Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2024 i Campervan

I spent some time in Sussex in an earlier life and, whenever I return, it feels like a comforting second home – the soft, hilly countryside and lovely flint and board houses seem somehow to be more welcoming than so many other places I've been. Virginia Woolf and her sister, Vanessa Bell, seemed to have felt similarly over a century ago when they took up residence a seven-mile walk from each other in the Sussex Downs near Lewes. After checking into our campsite for a three-day stay, we planned to park up at Vanessa’s Charleston house to recreate that walk over the fields to Virginia’s Monk’s House. Sadly, the weather was filthy and the booking times too limited, so we decided to drive to both. In the village of Rodmell,…

Over the last 55 years this award-winning campsite in Kent has evolved dramatically and now boasts a completely separate family park as well as an adults-only meadows touring park. The site’s owners, Lee and Sally, are proud of their small business and pride themselves on providing the best experience for all. Sally took some time out to tell us more. How long have you been running your campsite? My husband, Lee, and I took over from my parents, Jenny and Keith, around 12 years ago. At that time the adults-only facilities had just been completed and the adults’ park was very much in its infancy. We’ve further invested in that over the years, and also introduced glamping to Broadhembury in 2017. Tell us a little about your site and how…

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The Camping and Caravanning Club has a new look it says is aimed at inspiring passion for the outdoors. A fresh style for its logo, imagery and website was unveiled at the NEC show in Birmingham, earlier this year. Sabina Voysey, the Club’s Director General, said: “As an organisation we’re constantly evolving, and we’ve worked hard to reflect both the spirit of the Club and our history while also making sure we stay relevant and widen our appeal.” The organisation remains committed to a multi-million pound investment programme designed to improve its systems and sites. A newly acquired campsite, Thornton’s Holt, is having services upgraded for when it reopens this season as Nottingham Club site. Meanwhile, Club sites at Ravenglass in Cumbria and Moreton in Dorset are also undergoing significant…

This is the very first campervan under the Xplore brand, which, up until now, has been a purely caravan marque. And it’s certainly out to make its mark with its first motorised unit, the CV X8. Xplore is part of the Erwin Hymer Group and, inside, it’s clear to see that this new model takes much of its design from the well-established Elddis Autoquest CV80 (note the related naming, too). But there’s an equally obvious mission here to attract a new type of customer. “Designed for adventurers” is how the marketing folk put it. So, while this is yet another six-metre Fiat Ducato panel van conversion, it won’t be hard to spot on a campsite surrounded by ‘white boxes’. Or maybe, you won’t see it on campsites at all; those…

With its colourful buildings, pretty piazza and spectacular sea views, you could be forgiven for thinking Portmeirion was on the Mediterranean coast rather than north Wales. Created by Welsh architect, Sir Clough Williams-Ellis, the village was designed in an Italian style with the aim of proving you can develop a naturally beautiful site without spoiling it. It is famed for being the filming location of the 60s TV series, The Prisoner, and is home to stunning buildings, historic cottages, exotic gardens, sandy beaches and a cluster of attractive shops, cafés and restaurants. Nearby, there’s the charming coastal town of Porthmadog with access to the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways. From here there’s a steam train that goes right into the heart of Snowdonia. There is so much to enjoy in…

HI This month I want to talk about making money on the road. It’s easily among the top five questions I get asked about living and travelling in a ’van and, to be honest, one of the aspects of this lifestyle that took me a while to figure out. When we first sold up to travel full-time, it was only meant to be a gap year, so we had given up work to travel. Of course, we loved the travel and the lifestyle so much that we decided to carry on, as we had (and still have) a lot more we wanted to see and do. That meant figuring out how to earn a living and travel, which did feel quite daunting. Especially as we came from the motor trade…

CAMPERVANCO CampervanCo, based in central Scotland, offered conversions based on grey import Toyota Alphard Hybrids as long ago as 2016. Three years ago it followed up these Japanese vehicles with its Evolution PHEV camper, based on the Ford Transit Custom. Now, the firm’s first fully battery-powered campervan is based on the Toyota Proace Electric (£69,995), a van that’s similar in dimensions to the VW Transporter. As standard, it comes with a 50kWh battery, offering a 144-mile range, but campervan buyers will surely want to stump up the extra £4,999 for the 75kWh version, which increases the tested range to 205 miles. Both models are front-wheel drive and, of course, automatic (like all EVs) but power increases with the bigger battery from 150hp to 175hp. They are limited to a maximum…

It is famous for producing iconic caravans, and now Eriba has launched a retro-inspired campervan. The new Eriba Car – Eriba’s first campervan – takes its looks from the cult caravans from the 1960s. Based on the VW Crafter, the Car will be available from dealers later this spring, with full specs and prices confirmed then. The exterior features duo-tone paintwork in a choice of Deep Ocean, Cherry Red or Metallic Indium Grey, reminiscent of the Eriba caravan range. The Car also comes with a wide range of accessories, such as matching camping table and chairs in an integrated bag for the rear storage space and matching boxes for the open overhead locker at the rear. The ‘cosy lounge design’ features seats with tilt adjustment to make them more comfortable…

It’s hard to stand out in the VW campervan market, especially for a new name without the reassurance of National Caravan Council (NCC) approval or Type Approval. Spartan Campers has only been trading for two years but this striking example of its Adventurer conversion certainly caught the eye. It’s not just the pale minty green and white duo-tone scheme but the repeating of the green on the door handles, mirrors, VW logo and wheel centres, while the side bars are in white. Those two-coloured 20in disc-style wheels are very striking, too, and should be easy to rid of the dreaded brake dust. However, if this look isn’t to your taste, then a huge range of alloys is offered, along with a wide selection of furniture colours, etc. It’s a 67-plate…

Pulling into our parking space for the night, we had plans to get some rest, and then resupply in the morning before moving on. However, as is often the case with these tiny Spanish villages, they have a habit of pulling you in, seducing you with their charm and beauty, and this is why I’m writing this on our fifth day here. Let me go back a few days and explain. We had been on the road for a month, and up to this point spent the majority of it inland, travelling down through France and Spain. We had a plan to get to the southern Spanish coast in the next week or so, but the beautiful villages, hiking in the mountains, the tasty, not to mention cheap, food, along…

BACK OF BEYOND TOURING PARK 234a Ringwood Road, East Moors Lane, St Leonards, Dorset BH24 2SB T 01202 876968 W backofbeyondtouringpark.co.uk OPEN 1 March – 2 January This adults-only campsite is set in 30 acres, with 18 acres of woodland, just a 30-minute bike ride from the edge of the New Forest National Park. A haven for wildlife, the site has native trees planted between the pitches, wildflower areas, two lakes, plus grassland and heathland, and a river bordering it. In terms of eco-friendly initiatives, solar panels are in use, rainwater is collected, lighting is LED or solar, and amenity block lighting is sensor activated. Chemical waste is filtered through a natural bio-digester sewerage system before feeding harmlessly into a local river and recycling is actively encouraged. Anyone arriving in…

Campervanning is more popular than ever, but what about the impact this has on the environment and our beautiful countryside? Here are our top tips for planning an eco-friendly camping trip so you can enjoy the great outdoors without causing harm… Green sites If you want to fully embrace the eco-friendly campervan lifestyle then you need to choose a campsite that shares your commitment to looking after the planet. The good news is that the UK has hundreds of sites with green credentials and environmentally friendly facilities, such as recycling and composting areas and alternative fuels for the amenities. These range from smaller campsites with limited facilities to large holiday parks. Wildlife safaris, bird hides, nature trails, butterfly gardens, species-rich woodlands and beautiful wildflower meadows are just some of the…

ROLLER TEAM LIVINGSTONE, I PRESUME? Roller Team has launched two new Fiat Ducato-based campervans – the Livingstone 2 Sport and Livingstone 6 Sport. Both have typical continental layouts, with the six-metre ‘2’ having a transverse double bed in the rear single beds. Unusually, however, both models have their layouts reversed for the UK, so the sliding door is on the nearside. The Sport suffix indicates increased spec compared with the versions sold in mainland Europe, so these campervans come with 16in alloy wheels, a painted front bumper, fog/cornering lights, a Pioneer DAB radio with steering wheel-mounted controls, reversing camera, Webasto diesel heating and a flyscreen for the sliding door. The Livingstone 2 Sport is priced at £56,490 and the Livingstone 6 Sport comes in at £56,990. Optional extras that can…

At a time when campervans are more expensive than ever, we are all looking to get as much as we can for our cash. And when it comes to value for money, you could do an awful lot worse than this new addition to the Benivan range. Not only is the Benivan keenly priced to start with, but the impressive spec means you get a lot of ’van for your buck – and most of it comes as standard. The Benivan is part of the campervan range from Spanish motorhome brand, Benimar. Exclusively imported to the UK by Marquis Leisure, Benivan has the undeniable feel of a continental ’van – fixed bed floorplan, sliding door on the ‘wrong’ side – but with some elements that are very much aimed at…

LIGHT MY FIRE TABLEWARE If you’re looking for smart new tableware for the ’van, this might just be what you are after. This is no traditional melamine, or even the latest bamboo. This new range from Swedish company, Light My Fire, is made of a bioplastic called Ecozen – a biomass-based transparent copolyester, apparently – and it’s claimed to be scratch resistant as well as BPA-free. Plus, the products are made in Sweden, not just designed and then outsourced. There are various types – but we like the RamenPlate which is more like a shallow bowl. They are stackable for storage, too, with a choice of two colours, sage green or cream. Or you can choose two sizes of rectangular plates. There is also a one-litre lunch box for food…