UK running out of motorhomes as holidaymakers shun foreign travel, firms say

Holiday firms are experiencing a surge in interest in caravans and campervans trips after campsites were allowed to reopen in England on July 4. - Getty Images
Holiday firms are experiencing a surge in interest in caravans and campervans trips after campsites were allowed to reopen in England on July 4. - Getty Images

Britain is running out of motorhomes to rent to holidaymakers, as trips abroad are this year shunned in favour of a ‘staycation’.

Holiday firms are experiencing a surge in interest in caravans and campervans trips after campsites were allowed to reopen in England on July 4.

The Daily Telegraph contacted six leading motorhome rental firms and could not find any availability for the next three weeks, as the easing of lockdown inspires the public to seek out rural retreats.

It is expected the explosion in domestic tourism will only continue to grow amid fears that popular oversea holiday destinations are facing a second wave of the pandemic.

Many campsites across the country are bracing for a peak season that could last as late as September, after a fallow few months while the population was forced to stay at home.

Nick Lomas, the chief executive of the Caravan Club - which represents motorhome users in the UK and facilitates holiday bookings - said this year’s summer period was among the busiest the organisation had ever experienced.

He told the Telegraph: “We had a very slow period at the start of the year, effectively opening for a week in March until July, so the first half of the year for the campsite and caravan park operators in the UK has been a very lean time.

“But then since the announcement from July 4 in England, the phones have lit up and the website has been very, very busy.

“There is a natural feeling that (a campervan) is a self-contained space, you have that element of control being able to travel place to place and being able to explore the coasts and countrysides of the UK at your leisure.”

Bookings through the organisation were said to be up to 10% during August this year, something Mr Lomas said was “quite difficult” as most campsites were typically “pretty full” in the average summer.

The majority of campsite operators are said to be close to capacity, with the Government recently relaxing planning rules to encourage the season to be lengthened on campsites and holiday parks.

Mr Lomas said: “It’s a level of demand we haven’t had for many years. I would say in terms of the bookings on our site, we’ve never been as busy as we’ve been this year, for the main summer season and I’ve been involved for 15 years.”

There are fears, however, that many rural roads will be plunged into chaos in the coming months as caravans and motorhomes descend in pursuit of a quiet weekend away.

Earlier this week, a popular country park in Bury, Greater Manchester, was forced to criticise visitors to a neighbouring caravan site after bad parking brought traffic to a standstill.

Motorhome users were said to have parked and double parked along a stretch of road leading to Burrs Country Park on one of its busiest days of the year.

The campervan boom has also fueled concern that many holidaymakers will resort to wild camping if they are unable to secure one of the increasingly coveted spots at a caravan park or campsite.

The National Trust recently said it had witnessed a vast increase in “fly camping” - where illegal campers leave behind piles of litter and occasionally even tents.

Last month, more than 200 people were caught wild camping in the Lake District, with 20 fined for having a party and others for lighting fires.