Practical Motorhome Summer 2020

Editor-in-chief What are you most looking forward to in life after lockdown? Like everyone, I can’t wait to get away in the ’van again - I’ve already booked a site for July, hoping things will return to a relative normality by then. I’m looking forward to getting out into the great outdoors, of course; but for me there are other motorhome-related pleasures that I’ve just realised how much I’ve missed. The sound of the Great British rain on the roof while you’re warm and dry inside; having every facility on board, not needing to worry about whether toilets or shops are open; and being able to stroll to the local pub from the site to enjoy a meal and a drink. One thing is for sure: when we’re back on the…

During this lockdown period, many people (like me) will have been spending lots of time cleaning their motorhome. I have discovered a safe way to get up to clean the roof. I used to stand on the top of my stepladder when I had a caravan, but the motorhome is higher and I am older, so I wanted to use a ladder instead. However, I did not want to risk denting or scratching the ’van, so I worked out that the top edge where the side joins the roof would be the strongest place for the ladder. Next, I found an old towel and spread this across the top part of the ladder, which would be in contact with the roof, winding the ends of the towel around the ladder. I then pulled an…

I did enjoy reading your article about touring in Greece (issue 228). Back in 2018, we were planning to take a trip there and I explored the possibility of shipping our Bürstner (7m) to Athens, and after touring the islands and mainland, driving back to the UK. The cost of shipping was competitive, at about £1000 (of which about £400 was for insurance), using www.shipcars.co.uk. I calculated this was little more than the cost of ferries, tolls, fuel, food, wine, campsites, and wear and tear, on both the motorhome and me. There were ships sailing regularly from Southampton to Piraeus. We had the cost of flights to Athens to add on, but I thought three hours by air was better than three or more days of driving, given we had plenty of time for…

How did you celebrate VE Day 75? They might not have had any guests staying, but a group of Caravan and Motorhome Club CLs still managed to have fun, with plenty of bunting and one or two dressing up to commemorate Victory in Europe. Matthew Horton of Goodleigh Hill CL, in Pershore, Worcestershire, donned his late father-in-law’s WWII RAF uniform. The uniform belonged to 24-year-old Bomber Command pilot Geoff Sanders and bears his Distinguished Flying Cross, which he was awarded after making 43 raids in a Halifax bomber. Catherine Raw (pictured) of West Leas Farm, North Yorkshire, dressed as a Land Girl to honour their huge contribution to the war effort. Check out the video at https://tinyurl.com/y8d trbx8 to catch a glimpse of the CLs and their owners, who clearly had a lot…

Pierluigi Alinari, one of the best known motorhome designers in Europe and the founder of a string of brands, died at the start of this month, aged 85. Mr Alinari stopped working full-time in the industry in 2016, when he sold Rapido Motorhomes the PLA brand, which bore his initials and which he had launched after a long career in the industry. PLA’s distinctive profiles have been a very significant attraction at the Caravan Salon in Düsseldorf for many years. He used the success of the company to buy upmarket Italian brand Giottiline, which he also sold to Rapido. Mr Alinari started his career in the 1980s, when he bought the Italian arm of British manufacturer Caravans International, which had become insolvent. After re-establishing that, he founded McLouis, now sold in the UK through…

Regular readers will no doubt have read our Local Authority articles: each issue, we bring you inside information on a touring area, written by an expert – someone who lives there or has detailed knowledge of the location (p38). We’ve been unable to get out and about recently, of course, so for one time only, we’re bringing you – Lockdown Authority! Don’t miss Art Editor Simon’s rundown of the highlights (and lowlights) of life under lockdown in a central London flat – it’s sure to make you smile! To read Lockdown Authority, simply go to www.practicalmotorhome.com/news/lockdown-authority.…