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>>NOTICEBOARD

winners Caravan winners Caravan winners Caravan

Caravan winners on cloud nine

KNOW DON’T JUST “I

It say. to what

“I JUST DON’T KNOW what to say. It hasn’t sunk it yet,” said David Cloud, as Steve Robson from Park Resorts handed him the keys to a new Elddis Xplore 540.

David and his wife, Sheila, entered a competition run by Practical Caravan, Elddis and Park Resorts. The prize was the stunning fixed-bed van plus 22 nights at any Park Resorts touring sites in the UK – worth around £15,000.

The London couple were pleased to get the entry-level Xplore – free. “We had a caravan years ago,” Sheila said, as she peeked into the front lounge. “It wasn’t quite like this, though. It was old and only cost £300. Bits used to fall off, but it was a cheap holiday for the kids. When they grew up, we sold it, but we’ve been looking for a way to have cheap holidays with the grandkids. This will be perfect!”

The Elddis was presented to the Clouds in the height of the summer at the Lower Hyde Park Resorts site near Shanklin on the Isle of Wight. And as anyone who is regular on a Park Resorts site knows, nothing exciting happens on site without a visit from Sparkle and Sparky. As rabbits, they couldn’t say what they thought of David and Sheila’s new Elddis, but they made themselves comfy.

ENJOY 2 FOR 1 ENTRY TO A WWT CENTRE Autumn is the ideal time to visit a Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust centre and witness one of Britain’s most awe-inspiring wildlife spectacles – the arrival of millions of birds who fly thousands of miles from their summer breeding grounds to winter in the UK. To celebrate, WWT is offering readers 2-for-1 entry to its wetland centres, 1 September-31 December. All you have to do is present this coupon.

While there, go to the WWT visitor centre shop and get a copy of Watching Waterbirds by Kate Humble and Martin McGill – at a 25% discount with this coupon. For details, go to www.wwt.org.uk.

PL US GE T 25 % OF F WA TC HI NG WA TE RB IRD S

Terms and conditions 1 . Offer valid until 31 December 2011. 2. Present this voucher in any WWT visitor centre shop to claim this discount. 3. Discount applies to purchase of one book per voucher and 2-for-1 entry to WWT centres. 4. One adult (or child) is admitted free of charge when accompanied by one adult who pays the full adult admission price. 5. Only one voucher is permitted per group or family group. 6. The offer is obtained upon presentation of this voucher at the admissions desk. 7. Please telephone your local centre or visit the centre web page for further details of opening times and events. 8. This voucher is for use for admission to a WWT Wetland Centre only and cannot be used as an offer for any other paid events or activities at the centre. 9. This offer may not be used in conjunction with any other discount voucher offer or concessionary rate offered by WWT. 10. This offer is valid between 1 September and 31 December 2011. Vouchers presented at WWT centres after this date will not be accepted. 11. Each WWT centre reserves the right not to redeem or accept defaced vouchers and refuse admission where these conditions have not been adhered to. 12. There is no cash alternative in lieu of tickets or listed savings. 13. The centre accepts no responsibility for loss of items or damaged personal possessions that may occur during visits.

10 | NOVEMBER 2011 | www.practicalcaravan.com Stealth Caravans is launching a new range at the NEC show. MD Alex Murphy says the Concordia, with its GRP sidewalls and Alde heating, will redefine what’s possible with a tourer

Bailey has made a late specification change to its Olympus II range. All vans now get the Al-Ko ATC anti-snaking system. This news reached us after our review on page 68 had gone to press

Exclusive!

Sprite 2012 vans to launch at NEC show

YOU READ IT here first. The seven-model entry-level range will be comprehensively updated for this season, with new aerodynamic bodyshells featuring design cues from the new Sterling Eccles Sport and Swift Challenger Sport.

Inside, facelifted interiors will boast new cabinetry, soft furnishings, 112-litre fridges and granite-look sinks. Three models see floor plan changes. Major 4 and Major 6 get new layouts, and there’s a new rear configuration for Musketeer EB. NEC show visitors will be able to see the new Alpine 2, Alpine 4 and Musketeer TD. The new models will arrive from December. Weights and prices start at 1150kg and £11,500.

Pastures of plenty at club’s 1500th CS

THE CAMPING AND Caravanning Club’s Dyfed Shire Horse Farm CS in Pembrokeshire is its 1500th on the network. Facilities include toilets, showers, a farm trail, a shop and a café. To book a pitch, call 01239 891 107 or visit www.siteseeker.co.uk.

Onl y t ak es am o t ogua rd ag ain st CO

th em ret rof it ca n va ns ol de r of ow ne rs but alarms, (C O) by urged being are Cara vanne rs £20. as lit tle as for fa ta l of re ports aft er so do to Angels CO group campaign ca mp er s Te nt campsit es . on poisonings CO

All 2012 to ure rs are being fitted w ith carbon mono xide (C O) alarms, but ow ne rs of olde r v ans can retr ofit the m for as lit tle as £20. Cara vanne rs are being urged by campaign group CO Angels to do so aft er re po rts o f f atal CO poisonings on campsit es . T ent c ampe rs we re the victims in each, and cara vans are ge nerally lo w-risk, but CO An ge ls sa ys th e d ange r exists on sit e as m uch as at home.

an d each, in victims the we re low-r is k, gene ral ly are ca ra va ns dange r the sa ys Angels CO bu t home. at as much as sit e on exists

Caravan crossword Letters in the coloured squares, when unravelled, spell out a word or term familiar to caravanners. Write the words under the grid

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2

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4

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6

7

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11 12

10

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21

PUZZLE BY AXE

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22

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19

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ACROSS 1 Capital of Thailand (7) 8 Small four-string guitar (7) 9 Historic warship with three or more masts (7) 10 Harvests (7) 11 Friendly Islands (5) 13 Jack or a queen, for instance (5,4) 15 Dovetail (9) 18 Idiosyncrasy (5) 21 Please (archaic) (7) 22 Almost overflowing (7) 23 American victory, June 1945 (7) 24 Light vehicle used in recreational racing (2,5)

DOWN 1 Dogmatist (5) 2 Synthetic fibre (5) 3 Stay calm (4,1,4,4) 4 Chinese martial art (4,2) 5 Make hurtful remark causing deep distress (3,2,3,5) 6 Taxonomic groups (6) 7 Well-informed (6) 12 Bhindi or lady’s finger (4) 14 Buck (4) 15 River horses, from the Greek

(abbr) (6) 16 Dried grape (6) 17 Chilled sack applied to swellings, etc (3,3) 19 Read between the lines (5) 20 Extinguishes (5)

HIDDEN WORD

October solution ACROSS 1 Dubrovnik 8 Hero 9 Eglantine 10 Plan 13 Trite 15 Two-way 16 Enjoin 17 Lie-ins 19 Bolero 20 Today 21 Wont 24 Vivacious 25 Bite 26 Sly as a fox. DOWN 2 Urge 3 Read 4 Votary 5 Ignite 6 Bell tower 7 Go on and on 11 At a low ebb 12 Cover note 13 Taint 14 Envoy 18 Social 19 Banana 22 Diva 23 Juno. HIDDEN WORD SHOWER TRAY

www.practicalcaravan.com | NOVEMBER 2011 | 11