Sport the difference? Swift's Challenger Sport models are in line with our budget conscious times.

Are you planning to buy a leisure vehicle in 2012? New or used, now’s the time. I’m not saying prices are going to tumble, but there’s certainly a whiff of price-consciousness in the air at the moment. So, what’s the theme to be for 2012?

Sheer value, that’s what. And already I have evidence of this happening. Lunar, for example, has announced a portfolio of lighter, cheaper caravans under the all-new Venus brand. Possibly even more significantly, the Swift Group says the Sport versions of its Swift Challenger and Eccles series have been an immediate success.

Camping and Caravanning Club's site at Delamere Forest is well situated. We can't wait to get back.

Just before Christmas I had a rather busy schedule to get through, but one of my first jobs was to get a Sprite Musketeer EB and take it away for a weekend.

Skoda UK, as helpful as ever, loaned me a new Octavia SE-Plus petrol engine estate. It was going to have its work cut out as I used it to tow another five caravans!!

Anyhow, some months earlier I had driven past the Camping and Caravanning Club’s Delamere Forest site and was impressed by its surroundings.

Solar power and more? There's always room for some smart thinking.

Welcome to the festive season. With Christmas just about on us, and then party, party, party until the New Year (for some, at least), I thought it an opportune time for even me to lighten up a little and share some thoughts with you. So, please bear with me while I expound on some of my Big Ideas for leisure vehicles, be they caravans or motorhomes.

My campervan, like lots of motorcaravans, has stick-on insulation panels rather than curtains for cab windows. Apart from a tendency to come unstuck sometimes, they work very well. They’re effective at night as well as during the day, when they prevent too much heat build-up inside. Wouldn’t it be great if such screens could, in future, also incorporate the latest solar power technology?

Sat navs - could make great presents?

Got your Christmas present wishlist together? Here’s mine… just in case anyone’s feeling particularly generous. OK, not strictly mine, but it’s a small round-up of the kind of last-minute presents you might want to consider for a loved one, especially a loved one who’s hooked on any kind of caravanning, motorcaravanning or camping. Here goes.

Sat nav first. Spend wisely here, cos you probably don’t want all the extras that more expensive models get you. Go to Halfords or the like and you’ll see a fair number of basic TomToms and Garmins, as well as Halfords’ own-label Navman models, for under £100, especially as there are quite a few seasonal offers around at the moment.