A guide to outdoor lighting for your static caravan or lodge

Whether it’s a warm summer’s night or a cool autumn evening, there’s nothing quite like basking in the warm glow of some outdoor lighting around your static caravan or holiday lodge.

Light up your life

Not only does outdoor lighting enhance the look and feel of your outdoor space, but it can also add an element of safety as well as functionality, allowing you to make the most of your outdoor space after dusk.

In this guide, we’ll explore some top buying tips for outdoor lighting, including decking lighting, at your holiday caravan or lodge.

Some units, or even decks, will probably already come with some kind of outdoor lighting, whether that be by the entrance door, under the front apex or on top of the decking posts, but you might want extra lighting for things like steps or and to light up your outside space so you can sit outside on those warm summer nights.

Benefits of outdoor lighting at your static caravan or lodge

Increased safety

Outdoor lighting at your holiday caravan can make it safer by lighting up pathways, steps, and entrances, reducing the risk of accidents, especially during the darker winter months. Security lighting will also light up any potential intruder and hopefully making them disappear!

Extended outdoor living

With well-placed outdoor lighting, you can extend your outdoor living space well into the evening, allowing you to enjoy al fresco dining, stargazing, or simply unwinding with a good book or a hot drink.

Decorative appeal

Extra outdoor lights can be purely decorative, making your holiday caravan or lodge stand out from the crowd but also accentuating key features and outdoor decor. Many outdoor lights and decking lights are available in a range of colours or are even colour changing to suit your mood.

Top buying tips for outdoor lighting for your static caravan or lodge

• Given the unpredictable British weather, opt for outdoor lighting fittings that are built to withstand the elements. Look for products with an IP (Ingress Protection) rating, indicating their resistance to dust and moisture. It’s recommended for outdoor lighting that you look for fittings that have an IP65 rating. It’s the second digit that denotes the resistance against water. A 5 should protect again water blasted directly at it from a hosepipe, so it should easily cope with heavy rain.  Consider corrosion-resistant materials such as stainless steel or marine-grade aluminium especially if your holiday caravan is in a coastal area.
  
• With rising energy costs and a growing emphasis on sustainability, choose energy-efficient outdoor lighting solutions. LED lights are an excellent choice, as they use significantly less power than traditional incandescent bulbs and have a longer lifespan, reducing maintenance and replacement costs.
• Dusk-til-dawn lighting will only come on at night time and automatically turn off when the sun comes up. You may be able to replace existing outdoor lighting bulbs with dusk-til-dawn bulbs to save you having to worry about switching your lights on and off each day.
• Consider the ambience you want to create in your holiday caravan’s outdoor space. Soft, warm lighting is great if you want to create a relaxed environment or for al fresco dining on the decking. Or you could opt for adjustable or dimmable lighting that allows you to customise the brightness to suit different occasions. Security lighting is usually much brighter and often triggered by motion sensors.
• Look for outdoor lighting products that are easy to install and maintain, especially if you’re not keen on complex DIY projects.
• Solar-powered outdoor lights or battery-powered lights are a convenient option for areas without access to power outlets, and won’t need any wiring or ongoing maintenance, but they will have a shorter lifespan than mains-powered outdoor lights.

  

• Battery-powered portable lights are great for an outside dining table and string lights or LED strip lights can create a decorative feature along your balustrades or fencing and are easily taken down in the winter months.

  

• Decking lighting: There’s a multitude of lighting specifically for your caravan decking.Inset lighting can mark out the edge of your decking area or as a safety precaution in the steps. LED strips can be added to your decking to illuminate specific areas. Mayfield Decking can even integrate LED lighting into your decking handrail – and with a choice of 16 colours you can add a glamourous look to your decking. Many decks can also have post lighting fitted to the post caps, which are great for lighting up the balustrades or your outdoor dining area. Perhaps speak to your decking supplier about the options they can offer for your decking. Even if you’ve had your decking fitted a few years, it’s likely they’ll be still happy to make upgrades.
• Before installing any outdoor lighting at your static caravan or lodge always check with your park to make sure they don’t have any rules about the light levels on your park. Some might be keen to limit light pollution, particularly in more rural areas.
• Make sure any mains lighting that needs wiring is fitted by a competent electrician.

Over to you

Investing in quality outdoor lighting for your static caravan or lodge to suit your specific needs, you can create a safe, welcoming and even enchanting outdoor space that you’ll love to retreat to when night falls.

Do you have any tips for outdoor lighting that you’d like to share with other holiday caravan owners. We’d love to hear what kind of outdoor lighting you use, if any. Simply comment in the box below.