Awards 2011 issue
WELCOME to Practical Caravan, and to our 2012 Tourer of the Year Awards. Over the last few months, we’ve been busy crawling over 145 contenders to find Britain’s best caravan.
Now, after much head-scratching, we’re happy to reveal the winners. There are four caravan categories (couples, small families, large families and seasonal pitches), a new Editor’s Choice award, which rewards a van that’s great but not quite perfect, plus gongs for best awning and best accessories. We also reveal our Tourer of the Year 2012 – ta da! – and the shortlist for Dealer of the Year. It’s essential reading, so head straight over there if you can’t contain yourself!
Elsewhere in the issue, there’s all the great content you’ve come to expect from Britain’s best-selling caravan magazine. Deputy Editor Niall Hampton takes his family to the Cotswolds for a holiday away from the crowds. Find out how he got on in one of England’s most picturesque areas. Our reader getaway this month is courtesy of Ann Somerset Miles, who finds some peace and quiet in East Anglia, in places that were once abuzz with the din of Second World War aircraft. You can also enjoy reader postcards from Nottinghamshire and France, and get the lowdown on sites in Cheshire, Ireland and Buckinghamshire in our independent site reviews.
Away from our awards section, we’ve still got a good selection of new caravan and towcar reviews. The new Stealth Concordia range arrived too late for contention in our awards, but you can have a sneak peek at the three new models. Another late-breaking story was the launch of the 2012 Sprite line-up for the NEC show. We have a preview of the Alpine 2 to whet your appetite. This month’s towcar test pits the Chevrolet Orlando against the Fiat Doblo, and there are first drives of the new Hyundai i40 Tourer and the Volkswagen Jetta 2.0 TDI BlueMotion Sport.
Next up there’s Caravan Genius, which as ever features a comprehensive array of ideas, hints, tips and practical advice. Favourites Doug’ll Fix It and Project van are there, as well as an advice special on buying the right caravan tyres, and Caravan College, which takes a look at breakaway cables.
If you’re looking to buy a used caravan or towcar, then this is the place for you. The Abbey Spectrum (2003-2007) is the star of this issue’s Used caravan buyer, and the Kia Sorento (2003-2009) makes the case for being a viable used tug. If the Kia isn’t for you, however, then take a look at some of our other suggestions in our list of 25 top used towcars.
There’s much more, too, including Talking Tourers, Talking Towcars, New Kit and our round-up of the Top 50 caravan accessories. And don’t miss Andy Jenkinson’s Scrapbook – a celebration of the odd and the old from the quirky world of caravans – and two pages of classified ads for caravans, awnings and accessories. Enjoy the issue.
November 2011 contents in full
Noticeboard
Stop here first for tips, deals and news, plus our crossword puzzle
Planner
Mark your diary and hitch up your caravan for these outstanding events
Letters
Your news and views from the sites, as well as posts from our Forum
Caravan bore
There are two kinds of batteries – the good and the cheap. The Bore explains the rest
GREAT ESCAPES
The Cotswolds
Niall Hampton takes his family to see rural England at its best
Culture vulture
Wool built the area’s honey-coloured towns and villages
Walk the walk
This picturesque five-mile route starts at a pub – and ends at another
Four things to see
Sights take you from prehistory to the Industrial Revolution
Where we stayed
A friendly club site is ideal for exploring the region
Cut out and keep
Save our pocket-sized guide to the great, the fun and the essential
Reader Getaway
Ann Somerset Miles finds a tranquil oasis where Spitfires once roared
Your postcards
Readers enjoy the pleasures of village life in Nottinghamshire and France
Independent site reviews
Your views on the best touring sites
SHOWROOM
2012 new caravans: Sprite Alpine 2
We get inside the latest entry in the Sprite line-up and find a lot to like
2012 new caravans: Stealth Concordia
Three new models show that the brand can do trad vans
First drives
Hyundai’s new i40 Tourer estate and VW’s four-door Golf – AKA Jetta
Towcar test
Chevrolet’s Orlando budget MPV is challenged by the Fiat Doblo
CARAVAN GENIUS
Genius ideas
Keep an eye on your tyre pressures, plus kit, tips and Talking Tourers
Doug’ll fix it
Have caravan queries or quandaries? Ask Doug King, our Mr Fix-it
Project van
Doug King puts in new gas pipes and has to overcome an oversight
Advice special
Here’s how to understand what your tyres are telling you about themselves
Caravan College
Our second lesson in hitching up – featuring the breakaway cable
Used caravan buyer
Abbey Spectrums were popular, luxury twin-axles. Here’s how to a great deal on a used one
Talking towcars
From matches to motors, send your tough tug questions to towcar expert David Motton
Used towcar buyer
A used Kia Sorento can handle a family, their kit and a big caravan – at a low price
Subscription offer
Save 16% on the cover price and get an Autoglym valet kit, worth £41, FREE
Caravan basics
Essential touring knowledge for beginners and experts alike
Buying and selling
Save cash with our listings of used caravans, awnings and accessories
Caravan scrapbook
More unusual and unlikely caravans from yesteryear, courtesy of Andrew Jenkinson
BUYER’S GUIDE
New caravans
Specially updated five-page edition for the NEC show, with prices and data for all the new tourers in the UK, plus our list of niche vans
25 Top used cars
Here’s our choice of the 25 best used towcars on the market
50 top accessories
From waste-water containers to DAB radios, here is our pick of touring accessories. Plus a nostalgic look at essential outdoor wear – from 1975
