WE WERE KEEN to get moving on Monday morning, despite only having to tow half of the 479 miles to Loch Lomond. Due to pick up our little Freedom Jetstream Twin Sport from Freedom Caravan ltd in Stafford by 9.30am, my brother and I rose at a downright-rude 5am and fake-smiled at each other across Crunchy Nut Cornflakes, before creeping out onto the A31 in Dorset.
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One thing became clear before we’d even left, though – the Skoda Yeti we would be spending the week with was an excellent choice. And don’t think we were impressed by the car’s multiple awards already under its belt, either. It really deserves them. The boot is a great size, and with the rear seats down and tipped forward, we managed to get all out kit in at a safe level without a dog-guard in place. The rear seats are removable should you need them out, too. 40mpg was the figure on the trip computer at the end of our solo drive, one that took us up the A31, M27, A34, M40, M42 and M6 (phew!) before exiting at Stafford, and Freedom Caravans Ltd.
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Having pulled up outside, we threw the doors open in search of the facilities. It had been a long wait and the sight of two ‘youths’ hot-footing it across the forecourt prompted John Walker to come over and say hello. Five minutes later, John was showing around our home for the week – A Freedom Jetstream Twin Sport. It’s a two-berth, end-kitchen, 650kg caravan built over in Poland, with a four-burner hob, grill and small fridge. There’s hot and cold water, blown air heating and directional spot lights to enjoy as well. And the price, a smidge over £10,600. I’ll let you know more about the Freedom later in the week.
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It quickly became apparent that the M6 is a long road, a very long road. With the Freedom following the Yeti we were managing a respectable 35.5mpg from the 140bhp 2.0-litre VW-group diesel engine. You’ll find this engine in most VW, SEAT and Skoda cars, but together with the Yeti’s four-wheel-drive, we were extremely impressed with the torque it dished out. Two stops, one at Lancaster services and one at Gretna services broke up the journey. We were pleased to find extensive caravan parking at both, and some other caravanners to park with. Ours is the smallest!
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479 miles and a very dirty Freedom caravan later, my brother and I rolled into Cashel Forest Holidays campsite and reversed the Jetstream onto its Lochside pitch. Harry the warden was extremely welcoming and gave us all the information we were after with regards to the site. That left us to move in, sort the aerial out and (at last!) open a beer. I’m sure you’ll agree, views from the Lounge in the UK don’t get much better than this…
>>On to day 2
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Email – rory@practicalcaravan.com