Practical Motorhome announces 2026 awards and preview of new models

Campsites are adopting digital booking platforms, contactless check-ins, and EV charging points to meet changing visitor expectations. The Camping and Caravanning Club predicts 'camping goes electric' as a key trend. The challenge remains balancing modern connectivity with the traditional appeal of disconnecting during outdoor holidays.

Hill of Oaks holiday park on Lake Windermere has started building six luxury lodges. Two developments, Wavell Way (four lodges) and Wakefield Height (two lodges), are replacing former touring caravan pitches and a manager's bungalow. The project follows low-impact tourism principles established by the park's founder, Sir Wavell Wakefield.

Ty Gwyn, a North Wales holiday park operator, reported that all lodges, caravans, and touring pitches at its new Fishpool Holiday Park in Delamere, Cheshire, were booked for the first two weeks of May. The opening followed the site's acquisition and two months of renovations, including new lodges and caravans, landscaping, and a dog walk. The company attributes high demand to UK holidaymakers choosing domestic trips due to foreign travel uncertainty and cost-of-living concerns. Some lodges are solar-powered, and an EV charging station is available on site.

A Dunfermline resident claimed he saw the then first minister in a supermarket in 2022, near the house where a £124,550 campervan was parked. Nicola Sturgeon insists she only learned of the vehicle's existence in early 2023, when it featured in a police investigation. Her husband Peter Murrell pleaded guilty to embezzling over £400,000 from the SNP, with funds used to purchase the campervan and luxury items, including Montblanc pens.

UK-based Wellhouse Leisure unveiled a micro camper based on the Toyota Pixis Mega (also sold as Daihatsu Wake). Designed for solo travelers, it features a fold-out bed, compact kitchen, pop-up roof, solar panel, and portable toilet. Priced at £17,995 (approx. $3,500), it costs less than half of Wellhouse's larger motorhomes.

A landowner in Semington, Wiltshire, has lodged a planning appeal after the council refused a retrospective application for a static caravan used for agricultural purposes. The caravan has been on site since October 2024; the application was submitted in January 2025. The owners argue that 24-hour presence is essential for animal welfare, security against trespassers and predators, and emergency response, citing lambing season as an example. The council ruled that the need for on-site residence was not justified and the business plan lacked viability evidence.