April 2010 issue

New sites are the key to a great season
Welcome to Practical Caravan. The weather is slowly releasing its icy grip and the Practical Caravan team is getting ready for the season. My first trip out is to Postern Hill in Wiltshire. It’s still a bit frosty, but modern caravans are well capable of coping with a cold snap.
One essential thing for getting great weekends away is finding the right site. Like many of you, I have a handful of sites I visit regularly because I know I’ll get a good welcome and clean facilities in an area I like. Adding new sites to that list involves a leap of faith. This month, however, you have our Top 100 Sites supplement.
The Top 100 Sites are voted for by caravanners who have paid to stay on site. Nobody votes for a site they don’t like and as result I’m confident that the sites in the list represent 100 great stays. I hope it helps you find a new site or two for the upcoming season.

Wider caravans arrive
Legal changes are afoot that will directly impact on caravanning in the UK. Wider caravans are set to become legal. Caravans up to 2.55m (8ft) wide are to be allowed in the UK for the first time, bringing UK law into line with the rules across the rest of Europe. On the plus side, it allows for more flexible layouts but the downside is vans that are harder to store, harder to pitch and more cumbersome on the road. Continental manufacturers have a head start on UK rivals as they already build bigger models.
With a weakening euro, we could see names such as Dethleffs and Bürstner return to the UK. We’ve got the details on page 57. I’d love to know what you think.

Wondering about weight
Bit shocked by a poll on Practical Caravan’s Facebook group. It asked how often folk weigh their vans. Nine percent said they do every time they tow but 58% never have. I’m somewhere between the two but I’m not telling where.
If you’ve not checked your outfit’s weights recently, the start of the season is as good a time as any to get in the habit.

Happy caravanning