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Caravaning and staycation lockdown rules

Things will be a little different for a month or so

By William Coleman

Today marks the first day of the new lockdown and we thought it would be a good idea to delve into how this will impact the touring community.

Since overseas travel became a bit of a no go, the UK holiday scene has gone from strength to strength and the staycation has become the new king of holidays.

Now we are facing another month of restrictions, what does that mean for caravanning and camping holidays?

The government has decided that all travel is now prohibited, which means towing and campers are a non-option until further notice. And no, you cannot use portable accommodation as a loophole, unfortunately.

According to the government, all overnight stays are no longer an option and have said: “Overnight stays and holidays away from primary residences will not be allowed.

“This includes holidays abroad and in the UK. It also means you cannot stay in a second home, if you own one, or stay with anyone you do not live with or are in a support bubble with.

“There are specific exceptions, for example, if you need to stay away from home (including in a second home) for work purposes, but this means people cannot travel overseas or within the UK unless for work, education or other legally permitted reasons.”

Between now and the December all caravans and camping sites, and park networks will be closing. As of this coming Monday, around 75 percent of the Caravan and Motorhome Club’s sites were set to close for the offseason, with the remaining 25 percent keeping open. Now they will all be forced to close.

The closures will also mean that holiday resorts like Haven Holidays and Center Parcs will also not be open as they usually would at this time of year.

So, as it stands at the moment the UK leisure industry is very much on hold. This may not be the worst timing as a lot of leisure vehicles owners tend to store them away from this point until March anyway.

That being said, the UK caravan season was cut very short this year and most companies, retail and sites, decided to work right the way through winter to make up for it. With these new measures, it seems we are going to miss out once more in 2020.