Innehållsförteckning för September 2024 från Caravan

“It’s not the destination, it’s the journey,”Ralph Waldo Emerson My involvement with Caravan magazine has not just switched up a gear but an entire gearbox, as I am delighted to now be this magazine’s Guest Editor. Alongside this new role, I will also continue to review the latest tourers, so you can be sure you will be the first to know all about the most important new caravans to be launched. If you’re considering buying a caravan – new or secondhand – then do head to our website W outandaboutlive.co.uk/caravans where you’ll find not only hundreds of expert caravan reviews but also hundreds of tourers for sale. Like you, I am also a caravan owner so, as you might expect, I’m really enjoying being immersed in this magazine. After all,…

Scotland’s North Coast 500 touring route has attracted great numbers of visitors since its creation in 2015. However, parts of the route aren’t described as caravan-friendly. But the concept inspired me to discover something caravan-suitable amid spectacular scenery elsewhere. Thankfully, a comparable route exists, so I explored the essentially circular route of the Snowdonia 360, with a twin-axle Bailey Phoenix, to check out the scenery and its suitability for us caravanners. The W snowdonia360.com website displays this message on the home page: ‘The Eryri Snowdonia 360 guides you along a spectacular 360-mile route through the best things to do in Snowdonia, Anglesey, Llyn ˆ Peninsula, and the north Wales coast. Experience the breathtaking scenery and explore the best attractions, places to stay, eat and shop along the way. There are…

Cornwall is to caravanning as fish is to chips! These two belong together, and a trip to Cornwall’s iconic sandy beaches is surely on every caravanner’s bucket list, if you haven’t already been… Newquay is certainly one of the jewels in the crown of this gorgeous stretch of coastline and you won’t be short of places to stay or things to do and see here. This part of north Cornwall is known for its beaches, Fistral and Watergate Bay being two of the most famous. Waves from the Atlantic roll in and create a strong surf, making it ideal for watersports, while the golden sandy beaches are lovely places to relax. Due to the temperate climate here you can explore tropical gardens nearby, walk the South West Coast Path, visit…

BURTON HILL CARAVAN & CAMPING PARK Arches Lane, Malmesbury, Wiltshire SN16 0EH T 01666 826880 W burtonhill.co.uk OPEN 1 April – 28 September With over 15,000 trees from all over the globe, Westonbirt Arboretum is a remarkable place to witness autumn in full colour. Within the 17 miles of accessible paths there are three main areas; the Old Arboretum dating from the 1850s, offering beautiful vistas and stately avenues; Silk Wood, an ancient, semi-natural woodland with exotic plantings, and the Grade I registered Downs hosting species-rich grassland. Twenty minutes’ drive from Westonbirt is Burton Hill. There are grass pitches with optional electric hook-up and facilities include toilets and showers, and a laundry area. Dogs are welcome and a 10-minute walk along the river leads to the market town of Malmesbury.…

If you’re new to caravanning, getting hitched up and heading for the perfect campsite can seem like a never-ending series of hurdles. Will my car tow a caravan? How much weight can my caravan carry? Will my driving licence allow me to tow a caravan at all? Thankfully, it’s surprisingly simple. Rewind 15 years and my first caravanning trip could have been more harmonious. Deciding that a 200-mile round trip was the ideal recipe for a first outing, we hitched a poorly loaded caravan to our car and headed for Dartmoor. In winter. At the time, weight and payload guides appeared to be the work of advanced mathematicians, and my already overloaded brain couldn’t store any more algebraic formulas. Easy-to-follow, stepby-step instructions were needed, a void I hope this guide…

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Have you spotted a ‘Grade 3’ sticker on the side of a caravan? Perhaps you’ve seen it in a brochure, or read these words on a caravan manufacturer’s website: “Grade 3 classification for heating and thermal insulation confirmed by cold chamber testing”. Maybe you’ve wondered what this actually means, and whether the combination of heating and insulation in a caravan can keep you nice and warm, whatever the weather. In a nutshell, Grade 3 classification means your caravan’s heating system can take your tourer from a bracing -15°C to a cosy +20°C and have a fully functioning water system, within a four-hour time span. This may sound a trifle over the top if your habitual touring calendar begins at Easter and ends in September. But apart from the insulation standard…

Significant changes from Elddis for 2025 Elddis, part of the Erwin Hymer Group, has introduced significant updates to its Avanté and Affinity ranges, including the introduction of a new layout, as well as revealing its 60th Anniversary special edition models in its flagship Crusader range. The manufacturer has also split its adventurer-orientated Xplore range from its more traditional ranges. There are major changes for the now three-model Affinity range. These models are the two-berth 520, and the four-berth 550 and 574 (the 554 has been discontinued). They now follows the flagship Crusader’s exterior styling, and feature new sidewall construction that is lighter, and reflects that used in the Buccaneer range. The exteriors get new white gas strut-assisted locker doors and new Primo side windows and flush-fit tinted front windows. In…

My expectation of Grange-over-Sands was that it would be just another tired seaside town past its heyday. But I was pleasantly surprised when we visited on a long weekend trip to south Cumbria. It was more lively and stylish than most Victorian resorts, and the whole place appeared well kept. Somehow, it had remained a tourist destination without becoming tacky. On our first afternoon we strolled around the town in warm sunshine, visiting two immaculate parks. In the Ornamental Gardens, we admired the pond, fountain, ducks and lovely trees. Beautiful bar-headed geese with black and white striped crowns wandered on the grass – I would have loved to stroke their soft, grey plumage. Further on, Park Road Gardens has a decorative bandstand and sensory garden. We found the high street…

Widdicombe Farm is exclusively for adults, set in the heart of the English Riviera on the south Devon coast. The site has all-weather pitches with electric hook-ups and many have their own water, drainage and chemical waste. Gordon’s Bar offers entertainment and Poppies Restaurant presents daily home-made specials. The site also has a small shop selling all the essentials, plus local gifts. Because Widdicombe Farm is a family business and the owners, Gordon and Thelma, live on the site, they can offer genuine Devon hospitality. Many customers come back time after time, and some say it’s like coming home. We spoke to Gordon and Thelma to find out more. Q How did Widdicombe Farm first begin? A We purchased Widdicombe Farm in 1972 and began with just camping in the…

Isabella Forum Etna A950/G18 Isabella has a reputation for producing high quality and very well designed awnings. It’s only comparatively recently that the company has taken a leap into the air awning market. And Isabella continues to produce some of the most well-made awnings with poles available. The Forum Etna is a prime example of this. It is designed primarily for the increasingly popular concept of seasonal siting, and features the aptly named Megaframe structure, a heavy-duty frame designed to cope with all weather conditions. It has a 3.5m depth – but you can choose how you use it. The front panels can either be put at the front, giving you the full 3.5m depth, or a metre back from the front. This creates a 2.5m-deep main awning, plus a…