Britain is in the grip of a CARAVAN AND MOTORHOME boom, according to new research.
With family purse-strings tight, more and more families are opting for touring holidays.
There are currently 755,000 UK touring caravans and motor homes in use and this figure is set to rise to 807,000 over the next five years – and to 889,000 by 2030.
The analysis by the Centre for Economics and Business Research was commissioned by newly renamed the Caravan and Motorhome Club, which has over a million members.
To celebrate its 110 th anniversary this year and to mark the fact that over 40% of new Club members are motorhomers, Caravan Club chiefs have announced a name change to the Caravan and Motorhome Club.
But as these archive pictures show, it’s not just the name that has changed.
Some key landmarks in the UK caravanning history:
1885
The first purpose-built touring caravan, The Wanderer, is built to the design of Dr William Gordon Stables. Two horses tow his caravan on an epic journey of 1,300 miles between Twyford, Bucks., and Inverness.
1907
On 14 June, The Caravan Club of Great Britain and Ireland is founded in London at the home of barrister J Harris Stone.
1918
Club members deliver 50 caravans within 24 hours to Field Marshal Haig, in order to aid mobile operations following the German withdrawal.
1952
HRH Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh is appointed Patron. More than 60 years later, The Club is still proud to enjoy that patronage.
1955
The Club presents the young Prince Charles and Princess Anne with a fully-working miniature caravan at Buckingham Palace.
1967
A motion to allow motor caravanners to become members of The Club is carried.
1981
Glanusk Park in Wales becomes the first venue outside England to host a National Rally.
2007
The Club marks its Centenary with celebrations on every caravan site and a garden party at Buckingham Palace.
2017
The Caravan Club becomes the Caravan and Motorhome Club
A Caravan and Motorhome Club survey of 2,000 UK adults by OnePoll revealed that over a quarter have owned or rented a caravan and camper van.
Most (78 per cent) stay in the UK while an adventurous one in five head for the European mainland.
Ownership is highest in the Yorkshire and Humber region, followed by the West Midlands.
Londoners topped the list for those heading abroad with a third travelling to mainland Europe.
Harvey Alexander, the club’s director of marketing, said: “We’re a membership organisation of people who passionately love the outdoors.
“We were delighted to see both such positive predictions for growth and also that 55 per cent of people we surveyed felt that caravan and motorhome holidays have become more popular in recent years.
“Our role is to inspire future generations of touring holidaymakers and Club members to go out and start their own adventures, whether they travel for 10 miles, 100 miles or a thousand miles.”
The Caravan and Motorhome Club Inspiring Adventure Report will be released at the NEC Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show at the NEC later today (Tues 21 Feb).
The Caravan and Motorhome Club plans to inspire more people to consider touring holidays by taking part in an arctic adventure this spring when twocaravans, a campervan and a motorhome will visit 12 countries in 16 days.
The 5,000 mile Arctic Adventure, in conjunction with Bailey of Bristol, will leave the UK on 2 March and will visit countries such as Belgium, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Holland before returning back to the UK on 17 March.
The journey will take 16 days to visit 12 countries taking in some of Europe’s most iconic locations including the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, the official home town of Santa Claus at Rovaniemi in Finland, and the Oresund Bridge linking Sweden to Denmark.
The Caravan and Motorhome Club Arctic Adventure can be followed in social media using #CAMCpioneers and #arcticadventure hashtags.
