Full review

They’ve spent over 40 years with caravans – and almost all of my childhood holidays were in wheeled accommodation. So could this be the ’van to tempt them away from towing? Built by Bailey, a firm with a huge following in the caravan market, it has more than a few signatures that you’d find in its towbar siblings.

So we decided to book a few days at Rivendale Caravan and Leisure Park in the heart of the Peak District. This Premier Park offers a range of pitches – and other accommodation options like camping pods and lodges. It is also superbly located mid-way between Ashbourne and Buxton.

LIKE A FIAT BUT NOT A FIAT
I had a chance to try the Bailey’s on-road characteristics on the two-hour drive to pick them up. Being based on a Peugeot, it is barely different to the ubiquitous Fiat. And, like most Fiat-based motorhomes, it handled beautifully. The wider track and lower build height that the Al-Ko chassis offers not only enhances the living quarters with more space, but gives the ’van a better stance on the road. And the 130bhp 2.2-litre lump more than adequately shifts you along the road at a decent lick (albeit with much more cold start clatter than the latest Fiat Euro V engine). The Pug still feels a bit commercial to drive and not as smooth as other drivetrains.


AN INSTANT HIT
We were soon off to Derbyshire. The first good thing is that the fridge has a detachable freezer compartment, making the cool part larger and allowing us to fit all the food in (mum always packs too much).
On site and all settled, I knew the end lounge arrangement would be an instant hit, as most of my parents’ caravans, in fact most caravans in general, seem to follow this style. Then I watched them go through a mental checklist of features and facilities: nice big washroom, check; good-sized oven, check; good headroom everywhere, check.

For dinner on the first day we were treated to a veggie pasta bake and apple pie for afters. The bake was prepared from all fresh ingredients and cooked in the oven with the pie. It was certainly a good test of the facilities as we got to use everything all at once without running out of room or wishing something was placed differently.

Serving up the dinner, I noted that the table was a tad smaller than ideal (it’s made to fit inside the wardrobe), forcing us to sit a little bit too far forward in our seats while eating. However, it does mean that people can get in and out easily enough.But the main feature of the 765 that we were all interested in was six berths with six proper travel seats. The prospect of being able to take all of their grandchildren on holiday in this ’van was a massive plus. For me, too, I was looking forward to seeing how I’d be able to accommodate four boys and all their respective kit.

The rear lounge makes up into a huge double bed (although for our stay it was used as two singles). Then the dinette seats make up into one 6ft by 4ft bed, with a third mattress lowering electrically from above.
Deferring the main bed to the ‘grown-ups’, I was left to choose either the lower or upper ‘child’ beds. Now, I’m not the smallest of people, so I had to choose between the lower bed that was 4in shorter than I am, or the upper bed which had a weight limit just about enough to cope with me and perhaps a very small child. The upper bunk was very firm and didn’t feel like a bunk at all. My feet dangled over the end but I’m used to that.

The only problems were that to use the end lounge as two singles you have to remove the backrest cushions and store them somewhere or leave them on the floor (not very safe for trips to the washroom). Also the ladder for the upper bunk is situated in front of the fridge, so the first person up to make tea in the morning has to take the ladder away.
Another bedtime-related gripe was that the only radio is the cab unit. So to listen to Chris Evans while enjoying your first cup of tea in bed means you have to climb into the cab to switch it on (not great if you’ve chucked excess baggage in there overnight).


TORQUE-ING OF HILL STARTS
With breakfast sorted, we were off to explore the area. Being right next to the Tissington Trail, it is a great area for walking and cycling. We had no problem driving around the area either. The 765 is wider than almost all other European motorhomes, and at 7.45m long you’d think it would be a handful on the narrow lanes of the Peak District, but it wasn’t. The only time I was worried was doing a steep hill start at a set of traffic lights, but all 320Nm of torque was called into action and we moved off smoothly.

With his ‘grandad’ hat on, my dad inspected the reinforced seating and the seatbelt anchorages that Bailey developed after extensive crash-testing and gave them the thumbs up. He’d be happy to take the grandkids away in this ’van. Mum, being a practical one, was also very impressed with the removable carpets; she’s seen enough spillages in her time!

Overall, we liked the way Bailey has squeezed six berths into a manageable motorhome with two distinct seating areas – it even has separate TV ports for both. The only things we all thought should be different were, firstly, that if the washroom door opened the other way the adults could exit the shower and get dressed in their end of the ’van in privacy. And, secondly, that step up into the rear lounge area defeated all of us at some point – I guess we’d just have to get used to it.

This is an update, for the full review that can seen here.

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