Part 1: Hitch up and go

Part 2: Straight Reversing

The guide details the wide range of quality camping accommodation on offer in the Lake District and the rest of Cumbria and features more than 60 businesses across the county.

These cover everything from tent pitches near England's highest mountain and caravan parks near England's deepest lake, to alternative 'glamping' options such as stylish yurts and cosy camping pods.

Twenty thousand copies of the guide have been produced and 10,000 electronic versions have been emailed to camping enthusiasts throughout the country.

The guide is also available to download from www.golakes.co.uk making it easy for campers to arrange their Cumbrian accommodation in readiness for National Camping and Caravanning Week.

The annual event, now in its ninth year, is run by the Camping and Caravanning Club which boasts seven sites throughout Cumbria.

The festivities coincide with the spring bank holiday and will adopt an activities-led theme this year, providing the opportunity for campers to try a range of outdoor pursuits.Activities such as Ramblers Association walks and Sustrans cycling will be available from Camping and Caravanning Club Sites, plus there will be competitions and games to enjoy with lots of prizes up for grabs.

The camping and caravanning industries are flourishing in the current economic climate as people seek a cost-effective and nostalgic escape.

Advance bookings for Camping and Caravanning Club Sites are up 27 per cent on last year and this Easter saw their occupancy rate up by an incredible 50 per cent.

One Cumbrian site that is already experiencing increased bookings is Park Cliffe Camping and Caravanning Estate.

This picturesque independent park occupies 25 acres of tranquil countryside near Bowness-on-Windermere and boasts numerous accolades including AA Regional Campsite of the Year for the North West of England 2009, Practical Caravan Magazine Top 100 Parks Award and the David Bellamy Gold Conservation award.

Park Cliffe is also a finalist in the Enjoy England Awards for Excellence 2009 and will find out this week whether they have beaten off national competition to win the title of Caravan Holiday Park of the Year.

Susan Dickson, owner of Park Cliffe, said: "We are enjoying a good year and our advanced bookings are actually up on the same period last year, so we are looking forward to National Camping and Caravanning Week.

"It provides the perfect opportunity for both camping novices and enthusiasts to enjoy our award-winning facilities and will help to spread the word about how affordable and enjoyable camping is."

Keith Jackson, chairman of The Camping and Caravanning Club, added: "NCCW is a celebration of camping, caravanning and outdoor activities so we'd like to see as many people as possible enjoying themselves.

"Whether it's on our award-winning Club, Certificated and independent sites or at locally organised events or even in back gardens, there is certainly something for everyone during the week.

"Our members were out in their thousands last year and we want to see even more enjoying themselves under canvas this time around."

Source: lakelandecho.co.uk

They line up alongside masses of tents and camping gear to create the Caravan, Camping & Touring Supershow - claimed as the largest of its kind in the southern hemisphere.

Executive officer of Caravan Industry Victoria Peter Wright said caravanning and camping holidays had grown in popularity, especially in recent years.

"From tents and camping equipment to caravans and new motorhomes, we're seeing great improvements in their design, comfort and range," he said.

"The same can be said of caravan holiday parks, many of which have undergone great renovations to facilities and amenities.

"As a result, we've seen Australians hitting the road in droves."

At this year's show, which starts next Wednesday, visitors will see all the latest caravans, motorhomes, campers and tent trailers.

It will also have camping and outdoor equipment, accessories, a large area devoted to tourism information and regional specialists who will be happy to give holiday advice.

"We've got a great line-up of industry experts to offer free, informative seminars each day," Peter said.

"There'll be activities for the kids, including Dora the Explorer on Saturday.

Source: weeklytimesnow.com.au

APPROXIMATELY 4.5 million of us plan to take a break in the UK this year. And according to The Caravan Club, bookings on their sites are already up by 40 per cent. What's more, year on year their membership continues to increase.

The National Caravan Council says half a million touring caravans and 164,000 motor homes are in use in the UK – and this upward trend in caravan popularity is also reflected in sales at Silverdale-based dealership North Staffs Caravans.

Managing director Tim Keats, says sales of touring caravans are up around 10 per cent on last year, which he puts down to a number of factors.

"Locally there is a significant upturn in caravan sales purely because it's good value for money," he says.

"When the pound is so weak against the Euro making foreign holidays expensive, people are looking for alternatives and caravanning is one of those options.

"For six, seven or eight thousand pounds people can buy a great used caravan, and at the moment we are just as busy as ever, especially with the holiday season coming up."

Nikki Nichol, at The Caravan Club agrees.

"Last year was a great year for caravanning in the UK, but this year our bookings are already up 40 per cent and occupancy for January was up 22 per cent. But it's not just the price that attracts so many people to holiday in this way. The beauty of our countryside and the vast improvements to caravans in general are also appealing.

"People can't afford to travel as much so they are falling back in love with the UK," she adds, "and it doesn't matter whether you want a city centre break or a couple of weeks in the countryside, caravanning offers it all – it really is a home from home."

Caravan facts:

There are more than one million caravans in the UK including 500,000 touring caravans, 330,000 caravan holiday homes and 135,000 motor homes.

In recent years the UK has become the largest market in Europe for touring caravans, with the West Midlands having the highest level of ownership.

This year it is estimated approximately 13.75 million bookings will be made for caravan holidays in Britain. Two million more than 2007.

The UK caravan industry is estimated to be worth in excess of six billion pounds per annum.

Caravans date back to Marco Polo in the 13th century, and are referred to in Charles Dickens's Old Curiosity Shop of 1841.

Source: thisisstaffordshire.co.uk

But the multiple sclerosis sufferer has been refused basic help adapting her home because it is considered a "static caravan".

The 60-year-old, who needs a walk-in shower because she is unable to climb in and out of a bath, said: "I couldn't believe it when they said they couldn't help because it wasn't a permanent home.

"I've lived here for eight years – some folk have been here 30 – and I pay my council tax and all other bills. It's cemented into the ground – it's not like I live in a tent – I couldn't take it anywhere even if I wanted to."

Midlothian Council has said her home at Nivensknowe Park, near Loanhead, does not qualify for a grant because it is not a permanent address.

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Since her MS diagnosis seven months ago, the former librarian has been forced to wash at a sink as her muscle pains don't allow her to lift herself out of a bathtub. She needs two sticks to walk.

Oddly, the council has helped her in the past, installing a rail to help her get down the front steps and offering a "bath aid" to help lift her out, which ultimately proved ineffective for her.

Ms Douglas, who is originally from Burdiehouse, said: "They contradicted themselves by installing the rail, they've just not looked at it all.

"It's hard to wash your whole self at a basin at the best of times, but when you've got MS your muscles are sore and you become tired very easily.

"With a shower I could just walk straight in and out."

She has now contacted the MS Trust in the hope it can help pay for the £5000 conversion work.

Dr Belinda Weller, a consultant neurologist with NHS Lothian, is supporting her, having written to the council, saying: "I think that this (a shower] is very crucial for her as she is at risk of falling if she has to get in and out of the bath."

A Midlothian Council spokesman said: "Under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006, static caravans are not eligible to qualify for the Home Improvement Grant Scheme.

"Occupational therapy staff, however, work with clients in these circumstances to provide aids and assistance with the general tasks of daily living."

Source: edinburghnews.scotsman.com

The museum’s board has filed a request with Cabonne Council asking that volunteers from outside of the region be given free access to a powered site at Canowindra Caravan Park for the duration of their stay.

Board member Monica Yeung said the museum had also been in touch with private accommodation vendors who might be willing to offer discounted rates for interstate volunteers.

Ms Yeung said it was hoped the initiative would provide a boost for the museum, which often struggles to source volunteers with experience in science and geology.

“We are always looking for volunteers with an interest in geology,” she said.

“This would be a nice gesture to attract and thank volunteers willing to travel from interstate to help a museum like ours and Cabonne Council.

“This is also an innovative idea that has the potential to start a trend for other organisations in the area.”

Museum volunteer Don Spalding, from Parramatta, said he would take up the offer of a free caravan park site and saw it as an added incentive for working at the museum.

“It’s an added selling point,” Mr Spalding said.

“I love the country and the museum and this would be another reason to come out here.”

Cabonne Council has indicated its support for the motion on the basis that it will benefit the museum as well as having flow through advantages for other Canowindra businesses.

Volunteers, however, would need to commit to a minimum number of working hours to have access to the caravan park for free.

The Age of Fishes Museum currently relies on volunteers to operate and will need to attract 10,000 visitors annually before it can employ casual staff. Current visitation is 8500 people annually.

Source: canowindra.yourguide.com.au

“The NSW Caravan Camping 4WD and Holiday Supershow is an important event for NSW with more than 75,000 people expected to attend the event this year,” Ms McKay said. “We know people are adjusting their travel plans and looking closer to home for holidays during the global spending slowdown. “Caravan and camping holidays are an attractive holiday option for NSW residents looking for an inexpensive way to enjoy the many attractions and regional areas of NSW.

“It’s no wonder caravan and camping is amongst the fastest growing sectors in tourism, with annual growth rates of more than 10 per cent over the past 12 years.” Ms McKay said in the December 2008 quarter alone, accommodation at Australian caravan parks generated more than $273.2 million. “NSW’s 900 caravan parks had the highest accommodation takings among the States with $99.9 million – almost 37 per cent,” Ms McKay said. Ms McKay congratulated the organisers of the Supershow, the Caravan and Camping Industry Association of NSW.

“The Supershow is a fantastic event that has been growing year on year.” Ms McKay said the NSW Government through the Department of Lands is offering a chance for Supershow attendees to win a holiday at one of nine state parks around NSW. “Visitors to the Department of Lands stall at the Supershow who subscribe to the holiday and camping enewsletter stand a chance of winning a great family break in NSW.” Ms McKay said the website, www.caravanandcampingnsw.com.au, helps holiday makers plan a trip to any of the 260 caravan and camping sites on Crown land across NSW.

Park owners are experiencing a boost in the number of bookings they are taking for the summer season.

Many are attributing the rise to an increasing number of people opting to holiday at home to save money.

Caravan parks also reported full houses over the Easter holiday, with visitors coming from across the country for a long break.

Dennis Smith, who owns Hillhead Caravan Park at Kintore, Aberdeenshire, said an increasing number of families were buying caravans and storing them on his site.

The 120-vehicle storage area is at capacity and has a waiting list of up to a month, which is a 30% rise in figures from last year.

“There has been an influx of caravans being stored here this year,” he said.

“That has been doing exceptionally well this year.

“I would say people have decided that caravan holidays are cheaper and less stressful than going abroad.

“Many of them want to try the freedom of caravaning.”

The largest vehicles available are being quickly snapped up by enthusiasts who reject the tradition of buying a small secondhand caravan and regularly upgrading it, he added.

The warden at Aboyne Loch Caravan Park on Deeside, Trisha Anderson, said a lot of young couples and groups of young people were choosing to camp.

She also reported more people choosing to book their caravans in for the whole season.

The season started early for Burnside Caravan Park at Fochabers because of the high numbers of visitors looking for somewhere to park their tourers.

A spokesman said bookings for the summer months were coming in “thick and fast”.

“It is just the cost of going abroad,” he said. “People are getting a bit fed up and are preparing to stay at home.”

He predicted that the number of foreign visitors would also rise this year.

“It is more favourable to them now with their exchange rate,” he said. “For the last couple of years it was not cost effective for them but now it’s equalised.”

The story is not positive for everyone. John Campbell, who sells static caravans at Thurso, said sales had dropped dramatically since the recession set in.

“We don’t have a lot of sites up here for putting static caravans in,” he said.

“We sell to people building houses who put the caravans on the site.

“We have hardly sold anything since December.

“The year before there were quite a few going, but people don’t have the money now. There are some people building but not the same extent as was happening before.”

Source: pressandjournal.co.uk

To "preserve the importance of this great Aussie holiday tradition," the privately-run Tripcony Hibiscus Caravan Park at Caloundra and the council-run Cotton Tree and Noosa River parks will be added to the register, the Queensland Heritage council revealed yesterday.

Since as early as 1880, people have come to Cotton Tree, north of Brisbane, to camp, swim and fish, with Noose and Caloundra also popular since the early 20th century.

Queensland Heritage Council chair David Eades made the announcement in Caloundra yesterday, saying the listing would not affect the day-to day running of the campgrounds and would preserve them from the rapid shore development on the Sunshine Coast.

"Seaside holidays are in our blood," Mr Eades said,

"They are quintessential Queensland experiences and some 650,000 Queenslanders stay in caravan parks around the state every year.

"The advertising of 1910 got it right when it described a two-week camp at Cotton Tree as `Nature's pick-me-up'.

"These three caravan parks not only demonstrate the evolution of tourist accommodation but remain true examples of waterfront caravan parks that blend nature with accessible, affordable amenities."

Unlike the owners of the Big Pineapple, who vowed to bring legal action against the Environmental Protection Agency over its listing, (http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/articles/2009/03/24/1237656893995.html), the owner of the Tripcony Hibiscus Caravan Park was pleased with the move to heritage list his property.

"This, on top of confirmation of a 30-year lease, gives us confidence in the future," Tripcony Hibiscus owner Thomas Booker said,

"We can move ahead with our planned redevelopment, bringing facilities up to the 21st century."

Source: brisbanetimes.com.au