Finally, Covid-19 is no longer stealing all of the news headlines. It’s not over yet, of course, but at least caravan and camping sites are re-opening once again. Caravanners everywhere can start enjoying the summer in ways to which they have become accustomed.
So, let’s take a brief look at some of this week’s items of news.
The Elddis Autoquest CV60 voted best budget van conversion
July’s edition of What Motorhome has voted the Elddis Autoquest CV60 the best budget van conversion of 2020.
Previous models – the CV20 and CV40 – also received praise from reviewers, but the innovation that the CV60 brings this year is a fixed bed and rear lounge layout. The option for such a layout is rare indeed in a budget van conversion such as this.
For use in the daytime, the rear lounge features a broad and comfortable “day bed” that easily folds out into a double bed at night – providing a neat two-berth fixed bed solution for this budget van conversion.
Even with a generous selection of the various extras that you might choose, the price of a CV60 is still likely to come in at less than £45,000 (starting from the £40,234 basic on-the-road price).
Employees who travel for work could forgo hotels for a caravan
As the country emerges from several months’ of lockdown, many of those who worked from home are now gradually returning to work. But anxieties about social distancing persist, especially if a job normally involves travelling around the country.
Many of those workers are likely to be worried about staying in newly re-opened hotels, reports Car Dealer Magazine, and 32% of those surveyed said they’d prefer to stay in a caravan or motorhome rather than a serviced apartment or hotel.
Indeed, 18% of them – or nearly one in five – said that their employers should provide a caravan or motorhome for them to use if they needed to attend work away from home. 16% believed that employers should be making a financial contribution towards the purchase of such a vehicle.
The age profile of those making online searches for caravans and motorhomes has also shifted – away from the predominantly over 55 year-olds to those in the 18 to 34 year-old age group.
More glamping pitches approved at caravan park near Pershore
Expansion plans for a caravan site at Hyde Farm in Pinvin near Pershore, Worcestershire, have been approved by the local planning authority revealed the Worcester News recently.
There have been caravans on the farm site for more than 50 years, according to the report, and the go-ahead has now been given for the addition of 15 holiday lodges and 10 more glamping pitches to the 15 touring caravan pitches and three glamping pods for which the site has already been given permission.
The expansion plans also include the planting of an orchard and the creation of a wildlife lake.
‘Wildlife corridors’ introduced to caravan parks
Social distancing spells good news for wildlife at many caravan and camping sites reports The Sun newspaper.
The British Holiday & Home Parks Association explained to the newspaper that by keeping pitches the recommended two-metres apart, this allowed the growth of “wildlife corridors” through long, unmown grass that could be allowed to grow between the caravans.
By extending the two-metres just a little, further wildlife-rich areas could be developed around the margins of caravan parks and sites.
The Camping and Caravanning Club also opened the majority of their sites in England on the 4th of July. To maintain health safety, the sites have introduced contactless check-in and payments, one-way systems around campsites, and sites on which toilets and shower blocks may remain closed (so, campers will be allowed to erect their own toilet tent instead).