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DIGITAL EDITION
ISSUE 417
Tow cars Budget Dacia Travel Seaside sites Skills school Learn Duster, from just £10k! • Scenic Ireland • Dorset to tow with confidence
Contents Issue 417
Chat
6 The big picture Wherever you tour in Ireland, you can be sure of fabulous scenery, and County Wexford is no exception 8 Letters Readers consider sociable touring, the fine art of keeping your caravan clean in storage, and dog-free campsites 10 5 essential events Holidays are a great time for trying
local food and drink, and Bryony Symes has found five festive feasts 15 New gear Our round-up of the latest caravanning essentials, including everything the kids might need for a great day at the beach 17 A glimpse of the Med In their latest report on spending a year touring and volunteering in Europe, Karen Binedell and family head from Portugal to Spain and then into France – and learn all about roofing
Travel
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21 Travel news Claudia Dowell has the latest on hush-hush family fun at Bletchley Park, and two new adults-only parks 22 Great escape: southern Ireland Bryony Symes goes in search of her Irish family roots on a tour of the beautiful and historic Wexford coast 30 Road sense: M4 east All you need to know about towing your caravan on the main route between London and South Wales 32 Getaway: Derbyshire There’s much more to this beautiful area than tourist hotspots, as Kay and Nigel Hutson discover 38 Local authority: South Dorset In the first of a new series, we reveal insider information about touring’s top destinations, starting with a wonderful part of the English coast 40 Ten top sites for the seaside You just can’t beat a beach holiday, and Bryony Symes has found 10 great campsites that will put you right beside the seaside
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Turn the page for more must-reads » www.practicalcaravan.com | SEPTEMBER 2019 | 3
Contents Issue 417
Showroom
45 Showroom news 46 2020 new tourers preview Our round-up of the latest launches for the new season begins with Bailey 52 Bailey Discovery All-new range for the 2020 season 54 First look: Bailey Alicanto Grande Sintra Upmarket 8ft-wide four-berth 58 2020 Swift preview 62 First look: Sprite Super Quattro EB Spacious twin-axle family tourer 64 2020 Adria preview 66 First look: Adria Adora 613 DT Isonzo Popular four-berth updated for 2020 68 First look: Lunar Clubman ES Revamped end-washroom three-berth 71 Running reports Bailey Phoenix 440, Mitsubishi Outlander 73 Electric bike test: Gocycle GX A smart, well-designed folding e-bike
Tow cars
77 Talking tow cars Suzuki’s Swift Allgrip supermini can make a competent tow car, as long as you have a lightweight caravan, says David Motton 78 Tow car test: Dacia Duster Comfort Dacia’s latest Duster makes a competent tow car and a roomy family 4x4 82 Quick test: Volvo V60 D4 Cross Country Plus AWD Does this halfway-house between an SUV and an estate make sense for caravanners? 84 Used tow car: Citroën C4 Cactus If you like to stand out from the crowd, the C4’s distinctive looks should appeal 86 Subscribe and save! Take out a subscription now and receive a free Kitvision Action Camera worth £40!
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Skills school
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89 Spotlight on… Common touring errors Tips on avoiding some basic mistakes 92 DIY Mechanic: Fit a 3.5mm Aux socket Simple upgrade to your listening experience 94 How to make… Magnetic door catches DIY door catches can be more efficient 96 Tony’s tech tips: Bumper protector Protection for hitching and unhitching 98 Spotlight on… Confidence building Learn how to handle a van with ease 102 Secondhand shootout Two end-washroom tourers under £17k 106 Used van buyer Lunar Clubman CK from 2009 108 Buyer’s Guide 122 Look-back page
Our Vauxhall Insignia parked up at Hook Lighthouse
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TRAVEL GREAT ESCAPE
Bryony Symes discovered a great deal of intriguing family and local history during a fascinating tour on the southern coast of Ireland
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LEFT The Peak District is great walking country RIGHT Cranberries are a modern twist on the Bakewell tart
‘When you think of Derbyshire, I can almost guarantee that one of the following will spring to mind: the Peak District, Chatsworth House, or Bakewell, with its famous puddings’
Barrow Hill Roundhouse is a fascinating reminder of the large-scale railway industry that thrived in this region
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TRAVEL GETAWAY
CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE Barrow Hill is home to the Deltic Preservation Society. Revolution House is a small thatched cottage, but historically important
There’s much more to this area than tourist hotspots. Kay and Nigel Hutson explore WHAT’S THE FIRST thing that comes to mind when you think of Derbyshire? I’ll almost guarantee that it will be one of the following: the Peak District, Chatsworth House, or Bakewell with its puddings. As with most other counties, though, there’s much more to Derbyshire than just the tourist hotspots. The north-eastern corner of the county is one such area, and one of its attractions is that much of it lies within just a handful of miles of the M1 motorway.
Discover new places Although the Caravan and Motorhome Club’s Poolsbrook Country Park site is less than half an hour from our home, and very easily accessed from Junction 29a of the M1, Kay and I spent a few days there recently, with the intention of visiting several places that we normally drive past and rather take for granted. As a bonus, apart from the day
of our departure, we were blessed with glorious summer weather, which always helps to increase that feeling of wellbeing. Our first trip out took us to the recently reopened Barrow Hill Roundhouse Railway Centre (www.barrowhill.org). This is an old (rectangular) engine shed based around a central turntable, where locomotives enter via a single door and then can be positioned on one of a number of tracks off the turntable, the idea being to save space and make all of the locomotives easily accessible for service. Unfortunately, I’m of an age when I can clearly remember Barrow Hill being fully operational under British Rail! The Roundhouse was built in 1870, saved by a group of volunteers when British Rail threatened demolition in 1991, and first opened to the public in 1998. It has recently reopened again, following major building works, with the inclusion of a large café (always an attraction for us!).
Having paid the fee of £3 each for entry (under-16s, £2; family ticket (2+3), £8), we went into the main building through a couple of well-preserved offices and photographic exhibitions.
Railway history It was great to see the mix of locomotives around the turntable, from huge mainline engines to the little workhorse ‘shunters’. And there was a great variety of ages too, from very early steam models to recently withdrawn diesels, many used on trains in the area hauling coal. A number of people (not all young!) enjoyed a ride on the fully operational turntable while we were there. Outside, there’s a large ‘stabling’ area, with more locomotives and rolling stock, one of which was providing short rides. Perhaps one of the biggest attractions for me at the Roundhouse is that the Deltic Preservation Society is based there, too. Twenty-two Deltic diesel locomotives
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LOCAL AUTHORITY
In the first of our new cut-out-and-keep series, we give you all the insider caravanning information that you need to know about some of Britain’s best areas!
Which campsite would you recommend, and why?
Who are you? I’m Sarah Wakely, editor in chief of Practical Caravan magazine and long-time devotee of caravanning.
Why are you a local authority on South Dorset? I was born in Weymouth and lived there until I was 18, before leaving for university in London. I still have family there, and often visit the area.
What do you love about it? Weymouth’s beautiful beach is one of the main reasons that many people visit, but there’s so much more to this part of the world – not least the rolling hills and pretty villages that surround the town. The air is clean and fresh, and then of course, there’s the Jurassic Coast, the town of Dorchester and Portland Bill – I can’t think of anywhere better to take a tour!
Portland Bill lighthouse What’s your favourite place to visit in the area? Maiden Castle, just south-west of the county town of Dorchester. The castle is an iron age hill fort that’s perfect for walking, and there are fabulous views from the top. As a child, I used to love rolling down the steep embankments – probably not recommended now, though! The castle is maintained by English Heritage and is free to enter. Free parking is also available, although it can become very busy during the summer (DT2 9EY).
It’s got to be East Fleet Farm Touring Park (www.eastfleet.co.uk; DT3 4DW), which has extraordinary views out towards the stony Chesil Bank. Touring facilities include sparkling washrooms, a motorhome service point, laundry, an area for kites and ball games, a brilliantly well-stocked shop, and the WhyNot Inn – you can order take-away food, or even take your own food into the bar.
East Fleet Farm Touring Park
Want to be our next Local Authority on the area you know well, & feature in the magazine? 38 | SEPTEMBER 2019 | www.practicalcaravan.com
New Electric bike test
Gocyle GX
Price £2899 Weight 17.8kg (claimed) Range Up to 40 miles Charge time Seven hours Folded size 880 x 390 x 615mm (pedals folded)
An e-bike can be really handy when you’re away on tour, especially in hilly locations, and it’s even better if it folds for storage. David Motton tries out a premium example FOLDING BIKES MAKE a lot of sense on tour. Their compact size allows for easy storage, and they’re perfect for nipping into the village for a pint of milk. Unless, that is, the nearest shop is at the top of a steep hill. Step forward, the Gocycle GX. The latest addition to the Gocycle range, the GX combines the ultra-modern design and smart looks of the other models with a more compact fold. While other Gocycles have removeable wheels and a folding handlebar stem, the GX is hinged in the middle of the frame and there’s no need to remove the wheels. It will easily fit under a fixed double bed, although you’d need to secure it carefully to prevent any damage during the journey. Folding and unfolding the Gocycle is quick, simple and intuitive. Balance the bike on the kickstand, release the frame hinge and fold the front wheel towards the back wheel. Then simply lower the handlebar stem and secure it to the frame with a rubber loop. For a more compact fold, you can flip the pedals or take out the seat post and saddle, which then sit within the rubber loop holding the folded bike together. But essentially, that’s it. If you’re taking the Gocycle on a train, it’s worth leaving the saddle in place because this makes it easier to wheel the GX around.
…or try one of these Brompton Electric M2L Price £2595 Web www.brompton.com The word ‘iconic’ is perhaps overused, but it can fairly be applied to the Brompton folding bicycle. The electric version is slightly cheaper than the Gocycle and folds to a smaller size, but the Gocycle is a smoother ride. Carrera Crosscity Folding Electric Bike Smart looks, ultra-modern design
Price £850 Web www.halfords.com
and a more compact fold
Gocycle and Brompton are premium products, but the Carrera Crosscity is around a third of the price. Your money buys a bike with a claimed range of up to 30 miles, with a handy pannier rack for luggage included.
You will want to wheel it, rather than carry it: although it’s not heavy by general e-bike standards, almost 18kg is still rather a lot to lift. You don’t notice that heft when riding, though. There’s up to 250W of electrical assistance, available up to 15.5mph. Both are the maximum allowed by law. Assistance builds smoothly, with more help the harder you pedal – hills become ridiculously easy, and it’s possible to cover the miles quite quickly without
working up a sweat, even on a hot day. The rear suspension and high-volume tyres give a smooth ride and reassuring grip. To make the most of the Gocycle, you need a smartphone with the free Gocycle app. The bike works without it, but the app allows you to connect to the bike via Bluetooth, display a ‘dashboard’ on the screen, and switch between different modes. Choose more assistance if you need it, or less electrical help to maximise the range. Gocycle claims a full charge lasts 40 miles in ideal conditions – we were just short of that in practice. With a price tag of almost £3000, the Gocycle is definitely
You can customise your e-bike,
Release seatpost to remove it and
Free app allows you to display a
Side-mounted wheel looks neat
for example with a front pannier
reduce height of the folded bike
‘dashboard’ on your smartphone
and makes fixing a flat tyre easier
a premium product – you can buy e-bikes that will do much the same job for less. But they won’t have the Gocycle’s slick design, composed handling or gadget-geek appeal.
VERDICT A state-of-the-art folding e-bike, with a price tag to match. PC
Gocycle GX
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New Tow car test See our online reviews www.youtube.com/practicalcaravan
Dacia’s Duster is quite sprightly when pulling away, and builds
Follow us on Twitter @Tow_Car_Awards
Photography: Phil Russell
speed steadily thereafter
Dacia Duster Model tested Blue dCi 115 Comfort 4x4 Price £17,400 Kerbweight 1480kg What’s new? The subtle exterior changes underplay some extensive improvements to the latest Dacia Duster. Today’s car has a better interior, cleaner engines, more equipment and improved safety. But other things haven’t changed: the Duster is very affordable, starting from £9995. Even our diesel 4x4 test car is a modest £17,400, significantly undercutting almost all rivals. It should be affordable to run, too, with a low insurance group rating and modest fuel consumption.
What are we looking for? Does the new Duster maintain the old model’s strengths, while smoothing off its rough edges? Can it compare with more expensive rivals, and how well does it cope with the demands of towing?
Towing ability The Duster is a small and light car. Petrol versions weigh as little as 1254kg (including 75kg for the driver, which Dacia does not include in its published kerbweights), although opting for a diesel with four-wheel drive pushes that up to 1480kg. That gives an 85% match figure of 1258kg, comfortably within the 1500kg towing limit. We matched the Duster to a Sprite Major 4 SB with a MiRO of 1281kg, and set off for a long tow on country roads, A-roads and motorways. The Duster feels quite sprightly when pulling away, in part due to a low first gear that gets car and caravan moving quickly. But the vehicle’s speed builds more steadily thereafter. There’s also enough pulling power to maintain that speed without too much gearchanging on motorway inclines and hilly country roads, but this isn’t a tow car with power to burn.
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A relatively low top gear helps make the most of the available muscle on the motorway, and means that the gearbox can mostly be left in sixth at 60mph, even into a headwind. The Duster is reasonably stable, although it’s not as unshakeable at speeds as, say, the Nissan Qashqai. The suspension is quite soft, and takes a while to recover from bumps and crests. It allows the car to bobble from side to side a little when the caravan is caught by a gust of wind or an overtaking HGV. For the most part, the Duster pulls the caravan straight again with no help from the driver, but it’s a little fidgety compared with the best small tow cars. It does have other strengths, though. The low first gear helps when pulling away from a hill start, and the conventional handbrake had no trouble holding car and caravan still
on a 1-in-10 slope. In the twowheel-drive mode, it’s easy to briefly spin the wheels; but switching the car to 4x4 auto or 4x4 lock mode takes care of that, and promises hasslefree starting in the wet, too. The ability to send power to all four wheels is a big plus if you stay on grass pitches or prefer CLs and CSs to bigger campsites. Certainly, the Duster coped easily with slightly damp grass when we arrived at our site. Again, that super-low first gear helped with manoeuvring at low speeds. When we needed to hitch up the caravan again, we were aided by the rear-view camera – a common enough feature these days, but not necessarily on a car that is as affordable as this one. It gives a clear view of the towball. The Duster’s towing gear itself is neatly installed, with the towball and electrics located well clear of the bumper.
Behind the wheel
Rear legroom
Towbar
2
1
1 Sat nav is mounted low, but is a good feature on such an affordable car 2 Interior finish is not plush, but is a definite step up on the previous Duster 3 Twisting a knob near the gearlever moves between 2WD and 4WD 4 Hill descent control is at the push of a button, a sign of the Dacia’s off-road credentials
Luggage
205cm
3 4
Boot space is 411 litres, unless you opt for full-size spare wheel, which reduces it to 376 litres
71cm 115cm
The Duster is not a sophisticated solo drive, but at this budget price range, it performs well enough
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SPOTLIGHT ON…
CONFIDENCE
BUILDER COURSE If you are new to caravanning, the very idea of towing can seem a bit daunting. But help is at hand, with specialist training to show how it’s done. Nigel Hutson reports
THERE WILL BE many keen caravanners who are in the same situation as my wife and me. We have been touring for years, and yet the only thing that Kay has ever towed is the Aquaroll, to and from the campsite taps. That’s not for any bad reason, because she is a very competent driver, but I always end up in the driving seat. Perhaps the fact that I’m not the most relaxed of passengers doesn’t help? However, there’s always the chance that for some reason, I might be unable to drive, and Kay would find herself behind the wheel. We’ve often spoken about it, and I’ve seen the fear in her eyes when we have. I’m sure there are plenty of people who really love the idea of caravanning, but are anxious about hitching the caravan to the car and actually towing it. I am the first to admit that me being in the passenger’s seat while Kay has her first tow with our caravan would not be a good idea. But this is where our good friends at the Camping and
Caravanning Club come in, because they run a Confidence Builder Course, which guides you through the basic principles of towing a caravan. Following on from that is the more road-orientated Pitch and Progress Course, intended for those who have completed the initial training and have some experience under their belt. The Caravan and Motorhome Club also runs similar events. Kay recently attended the C&CC Confidence Builder Course at its HQ in Coventry, and I tagged along to see what was involved.
Behind the wheel We arrived at the car park and were greeted by one of the instructors, Dave Hage. All of
the C&CC’s instructors are qualified driving instructors, who spend much of their time providing B+E training (for outfits that exceed the 3.5-tonne post-1997 restriction on new licence-holders), so they know what they’re doing. He asked us to fit our towing mirrors (you’re asked to bring these along, together with a rear numberplate for your vehicle). This was the first test, because Kay had never done it before, but a few minutes later, our mirrors were securely attached. That done, we were shown into the ‘Bistro’ (the C&CC canteen), where we met the other course participants and instructors. Looking around the room, I could see there were some very nervous people here.
‘The course that Kay went on guides you through the basic principles of getting on the road and towing a caravan’
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After registering with Lead Instructor Maureen Richardson, we had coffee, and nervous chat arose among the attendees. We were with newbie Rebecca Margieson. She and her partner had recently bought a caravan, which they had yet to use, and like Kay, she’d never towed. On her own admission, she was very nervous and worried about every aspect of towing.
A quiz to start The participants (four women, eight men) and five instructors moved into a conference room, where Maureen gave a brief introduction to the course. The attendees introduced themselves and outlined their towing experience. This ranged from none (the majority) to James, who had been towing for about 18 months. A quiz followed. This covered things such as speed limits, recommended maximum tyre ages on caravans, the meaning of terms such as MTPLM, MiRO and noseweight, what to do if a
9000
CLOCKWISE FROM MAIN A few tips from Instructor Dave Hage before Kay takes to the road. Lead Instructor Maureen introduces the course. First attach your towing mirrors. Helpful advice about the hitching process
release the handbrake. Kay did struggle with this – she has a weak wrist following a fracture a few years ago – but Dave had a solution for that. With legs straight and back against the front of the caravan, it was simply a case of pressing the button on the lever and leaning forwards. Moving to the rear of the caravan, Dave attached our numberplate (I also noticed that an L-plate was attached, letting following drivers know a novice tower was in front), and then checked the caravan lights. Once again, this was done very methodically and using hand signals, rather than shouting back to the driver. It’s suggested that you start with the obligatory lights, then the stop, indicators (then hazard), rear fog and finally reversing lights, gradually building them up until they’re all on. That way, if there is an electrical fault, it will develop before you hit
snake develops and what the usual causes of a snake are (speed being top of the list!). Stabilisers and devices such as Al-Ko’s ATC were also discussed. All in all, a good ice-breaker, which got the group talking, and I could see that some of the apprehension had disappeared by the end of the session. We then went outside, and the group was divided up. Kay was assigned to Dave, who asked her to reverse our car towards a waiting Bailey Pursuit in preparation for hitching. He expertly guided her back so that the caravan hitch was directly over the car’s towball (credit to Kay, too, for following the instructions implicitly!). Dave then went through each stage of hitching, starting with attaching the breakaway cable (first thing on, last thing off, because it’s a safety device)
the road. Thankfully, everything was fine on our car. We still weren’t ready for the road yet, because the mirrors had to be adjusted, and Dave explained to Kay what she should ideally be able to see in them (basically, along each side of the caravan and 4m out at 20m behind the mirrors, which our Milenco Grand Aeros do absolutely perfectly).
Out on the road It was now the time for the drive – the thing Kay was most apprehensive about. I was ordered (very nicely) to sit in the back and not say a word by Dave, who threatened me with an application of gaffer tape if I broke the silence! Dave’s very gentle and calm manner was perfect for Kay. He showed her the Driver Assessment Sheet that he would complete, a copy of which she would receive at the end of the session, but emphasised it was not a test. Then we were off. Kay’s first task was exiting the C&CC premises, because there’s a centre island on a sharp left
to an appropriate point on the car/towbar. The next stage was raising the hitch handle (the caravans aren’t fitted with stabilisers) but not holding it (because it might accidentally be pushed down, misleading someone into thinking it was properly hitched). This is followed by lowering the hitch onto the towball, before winding the jockey wheel back up to raise the rear of the car, so you can ensure that the hitch has engaged properly.
Now for the electrics Next up was raising the jockey wheel and securing it ready for the road. Then, attaching the electrics, and how and where it should pass under the hitch, twisting the cable (not the plug) if it is a little too long, so that you end up with a pigtail. The final stage at the front was to
FROM TOP Dave guides Kay as she reverses back to the caravan, then offers a useful workaround if you struggle to release the handbrake
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