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Great Escapes Dorset p24 Iconic Corfe Castle is just one of the many stunning places to visit in the beautiful county of Dorset. Secluded coves and sandy and shingle beaches front glorious countryside dotted with charming villages and towns. Couple that with plentiful unobtrusive sites and you have the perfect touring holiday destination, says travel editor Claudia Dowell

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News

10 Noticeboard Stop here first for news, tips, deals and our crossword puzzles 14 Planner Get an eyeful of autumn’s amazing displays around the country 16 Letters Your news and views from the sites, and discussion from our Forum 21 Caravan bore Caravan insurance isn’t required – but it’s definitely worth having

IONAL TRUST

NAT

Travel

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Great Escapes Dorset p24 Claudia Dowell heads to the south coast to revisit old haunts and discover new ones, too 28 7 things to see Dorchester has plenty to explore – here are some of the top sights 29 Culture vulture On the trail of Lawrence of Arabia in the village of Moreton 30 Walk: Durdle Door Follow the coast path to one of our best-known natural landmarks 32 Grand day out Head to Victorian Weymouth for traditional seaside attractions 35 Where we stayed Corfe Castle Camping and Caravanning Club Site 37 Cut out and keep Save our pocket-sized guide to the great, the fun and the essential

Planner – autumn spectaculars p14

42 Getaway

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Joe and Elaine Ormerod

Cover story discover the delights of a walking holiday in Fife 46 Ten of the best Peter and Ann Frost stop along the UK’s motoring heritage highway 53 Your postcards Grand estates and places of natural beauty are among the highlights 54 Site reviews Your views on the best sites

Ten of the best – for motoring heritage p46 Ten of the best – for motoring heritage

6 | NOVEMBER 2011 | www.practicalcaravan.com NEWS…… BREAKING

BREAKING NEWS…… We’ve just heard that the 2012 Sprite range will be unveiled at the October NEC show. Three models will be on display – turn to page 11 for details be will range Sprite 2012 the that heard just We’ve models Three show. NEC October the at unveiled

Showroom 2012 New caravans

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We get inside some of the new season’s most exciting new tourers. Read our verdicts before deciding for yourself when these models are launched at the NEC show 64 Lunar Lexon 420 65 Coachman Pastiche 460/2 66 Elddis Crusader Shamal 67 Sterling Eccles Sport 514 68 Bailey Olympus 540-5

70 Live-in test Niall Hampton and family try the spacious 2011 Coachman Amara 570/6 75 First drives Audi’s latest A6 Avant estate and Volvo’s updated, more powerful S60 77 Towcar test The Peugeot 508 and Renault’s Laguna compete to decide which is the better mid-size family towcar

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Caravan Genius 84 Genius ideas How to teach your old TV new tricks, plus kit, tips and Talking Tourers 86 Doug’ll fix it Have caravan queries or quandaries? Ask Doug King, our Mr Fix-it 90 Project van Doug King repairs the door frame of our old Elddis Whirlwind

The Renault Laguna (left) and Peugeot 508 compete in our Towcar test p77

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First look special Coachman Pastiche 460/2 p65

Coachman caravans are known for solid build quality and the most traditional of interiors. But with its new Pastiche line-up, the manufacturer takes a bold step into the forefront of contemporary decor. It’s also jam-packed with the latest touring technology

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93 Caravan College Take our class in hitching your van, taught in plain English 96 Advice special Bailey and the NCC solve a problem faced by three models 101 Our fleet: update The latest about the Practical Caravan team’s vans and towcars 108 Used caravan buyer ABI Award 110 Subscription offer Save 16% of the cover price and get a copy of John Wickersham’s Caravan Handbook, FREE 112 Second-hand shoot-out We compare entry-level vans under £5000 117 Talking towcars From matches to motors, send your tough tug questions to David Motton 118 Used towcar buyer The Chrysler 300C was a bargain – and is better still used 125 New kit Empty your van’s pipes of residual water, plus other touring gear 127 Caravan basics Essential touring knowledge for beginners and experts alike 137 Buying and selling Find a great deal on a used caravan, awning or accessories 145 Caravan scrapbook More vans from yesteryear, courtesy of Andrew Jenkinson

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Buyer’s guide 98 New caravans Updated with the latest prices, this is the best listing of new vans 106 Awnings Confused by the variety of awnings on offer? Check our guide to make sense of the market 121 25 top new cars Here’s our choice of the 25 best new towcars available 122 50 top accessories Our pick of the essential kit for caravanners www.practicalcaravan.com | NOVEMBER 2011 | 7

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