Udny
Caravan Storage

Who We Are

A passion for caravanning led an Udny family to the ideal business to bridge a gap in their traditional farm income and strengthen their grip on the finances of the future.   Generations of the Black family have farmed in the Udny area for 70 years, including more than half a century at North Mains, where they now combine farming with a successful caravan storage enterprise.

 

Charles and Heather Black have been providing safe, secure caravan storage for a decade in a well-lit, landscaped compound. As with most farms, there is always somebody around and the security is enhanced by appropriate fencing, CCTV cameras and clever landscaping.   Charles father and grandfather started the business in 1939 and North Mains was bought in 1952 to carry on the dairy enterprise. Towards the end of the last century , the family decided to switch to rearing beef cows and calves from an Aberdeen Angus bull.   When we stopped dairying and before the beef enterprise was established, our cash flow was severely disrupted, so we decided to diversify into Caravan Storage in 1999.  

 

From a small beginning in an area previously used for stacking bales, the storage enterprise has blossomed to cater for 200 caravans and motor homes.   The couple, who have three daughters, knew exactly what was needed because they had enjoyed family caravanning holidays for years.   People do not have the space at their houses for caravans and also they are less secure at the side of the road.   We felt that this enterprise could be successfully integrated into our farming with a minimum of disruption.   The facility holds a Gold award from the caravan storage association (CaSSOA).   The emphasis at North Mains is on security, cloaked with a very human touch.  One has to enjoy meeting and working with the public. Caravanners are very sociable. 

 

They have lived nearly all of their married lives at the farm, the couple met through church and Young Farmers’ (JAC) events after Heather’s family moved to Udny when her father was called to be minister at the local kirk. Their joint dynamism and innovative approach continue to evolve into solutions for the modern agribusiness.  We plan to plant shrubs and trees to further screen the areas and would like to start growing vegetables in a polytunnel as we have quite a large customer base on our doorstep.