>>PITCHSIDE VIEW Choosing a site just got easier

WELCOME TO PRACTICAL CARAVAN. The arrival of our April issue means that it is Top 100 Sites time again. The best touring sites in the country as voted by real caravanners are listed in the 100page booklet, which came free with your magazine. If you haven’t flicked through it yet, we suggest you do.

In response to your feedback, we’ve made the guide smaller, so you can keep it handy for when you are planning your break or keep it in the glovebox if you need to find a pitch quickly. There is a selection of big and small sites, familyfriendly and quiet hideaways, but one thing links them all. They were voted for by real caravanners and we think that represents the most powerful recommendation it is possible to get.

Thanks for participating in the voting, and I hope you enjoy some amazing breaks this year at our Top 100 Sites 2012.

Also, make sure to see our feature on how to pick and book the right site for your next break. It’s on page 124.

Would you like a free tourer? Yeah, I know. It’s a stupid question. Still, I thought I’d ask, because we’re giving you the chance to win one. Starting this month, we are running a competition to give regular readers the chance to win a stunning Elddis Xplore caravan.

We’re running the competition in conjunction with our friends and former PC Dealer of the Year, Catterick Caravans. It’s been a big few months for the company and its owners, the Kinsell brothers, who want to get the message out about the two new branches they have acquired. These bring the total number of sites in their group to three.

We’re delighted to be working with the Catterick team. For details of the dealer’s bold expansion plans, visit the website, www.catterickcaravans.com, and to enter the competition, head to page 28, where you’ll find the entry form and instructions. Good luck!

Help build better caravans We often get asked which caravan brand is the most reliable, or whether a problem that someone is having with a caravan is typical. The truth is, we don’t have a clear idea, because there is little data about issues that arise in different brands, new or used, for us to look at. We think the time has come to do something about that. So we are launching the Practical Caravan Owners’ Satisfaction Awards.

Fill in the survey questionnaire on page 39. The more people who do, the more useful the information will be. Regardless of your van’s age or origin, we want your feedback to build a robust, in-depth report.

If you prefer, you can fill in the survey online at www.practicalcaravan.com/ survey. You can also point your friends there. We think that by compiling this reliability data, we can help caravanners buy tourers that will make them happier, and poor performers will see where they need to improve. Thanks in anticipation.

Nigel Donnelly Editor nigel@practicalcaravan.com www.practicalcaravan.com/blog/editors-blog

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