Table of contents for April 2024 in Caravan

The red-roofed houses of Robin Hood’s Bay lean against each other for support, each one striving to stop their neighbours tumbling into the North Sea. Held together by a net of narrow paths and steps that traverse and climb the hillsides around King’s Beck, this former fishing village is so picturesque it hardly seems real. And yet this wasn’t built as an attraction or theme park, it was built for people to live and work in. Wind your way between the cottages and you find streets ghosted with souls from the past, and behind the gaily painted front doors are cherished homes. Hidden beneath the cobbles and behind the stone walls are secret cubbyholes and passageways from the centuries when this isolated place was a real smugglers’ haven. Fishing was…

I wandered lonely as a cloud… if you’ve not refreshed your memory of Wordsworth’s famous poem about daffodils, then now’s the time. If you visit Ullswater in spring, then you might also catch a glimpse of the descendants of the flowers that inspired this verse. The valley and lake are beautiful, no matter what time of year you plan to visit, though, with an ever changing view whether your are exploring by foot, bicycle or by car. A road runs the full length of the lake on one side, but we really would recommend getting the boots out for one short walk, on the opposite side. Stay Hillcroft Park At the top end of the lake, Pooley Bridge has pubs, shops and restaurants. Hillcroft (open 1 March to 6 January)…

Bailey | W baileyofbristol.co.uk | £29,899 In a double review special, here we are reviewing the first of two new Bailey caravans this month, both in the Pegasus Grande GT75 line-up. While the existing Pegasus Grande models are aimed more at couples, both of these recently launched floorplans are firmly designed for families. For those not ‘in the know’, so to speak, the Pegasus Grande is one of two 8ft-wide ranges to come from this Bristol-based manufacturer, signified by the ‘Grande’ moniker. While the Alicanto Grande is Bailey’s flagship, this Pegasus offers a more affordable and slightly lighter alternative, yet still offering the spacious interiors that an 8ft-wide caravan creates. And never has that been more important than for the new family floorplans, where every little bit of space makes…

Flushing success Q This may be a silly question, but how does the toilet work? Also, do we have to fill the flush separately, or will it work from the fresh water supply? A You don’t mention the make and model of your caravan, but the vast majority will have a separate flush tank that fills from the outside. The filler point is usually the smaller key-operated door above the toilet cassette door. Pour the specified amount of flush chemical into the filler point and top up with water. You’ll also need to ensure the toilet cassette is ready, which will also require a dedicated toilet chemical. Much like the flush chemical, the mixing ratio will be on this side of the container. Once the cassette is primed and the…

The pros and cons of lithium leisure batteries have become an increasingly popular topic, and I’ve been asked many times if I’d recommend them for day-to-day use. Until last year, I could only answer from a theoretical perspective, but, thanks to a chance conversation with BBL Batteries, I have been able to install and trial an Avon 120Ah lithium leisure battery for the past 12 months. Part of the test involved passing through France, Spain and Portugal before crossing a section of the Sahara Desert during Bailey of Bristol’s Sahara Challenge. Back-to-back product testing isn’t always easy but, with two Bailey Phoenix GT75 642s taking part, one was fitted with a traditional lead acid battery, while the other had the lithium battery. With that test complete and the battery pulled…

If you want to boost your internet speeds, but without the work involved in a fully installed device, then take a look at Falcon’s 4G Combo Deluxe product. Falcon tells us that because the antenna is mounted outside the vehicle (using suction cups), the full signal will be received and transmitted into the ’van (without the caravan walls and insulation damping down the speed). This also means that the antenna can be repositioned where needed, with a 5m power lead to help with this. Simply run the cable to the router through a window. The router is unlocked, so you can choose any provider, but you can also order the device with an EE SIM that has been pre-charged with 50 GB of data. You can connect up to 10…

sudoku If you are looking for a way to exercise your mind, sudoku is great and will certainly get the cogs turning! just for fun Find the 24 types of fish and seafood crossword ACROSS 5 Drink a toast (5,1,5) 7 The green-eyed monster (4) 8 (Glaring) in a distracted manner (4-4) 9 Ballroom dance in quadruple time (7) 11 Noisy fuss (3-2) 13 Bole (5) 14 Modus operandi (7) 16 Number (8) 17 Border (4) 18 Extremely hard of hearing (4,2,1,4) DOWN 1 Spick-and-span (4) 2 Californian conifer (7) 3 Spry (5) 4 Ribbon-like parasite living in vertebrates (8) 5 Catch up with (quarry) (3,2,6) 6 Be converted (3,3,5) 10 Carpenter’s tool (5,3) 12 Mimic (7) 15 Syringa vulgaris, light purple in colour (5) 17 Public school, established in…

Harry has never seen a castle and our daughter Sophie’s Antipodean boyfriend has no preconceptions about what to expect for his first visit to the UK. He does, however, have a firm idea of what he wants to see and experience: history, hundreds of years of it. Top of his list are castles, followed by quaint villages of twisting streets lined with ancient churches and wizened cottages. So, like the fairy godmother from the picture books these images evoke, I’m going to grant Harry his wishes – and we’re off to Wales. Why Wales? Because it has more castles per square mile than any other country in Europe. Oh, and it has the mountains, picturesque towns and villages and spectacular coast that I am certain will also impress. The last…

Inspired by the chance to watch wild beavers at a caravan site, I decided on a summer holiday which took Sarah and me to Devon. Sarah actually didn’t realise that she wanted to watch beavers, but once she had seen a beaver kit in the flesh, she quickly fell in love. After this encounter, I planned to look for wildlife along part of the Tarka Trail, a 30-milelong cycleway based on an old railway line largely along the Taw and Torridge rivers. You might remember that ‘Tarka’ was the name given to an otter in a novel written by Henry Williamson in 1927. He took inspiration from these rivers and their wildlife when penning his stories about Tarka the Otter. After following in Williamson’s footsteps, we were heading for something…

WOODHILL PARK Cromer Road, East Runton, Cromer, Norfolk NR27 9PX T 01263 512242 W woodhill-park.com OPEN 1 March – 30 November For a riot of spring colour courtesy of flora, head to Sheringham in Norfolk. Old Wood and Pretty Corner Wood, near Sheringham, are home to plentiful bluebells and early purple orchids. There is a marked one-and-a-half-mile route of sculpture posts running through the woods giving a clue about what wildlife you can find close by. Parking for the woods is available at Pretty Corner Car Park (NR26 8TW). Just one mile down the road you’ll also find Sheringham Park – a landscape park of 1,000 acres that three species of deer call home. The park is most famous for its vast collection of early-flowering rhododendrons and azaleas, but snowdrops,…

A wnings can be a great accessory for the caravan, offering an extension to living space, and can be used for a variety of purposes – providing relaxing, dining, sleeping and storage space once pitched up on a campsite. In fact, some awnings can more than double your undercover space so they really are worth considering, especially if you tour as a family and/or have kit such as bikes, watersports gear or even just want somewhere undercover for your wet dog and walking gear to dry out. Indeed, the extra space caravan awnings provide can even offer an extra bedroom or two, a dining area, a food preparation zone and a relaxation area or a combination of all of these things. The size of your awning will depend on the…

Who’d have thought that getting WiFi in your caravan would become so important… yes, we go on holiday to escape the bind of daily life, but the rise of TV streaming, smart devices controlling our caravans and the need to catch up on emails or check in on social media means access to the internet can be vital. There are four key options for caravan internet: using the campsite WiFi, sharing data allowance from your phone, having a MiFi device and getting a WiFi system fitted to your caravan. CAMPSITE WIFI Whether free or paid for, the WiFi on many campsites can be slow and patchy. Sometimes, where a campsite says free WiFi, often on the Continent, this will be restricted to a small area near reception. It also may…

Located above the coastal town of Bude, Wooda Farm is the perfect blend of countryside retreat balanced with the activities and facilities provided on site. Wooda doesn’t have that crowded holiday park feel, though. Couples that are seeking a relaxing break will be just at home here as families looking for an adventurous getaway. Originally a working farm, Wooda still has resident chickens, pygmy goats, ducks and alpacas (called Bruce, Boris and Bessie) that are waiting to say hello to guests. There’s also a fishing lake, woodland walks, a nature trail (pick up a booklet from reception for the little ones) and wellness barn. If you want to get a little more active you might want to head to the games room, tennis and badminton court, or the woodland cycle…

Swift | W swiftgroup.co.uk | £46,795 The Swift Elegance Grande range is targeted at buyers looking in the top price echelon of tourers and there is a great choice of island bed layouts. Four of the six layouts have central washrooms, three have L-shaped lounge seating, three have beds backing onto the rear wall, and three have the headboards against the offside wall. All have very similar kitchen layouts… Which would you choose? That depends on whether you prefer your island bed to have its headboard at the back of the caravan or against a side wall. If you prefer your bed at the rear and shower room in the centre, that narrows your list down to three. Then, there is the question of shower room size. The 850 and…

You’ve got your caravan. Now you need to get it insured. And although some smarty-pants will tell you legally you don’t need such insurance, there are lots of reasons why you should be suitably covered. At the very least, you’re getting protection from accidental damage and theft, as well as storms, fires and flooding. It’s not just your caravan that’s being covered, either. It extends to any caravan-related equipment. That includes permanent fixtures such as the cooker, fridge, etc, as well as items like gas cylinders, awning, outdoor chairs and tables, barbecues, security devices and more (this does vary across providers, of course). You will also be covered for damage where you are at fault. Most policies then go on to offer options for travel abroad, as well as personal…