Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2022 i Campervan

Contributors Nicola & Nigel Cooke Fiona Daborn Joyce Hopewell Hazel Hutchinson Alice Lomas Felicity Martin Clive Mott Sue Phillips Claire Tupholme Peter Vaughan I love autumn because it’s such a peaceful time of year, and cooler! Being half-Spanish, I can take the heat, but even I admit it has, at times, been too hot for sleeping in a tin tent this summer. On the plus side, it’s been a great excuse to visit campervan shows, eat lots of ice cream, and catch up with converters, so every cloud… October is always a super-exciting month because we’ve got the Motorhome & Caravan Show at the NEC on 18 – 23 to look forward to, and this year is even more special because I’ll be announcing the winners of the Campervan Awards…

Budget Digital Subscription Just £2.99 a month with all of these benefits: • The latest digital issue before it goes on-sale in the shops • Instant access to every published issue • 1,000’s of pages of searchable campervan content • Read it on any device – wherever you may be! • The most environmentally friendly option • Risk-free – cancel at any time Less than 10p a day SUBSCRIBE NOW motorhome.ma/exdigi22cpvn Premium Digital Subscription 12 issues for £39.99 • Download and own the latest digital issue • Exclusive extras including additional photo galleries, videos, live web feeds and hyperlinks • Read it on any device Subscribe now motorhome.ma/cpvnpocketmags Printed Subscription £11.99 by quarterly direct debit • SAVE £5 on pre-booked rally pitches at Warners Shows • SAVE on day visitor…

1 Beauly Holiday Park, Inverness-shire Lovat Bridge, Beauly, Inverness IV4 7AY beaulyholidaypark.scot 16 December – 14 November With a peaceful woodland and countryside location, on the bank of the River Beauly, this site is ideal for relaxation. There is a six-acre nature reserve here, with a bird hide, and many paths to wander and explore. For venturing off site, it’s a 25-minute walk into the village of Beauly where there are shops, places to eat and a train station. There’s also the historic ruins of Beauly Priory by the river. It is only 10 miles to Inverness, too, with a regular bus service that will stop at the site entrance on request. Beauly Holiday Park has hardstanding pitches with electric hook-up. There is a new toilet and shower block with…

Having recently switched from full-time employment to working part-time on a freelance basis, I was excited about having more time for campervan adventures. Nevertheless, there was still work to be done, and I found myself back at the spare room desk, looking out on our campervan parked on the drive. I started to wonder whether campervan living might make it possible to combine remote work and travel. Once spring arrived, with longer days and warmer weather, I began researching a trip to the Lake District, planning in days for hiking around my work schedule. Initially, I considered simply working from the ’van. However, given that our campervan is tiny (a Nissan e-NV200), and doesn’t currently have a table or an internet connection, it seemed a long way off being ready…

It started as a vague plan to do some of the NC500, or at least to reach the very top of the UK mainland, following two cancelled trips to Orkney during periods of pandemic restrictions. This time, I had everything crossed that I’d actually get further north in the British Isles than I’d ever reached before – I’d even booked a night at the Caravan and Motorhome Club’s most northerly site, Dunnet Bay. Before that, I’d be spending my first night, after a slog up the A1, reliving memories of when my sister lived in Edinburgh, walking the dog by the Firth of Forth at Cramond – so close to the city and yet so tranquil, with almost a seaside vibe. First, though, I’d accepted an offer of a hearty…

British outdoor clothing and gear manufacturer, Berghaus, has launched Repairhaus, a campaign to highlight its free in-house repair service. Since it was founded 56 years ago, Berghaus has always offered to repair products for free, if needed, but, thanks to the Repairhaus campaign, the manufacturer hopes that more of its customers will use the service to prevent items ending up in landfill. Led by a dedicated team at the company’s Sunderland-based headquarters, the Repairhaus service pledges to try and repair any item of damaged Berghaus clothing, footwear, pack or accessory product, no matter its age or condition. The repair will be carried out for free, with the customer only being asked to cover the cost of postage. If Berghaus is unable to repair the item, it will be upcycled, with…

Concept Multi-Car was established in 1988, coincidentally the year that the first VW California debuted (built by Westfalia on the rear-engined T25). CMC immediately distanced itself from its (then far fewer) rivals by bringing top-quality Reimo components (roofs, seats and more) from Germany to the UK for the first time. More recently, that USP had been lost as other converters began offering Reimo conversions, so CMC introduced its HemBil range, still with German componentry but designed in the UK by Sam Shortland, son of the company’s founding couple. Whilst side kitchen designs (and VW base vehicles) still dominate, the HemBil campers offer a surprising amount of choice. All of its conversions are fully type approved and the company is working towards joining VW’s own Motorhome Qualification Scheme. The one we’re…

For many of us with smaller campers, space versus the amount of camping clobber you need to carry can be somewhat of a juggling act. If you’ve got a four or five-seater, by the time you’ve loaded the kids and dog, you’re probably nearly at capacity on the payload front. After adding an awning, the barbecue, some camping chairs and a myriad of other bits and bobs, you’re probably bursting at the seams, and potentially overloaded – which is, by the way, illegal. Until recently, there weren’t many options available for increasing space and carrying capacity. Whilst towing has always been possible, before now, anyone who passed their driving test after January 1997 – and, therefore, just has a regular car licence – could only tow a combined weight of…

Having spent some time back home in Northern Ireland, we were starting to get itchy feet for the road again. A few months earlier, we had been travelling and hiking in northern Spain, and our route back to the UK at the end of that trip had taken us past Normandy and its array of visitor attractions. We hadn’t, at that point, left ourselves enough time to stop and partake in anything and vowed that we would return at some point in the future and do so. Whilst winter might not be on most people’s list as the best time to visit northern France, wanting somewhere not too far to travel, we thought this would be ideal, as visitor numbers would be down and we would miss the harsh winter…

Campervanning nut, Hazel, lives in Yorkshire with her husband, Chris, and Tommy the Sheltie. From going to festivals and campervan meet-ups to enjoying trail running, fishing and chilling in the pub, they love camping all year round in their Auto-Sleeper Duetto campervan “ It’s all very well when everything goes smoothly,” I said, “But it doesn’t give you much to write about.” With that, a police car sped past and pulled up sharply in front of us, blocking our way. It was a Friday evening, and we were passing through Gargrave in the Yorkshire Dales – a mere 12 miles from our destination – near Settle. I had already put my road map away and stopped arguing with the sat-nav in anticipation of a smooth end to our journey when,…

Road tr ips Vanlife Campsites Campers In the know Plus We bring you the latest campervan news and reviews, gear guide round-ups, and much more All contents subject to change Subscribe at outandaboutlive.co.uk 01778 392019 subscriptions@warnersgroup.co.uk Digital Campervan offers To enjoy access to a fully searchable digital library of all issues of Campervan since it was launched, visit motorhome.ma/exdigi22cpvn For extra photos, videos, interactive adverts, live web links and additional web-based articles, head to motorhome.ma/cpvnpocketmags…

Salop Leisure has become a regional dealer for French campervan and motorhome marque, Joa Camp. Joa Camp models start from £52,500 and are aimed at first-time buyers and those looking for value-for-money campers. Joa Camp, which is part of the Pilote Group, says it offers the best value-for-money models on the market and they are well-equipped. All are based on the Citroën Relay chassis and are available in three layouts in the campervan range and five layouts in motorhomes. Paul Simpson, Salop Leisure’s Touring Caravan and Motorhome Associate Director, said Joa Camp offers “customers an opportunity to buy a brand-new ’van, with all the associated benefits, for the price of many pre-owned models. Whilst they may be considered entry-level, the specification and equipment levels match that of much more highly…

Leeds-based Consort Motorhomes has opened a new Van Conversion Super Centre specialising in the manufacture of two-berth van conversions. The company said the new centre is designed to meet the demand for larger two-berth campervans, which is being fuelled by those downsizing from larger coachbuilt motorhomes and those upsizing from smaller campervans that lack facilities like washrooms and fixed beds. “We believe this is the largest facility of its kind in the UK with over 20 vans in build at any one time and a full range of demonstrators available to view – this really is a one-stop shop for those discerning couples searching for a luxury two-berth van conversion,” the company’s Managing Director, Scot Naylor, explains. “Choosing the right van conversion can be a real challenge for some and…

There are many mysteries in this world and how Fiat has managed to dominate the market for so long when it comes to panel van conversions is one of them. Yes, in being so ubiquitous, parts and repair centres are easy to come by, wherever you happen to break down in Europe. But the old Ducato was not great to drive, especially with the clunky Comfort-Matic gearbox, and it certainly felt shadowed by the likes of the modern VW Crafter or Ford Transit. The new Fiat Ducato is said to be much better, but I haven’t driven one yet because, well, you can’t get hold of them. It’s no secret that there’s a global shortage of vehicles in general at the moment, and that’s causing havoc in the campervan conversion…

The Scottish village we live in feels like the centre of the universe, so we can’t understand why our friends, Hazel and Dymtro, wanted to move away to a little town in North Yorkshire. How could it be a substitute for the dramatic scenery and close community we enjoy? Well, the only way to find out is to visit them. Naturally, we are eager to spend a sociable weekend catching up with each other, but the fact that Masham has two breweries hasn’t escaped our notice. Our check-in at the Old Station Holiday Park, just outside the town, is smooth and efficient. As we’ve booked last minute, only grass pitches are left and I’m a bit concerned about getting bogged in because it’s been a wet autumn. Fortunately, the receptionist…

Being in the Channel, the Isle of Wight enjoys a mild climate that makes it ideal for a low-season autumn or winter camping holiday. The last time I [Ed] was here was for the Isle of Wight Festival, which takes place in June at Newport, but we extended our stay and made a little holiday of it, as there is so much to see and do! Coastal walks along the stunning cliffs and seaside town promenade strolls abound where, of course, you're never far from a fish and chip shop, or ice cream parlour. For foodies, there are plenty of cafés and restaurants, too, where you'll be spoilt for choice when it comes to sampling local produce. Chocolate-box towns such as Ryde, Ventnor, Shanklin and Cowes make for a great…

We arguably couldn’t have picked a worse time to trade in our 2015 VW T5 California for the latest 2020 T6.1 Ocean model. It was in the middle of a Covid lockdown and we were temporarily without a home to call our own. We’d sold our previous house in East London in November 2019 and then, to our consternation, two consecutive attempts to buy a house had both fallen through at the last possible minute. We booked a pitch at the Caravan and Motorhome Club Crystal Palace campsite for a while, then rented a room from a friend, not expecting to still be there some five months later! Mindful of not imposing on her hospitality for too long, we moved out at the end of May. Fortunately, we were able…

Contacts Sunshine Solar sunshinesolar.co.uk Motorhome Workshop motorhomeworkshop.co.uk Free electricity is surely a no-brainer, and especially if you like to go off-grid rather than rely on campsite electric hook-up. Photovoltaic (PV) panels, the official term for solar panels, come in all shapes and sizes and in various type of construction. How you connect them to your campervan is important in order to ensure you charge your batteries, but don’t overcharge them, and make maximum use of the panels. Types of panels Traditional solar panels are made of a thin layer of semiconducting material sandwiched between a sheet of glass and a polymer resin. When exposed to daylight, the semiconducting material produces electricity. There are four basic types of solar panel. All are made from silicon but differ in the way the…