Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2022 i Campervan

Editor’s note | Welcome Hello Hey there, dear campervanners, and welcome to the March issue, at long last… In my humble opion, March is possibly the most exciting month of the year for the simple reason that the clocks go forwards, which means more daylight to enjoy even more camping! Mind you, with the Caravan, Camping & Motorhome Show actually going ahead this year, at the Birmingham NEC on 22 to 27 February, you could be forgiven for having forgotten about the imminent arrival of summertime in your excitement. The big news is that 50% more floor space has been dedicated to campervans this year, so there’s plenty to see, including some of the lastest models, such as the Auto-Sleeper Air and Auto-Trail’s Expedition 68. You can see us, too!…

Choosing | Laika Ecovip 540 Da Vinci Edition The Da Vinci code Boasting the same top-end design features as its posh motorhome stablemates, there’s a lot to Laika… WORDS & PHOTOS Peter Vaughan The first Laika motorhomes sold in the UK, back in 1988, were A-classes, at a time when the type was still a real novelty here. The brand continued to innovate with some of the first fixed bed low-profiles, around a decade later, and it has always competed in the upper echelons of the market. In Erwin Hymer Group hierarchy, it sits alongside Hymer itself, with only Niesmann + Bischoff above it. So, you might be surprised to see its long-running Ecovip model name being applied to a campervan. It is far harder to stand out in this super-crowded…

Do you love campervanning? Do you want to be inspired by real-life campervanning experiences, UK and overseas travel, top campsites for touring, campervan road tests, practical advice and much, much more? Then you need Campervan every month. When you subscribe to the paper version of Campervan, you’ll enjoy all of these great benefits: • SAVE money on the cover price • Get FREE delivery direct to your door – BEFORE it goes on sale in the shops • PROTECTION against cover price increases • SAVE £5 on all Warners Shows in 2022 when you pre-book your pitch • FREE day visitor entry to the Yorkshire Motorhome & Campervan Show in Harrogate & savings on day visitor entry to all other Warners shows And much, much more! Just £11.99 a quarter…

Our campervans | 1998 Auto-Sleeper Duetto Lighthouses and lost villages Hazel and Chris enjoy a wild winter weekend exploring their local area in Yorkshire… Have you heard of Holderness? It’s a little-known part of the country, occupying a triangle edged by the Yorkshire Wolds to the north and west, the North Sea to the east and the Humber Estuary to the south. Inland, it’s rich agricultural country, the fields bright yellow with oilseed rape in the spring and golden with ripe wheat and barley in the summer. Towards the coast, cobbles from the beach have been used to build houses, walls and churches. In his poem, 'Here', Philip Larkin described it as “unfenced existence: facing the sun, untalkative, out of reach”. It is indeed rather remote, unless, like us, you happen…

In the know | Accessories Campervan Accessories Make the most of winter camping with the right kit before spring arrives to spoil all the lovely cold weather. You’d be as mad as a March hare not to… VW Campervan Wall Clock The trouble with wintertime is that it’s pretty much dark all of the time, so you have to keep your curtains closed. That means you can’t drool over your campervan parked on the driveway and dream about the days after the clocks change, symbolising the arrival of spring, followed by lovely long summer nights in the sun. Ahh… bliss! So the next best thing is a clock that looks like a campervan. That way, you’ll have a permanent reminder that you do have a campervan outside, without having to…

News | What’s happening in the world of campervans News Read all about what’s going on in the fascinating world of campervans… Campervans take 50% more space at February NEC show With the popularity of campervans showing little sign of slowing, the organiser of the upcoming NEC show, which takes place from 22 to 27 February, has confirmed that there will be 50% more new campervans on display than in previous years. Exhibitors revealing their new campers include major manufacturers, such as Auto-Sleepers with its new Air and Auto-Trail with the Expedition 68, as well as over 20 other campervan converters such as CMC Reimo, Devon, RP Motorhomes, Westfalia and WildAx. As a result of the huge demand for campervans, there will be a new campervan advice area at the…

Ford and Erwin Hymer Group partnership announced Ford and the Erwin Hymer Group (EHG) have announced an agreement for the delivery of Transit and Transit Custom light commercial vehicles as the base for campervan and motorhome conversions. In addition, a strategic partnership has been agreed that includes a shared view of customer needs and legal framework. The agreement covers topics such as emissions, electrification, digitisation, connectivity and the integration of driver assistance systems. Ford will also closely integrate the EHG into the product development process. With the agreement, both companies say they are responding to the boom in campervan and motorhome sales that has been going on for the past eight years. Ford is the leading manufacturer of light commercial vehicles in Europe, while the EHG, the European market leader…

Free seminars at Harrogate show Warners Shows has announced the seminar timetable for the Yorkshire Motorhome & Campervan Show, which takes place from 18 to 20 March. Visitors to the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate can look forward to the following talks: • Fri 11am: M Patterson | RAC Arrival Cover• Fri 1pm: P Vaughan | Choosing a campervan or motorhome• Fri 2pm: C Meyer | Motorhome Security• Sat 12pm: M Patterson | RAC Arrival Cover• Sat 1pm: P Vaughan | Choosing a campervan or motorhome• Sat 2pm: C Meyer | Motorhome Security• Sun 11am: M Patterson | RAC Arrival Cover• Sun 1pm: D Hurrell | Buying a campervan or motorhome Q&A session• Sun 2pm: C Meyer | Motorhome Security Friday and Saturday’s speaker, Peter Vaughan, Road Test Editor of…

Greenline RG 500 LWB | Choosing Greenline RG 500 LWB If you’re not keen on side kitchen layout VW campers, a Greenline could be the answer… If you’re not sure a side kitchen layout is for you, or you’re put off by the cost of VW-based campervans, Greenline Leisure Vehicles may have a model that is more to your liking. Its rear kitchen layouts offer a completely different feel, the possibility of single beds, and also incorporate a clever slide-out toilet arrangement. Better still, with prices starting at under £40,000 for a short-wheelbase model, it should have a wide appeal. The RG 500 was originally developed on the Renault Trafic base, with a Ford Transit Custom version added more recently (available from £43,950). Both vans can be converted with a…

Enjoying | Scotland Finding Scottish sunshine Carol and Anthony take advantage of fine weather in the beautiful Scottish Highlands, getting active and up close to some elusive wildlife… WORDS & PHOTOS Carol Kubicki A trip to Scotland always makes me obsessively check multiple weather apps. I tell Anthony this is because predicting the weather among the mountains is tricky but, actually, it is so I can find the one that suits my optimistic nature and is forecasting the sunniest weather! For a May road trip around Scotland, the fickle weather fairies were on my side and every app, even the pessimistic Mountain Weather Information Service, was predicting blue skies for the western Highlands. Packing a t-shirt and sun cream, we set off! Don’t tell everyone, as we like to have…

Enjoying | Ireland Exploring the Emerald Isle Lois and Alan enjoy a nostalgic journey around the beautiful coastline of Ireland… WORDS & PHOTOS Lois & Alan Parker We were off on a leprechaun hunt. Some years ago, on one of our many holidays in Ireland, Alan and I saw a leprechaun. We were on a minor road, had just gone over a little humpback bridge, and there he was – a little fella in green and red, with a lovely hat, resting in the ditch at the side of the road. It was during the morning, no drink involved and we both shouted “leprechaun” at the same time! Ireland is a great place for holidays. This time, we went over in mid-June on the ferry from Fishguard, in south Wales, which…

Our campervans | 2020 Hillside Birchover Classic The Magical Mystery Tour The Editor recalls her childhood annual pilgrimages from and to Spain, back in the days before motorways, when roadside cheese and wine stalls abounded… The joy of having dual nationality is that you get to go on holidays abroad without feeling like a tourist and you don’t have to pay for accommodation. The downside of having relatives in foreign lands, though, is that it’s a long way to go to visit them. Of course, it would help if my Spanish family all lived in approximately the same place, but they don’t – and Spain is a big country. My father lives so far south that he can practically wave at Morocco on a clear day whilst one of my sisters…

In the know | Next month campervan FREEDOM TO EXPLORE In next month’s issue Enjoying Campsites Your campers Choosing Our campers All contents subject to change On sale 17 March 2022 Subscribe at outandaboutlive.co.uk 01778 392019 scriptions@warnersgroup.co.uk Digital Campervan offers To enjoy access to a fully searchable digital archive of all issues of Campervan since it was launched, visit motorhome.ma/cpvnexact For extra photos, videos, interactive adverts, live web links and additional web-based articles, head to motorhome.ma/cpvnpocketmags…

News | What’s happening in the world of campervans Mercedes-Benz confirms price and spec of eVito Specifications and prices of the new fully electric Mercedes-Benz eVito have been confirmed. The new electric van has a 162-mile range courtesy of a 66kWh lithium-ion battery that can be recharged to 80% of usable capacity in 35 minutes using a rapid charging point. Recharging to 100% using a regular domestic power outlet takes 20 hours. As with previous eVito models, gearshift paddles allow drivers to adjust the recuperation mode by which battery charge is extended through the recovery of energy when decelerating. A first for this latest version is the DAUTO recuperation mode, which determines whether the van should glide with the least possible resistance, or decelerate and recover energy into the battery.…

Enjoying | Destination of the month Ross-on-Wye Destination of the month The picturesque Wye Valley on the English-Welsh borders is perfect for a relaxing campervan holiday… Alamy Ross-on-Wye is a pretty market town set in the lovely county of Herefordshire near to the border with wonderful Wales. Located on the picturesque River Wye and in the heart of cider-making country, what’s not to love? From easy walking and cycling routes suitable for all abilities, to cultural attractions such as the sixteenth century Market House and Gallery 54, there’s plenty for everyone to enjoy here. During your stay, you can also explore further afield into the Wye Valley AONB, the beautiful Forest of Dean with places like Symonds Yat, as well as Tintern Abbey just over the border in south Wales.…

Your campervans | 2015 WildAx Constellation Written in the stars Outdoor writer and photographer, Felicity, blows her family inheritance on the ultimate wildlife hide on wheels… WORDS & PHOTOS Felicity Martin Owning a campervan has changed my life more than any other possession ever has. It’s opened up many horizons. We have used it to explore not just landscapes and wildlife but also the history and culture of places far and wide. Because I am an outdoor writer and photographer, it’s made it much easier to spend time close to my subjects, while increasingly shifting my focus to travel writing. My partner, Andrew, and I were becoming stuck in our ways and needed a new stimulus to keep us young. We were growing a bit creaky for crawling into a…

Our campervans | 2016 Camper King Adventure Trek Hello Henley-on-Thames Full-time campervanner, Mike, takes up residence in Oxfordshire, not Berkshire… I live full time in my campervan, Kali, and I have a preference for how I like to visit places. I like locations where, once I’ve arrived, I don’t have to drive much. Perfection is setting up camp and then not having to use the ’van, with there being enough to see and do within walking and cycling distance. Henley-on-Thames proved to be one such place. I have to admit my ignorance, as I’d always thought Henley to be in Berkshire, but it’s in Oxfordshire, although only just. The county border is at the other end of the Henley Bridge. I stayed at Henley Four Oaks Caravan and Motorhome Club site,…

In the know | Fuel options for cooking and heating Cooking on gas, diesel or electric? With so many fuel options to choose from in your campervan, we take a look at the ins and outs of each… WRITTEN BY Barry Norris We all use our campervans in different ways and our choice of ’van varies enormously. So it is not surprising there’s no universal best way to heat, illuminate and cook. Traditionally, mainstream large campervans tend to come with gas-fuelled heaters and cookers, while smaller campervans use compact diesel heaters and gas cylinders to power a hob. And then there’s electricity, too. Battery power A standard lead acid 100Ah battery means you have only 50% of the nominal power available for use before the battery needs recharging if the battery’s…