May 2024

Practical Motorhome

Britains fastest growing motorhome magazine

Practical Motorhome1 min read
Welcome
Whether you’ve been motorhoming for years, or are a relative newbie to our fantastic pastime, there’s always something new to learn! That’s the thinking behind our special guide this issue on how to be a better motorhomer. From making the most of the
Practical Motorhome1 min read
Where In The World?
///unbolt.derisory.annoyingly Lake Van is Turkey’s largest lake and lies in the easternmost part of the country, some 120km from the border with Iran. The tectonic lake is set amid the Armenian Highlands, with Mount Süphan (Turkey’s second highest vo
Practical Motorhome4 min read
Connect
I read Diamond Dave’s column (issue 283) about the brightness of headlights and having to wear glasses to cope with the unpleasant glare. Welcome to the Night Drivers’ Club! You enter as a Bronze Member and begin by noticing oncoming headlights like
Practical Motorhome1 min read
Hotshots
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, L
Practical Motorhome2 min read
New Gear
Designed for brewing tea and coffee indoors and out, this attractive percolator can be used on motorhome hobs, barbecues and fires to make up to nine cups. Price £49.95 W berryuseful.co.uk You’ll look forward to cold nights with this 12V heated blank
Practical Motorhome2 min read
Nightstops
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 spa
Practical Motorhome1 min read
Puzzle Time
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 Pores of Kohn and canals of Lambert are structures found in which organ of the human body? Cross out
Practical Motorhome3 min read
Ask The Experts
Editor-in-chief sarah@practicalmotorhome.com Deputy editor paul.critcher@futurenet.com Reviews editor peter.baber@futurenet.com Contributor askjack@practicalmotorhome.com Contributor practical.motorhome@futurenet.com Contributor practical.motorhome@f
Practical Motorhome22 min read
21 Ways To Be A Better Motorhomer
Most campsite visitors are friendly, well-behaved and considerate to their fellow campers, but it only takes a little thoughtless or inconsiderate behaviour to change the dynamics. However, establishing what is acceptable behaviour on a site is not q
Practical Motorhome2 min read
This Month
Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire 29 March to 1 April 2024 With everything from a truly headspinning maze to stunning formal gardens and magnificent state rooms, there is a great deal to enjoy at Winston Churchill’s famous ancestral home in glorious Oxfor
Practical Motorhome1 min read
Touring
Collating these travel pages is always fun. I used to love putting together a scrapbook as a child, and I still take great pleasure in picking out fascinating stories and superb photographs. These days I’m privileged to have the chance to select worl
Practical Motorhome10 min read
Perfect Pembrokeshire
Duration Four nights When Spring 2023 Why? Revisiting favourite haunts in a beautiful part of the world Longing to get away after what had seemed like a never-ending winter, we at last saw a forecast for a few bright, sunny days ahead. So having quic
Practical Motorhome7 min read
Black gold
Duration Three nights When Spring 2023 Why? Discovering scenic surroundings south of Birmingham Gazing at the rather puzzlingly low-profile photograph spotted in The Queens Head pub in Wolverley, I was transported back in time to my misspent youth. S
Practical Motorhome7 min read
Just white
Duration Six nights When October 2023 Why? Exploring some of the island’s excellent hiking trails, while son Ben trains for dinghy sailing qualifications Summer holidays always appear to be over in a sudden blur as the hectic autumn term at school be
Practical Motorhome3 min read
48 Hours In Dorchester
Steeped in history and surrounded by lush rolling countryside, Dorchester is Dorset’s splendid county town. Once a successful Roman settlement, the attractive market town now bustles with history buffs and holidaymakers. It’s also the perfect base fo
Practical Motorhome8 min read
I Want To Ride My Bicycle!
Duration Seven nights When? May-June 2023 Why? Ile de Ré is the perfect location for leisurely cycling! During a rally in Germany many years ago, I met Joyce, aged 75, who was still riding her bike, together with husband Ian, of a similar age. Having
Practical Motorhome6 min read
Celebrating Success meet Our Top 100 Stars!
Trying to juggle a busy life and plan your next touring holiday can sometimes be stressful – in the end, it’s always worth the effort, of course, but there is a lot to think about. One of the most time-consuming aspects of any holiday plan is selecti
Practical Motorhome8 min read
BURGUNDY & BEYOND
Duration Part of a 10-week European tour Why? Superb walking in a choice of settings, including mountains, meadows and forest There’s nothing quite like a long overseas tour to satisfy one’s zest for adventure, and with the prospect of an extended Eu
Practical Motorhome1 min read
Get Ready For Our… Top 100 Sites Guide!
The votes have been counted and the data sorted – we’re about to reveal our Top 100 Sites for 2024 Don’t miss the next issue of Practical Motorhome, which will feature your 2024 guide – it’s better than ever before! ON SALE 28 MARCH 2024 ■
Practical Motorhome8 min read
Timeless Turkey
We all seek something different from our travels. For us, it’s become seeking not so much a sense of solitude away from the world, but rather a deeper connection with the places and people to be found away from the well-trodden tourist routes of Euro
Practical Motorhome1 min read
Tested
Reviews editor Back in the day, when I was a business journalist, we often wrote about industry clusters – groups of companies in the same sector that were also located close together. In recent years, one place that seems to have taken that cluster
Practical Motorhome3 min read
New ’vans
Hull-based Coachman has completed its move into the motorhome market by launching its first van conversions. The brand, which unveiled its Travel Master low-profiles at the start of the decade, followed this up last year with the Travel Master Imperi
Practical Motorhome3 min read
Laika Ecovip 540
Apart from its association with the famous Soviet space dog, Italian brand Laika is best known for its upmarket low-profiles and A-classes. But the Erwin Hymer Group subsidiary also offers van conversions in its more sporty Ecovip range, including on
Practical Motorhome3 min read
’Van review BENIMAR BENIVAN 144
Spanish manufacturer Benimar is probably best known for the bright and breezy low-profiles (and occasional overcab) that it makes on a Fiat Ducato or a Ford Transit. But for the past few years, its sole UK distributor Marquis Leisure has also been br
Practical Motorhome7 min read
February’s Finest
Coachman unveiled the first two models in Affinity, its new van conversion range - both with highly innovative layouts. The Affinity Duo, based on either a Fiat Ducato or a MAN TGE, has two travel seats to leave enough room for a central kitchen, the
Practical Motorhome4 min read
Camping Chairs
Whether you’re heading to a campsite and want to enjoy some time in the sun or you simply want to relax at the beach in comfort, one thing’s for sure – you’ll want a good camping chair, so you can sit back and enjoy the moment. This is a market that
Practical Motorhome2 min read
Pre-owned
Looking to sell your motorhome? Any time from now up to Easter is potentially good. Here’s a handy tip. Try dealers who specialise in your brand. That’s arguably the best place to start to give an early indication of the money you can expect – and yo
Practical Motorhome4 min read
Used ’van Buyer 2015–present ELDDIS ENCORE
The Encore was first unveiled at the end of 2014, with production commencing for the 2015 model year. It has always been the flagship range, above the bestselling Autoquest and compact Accordo. It replaced the (relatively) short-lived Aspire. All Enc
Practical Motorhome2 min read
Forecourt
A friend has just sold his 10-year-old van conversion. He wanted to offer it to a specialist dealer, rather than go through the hassle of selling it privately. But it was a harder sell than he first imagined. Maurice Hardy, who has owned a succession
Practical Motorhome1 min read
Practical Motorhome Hall of Fame
2012 - 2014 Martin Bailey built his first trailer caravan – the Maestro – back in 1948. Despite being asked many times by customers, Bailey resolutely refused to build motorhomes, preferring to stick to caravans. However, circumstances change, and af
Practical Motorhome2 min read
Free Autoglym Luxury Bodywork And Wheels Collec Tion†
GIFT WORTH £52 Luxury Bodywork & Wheels Collection - six carefully selected Autoglym products that clean, enhance, and protect your bodywork, glass and wheels ■ Foaming Car Wash 500ml ■ Rapid Ceramic Spray 500ml ■ Fast Glass 500ml ■ Custom Wheel Clea
Practical Motorhome1 min read
Technical
Many of us use our motorhomes all year round, but there are still quite a few who put them into storage for the winter and only bring them out when the weather starts to warm up. Now, to put a motorhome into long-term storage, you need to take a few
Practical Motorhome12 min read
in depth HOW GREEN IS YOUR MOTORHOME?
The world’s climate is changing and even the most passionate petrol head can’t argue with the clear and obvious signs of that, which are all aroundus. From the extreme weather events of the hottest summer on record to the increasing number of storms
Practical Motorhome2 min read
Workshop
These days, there’s a wide variety of motorhomes and campervans to choose from, with all sorts of layouts available. But sometimes, you just can’t find what you want in an off-the-peg vehicle. The answer, of course, is to either convert one yourself,
Practical Motorhome8 min read
How To… BEAT THE BLACK STREAK!
Marvel and DC have dreamt up some deliciously despicable supervillains over the decades, but have any been quite as dastardly and defiant as The Black Streak? This stubbornly persistent baddie has the superpower of being omnipresent, blighting motorh
Practical Motorhome1 min read
Overcab Coachbuilts
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
Practical Motorhome1 min read
Blast From The Past!
It was all eyes to the East in this spring issue, which saw us focus on Norfolk, Suffolk and Kent. Plus, on test, a Ford camper and N-class van conversion, and the Owner Satisfaction Awards! Want to purchase a past issue of Practical Motorhome magazi
Practical Motorhome1 min read
Practical Motorhome
Website www.practicalmotorhome.com Editor in chief Sarah Wakely sarah.wakely@futurenet.com Deputy Editor Paul Critcher Art Editors Simon Mortimer, Jenny Owen Production Editor Gillian Gould Reviews Editor Peter Baber Content Editor Pete Byrne Staff w

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