Cliff takes an adventurous holiday

There’s still a couple of big choices to be made, though. They key one is layout and your choice is between small with a fixed transverse bed (Cliff 540), medium with a bigger fixed bed at the rear (Cliff 600) and big, with a large bed at the rear where you can sleep lengthways (Cliff 640).

There’s a variation of the 600 that has two double beds, one above the other, bunk bed style, based on the extra-high roof version of the Ducato – this is the only model that can’t be specified with a pop-top offering a double bed in the roof.

However, it’s the pop-top version of the long-wheelbase Fiat (Cliff 600 RT) we’ll be focusing on here, as it is likely to be the most popular model in the UK.

If you’ve not been watching the motorhome market, the concept of adding a rising roof to a high-top panel van may be a bit alien. We’ve had a few years to come to terms with it and it really makes sense…

In fact, we’re not sure why it didn’t happen sooner. Smaller campervans have had pop tops almost since their inception all those decades ago. So why would bigger ones be less suitable for families?

Well, it is all about the space efficiency of having an extra bed in the roof; squeezing beds for four on the same level is tricky. Plus, those pop-tops on bigger vans such as the Ducato are bigger, and therefore provide bigger beds, making them an ideal option for families with older kids. Normal lounge beds in models like this may only be suitable for younger kids and can be complicated to make, often needing extra mattress pieces which have to be stored somewhere.

This Sunlight version, developed by the Erwin Hymer Group for all its campervan brands, is an excellent example. Not only does it have an excellent mattress with sprung supports, that size rivals a generous double, so much so that you might not want to pop the kids up there. It also has a rooflight which, when the roof is lowered, floods light into the lounge below. Plus, there’s a handy light up there with integrated USB charge port, for charging the kids' tablets or phones, etc.

The final highlight is the sides that completely unzip, creating your very own roof terrace-style area enclosed by mesh screens – handy for stargazing or if you’re north enough and lucky enough, catching a rare glimpse of the aurora borealis.

Specifications