Each month, we’ll bring you everything you need to know about where to go and what to see to enjoy a brilliant 2022 touring season. First up, we share our top tips for a January tour…
Why not go skiing?
Kickstart the season with some exciting adventures on the slopes by going skiing!
The more adventurous among you might head for the Alps and beyond (travel rules allowing), but here we’re focusing on UK ski destinations.
Top of the bill is Scotland’s Cairngorms, where Aviemore is a famous and popular centre for winter sports.
You’ll find a choice of three ski resorts in the National Park: Lecht, popular with beginners; Glenshee, for all abilities; and Cairngorm Mountain, suitable for all but also offering more challenging skiing.
In northern England, you could head for Yad Moss in the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Snowfall can be unpredictable, but when there is sufficient, you can enjoy 4km of varied intermediate skiing here.
There are artificial slopes right across the UK, too. Try the Chill Factore in Manchester, which operates a children’s snow school.
In the Midlands, head for the Snow Dome in Tamworth, Staffordshire, where, as well as skiing and snowboarding, you can ice skate or scale the indoor climbing wall.
More indoor resorts
You could travel south to the SnoZone at Xscape Milton Keynes, or the Snow Centre in Hemel Hempstead.
In Wales, a great place to visit is the Cardiff Ski and Snowboard Centre, for skiing and boarding – and the highly entertaining sport of tubing, where you use huge inflatable rings to slide down the slope.
For something different…
Burns Night on 25 January is not just for the Scots! There are celebration suppers across the UK. These lively commemorations involve eating haggis, and listening to the bagpipes and readings of poems, including Burns’s ‘Address to a Haggis’: “Fair fa’ your honest, sonsie face…”
Perfect pitch
Wondering where you could go for a January tour? Grantown-on-Spey Caravan Park is in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park and has easy access to the best of Aviemore and its surroundings.
Buy of the month
St John Ambulance Large Motor Vehicle First Aid Kit
Suitable for those travelling in larger vehicles, this comprehensive first aid kit has everything you might need for most minor emergencies, including heat-retaining foil blankets, dressing pads, sterile cleansing wipes and a variety of dressings and plasters.
Price: £30.60, www.sja.org.uk
Go online shopping
Traditionally, January has always been good for sales and bargains (although November’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday are also a great time to spot deals), so if there are items of kit you need that didn’t make their way into your Christmas stocking, now’s the time to get out the credit card.
How about a new camera to do justice to all of those wonderful views you are going to find throughout the year?
Be sure to check out some of our Buying Guides too – not just for the best caravans and tow cars: there are lots of accessory reviews, too, including the best caravan cleaners and best caravan sat-navs. Happy shopping!
Have a brilliant tour in January – we’ll be sharing top tips for a February tour next month!
If you’ve enjoyed reading this article, why not get the latest news, reviews and features delivered direct to your door or inbox every month. Take advantage of our brilliant Practical Caravan magazine SUBSCRIBERS’ OFFER and SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER for regular weekly updates on all things caravan related
