Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2026 i Practical Motorhome

I adore Scandinavia – I’ve been there many times, perhaps most notably for an Arctic Circle tour beneath the Northern Lights (a striking image from which you’ll find over the page). I love the scenery, the food, the campsites – it makes an incredible touring destination, and if you’ve never been, I strongly recommend trying it for yourself. To whet your appetite for all things Scandi, check out our two articles on tours there in this issue, starting on p32! And if you’ve already been to Scandinavia in your motorhome, do email us via talk@practicalmotorhome.com and let us know where you went and how you got on. We’d love to see your pics, too. We also have a couple of special competitions for you to enter this issue. For starters,…

Next month’s theme… Food, glorious food! Email your pictures and their stories (40 words, plus name, address and contacts) to hotshots@practicalmotorhome.com. The best photo will win these guides: All the Aires Belgium & Luxembourg, All the Aires France; All the Aires Spain and Portugal; Road Trip Europe – Best of Belgium; 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. Note, list of prize books may change depending on stock. All are from Vicarious Books: www.vicarious-shop.com, 0131 208 3333.…

Our expert panel Sarah Wakely Editor-in-chief sarah@practicalmotorhome.com Paul Critcher Deputy editor paul.critcher@futurenet.com Peter Baber Reviews editor peter.baber@futurenet.com Peter Byrne Content editor peter.byrne@futurenet.com Gentleman Jack Contributor askjack@practicalmotorhome.com Nick Harding Contributor practical.motorhome@futurenet.com Diamond Dave Contributor practical.motorhome@futurenet.com USEFUL TIPS ON HOW TO ROUTE REAR-VIEW CAMERA CABLES Q I have a 2015 Ducato-based Rapido van conversion and I would like to fit a rear-view camera to it. I’m relatively happy to try to fit this myself, but is there any advice that you could pass on before I do so, please? Is it a fairly straightforward process? Ed MacMillan A Diamond Dave replies… Assuming you have reasonable DIY skills, fitting a rear-view camera should be pretty straightforward. Some suppliers now offer a camera unit that replaces the high-level brake light on Ducatos and includes…

I’ve just come back from the Motorhome and Caravan Show in Birmingham. In some ways it’s a funny time of year to have a show, given that it’s the end of the season, but it makes sense, too – just as the traditional motorhome season winds down we start looking forward to next’s year’s trips and, for some of us, a new ’ van. There were some cracking vehicles on show, so if you were one of the lucky ones who ordered a new motorhome or campervan, congratulations and enjoy many adventures in the new year. One of the destinations you might consider in 2026 is Scandinavia. I took a short break to Denmark in 2023 and have been itching to get back ever since. There’s so much more to…

Duration A long weekend! When November 2024 Why To experience Christmas time in the Welsh capital Cardiff is a city steeped in culture and is one of our favourite places. It offers the waterside delights of Cardiff Bay, where there are plenty of music performances and shows. And it’s the home of BBC Wales, where Doctor Who and Torchwood were made. Nearby, the mining heritage of the Rhondda Valleys is fascinating, and there are museums galore During the festive season, there’s lots to enjoy, with traditional markets, street performers and splendidly decorated historic buildings – where better to enjoy some traditional Christmas cheer. Nadolig Llawen, one and all! Millennium Centre We arrived at Cardiff Caravan Park in wet weather, set up quickly in the rain, and went out to see…

York Caravan Park, York York is a fine place to visit at this time of year, with medieval streets such as The Shambles and the towering York Minster lending it a romantic Christmassy atmosphere. Nearby adults-only York Caravan Park sits on the outskirts of town within easy reach of the A64. On-site, you’ll find spacious hardstanding pitches surrounded by hedging and a luxury, underfloor-heated facilities building. Touring pitches are placed around a fishing lake and a wooded picnic area. The park is well served by a local bus service (not operating on Christmas Day), so you can easily access York, two miles away, where the Christmas Market is open from 13 November to 21 December. Several pubs and restaurants offer seasonal menus and the park recommends Sandburn Hall, Hopgrove Toby…

Praise has to go to celebrity chef Matt Tebbutt for encouraging us all to make more use of our campervan kitchens (see overleaf)! I try to enjoy fresh cooking when I go away in the ’van, although I have to admit a lot of this is usually pre-cooked, to be heated up in the ’van’s microwave (assuming that there is one). What’s more, I think campervan and motorhome kitchen designers could teach a thing or two to domestic kitchen designers – certainly if the high standard of kitchens we saw in some ’vans at the Motorhome & Caravan Show this year is anything to go by (our coverage starts on p68). Many offer a tremendous amount of space, enough to rival that at home – and having a two-way opening…

Welcome to the winter months, when you can stay at home and research your future purchase of a motorhome. Or will you buy now, when you might just pick up something special? If it’s the latter, my advice is to make sure you’re going to start using the vehicle as soon as possible, rather than leave it sitting on your drive (or trying to find a suitable place to store it). You’ll doubtless have a few niggles to sort out – the sooner, the better – and of course you’ll want to know how it performs in colder weather. Also, if anything does need sorting – or even if you feel you want some additional kit fitting or servicing work – workshops tend to be less busy in winter. Whatever…

DORMOBILE ROMA 1967-1975 It was back in the early 1960s when Vauxhall Motors decided to launch the Viva, a smaller car to complement their bigger Victor, Velox and Cresta ranges. It was perceived as both ‘fresh and fun’, very much the right car for the Swinging Sixties. Bedford (Vauxhall’s commercial arm) cashed in on the Viva’s success by building the HA van. Martin Walter of Folkestone is probably better remembered for its iconic Bedford CA Dormobile campervans, though it was also at the forefront of converting vans to estate cars and was producing the (Bedford approved) HA-based Beagle estate car from 1964. Taking the development one stage further by converting it into an elevatingroof campervan occurred for the 1967 model year… when Roma was born. It was based on the…

For a few years now it has been possible to buy adapters to enable self-filling of Calor (and other) gas cylinders – but refilling them in this way is dangerous. Proper end-user refillable cylinders have a device built-in that shuts off the flow of liquid gas when the cylinder reaches 80% full. Non-user refillable cylinders don’t have that, because when they go back to the suppliers plant they are emptied, cleaned and refilled by weight. It is not illegal to sell these adapters, although I think it should be. I read recently of a major supplier of refillable systems to the leisure vehicle market being asked at a show for an adapter to refill Campingaz cylinders-which is quite a frightening scenario. LPG is the name given to a group of…

Enjoy glühwein and Christmas cheer ◼ Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market To 24 December 2025 This Brummie behemoth is hailed as the largest Christmas market outside of Germany and Austria. Stalls are centred around New Street and Victoria Square (1), where there is a great programme of live music. Expect local musicians and singers, a new-talent showcase and the German house band. Many beautifully lit traditional stalls will be selling delicious treats, including bratwurst sausage and schnitzel. W thebfcm.co.uk Stay at Somers Wood Caravan Park W somerswood.co.uk ◼ York Christmas Market 13 Nov-21 Dec 2025 Check out the many alpine chalets in Parliament Street and St Sampson’s Square. You’ll find Yorkshire crafts, artisan products, and seasonal treats, all set off with Christmas music and fairy lights. W visityork.org/christmas Stay at York…

Duration 24 nights When May/June 2025 Why To experience the endless summer, sights and sounds of northern Scandinavia “If you’re driving north, be careful of the reindeer,” said Father Christmas as I sat beside him at Santa Claus’s Main Post Office in Rovaniemi. “We have 230,000 reindeer here in Finland,” he said, “but only one of them has a red nose.” I promised Santa I’d look after the reindeer for him when driving, including Rudolph, should I happen to see him. My meeting with the white-bearded gentleman was one of countless memorable experiences on an epic road trip of the Land of the Midnight Sun, so-called because the sun never sets below the horizon north of the Arctic Circle during June and July. It doesn’t set much below the magical…

VW engages chef to get us cooking Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has engaged celebrity chef Matt Tebbutt to rustle up a new recipe, after a survey it ran found that less than a quarter of regular campers prepare freshly cooked meals while they are on the move. The survey of over 1000 people who have recently gone camping, run in August this year, found that only 24% associate freshly cooked food with camping. Some 56% of respondents felt they were hampered by a lack of cooking equipment, while 48% were concerned about a lack of space. Some 60% agreed that the quality of food available negatively influences their decision to go camping altogether. Matt cooked his recipe – braised summer squash and fennel with fried croutons, goat’s cheese and prosciutto –…

Fault-finding on tour During a fortnight’s holiday in September I experienced a fault in our Ducato-based motorhome that led to limited power and the EML (engine management light) coming on. I have several diagnostic fault code readers in the workshop but ridiculously didn’t have one with me, so a quick detour to a parts shop got me a cheap and cheerful code reader which enabled me to clear the code, but not before I had made a note of it. In fact there were two codes: P0238 and P2563. The ‘P’ prefix tells us its a powertrain fault and 0238 is a turbo boost pressure that is out of range – too high. The 2563 denotes turbo boost control position sensor-signal out of range. Now, in the old days, turbo…

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The Nightstop Scheme is run by us in conjunction with the Motor Caravanners’ Club (MCC), and the sites are certificated locations (CLs) – you don’t have to join any club to use them. You’ll need to ring the relevant site to confirm whether there’s a space available before you visit: go to www.practicalmotorhome.com/nightstops for more info. For further information about the MCC, visit www.themotorcaravannersclub.co.uk. 1 Airman Hotel SG17 5JF 2 The Black Horse Pub HP16 9AX 3 The Seven Wives PE27 5RF 4 The Penrhiwgaled Arms SA44 6LN 5 Railway Hotel SA32 7LQ 6 Mousehole Camping TR19 6XB 7 Blenkinsopp Castle Inn CA8 7JS 8 The Thelbridge Cross Inn EX17 4SQ 9 The Ship Inn YO15 1EW 10 The Crown Inn GL7 5QH 11 Elton Farm GL14 1JU 12 The…

ARE YOU READY FOR WINTER TOURING? When the clocks go back and the mornings turn frosty, many motorhomes are rolled into storage, covered up, and left to hibernate until spring. But more and more motorhomers are realising winter can be one of the best times to get out on the road. Campsites are quieter, prices are often lower, and there’s something magical about waking up to a crisp winter morning in your ’van. The big question, though, is this: is your motorhome really ready for the cold? A little preparation goes a long way. Get it right and you’ll be snug, comfortable, and safe. Get it wrong and you could end up with frozen pipes, flat batteries, and a trip you’d rather forget. Here’s how to ensure that you and…

Duration One month When July/August Why To experience the epic landscapes and interesting towns of Southern Norway As we sipped our G&Ts and watched the sun glistening on the water in the late evening, we reflected on the events that had brought us to this beautiful spot. A few hours ago, we’d resigned ourselves to a night in a ferry lane, after our mid-afternoon crossing from Jektvik to Kilboghamn had been delayed by technical issues. Luckily, a replacement boat arrived and we crossed in the early evening, en route passing south across the Arctic Circle. It was long past ‘aperitivo time’, so we looked for an overnight stop as soon as we disembarked, and a waterside spot just off the Fv17 road winked out at us from park4night. We crossed…

www.practicalmotorhome.com/forsale On the look-out for a new motorhome? If so, we can help! Just like our inspiring travel stories, expert reviews and useful advice, we think that our online classifieds are the best in the business. You can read our review of your chosen ’van, watch the video then find it online, making www.practicalmotorhome.com the one-stop shop for all your touring needs. We already know that 50% of you access our website via mobile device, so our classifieds have been designed to be fully responsive – they should work just as well on your tablet or smartphone as they do on your home computer. We’ve worked hard to make these classifieds as easy to use as possible, with filters to help you narrow your search by location, price, brand, year,…

FEBRUARY 2011 This Chausson Suite Maxi in Provence proved a suitably good looking ’van to showcase some of the driving tours featured in this winter sun special! Plus, how to use a damp meter MISSED AN ISSUE? Want to purchase a past issue of Practical Motorhome magazine? Simply call 0330 333 1113, visit www.magazines direct.com/singleissue or email help@magazinesdirect.com…