If you like caravan holidays in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, make sure you pick up a copy of the April issue of Practical Caravan – it’s wrapped up into an extra special bundle this month, and you’ll find your free copy of our new Top 100 Sites Guide 2016 inside the bag!

Every year we ask you, the readers, to vote for your favourite UK campsites – and the end result is this fantastic guide, covering only the very best caravan sites in every region. Thousands of you voted, so wherever you’re planning to visit you can rest assured that if you pick any one of these 100 campsites, they have been recommended by a fellow caravanner.

The cover stars of the April issue of Practical Caravan are our Bryony Symes and Claudia Dowell, pictured with the Volvo V60 Cross Country and Eriba Troll in Germany. In search of stunning scenery, they tour from Strasbourg to south-west Germany and explore The Black Forest in our new issue. We know you’ll enjoy reading about the gâteaux, hot chocolate, medieval city, lakes, forests and mountains they find during this great escape in the low season.

We also join Mike Le Caplain in South East England for a tour of the iconic Kent coastline. Then Sam and Rosemary Johnson watch deer and learn about photography during a wonderful weekend in Wiltshire.

Also in our travel section we bring you 10 great sites for vineyard tours in England and Wales and 10 top places to visit in Scotland – along with the best campsites to use near each one. 

We round up our travel section with two special features on touring with disabilities. First wheelchair-user Vera Whalley gives advice on choosing the right caravan, crossing the Channel and touring Europe. Then Suzanne Asquith tells the story of how her parents devised a way to carry on caravanning despite her father suffering disability after a stroke.

We’ve three new competitions for you!

In Stacie’s super savers this month we have three great new competitions for you to enter. First up is a chance to win a set of Car Shades to keep you and your family cool this summer. There are Car Shades available tailor-made to fit more than 400 makes and models of cars, so the chances are that your tow car is one of them. Each set is worth around £60 and you can enter our competition to win a set for your car online. Enter the Car Shades competition by 23 March 2016.

Fancy a short break in Nottinghamshire? We’ve teamed up with the organisers of the UK Spring Motorhome & Caravan Show in Newark to offer you a chance to win one of five weekend camping packages to the event, worth £45 each. Winners will be able to stay for three nights and attend the show, on 2-3 April at Newark Showground. It’s a great place to see new and used caravans for sale and stock up on new camping gear and caravan accessories. Enter our UK Spring Motorhome & Caravan Show ticket competition by 23 March 2016.

From 21-24 April it’s The Harrogate Flower Show at the Great Yorkshire Showground. We have five pairs of tickets up for grabs for this floral extravaganza. Enter The Harrogate Flower Show ticket giveaway online by 23 March 2016.

Caravan, tow car and accessory tests

This issue is in the shops at the same time as the February NEC Camping, Caravanning and Motorhome Show – and we know that a great many of you are keen to see the latest caravans and tow cars. Many more people are in the mood to buy new camping gear and accessories to make this year’s caravan holidays even better and more comfortable than last year’s. 

So we’ve brought you some head-turning caravan reviews in our April magazine. Take the Adria Adora Isonzo 613DT, for instance. This very special edition – the Silver Collection – version of Adria’s transverse-island-bed Isonzo has been launched to mark Adria’s 50th anniversary. Pick up our latest issue to discover our expert verdict.

We also have our Sprite Freedom FB review in this issue. If you’re thinking of buying a new caravan for family holidays, take a look at the Swift Group’s new large fixed-bed entry-level six-berth caravan. 

The Coachman Pastiche 470 is the subject of our full live-in test this month. Read our in-depth review to find out more about this two-berth caravan. The Pastiche has always been popular with traditionalists – but this model promises to surprise everyone with a brand new floorplan aimed at young couples!

On the test bench this month we compare 12 different sets of lightweight pots and pans to find the best camping cookware sets for caravans.

Meanwhile, out on the test track Motty has been putting the Hyundai Tucson through its paces as a tow car, followed by the Volvo V60 Cross Country. And if you’re looking for used tow cars, check out our used 2010-2014 Kia Sorento II review by expert Russ Smith.

Me and my crochet caravan

Reading Practical Caravan really can put you in touch with inspiring and like-minded people, so this month we meet Kate Bruning. Her love of both crochet and vintage caravans has led to a book of fun crochet caravan and camping designs. Now she’s bought a 1970s Liteweight Five Star 1700 caravan to do up – and use for family adventures in New Zealand. 

Finally, don’t miss our advice on your consumer rights, the latest news of inflatable awnings, used caravan buyer’s guides, practical advice on cleaning a rooflight and loads more.

We hope you’ll enjoy our April issue – it’s in the shops now!