🇬🇧 United Kingdom — OpenVan.camp

A magistrates' court in Medway has fined a landowner in Swale £2,025 for failing to comply with an enforcement notice to remove a mobile home and a motorhome from his plot. Swale Borough Council ordered him in December 2022 to stop using the land for residential purposes and to remove unauthorised installations, fencing and paving. An planning inspector upheld the notice in July 2023 and set a six-month deadline. The owner did not comply, and on 23 September 2026 the court imposed a £375 fine, a £150 surcharge and £1,500 in costs. The night before the hearing he moved the mobile home and motorhome to an access track beside the plot, but they were not permanently removed; the council says it will continue to monitor the site.

Alan Hogan and Lori Ondriska-Hogan bought Beauly Holiday Park in 2016 and have turned the rundown site into a busy holiday park. They have now unveiled a new bar and the Back to the Beauly festival.

The owner of Gateway Resort in Bynea, Llanelli, Ken Strelley, has been ordered to remove glamping pods, clubhouse extensions and an underpass, and to stop using land for touring and static caravans in certain areas. Carmarthenshire Council issued four enforcement notices in March 2025 with a 17-month compliance deadline. Strelley appealed on the grounds that the required steps were excessive, but a Welsh Government-appointed planning inspector upheld the notices with amendments clarifying unauthorised changes of land use. The inspector's report said the appellant had not proposed specific lesser measures to remedy the breaches, and that waiting for planning applications to be determined was not in itself such a measure.

Overnight motorhome stays in Exmouth fell by 43% after the parking charge rose from £11 to £20. A report for East Devon District Council records 2,664 paid stopovers at Maer Road and Queen's Drive Echelon car parks in the ten months from 1 November 2025 to 1 September 2026, down from 4,660 a year earlier. Income rose by £2,020 to £53,280, of which £13,320 is ring-fenced for motorhome parking enforcement. Promised fresh water and waste disposal facilities at Maer Road remain uninstalled, with no completion date given.

Red Kite Touring and Lodge Park near Llanidloes has been named AA Campsite of the Year for Wales in the AA Caravan and Camping Awards 2026-27. The award is judged by AA inspectors on quality, facilities and visitor experience. Earlier this year the park was also named best in Wales for 2026 by Practical Caravan. The overall UK winner was Castlerigg Hall Caravan & Camping Park in Cumbria. AA research found 43 per cent of people are choosing holidays in Britain over trips abroad, while one in five plan a camping or caravan break.

The family-run Riverside Caravan Park in High Bentham has been named AA North West Campsite of the Year for 2026. The park opened in March 1970 and is now run by the third generation of the family.

CaravanTimes has published an article on slow travel by motorhome. According to the article, a week-long trip with two or three bases instead of seven reduces time spent packing up, driving and setting up again. Fewer miles mean less fuel and less time behind the wheel. Some campsites offer discounts for longer stays, and the article advises asking about them when booking.

Wharfe Camp in Kettlewell wants small campervans to use its ten tent pitches. An earlier application was withdrawn in October 2025 over concerns about the landscape.

Nicholas Green, of the St Nicholas Estate, has lodged two planning appeals with the Planning Inspectorate against North Yorkshire Council's refusal to grant certificates of lawfulness for the Swalefolk Camping site near Richmond. The council refused both applications on 6 October, ruling that access to the proposed pop-up campsite would encroach on the protected Scots Dyke ancient monument and that insufficient information showed the land was outside the curtilage of the Grade II-listed St Nicholas building. The appeals cite an independent topographical survey, Historic England maps, Land Registry records and vehicle movement analysis to argue that vehicles can enter without crossing the monument boundary. Green also challenges Historic England's advice as mistaken and seeks costs and a review of application fees.

Eva Outram left a £38,000-a-year NHS job and moved into a caravan with her partner Tom Park. The couple save around £2,500 a month by working a few hours a week on farms.

Research by Away Resorts indicates a rise in static caravan ownership in the UK. Online searches for “static caravans for sale” now exceed 20,000 a month, up 53 per cent on last year. Among owners surveyed, 60 per cent wanted a guaranteed getaway at any time and 57 per cent sought a home away from home. Nearly two-thirds reported improved physical and mental health, and 31 per cent bought with retirement in mind.

A static caravan on the A35 in Dorset was destroyed by fire in the early hours of 10 October. Crews from Dorchester and Weymouth fire stations arrived at about 1.05am to find the caravan well alight. The caravan, located between Winterbourne Abbas and Dorchester, was already damaged beyond recognition. Dorset Police closed the road to allow firefighters to work safely. The cause of the fire is unknown.

British firm Wellhouse Leisure has converted the electric Kia PV5 into a camper van with two double beds, a kitchen and a solar panel. In the UK it starts at about €75,500.

Chatsworth Caravan Park in the Peak District National Park reopens on 3 November after closing for October for renovations. Every pitch now has enhanced electric hook-up points and full wi-fi coverage, and a new general store sells goods from local suppliers and the Chatsworth Farm Shop. The site also offers a laundry area, a motorhome service point, baby changing facilities and accessible and family washrooms. Chatsworth Escapes, which manages the estate's holiday cottages, has taken over running the park. Visitors receive a key to a 'secret door' leading into Chatsworth Park and its 1,000 acres of free-access open space and woodland.

Leisure Sales in Brereton Green has gone into administration and is closing after 50 years in business. As many as 20 to 30 jobs could be affected.

Coastal Resorts Ltd has applied to Pembrokeshire Coast National Park to add 16 static caravans and regularise four unauthorised units at Moreton Farm Leisure Park. It claims nearly £462,210 in visitor spend.

A comparison of six campervan electrical system calculators for DIY van conversions in the UK has been published. Rayne Automotive ranks first: its Campervan Power Planner covers 12V appliances and solar and is backed by customer wiring diagrams and support documentation. Vunked is second, offering a questionnaire-led configurator, a free design consultation and pre-wired board options. The list also includes Roam Wired, 365 Techies, DIY Campervan and VanPowerCalc. The ranking is a feature-based comparison, not a hands-on accuracy test.

Redford Caravan Park at Princes Gate near Narberth has won the Caravan Park Award at the 2026 Croeso Awards. Owner Sarah Gateley says she was clapping for another winner when she heard her own park's name.

Broadway Club Campsite on Bourton Road near Herefordshire received an Inspirational Photograph award in the Caravan and Motorhome Club's 2026 Site Awards. The awards have three main categories: Sites in Bloom, Inspirational Photograph and Sustainability. The campsite offers 184 touring pitches and 10 pods for hire, with rates starting from £22.30. It has a children's play area and is within walking distance of Tuesday Street Market and over 20 local pubs, restaurants and cafes.

The Motorhome & Caravan Show at Birmingham's NEC drew 95,816 visitors this year, organiser NCC Events reported. The figure is below the show's 2023 record of 106,131. More than 350 exhibitors filled 11 halls with vehicles, awnings, technology and accessories. NCC Events described demand for touring vehicles as strong despite the wider economic climate. The next NCC Events show, the Caravan, Camping & Motorhome Show, returns to the NEC from 16 to 21 February 2027.