Britons are hitting the road—with caravans in tow

EVEN on a weekday in mid-September, plenty of punters are enjoying the sun at the Dacre Lakeside Park. Some 15 miles north of Hull, the lodges and “static” caravans are packed, and the touring caravans are squeezed in tight. Mark Mewburn, the owner, says that his park is nearly full all year and he has plans to expand. The traditional family business is farming. But the caravan park is more profitable. This is true for most of Britain’s 2,000-odd parks, and indeed the whole caravan industry. It is still dominated by British businesses, rare in manufacturing. Even more unusually, Brexit looks as though it might be a blessing.

Britain is now the largest market in Europe for touring caravans (pulled by cars). The industry suffered after the financial crash in 2008. Caravans were among the first big-ticket items to go in the credit crunch, but recently growth has returned. Britons spend £2.2bn ($3bn) a year on caravanning, up 4% on the previous year. Revenues and profits at leisure parks have risen similarly since 2013.