Camping & Caravanning Club show case the Pennine Pathfinder Q6

CAMPING & CARAVANNING DECEMBER 2012 VOL 107 NO 12

Camping Caravanning THE MAGAZINE OF THE FRIENDLY CLUB, DECEMBER 2012, VOL 107 NO 12

Christmas

gifts galore

Season’s greetings

Check out our great present ideas

Going over the Pennines We review two new folding campers

Eyes to the skies

Why a stargazing trip should be on your camping calendar

inside:

TAKE A BREAK ON A CLUB SITE THIS FESTIVE SEASON

The

greatest show not on Earth

Winter may present its challenges for campers but there can be few better times of year for stargazing.

STUART KIDMAN reunites himself with the night sky and learns more about the locations where you can see the cosmos for yourself. Pictures by ALISDAIR CUSICK

CAST YOUR mind back and you may remember a feature in our January 2011 magazine where I travelled to Galloway Forest Park with photographer Alisdair Cusick to report on the tremendously clear night skies in the area.

We got a real treat, for a few short hours being able to stare open-mouthed at the incredible scene as our galaxy revealed itself overhead.

34 Camping & Caravanning December 2012

Well frankly, having seen that once, we wanted more of the same.

Stargazing has been through something of a renaissance of late. With the likes of Professor Brian Cox staring skyward on our screens in shows such as the BBC’s Stargazing Live, the sky at night has been kept firmly in the public consciousness.

Now, more and more areas are turning

to dark skies as a way to attract visitors as tourism bodies switch on to the idea that preserving darkness is a means of making money.

Galloway Forest Park, the UK’s first Dark Sky Park, has been a huge success, both commercially and environmentally.

It was followed by Sark in the Channel Islands, which became the first Dark Sky Island in February 2011 and by Exmoor >

stargazing

Keith Turnecliff

Keith Turnecliff

feature

Right from top: M31, the Andromeda Galaxy; the southern hemisphere of the moon showing the Tycho crater; M27, the Dumbbell Nebula

Keith Turnecliff

This picture: Stuart stargazes alongside the Pennine Pathfinder (see On Test page 60) at Drayton Manor Club Site with The Plough in view above

December 2012 Camping & Caravanning 35

feature

stargazing

Keith Turnecliff

Clifford Carter

STARGAZING AT ST NEOTS

M42, the Orion Nebula, which is 1,500 light years from Earth

The Photographic Group held a stargazing meet at St Neots Club

Keith Turnecliff

> National Park in October 2011, which became Europe’s first Dark Sky Reserve.

Further applications for Dark Sky status have since been submitted to the International Dark Sky Association (IDA) for the Brecon Beacons National Park and Kielder Water and Forest Park (officially England’s darkest place) with the adjacent Northumberland National Park, proving that despite the growing problem of light pollution in our cities, you don’t have to travel great distances to experience a magnificently clear, starry sky. In fact, many places without Dark Sky status can offer great views of the galaxy when conditions are suitable.

Alisdair and I visited Exmoor National Park recently to see for ourselves why the IDA awarded it Dark Sky Reserve status.

It’s a prime example of how accessible stargazing is. Even in the heart of the park, you’re less than an hour from the

M13, the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules

motorway and you don’t have to go far to hear about the benefits of keeping the skies as dark as possible.

The National Park Authority is positively tripping over itself to tell you about the night-time view and if you head for any one of its National Park Visitor Centres at Dulverton, Dunster or Lynmouth you’ll find information about the Dark Sky Reserve and where to go to get the clearest view – weather permitting of course.

On that note, our hopes of shooting some stunning photographs were dashed on this occasion by an erroneous weather forecast that failed to spot the cloud and rain headed our way that night.

We had to make do with a mere 20 minutes during which the weather abated just enough to present us with a glittering portrayal of why stargazers love Exmoor.

Brief though its appearance was we could clearly make out the Milky Way and many thousands of stars visible to the naked eye.

We fired off a few shots and hoped for the best but sometimes as a stargazer, you just have to accept defeat.

Fortunately, that renaissance in stargazing I mentioned earlier is beginning to pervade into the Club and it transpired that a team of aspiring astro-photographers from the Club’s Photographic Group had somewhat better luck at St Neots Club Site.

Organised by the group’s Sites Officer Keith Turnecliff, the meet saw 16 units

Site in early October.

Its members spotted objects including M42 – also known as the Orion Nebula – the Ring Nebula, Andromeda, our nearest neighbouring galaxy at 2.2 million light years away, and the Dumbbell Nebula, also called M27.

Keith Turnecliff, the group’s Sites Officer, said: “We were observing from about 7.30pm to 10.30pm both nights. All the shots I took were 30-second exposures at ISO 6400.

“Most of these you could see with a pair of binoculars. M42, the Orion Nebula, will be up in December in the early evening and that is one of the best sights there is to be honest. You can see it with the naked eye but with a pair of binoculars it looks stunning. You wouldn’t see the colours, but that’s where the camera comes in handy.”

Keith wants to set up a regular stargazing meet held at a different location each year.

He added: “We’re planning to be at Hertford Club Site from 3 to 8 October next year. We’ll be looking at the sky with the naked eye and through binoculars and telescopes.

Anyone who comes along will be able to have a look at the sky through the telescopes, even if they don’t have any kit of their own.”

Keep an eye on the Out & About section published in your magazine for further details of this meet.

December 2012 Camping & Caravanning 37

stargazing

feature STARGAZING TOP FIVE TIPS ■ Choose a good location for your stargazing, away from built-up areas and other light sources. Search “light pollution maps” online to see the darkest areas in the UK ■ Dress for the occasion. Winter is the best time for crisp, clear night skies but make sure you have plenty of warm clothing ■ Take some stargazing equipment.

A good pair of binoculars or a fairly inexpensive telescope are all you need to be able to see some great features in the night sky. The more serious you are about it, the more you’ll need to spend ■ Join your local astronomy group.

Camping in the Dark Sky Reserve, Exmoor National Park

Many have frequent stargazing events and also allow you to use other members’ telescopes

38 Camping & Caravanning December 2012

what’s out there. If like me, you really like to let these vast, vast distances hurt your head you might like to have a look at the following online – bit.ly/ViVZ4E and htwins.net/scale2 – for mind-blowing animations of the galaxy’s true scale and beyond.

It’s hard not to get overly romantic about it, but when you’re staring up at Jupiter or Mars or whatever planet, nebula, star cluster or galaxy you choose to look at, just be amazed that we have all these incredible objects, in a cosmological sense at least, literally on our doorstep.

Whatever you do though, if you want to see them, remember to check that all-important weather forecast. As those fine people at the Exmoor National Park Authority pointed out to me: “We can guarantee dark skies, but not always the lack of clouds.”

■ Check the weather forecast carefully. A few clouds can ruin a proposed stargazing trip

DEEPEST, DARKEST VIEW The following are Club Sites in or near the UK’s existing and proposed Dark Sky areas: Northumberland and Kielder Forest and Water Park Bellingham, Beadnell Bay, Dunstan Hill and Haltwhistle The Brecon Beacons Rhandirmywn Exmoor Minehead, Lynton, Umberleigh and Damage Barton Galloway Forest Park Culzean Castle For booking details, turn to page 6.

For Certificated Sites in these areas check out Your Big Sites Book 2013-2014 or for District Association, Region and Special Interest Section meets, see Out & About starting on page 75.

FIND OUT MORE To join the Photographic Group at a cost of £6.50 per year see campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/ specialinterestsections or Keith Turnecliff

camping at the site for five nights in October.

The group managed to spot several celestial objects over the course of two clear nights, including the Orion Nebula and the Andromeda Galaxy.

The results, as you can see from the pictures on these pages, were pretty spectacular and go to show that even in areas where you might not expect to get the kind of clarity of more remote regions, you can still spot several exciting celestial features.

There are quite a few objects visible to the naked eye but equip yourself with a good pair of binoculars or a telescope if you have the ability, and you’ll be able to spot some more distant features.

Many local astronomy clubs hold open stargazing events where would-be members can come along to experience the hobby for themselves. It’s a great way to ‘try before you buy’ if you’re keen to take your interest further and don’t already have your own telescope or binoculars.

I’ll repeat a fact here that first appeared in that feature of mine back in January 2011. All the stars we see from Earth are those in our own galaxy, and even then they’re only a small selection (about five per cent) of the total within the entire Milky Way, which stretches to about 100,000 light years across.

Here we are, ambling along about two thirds of the way out from the galactic centre, not even scratching the surface of

photogroup.co.uk or call the M57, the Ring Nebula

Membership department on 0845 130 7632 or 024 7647 5442.

Pennine folding campers

The right path IAN HEWLETT and IAIN GEDDES took two folding campers – both from the Pennine Group – to Clitheroe Club Site to see how they fared We had the opportunity to test two Pennine folding campers at

to the outside edge – but it’s quite straightforward with a little

Clitheroe Club Site in Lancashire. Pennine is at the forefront of

practice.

folding camper manufacture in the UK and has a long history in both trailer tents and folding campers.

A folding camper has many of the features of a caravan but its

Both our test units had two fixed double beds and breathable Isacryl (acrylic) fabric covers by Isabella. This fabric has good insulation properties, resistance to mildew and fading and it doesn’t

fabric top means it’s generally lighter and offers less drag while

absorb water so it’s easier to clean and dry out – all features that

towing. As a result it can be towed with a smaller car and may even

you wouldn’t find in traditional cotton canvas.

fit into a garage when not in use.

As with any such unit, there was some set-up required – roll

Both units sported the new season colours of black, white and grey, which gave a timeless quality we liked. Inside the furnishings

back the cover, fold out the bed boards, push up the framework,

were perhaps more traditional, in various shades of brown. In

position and connect the interior equipment and tidy up the fabric

contrast the woodwork was a light and airy ‘pear’ colour.

king sized bed

double bed

WC

The Pathfinder Q6 (left) offers plenty of space, is easy to tow and quick to set up without the need to peg out, unless you want to use the optional awning for more room The core unit of the Fiesta Q2+2 (below left) is also easy to pitch, making it ideal for weekend trips, while the awning (below) offers additional space for those longer breaks

WC

seat double bed/ seat

60 Camping & Caravanning December 2012

double bed

Pennine folding campers

at a

glance

Pathfinder Q6 The Pathfinder Q6 is a six-berth unit and the best-equipped folding camper in Pennine’s range.

Pennine Pathfinder Q6

The quality is apparent immediately, with alloy wheels, external gas and 240V sockets, a handy external hot-and-cold showerhead and more. There’s even an AL-KO AKS1300 stabiliser and hitch lock as standard.

A double- and king-size bed are provided at either end of the unit, which clears the main area for relaxing in the wrap-around seating. If you prefer, this can be converted to a bench seat arrangement or into a further double bed.

The washroom has a fold-down sink. During my test I found it took quite a while to drain, but the sink is accompanied by a mirror, light and electric-flush cassette toilet so you can stay on a campsite without an amenity block.

Near the entrance door is a wardrobe, lights, mirror and three-way Dometic fridge.

The kitchen has storage, a standard hob and sink but a separate oven. And the water’s even heated – as long as you’re on an electric hook-up.

Lighting is provided by LEDs and extra strip lights, giving a good level of illumination and mood lighting options. Two 240V sockets and three 12V sockets are provided along with a TV point, along with a built-in electric plinth heater.

Verdict: An easy-to-set-up camper with

plenty of refinements to make your stay special.

Pictured from top: The Pathfinder’s external hot and cold shower; the spacious seating area; unfolding the unit on site

at a

glance

Fiesta Q2+2 At 750kg fully laden the Fiesta can be towed comfortably by a legion of cars and its diminutive size allows the trailer to sit within

Pennine Fiesta Q2+2

the slipstream of the car keeping drag to a minimum.

The core unit can be pitched with ease in about 15 minutes, making it great for weekend trips. The awning and underbed skirts we pitched are optional extras that do add to pitching time, but for longer trips the extra space is a boon.

Inside the kitchen is kept simple with a combination fourburner hob and grill and a small three-way fridge. There’s a sink with running water but workspace is limited to the glass sink cover, though you can always put the table out.

The Fiesta’s great strength is the seating and sleeping area.

To the right there’s a permanent double bed with just a little climb to get to it as there’s a small sofa in front. Opposite there’s a larger seating area that folds down like a futon to make a second double bed. The seating space is airy and pleasant. There is a built in toilet, but no other washroom features so for longer stays you might prefer a full facility site. The space heater will only work if you are on an electric hook-up but it kept the core unit very warm in my early autumn test.

Verdict: Brilliant three-season tourer for a couple (with room for guests) that can be towed by a modest towcar.

Price as tested £13,390 Club Care insurance £298 Length x width x towing height 4.88m x 2.12m x 1.39m Berths Six Bed sizes Three doubles 1.98m x 1.37m, 1.98m x 1.22m, 1.98m x 1.12m Mass in Running Order 840kg Maximum Authorised Mass 1,000kg User payload 160kg BE licence required No with suitable vehicle such as Honda Civic 1.4i Petrol V-TEC SE 5dr Warranty Two years Manufacturer Pennine Web thepenninegroup.co.uk Tel 01254 385991

Pictured from top: The low profile makes the Fiesta easy to tow; the compact living area; the beds unfold to the sides

Price as tested £10,590 Club Care insurance £238 Length x width x towing height 4m x 1.84m x 1.3m Berths Four Bed sizes Two doubles 2.07m x 1.22m Mass in Running Order 620kg Maximum Authorised Mass 750kg User payload 130kg BE licence required No with suitable vehicle such as Ford Fiesta 1.4 Edge 5dr Warranty Two years Manufacturer Pennine Web thepenninegroup.co.uk Tel 01254 385991

December 2012 Camping & Caravanning 61