Bailey Pegasus Ancona

The Bailey Pegasus Ancona has beds for five and a brilliant corner shower room; this caravan is one to consider if you’re looking in the mid-range family caravan market

Triple bunk caravans grabbed a lot of attention when they first appeared just a few years ago. On the face of it, this was a near-perfect family sleeping arrangement, with three in a stack tucked away in a corner of the caravan.
But, while this triple bunk innovation seemed initially to dominate the ranks of family layout desirability, it does have one restriction. Because there are three bunks, each has less headroom than in a two-bunk configuration. So the Ancona becomes less perfect as the children grow taller and need more headroom in bed.
Bailey has an answer, though. It’s the Olympus 540-5, the same layout except that there are two bunks where the Ancona has three. The Ancona, though, is the one to choose of these two models if you have very young children and this is why: The bottom bunk is at floor level, so is suitable for a baby; rolling out of bed merely means arrival on the carpet, which is only a child-thickness mattress lower than the bed. So no need for a portable cot in an Ancona. The advantage of this was amply demonstrated when Caravan Buyer’s group advertisement manager Ian Schroeder and his family spent a week in the Ancona some months ago. Joseph, then less than two years old and on his first caravanning trip, made the bottom bunk his cosy nest – and Ian and his wife Emma could rest easily in the front lounge bed, knowing Joseph couldn’t tumble if he decided to make an early exit from his bed. Daughter Rebecca found the centre bunk perfect for her age-five height.
The Ancona’s layout has another excellent young-family trick up its sleeve. The nearside dining area (which makes into a bed) is just about wide enough for two little children to sit on each side. That’s the breakfast and playtime location sorted, then….
 

Showering

When it comes to shower time, in a caravan sleeping six and without a full-width shower room, you might expect to find the shower sharing space with the toilet. The Ancona (and the Olympus 540-5) does things much better than that.
The shower room occupies the whole space between the bunk stack and the nearside. It’s slightly wedge-shaped, to make the best use of the space and still creates enough floor area for moving about around the doorway.
The shower is separate from the toilet and washbasin area – and there’s enough space for mum or dad to shower, dry and dress two children in here. Like the whole room, the shower, which has a plastic folding door, is wedge-shaped, and is large enough for multiple occupancy when it’s the kids’ turn for showers.
The washbasin is Belfast-style, larger than most in touring caravans. And, as we’ve discovered in our long-term-test Bailey Unicorn Barcelona, these washbasins are deep enough to wash small quantities of clothing. That’s another attribute to chalk up on the board marked “family convenience” for    the Ancona.
 

Sleeping

Each bunk has a window and a light. The bunk area closes off from the rest of the caravan by means of a pleated blind that tracks across to meet the wall of the shower room. When it’s closed, there’s a small amount of floor space.
The ladder is fixed, so far more secure than the clip-on sort. The top bunk has a guard, extending from the ladder, to prevent anyone from rolling out.
The bottom bunk base folds upwards, and secures in its vertical position by straps and press-studs, which means that you can transport stuff here when you’re on tow.
The nearside table forms the centre of the base for the bed here; it sits on ledges on the edges of   the seats.
Making the double bed in the lounge is by means of conventional slats which run out smoothly from under the two drawers.

Storage

Nine top lockers can take care of everyone’s clothing that doesn’t have to hang in the wardrobe. Under-seating areas for duvets and pillows are sufficient for the needs of the double bed and dining area single – and the duvets can stay on the three bunks; the Ancona copes well with its storage task.
Outside, too, Pegasus (and also Olympus models) have storage solutions that deserve comment. The gas compartment is just that – it’s not intended to be a repository for all the wheel chocks, water hoses, corner steady bases, toilet chemicals extension mirrors and a host of other boring necessities that seem to grow in number with each caravanning trip. These caravans have a triple locker arrangement – each of the side lockers is large enough for all of that stuff. And there’s space around the gas cylinders in their central housing for the corner steady brace and a few other items. Importantly, because there are three lockers, you can organise your stuff in a way you can’t if it’s all jammed into one front locker that spans the whole width. And, because each locker is smaller than one big locker, items don’t fall over when you’re towing.
 

Dining

You have three options at mealtimes. There’s the nearside table, the small table that pulls out from the front central chest of drawers – and the main, freestanding table. That one is stored in the cabinet between the oven and the fridge.
 

Lounging

Picture this: The Truma blown air heater (that’s under the wardrobe) is pushing out warm air, the Ancona’s array of six spotlights in the kitchen, two big front lounge lights and other little spotlights on stalks are all switched on. It’s a cosy scene. Your television sits on the cabinet that divides the lounge from the dining area… Kids are playing at the side table… A picture of family contentment, then. There’s only one thing missing. When you use the socket by the aerial for the TV, the young folk don’t have one for the X-Box. So if you buy an Ancona, you might be asking your retailer to fit an extra socket into one of the bed bases in this dining area.
 

Kitchen

When you’re catering for six, kitchen size matters. The Ancona gives you a surface space between the (four burner) hob and the sink, plus a bit more to the right of the hob and to the left of the sink. And when you put the chopping board over the sink, it fits flush with the surrounding area, so the whole area becomes working surface.
Behind the five opaque-frosted top locker doors is ample accommodation for tableware and much more. Lower storage is ample, too, but the best way to use it is less obvious. The cabinet between the fridge and the oven contains two sizeable metal pull-out drawers and a good space for tall items beneath. There’s a cutlery drawer at the top, within this cabinet – and it’s large enough for everyone’s cutlery. All of that is probably just about adequate for the needs of six – but there’s more. The TV cabinet is wide and deep, with two shelf spaces. This is a brilliant kitchen storage area, tall enough for the fizzy drinks bottles and cereal packets and much more. All in all, the Ancona’s kitchen is well designed and practical.
 

Towing

When colleague Ian and family spent quality family time in the Ancona some months ago, this presented opportunity for a longer-than-usual tow test. The Schroeders had decided on a Lake District and west coast break – so Ancona and Kia Sorento (with me at the helm) sped up the A1, across the Pennines and into the lanes of a region known as Fylde, close to the north west coast. Throughout its journey (and back) the Ancona was a delight on the hook. Smooth, well-balanced – simply an easy tow.
This time, the Ancona’s test tow was much shorter – around the lanes close to Caravan Buyer’s Lincolnshire base. It was just as impressive as we had remembered it all those months ago.
 

The Bailey Pegasus Ancona is one for your shortlist if you’re looking for a family caravan that’s designed especially for young children. Great on sleeping and showering and kitchen practicality. And, at 1499kg MPTLM, it’s suitable for a wide range of towcars.