®

For Stylish, Comfortable Lightweight Touring

Plush Interiors: • ‘Tilla’ Soft Furnishings • Opulent ‘Chestnut’ Woods

Contemporary Kitchens: • Framed Kitchen Locker Doors with Wooden Infill • Aspire Separate Grill and 42L Oven • Sanyo Digital Microwave

Spacious Washrooms: • Large Domestic Style Shower Cubicle • Water Saving ‘Eco Camel’ Shower Head

Luxury Specification: • 100% LED Lighting • Grade 3 Classification for Thermal Insulation

For 360° tours, specifications and to find your nearest retailer, go to:

www.lunarcaravans.com

Ariva - 995kg

Quasar 462 - 1210kg

Quasar 464 - 1235kg

Quasar 494 - 1255kg

Quasar 534 - 1345kg

Quasar 544 - 1376kg

Quasar 546 - 1440kg

Quasar 556 - 1490kg Contents s

PLUS Win a new caravan p22 caravan

“I wanted to walk, and get out on a lake — with someone else doing the rowing!” The Lakes, p28

ALL-NEW SECTION!

Caravan Chat 10 Letters Your shout, our say, your tips, our pick of new gear 15 Diary and basics Claudia’s top five events; Niall’s caravan basics 17 Caravan Bore What’s the deal with delivery charges? The Bore gives you the low-down 18 Talking tourers Rob runs the rule over what the Budget did for caravanning, and more 20 Stacie’s super savers The only place to go for the best bargains, giveaways and deals

Claudia’s top

Caravan Travel 26 The month in travel NEW! A new five-star site in Melton Mowbray, plus our readers’ guide to the Peak District 28 Great Escape: the Lakes Claudia Dowell celebrates the area around Coniston Water 36 Weekender NEW! Niall Hampton explores a dramatic corner of Somerset: Cheddar 40 Weekender NEW! Steve Rowe discovers a different pace of life on Essex’s Mersea Island 44 Top 10 sites for… Short cross-Channel escapes: the best of Normandy and Brittany 46 Reader travels Discover glorious Tayside 50 Reader travels Chatsworth and the Peaks 57 Good Sites Guide NEW! Five great sites in Anglesey: reviewed and rated by our team

We stay on the sites We tow the vans We live the dream!

Cl u i

Our verdict on the wider Adria Astella 613 HT

Showroom 68 Tourer live-in test Our verdict on the wider Adria Astella 613 HT 77 Tourer twin test Twin single bed layouts: Swift Challenger Sport 564 vs Elddis Avanté 574 89 First drives First impressions of the longawaited Vauxhall Zafira Tourer and Subaru XV 91 Towcar twin test A battle of compact crossovers: Audi Q5 vs Range Rover Evoque 98 Owner Satisfaction Survey Have your say! 101 Awning review Compactalite ProCarbon 325 103 Running reports News about our fleet

Caravan Genius 109 Doug’ll fix it Your technical caravan questions answered 113 Project van finale Reviewing the work on our Elddis Whirlwind 117 Step by step Fitting a toilet repair kit 119 Caravan College All about mains electrics 122 Buyer’s Guide The latest prices and data for all new tourers on sale in the UK today 134 Used van buyer 1998-2002 Abbey Iona 138 Used van twin test £5000 family tourers 147 Talking towcars Your questions answered 149 Used car buyer 2003-2009 Renault Scénic 159 Buying and selling Used gear for sale 168 Caravan scrapbook Vans from yesteryear the work on our Elddis Whirlwind

5most-read stories on practicalcaravan.com

1 Win a caravan! Enter online as well as by post, and double your chances. Plus, nine runner-up prizes must be won.

2 Project Elddis Follow Nigel’s blog on readying our Elddis Whirlwind for the road and for the touring season ahead.

3 New Catterick branches Read our profile of the Leisure World family’s revamped Ebor dealer site in York.

4 Your favourite blogger Reader Suzanne Asquith’s blogs on touring in her van have been a big hit with you!

5 Venus caravans video See our review of the new lightweights; plus, all our videos at www.youtube.com/ practicalcaravan www.practicalcaravan.com | JUNE 2012 | 7