Practical Motorhome January 2021

Editor-in-chief There’s something about touring near water that’s very special – I was fortunate enough to grow up near the seaside, and even now, I am happier near the water than I am anywhere else. With that in mind, this issue we’ve brought you three fantastic articles that celebrate the best of British waterside getaways, from Scottish lochs to the glorious Lake District and coastal Norfolk. I hope you enjoy reading them just as much as we did, and find them helpful when planning your next tour. One other important piece of news this month: so successful was our inaugural Van Live! virtual show in October that we’re now planning to run another, this time in February. We’ve already started devising what we’ll be bringing you, but one thing is for sure: it will…

letter of the month l first started tent camping back in 1947, with my grandparents, and then, when 1 got married, l introduced my husband to the joys of camping. We started off with a trailer tent and later moved to a caravan, in which we took our two grandchildren away with us during the school holidays. They really loved the freedom camping gave them! These days, we drive a motorhome. Our daughter and her husband bought When my granddaughter married and had children, they bought a caravan and now they take their two daughters camping. When we go away together (below), we are four generations of campers: great-grandmother, daughter, grand-daughter and two greatgranddaughters. Sandra Vincent VAN LIVE! RETURNS NEXT YEAR Following the recent success of our own Van Live! Practical Caravan and Motorhome Virtual Show, we…

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 and the Netherlands; Go Motorhoming and Campervanning; Seaview Camping Wales; Seaview Camping West Country; Road Trip Europe – The Great War and More; Road Trip Europe – Go Dutch. All are from Vicarious Books, www.vicarious-shop.co.uk, 0131 208 3333.…

Campervan cooler bag Keep drinks and snacks cool during the warmer months with this stylish 30-litre VW Campervan cooler bag. Price £17.99 Web www.truffleshuffle.co.uk Picnic rug Every self-respecting motorcaravanner needs a top-quality picnic rug! This durable classic comes in a smart herringbone tweed. Price £30 Web www.johnlewis.com Drone home Race to launch your aliens into the drone to flee to safety, in this laugh-a-minute game featuring a real drone Price £16 Web www.amazon.co.uk Activ 5 pocket gym This clever device for isometric training on the go helps you use your bodyweight to exercise, and works with an accompanying app. Price £124.95 Web activbody.com/en-uk Memory pin map Give the gift of memories – this map from designer Louisa Elizabeth has push pins, so you can keep track of where you’ve toured. Price £80 Web notonthehighstreet.com Touring map Record all of your travels on this wonderfully interactive world…

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 information at www.practicalmotorhome.com/nightstops. For further information about the MCC, visit www.themotorcaravannersclub.co.uk. Stop of the month 26 The Seaview Hotel Seafront, Fishguard SA65 9PL Ideally located if you’re planning to catch the ferry across to Ireland, the Seaview Hotel offers a large car park. FIND FULL DETAILS ONLINE www.practicalmotorhome.com/nightstops NOTE We strongly recommend double checking that Nightstops are open before travelling…

Our expert panel SARAH WAKELY Editor-in-chief sarah@practicalmotorhome.com PAUL CRITCHER Deputy editor paul.critcher@futurenet.com PETER BABER Reviews editor peter.baber@futurenet.com GENTLEMAN JACK Contributor askjack@practicalmotorhome.com CLAUDIA DOWELL Features/travel editor claudia.dowell@futurenet.com NICK HARDING Contributor practical.motorhome@futurenet.com DIAMOND DAVE Contributor practical.motorhome@futurenet.com CAN WE CROSS OVER TO THE MOUNT IN OUR CAMPERVAN? Q Like everyone else these days, we’re focusing on staycations this year and are planning a trip to Cornwall in the next month or two (lockdown permitting!). We’ve never been to St Michael’s Mount (1), but it’s on our bucket list. Now we wonder, would it be possible to get close to it in our motorhome? We have a 6m-long campervan. Liz Butcher Claudia Dowell says… A Motorhomes should approach Marazion from the west, where you will come across two spacious car parks offering great views of the Mount. The station car park is pay and display and has a café and toilets; the second option is the Folly Field car park. The Marazion slipway…