Freedom from the domestic travel and socialising restrictions of the pandemic continues to boost enthusiasm for staycations – and for caravanning and camping in particular.
From commercial initiatives to publications, and from applications to extend facilities to a boom in demand for touring and camping sites, there’s probably never been a more exciting time to own a caravan.
Exciting future for camping in the Forest
The forests of England and Scotland have long proved especially popular with campers. Forestry England and Forestry and Land Scotland have now joined forces with the Camping and Caravanning Club to buy a controlling share in the latter’s Camping in the Forest (CiTF) brand.
The forestry organisations will ultimately take over the running and management of camping and caravanning in their respective countries – although the Camping and Caravanning Club will continue to run the relevant sites throughout the remainder of this year so that there is a seamless transition from one set of owners to the other.
Covid: Latest updates on Caravan and Motorhome Club UK campsites
In its latest update on the measures it has taken to keep visitors safe during the Covid pandemic, on the 29th of March the Caravan and Motorhome Club confirmed that it will keep in place basic health precautions – even though all formal regulations were lifted throughout England in February.
Specifically, visitors to the Club’s sites in England and Wales are encouraged to continue wearing masks and to exercise social distancing in reception offices and other communal areas.
New book shows beautiful ‘rolling homes’ created for a life on the open road
An American publication, The Modern Caravan, was previewed in the Daily Mail newspaper on the 28th of March.
The lavishly illustrated coffee-table book briefly charts the history of the caravan but focuses on some of the most luxurious, unusual, and eye-catching “rolling homes” from around the world.
Unsurprisingly, the majority of examples come from the United States and feature makeovers and restorations of some of the classic ‘vans such as the Airstream and Spartan. From some of the photographs published in the newspaper, it is evident that no expense has been spared in transforming some of these older examples of homes on wheels.
Planning application to extend Percy Wood caravan site in Northumberland rejected
A golf club and country retreat in Northumberland has had an application rejected to extend space for an additional sixty static caravans, reported the BBC on the 26th of March.
The application by Percy Wood Golf and Country Retreat in Swarland, a village just to the south of Alnwick, in Northumberland, would have increased the number of static caravans on the site to more than four hundred.
This drew vociferous opposition from many nearby residents who argued that an increase in the number of such holiday homes would exacerbate the sewage, drainage, and flooding problems already suffered in Swarland and its environs.
Although there had been an official welcome for the projected boost to tourism in the area, other councillors pointed to the “village of two settlements” that had resulted in conflicts between housing and caravans.
Huge demand predicted for caravan and camping holidays in Wales
Holiday visitors to Wales are most likely to opt for caravan or camping self-catering accommodation, according to a story by Travel Daily News on the 29th of March.
Camping and caravanning account for 34% of all overnight stays in the principality, says the article, which also quoted figures showing that there were 113,130 bookings for campsite pitches in the year from March 20201 to March 2022. This represents a 137% increase on the 47,826 bookings that were taken in the previous 12 months.
Responding to news that the Welsh government was considering reducing the main school summer holidays from six weeks to three – in order to spread out more holidays throughout the year – the journal predicted an early rush of new bookings to fit in with any reduced holiday window.