So when do the PH campers think sites will reopen?
Discussion
Chrisgr31 said:
Not convinced by the Camping and Caravan Club woman saying stay local. If I am going to stay local I might as well stay at home!
Depends where you live I suppose, I’m in Dorset and within 20 minutes I have some great sites so it would suit us if you can only book locally.Newspapers reporting July is looking ever more likely, sorry for the Sun/Mail links -
https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/11657152/greece-su...
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/11656386/holidays-th...
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8335459/S...
https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/11657152/greece-su...
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/11656386/holidays-th...
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8335459/S...
Wacky Racer said:
Prices of Motorhomes & campervans are going through the roof, I can't see this lockdown having any great effect, but we'll have to see.
I expect club sites like the Caravan & Motorhome club will re-open fairly soon, but the toilet blocks will be closed for a month or two.
I didn't think prices looked too bad but I've only started looking from just before lockdown. I'm thinking I'll wait until much later to see where it's all headed, sites open etc. A big purchase followed by a 2nd spike blah blah would be hard to stomach. I expect club sites like the Caravan & Motorhome club will re-open fairly soon, but the toilet blocks will be closed for a month or two.
Tomm3 said:
Wacky Racer said:
Prices of Motorhomes & campervans are going through the roof, I can't see this lockdown having any great effect, but we'll have to see.
I expect club sites like the Caravan & Motorhome club will re-open fairly soon, but the toilet blocks will be closed for a month or two.
I didn't think prices looked too bad but I've only started looking from just before lockdown. I'm thinking I'll wait until much later to see where it's all headed, sites open etc. A big purchase followed by a 2nd spike blah blah would be hard to stomach. I expect club sites like the Caravan & Motorhome club will re-open fairly soon, but the toilet blocks will be closed for a month or two.
I don’t think they’ll fall especially as I think people will be looking closer to home for holidays and maybe want to avoid flying for a while.
oblio said:
I'd be interested in hearing GlenMH's view on the market given that he works in it.
are you there Glen?
You called? are you there Glen?Certainly that people that I am in contact with are talking about MH rental kicking off again on 1st July and that implies that renters will have somewhere to go in terms of sites. But the concerns raised above about toilet blocks/playgrounds/leisure facilities etc are all valid and, personally, I am not interested in nailing my 2 kids to a pitch whilst I am sitting in a field without access to a bar/restaurant etc etc
As for MH prices, this is a really interesting one: lots of manufacturers did not have a great show at the NEC in Feb (I was exhibiting there and the mood behind the scenes was funereal...) AND manufacturers have had snags getting vehicles in from the continent. RollerTeam in particular have been badly affected by this. Bearing in mind, that the British manufacturers use continental components, then this has also presented some issues but not the same as trying to deliver lots of motorhomes to the UK. Anecdotally, I have heard of one hire company that was expecting over 200 vehicles to arrive in various ways but has taken delivery of 28... Just keep an eye out for cheap Chaussons that are ex-rental stock from large company that went pop prior to Christmas. If you do look at one of those, make sure you are fastidious about checking the cab and hab servicing records
So there are some (lots) of issues on the supply side which should see prices firming up for good used stock. BUT...
There are also some severe problems on the demand side: the most common buyer of a MH is a retiree and lots of them aren't going to want to travel anywhere in the near future. This could increase the flow of private sales on to the market.
Lots of people furloughed and then made redundant means less money floating about and the loss of confidence means that people are less likely to spend on big ticket items. We lost a buyer as the lockdown kicked in because the shares he had to sell to fund the purchase took a dive.
However, all of that has got to be balanced with the fact that international travel by flying is not looking great for a while and there has been lots of press about motorhoming being the type of holiday to take this year AND the number of family buyers was trending upwards. So I think that prices will firm up this year (fingers crossed as I have got 2 to dispose of...) but they will soften next year once the true scale of the economic s
t show becomes apparent.It is interesting, this whole situation has made us go for lots more walks locally where we normally get in the car and drive to a well known large woodland or NT property etc.
I've actually found lots of really lovely places to go that I never knew there were footpaths. I've just ordered an OS map of the area to discover more.
As an extension to this we've also just bought a tent and hope to do some camping. I've not been camping since I did my DoE about 14years ago, but it's made me question why i haven't. Laziness is part of it, but also having my eyes opened as to what is right on our doorstep is a big part of it too.
Initially I think a few weekends away over the summer (within an hours drive from home) to get the whole experience dialled in are in order. That way if anything does go wrong it's not a million miles away. Once we're used to the experience and the routine then longer trips further afield can be considered.
I've actually found lots of really lovely places to go that I never knew there were footpaths. I've just ordered an OS map of the area to discover more.
As an extension to this we've also just bought a tent and hope to do some camping. I've not been camping since I did my DoE about 14years ago, but it's made me question why i haven't. Laziness is part of it, but also having my eyes opened as to what is right on our doorstep is a big part of it too.
Initially I think a few weekends away over the summer (within an hours drive from home) to get the whole experience dialled in are in order. That way if anything does go wrong it's not a million miles away. Once we're used to the experience and the routine then longer trips further afield can be considered.
Thanks Glen - useful update 
I am with you on the restrictions on sites and its impact on a holiday. We have discussed whether it is worth going away if there are no facilities nor pubs/restos to visit etc plus I always use site facilities leaving Mrs O to use the on board.
Our planned September trip to Germany is off now as I would not want to take the risk of catching this thing anywhere let alone being many 100's of miles from home and getting it. We are now thinking in terms of some UK time but awaiting - like everyone else - to see what happens with the various phases of lockdown reduction. Hopefully we can get away in Sept especially if the schools have gone back.
I am with you on the restrictions on sites and its impact on a holiday. We have discussed whether it is worth going away if there are no facilities nor pubs/restos to visit etc plus I always use site facilities leaving Mrs O to use the on board.
Our planned September trip to Germany is off now as I would not want to take the risk of catching this thing anywhere let alone being many 100's of miles from home and getting it. We are now thinking in terms of some UK time but awaiting - like everyone else - to see what happens with the various phases of lockdown reduction. Hopefully we can get away in Sept especially if the schools have gone back.
GlenMH said:
oblio said:
I'd be interested in hearing GlenMH's view on the market given that he works in it.
are you there Glen?
You called? are you there Glen?Certainly that people that I am in contact with are talking about MH rental kicking off again on 1st July and that implies that renters will have somewhere to go in terms of sites. But the concerns raised above about toilet blocks/playgrounds/leisure facilities etc are all valid and, personally, I am not interested in nailing my 2 kids to a pitch whilst I am sitting in a field without access to a bar/restaurant etc etc
As for MH prices, this is a really interesting one: lots of manufacturers did not have a great show at the NEC in Feb (I was exhibiting there and the mood behind the scenes was funereal...) AND manufacturers have had snags getting vehicles in from the continent. RollerTeam in particular have been badly affected by this. Bearing in mind, that the British manufacturers use continental components, then this has also presented some issues but not the same as trying to deliver lots of motorhomes to the UK. Anecdotally, I have heard of one hire company that was expecting over 200 vehicles to arrive in various ways but has taken delivery of 28... Just keep an eye out for cheap Chaussons that are ex-rental stock from large company that went pop prior to Christmas. If you do look at one of those, make sure you are fastidious about checking the cab and hab servicing records
So there are some (lots) of issues on the supply side which should see prices firming up for good used stock. BUT...
There are also some severe problems on the demand side: the most common buyer of a MH is a retiree and lots of them aren't going to want to travel anywhere in the near future. This could increase the flow of private sales on to the market.
Lots of people furloughed and then made redundant means less money floating about and the loss of confidence means that people are less likely to spend on big ticket items. We lost a buyer as the lockdown kicked in because the shares he had to sell to fund the purchase took a dive.
However, all of that has got to be balanced with the fact that international travel by flying is not looking great for a while and there has been lots of press about motorhoming being the type of holiday to take this year AND the number of family buyers was trending upwards. So I think that prices will firm up this year (fingers crossed as I have got 2 to dispose of...) but they will soften next year once the true scale of the economic s
t show becomes apparent.As you say those affluent families who would spend a staggering sum on an expensive foreign holiday are probably eyeballing the MH market and thinking that they can 'get away for a bit of glamping' but the reality of a lot of sites in peak season is that they are pretty rammed as it is.
One assumes that all the things that families want for kids - playgrounds, swimming pools and other leisure facilities as well as shower blocks will all be out of bounds. That's the proposal on the table from my local site who are looking at tentatively reopening anyway. Probably bearable for a couple in an MH for a few days, a bit tiresome for a family of five for a fortnight.
PurpleTurtle said:
Interesting to get the inside track Glenn, that's how I expected things. I've got a mate who is a young(ish) retiree at 58, was ready to spend £40k-ish on an MH to start a retirement tour of Europe in April but that has all had to go on hold for a year at least.
As you say those affluent families who would spend a staggering sum on an expensive foreign holiday are probably eyeballing the MH market and thinking that they can 'get away for a bit of glamping' but the reality of a lot of sites in peak season is that they are pretty rammed as it is.
One assumes that all the things that families want for kids - playgrounds, swimming pools and other leisure facilities as well as shower blocks will all be out of bounds. That's the proposal on the table from my local site who are looking at tentatively reopening anyway. Probably bearable for a couple in an MH for a few days, a bit tiresome for a family of five for a fortnight.
Agree, we (6 of us) are thinking about a few nights camping within an hour or so of home as anything more just won't be fun without facilities! We've got 2 weeks in Vendee at the end of August, just hoping we are safe to travel and that the quarantine situation falls on it's arse by then. As you say those affluent families who would spend a staggering sum on an expensive foreign holiday are probably eyeballing the MH market and thinking that they can 'get away for a bit of glamping' but the reality of a lot of sites in peak season is that they are pretty rammed as it is.
One assumes that all the things that families want for kids - playgrounds, swimming pools and other leisure facilities as well as shower blocks will all be out of bounds. That's the proposal on the table from my local site who are looking at tentatively reopening anyway. Probably bearable for a couple in an MH for a few days, a bit tiresome for a family of five for a fortnight.
A nice well-spoken semi-retired lady came up to my van today whilst I had the roof up, kids playing, paddle boarding etc.
She said to me ‘is that a T5 or a T6?’,
I said ‘oh this is a T6, there’s a new version now called the T6.1, but basically they are all much of a muchness underneath’
She said that she was looking to buy one, ‘what sort of money do they cost?’
Without appearing like a tt, I told her it had cost me about £70k, which I know is ridiculous for a van and yes I know I could buy a very nice motor home for that money and have change for a proper car and a can of Redbull.
Anyway she smiled and said ‘so if I spent in the region of £20k I could get something newer/similar/nicer than your one?’
I just smiled and said ‘yes, definitely’
I suspect her hearing aid needed new batteries.
She said to me ‘is that a T5 or a T6?’,
I said ‘oh this is a T6, there’s a new version now called the T6.1, but basically they are all much of a muchness underneath’
She said that she was looking to buy one, ‘what sort of money do they cost?’
Without appearing like a t
t, I told her it had cost me about £70k, which I know is ridiculous for a van and yes I know I could buy a very nice motor home for that money and have change for a proper car and a can of Redbull.Anyway she smiled and said ‘so if I spent in the region of £20k I could get something newer/similar/nicer than your one?’
I just smiled and said ‘yes, definitely’
I suspect her hearing aid needed new batteries.
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