Practical Caravan

Aerospace Bristol is open all year, but you might want to consider a visit this month if you have children touring with you during half-term. Bristol’s story in aviation will appeal to all ages, with exhibits from the earliest days of flight to the i

GETTING A FIT of the giggles is a tricky business when you’re perched precariously on a racehorse simulator, riding flat out towards tßhe winning post at 40mph. The main problem is that when you laugh, you can forget to breathe – and when you do brea

The small campsite at Reedham Ferry & The Archers Touring Park accepts caravans up to 7.5m long, and boasts free fishing in the River Yare. The site is in the heart of the Norfolk Broads, surrounded by peaceful and picturesque marshland. › www.reedha

NOTHING SPURS YOU to finish a project like a tight deadline. Rather ambitiously, I decided to take my 1960 Car Cruiser Carousel on our annual pilgrimage to the European Classic Caravan Rally with the Retro Caravan Club. And just a month before we wer

AT 273 MILES long, the A9 is Scotland’s longest road, and runs from just west of Stirling, in the centre of the country, to Scrabster Harbour, Thurso, in the far north, the gateway to the Orkneys. En route, it passes Bridge of Allan, Perth, Pitlochry

AFTER AN EXTRAORDINARY three weeks in Utrecht, we bade farewell to Maarten, Suzanne and Borneman Buitenhof, their beautiful B&B, and set off on the next stage of our tour. We towed our caravan 71 miles north-east, to Marknesse, a village in the Dutch

LUNAR AUTOMOTIVE, THE company that bought the Lunar brand out of administration last summer, sent a letter to its dealers at the end of last year saying that it is in the process of acquiring new premises in Preston’s dockland area. It is understood

Q Why did you start this awards scheme? A We wanted to provide help to potential purchasers by giving them the benefit of the experiences of current owners. This is achieved by highlighting and rewarding manufacturers and dealers who consistently del

Champagne corks should be popping at Adria HQ, winners of this year’s ‘New caravans’ category. The firm’s score of 88.1% is exceptionally high, and leaves plenty of clear daylight between Adria and the previous year’s winners, Coachman. However, ther

Price £23,490 Berths 2 MTPLM 1424kg MiRO 1397kg KIMBERLEY CARAVANS IS well known for dealer specials, from more than one UK manufacturer. This year its Swift-based specials have a new name, Icon, and have expanded to cover more than one range. The I

Your choice of clothing depends massively on the activity you’re planning. If you’re climbing Mount Snowdon, even in freezing temperatures, you’re unlikely to feel cold while you’re on the move. But if you’re sitting in a birdwatching hide or standin

Tested by Peter Baber Model 19MY PHEV 4h 2.4 Auto Price £40,511 Kerbweight 1945kg Towball limit 75kg THIS MONTH WE BADE adieu to our Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV long-term test car. I’d like to say that the first hybrid we’ve had on a long-term loan ha

WITH MUCH OF the focus in both industry and the press on inflatable awnings and how quick they are to put up, it’s easy to forget that awnings on poles haven’t gone away. You can see why they remain popular when you take a look at the Goa, the latest

This Bailey Ranger 470/4 from 2005 is a lightweight bargain at less than £4000 and with an MTPLM of 1192kg. Benefitting from an end washroom, this family tourer is dry and shows no signs of major wear and tear. Ideal for a first-time buyer and with a

THE AFFINITY IS a popular range in the Elddis line-up; from the launch for 2013, it fitted neatly between the Avanté and the Crusader. Built for those wanting luxury touches at a reasonable cost and weight, the Affinity fitted the bill really well. N

Price From £63,165 Kerbweight 2510kg Towing limit 2700kg 85% match 2134kg One of the big criticisms of plug-in hybrids is that they can only travel a relatively short distance on electric power alone. Most have a claimed range of 30 miles or ther

OUR TOW CAR editor, David Motton, has been testing cars for us since 2006. Over the years, he has towed with more than 500 vehicles, including those we put to the test at Practical Caravan’s annual Tow Car Awards. Each month, David tests two cars. He

Price £56,585 Kerbweight 2172kg Volvo has updated the XC90 4x4, and the plug-in hybrid model gains a bigger battery for a longer all-electric range, while the diesel models are now mild hybrids. This means they use a 48V starter-generator to assist

It may look almost identical, but there are some big changes to the latest Land Rover Discovery Sport. There’s a new platform, and mild hybrid technology (a 48V starter-generator assists the diesel engine). We’re driving the 178bhp diesel automatic S

LINFORD CHRISTIE USED to say that he left the starting blocks “on the B of the bang”. However, as far as the UK’s mid-size SUV market was concerned, Mercedes only decided to enter when the ‘G’ was but a fading echo and everyone else had gained a head

THE HIDDEN HINGES on this wardrobe door only permit 90° opening, which means that when packing or unpacking the van, the centre isle is obstructed. There is also a significant risk of damage to hinges and door if even a small force is exerted beyond

AS SUMMERS APPEAR to be getting hotter, and more of us tour on the Continent, caravan life can sometimes feel warm. On the hottest days, opening your van door when you arrive on site can be akin to opening the oven – the heat inside is simply stiflin

1 Technicians make sure there is enough space to fit the unit on the roof. As there is no suitable rooflight aperture to use, a hole has to be cut. Plenty of space is left around the unit to allow for good airflow 2 They then transfer the location

LIKE MANY OF us, Rod empties his toilet cassette in the evening, to ensure there are no late-night-red-light dramas! This is fine in summer, but during the winter months – Rod is a confirmed all-year caravanner – it can be dark before he gets a chanc

YOU KNOW THE problem. You drop your Whale external filter into your Aquaroll, trying to ensure that the filter unit on the end goes right to the bottom of the tank. That way, you don’t have to refill the water sooner than necessary. But often it feel

MANY CARAVANS DO not have their wheel arches insulated on the inside. This can make a big difference to the cosiness of a caravan, especially for those who tour in autumn and winter, as the thin, plastic wheel arch liner offers little barrier to free

The most commonly asked question in caravanning is whether a certain car is appropriate for pulling a certain caravan. To answer this, you must know the kerbweight of your tow car (X), the legal towing limit of your tow car (Y) and the maximum techni