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UK Caravan & Camping holidays
Caravanning and camping around the UK remain hugely popular ways of taking a well-earned holiday.
There are no restraints or restrictions to what families and couples can do as part of their breaks. Being highly mobile they can pitch camp and then seek out the best in their selected area whether it is the local shopping mall, the delights of a nearby seaside resort, museums and big-thrill attractions or the great outdoors.
The British weather may not be as reliable as sunny Spain or Portugal but even if it rains for a day or two there is no need to stay in the caravan or tent peering out at the horrible weather and waiting for the sun to come out.
Camping holidays in the UK
The UK has sights and places to rival anywhere in the world and in a four-part series we look at the huge range of activities that England, Scotland and Wales offers for caravanners and campers.
This week, we look at shopping. Many caravan and camp sites are within easy reach of some of the best towns and cities in Britain and they all have shopping centres to interest most of the family.
A family day out in Manchester, Glasgow, London, Birmingham, Edinburgh or Plymouth can cater for the varied tastes – fashions for adults, games for the children and shopping for items such as balls, kites and outdoor gear to use while on holiday.
Then there are the souvenirs to take back to friends and relatives. Some people regard them as naff but there are crafts and handmade souvenirs that are special to every part of the country. Welsh love spoons, Cornish pixies and kilted Scottish dolls are popular enough to keep many craftspeople producing them.
Camping and caravanning is an ideal way of seeing the diversity of landscapes and cultures that make up the British Isles.
It is a myth that shopping centres all look the same. There may be a Boots in every major High Street but that does not mean that there is not still plenty of variety for people who enjoy the delights of “retail therapy” as a change to admiring scenic views.
American-style malls such as the MetroCentre in Newcastle and Bluewater in Kent differ from each other. Just like the revamped retail centres such as the Bullring in Birmingham and the Arndale Centre in Manchester have individual atmospheres.
Modern retail therapy allied to architectural style brings a real treat in the magnificently restored arcades of the Victoria Quarter in Leeds which, with its own Harvey Nichols, has become known as the Knightsbridge of the North.
Places like York, Chester, Newcastle, Glasgow, Bristol, Liverpool and Cardiff all have splendid shopping centres which boast delightful shops that will only be found in that particular city. Many are just 15-30 minutes’ drive from camp and caravan sites in the countryside.
Caravning and Camping around the UK
Away from the cities, there are dozens of small town shopping centres offering alternative and engaging ways of encouraging visitors to part with their money.
Armchair shoppers who buy items from the Lakeland catalogue can take a few hours out of their Lake District experience to visit the town of Windermere, the location for the company’s original store.
And Constable country, on the borders of Essex and Suffolk and popularised by Britain’s most well known Old Master boasts an outlet for the Cotswold Company catalogue at Dedham. It is housed in an old mill which also boasts creative arts and crafts products.
There is no need to take home a souvenir that sports a “Made in Taiwan” sticker on its underside.
Every area of Britain has its individual arts and crafts making splendid souvenirs that are practical as well as pleasing to the eye. Tartans unique to Scotland, perhaps, or black jet jewellery mined and fashioned at Whitby in Yorkshire.
Rooting in antique shops in villages near where you are staying is likely to reveal plenty of unusual items suitable as reminders of a happy holiday.
Self catering is good reason to try out the food shops that sell splendid local produce and specialities of the region you are holidaying in. Few visitors to Cornwall will resist the famous pasties or clotted cream.
In out-of-the-way places such as Maldon in Essex and Whitstable in Kent holidaymakers will also find oysters at knockdown prices compared to London. Elsewhere are to be found mouth-watering pates, delicious homemade pies or British cheeses that many of us did not know existed.
Back home and refreshed, it is likely to make you determined to find out what your home area produces in out-of-the-ordinary gastronomic treats.
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