HAPPY CAMPERS
With more people than ever expected to holiday in the UK this year, Ghyll House Upholstery and Furniture is helping owners transform their caravans, motorhomes and campervans. We offer a full refurbishment service for owners looking to spruce up their tourers ahead of summer.
GH has a range of professional upholstery options in different fabrics and colours to ensure vehicles are ready for action.
Joe McAlpine, general manager of Ghyll House Upholstery and Design, said: “With a winter of restrictions ahead, now is a good time to think about any updates your caravan, motorhome or campervan might require before the summer so you’re ready for the new holiday season.
“Many people are buying a caravan or campervan, updating it and making it their own home-from-home for their holidays. New upholstery can give it a new lease of life. The better the quality of the foam and fabric, the more comfortable it’s going to be. We’ve fitted many different vehicles and caravans over the years,” said Joe. “Campervans have become more popular in recent years, with people investing in them as DIY projects to create their own space.”
Ghyll House Upholstery and Design, which is based at Mealsgate, near Cockermouth, said the upholstery service was also popular with owners of static caravans looking to update their holiday homes.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, staycations experienced a boom during 2020. The Caravan and Motorhome Club reported a 35 per cent increase in bookings over the summer; a trend which is expected to be repeated this year. A spokesperson for the organisation said: “This demonstrates how keen campers, caravanners, motorhomers and campervanners are to enjoy the great outdoors and the freedom and peace of mind that touring holidays provide.”
Andrew Bell, from Wigton, has enjoyed caravan holidays since he was a child and now owns two tourers - a caravan which he and his wife Jane use for UK breaks, and a vintage 1979 Viking Fibreline which they take to classic car shows, along with their 1977 Ford Granada 2.0 GL. After buying the Viking on the internet 10 years ago, Andrew had only some small renovation work done to the vehicle and chose to keep the original upholstery. However, last winter, the caravan was fully restored with a full respray and timber frame repairs and Andrew decided it was time to get the upholstery refitted too.
He said: “The foam was so old it was getting uncomfortable to sit on so that’s when we approached Ghyll House. They did a superb job keeping the original vintage look of the cushions, while also making it much more comfortable. We’re delighted with the end result. Because of Covid-19 we haven’t been able to take it to the places we would usually go, but hopefully next year we’ll get a chance to.”
Due to restrictions, Ghyll House offers a service where caravan owners can arrange to send measurements to the company, which will then create made-to-measure cushions to the customer’s choice of fabric and design. These will then be delivered directly to the client.
“We’re doing everything we can in the current climate to help make life easier for our customers,” said Joe.

