>>CONTENTS

Issue highlight

Cover story

Great Escapes Loire rallyp22 Nigel and Helen Donnelly join 40 ralliers as they cross the Channel for our latest Reader Rally. The 14-day trip reveals that the Loire Valley is much more than a wine-producing region. Follow the action as the party discovers the region’s culture and history, pairs up for some on-site dancing, enjoys a sing-song or two, and still finds the time for a winery tour.

News

10 Noticeboard Stop here first for touring tips, deals, news and views, plus our crossword puzzle 13 Letters Your news and views from the sites, as well as posts from our Forum 16 Caravan bore A 10-year warranty isn’t better than a six-year one, says The Bore 18 My van blew over! Mike Clarkson recalls being trapped in his upturned tourer after a freak wind storm

Cover story

My car av an ble w ove r! p18

Travel

Cover story

Great Escapes Loire rally p22 Nigel and Helen Donnelly join 40 ralliers on our latest Reader Rally, to the Loire 28 Where we stayed Boating and fishing are among the activities at the lakeside site Les Bois du Bardelet

Where we stayed

Disc ove r Neptun Cas tle on the Baltic co as t p30

30 Getaway Andrew and May Clark discover the allure of the beautiful Baltic coast as they journey from the Netherlands to Poland 36 Crossing the Channel Planning your first European trip? Follow our guide to troublefree, pleasurable touring 39 Your postcards Our readers write to us about trips to Luxembourg and Germany 41 Site reviews Your views on great touring

39 Your postcards

41 Site reviews sites in Spain and France

6 | JANUARY 2012 | www.practicalcaravan.com BREAKING NEWS… The Caravan Club has renamed some of its sites so that the names are more relevant to the towns they’re close to. For full details, turn to page 10

Showroom Testing time It’s the new caravan season, and we roll up our sleeves for some serious inspection and intensive use of new models from leading manufacturers. This month we test three. 51 Twin test We judge a close contest between fixed-twin-beds from Elddis and Swift 60 Live-in test Lunar Lexon 520, 2012’s Best Caravan for Small Families

Cover story

Cover story

66 First look

Cover story

The 1-RV Edge M21

is a US-built caravan designed for the UK 69 First drives Ford and Volvo rework two very different, petrol-powered towcars 71 Towcar test Kia’s popular Sorento takes on a challenge from Vauxhall’s 4x4 Antara 77 Awning review Isabella’s Minor is a little roomier than other porches, but it’s big on easy-to-use fittings 78 Running reports Our fleet — where we’ve been and how we got there

New

New

Caravan Genius 84 Genius ideas A new concept for digital radio on site, plus tips and Talking Tourers 86 Doug’ll fix it Have caravan queries or quandaries? Ask Doug “Fix-it” King 89 Project van Doug King replaces the hitch overrun assembly on our Elddis Wisp 91 Step by step This gadget lets you check your caravan’s road lights single-handed

Can the Vauxhall Antara better the Kia Sorento? p71

Issue highlight

Cover story

Twin test Elddis Crusader Shamal vs Swift Conqueror 565 p51

The fixed-twin-beds layout has become the hottest floorplan for 2012 – manufacturers have been busy adding it to their ranges. We test two luxury single-axle examples from leading brands Elddis and Swift.

93 Caravan College Which water container is best — and how do you use it? 106 Used caravan buyer Colchester’s midmarket Fleetwood broke convention with its innovative and distinctive layouts 108 Subscription offer Save 16% of the cover price and get an Autoglym valet kit, worth £41, FREE 110 Second-hand shoot-out We compare luxury two-berths costing under £14,000 115 Talking towcars From matches to motors, send your tough tug questions to Towcar editor David Motton 116 Used towcar buyer Don’t overlook the Subaru Forester, even if it’s not a diesel 122 New kit Quirky, fun gifts — big and small — for all the caravanners in your life 128 Buying and selling Save hard-earned cash with our listings of used caravans, awnings and accessories 129 Caravan basics Essential touring knowledge for beginners and experts alike 137 Caravan scrapbook More unusual and unlikely caravans from yesteryear, courtesy of Andrew Jenkinson

Buyer’s guide 98 New caravans Updated with prices and data — now in a user-friendly format 119 Top 25 new towcars Here’s our choice of the 25 best new towcars on the market 120 50 top accessories From TVs to car boot liners, here is our pick of the best kit

New www.practicalcaravan.com | JANUARY 2012 | 7