WE HAD FINALLY admitted to ourselves that we’d outgrown our old VW campervan.
You don’t mind sleeping in a wonky 4ft bed, skipping across a field for a wee in the middle of the night and dressing while bent over when you are limber enough to do it.
Now, the truth was that the prospect of a weekend in the camper was becoming a chore. We didn’t want fewer holidays. We wanted better holidays.
We had reached the point where a pretty campervan photo on Instagram mattered less than a proper bed, our own toilet and some heating.
Decision made, we sold the camper, paid for some boring but necessary house repairs, and then found that what was left in the purse was a skinny budget to go caravan shopping.
That budget meant we were browsing at the murkier end of the market. We couldn’t afford to look at caravans on dealer forecourts. We were looking around Gumtree, eBay and Facebook Marketplace, with around £2500 to spend.
The hunt is on
It’s a competitive market, too. People like us, searching for something to use for touring, are up against folks looking for building site offices, temporary accommodation while building a new house, and enterprising DIYers who want to strip out a caravan interior to transform their Transit into some bougie mobile bunkhouse. Caravans are often sold before you’ve responded to the advert. You need to be quick and lucky.
After a few weeks of combing the classified ads, something promising popped into view.
Denne historien er fra Summer 2023-utgaven av Practical Caravan.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra Summer 2023-utgaven av Practical Caravan.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
DASH CAMS
John Sootheran explores the 'big brother' world of dash cams - with caravanners in mind...
CARAVAN SAT-NAVS
State-of-the art satellite navigation just for caravanners? Yes, it exists. John Sootheran investigates
COACHMAN ACADIA 460
This comfortable two-berth is a welcome addition to the range, although the décor might not suit everyone
SWIFT SPRITE EXCLUSIVE QUATTRO MB
Innovative design in the latest addition to this popular range provides a cleverly repositioned corner bed
NORTH WALES FROM ALL ANGLES
Peter Baber finds Palladian splendour, mighty castles and fashionable hotspots on a tour of North Wales
SOUTHERN SEES
Titanic struggles, medieval halls and otters are among the many highlights of Victor Charles' Hampshire tour
LAKES, RIVERS & CANALS
Get a brand-new perspective on the UK by exploring its lakes and waterways on your next caravan tour!
Feeling Peaky
A journey through the Peak District's Hope Valley leads Susan Taylor through caves and caverns, Pride and Prejudice, and an attempted push up Mam Tor
Easy ULLSWATER
Within reach of the M6, Penrith is the perfect launchpad for a jaunt around Ullswater, as Peter Baber discovers on a Lake District tour
83 ERRORS TO AVOID!
Veteran or first-timer, there's always something new to learn about caravanning, especially when it comes to sidestepping mistakes that could spoil your fun! Our expert team has decades of caravanning experience under their belts, so here we reveal the errors we've made - and learned from - over the years, to help you avoid doing the same in future...