Practical Caravan May 08 Issue
High hopes for summer, new 'Great Escapes', but caravan prices to climb
Welcome to Practical Caravan. I don't know about where you are, but in my part of the world, Mother Nature has dusted off her wand and spring is appearing.
It's a great time of year to be away in the van.
When the weather's right, it's wonderful to be out walking, riding or just sitting with a cuppa and enjoying the fresh air. After last year's soggy summer, I reckon we're due a scorching 2008.
We've updated our 'Great Escapes' in anticipation of
a cracking season, with more pictures, more destinations and more inspiration to help you plan your holidays. Check out the changes from page 62.
It's not the weather that concerns UK caravan makers at the moment, but prices, and manufacturers agree that they are at rock bottom. But the euro is growing stronger, which means certain key components cost more. If the bits for UK tourers are more expensive, rest assured that price rises are just around the corner.
There's a real possibility that 2008 caravans will be recalled fondly as the best value vans ever. If you want to avoid price rises, now might be a good time to fish out the cheque book. To help you decide as you shop for
a new van, we've compared three side-dinette four-berths in the 'Big Test' on page 118, and there are first-look reviews of the new Xplore range on page 133.
If you're more interested in getting the best out of what you've got, how about the first part of our £75 satellite TV touring kit or six pages of advice from Doug 'Fix-it' King? If that's not adventurous enough for you, take a look at Peter Johnson's amazing self-built slide-out on page 46. Amazing work.
Happy caravanning.
Nigel Donnelly
Editor
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