This month's travel team and their caravans: Towing the Avondale Argente with a hulking Ssangyong Rexton was staff writer Matt Clark. Towing her Avondale Wren was PCV's features editor Jesnnnifer Stuart-Smith with her towcar, the Mazda 6 Estate.
Peak District
The Peak District is a rural oasis nestled between the cities of Manchester, Sheffield and Nottingham. Its lush hills and friendly villages are a haven for visitors who don't want to travel the length of the country in search of escape.Yet, proximity is only part of its appeal.
Travel brochures cannot do justice to'the Peaks; as the area is known. Its communities percolate with a welcoming vibrancy. Small shops and post offices are still at the heart of many villages. Farms are thriving. And, without pretence, local residents maintain the traditions and folklore that have been part of the region's fabric throughout a history shaped by such industries as mining and tragedy, particularly Eyam's plague epidemic.
In more recent decades, the area has developed a reputation as one of the UK's top centres for outdoor activities. For climbers, walkers, paraglider pilots, cyclists and potholers - as well as ordinary day-trippers - the Peak District provides an irresistible draw. Its unique landscape is the basis for such active pursuits, but there's no doubt that the people and the places they call home are key factors in drawing visitors back time and again.
For this month's Great Escape, we were based outside Castleton at the Caravan Club's Losehill Site. Castleton's location, between the limestone'White Peak'to the south and the harsher, gritstone'Dark Peak' in the north, makes it a honeypot of natural attractions and perfect Peak District views.

SEE ALSO IN THE DECEMBER 2005 ISSUE OF PRACTICAL CARAVAN
Holiday Hints, Nature Notes, Military, Contacts, History and Culture, Foodies' Corner, Holiday Souvenirs, Family Fun, Festivals & Events