Caravan Sites with Farm Shops

How could you improve on a beautiful caravan site? Offer an on-site farm shop brimming with glorious local produce! Here are our tops picks. 

Kelsey’s Campsite

Kent

Kelsey's Farm 

Kelsey’s Campsite is spread over 35 acres in Kent and has been owned by the Kelsey family for over 60 years. Kelsey’s farm is perfectly positioned for easy access to the South Coast, with Dover just an hour away.

As well as the farm shop, the site offers EHU, welcomes dogs, and provides freshly prepared meals from Kelsey’s Kitchen.

The farm shop offers a huge range of home grown farm produce, meat and bread, not to mention supplies from Spitafields Market for more exotic produce.

Torworth Grange

Nottinghamshire

Torworth Grange

Torworth Grange not only offers a farm shop, but also camping, fishing and freshly cooked food, in the central location of North Nottinghamshire.

The farm shop stocks a great range of fresh produce, from meat and vegetables to bread and cakes, as well as showcasing specially selected ranges of local and national products.

The site is a Caravan and Motorhome Club CL Certified Site and is members only. All five pitches are serviced with EHU, water and waste and have beautiful views of the fishing lakes.

Perfect for a secluded getaway.

New Lodge Farm

Northampton

New Lodge Farm 

For over 100 years, the Singlehurst family have looked after New Lodge Farm. As well as the award winning farm shop, the site provides adults only plots for caravan and motorhomes. Facilities include EHU, hardstanding and grass pitches, heated facilities and no restrictions on pitching orientation.

Situated between the old market towns of Oundle, Market Harborough and Stamford, New Lodge Farm is ideal for exploring central England.

The farm shop provides good quality local produce as well as a range of delicious home cooked food to take away.

Bargoed Farm

Bargoed Farm

Wales

Bargoed Farm offers 50 fully serviced hardstanding pitches in the heart of Cardigan Bay.

The Moody Cow farm shop is fully stocked with a wide selection of local produce, as well as homemade cakes, pies, bread and quiches, and if that wasn’t enough, the onsite butcher supplies a range of different meats and cuts.

Facilities include an award winning toilet block (winning Loo of the Year in 2019), private hot tubs on selected pitches, a custom built dog wash and a washing machine for your use.

Denfurlong Farm Caravan Site

Cotswolds

Denfurlong Farm 

Chedworth Farm Shop sits amongst Denfurlong Farm Caravan Site in Gloucestershire. The farm shop offers local, seasonal produce, freshly baked bread, dairy produce and a range of free range meat.

The site is a dark sky site which means that there are no lights apart from by the shower block. This means that you get a spectacular view of the stars at night.

EHU is available, as are washing facilities, elsan disposal, and drinking water.  The site is pitch anywhere so you can choose exactly where you want to be.

The Mile Campsite

Yorkshire

The Mile Campsite

With beautiful views of the Yorkshire Wolds, The Mile Campsite offers camping for caravans and motorhomes on hard standing pitches with EHU, free Wi-Fi, washing facilities and chemical toilet disposal points.

The farm shop stocks all the essentials, plus specialist produce from around Yorkshire, and an extensive range of local gin and beers.

Caravan Vloggers

There's a huge amount of video content available on You Tube for caravan and motorhome lovers.
We've collated some of our favorite vloggers.

The Trudgians

Caravan reviews, DIY tutorials, holidays and product reviews. This Wiltshire family has a wealth of content which is both entertaining and useful.

Popular vlogs include How to Set a Caravan Up On Site, Cleaning a Caravan Roof, and How to Level a Caravan.

Caravan Vlogger

Mandy and Graham started cavaranning in 2006 and now travel throughout the UK and France, documenting their travels, reviewing products and making useful ‘How To’ guides.

Caravan jockey wheel comparisons, getting a ferry from Dover to Calais with a caravan, caravan buying guides and sites are all compiled on their website and YouTube channel here .

Make Way with the Morleys

A family of five from the West Midlands who share their adventures throughout Europe and the UK, as well as reviewing caravan sites, caravan equipment and even crème egg challenges!

The Camping & Caravaning Club

This regularly updated channel includes a ‘How To’ series, caravan motorhome and accessory reviews, camping recipes and site tours. Whether you’re a beginner, a seasoned pro, or a member of the club or not, this channel with keep you occupied for hours!

(Get Your) Legs Down

We’ve been a fan of the blog for ages, and the vlog is just as good. The site arrival videos are particularly useful, as are the site tours and there is travel inspiration aplenty. Head over to the Legs Down blog for more.

Bailey of Bristol

The Bailey of Bristol vlog does include plenty of Bailey caravan content, but there is also a wealth of useful information for new and experienced caravanners. From the grand Bristol to Bosphorus tour, to beginner’s guides and Tow Car of the Year updates, this channel is worth subscribing to.

Poshcats Camping

Trev and Sue travel with UK and further afield with their Swift motorhome all year round, and have over 35 years’ experience with both caravans and motorhomes. Expect travel tips, ideas, site reviews, days out and more.

Next Stop Everywhere

Claire and Sam travel throughout Europe and the UK recording their adventures, as well as reviewing all the latest caravans and motorhomes. Highlights include the Wild Atlantic Way in Ireland, a Christmas trip to Amsterdam and a drive across the Outer Hebrides. You can also follow then on Facebook and Twitter.

Caravanning with the Cox’s

The Cox’s are a Somerset based family who are weekly vloggers, sharing their travels, tips, advice, repairs and general updates. For a wealth of useful information and entertainment, including caravan recommendations, a trip to Glastonbury, and how to use a motormover, make sure you subscribe!

Caravan Fire Safety

It’s easy to forget about fire safety in your caravan whilst you’re enjoying yourself on holiday, but some simple safeguards can help to keep you safe should the worst happen.

FIRE SAFETY EQUIPMENT

SMOKE DETECTOR

Fit a smoke detector. All NCC approved dealers and manufacturers are required to fit smoke detectors in all new and second hand caravans, but it’s worthwhile making sure that this is the case.

FIRE BLANKET

It’s easy enough to fit a fire blanket in your caravan. Ideally, it should be somewhere between your cooker and your caravan door. These can be picked up for as little as £5.00, but make sure it conforms to BS EN 1869.

FIRE EXTINGUISHER

A fire extinguisher should be in everyone’s caravanning kit, but it should only be used once everyone’s out of the caravan and safe. You should also know the type of extinguisher you’ve got and how to use it effectively.

Whilst dry powder fire extinguishers are effective at putting out most fires, they’re not recommended for use in small spaces like caravans. A fully charged water or AFFF foam fire extinguisher is ideal for use on small fires.

For more information about the different types of fire extinguishers please click here.

GENERAL FIRE SAFETY ADVICE

· When you arrive at your campsite, look out for Fire Points located around the site.

· Turn off appliances when not in use – unplug phone / device chargers

· Don’t leave clothes to dry on heaters.

· Be aware of pressurised containers (aerosols) stored in cupboards next to overs / heaters.

· When pitching up on a campsite, it’s recommended that 6 meters is allowed between each caravan to reduce the risk of fire spreading.

· Don’t block air vents.

· Never leave a cooker unattended when preparing food.

· Turn off gas cylinders when not in use, and keep outside your caravan.

· Never use a barbecue or camping stove in your caravan or awning.

And finally...

Should the worst happen and there’s a fire in your caravan, don’t attempt to tackle the fire yourself, and don’t attempt to start moving or unhitching a caravan. Your primary concern should be to evacuate the area to ensure yours and others safety.

Call the Fire & Rescue Service on 999 as soon as possible, giving your location and nearby landmarks to help them to find you.

How to buy a Caravan at a Show

There are a number of caravan and motorhome shows throughout the year, taking place at locations across the country. These events see new model launches, great offers and the opportunity to view a huge range of caravans and motorhome all in one place.

If you’re looking for a new caravan, one of the shows could be an ideal time to make your purchase. Here are our tips for getting the most out of a show, and hopefully making the right purchase for you.

Make a shortlist of caravans you want to see.

Do some research prior to visiting the show, so you’ve got an idea of which types of caravans or motorhomes you’re looking for, and which brands and dealers you want to visit. Exhibitor information will be available on the event websites prior to the show, so you can 

plan your day.

Don’t forget to check that your car can safely tow the caravans on your shortlist. Use an online caravan and tow car match tool to find out and make sure you won’t have to buy a new car too!

Dealer Specials

At shows, dealers will often offer a number of special edition versions of standard caravans. 

These special editions will be more expensive than standard models, but the value of the extras will represent excellent value for money, then it’s worth considering these.

Caravan Magazine have an handy comparison list printable to help you compare caravans when you’re at a show.

Special Offers

Dealers will be competing for your business at shows so there should be some excellent deals to be had. However, the best price for your ideal caravan may be from a dealer based miles away from your home. You’ll need to consider that if there is an issue, how easy will it be to tow your caravan to the dealership to get it repaired under warranty? This could also be the case for annual servicing.

Remember that you don’t have make a purchase there and then, unless it’s the last day of theshow and a show only offer. Take a coffee break to mull over your options, or better still, sleep on it.

Finance options should be available at the shows, but it’s worth considering this in advance, if you’re planning to make a credit purchase.

Insurance & Storage

Before you make the final decision, don’t forget to consider how much it will cost you to insure, and where you will store your new tourer – you may not be able to park it on your driveway. CaSSOA has over 400 secure storage locations across the country.

Have you ever considered hiring out your caravan or motorhome?

Buying a caravan or motorhome is a lifestyle choice and investment for many owners. For some, it is a home that can travel with you and makes an array of planned and impromptu trips a reality.

But for some individuals, after the purchase they find themselves using their caravan or motorhome much less than first anticipated and when considering the costs of maintenance, storage and insurance, the possibility of selling does seem a viable option.

But before you make that move, why not think about hiring it out?

Hiring out to trusted hirers can be a great option for any owner wanting to earn some extra money whilst they aren’t using their caravan or motorhome. It is estimated that some owners only use their caravan or motorhome for just eight weeks of the year, so for the additional 44, why not consider hiring it out?

Benefits of hiring your caravan or motorhome

• Money – The amount is dependent on a number of factors i.e. how often you are willing to hire your caravan or motorhome, but you can then use the money however you see fit and it could potentially help towards maintenance and storage costs for your caravan or motorhome 
• Hiring caravans and motorhomes could become a business within itself - You could build up to a larger fleet and earn more from hiring multiple caravan or motorhomes at the same time 
• You give others the opportunity to experience the joys of camping 
• You get to meet new people 

Things to consider

• Hire insurance - You need to make sure that along with your comprehensive insurance you have the adequate cover for hiring it out to other people for their use 
• Other people – Not everyone will be pleased at the thought of other people in their caravan or motorhome 
• Damage – There is always a risk that your caravan or motorhome won’t come back in the same condition that you hired it out in 
• Marketing effort and costs - To make sure you get some interest in your caravan or motorhome you really have to think about putting some time, effort and money behind marketing it out to the general public. Choosing the right audience and putting your caravan or motorhome in front of them, at the right time and in the right place, can be trickier than you think! 

How to minimise effort and maximise opportunity?

If you want to make the most out of hiring out your caravan or motorhome, you can attempt to alleviate some of the above risks by working with a reputable and trusted third-party platform with all the bells and whistles.

When choosing a trusted third-party platform you need to ensure that you are happy with what they provide, that if you need it, they have the right insurance options for you and that you have a level of control that is right for you.

Camplify UK is one such platform that can assist you with all of these considerations!

Why choose to hire out through Camplify UK

Camplify are the fastest growing peer-to-peer caravan and motorhome sharing platform designed specifically for owners of caravan, campervans, motorhomes and trailer tents. Through our service, we connect you with hirers looking to spend their holidays and breaks in other people’s caravans or motorhomes. We look after everything from marketing to payments and insurance so that you don’t have to worry about all the time and effort that goes into hiring out.

• It is FREE to list your caravan or motorhome with us 
• A full hire insurance solution is available 
• RAC breakdown cover is included with every hire 
• We can help you calculate what to charge your guests. Try our online calculator for a rough guide of what you could charge holidaymakers 
• Our platform allows you to talk to guests interested in hiring your caravan or motorhome – you’re in control and can opt to approve or decline each hire 
• We hold a £1,000 pre-authorised security deposit from all holidaymakers at the time of booking, to cover any minor damages if they happen whilst out on hire – anything over that is covered by the insurance so you’re not out of pocket 
• Give you tips and guides on caravan and motorhome hire that you can refer to time and time again 
• Inspire holidaymakers with our blogs and guides about locations all over the UK 
• An ongoing customer service 

Whether you want to list your caravan or motorhome with us or just need some advice to help you decide what is best for you, we’re here to help!