Full review

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here are as many power points as you can possibly need. As we move into the big Conqueror at the start of this test we are greeted by a choice of five sockets for laptops and phones – and that’s just in the lounge. Another two are hidden away somewhere – we’ll find those… eventually.
Instantly, the 630 passes a major practicality test. We could have phones on charge, a television in use, a table lamp, perhaps and nowhere would an extension cable be necessary.
Practicality is a keynote in storage terms, too, especially in the centre of the caravan. Two large kitchen cupboards, three more opposite in the dresser, two cutlery drawers, two overhead cupboards in the dresser… the 630 sets out to cater well for caravanners who like to have a lot of equipment on board – and also those who value a kitchen in which you can really get organised. But the greatest asset of the 630’s kitchen is a 175-litre fridge with separate freezer. Experience of using these fridges teaches us that you can buy large containers of milk and fruit juice and know that the fridge will swallow them. You can chill the beer and the sparkling water and the wine all at once.
So how well does this gigantic kitchen work? There are three gas burners and an Aga-style mains hotplate (we like that), a microwave that’s about 10cm lower than in many caravans (shorter caravanners will like)  and a domestic-sized circular sink with small built-in drainer (we like that a lot). And there’s a vast dresser opposite, ready to help you out when you’re serving food. A kitchen for banquets, then.
There is, of course, a reason why there are so many cupboards in the 630. There’s no Truma heater to gobble up furniture space. Warmth rises from behind the seat backs, from a panel beside the bed and a mesh-covered area on the back wall of the washroom. This is the Alde central heating system that circulates hot water around the caravan, cocooning you in warmth silently and evenly. Unfortunately, though, Swift has missed an opportunity to make the most of the Alde system; the 630 (in common with others in the range) doesn’t have a heated towel rail in the washroom. It’s not essential, but it is something you’ll find in Alde-heated caravans by other manufacturers. A couple of towel loops above the heating aperture in the washroom would have helped. The loop and two hooks are too far from the heating duct to benefit from direct heat. Some will say this is a minor point – but whenever the weather is too bad to dry stuff outside, heated towel rails are something you’ll truly value.
The 630’s layout manages to push the bed well away from the living area. That’s not just a reflection of the caravan’s overall length (a smidgen off eight metres), it’s about the clear division between kitchen and bedroom. Yet the divider that curves out from the rear of the dresser manages to create this demarcation while still being unobtrusive.
Storing things in the bedroom is easy, when you consider the under-bed hatch gives you more space than you’re ever likely to need. Large, bulky folding chairs, windbreaks and folding tables for your awning will all disappear under here and still leave space for more. But there is something surprising and disappointing here. The dining table is stored under the bed – and it’s awkward to remove and install. The angle of lift means that it takes far more strength than sliding a table into the usual vertical slot. We can understand  the designer’s desire to find an out-of-the way place for the table but we would have gladly sacrificed a few centimetres of space in the main kitchen cupboard in order to avoid that awkward under-bed lift.