The September issue of Practical Caravan hits the shops today; prepare yourself to be whisked off to some of Britain’s most beautiful destinations.

Tour the UK’s AONBs

We’ve looked far and wide to scrutinise Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) that you can visit in your caravan. Many of these outstanding landscapes will be familiar – the Wye Valley, the Quantock Hills, the Forest of Bowland, the Antrim Coast and Glens, Cannock Chase and Cornwall to name but a few of the 46 AONBs in the UK.

We start, however, with a tour of the Chiltern Hills, home to some major literary and political figures from recent centuries, and their fascinating stories. 

We also visit the Lleyn Peninsula in Wales, another AONB, and round up some other AONBs in our regular County Counsel campsites guide. 

2019 season launches

Aside from touring, September is a big month in the Practical Caravan calendar. We kick off our look at new season caravans, and this issue we dedicate no less than 18 pages to 2019 model year tourers from Adria, Bailey, Coachman, Elddis and Swift Group.

Plus, we take a first look inside new vans with reviews of six of the hottest models. The Adria Adora Sava, Bailey Phoenix, Coachman Pastiche 470, Elddis Avanté, Swift Eccles and Swift Elegance all get the once-over.

Testing tugs and more

Tow cars under the spotlight in this issue include our long-term Volvo V90 D4 AWD Cross Country Automatic 190PS. We sent it on a run down to Sussex paired with a Sussex Caravans dealer special edition caravan to put it through its paces. David Motton also finds out how Škoda’s small SUV, the Karoq, fares as a tow car.

This month our technical and general caravanning advice covers options for caravan storage, how to fit a spare wheel clamp inside your van, and an ingenious solution for securing your caravan step while on the road. 

Those that prefer their caravans and tow cars pre-owned will enjoy our look at the Subaru Legacy and its rugged Outback sibling in their 2009 – 2014 incarnations. We also compare two-berth dealer special editions by Swift, and look at the six-berth 2015 Compass Corona 576 as a wise buy for touring families. 

Last but not least, columnist Martin Roberts is back with a follow-up on last month’s musings about buying a discounted used caravan. 

We hope you enjoy reading the issue as much as we loved making it!