Motorhomes dominate
Just a few interesting observations.
We have just spent a very enjoyable 6 nights at Baltic Wharf. It is a site that we have visited frequently over the years, comming from Bristol and having family living there. On this latest visit I was surprised to see so few caravans. Although the site is very Aire like and being in the centre of town suites MH's, in the past they have not seemed to dominate. As it is such a small site, I easily counted the number of caravans on my way to and from my early morning shower. Over the weekend the percentage was 68 - 70% MH's on the weekdays 59 to 65%. The site was full / 2 empty spaces throughout.
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Perhaps being between two bank hols with a lot of people at work and children in school had something to do with it.
No matter, it was wheels on pitches and people doing what they wanted.👍🏻
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I suppose it might depend on the time of year too as well as site? were the folk in the motorhomes mainly couples and not families, maybe even more retired folk? Do motorhomes cater more for couples than families.
Again it would be interesting to see what the ratio would be a weeks time over the BH weekend or when schools are on holiday?
But yes it does sound like a site for MH, and at the risk of sounding sarcastic good for them.
Melrose was mainly caravans a week ago, I don't think it really matter either way as along as sites are up to the usual standard and people enjoy themselves and membership grows.
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"Do motorhomes cater more for couples than families."
You'd certainly not fit a family in ours, Corners😀. There again, you’d not catch me in Bristol either!
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never been but is it a family tourist hotspot?
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There is certainly plenty to do for families. A visit to IKB's Great Britain, M shed museum of Bristol life, a trip on the Matthew, Ashton Court. The balloon festival in August, to name but a few. They have just opened a new interactive IKB exhibit alongside the ship.
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Steve seems to think so.
My everlasting memory is of the worst traffic jams in creation and unpleasant memories of work and training courses.
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Perhaps the ratio of caravans to motorhomes also depends on location? I've never been to Baltic Wharf, but from what I read, is is close to the town, shops and amenities etc. Motorhomers, with no other forms of transport often look for sites with public transport close by and the closeness of amenities, from what I gave gleaned. Baltic Wharf seems to fit the bill.
I'm guessing, but if you compare the ratio of caravans and motorhomes at a more remote site, (Burford????), then the result may well be different, and also might have a bearing on how long motorhomes may stay on a site?
Just a few thoughts.
David
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I get the impression that the trend towards motorhomes is increasing everywhere. When we were in southern Spain before Christmas there were only a handful of caravans on the site where we stayed. To me the main advantage of a motorhome over a caravan is in its mobility, enabling one to move on every couple of days more easily, but there were motorhomes on the site which hadn't been moved for weeks, sometimes months. Considering a motorhome is roughly three times as expensive as its caravan counterpart that's an awful lot of dead capital standing around, which is something I've never been able to understand.
On the other hand, my local dealer tells me that sales of caravans are picking up again.
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I'm guessing, but if you compare the ratio of caravans and motorhomes at a more remote site, (Burford????), then the result may well be different, and also might have a bearing on how long motorhomes may stay on a site?
I would think you are right David, although I have no intention of repeating the exercise at a larger site 😂 BW was easy, only 56 pitches. The main reason for posting, was the difference from other visits, which have also generally been outside school holidays.
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Can't be bothered to count but there are a heck of a load more motorhomers on the roads today than twenty years ago. Now that's a fact. There are also many fold more motorhomes on sites than when I first joined the 'Caravan Club'. However, we are all caravaners, motorised or otherwise and we are in 'it' together, neither dominate, that would be plain wrong. Don't we all just love our shared pastime?
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Just to point out I was using the term dominate in its mathematical context. In this context they did at BW during our visit.
Dominate
4Mathematics . (of a series, vector, etc.) to have terms or components greater in absolute value than the corresponding terms or components of a given series, vector, etc.
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I think the increase of motorhomes in this country will continue. The retired find them more convenient and the younger generation have to take a test to tow but can drive a motorhome/campervan under 3.5 tons without taking a further test. I certainly notice more of them on driveways than ever before and the last CL I was on was totally occupied by motorhomes.
I think with a widening gap in prices charged by sites and CL/CSs any of the latter with hard standings can look forward to a bright future.
peedee
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yes I got it Steve, you mean like the dominance relation on a set of points in Euclidean n-space is the intersection of the n coordinate-wise orderings?
I didn't take it as meaning:
have power and influence over, control, influence, exercise control over, be in control of, command, be in command of, be in charge of, rule, govern, direct, be the boss of, preside over, have ascendancy over, have mastery over, master, have the upper hand over, subjugate
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On our numerouse site visits,it is very obvious that there are far more motor caravans around than a few years ago, also
The majority seem to be used by couples and do not move once on site as with a caravan
Also it seems to be sites that have transport and closer to places that do not need other means of transport that attracts we are on Seacroft and it is about 50/50 split
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The retired find them more convenient and the younger generation have to take a test to tow but can drive a motorhome/campervan under 3.5 tons without taking a further test.
A bit of a sweeping generalisation there I think.
I have been in both situations - retired and also have been in 'the younger generation'. As a retired person the thought of just pulling up on site and plugging in appeals. But, when I consider the time savings it is, for me, negligible when compared to the disadvantages. The main additional chores for me in setting up a caravan is lowering the steadies which is a 5 min job and maybe 10 mins to manoeuvre onto pitch and fetch water. During our stay we will not need more water and so, on leaving a similar additional 15 mins time. For me the downside of a motorhome would be the parking and present increasing personal mobility issues.
When part of the younger generation at 28 we had an eight year old daughter and a baby when I bought the first caravan. A car was essential for my job at times although I also used a motorbike. A 5 berth caravan made more sense from the point of view of space and economics as we had not much money then.
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The title of the thread does have a resonance to "taking over", so I am not surprised by that being observed.
Motorhomes are very popular with the continentals, as they have more space and distance between places to visit than in lil ole UK.
With the advent of fossil-fuelled cars becoming extinct, unless electric cars truly capable of towing caravans become a practical proposition I would imagine electrically-powered motorhomes filling the gap. In-journey travel would be more convenient space wise than getting towed outfits into charging stations. Would be owners will most likely have to give much thought to compactness and weight than going for the huge motorhomes currently seen on campsites. The changes imposed by the needs to combat global warming might force a renaissance of the "old fashioned" way of camping.
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and the younger generation have to take a test to tow but can drive a motorhome/campervan under 3.5 tons without taking a further test.
somewhat incorrect PD and really misleading of you.
If you have a Category B licence and passed your test on or after 1 January 1997 you can drive:
Towed outfits: you’re restricted to a combined MAM of 3,500kg and the trailer MAM must not exceed the unladen weight of the towing vehicleSo it is the same as for MH.
Happy to help PD
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if you can have any electric engine capable of moving a MH of a given (yes lower than now) weight then it will be capable of towing the same weight, it doesn't matter if the weight is all in one unit or over two?
In fact won't cars and towed van usually have less drag than a MH? On current designs that is?
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Looking beyond this rise of the motorhome to the future I see sites dotted all around the country with little self contained 'pods' (or similar) on pitches. All you need then will be that smaller electric car with just your clothing for the duration. Folk will then tour staying in these just the same as we do now except no need to pull that unit along with you.
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what a brilliant idea Micky, I do hope the club takes this on board in the future.
Like the name you've given pod, wonder if it will stick?
It could make camping glamorous? Need a good name for that, any suggestions?
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I suspect a site like Baltic Wharf, and perhaps York, will tend to be popular with motorhomers because of the ease of access to the respective cities. The same is probably true of other sites with good access by foot or public transport.The irony is perhaps that as motorhomes gain in popularity it is these very sites that are popular with motorhomers that are under the greatest threat, Baltic Wharf being a prime example.Statistically motorhomes have a long way to go before they even equal the number of caravans on the road.It is true that sales of motorhomes have grown substantially in recent years but there are still more caravans sold each years.
David
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Since the begining of the "post-modern" era, it has been taken that it is what the reader thinks something means that matters, and not what the writer intended.
A lot of people are now getting into deep trouble, loosing jobs, etc because of the spread of this daft notion.
So the title will for many conjur up images of a "dominatrix" or similar. I wonder if the Camping Club has a special interest group for that.
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We started our touring life in a camper van. We shall probably end our touring life in a slightly more sophisticated camper van. Trends come and go.
But the thing that doesn’t alter for us is actually touring. If it has wheels, we prefer to use them. 😁
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On a serious note I do believe that in the future a large proportion of this leisure industry will have to operate in this way. What's more a nationwide network of sites (A members 'Club') catering for this type of tourer will be the order of the day.
Not that I remember but didn't 'they' say that the horseless carriage would not catch on for the masses!
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