By William Coleman
This week the Scottish Caravan, Motorhome and Holiday Home is in full swing at the SEC in Glasgow. We were there on opening day to see everything the new season has to offer and to find out what the Scottish are bringing to the table of touring holidays.
Show season is both a hectic and happy time for myself and the team, so I can only imagine what it is like for the companies that do the Manchester, Glasgow and Birmingham show all within the first 2 months of the new year.
One of the brighter sides of working at these shows is that once the grafting is done I get to free roam and spend as much time as I like seeing everything on display across the many halls, and the SEC was a great day out.
The SEC show is not the largest of the UK shows but this year’s event has actually been one of the largest they have had, and was also a record breaker. The show director, Darren Brechin, spoke at the Club Stand during the show’s official opening and explained that this show had a record amount of companies on display and they have more stands than ever before.
Another noteworthy point about this year’s SEC show was the addition of a hall specifically for campervans. Over the past few years I am sure you have noticed both the rise in popularity of the campervan and their much increased presence at the trade shows.
One company, who I had not heard of before, called Caledonian Campers were actually displaying a full build from the ground up of a luxury customer VW camper. I have a good idea of what goes into the build but I had never seen it live and in such detail. From the seat embroidery all the way to fitting the full interior and windows. It really was impressive to see how much work goes into putting these campers together.
Having been to several shows all over the UK and Europe I do always try to speak to at least one new person be show that is not directly linked to the caravan world. I always like to see everything at the show and this year I spoke to a chap from Caurnie Soaperie to find out how smaller companies enjoy the caravan shows. I find it interesting speaking to people who do the shows that are not linked to the caravan world, of which there are usually quite a lot. Oh and I got some free soap for the other half.
Whilst walking round the show you cannot help but notice the large Scottish presence, from local dealers and holiday companies all the way to Scottish farmers who are selling locally produced chases, meats and whiskeys. So make sure you take a shopping basket with you when you go.
If you are going to visit the show this weekend make sure that you take full advantage of all the offers and show exclusives that certain dealers have on.
Another thing I urge you to do, provided you have travelled to the location and are not a local, is head into Glasgow town and seek out all it’s hidden gems. As far as cities go it is pretty good and I find somewhere new to eat and drink every time I visit.
This time round me and the team were on the hunt for a steak dinner. Little did we know that we would find somewhere that we never knew existed that totally blew us away. Opposite a steak and grill place we saw something that stood out from every other eatery, a Bavarian Beer Hall.
Without a doubt this is the best I have visited in Scotland. From the authentic decor all the way to the “Top 6” beers from the Munich breweries on offer it was 10/10. Oh and the food is absolutely amazing. Next time you’re in Glasgow make sure you go to Bavaria Brauhaus on Bothwell Street, it is about a 45 second walk from Glasgow Central station.
