill our tank, saying the LPG service point was to refill cars only. When we enquired why, the response was that they could not fill anything that had cooking equipment on board. Failing completely to see any logic in this, I went to the main store and asked to see the manager. He confirmed that their health and safety rules do not permit them to fill a motorhome’s LPG tank. I find this absolutely astonishing. Other garages in the UK, which have the facility, allow such filling as, of course, do garages abroad. I totally fail to see any logic here. You…

1 Our motorhome, Dougal, when we spent a couple of nights at Firemore Beach near Poolewe, Scotland. Firemore is a fantastic place with a great beach, views and loads of wildlife. It is also not far from Inverewe Gardens and fantastic walking. Dave & Ali Brown 2 Snap taken during our honeymoon in Scotland, where we explored, climbed and ate in some amazing places. We will be visiting again soon. Paul Leach 3 Taken during our stay at Trewethett Farm C&MC site in late September. Our pitch, like most on that site, overlooked the sea. We enjoyed watching the sun go down. Stuart Crump 4 This photo was taken at Lago d’Iseo in Italy. Christopher Macgowan 5 On a recent trip to Paris, our ’van at sunny Calais. Why Dover-Calais when we live in…

Ion8 Leak Proof Bottle There’s a new range of colourful, food-inspired designs on these 100% leakproof stainless-steel flasks. Price £19.99 Web www.leakproof.co.uk Scratch-off UK breweries print Start your breweries tour of the UK with this scratch-off map showing 75 independent breweries to visit. Price £13 Web mapsinternational.co.uk Pocket Sriracha keyring There’s no need to clutter your cupboards with condiments when you have a pocket-size hot sauce! Price £6.50 Web www.amazon.co.uk Shole food flask The Shole double-walled food flask will keep your food hot for six hours - ideal for long journeys to your next site. Price £17.99 Web www.shole.co.uk Ramsey Island Welsh gin The mint and floral botanicals of Ramsey Island Welsh gin are best enjoyed after you’ve pitched up for the night! Price £45 Web stdavids.wales Bee’s Wrap Get an assortment of reusable, compostable food wraps to keep food fresh…

The Nightstop Scheme is run by us in conjunction with the Motor Caravanners’ Club (MCC), and the sites are certificated locations (CLs); you don’t have to join any club to use them. You’ll need to ring the relevant site to confirm whether there’s space for you before you visit: you’ll find all the information you need to know at http://po.st/PMHNightstops.For further information on the MCC, visit www.themotorcaravannersclub.co.uk. 1 Airman Hotel SG17 5JF 2 The Black Horse Pub HP16 9AX 3 The Seven Wives PE27 5RF 4 The Penrhiwgaled Arms SA44 6LN 5 Railway Hotel SA32 7LQ 6 Belmont Hall CW9 6JA 7 Mousehole Camping TR19 6XB 8 Blenkinsopp Castle Inn CA8 7JS 9 The Highwayman’s Haunt TQ13 0de 10 The Thelbridge Cross Inn EX17 4SQ 11 The Ship Inn YO15 1EW 12 The Crown Inn GL7 5QH 13 Elton Farm GL14 1JU 14 The…