Have you taken to the road with your caravan yet this season? There have been some beautifully mild days already this year, so you’ll no doubt soon be rearing to go.
Here are just a few of the latest UK caravanning news headlines and trends to get you in the right frame of mind for this season’s outings and holidays.
2025 Caravan, Camping & Motorhome Show at the NEC enjoys huge success
This year’s recent Caravan, Camping & Motorhome Show – which ran from the 18th to the 23rd of February – was a resounding success, according to a report from the National Caravan Council (NCC) last month.
Organisers and exhibitors expressed their delight at the sheer number of visitors – some 89,207 strong – and the high volume of sales that came in their wake. According to one caravan manufacturer, the company’s sales were up 20% compared with last year and the show had proven once again how invaluable it was for showcasing its various models. Other exhibitors noted the challenges of the current economic climate but insisted that, nevertheless, sales remained “solid”.
Those buying ranged from first-time buyers and novices to seasoned old hands – all committed to the enthusiasm of touring and living the outdoor life.
Top 100 Sites Guide 2025 revealed
Practical Caravan and Practical Motorhome recently unveiled this year’s top 100 sites for caravans and motorhomes.
The overall winner
- if you’re looking for the very best of the top 100, you’ll be hitching up your caravan and heading off to the Old Oaks site in Somerset – only 10 minutes or so from the charming market town of Glastonbury;
- not only is Old Oaks blessed with beautiful surroundings but respondents to the survey praised its customer service and exceptional facilities;
- the latter includes a combined games room and tourist information centre, two laundry areas, and modern wash blocks;
- Old Oaks also claimed the top prize as the Regional Winner for Somerset, Avon & Wiltshire;
Other regional winners
- Silver Sands Holiday Park, Cornwall;
- Parkers Farm Holiday Park, Devon;
- South Lytchett Manor, Dorset;
- Tyddyn Isaf Caravan Park, Wales;
- Whitefield Forest Touring Park, South east England;
- Ludlow Touring Park, Heart of England;
- Greenacres Caravan Park, North west England;
- Hillside Caravan Park, North east England;
- Pinecones Caravan & Camping, Eastern England;
- Ballyness Caravan Park, Northern Ireland.
Prizes were also awarded for the best adults-only sites, caravanning in winter facilities, best sites for cyclists, and best family sites.
180 job losses at caravan firm
The Hull-based manufacturer of static caravans and holiday lodges, Atlas Leisure Homes, has gone bust and is now in the hands of administrators, with 180 jobs lost, according to a story by the BBC on the 11th of March.
Atlas has been in business since 1973 but has suffered from a downturn in the market and an exodus of investors since the pandemic in 2020.
Despite several attempts to restructure the business and despite a recent annual turnover of £68.8 million, Atlas returned pre-tax profits of just £69,000
Preston le Skerne campsite has static caravan plans rejected
Owners of the Hammer and Pincers Caravan and Camp Site, at Preston le Skerne, in County Durham, have had their plans rejected to set up static caravans for use all year round, according to a story in the Northern Echo recently.
The Preston le Skerne campsite already has planning permission for 20 pitches for touring caravans and 10 for tents. The owners had argued that the substitution of static caravans remained within the terms of the original permission, but Durham County Council ruled otherwise.