We’re very nearly there! The end of March is in sight and Easter will soon be upon us.
As you get ready to prepare your caravan for the coming new season, here are just a few of the UK caravan news headlines that caught our attention.
New CAMC deals to help you tour for less
In a story on the 3rd of March, the Caravan Times announced that members of the Caravan and Motorhome Club (CAMC) will enjoy discounts on site fees if they choose to pitch up mid-week or take advantage of the club’s family saver offers.
The discounts are a regular feature for advance bookings at selected Club sites. Mid-week deals – for nights you are camping from Monday until Thursday inclusive – attract discounts of 50% on the standard pitch fee at 23 of the Club’s sites if you have booked by the end of this May.
At a further 11 of the Club’s sites across the UK, a family of at least one adult and one paying child can qualify for a 15% reduction in the standard site fees on bookings made before the end of this April.
DVSA report shows “caravans are far and away not the greatest concern within the sector”, says club
Spot checks by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) reveal that caravans are by no means the worst culprits when it comes to trailer safety defects – but there is no room for complacency – warned Practical Caravan in a story on the 1st of March citing conclusions reached by the Caravan and Motorhome Club.
The DVSA conducted random roadside checks on all kinds of trailers at various times during 2019 and 2021. Of the total of 3083 trailers checked, around half were found to have safety defects.
Included among the total of trailers checked were 730 caravans. Some 12% of these had one kind of defect or another – a significantly lower proportion than all trailers in this sample.
Although there were relatively fewer defects among the caravans, however, 12% of failures leave no room for complacency.
Caravan park on Norfolk coast granted permission for big expansion
In the face of stiff local objections, plans have been given the go-ahead for a significant expansion of a caravan park on the Norfolk coast reported Norfolk Live on the 3rd of March.
North Norfolk District Council approved the plans by Incleboro Fields Caravan and Motorhome Club to add a further 48 new pitches to the 241 already established on its 21-acre site near the village of West Runton. The expansion plans also include the development of a children’s play area and the installation of a waste point for the use of motorhomes.
Objectors to the plans complain about the development of what they describe as a “huge” caravan site where pitches will outnumber the number of homes in the village itself.
CampervanCo launches all-electric campervan
Give petrol stations a miss and throw away your camping gas stove, CampervanCo has launched an all-electric campervan announced Out and About Live on the 2nd of March.
The Scottish manufacturer’s Proace Eco Revolution is an all-electric campervan. Its 50kW-powered version has a range of 144 miles and the 75kW model can cover up to 205 miles.
To keep appliances such as the lighting, fridge, induction hob, and eco-friendly heating fully powered there is a 930W solar power array.
Popular caravan park outlines plans to expand site
Akebar Caravan Park near the village of Bedale in North Yorkshire has secured planning permission to increase the accommodation it offers through the construction of 27 holiday lodges – in return for reducing the size of the site’s established golf course.
Reporting the plans, the Northern Echo on the 5th of March explained that the management and upkeep of the golf course has become relatively expensive and uneconomic to run. The owners and management of the caravan park, therefore, prefer to redirect their investment into an expansion of accommodation facilities.