Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2019 i Practical Caravan

Taken great pics on your travels? Let us see them! EMAIL letters@practicalcaravan.com or HASHTAG us on social media #practicalcaravan Our pooch Ruby about to catch up with news from our favourite magazine. Taken at Cherry Tree Springs caravan site. Jon and Anita Webster Our first trip to South Wales Touring Park in our Stirling Eccles, and Wyn is enjoying his first cuppa. Margaret and Richard Collins Arthur our GSD absolutely loves going away in our caravan. J Leishman Our daughter bought us a subscription to your magazine; we love it. Here is Daisy our Westiepoo at Thornbrook Barn site, Ingleton. Simon and Bev Grange  Oscar, last month’s cover star, had a great time on the shoot! Looks like the issue got his paw of approval. Sam and Ulla Owen Our rescue…

The pressure’s off Price £79.95 Web www.fit2gotpms.com/michelin-tpms Take the worry out of your tyre maintenance with the Michelin TPMS, a wireless retrofit tyre pressure monitoring system that will allow you to keep an eye on your tyre pressures while on the road. The system has four sensors that attach to your tyres, and you can add another set if you want to keep an eye on your caravan’s tyre pressures, too. Once the sensors are attached, you can check pressures using the solar-powered LCD screen, without having to get out of the car. It will also alert you if pressure drops by 15% or more, the tyre is overinflated, or you get a fast leak, warning you to pull over. BS Stay connected Price £135 Web www.skyroam.com/uk Make sure that…

St Agnes Beacon Caravan Club Site, Cornwall. Many wonderful coves there. Brian Smith Pentewan Sands, Cornwall. Step out of your van onto the beach – lovely! John Phillips This our favourite secret location – North Devon. Putsborough Sands in Woolacombe. Expensive, but well worth it. Gary John Baker Pembrey Country Park, South Wales. Sam Barker We love Combe Martin, North Devon, and usually stay at Stowford Farm site. Joyce Darvill Renvyle Beach, County Galway, Ireland. Site is close enough to step barefoot out of your van onto sand. Sam Johnson Cei Bach Country Club, New Quay, Wales. Beverley Jones Davidson Chris Johnson replied… They no longer take vans, Beverley, but still have caravan seasonal pitches. Got some great tips you’d like to share? Let us know via Facebook (see p9)…

“The body of local swimmer Belle E Flopp was washed up on the beach in what was at first thought to be a tragic accident. “However, when local bobby PC Side discovered that Ms Flopp was on course to beat the hotly contested flying belly flop world record, he began to suspect foul play. Further investigations have revealed that it was indeed murder.” NO, YOU HAVEN’T picked up the wrong magazine by mistake. The statement above was in fact the introduction to a treasure hunt around Filey, one of many produced by Treasure Trails (www.treasuretrails.co.uk) for places across the country. For us, it also marked the start of a great weekend in North Yorkshire with a group of friends and their children. This story actually begins a couple of months…

Caravan man offers online services A former general manager of South Lincs Leisure has set up an online business offering caravan servicing and valeting, mobile repairs, and even a service to tow your caravan to your preferred site. Martin Healing set up www.allthingscaravan.co.uk earlier this year. The site also offers a search facility for anyone looking for a particular model from a particular year. Martin says he came up with the idea of the towing service, which can operate across the country, after noticing how many people were having problems with their licence or felt they were too old to tow. Hull dealer expanding used caravan ranges Hull-based Motorhomes and Caravans is looking to take on up to six new apprentices and expand its used caravan stock. Although mainly a…

Construction Al-Ko galvanised steel chassis, aluminium panels, full-height front ABS panel, sunroof, mud flaps, full-height rear ABS panel. External equipment LED awning light, alloy wheels, one-piece door, underslung spare wheel, front and rear grab handles, gas locker, wet locker with external mains socket and shower connection. Heating 4kW Truma Combi gas and electric water/heating. Lounge/bedroom Vienna soft furnishings, Magnolia locker doors, Montana Oak wood grain, satin-finish handles, Dapple stain-free carpet, Skyview rooflight with LED lighting, aluminium slide-out base for double bed, midi-Heki in lounges, Pioneer radio/CD/ MP3 player with speakers Kitchen Thetford four-burner dual-fuel hob, 800W microwave, Dometic slimline fridge with freezer, stainless steel sink, two mains sockets. Washroom Domestic-style cubicle with EcoCamel head, LED light, mini-Heki, swivel toilet. Safety and security CRIS tamperproof label, identity tag, Al-Ko AKS stabiliser,…

Škoda Octavia Hatch 1.5 TSI 150PS SE L DSG Price £24,225 Target Price £22,237 Kerbweight 1295kg 85% match 1101kg Max towing weight 1500kg Towball limit 75kg IF YOU THINK it’s predictable that the Škoda Octavia has won our lightest weight class, you’d be quite right. This is win number six. But those who are paying close attention will notice something that has never happened before – a petrol tow car has won its weight class for the first time in the 13-year history of the Tow Car Awards. Every car we tested in 2019’s lightest weight class is a petrol, but don’t let that give you the impression this is a soft victory. The Octavia 1.5 TSI wins on merit. Forget about any notion of a petrol engine being gutless…

1 Parts for jacking kit and tools required for the job 2 The bracket mounting holes in the chassis 3 One of the jacking kit’s outer brackets (reinforced) 4 Nearside mounting holes; spare wheel carrier in situ 5 Lower the spare wheel carrier and swing it slightly towards the rear of the caravan to provide better access 6 The next step is offering up the outer bracket 7 One of the inner brackets in position 8 Tighten nuts/bolts using the spanner and ratchet/socket 9 Torque each nut with spanner and torque wrench/socket 10 Completed job, showing side-lift jack ready for use 11 Be mindful of any wires that might be trapped/damaged 12 Side-lift jack and wheel brace, both stored in their own handy carry-bag 13 Now it’s time to check…

EMAIL US AT letters@practicalcaravan.com WRITE TO Letters, Practical Caravan, 1-10 Praed Mews, London W2 1QY JOIN OUR COMMUNITY AT practicalcaravan.com/forum facebook.com/ practicalcaravan twitter.com/ pcaravan instagram.com/ practicalcaravan The contributors of our Star letter and Star photo each win a pair of Milenco Grand Aero towing mirrors, worth £50. They’re designed to fit all wing mirrors and offer an outstanding view. If you have a top tip, send it in for a chance to win four Milenco Stacka corner feet, worth £14. For further details and a list of retailers, visit www.milenco.com…

If you have enjoyed watching the film Mary Queen of Scots, starring Saoirse Ronan, and want to find out more or visit the historic sites and film locations, you can download a map and list of venues from Visit Scotland. The list covers castles, palaces, churches, mountains, moorland, coasts and glens, and using it is a great way to explore the stunning beauty of the country, or just dip into selected areas for a quick fix of history and culture. Find out more at www.visitscotland.com.…

WHEN TO GO Cornwall is a hugely popular touring destination, so it can be very crowded in high summer. We chose to travel before the school holidays started – late June, early July – and enjoyed the peace and quiet. Even so, the campsites were already getting busy. FOOD AND DRINK ■ Philps Pasties Web www.philpspasties.co.uk ■ Beck’s Fish and Chips Web becksfishandchips.org.uk ■ The Cornish Arms Web www.cornisharmshayle.co.uk ■ Harbour Lights Web www.harbourlights.co.uk ■ The Victory Inn Web https://victoryinn.co.uk FIND OUT MORE ■ Barbara Hepworth/Tate Web www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-st-ives/barbara-hepworthmuseum-and-sculpture-garden ■ Land’s End Web landsend-landmark.co.uk ■ Minack Theatre Web www.minack.com ■ Eden Project Web www.edenproject.com…

1 Huntfun in Bath Exploring the golden city of Bath with a Huntfun trail (www.huntfun.co.uk) should keep the children happy, while you learn about the extraordinary history of the area. Stay at Bath Marina and Caravan Park Web https://bathcaravanpark.com 2 Treasure Days in Cheshire villages Discover the Alice in Wonderland window in the Cheshire village of Daresbury, and visit Lymm’s terracotta town hall, plus the WAG town of Knutsford, on a Treasure Days trail (www.treasuredays.com). Stay at Lady Heyes Holiday Park Web www.ladyheyespark.com 3 Track the Black Cat in Brighton Black Cat Treasure Hunts (www.blackcattreasurehunts.co.uk)specialise in trails around Sussex and offer several that will help you to find out more about the famous seaside city of Brighton. Stay at Brighton Caravan and Motorhome Club Site Web www.caravanclub.co.uk…

WAY TO GO St-Valery-sur-Somme is just over 65 miles (A16) from Calais or 145 miles (E40) from our preferred crossing, Zeebrugge. We travelled by P&O Ferries, Hull to Zeebrugge, and DFDS Ferries, Dover to Calais. Web www.poferries.com Web www.dfdsseaways.co.uk FOOD AND DRINK ■ Le Matisse 68 Rue de Metz, 62520 Le Touquet-Paris-Plage Web www.lematisse.com ■ Le Goéland 1951 82 Route du Phare, Reville, 50760 Basse-Normandie Web facebook.com/legoeland1951 FIND OUT MORE We used our out-of-season ACSI Camping Card. All the campsites cost 17 euros per night, but one offered 14 nights for the price of 11, and another, seven nights for the price of six. Web www.campingcard.com ■ Normandy tourism Web en.normandie-tourisme.fr Web www.manche-tourism.com ■ Utah Beach D-Day Museum Web www.utah-beach.com ■ Somme 1916 Museum Web www.musee-somme-1916.eu ■ Thiepval Monument Web www.cwgc.org…

Musky, our Sprite Musketeer, stayed by the Thames last summer at Chertsey Camping and Caravanning Club Site in Surrey. There’s a rural feel to the site, despite it being just inside the M25, and it’s very handy for all the sights of the metropolis. Gary Richardson (Facebook) Site essentials Chertsey Camping and Caravanning Club Site certainly is a popular choice, and its location on the banks of the Thames is probably a big part of the reason why so many people go back to the campsite again and again. It also has a neat and tidy facilities block, with plenty of hot water. There’s a café that serves good fish and chips and morning bacon butties, which will also appeal. Address Bridge Road, Surrey KT16 8JX Tel 01932 562 405…

Barefoot, the Gloucestershire company specialising in bespoke monocoque caravans, is now branching out to the US and Australia. From next year, Ohio-based company nuCamp, which produces T@B teardrop vans, is to make Barefoot caravans under licence. Barefoot Australia, a new company in Melbourne, has been set up to do the same. Speaking about the appointment of nuCamp, director of Barefoot, Ben Matthews, said, “We had been looking for someone to take on Barefoot for some time, and had been talking to nuCamp for 18 months. They are the right people.”…

Tested by Claudia Dowell Price £29,545 Kerbweight 1591kg Towball limit 90kg Maximum towing weight 1700kg Four members of the Practical Caravan team drove Vauxhall’s Insignia Sports Tourer and all gave the sleek-looking estate car the thumbs-up. The Insignia feels like a big car: long at both front and back. It rides on low-profile tyres, creating a bit of road noise, but it’s a comfortable drive. Gadgets include the lane departure warning system, auto-adjust LED headlights and a virtual display on the windscreen showing your speed, sat nav directions and more. The multimedia system was, in the main, easy to use, with an easily navigated sat nav; although all of us had trouble connecting our phones to the system. The rear-view camera is excellent, although seeing a little more of the…

Each Swift caravan is loaded specifically to suit the car that’s going to tow it. The tourer is weighted to 85% of the car’s kerbweight or the legal maximum, whichever is lower. The position of the load is carefully adjusted to achieve a towball download of 7% of the caravan’s laden weight, or the towball’s maximum download if this figure is lower. We also ballast the cars with six water containers, weighing 20kg each, spread across the car’s luggage space and cabin.…

Seat Ateca 2.0 TSI 190PS FR DSG Price £31,355 Target Price £28,374 Kerbweight 1541kg 85% match 1310kg Max towing weight 1900kg Towball limit 88kg IF WE HAD to pick one word for the Seat Ateca, it would be ‘controlled’. Whatever we asked, the Ateca answered calmly but emphatically. Stability is the cornerstone of towing, and the Ateca was secure at all speeds. Data from the Al-Ko ATC system showed it remained firmly in charge of the van when decelerating. What about the lane-change test? Upping the speed seemed to make no difference, with the Ateca just as controlled on the fastest run as on the slowest. There was little lean, and precise steering worked in the driver’s favour. Speed is nothing like as important as stability in our list of…

NIGEL HUTSON is a lifelong caravanner who toured as a child before buying his first caravan at the age of 22. He served in the police for 30 years SAMMY FAIRCLOTH grew up in a family of keen caravanners, and tours extensively in the UK and further afield whenever she has the opportunity TONY BROWN is a retired dental practitioner; he bought his first caravan in 1964, and has enjoyed the pastime ever since Maintaining tyre condition is essential, as Sammy explains below. Meanwhile, on p112, Nigel installs an Al-Ko side-lift jack, and on p114, Tony shows how to fit a handy extension socket on your car…

Spinney has expanded from one outlet in Cheshire to three branches. Salesman Alex Robinson says: “This widens our choice for customers; we have a good stock of used tourers, catering for all. “The company was formed in 1975, selling motorhomes, but later adding tourers. We also have a first-class accessory shop, café and service team. We always try to offer value and competitive pricing.” Address Knutsford Road, Cranage, Crewe CW4 8HJ Tel 01477 535 808 Web www.spinney.co.uk…

Layout finder Y Having a second dinette right next to the kitchen makes life so much easier in a caravan when you are touring with large families, as children can often have their meal separately when the adults are still sitting in the front. These side dinettes usually transform into either a set of bunks or one double bed, and the whole area is usually partitioned off with a curtain. Pros The second dinette can also be an area for people to watch TV, leaving the front lounge free for socialising Cons The rear washroom can sometimes seem a formidably long way away from those asleep in the front A There should be a decent shelf between both dinettes B Make sure there’s enough room for the chef to work…

Meet the dealers AJM Leisure AJM Leisure, based in Bristol, is a family business, started by father-and-son team Jim and Adam Machin back in 2012. In that time the business has grown, as it now employs six more staff. In 2017, its workshop joined the AWS scheme run by the two caravan clubs and the NCC. In 2018, having so far only sold used caravans, it took on the Venus franchise. Adam says this has been such a success, they are already looking for other brands. Just six miles from the M5, the dealership, which includes a small accessory shop, attracts customers from a wide area. Although Jim has now retired, he still comes in most days to help out and share his expertise. Adam says, “We have a lot…

Most of our month here at PC HQ has been taken up by tow car testing (p74), but we’ve still made time to get out and about. One of our favourite events was watching Julia Bradbury float down the Thames on the Camping and Caravanning Club’s special one-night campsite (p53); and that got me thinking about unusual places to pitch up. I’ve stayed at countless sites over the years, but one of my favourites was a small, five-’van place in Northern Ireland. We arrived after dark in the lashing wind and rain; the owner helped us quickly pitch up, and we retreated into the warmth of the van for the evening. The following morning dawned with the sun streaming in through the rooflight. I threw open the window blind –…

1 Roaring entertainment Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm is celebrating its 20th birthday with an African Carnival of dancing, drumming, acrobatics and more, on World Lion Day. Date 10 August Web www.noahsarkzoofarm.co.uk Stay at Brook Lodge Farm Camping & Caravan Park Web www.brooklodgefarm.com 2 Great British countryside Meet the locals at Countryfile Live, with talks, arena shows and family fun. At Adam’s Farm, you can see milking and sheep-shearing. Date 1-4 August (Blenheim Palace); 15-18 August (Castle Howard) Web www.countryfilelive.com Stay at Bladon Chains C&MC Site Web caravanclub.co.uk 3 Stars of the show New Forest and Hampshire County Show has plenty of animals to admire, from equine contests to a Show Farm and a Sheep Show, featuring dancing sheep! Date 30 July - 1 August Web newforestshow.co.uk Stay at Long Meadow Campsite Web www.longmeadowcampsite.com 4…

Planning on including beaches in your itinerary this summer? Scotland may not be your first thought, but there are stunning beaches here. Dog-friendly spots include Luss in Loch Lomond, Portobello in Edinburgh, or Luskentyre on the Isle of Harris. Surfers could head for Tiree in the Inner Hebrides or Thurso in Caithness. For wonderful walks, there’s St Ninian’s Isle, Shetland; Tolsta Beach on the Isle of Lewis; East Beach at Lossiemouth, Moray; Aberdeen Beach; Coldingham Bay, Eyemouth; and Balnakeil Beach, Assynt, on the North Coast 500 driving route. You’ll find more beaches at visitscotland.com. If access is difficult for you, at St Andrews West Beach you can hire a beach-friendly wheelchair (hamishfoundation.co.uk). Down south, for the walkers among you, the Jurassic Coast Trust is organising guided walks along this fascinating…

Where there are lakes, there will be boats and in the case of Windermere, a great heritage of boatbuilding. A new museum, the Windermere Jetty, celebrates this history. Visitors can watch conservation processes, see historic boats on the water, take a trip on a steam launch and learn the stories of the builders and boat owners. The museum holds more than 40 vessels, and the café has fine views over the lake while you relax with a cup of tea. You can find out more at https://windermerejetty.org.…

Merrose Farm Caravan and Motorhome Club Site This makes an ideal base for exploring the beautiful Roseland Peninsula. Address Portscatho, Truro TR2 5EL Tel 01872 580 380 Web www.caravanclub.co.uk Open 5 April - 4 November Pitches 177 Charges (pitch+2+hook-up) From £24.40 Godrevy Park Caravan and Motorhome Club Site Address Upton Towans, Hayle, Cornwall TR27 5BL Tel 01736 753 100 Web www.caravanclub.co.uk Open 15 March - 4 November Pitches 120 Charges (pitch+2+hook-up) From £20…

A five-star campsite two miles inland from the town. Most of the pitches are on grass, some with shade. Facilities include a restaurant, take-away, snack bar, coffee shop, indoor heated pool, children’s playground, bar in the château, cycle hire and shop. The washblock needs upgrading, but was cleaned regularly. Address BP 80022, 80230 St-Valery-sur-Somme Web www.chateau-drancourt.fr Open 14 April - 23 September Pitches 329 Charges £211 (seven nights, up to six people) Camping La Gallouette This compact site is a five-minute walk from the sea, harbour and shops, and just 30 minutes from Cherbourg ferry port. All pitches are on grass with hedge dividers. Facilities include a heated pool, modern washblock, snack bar, take-away and café/bar. Address 10b Rue de la Gallouette, 50550 St-Vaast-la-Hogue Web camping-lagallouette.fr Open 1 April -…

THE CAMPING AND Caravanning Club launched National Camping and Caravanning Week in style in May, with celebrations including president and TV presenter Julia Bradbury staying overnight on the first-ever site to be moored on London’s River Thames. The site, by Tower Bridge for one night only, included a Swift Eccles 560 – the brand that made the first commercially available towed caravan in 1919 – and a tent by Field Candy featuring the world’s smallest pub design. Club president Julia said, “National Camping and Caravanning Week is all about inspiring the nation to get outdoors. “We’re all more aware than ever that getting into the great outdoors is good for our mental health, as well as being great fun. Caravanning is easier than you might think and offers the freedom…

Where tested Leisure Sales, Brereton Green, Sandbach, Cheshire CW11 1SD Tel 01477 535 264 Web www.leisuresales.co.uk Lunar is clearly becoming much more confident at producing 8ft-wide vans. The company’s luxurious Alaria brand only went 8ft wide in its second season, and when, following adjustments to its assembly line, the firm decided wisely to introduce wider vans further down the market too, its first attempt, the Lunar Quasar 686, had considerable redesigns. But now comes the 686’s sibling, the 696, a twin-axle with six berths. It wowed lots of people on its debut at the NEC show in February. We popped over to Leisure Sales in Cheshire to have a good look at it away from the show crowds. Design From afar, this Quasar has a stripped-down look. The alloys might…

First drive Volkswagen T-Cross 1.0 115PS Price From £19,545 Kerbweight 1250kg Towing limit 1100kg 85% match 1063kg EVERY YEAR AT the Tow Car Awards, there are a handful of cars we try to test, but which go on sale just too late to be included. The new Volkswagen T-Cross is one of those vehicles. There’s every sign it will make a fine lightweight tow car. For one thing, it’s closely related to the Seat Arona, this year’s Best Ultralight Tow Car. Will the T-Cross tow as well as the Arona? It ought to. If anything, the VW has even better judged suspension than the Seat, trading a little of the Spanish car’s sportiness for more compliance over bumps. This hasn’t been achieved at the expense of control, though: drive briskly…

We tested one car from each of our five main categories this year, chosen for promising official fuel economy figures. Cars were matched to a van weighing 85% of kerbweight or their legal towing limit; whichever was lower. Then we brimmed the tank. In the case of the petrol-electric hybrid Mitsubishi, we also made sure batteries were fully charged. Next, we set off to drive for an hour on the proving ground’s horizontal straights, towing at 60mph on straights and 40mph on bends. At the end of the test, we topped up the fuel tank. So, is weight all-important, or is it the power? Our tests suggest a balance of the two is ideal, with our winner in the 1400-1549kg class. The Focus Estate trumped the other cars on test,…

Class 1 Wessex VT85S Chassis type Knott-Avonride galvanised steel with Bradley overrun device Shipping length 3.6m MiRO 440kg Payload 760kg MTPLM 1200kg Tyre size 165R 80 13C Swift Basecamp Plus Chassis type Al-Ko galvanised steel with Euro Axle and overrun device Shipping length 5.1m MiRO 916kg Payload 111kg MTPLM 1027kg Tyre size 185 R14C 102Q Sprite Alpine 2 Chassis type Al-Ko galvanised steel with Euro Axle and overrun device Shipping length 6.05m MiRO 1042kg Payload 166kg MTPLM 1208kg Tyre size 185 R14C 102Q Class 2 Sprite Alpine 4 Chassis type Al-Ko galvanised steel with Euro Axle and overrun device Shipping length 6.45m MiRO 1094kg Payload 190kg MTPLM 1284kg Tyre size 185 R14C 102Q Class 3 Swift Challenger 480 Chassis type Al-Ko galvanised steel with Euro Axle and overrun device Shipping…

VWArteon 2.0 TDI 150PS Elegance DSG Price £36,145 Target Price £31,118 Kerbweight 1643kg 85% match 1397kg Max towing weight 2000kg Towball limit 90kg THE VOLKSWAGEN ARTEON is an easy car to underestimate – until you drive one. The Arteon is closely related to the Passat, and it’s rather tempting to think of this coupé-like hatchback as a Passat in its Sunday best. But there’s more to it than that. As a rule, rakish-looking fastbacks are a lot less practical than the regular hatchbacks and saloons on which they are based. But other than a bit less rear headroom, the Arteon asks for almost no compromises. In fact, with a luggage capacity of 563 litres, it has nigh-on exactly the same amount of boot space as the Passat saloon, but with…

How much? £5000-£11,500 The SX4 S-Cross isn’t the sort of car in which people tend to do a high mileage, so there are many low- to average-mileage examples out there. A budget of around £5500 will net you an early 1.6-litre petrol SZ3 with a mileage of less than 80,000 on the clock, while a similar budget can get you a 1.6 diesel with a similar mileage. Increase your spend to £8000 and you can get a high-spec 1.6 SZT with fewer than 30,000 miles showing. You’ll need to double your budget to £16,000 if you want one of the BoosterJet engines – we’d say they’re worth it. What will it tow? Kerbweight...........................1260kg 85% match ............................ 1071kg Towing limit .........................1200kg Noseweight limit.....................75kg How much is a towball? Witter swan-neck towbar…

I MUST ADMIT that I like to have the correct tools for doing any job, and that includes the facility to jack up the caravan should I have the need to change a wheel (or indeed while fitting our Al-Ko Secure wheel-lock). In the past, I’ve carried a variety of jacks (trolley/scissor/ bottle) in the boot of the car “just in case”, but of course, they take up valuable room (particularly in the case of the trolley jack) and need securing. A few years ago, I invested in one of Al-Ko’s side-lift jack kits. The company does two kits: an 800kg (for caravans up to 1600kg), and a heavier-duty version, the 1000kg (for caravans up to 2000kg). The 800kg and 1000kg refer to the static load that the unit is…

1 Use thin card to make a template, as it is much easier to make alterations to card 2 Cut the plate to size, bend it, then polish the edges with belt and orbital sanders 3 Pre-assemble the unit and try it in place on the car, to check for obstructions 4 Fit 13-core cable through the unit and rubber gasket before fitting the plug 5 The new unit should look something like this before fitting to the swan-neck 6 Now conveniently situated, the new unit is accessible, neat and unobtrusive…

BY 2014, ELDDIS caravans had been well established for 50 years, and all models for that year had a special ‘50th’ badge added by the entrance door. Over the years, the company developed from manufacturing a handful of tourers per day, to become one of the UK’s largest producers of caravans and motorhomes. By 1976, it was part of ABI Caravans and had launched into the luxury market with a new two-model range, the Crusaders. Fast forward to 2013 and Elddis has now launched its innovative new construction system, in a joint venture with German company the Henkel Group, where use of new adhesives means less need for screws, so cutting the risk of water ingress. Known as SoLiD, this was a significant step forward in caravan construction. So after…

Meet the dealers Whitfords Caravan Centre Whitfords Caravan Centre, based in Burnley, Lancashire, is over 100 years old, but it hasn’t always sold vans. Until the 1960s, it was a solid fuel merchant. But when Burnley became the first town in the country to introduce smokeless zones to combat pollution, the then owners, the Whitfords, saw that the writing was possibly on the wall. The couple were keen caravanners, so they decided to switch to what was becoming an increasingly popular pastime, and started selling caravans. Now managed by daughter Connie and her husband Jonathon, Whitfords sells Elddis, Xplore and Coachman. It also has a wide stock of used vans, a large accessory shop that includes a range of awnings, and the only NCCapproved workshop in the area. Address Healeywood…

Layout finder K Featuring a full-width rear washroom and a pair of twin sofas that make up into a double bed up front, this layout is ideal for couples on tour. The washroom is usually spacious enough to also serve as a dressing room, while the kitchen is very often a really good size – ideal if you enjoy cooking up a storm while you’re away. You might get the option of additional seating in lieu of a chest of drawers between the lounge sofas. Pros This layout allows for a roomy washroom and kitchen even in more compact vans Cons Occupants need to make up the bed each night, leaving nowhere for anyone still up to lounge A Storage is limited, but you will find some under the sofas…

Awnings Porch Pyramid Corsican porch awning, with bedroom annexe, as new, steel poles, blue, 300 x 240, £150. Mr Taylor, Buckingham (01296 714139) Outdoor Revolution Evora 260 awning, complete with poles and pump, unused due to change in circumstances, current online price £799, selling for £475 ono. Mr Carter, Taunton (07980 543750) Inaca Alpes 320 porch awning, blue and light grey, all seasons, to buy new now £1100+, excellent condition, little used, can send photos, £350. Mrs Smith, Cockermouth (01900 821662) Isabella Minor porch awning, little used, as new condition, colour slate-grey, white curtains, fitted groundsheet, carbon frame, £300, buyer collects. Mr Garwood, Rayleigh, Essex (01268 772986) Blue porch awning, Dorema Quattro 275, excellent condition, £75. Mr Barton, Royston (07836 772120) Kampa Pro Ace Air 300 awning, 2018, used four…

JUNE 1967 Ah, the 1960s – a decade, in the UK at least, of hope, freedom and adventure; when caravanning was among the most popular ways of taking a holiday. Check out that fringed awning over the front window! Tips on Europe Always wanted to go to the French Riviera? Now you can, says our article, on first-class roads. Germany is good for music festivals, and in Italy, choose the coast for modern sites with all the facilities. The Italian exchange rate was 1742.5 lire to the £1! Accessory corner The accessory under scrutiny in this case was a periscope attached to the car’s roof, and designed to give the driver an uninterrupted view across the car, through the front and back windows to the road behind. Ingenious! Readers’ tips…