How does a new Bailey Pegasus Ancona Caravan compare to another make?
We sent our test family of Carole and Jason and their young kids Evan and Andy to test a Bailey Pegasus Ancona Caravan against their own Abbey Piper.
Having emptied our Abbey Piper caravan of the essentials we needed, we hit the road to Bristol to pick up a Bailey Pegasus Ancona Caravan for a few days. After a three hour drive we arrived at the home of Bailey and our two very excited little boys were in awe of the number of caravans and motorhomes stretching as far as their eyes could see.
“Are all these for us?” asked Evan. “No son, just that one.” He followed my pointed finger to our waiting Bailey Pegasus Ancona Caravan. It was fresh and gleaming and it made our little shack on wheels look very old and dated. The boys had found a new love almost instantly.
We hooked up and off we went to Devon for a few days. Although it was slightly longer than mine, I found that my Ford Galaxy pulled the Ancona with ease.
It took us around half an hour to get things set up at our Devon site and it was all very easy. The space for our family of four was perfect. The lounge was a great size and had a useful pull-out table at the front of the van for the kids to play on, or for me to use for my coffee first thing in the morning. The excellent soft furnishings with curtains around each window made the Ancona feel very cosy. Each of the spot lights and small reading lights could be turned on individually or by a master switch.
It really was a little like being at home.
The pull-out double bed was easy to use. Pulling the slats out and flipping the lounge cushions was a very simple task and turned the lounge into a great double bed in no time.
I have to admit we all slept like babies.
The kitchen area and work tops were spacious and the cooker was state of the art, with both an oven and a grill. There was a built in microwave, and a full size fridge.
Carole was very happy.
The boys found the fixed bunk beds at the rear of the van and after the usual argument about who was taking which bunk, they were both very satisfied with their choices. They even had their own reading lights.
On the opposite side was a dinette area for two, a good size table with lots of space for either a game or for breakfast.
Then there was the fitted bathroom. Our own little house on wheels has a very small shower which we’ve never used because it’s never worked properly, so this was a five star experience in comparison. It was a glorious fitted space with a separate shower cubicle. I was also very happy with the water pressure. Clearly, a caravan shower will never be as powerful as a home one, but it was perfect for us and a real bonus not to have to drag ourselves to the shower block every day.
The Bailey Pegasus Ancona Caravan was light and airy, plenty of windows and skylights all of which had fitted fly screens and blinds so at night time we could shut the light out and make it snug so the kids could drop to sleep without a fuss! A nice added extra was the fabric door that we were able to pull across to divide the kids sleeping area with the rest of the van, it gave us a sense of separation.
Putting our awning up gave us much more space and when evening drew in we switched on the outside awning light; an LED which gave us more than enough illumination to light the whole interior.
Using the Bailey Pegasus Ancona Caravan as our base for the week, we were able to head off and visit some really nice parts of Devon such as Clovelley a stunning little town completely isolated and privately owned.
From time to time the kids got bored so we let them explore around the site on their bikes. As they cycled around it was so satisfying having lots windows at the front of the van, and lovely views across the site, so we were able to keep a keen eye on them both.
I can’t deny I fell in love with this van. The overhead storage lockers were plentiful and some additiona storage lockers under the beds made this Bailey Pegasus Ancona Caravan perfect for a family of four.
The Bailey Pegasus Ancona Caravan made our trip to Devon go without a hitch (no pun intended).
Tell me more about the Bailey Pegasus Ancona Caravan
The 70th anniversary Pegasus GT70 Ancona (which is the new version of Carole and Jason’s test model) retails at £19,799 and has a MPTLM of 1450kg – making it amongst the lightest range around and perfect for a wide range of towing cars.
Key features for the Pegasus GT70 Ancona
Central heating and hot water is supplied by a Truma combi 4E heating system
134 litre tower refrigerator
Thetford dual-fuel hob cooker with electric hotplate and three gas burners with an oven and separate grill.
Stainless Steel 800 watt microwave oven
Thetford c-260 cassette toilet with integrated header tank
A large, fully lined square shower cubicle with ceramic ball mixer tap and Ecocamle shower head
Up to five 230v power sockets
‘Dream Sleep’ soft furnishing systems with honey core foam construction and breathable anti-bacterial fabric
Loose fit, drop pile 55oz (pile weight) carpets
NEW Truma 100 Watt Solar panel
NEW AL-KO ATC Trailer control system
NEW Bailey branded wheel lock
NEW Graphite finish 14” TUV tested alloy wheels
For more details please visit Bailey Caravans
Bailey Caravans Ltd, South Liberty Lane, Bristol, BS3 2SS.
Tel: 0117 966 5967
Me and my family would love this
Hi, I’m not sure if the wardrobe is deep enough to hang clothes. What’s the feedback from your testers? Thanks
Hi Paul. Thank you for your comment. Having spoken to my tester he can confirm the wardrobe is on the small side and strangely, it is located in the end bathroom. You can get a few days worth of clothes inside it, anything longer you will struggle. That said, there is plenty of storage under the bunk beds and plenty of overhead locker spaces to fit clothes in.
Had our’s now for about 18 months, love the van, but the build on it in places let it down a little, that said though a good quality family van. Bailey please advise who the hell decided to put the table in such a space that once in, it will never fail,
May I ask if you have the option of attaching a bigger awning or is it half size only? Thankyou!
Hi Sara, as far as I know, you can attach a bigger one but I’m checking with Bailey hence the delay!
The Pegasus Ancona has an awning rail fitted the full height and width of the caravan so it can take a full awning or a smaller one if required.
Bailey’s parts and accessories company, Prima Leisure, are now selling their own range of air awnings and would be able to suggest which awning would be best suited to the Ancona http://www.primaleisure.com/category/caravan-air-awnings