Currently, 19 of the 36 LeadingCampings are open and look forward to your visit. Please note that not all services are available everywhere. For example, our French member Camping L'Anse du Brick in the Normandy is only keeping the villas open for the winter, but not the actual camping area. Camping Wirthshof will close on Dec. 15^th, while Camping Hopfensee will just reopen at this time, on Dec. 14^th, after a short break. A look at the opening times in the current Holiday Guide (our printed catalogue) or at www.leadingcampings.com helps to clarify detailed questions. Under no circumstances we can recommend simply setting off on the off-chance - a reservation is urgently recommended even in winter time. After all, winter camping is becoming more and more popular, even in places where it's not about wintering in mild temperatures, like LeadingCampings in Croatia, Spain or Portugal. There are other destinations for winter sports, like our member campsites in Bavaria, Austria or South Tyrol. The new LeadingCamping in the Netherlands De Twee Bruggen in Winterswijk, which was introduced in the last newsletter, will join the ranks of inland campsites that are open all year round. When planning your next spring or summer holiday, you will have 37 LeadingCampings in 10 European countries at your disposal. We look forward to welcoming and pampering you there.

LeadingsClub

Welcome in the LeadingClub! Each month there is a lucky winner of a "feel good camping week" at a different campsite amongst the club members. The winner of the LeadingCamping week of October 2021 is Nicole J.-H. from the surroundings of Maastricht in the Netherlands. She may look forward to having a treat at the Camping L’Anse du Brick on the peninsula Cotentin in the Normandy. Have a look what this campsite has to offer at www.anse-du-brick.fr The LeadingCard is the entrée into the LeadingsClub. The most popular benefits at a glance:

1. Every month a raffle of a full week's stay at one of the LeadingCampings, restaurant meals, wellness, sports, and fun included.
2. Late check-out and pitch upgrade*
3. Preferential reception and/or reserved counter for LeadingsClub. *
4. Benefits and privileges on every LeadingCamping for club members, including overnight stays for bonus points (not on all LeadingCampings). *
5. Reserved space in leadingcampings.com website where you can control your point account, find current offers and much more interesting information.
   

* Examples of the various LeadingsClub. Offers can vary from campsite to campsite and are not available at every LeadingCamping.

Small e-camper

Electric Brands, based in Itzehoe in northern Germany, offers the X-Bus, one of the most innovative and modular light vehicles in the world. This is because the X-Bus generates a daily range of up to 200 km via its integrated solar modules in the roof skin as well as its recuperative drives and is thus said to be able to achieve a maximum range of 600 kilometres. The X-Bus, which has pretty much the exact dimensions of a first-generation Mitsubishi L 300 (camping extensions were also available from this vehicle at the time and the chassis was an extremely popular carrier of cabover bodies) is modular in design and comes as a flatbed, box, double cab or estate - and as a camping bus. This will have a pop-up roof for standing height and a slide-out at the rear as a bed extension and will offer accommodation for two people. The road version is to cost just under 30,000 euros and the higher, adventurous-looking all-wheel-drive version just over 30,000 euros. This price is feasible because the X-Bus is a lightweight vehicle. According to the motto ‘less is more’, it limits itself and its maximum of three passengers to a modest top speed of around 100 km/h, which it achieves with a system output of 15 kW (20 hp); the peak output is 56 kW (76 hp). However, performance is not the same as power delivery: The permanent, electronically controlled all-wheel drive nimbly sets the small vehicle in motion with over 1,000 Nm of torque, and with its app-controlled communication system and other optional features such as air conditioning or digital exterior mirrors, the X-Bus sets new standards not only as a lightweight vehicle. The unladen weight without batteries, cargo and superstructure is only around 500 kilogrammes, but it can still transport up to 1000 kilogrammes of cargo. More information: https://electricbrands.de/myxbus/

EU eco-label

After Wulfener Hals on Fehmarn, a second German LeadingCamping has now been awarded the EU Ecolabel for accommodation establishments. On Nov. 8^th, Holmernhof Dreiquellenbad in Bad Griesbach was upgraded. Family Köck was able to meet the criteria for the ambitious environmental label for both this and their Holmernhof in Bad Füssing.. The EU Ecolabel has also been awarded to hotels and campsites since 2018 and is the gold standard throughout the EU for top entrepreneurs concerning environmental protection issues. 22 mandatory and 46 optional criteria must be met. These include, for example, operational decarbonisation and the exclusive use of green electricity. But potential savings must also be exploited. For example, LED lighting and water-saving shower heads are mandatory. The awards were presented by Henning Scholtz (on the photo on the right), who is responsible for the EU Ecolabel at RAL gGmbH on behalf of the Federal Environment Agency and the EU Commission. ‘The EU Ecolabel has been adapted to new requirements in recent years and is thus even more sustainable. I am pleased that in Bavaria the first two campsites have successfully implemented it. And of course I hope that others will follow the good example soon.’ Elke and Hans Köck (on the photo left), whose family runs the two campsites with two generations, were also very happy. The focus is on the guests: ‘The EU Ecolabel is a decisive criterion for our environmentally conscious guests when choosing their holiday home. We clearly notice that environmental protection is important to more and more campers.' The committed family has also been accompanied by ECOCAMPING in the development of their sustainability management for many years. ‘With the award of the EU Ecolabel, the Köcks show once again that comfortable camping holidays with tested environmental protection meet the increasing demands of campers,’ says Wolfgang Pfrommer, managing director of ECOCAMPING Service GmbH. Further information on the Ecolabel: www.eu-ecolabel.de

New French member

With Camping Les Criques de Porteils, LeadingCampings has acquired a special partner in the south of France. The campsite is only a stone's throw from the Spanish border. This part of the Catalonian beach is called Costa Brava. Situated between Argelés-sur-Mer and Collioure, the campsite impresses with its quite exceptional location in the nature reserve on high rocky cliffs with a fantastic view over the Mediterranean Sea. Les Criques de Porteils is a small, very family-friendly five-star campsite for active campers interested in nature and culture. Rather untypically for France, the number of rental accommodations is small compared to the number of pitches. Following the wild terrain profile, these are of varying sizes and nestle in terraces on the steep slope. There is a choice of panoramic pitches with sea views and fresh breezes, or pitches on the sheltered side away from the sea, with equally expansive views across vineyards to mountains. One of the sanitary buildings is currently being demolished over the winter and completely rebuilt to meet the Leading standard. With an opening period from April 8^th to October 29^th 2022, the site offers a comparatively long season and may also be an option as a stopover for some people wintering in Spain on their way to and from the site. More information: www.lescriques.fr 

Camping Days

Already for the 15^th time, the Bavarian Camping Day International took place. From Nov. 8^th to 10^th, camping entrepreneurs from Bavaria and neighbouring countries (hence the ‘international’ in the name) met for workshops and an exchange of ideas. The event kicked off at LeadingCamping Holmernhof Dreiquellenbad in Bad Griesbach, where host Hans Köck welcomed the guests together with Leading Managing Director Eicke Schüürmann. After the pilot project on electric mobility at campsites has been encouraged (our picture shows the trade exhibition during the Camping Day), the Bavarian Camping Association has now made a sensational announcement: a digital availability display system for all Bavarian campsites will be created. Shortly afterwards, on Nov. 17^th  and 18^th, the North German camping entrepreneurs and northern residents met for the 6^th North German Camping Day in Magdeburg. Once again, a comprehensive conference programme and a wide-ranging exhibition gave visitors a platform for personal industry exchange in the exhibition centre. Around 100 companies from trade and services presented trends and products. Over 350 campsite entrepreneurs from all over Germany came together. Top-class speakers, a broad trade exhibition and the informal networking atmosphere attracted camping professionals from North and South. More information: www.campingtag.de
www.norddeutscher-campingtag.de