Currently Caravans & Motorhomes can be viewed by appointment only, please give us a call on 01255 830229 to book.
Awnings & Accessories

The Homestead Caravans Kampa Awning Showroom was officially opened in 2016 to showcase Europe's most popular collection of Caravan Awnings. The new showroom gives our customers a unique opportunity to view the latest designs of Inflatable and Poled Awnings under one roof inside our 15,000 square foot showroom.

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Camping & Outdoor

We are proud of our association with Lafuma, as a UK Supplier of Lafuma Furniture for more than 20-years. It's not hyperbole to say, we cannot recommend Lafuma enough. We have carefully chosen our Lafuma range to best suit our customer requirements. Look out for new Taupe, Graphite and Lac colour options in 2019.

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Caravan & Motorhome

We have chosen 8 models across the Swift Select and Swift Escape ranges designed to give a wide range of model options and equipment. The Select van conversion range offers a greater level of customisation, while the Swift Escape continues to be one of the UKs best selling single motorhome ranges. As things progress we'll be offering a range of quality pre-owned motorhomes. Call 01255-830-229 for more information.

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Motoring & Travel

The nights are drawing in and the weather is cooling; whether you're a winter caravanner or put your vehicle into storage for winter, there are a few essential items available to help you get prepared and protect your investment. With this is mind, we put together a selection of our Winter Care products.

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Parts & Maintenance

If you're about to embrak on a caravan or motorhome DIY project and are in need of some supplies to help the job along, check out our Tools and Consumables category first. While your thinkg DIY, we'd like to remind you that our purpose built, 8 bay workshop is ready to help you resolve any issues you may have. Give us a call if we can help and to book your next carvan service.

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Towing & Trailer

Homestead Caravans holds in stock a wide range of essential electrical equipment for Towing and Trailers at very competitive prices. From basic 12N and 12S plugs to complete pre-wired wiring kits and an array of extension and adapter leads.

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Home Leisure

It comes as no surprise that many caravan and motorhome owners are also pet owners. Homestead Caravans is a pet friendly company - we offer pet friendly holidays at our Homestead Lake Touring Park and pets are permitted into our Accessory Superstore. Check out our brand new range of pet accessories in-store or online including exclusive products from the official Crufts range, all at very affordable prices.

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NCC Verified Leisure Battery (Consumer Protection) Scheme Now in Place

22/02/2016 IN Latest Industry News

READ MORE: Caravan 12V Leisure Battery Independent Test - Very Revealing!

The Problem

The problem was highlighted by Terry Williams and Caravan TV presenter John Wicksham, who performed a series of test on a host of leisure batteries, which was witnessed in part (some of the tests took 24 hours) by a stellar line up of organisations and companies:

  • Bailey Caravans
  • The Caravan Club
  • The Camping & Caravan Club
  • The Motor Caravanner's Club
  • Andrew Harris of the Motorhome Channel
  • John Wickersham of Haynes Publishing
  • The Caravan Channel

The tests were first to fully charge the batteries to 100% then check CCA (starting ability), weight followed by a discharge test (for true capacity). They were then all cut open to reveal the internal construction which shows whether the battery is a purpose built unit or a starter battery labelled as a deep cycle or leisure battery.

The results were startling for all the wrong reasons and it was clearly evident that something had to be done in order to protect consumers from clear Trading Description Act breaches. Frequent sales of substandard leisure batteries were taking place between an unspecified number of battery suppliers and unsuspecting caravan and motorhome retailers and ultimately end consumers.

The Solution

In light of the results a decision was made by the NCC or National Caravan Council to present a new NCC Verified Leisure Battery Scheme that would effectively lock substandard leisure battery producers out of the the market in the event their batteries failed to meet new NCC Scheme requirements.

This scheme provides product verification for batteries used in leisure vehicles (touring caravans and motorhomes).

With modern leisure vehicles featuring more technology and electrical appliances than ever before, buying an NCC Verified Leisure Battery gives consumers confidence that the battery they buy are fit for purpose and will perform as advertised. Also, the NCC is encouraging its leisure vehicle member manufacturers to fit NCC verified leisure batteries.

Battery verification comes via a comprehensive, industry leading, testing process conducted by suitably certified and audited test houses. Batteries will be verified and labelled accordingly, into three categories: A, B and C, depending on their capacity and intended purpose – this is explained below:

Category A

Category A is for batteries with a higher storage capacity for people who frequently use their touring caravan or motorhome away from an electrical hook-up.

[img4574-L-L#NCC Verified Leisure Battery Scheme & Class A logos]
















Category B

Category B batteries are aimed at those who frequently use sites with hook-up facilities, but require a greater battery capacity to operate devices such as motor movers.

[img4575-L-L#NCC Verified Leisure Battery Scheme & Class B logos]
















Category C

Category C batteries are for users that require a lower capacity battery to cover basic operation of their habitation equipment for short periods away from an electrical hook-up.

[img4576-L-L#NCC Verified Leisure Battery Scheme & Class C logos]
















The Conclusion

David Reid, NCC Standards and Regulations Adviser, advises that the NCC has been aware that consumers could be getting short changed when purchasing a leisure battery because, until now there has been very little guidance on how to match their requirements to the technical specification of the battery. Leisure batteries can cost as much as £200 each so the NCC wants to make sure that when people buy a new battery they get a product that is suitable for their caravan or motorhome and suits their lifestyle.

The scheme is designed to bring transparency to the leisure battery marketplace and help consumers select a product that’s right for them. The scheme was started with some of the leading leisure battery brands signed up, including Banner, Platinum and Yuasa and more are being bought on-board all the time.

John Richards, Platinum OE-OES & Specialist Channel Director, said: “We are excited to start working with the NCC moving forward as we believe the NCC Verified Leisure Battery Scheme is right for the industry and our business”.

Platinum Batteries at Homestead Caravans

Homestead Caravans has always appreciated the value in retailing quality leisure batteries that provide the very best in performance and longevity for our customers. That's why for many years Platinum Batteries has been our preferred supplier of quality leisure batteries and we are pleased to say that Platinum Batteries is an NCC Verified Manufacturer of caravan and motorhome deep cycle leisure batteries.

READ MORE: Platinum Batteries Starter Guide - Getting the most from your Leisure Battery

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