May 2024

Practical Caravan

Britains best-selling caravan magazine

Practical Caravan2 min read
This Month We Love…
Great for displaying a barbecue feast or plating up a delicious dinner in your van, these handy platters measure 5.5 x 10 x 1” and are made from durable, scratch-resistant Bioplastic. Price £8.95 Web berryuseful.co.uk Good for summer or an extra laye
Practical Caravan4 min read
Connect
I am changing my caravan storage to a CaSSOA Gold site. “Brilliant,” I thought, because the site does not let the public into the compound at all (it's a ‘store and stay’ site, so they bring the caravan out for you). They have all the things necessar
Practical Caravan1 min readInternational Relations
The Big Shot France
Where are we? Utah Beach, Normandy, France Why tour here? Immortalised as one of the Allied Forces’ key targets during the Normandy landings on D-Day on 6 June 1944, Utah was the westernmost of the five code-named beaches used during Operation Overlo
Practical Caravan1 min read
SUDOKU // WORDWISE // HALF & HALF
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 You have 15 minutes to find as many words as possible using the letters in the grid. Each word must
Practical Caravan1 min read
Raising The Bar
This is always one of our most popular issues of the year and it's easy to see why. Not only has the touring season started in earnest, but we also include your copy of the 2024 Top 100 Sites Guide. As ever, there are some wonderful sites featured, a
Practical Caravan7 min read
Just WIGHT
THE SUMMER HOLIDAYS always appear to be over in a sudden blur as the hectic autumn term at school begins in earnest. But often, good weather and daylight hours continue well into September and October. Bearing this in mind, our son Ben had booked a U
Practical Caravan1 min read
Travel
I love this time of year. As soon as the Top 100 Sites Guide comes out, it feels like Easter is upon us and we're in the swim of several Bank Holidays. Many of you will be getting away with the kids and/or grandkids; others will be setting up seasona
Practical Caravan2 min read
Expert Q&A
We started caravanning last year and have enjoyed some great trips in our new van. However, we did have one scary moment when a car pulled out in front of us and we had to make an emergency stop. This really made me think, do I need to leave a bigger
Practical Caravan1 min read
Trip Planner
Castle Inn Warwick (above) castleinnwarwick.co.uk Tilted Wig Warwick tiltedwigwarwick.co.uk Warwick Castle warwick-castle.com what3words soil.sculpture.season Hook Norton Brewery hooky.co.uk what3words challenge.bleat.torso Rollright Stones rollright
Practical Caravan6 min read
GETAWAY Call Of The COTSWOLDS
STRADDLING THREE COUNTIES, designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, famed for its honey-coloured stone and full of chocolate-box villages, the Cotswolds is nevertheless something of an enigma. It is hard to identify any single thing that mak
Practical Caravan5 min read
Getaway The Eastern Angle
IN LATE SUMMER we had an accident, which set our touring plans back for a few months, because Joe was injured and our car was written off. Fortunately, Joe made a full recovery and three months later, with a replacement car and our caravan repaired,
Practical Caravan2 min read
Spring Is In The Air!
Vintage cars, live music, dance displays and a big parade are just some of the highlights of this fun, family-friendly event in County Antrim. There's also a tea dance in Ballymoney Town Hall on the Friday afternoon. Free entry. > discovernorthernire
Practical Caravan1 min read
Where We Stayed
Caravan and Motorhome Club Warwick Racecourse Grass and hardstanding pitches, 15 mins from Warwick. Address Hampton Street, Warwick CV34 6HN 01926 495448 caravanclub.co.uk/club-sites/england/west-midlands/ warwickshire/warwick- racecourse-club-campsi
Practical Caravan5 min read
D-day 80
The statistics are incredible. On 6 June 1944, 133,000 allied troops landed on the wide, sandy beaches of Normandy, attempting to establish a beachhead from which Britain and its allies could punch their way into mainland Europe and take teh fight to
Practical Caravan1 min read
Movies And Series To Watch In The Van
Tom Hanks and a star cast, directed by Steven Spielberg, memorably recreate the drama of D-Day and the push into France in this gritty and hard-hitting movie. This single-season mini-series has been called ‘the finest 10 hours of television’. It tell
Practical Caravan7 min read
Finding Fens, Fields And Fairhavens
CAMBRIDGESHIRE is a county of many delights – dramatic architecture, stunning waterways and wonderful countryside. We enjoyed a summer break at Fields End Water Caravan Park in Doddington, an adults-only site with a small shop, good facilities and ex
Practical Caravan7 min read
What's Up… UK?
STAR ATTRACTION Giant's Causeway This iconic UNESCO World Heritage Site comprises more than 40,000 hexagonal basalt columns, formed some 60 million years ago by a volcanic fissure eruption. Combine your visit with a trip to the dramatic Carrick-a-Red
Practical Caravan1 min read
Tested
The Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show at the NEC in February seemed to be completely pulsating for the two days I was there. The eagerness of people to look and buy – not just caravans, but plenty of accessories, too – appears to belie some of the
Practical Caravan4 min read
Swift Challenger 560 Se
THE CHALLENGER has been a stalwart of the Swift line-up for so long now that rumours of its impending final demise seem to resurface every year or so. This season saw the introduction of the higher-spec Challenger Exclusive. But that is only availabl
Practical Caravan2 min readCrime & Violence
NEC Draws Crowds
AROUND 95,000 people came through the doors at February's Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show. That is over 12,000 down on the number who attended the event in February 2023, although that figure was a record. This February's show still won major com
Practical Caravan4 min read
Coachman VIP 575
FOR SEVERAL YEARS now, the VIP 575 and the Laser 575 Xtra have been pretty much neck and neck in the race to be Coachman's bestseller. But what is it that makes the VIP 575 special enough to turn it into such a perennially popular choice? Coachman ha
Practical Caravan4 min read
The Best… 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 Caravan3 min read
SHOWROOM SPECIAL NEC round-up!
IT SEEMS LIKE only yesterday that the October Motorhome, Caravan and Camping Show at the NEC was wrapping up after attracting a record number of visitors. Then its springtime sibling, the Caravan, Camping & Motorhome Show, made its appearance at the
Practical Caravan2 min read
Accessories And Awnings
Bradcot's Modul-Air awning, which like all of its products is fully made in the UK, has the great benefit of being able to be used as a porch or a full awning. Instead of buying another awning, you simply add zippable sections to increase the size. T
Practical Caravan2 min read
Used Vans
It's looking very much as though quality pre-owned family tourers will be in high demand, as the prices of new models encourage more customers to opt for nearly new family-sized vans instead. But with fixed-bed layouts dominating the sector, smaller
Practical Caravan3 min read
Bailey Phoenix Plus 420 (2021)
SINCE THE RANGER, a line-up that stood Bailey in good stead for many years, the brand has faced stiffer competition in this particular market sector. Up against Sprite, Xplore and Venus, Bailey kept up the pressure, launching ranges such as the Orion
Practical Caravan5 min read
Buy Smarter Personal Shopper
Choosing the right caravan for you is never just about selecting the right layout. It's also about making sure that the weight of your desired caravan isn't more than 85% of the weight of your car. There's your budget to consider, too. That's why it
Practical Caravan2 min read
Tow Cars
You know those stickers on HGVs that say: “If you can't see my mirrors I can't see you”? I've been thinking of having some made for caravanners, but reading “If you don't have towing mirrors, you can't see me.” I would lurk in motorway services like
Practical Caravan4 min read
Nissan Ariya
What's new? Nissan was a pioneer of electric vehicles with the Leaf. Recently, it has broadened its electric range with the Ariya. The high-powered four-wheel-drive model that we've been driving is approved to tow up to 1500kg. What are we looking fo
Practical Caravan1 min read
Or You Could Try…
If you want an estate car to tow with that also conveys the feeling you've ‘arrived’, the A4 Avant is that car. It's roomy inside and has a sizeable boot, while the 2.0-litre diesel is strong, smooth and economical. If there's a downside, it's that t
Practical Caravan4 min read
Should I Still Buy A Diesel Tow Car?
DIESEL CARS ARE on the way out. The ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles may have been delayed by five years, but it will still come into force in 2035. Unless the goalposts move again, from then, no internal-combustion-engined cars will
Practical Caravan3 min read
Volvo V60 (2010-2018)
THE VOLVO V60 actually provided a little bit of a shock to the system when it was launched, back in 2010. Why? Well, hitherto, Volvo estate cars had been seemingly designed by somebody with only a ruler to hand, so they were large, square-sided and p
Practical Caravan5 min read
The Best Of… British Tow Cars
CARAVANNERS TEND to be a patriotic bunch – most tourers bought in Britain are built in Britain. But if you want to support the homegrown motor industry, you don't have such a broad choice. Many famous motoring names from the 20th century are no longe
Practical Caravan3 min read
Skills School
Let's face it: there are few more important bits of caravanning kit than a towbar. After all, it's what allows you to arrive at your campsite safely – getting this wrong could have disastrous consequences. That's why, this issue, we've asked Consulti
Practical Caravan8 min read
8 KEY QUESTIONS ABOUT Choosing, Buying And Using Towbars
The towbar forms a vital link between your tow car and your caravan or trailer. It provides a pivoting, secure metal-on-metal connection through the towball, but also includes an electrical link via the caravan's towing cable, in effect, making the t
Practical Caravan1 min read
Tom Miller
Tow-Trust Towbars is a fast-growing British manufacturer based in Atherstone, north Warwickshire. Tom Miller, CEO of this family business, says that in recent years, the company has moved into the number one spot in the UK for the production of high-
Practical Caravan6 min read
Improving Frontline Services
WHILE WAITING for parts to get Penny's plumbing up and running, we looked at the other items on the to-do list that we could crack on with. As the new touring season is just around the corner, we turned to making her look a little bit sharper and eas
Practical Caravan5 min read
WEEKEND WORKSHOP TyrePal Tyre Pressure Monitoring System
I HAVE long been an advocate of Tyron Bands, which should prevent a deflated tyre from coming off the rim, keeping a driver in control of car and caravan until they can safely stop. But they give no warning of any imminent deflation. The advantage of
Practical Caravan1 min read
Entry Level
As defined by EU Directive 98/48/EC (which still applies), the car or other vehicle's weight with a 90% full fuel tank, all necessary fluids, 68kg for the driver and 7kg of luggage. This is the figure that is used to calculate a tow car match (Gross
Practical Caravan1 min read
Mid-market
OUR TOP BUYING TIPS Your needs – and your party size – might change over the years. Remember that when you consider the size and number of beds you need in your caravan (Maximum technically permissible laden mass) The maximum weight that the caravan
Practical Caravan3 min read
Buyer's Guide
Includes all 2024 models on UK sale! There are a wide range of caravan layouts to choose from (pictured below), all with their own pros and cons. When you're trying to settle on the arrangement that will suit you, there are some points to think about
Practical Caravan1 min read
Luxury
OUR TOP BUYING TIPS Many people choose to retain their awning with a new caravan. But you still need to make sure it fits – not just for the length, but also for features such as where the caravan windows are Caravan and Motorhome Club › 01342 326 94
Practical Caravan1 min read
Upmarket
People's needs differ, and your layout choice will depend on your companions and how you want to use your caravan. To understand which layouts are available, spend a day at one of the big shows in Birmingham or Glasgow, where dealers and manufacturer
Practical Caravan1 min read
Look Back Page
Van reviews were the order of the day in this autumn issue that saw us highlight the release of 34 new caravans. Plus, fixed-bed twin-axles on test and a simple yet vital question: is your caravan too heavy for your car? The answer was inside! Mark B
Practical Caravan1 min read
Practical Caravan
Future PLC 121-141 Westbourne Terrace, London W2 6JR Editorial www.practicalcaravan.com Editor-in-chief Sarah Wakely sarah@practicalcaravan.com Deputy Editor Paul Critcher Art Editors Jenny Owen, Simon Mortimer Production Editor Gillian Gould Reviews
Practical Caravan1 min read
Trip Planner
We were pleasantly surprised by the number of places that were open when we visited in November, and on the whole it's quieter in the low season. On the minus side, of course, the days are shorter and the weather less reliable, although we were very

Practical Caravan

More Issues From Practical Caravan