Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2023 i Practical Motorhome

Email your pictures and their stories (40 words, plus name, address and contacts) to hotshots@practicalmotorhome.com. The best photo will win these guides: Road Trip Europe – Best of Belgium; All the Aires Spain and Portugal; All the Aires Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands; Go Motorhoming and Campervanning; Sea View Camping Scotland; Sea View Camping West Country; Road Trip Europe – The Great War and More; and Road Trip Europe – Go Dutch. All are from Vicarious Books, www.vicarious-shop.com, 0131 208 3333.…

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has recently got in on the festival act, with the launch of the ID. Buzz Cargobased one-off Glamper Van (right), which could be visiting an event near you soon. Its eye-catching design is sure to attract people to visit its built-in photobooth, including lighting and props, where festivalgoers can drop in for a fun snap. The camera has a makeover filter to help capture the festival atmosphere. The unique Glamper Van was launched at PennFest 2023 in July, where it featured alongside a range of VW festival-ready vehicles, including everything from the compact Caddy California to the iconic California. As these pictures show, we recently enjoyed a weekend at the fantastic Love Supreme Jazz Festival at Glynde, in East Sussex. The dedicated motorhome/campervan field didn’t disappoint, with…

A few years ago, a friend suggested we should visit the Forest of Bowland, and in particular the Trough of Bowland. To be honest, until then, Kay and I had never even heard of these places, let alone knew where they were. When we learned that they were in northern Lancashire, we realised we’d skirted the area many times before, when traversing the country to visit my sister, who lives in the Lake District. Recently, when we were discussing plans for our next tour, Kay suddenly remembered that conversation, so we started looking more closely at the campsites in the area, and duly booked a Caravan and Motorhome Club site just a few miles away from Clitheroe. Arriving at Acre Hill CL, we were soon set up, the kettle was…

This popular North Cornwall tourist resort has all you could possibly want from a seaside destination, including pristine beaches, boutique shops, plenty of welcoming bars and restaurants – and fantastic waves. Watersports lovers will be particularly attracted to three Blue Flag beaches (Bute has a third of Cornwall’s nine Blue Flags) and nearby Widemouth has plenty of quality breakers to entertain the surfing community. That surf, of course, has claimed its fair share of ships over the years; the north Cornwall coast is famously one of the most dangerous shipping areas in the whole of the British Isles. Once an important Cornish trading town, Bude became a major draw for tourists during the Victorian era, and today, it remains as popular as ever with families and surfers a like. DAY…

A visit to the annual Caravan Salon in Düsseldorf is an absolute treat. Some of the big European brands have whole halls to themselves, and there are always novelties from brands and manufacturers we simply don’t see in the UK. For example, there were world debuts of popular campervans, such as the all-new Ford Nugget and the Volkswagen California Concept. Here are just a few of the highlights from this year’s show, which ran from 25 August-3 September 2023. Ford The latest Ford Nugget campervan (1), still converted by Westfalia on the all-new Ford Tourneo Custom, made its world debut at the event. Its exterior design is a pleasant evolution of the outgoing Transit Custom. UK models will have sliding doors on both sides. The table stores in the sliding…

This is the third year that we’ve held our new-format Practical Motorhome Awards – they’re all about helping you discover the very best products, as well as celebrating the latest industry innovations. Our awards encompass a range of categories, including brilliant accessories, awnings and of course, the best new motorhomes out there. You can find a full list of categories on the right. Our aim is to help you make the absolute most of your money, no matter what you’re planning to purchase, whether that’s a £3 bottle of specialist cleaning products or a £120,000 motorhome. Our expert team – who also form our panel of awards judges – have decades of motorhome experience under their collective belts: from the biggest A-class motorhome to the most compact campervan, from the…

According to astronomers, there are a mind-blowing 200 billion galaxies. Less in number, but also difficult to grasp, are the differences to be found in the huge number of variants of Pilote’s Galaxy. The French manufacturer has seven decades of experience in the design and construction of leisure vehicles and was the first volume producer to bring low-profile coachbuilts to the UK. It was equally ahead of the game when it came to launching its first A-class (integral) coachbuilt, the R800A, back in 1985. Since then, the brand has become Groupe Pilote, comprising seven highly regarded marques, including Bavaria, Frankia, Hanroad, Le Voyageur, RMB and the value-for-money Mooveo. There isn’t room to describe every Galaxy derivative, so we’ve grouped them by length and layout, and concentrated on imports to the…

Well, it’s almost time for some motorhomers to begin the process of putting their beloved vehicle into hibernation for the winter months. If you’re one of them, here’s some sound advice on prepping a motorhome properly, to ensure that you will have no nasty surprises come the spring. MOTORHOME COVERS Once your motorhome is spotlessly clean, a good-quality cover can protect it from the worst winter ravages. It’s important, however, that any cover is a good fit and made of the right materials, because cheap, low-quality covers can do more harm than good. This is because abrasive materials that constantly flap against the ’van’s sidewalls in the wind can permanently damage the all-important panel finish. The best options are custom-made covers from the likes of Specialised Covers or Protec. These…

What3words juggles.articulated.spenders Why tour here? The North York Moors National Park has it all - moorland, coast, forest and dale. It also has this glorious artificial reservoir, completed in 1953 and now supporting many fish species, including brown trout, grayling, eel, stone loach, minnow and lamprey. The surrounding moorland is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and the reservoir is an important area for common toads, which hibernate on the moors. For visitors to the area, Cote Ghyll Caravan Park & Campsite is only a 10-minute walk. As well as being a beautiful base from which to explore the National Park, it proved a great venue for our recent cover shoot and in-depth test of the Swift Carrera 144 (p86). Don’t miss… The circular walk around Cod Beck is easily…

SUDOKU To solve the puzzle, each row, column and 3x3 box must contain the numbers 1 to 9. No single digit can appear twice in any one row, column or 3x3 box WORDWISE You have 15 minutes to find as many words as possible using the letters in the grid. Each word must contain four or more letters, one of which must be the central square. No proper nouns, plurals or foreign words are allowed. There is one nine-letter word in the grid, for which the clue is: Longingly 8 = average More than 16 = well done HALF & HALF What type of bourbon-enriched sponge cake is the official dessert of the American State of Alabama ? Cross out a letter in each square to get a grid filled…

Focus on… The Midlands ■ Gaia at Lichfield Cathedral, Staffordshire 22 September - 5 November 2023 See the Earth floating and rotating in three dimensions with this spectacular touring artwork (1) by artist Luke Jerram. Measuring 7m in diameter, the illuminated globe will hang in the nave of the mighty Lichfield Cathedral. Adult tickets £5. w lichfield-cathedral.org/what-s-on/gaia Stay at… Drayton Manor C&CC Site w www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk ■ Goose Fair, Nottingham 29 September - 8 October 2023 With more than 250 rides and attractions, the Goose Fair is one of the largest travelling funfairs in Europe, and Nottingham’s biggest annual event. Entry is free and the rides are individually priced. w visit-nottinghamshire.co.uk/whats-on/goose-fair-p358771 Stay at… Shelford Nurseries Caravan Park w www.shelfordnurseriescaravanpark.co.uk ■ East Midlands Food Festival 7-8 October 2023 Artisan producers will rub shoulders with…

1 NEW FOREST VARIETY SHOW Between the heather and gorse of the northern commons and the glorious woodlands, there’s always plenty of colour to be found in the New Forest during the autumn. Pitch on the outskirts at Sandy Balls Holiday Village and you’ll have fabulous views from the onsite walking trails, as well as easy access to the fabulous New Forest itself. W awayresorts.co.uk 2 RESTORE GLORY IN THE MIDLANDS When you visit The National Forest, it’s hard to believe that this project was started just over 25 years ago, and has transformed the area into a landscape of rolling farmland, ancient forest and newly planted woodlands. All of which looks fantastic in autumn, especially when shrouded in the early morning mists. Stay at Dovesite Caravan Park, close to…

Problem!” said the border control officer, shaking his head while looking at our passports and vehicle documentation. Not a word you want to hear when attempting to enter a country – although thankfully it’s a problem we had been warned about, so we had what we hoped was the solution, which would smooth our passage into Turkey. Kim handed over an additional sheet of paper, all very official looking, with company livery and a bold red notary stamp on it, which quickly disappeared through the small window in the booth we were sitting by. A few nervous moments passed while it was read, and even the children’s morning excitement faded while we waited to hear the officer’s next words, for they would dramatically shape the coming months of our travels.…

Swift extends Voyagers with overcabs This season, Swift is extending the Ford Transit-based Voyager range that it launched last year, with a sub-range of overcab models comprising three different layouts. Known as the Voyager 4 range, to make them distinct from the Voyager 5 low-profile models, the new line-up includes the 475 (£69,995), a five-berth with a rear lounge, the 485 (£69,495), a five-berth with fixed single beds at the rear, and the 494 (£68,995), an island-bed four-berth. All three have an MTPLM of 3500kg, so can be driven by anyone holding a C1 driving licence. They will also have a similar spec to the Voyager 5 range. This includes an external cold-water shower and BBQ point, and in the 475 and 485, three travel seats in the rear –…

Picture this. You’re sitting outside your motorhome on a glorious summer evening, after a very satisfying day of exploring. The sun is just beginning to set over snow-capped mountaintops, casting a pink glow across the sky, and the chirping of crickets creates a soothing duet with the nearby glacial stream. A moment of perfection. It would be all too easy to assume that moments like this are out of reach if you have a disability. But they are closer than you might think! Finding the right fit If, like me, you find that the hardest part of travelling is locating the right accommodation to suit your needs, a motorhome might be the answer. At first glance, they might not appear to be so, but with a few modifications, you could…

For many people, buying a motorhome will represent the second largest investment they’ll ever make, after buying their house. So it’s vital to get it right. But what does that mean? How do you go about picking your ideal motorhome? If you’ve had a few ’vans and gained some experience of them, you’ll have no doubt refined your ideas along the way, but if you’ve never owned one, where do you start? READ THE REVIEWS Immerse yourself in as much expert information as possible – it might be a bit baffling at first and you’ll be advised all sorts of random things, but it gives you an overview of what to look for. Make sure you know the source of the content you’re reading – magazines and their websites are…

The fridge saga, episode two Following on from last month’s motorhome fridge saga, when I explained how I monitored the temperature in both fridge and freezer with data loggers, I can now reveal more results. When set to the mid-temperature position, the fridge was barely getting down to 7°, while the freezer managed minus 15°, both barely adequate and less than ideal in terms of performance. By simply moving the sensor in the fridge to a position an inch or so below the cooling plate, I managed to get the temperature down to 3-5° inside the fridge and minus 18-22° in the freezer, within the correct range for keeping food fresh. Taking the temperature So then I tried putting the two data loggers in the fridge, one on the top…

Many leisure vehicles, including mine, are fitted with a Hartal door-lock assembly. Over recent months, the lock’s internal mechanism has become stiff, making it difficult to open and close the door. As a result, I have become worried that the process of locking and unlocking the door might result in the key snapping off in the lock – not a scenario any motorhomer would wish to encounter, if at all avoidable. According to one or two online forums, this is a common problem with this type of Hartal door lock. It is caused by the central shaft of the inner assembly binding in its plastic guide housing. A money-saving solution Given that many of you might be experiencing a similar problem with this kind of door lock, I thought that…

letter of the month My husband and I have an Auto-Trail Mohawk, and more often than not we trundle along at a good pace. However, we frequently find that cars will pull out quite late to get ahead of us. Presumably they do so because they perceive they will be stuck behind a slow-moving vehicle. I appreciate that, but I bet we will join them at the next roundabout or traffic lights! Yes, we sometimes get a few cars behind us, but we always pull over when it’s safe, to let others go by. We are in a big motorhome but able to get going along the roads quite well. I just wish other drivers would think before pulling out. Julie Phillips MILENCO The writer of our Letter of the…

SHOULD I HAVE MY CAMPERVAN RECLASSIFIED BY THE DVLA? Q Thanks for your comprehensive report on seatbelts for designated travel seats (issue 276) – although not the answer I was hoping for! I am still trying to find a garage in or near Richmond, London, to work on my campervan. One more question. My camper is a conversion (1); are there any plus points for having the certification changed with the DVLA to ‘motor caravan’? Ed Keogh A Gentleman Jack replies… The most significant advantage of having it classified as a ‘motor caravan’ is that some specialist insurers offer a substantial discount on the premium. Changing the body type on the V5C can be surprisingly difficult, and took me over six months after the conversion of a minibus to a…

It was a perfect piece of serendipity. I almost didn’t bother going to the washing-up area on the campsite, but we hadn’t heated the water in the boiler and I had a bowlful of dishes. Washing our breakfast crockery, I got into conversation with a fellow camper who’d been coming here for years. He recommended a walk along the riverbank to the footbridge, crossing the river and heading back on the opposite bank, stopping at the pub on the way before taking the hand ferry back to ‘our’ side of the river. It sounded like a great first-day outing and half an hour later, we were on our way. But let me explain. We had arrived the previous afternoon at River Wye Caravan Camping Park, on the banks of the…

I know I’ve said it before, but every now and then, you just need to stop and do a little bit of nothing very much. Normally, weekends away in our motorhome are full of activity – exploring and sightseeing. We do plenty of walking, drive to neighbouring towns and nearby attractions, and squeeze every last drop out of our breaks. But this time, it was different. Over the past months, my husband Ro’s work has seen him traipsing around the country, so when we had the chance of a springtime weekend away, we decided it was time to switch off for a while. Leisure time Cue a short break at the delightful Riverside Caravan Park, in Stratford-upon-Avon, with nothing to do but relax and enjoy the weather and the beautiful…

Opening times The show runs from 17-22 October 2023 and is open from 10am to 6pm each day. Tickets Tickets for the show can be purchased for £12.50 until 16 October, after which the price increases to £15.50. There’s also a £1.25 transaction fee applied. Children up to the age of 15 get in for free when they accompany a paying ticket holder, but free tickets still need to be acquired online. Similarly, a carer is also allowed in for free when accompanying a Registered Disabled visitor with a valid show ticket – a free carer’s ticket will be required. Tickets can only be used on the day they are purchased for, and buy before you set off – tickets are not sold at the door! You can purchase your…

HERITAGE It’s disappointing to discover that the most famous manufacturer of motorhomes in Africa is no longer with us. Jurgens first started trading in the Netherlands back in 1938, moving to South Africa in 1952. Pictured is one of its VW Transporter coachbuilts. Many survive, unlike the firm, which was taken over by Ci before entering administration. PVC-4-U Schroeder Motorhomes also converts a huge variety of base vehicles at its Jeffreys Bay HQ, including MAN-based ‘desert schooners’ with the very appropriate model name Hercules. Gaining in popularity are panel van conversions such as those pictured here. Fiat Ducato and Mercedes-Benz Sprinter are currently the most popular, although Ford’s ‘global’ Transit is likely to challenge their position. BESPOKE BUILDS Brakenfell-based AC Motorhomes was started by Carey Wareham and builds on a…

Marquis Leisure steps on the gas Dealership network Marquis Leisure has added a second LPG refilling service across its 13 outlets – with the promise of more to come. As well as at its Devon premises, just off the M5 near Exeter, you can now go and fill up with LPG at the Gomshall, Surrey, branch. Marquis has also confirmed a longer-term plan to offer the refilling service from all of its outlets over the next few years, with its Durham branch the next in line. As at Exeter, refills are carried out by Marquis staff (that is, they’re not self-service). Marquis Leisure marketing manager Emma Franklin said: “The pilot at Exeter has been enormously successful and is exceeding our expectations, so we are now implementing it at Surrey. Some…

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For years, the motor industry has told us how complicated modern vehicles are, and you must always visit a main dealer for servicing work. If your ’van is under manufacturer warranty, we’d definitely concur. But what if you have an older vehicle, or want to do a simple job that doesn’t need to involve pre-booking and a tediously long wait in a reception area? Actually, some tasks on modern vehicles are easy to do and best of all, you can save a small fortune by doing them yourself. If your dealer is miles away from where you live, you need to factor in your time, too. For many jobs, it’s quicker to fix it yourself than travel. The tasks we’ve outlined here won’t steal a whole weekend of your life…

How to use the guide We’ve organised our listings by layout, generally the most crucial aspect for buyers. Simply locate the floorplan you like in the guide; then, on the left of it, you’ll find details of every UK model with that layout. Simple! Note that TA in a model name denotes a twin-axle. how to buy… Choosing the number of berths You may feel that this one is easy – you simply have to go for a motorhome that has the same number of sleeping berths as occupants, right? That’s one way of doing it – but taking a look at the bigger picture is a better method, and likely to cause you less frustration in future. If you’re travelling as a couple, opting for a four-berth can be…