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46 Articles

It's that hectic time again when motorhome manufacturers unveil their new models for the coming season. I can already tell you that there are some outstanding new models coming onto our market and, of course, you will be able to read about these in MMM's news pages and also in the special supplement, which will be included with the November issue. The timing of the supplement means you will have all the information you need if you're planning to buy a new model prior to the opening of the NEC show in October. What has also been notable at the recent launches is the arrival of new specification lines by some manufacturers. Some have opted to create all-inclusive packs that give buyers almost all the options they could desire in…

Have your say by emailing or writing to us at: mmm@warnersgroup.co.uk Your Letters, MMM, Warners Group Publications, West Street, Bourne, Lincs PE10 9PH Join the debate x.com/MMM_Magazine Join the community facebook.com/motorhomemags Urban motorhoming In response to my original letter (July, p12), you asked what ‘townies’ would like to see in MMM magazine. In general terms, and speaking personally, I would like to see more specific details, in both major travel features and site reviews, of how featured attractions can be accessed both on foot from site and by public transport. Frequency of the latter is crucial. It can range from every seven minutes (London) to once a day (Lake District). The Your Site Review section does have a heading ‘nearest public transport.’ Perhaps this could be extended to show frequency…

Echoes of the past

The Motor Muse's words of wisdom in the July issue brought back lots of memories and echoed with the “So You Think You Want a Revolution?” exhibition at the V&A Museum that I visited a few years ago. This covered the late 60s and early 70s, featuring a VW camper outside to promote the event (see photo). I came away quite depressed. How had we moved from a time of when there seemed to be infinite opportunities to where we are today? A very sobering thought and surely not entirely due to us all investing in campervans? Here are two quotes that I have saved relating to this theme… From Bill Bryson: “I really do think Britain had attained something approaching perfection just around the time of my arrival. It's…

Echoes of the past

After talking with a fellow camper on holiday, I was amazed to be told that her beloved Volkswagen 1973 model, Type 2, bay window, registered in 1974, had failed its MoT with a significant amount of welding to be done on the chassis. I find it very strange that £20,000 of welding appeared within the 12-month period since the last MoT. This has left her heartbroken due to her love of the VW and spending many hours of hard work by herself carrying out the upgrading of the interior with new cupboards and soft furnishings. She has since purchased another VW camper, but would very much like to have the 1974 VW back on the road as it means so much to her. I am hoping that fellow MMM readers…

Is the electric excessive?

We've just returned from a two-week holiday, ending up with two nights on a site with metered electric supply. This was a first for us and an interesting experiment as I've often wondered how much we use. Well, it was a bit of an eye opener! We deliberately didn't change our habits – so multiple kettle boils each day, charging phones and tablets and, most importantly, cooking in an electric pan. To my amazement, we used a grand total of £1.25 over the two days! How is it then, that sites can get away with charging £5 or more per night? In the case of the clubs, the Caravan and Motorhome Club is difficult to gauge because the vast majority of sites don't give you the option of non-electric. I…

Of mice and men

LETTERS In relation to Mike Fletcher's mice problem ( July, p10), in the past I had problems with mice getting into my 'van and nibbling this and that. Now I keep a boxed mousetrap baited with chocolate spread next to each wheel – see photo – if the trap wasn't boxed there would be a risk of trapping small birds. I also keep a trap inside the 'van as a backup, but this has never caught anything since I started using the four traps next to the wheels and I have seen no further evidence of mice activity in the vehicle. I do trap quite a few mice. I don't like killing them, but it's up to them whether they eat the chocolate spread or not! The mice don't go…

Of mice and men

Your favourite photos

SHARE YOUR PHOTOS If you have a picture of a motorhome adventure that makes you smile, please share it. Email it and a caption to mmm@warnersgroup.co.uk…

Your favourite photos

Motor muse monthly

As you will have realised by now, I'm a very relaxed kind of guy, and very little of what is wrong with the world excites or annoys me. Except the word ‘guy’, which irritates me quite a lot. Obviously, I can't use the exact words required. In the pecking order of minor verbal irritants, it lies just behind the word ‘mate’ when used in my direction by a complete stranger. The Scottish medication helps me to get over these things, but mostly my tranquillity is assured because we can always disappear in the wagon to beautiful deserted places where the simple things become sufficient for our needs. Well, it used to be, but we also have to consider our ‘footprint’ nowadays. This, the seemingly recent discovery of the hypocritical concept…

Motor muse monthly

GOING ALL FRANCONIAN “It's a riot of colour, carvings and more, all in wood” Launch season is always a surprise. Off we go (via planes, trains or automobiles) to various parts of the UK and Europe for a preview of what is to come. Yes, we have an indication of what the manufacturer we are visiting is introducing, but sometimes it's a complete surprise. And, every so often, we manage to fit in some culture, which is what happened at the very recent Frankia launch. As well as the new models (Frankia Now décor options and a new Merc campervan, as well as some specification changes – read all about it in the supplement in your November issue), there was a tour of the Bayreuth opera house. It is a…

Join the debate x.com/MMM_Magazine Join the community facebook.com/motorhomemags AWARDS 2025 Awards sponsor confirmed as public voting opens The 2025 Motorhome Awards as well as the Campervan Awards and Caravan Awards will again be sponsored by Creation Consumer Finance. Creation is a leading provider of consumer finance to leisure vehicle buyers and it said it is delighted to again be sponsoring the 2025 awards. “We have built a strong business on providing financial solutions to our partners and four million customers and it is an exciting time as we push further into the UK leisure market,” said Andrew Brameld, Chief Commercial Officer. “We are committed to continuing to develop and enhance our product offers to ensure we meet the demands of this growing market.” The Awards recognise the very best motorhomes…

Expert advice at the South West Motorhome & Campervan Show

SHOW NEWS NEWS The South West Motorhome & Campervan Show is set to be an exciting event, running from 6 – 8 September 2024. This show is a fantastic opportunity for motorhome and campervan enthusiasts to gain valuable insights and practical advice from industry experts. Whether you're new to the campervan lifestyle or a seasoned motorhome owner, the OutandAboutLive Advice Centre offers a series of informative, entertaining and interactive sessions that are all included in the ticket price. Here is the schedule for the sessions: FRIDAY 10.30am: Buying a motorhome or campervan – Peter Vaughan & Iain Duff Gain valuable insights into purchasing your ideal motorhome or campervan. Learn about the key factors to consider, how to spot a good deal, and what to avoid 11.30am: Touring Europe with a motorhome…

Expert advice at the South West Motorhome & Campervan Show

50 DEALERS CONFIRMED FOR MALVERN SHOW

NEWS The Western Motorhome & Campervan Show is just around the corner, and anticipation is high as the exhibition area continues to fill up. With 50 dealers already confirmed to exhibit and more joining each week, this event promises to be a premier destination for motorhome and campervan enthusiasts. Whether you're in the market for a new or used vehicle, looking to compare brands, layouts, base vehicles or budgets, this show has something for everyone. As with all Warners Shows, visitors will find a diverse selection of motorhomes and campervans available for purchase. Many dealers will be offering exclusive show deals, making it the perfect opportunity to secure a great offer on your next leisure vehicle. Make sure to check outandaboutlive.co.uk/shows for the full list of confirmed dealers and suppliers.…

50 DEALERS CONFIRMED FOR MALVERN SHOW

Sniffing the wind

Spain | TRAVEL Just in case this is the first copy of MMM you have ever cast your glad eye upon, or you missed the previous thrilling(ish) instalments (January and April 2024), we had already been bumbling about in Spain for 73 days, and you join the trail at the ancient city of Alarcón. This is situated about 50 miles south east of Madrid, and we were on our reluctant way northwards to board the ferry back to Britain. We had around a fortnight to reach Santander before becoming illegal immigrants and our progress was becoming ever more glacial. What we perhaps should have done, at that moment, was ring Ursula Van Lederhosen, or whoever is presently in charge at the EU, and obtain a new personal exit agreement. There…

Sniffing the wind

Bute-iful Argyle

Scotland | TRAVEL We had thought that our Munrobagging days were over, in spite of only ever having managed to bag a dozen of the 282 total in more than 30 years of hillwalking. However, our son had bought me a guide to climbing them all – with the intention, I suspect, of borrowing it himself – for my birthday, so, when the weather promised to be fine up north the following week, we were inspired to pack up the motorhome and head off. After a first night on the shores of Loch Lomond, we awoke to gloom and drizzle, which banished our hopes of attempting to climb nearby Beinn Narnain. We are fair-weather hikers and would never dream of climbing a mountain when there was no hope of seeing…

Bute-iful Argyle

France | TRAVEL We've never been ‘on-trend’, so adopting slow travel isn't a fashion statement, but it does give us chance to connect with the countryside, stumble on little-known towns and immerse ourselves in the heritage, landscape and food. In France's Périgord Vert or green Périgord we became so mellow, tortoises were travelling faster! Driving less than an hour between budget campsites and walking and cycling from our campervan were good for our finances and also our wellbeing. The Périgord is a historical region in the Dordogne department and the sparsely populated Périgord Vert in the north is named for its abundant woodlands and meadows. Characterised by steep-sided river valleys, farming and quality fresh produce, the Périgord Vert deserves to be explored, unhurriedly. You are never far away from a…

Confessions of a newbie

“Flood ahead? Really! There just can't be. I know how physics works, you can't have a flood up a hill.” This was the sentence uttered by my partner and copilot whilst we navigated through the Quantocks, a hilly range in Somerset, in a ferocious autumn storm. We had just driven past a temporary sign that warned of flood ahead. As we rounded a bend, the climbing road suddenly levelled off and right there, in front of us, was a one-foot deep, fast flowing, brown river right across the road. With little option other than to drive straight through it, I steeled myself and tried to remember the rules of fording water: high revs, create a bow wave and ‘push’ the water in front of you. So far, our journey had…

Confessions of a newbie

Get away for… THE WEEKEND!

Weekend Break | TRAVEL Few can deny that campsites and popular routes are getting busier. In recent years, there has been a fantastic increase in the number of motorhomes and campervans on the road. Whilst it is great to see more people enjoying our beloved hobby, sometimes you do just fancy something a little quieter. If you are tired of fighting traffic, struggling to park and edging down busy narrow roads, you'll find the Northumberland 250 a hidden gem. This lesser-known route takes in the Scottish Borders and a stunningly beautiful stretch of coastline. Right on the English-Scottish border, Northumberland is a rugged county dotted with castles, wild beaches and pretty villages. It lends itself to the perfect campervan road trip. We started our trip at Kielder Forest, the largest…

Get away for… THE WEEKEND!

Go wild on the… WELSH COAST

Wales | TRAVEL Many's the time this corner of Wales has been featured in the pages of MMM, but not many of our contributors are quite as nutty about wildlife as I am, so I hope that within these pages I might be able to give those of you heading to Wales for a walking, sightseeing or beach holiday a few ideas for diversifying into nature. There's a lot to see so I am going to keep my intro short and cunningly squeeze four locations in hoping the Editor doesn't notice (Ed – bad news! We spotted it, but forgive you…) High as a kite Having now bagged Nant yr Arian, I think we've been to all the red kite feeding stations in Britain, but did we save the best…

Go wild on the… WELSH COAST

“With no clear plan of where we were going, we agreed at least to set off in the opposite direction to that of the bank holiday traffic. Neil had looked on Google Maps and identified all the roads that were red and that we would not be going on. So, Wales and the Lake District were out, but the roads to the Peak District looked clear enough, so we aimed in that direction. Listening to Classic FM (John Williams' Jaws theme) I got on my favourite app, park4night, and looked for a suitable off-grid location where we could be completely on our own in nature and moon-gaze in the summer breeze. I settled on a layby near Holme Moss Summit. This decision was based on some fair to middling reviews…

Sites for… ESCAPING THE CROWDS

1 Salen Bay Campsite, Isle of Mull Ardmor Road, Salen, Isle of Mull PA72 6JL 01680 300250 salenbaycampsite.co.uk 28 March – 31 October For a campsite that's well off the beaten track, how about Salen Bay on the Isle of Mull in the west of Scotland? You need to hop on a ferry, from either Oban, Lochaline or Kilchoan to get to the island, which adds to that ‘far from anywhere’ feel. The site is set on the coast, with shore access and stunning mountain and sea views. Pitches for motorhomes are serviced hardstandings with water and electric. Modern Portakabins house the toilet, shower and washing-up facilities in a courtyard area. There is also a bothy with charging points, a washing machine, dryer and a freezer. Kayaks and paddleboards can…

Sites for… ESCAPING THE CROWDS

Your campsite reviews

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND Wild Atlantic Camp, County Donegal Every once in a while, when I decide to head northwest to County Donegal, my campsite of choice will always be Wild Atlantic Camp. Located in the village of Creeslough, you'd be forgiven for thinking you were entering the wild bounds of Ireland as you pass through ‘The Gap’, and that it would be the last place you might expect to find such a well-presented camping and glamping site. For the motorhomer you will find 20 well-spaced hardstandings, each with a hook-up point, water tap and waste disposal point. The central facilities block houses the reception area, a chemical waste disposal, kitchen and laundry, and toilets and showers. Next to reception is a small shop and café. Additional facilities include an excellent…

Your campsite reviews

Short ‘n’ sweet

When customers specifically ask for it, you'd be mad not build it. So, following numerous requests for a motorhome of around six metres in length at last October's NEC show, Swift has added a new layout to its best-selling range, the Voyager. The result is the 510 model, which inherits much of the design and all of the spec of its bigger brothers, but in a more compact package – just 6.19m long. Here, then, is an exclusive first look at the prototype, with the first production vehicles arriving with dealers by the time you read this. The first thing that strikes you about this newcomer is its tiny rear overhang, which should make this the most agile, best handling of the Voyager breed. Of course, up front it's still…

Short ‘n’ sweet

Above and be Yonder

WATCH the video! motorhome.ma/review312 PROJECT YONDER FREEDOM 4X Price from: £168,722 Berths: 2/4 Travel seats: 2/4 Base vehicle: Mercedes Sprinter 4×4 Length: From 6.97m Gross weight: 4,430kg Project Yonder had already tickled my campervanning taste buds via social media when it made its debut at the NEC in February and this test 'van is the same one that made such an impression under the show lights. Here is a young company, set up three years ago by Charlie Hughes and Grace Robertson, that aims to build the best in off-road, off-grid 'vans based on the couple's own experience of travelling in their self-built 'van. It already seems to have come a long way from converting on Grace's mum's drive and, while the factory unit in Hastings is small, the ambition…

Above and be Yonder

Millennium Falcon

WATCH the video! motorhome.ma/review313 GLOBE-TRAVELLER FALCON 2XS Price from: £119,595 Berths: 2 Travel seats: 2 Base vehicle: VW Crafter Length: 5.99m Gross weight: 3,500kg Globe-Traveller was a surprise arrival in the UK at the 2022 October NEC show but even more of a shock was that this premium campervan manufacturer from Poland immediately snatched the Campervan of the Year title (with its Voyager Z) from under the noses of well-known marques. Now, 15 years after the company began, it has added a new Volkswagen Crafter-based flagship to its portfolio to sit above the existing Fiat or Peugeot-based Explorer, Pathfinder and Voyager. The new Falcon comes in two flavours: the long-wheelbase (6.84m) 2Z with a classic rear single bed layout and this rather more unusual 2XS version in the medium-wheelbase van.…

Millennium Falcon

TESTED 2020 Frankia I 680 SG 2020 FRANKIA | 680 SG We have always travelled, cramming as much into our two-week holidays from work as we could and returning to work shattered but fulfilled. It was on one of those trips, though, with the stresses of work continuing to dominate our thoughts, that we had our light bulb moment. At a stunning spot in Norway, we were looking at the view but not seeing it. It was at that instant that we knew we needed to make a change, and thus, the planning began. We rented a motorhome three times and visited the NEC show several times. Renting really helped us understand what we thought we needed but didn't, plus what we hadn't realised was necessary. One key factor was Nick…

Crossword When you have solved the crossword the coloured squares highlight a motorhome-related anagram ACROSS 1 Largest city in Sri Lanka (7 5 Unit of measurement (5) 8 Token (7) 9 Descend like an eagle (5 10 Cash and ___ (5) 11 Raincoat (7) 12 Deceive (6) 14 Newspaper bigwig (6) 17 Fashionable (7) 19 Opener (5) 22 Acquired relative (2-3) 23 Leave (7) 24 Dress material (5) 25 Offered resistance (7) DOWN 1 Animated magazine (5) 2 Primate of Madagascar (5) 3 Well off (7) 4 Woodwind player (6) 5 Kenyan tribesman (5) 6 Mechanic's set (4,3) 7 Kind of penguin (7) 12 File (7) 13 Allegiance (7) 15 What you do at closing time in a pub (5,2) 16 Presley hit, “In the ___” (6) 18 An inhabitant of the Hawkeye state in the US (5) 20 Moves quickly (5) 21 Rubbed out (5) Sudoku When you have solved the sudoku you…

TECH HELP EDITOR Q What tyre pressure should I be using on my Peugeot Boxer-based 'van? When I retired in 2011, I bought a new Autocruise Starburst motorhome built on a Peugeot Boxer 335 LWB chassis. This motorhome was fitted with Michelin Agilis C/P tyres, 215/70 × 15, 109/107R. I have always replaced these tyres with the same make and type, but now my dealer tells me that this tyre is no longer available. I have written to Michelin and it recommended using Michelin CrossClimate Camping tyres. On the Peugeot plate it shows the front to have a tyre pressure of five bar, 72.3 psi and the rear to have a pressure of 5.5 bar, 79.5 psi. However, the CrossClimate C/P has a maximum pressure of 4.75 bar, 69 psi…

After a bumpy trip to Devon, trying to avoid all the pot holes and bumps in the road, we finally arrived at our destination and found, with their hangers, all our clothes had fallen off the rail and were in a heap in the bottom of the wardrobe. So, when we arrived home after a lovely week away, I set about researching how we could stop this happening again. With some curtain wire, hooks and screws, I came up with this simple modification, which has stopped this happening again. Pete Robinson Nick says: Now that net curtains are going slowly into extinction, you might want to get hold of some of this wire sooner rather than later. This is a clever and inexpensive fix for an irritating problem.…

TECHNICAL Our Ducato-based Chausson 610 Welcome was originally fitted with a 100Ah Platinum lead acid leisure battery. A second identical battery was installed at time of purchase to provide more off-grid capacity and a greater energy reserve. These batteries failed and needed to be replaced. The twin leisure batteries are located beneath the passenger cab seat, which must be removed to gain access. As it is necessary to disconnect the seatbelt pretensioner wiring, care must be taken not to damage the airbag control module. This is achieved by disconnecting the starter battery at least 30 minutes (it is said) before starting work. After informing the Tracker monitoring company, I chose to disconnect the starter battery the evening before starting work to be on the safe side. I also isolated the…

TECHNICAL I have just successfully replaced the outside temperature gauge on our 2016 Fiat Ducato on the fourth attempt. This might be the most fiddly job I've ever attempted. For those wondering if it is possible to replace a faulty mirror temperature gauge on a Fiat without breaking things, it is. My first three attempts were when the temperature was around 15˚C and under. These saw me nervously achieving more separation of the plastic faces of the mirror surround each time, but I was very aware that, if they cracked, a replacement mirror (heated and electric) would be over £200. So, do choose a day when the temperature is over 20˚C as the plastic will be rather more malleable. The actual mirror glass is easy to gently prise off with…

Whether your idea of heaven at the end of the day is a cold beer or fresh food for a barbecue, there's not much chance unless your motorhome has an efficient refrigerator. In years past, the standard motorhome fridge was a three-way absorption fridge, which works on alternative power sources, but, in recent years, compressor fridges have become increasingly common in mainstream motorhomes. HOW FRIDGES WORK Absorption and compressor fridges work on broadly similar principles utilising latent heat, which is taken up when a liquid vaporises into a gaseous state. Many campers will have noticed this principle when using gas cylinders and find the top half of their cylinder cold, often with condensation formed around the outside. In this situation it's the liquid butane or propane vaporising off within the…

Here is a quick rundown of some great 2024 motorhomes and campervans that caught our eye and can currently be found in stock at dealers across the UK, and as seen on our Motorhomes For Sale and Campervans For Sale sections on outandaboutlive.co.uk Remember, the market is still strong in the UK and so, although some dealers are offering end-of-season discounts, these are not widespread. It's also worth bearing in mind that we still don't have a full picture of what models will and won't be changing for 2025, so there is a chance some of these models will continue mainly unchanged into the next season. This means that if you need a different specification to those in stock, you may still be able to order one from the factory,…

THIS MONTH Martin Watts gets topical about motorhome parking A campervan, whether it's a pop-top or high-top, is a pretty unobtrusive vehicle, often not much longer than an estate car. These fit on most UK driveways and into most parking bays at the shopping centre. A motorhome, on the other hand, is somewhat larger, and is no shrinking violet when it comes to blending into the background. Parking such a vehicle on your drive in a rural or semi-rural location is not likely to upset neighbours, if parked in a way that it does not infringe on the enjoyment of their property or block out light sources. It is a different story when it comes to parking large motorhomes in a built-up, more densely populated neighbourhood. Indeed, some modern homes…

STORAGE OLPRO REAR SINGLE SEAT STORAGE Being organised is a bit of a skill and is pretty darn essential in the confines of a motorhome or campervan. Never has the phrase “a place for everything and everything in its place” been more apt. You don't want to set off on the next leg of your motorhome adventure only to find that campsite guidebook flying off the table where you left it and bonking Buster, your dog, on his head. And that's where this handy storage organiser from Olpro comes in. You can either build it into your existing storage needs or use it as an emergency function for forgotten items. Plus, as it's attached to the back of the cab seats, then this could easily be accessed by the passenger…

“If I had my way, every height barrier in the land would be dismantled with immediate effect. Quite frankly, there aren't enough words in the English language to describe my loathing for these constructions. In my own pre-campervan days I was, like most, guilty of giving little thought to their presence, but ever since the purchase of my first campervan these barriers have become an object of hate. My obsession to find a way of overcoming the problem they create even went as far as dictating the type of campervan I bought. After owning a high-top VW for three years, I downgraded to a VW pop-top for a while, with the sole purpose of combatting height barriers. This proved to be a disastrous move that ended up creating more problems…

In this issue of What motorhome

Welcome Insurance is a topic that's not going to get your heart racing, but it might have your wallet twitching nervously. That's why this magazine has brought you the market's only in-depth guide, year in, year out. After all, this is far too niche a topic to be dealt with by the usual comparison websites, so someone has to do the hard work for you! The bad news this year is that premiums are still rising (as are thefts), but I won't spoil Richard Dredge's thunder, or reveal this year's winner here. Suffice to say that his report shows you how to get the best cover, with the best companies, without selling any vital organs… After all, you might need that cash for one of the new 'vans in this…

In this issue of What motorhome

The latest Liners from Morelo

German liner-class motorhome manufacturer, Morelo, is amongst the first European brands to announce its plans for the 2025 season. For a start, there are new developments on the exterior, including the new Bridge Light brake light and a curved windscreen shaped around the A-pillars up to the side walls. This results in improved aerodynamics, an enlarged field of vision and reduced weight. Furthermore, all model ranges now benefit from LED headlights. The Home range takes a break in the coming season, so the Loft – from 7.99m long and €219,900 – is now the entry-level Morelo. In addition to its new exterior, the Loft has a redesigned interior featuring revised furniture construction with modern lightweight panels and a honeycomb structure to ensure weight savings across the entire body. There are…

The latest Liners from Morelo

WITH many new campervans costing £70k or more and older used diesel 'vans now falling foul of low emission zones, the idea of a petrol-powered, low-cost alternative is more attractive than ever. But, with most European base vehicles having been 99.9% diesel for decades, it's to Japanese chassis that converters have long been turning. And not vans but people-carriers that offer more spec, if a little less space. There are a number of specialists in this sector, some of them long-established converters of Japanese vehicles. Axon Motorhomes itself has been building Nissan Elgrand conversions for the past seven years, with the completed campers being retailed by Quality Campervans of Lostock Hall, near Preston, which usually has examples in stock and ready to go. Axon also builds campers on the smaller…

Brown Bird & Co Sully

SEE a VW camper conversion at a show and it's almost automatic to assume that it'll have the usual side kitchen layout but, from the number of people peering into Brown Bird & Co's Sully at the Yorkshire Motorhome & Campervan Show, you could tell that this was something special. It's the latest design from a three-year old company that developed its conversions from experience of full-time vanlife. Previous models have been based on larger panel vans such as the Mercedes Sprinter and the design here owes its inspiration to those bigger vehicles, not the traditional Transporter format. Like its larger campervans, Brown Bird & Co's VW is also designed for long-term off-grid living, so there's a full Victron electrical system with anything from 150W up to 360W of solar…

Brown Bird & Co Sully

Dreamer D55+ Select

THIS layout has clearly been a real success for the Rapido Group. It debuted in 2015 and it's still going strong, both as a V55 in the parent company's range and as a Dreamer. In fact, this campervan specialist marque offers three flavours of the same basic recipe – D55 and D55 Up (with a pop-top) in the entry-level Fun range, plus the new-for-2024 D55+ in the premium Select range. It has evolved in nearly a decade on sale but the Modul'Space washroom that makes such clever use of space remains key to its popularity. New this season is the Plus spec (also available on the longer, single bed layout D68). Inside, this top-of-the-range campervan comes with the Natural furniture and Dakota TEP (leather-look) upholstery, as well as interior accessories…

Dreamer D55+ Select

Go2 Campers Hobby

FACT FILE ALSO CONSIDER EXPERIENCED motorhomers might view a Volkswagen Transporter as tiny, while, to those more used to driving a Polo or Fiesta, a T6 could seem huge. For those buyers, there has always been a selection of really small campervans on the market – ones that truly can be described as ‘car sized’ – and, in this genre, the Citroën Berlingo and Peugeot Partner (same vehicle, different badge) have always been a popular starting point. That's the case here, too, with Go2 Campers choosing the 2008 to 2018 generation of these Gallic cars – yes, it uses the car derivatives of the Berlingo/Partner, not the panel vans. So, the black 16-plate example seen here is a Berlingo Multispace VTR with a 1.6-litre 90hp diesel motor and manual gearbox.…

Go2 Campers Hobby

Orange Campers Micro Camper

ORANGE Campers made its name with the Trouvaille Classique, a side kitchen layout in a short-wheelbase Fiat Ducato – thus offering considerably more living space than a VW Transporter. But when Fiat discontinued the 5m panel van, this Rotherham company had to look to alternative base vehicles, resulting in a more varied range that includes the Ford Transit Custom and medium-wheelbase Ducato as well as this, the Micro Camper. As the Volkswagen T6.1 is in its twilight days and new-generation Transit Customs seem to only just be starting to arrive on the UK campervan market, a number of converters have turned their attention to the Renault Trafic as a well-priced alternative. But Orange Campers had another idea and one that seems to have worked out rather well. This is the…

Orange Campers Micro Camper

Outlandish Campers Explorer

THIS isn't your typical campervan. It caught my eye at the Yorkshire Motorhome & Campervan Show because of its base vehicle, the ID Buzz Cargo, but its conversion is, perhaps, more interesting than the all-electric Volkswagen – and, in any case, it fits numerous other panel vans, too. It's the brainchild of friends, Max and Carwyn, who have been designing small spaces – not just campervans – for years. The pair have worked for the George Clarke's Amazing Spaces TV programme and clearly did not set out to be just another camper conversion company. Part of the brief here was to create a camper that was “accessible and affordable for all.” Lightweight, durable, aluminium floor rails are the backbone, providing fixings not only for the campervan kits but also bike…

Outlandish Campers Explorer

Pilote V600G X-Edition

PILOTE is well established in the campervan world with its range of Fiat-based high-tops but new this year is the X-Edition, which aims to cut out the hassle of wading through options lists by giving you all the essentials as standard. Four models are available, two with transverse beds (V540G and the longer V600G), a single bed layout in the V630J and, most unusually, the V633M with an electric rising rear bed over a huge garage. Here, it's the V600G that's under scrutiny as not only does it have the extra spec but also a new kitchen design and wider bed for 2024. It's also the most popular of all continental-style campervan layouts. Based on the six-metre Ducato with the 140hp engine and manual gearbox, it comes with 16in alloy…

Pilote V600G X-Edition

CLICK on Speeds' website and it declares ‘Ford Custom camper specialists’ before scrolling through some images of brightly liveried pop-top conversions. But there's no doubt that this sector has slowed, due to the arrival of an all-new Transit Custom base vehicle (with its VW relation waiting in the wings), alongside an overabundance of competition. So, here is something slightly different that, maybe, will appeal to a slightly different buyer. It's still a Ford – just the full-sized ‘no suffix’ Transit, rather than the smaller Transit Custom. And it still has the eternally popular, campervan classic formula of a rear bench/bed and a side kitchen. But the Roma, based on an L2 H2 Transit van, doesn't need a pop-top to have standing room inside and it's wider and a shade longer…

Insurance survey 2024 Buying advice A while ago, we turned this annual survey from a generic guide into a state-of-the-nation article that gave you an insight into the motorhome insurance industry, courtesy of some of the most senior and experienced people who run some of the biggest firms in the market. We made this move not long before Covid, leaving a roller coaster ride in its wake. The result was a series of features that offered something new each year but, during the pandemic, there was talk of a 'new normal' and that now seems to be where we are. So, much of what was highlighted last year is still current, although this year's interviewees still offered plenty of food for thought. Those experts are Craig Thompson (Caravan Guard), Ben Cue…

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