Customised Holiday Homes Innovation
Cumbria park welcomes “disruptors” widening choice for holiday home buyers. A Lake District holiday park says 2025 will see the dawn of a golden age for holiday home buyers as manufacturers vie to outshine each other with their takes on innovation. Skelwith Fold in Ambleside believes that new “disruptive” manufacturers are able to build customised holiday homes, bringing an end to years of design flatlining by makers.
“Britain’s legacy holiday home manufacturers are the best in the world, and this is underlined by the fact that there is virtually zero competition from abroad,” says the park’s Henry Wild.
“But until recently the options have been limited to what has always sold well. Now, though, we are seeing both flair and flexibility entering the design arena.
Design Custom Holiday Caravans & Lodges
“As a result, we’re noticing many new buyers being tempted into ownership,” said Henry whose family-run Skelwith Fold was named this winter as England’s park of the year by the AA.
He says the arrival in recent times of smaller “disruptive” manufacturers has sounded the death knell for makers dictating how a holiday home should look and function.
An example, points out Henry, is now the ability of customers to configure holiday homes to create rooms and living spaces matched to their needs.
If buyers wish to enjoy a larger American-style kitchen area, or to include an office from which to use a computer, then manufacturers such as Beverley Leisure Homes will oblige.
Similarly, Love Holiday Homes lets buyers cherry-pick their preferred interior specifications such as luxury furnishings, a stylish glass shower cubicle or super king-size bed.
Henry says that whilst mainstream manufacturers have been extending the options available on their off-the-shelf models, changes in the design have been limited.
All-Electric Holiday Caravans
Buyers keeping an eye on the environmental impact of their holidays – and their energy bills – can also opt for upgraded specification to minimise the unit’s carbon footprint.
Some of the legacy makers are such as Victory and Willerby. says Henry, are focusing extra efforts on all-electric holiday caravans energised by entirely by solar.
Entirely off-grid solutions are teetering on the edge of a breakthrough in the market, he believes.
“At last it’s being acknowledged that one size doesn’t fit all, and that bespoke is the new by-word for couples and families looking to individualise their holiday homes,” said Henry.
“The more imaginative exterior designs will also have an impact on Skelwith Fold by making the park less uniform in appearance, and will give it a more village-like character.
“It’s been a long time coming, but I think we’ve finally got to a point when buyers have the breadth of choice they expect when selecting a house or a car,” said Henry.
Choice to Build Customised Holiday Homes
Owned by the Wild family for almost 30 years, Skelwith Fold has 450 pitches spread across 130 acres, and is described by the AA as “best holiday parks in the Lakes”.
Holiday home pitches, of which a limited number are available, are mainly set in woodland glades with many providing far-reaching views across the Lakeland fells.
More information about the park is available on Skelwith Fold’s website at www.skelwith.com
