By William Coleman
The carbon footprint, emissions, global warming, climate change. There are a majority of people who deny it and an even larger group who ignore it, both of which more than likely benefit from it. Not us in the UK and especially not the touring industry and its communities. More and more parks across the land are doing their best to reduce their effects and this Lakeland park is no different.
Park Cliffe near Windermere are doing their very best to cut down both noise and fossil fuel pollution by going all electric. A change that will positively effects local residents and wildlife. The site, which won the David Bellamy Conservation Award has done away with its land rover and traded it in for the latest green powered transport.
The park sits on a 25 acre space so getting around on foot is not really an option. So until recently Susan and Derek Dickson, along with their staff, relied on diesel fueled vehicles to get around. This raised concerns for the couple: “We did a lot of short, stop-start journeys in the Land Rover, but it proved both inefficient and uneconomical,” said Susan.
“There were also concerns about the effect of the noise and diesel emissions on our wildlife which includes badgers, buzzards and roe deer.
“Our son suggested we look into electric vehicles as an alternative – but we didn’t think that an EV would be able to cope with the terrain as the site is very hilly.
“The demonstration proved us completely wrong, and everyone agrees that our new electric truck is the perfect solution,” said Susan.
There are many sites who do not realise the effects noise can have on wildlife, and that’s not really their fault. There is so much attention to other types of pollution, then add on top of that taking care of the sites and guests, its very easy to have no idea what and who noise pollution effects.
So what is a suitable green solution that will do a similar or better job? The couple decided on an Alke ATX 210E utility truck from ePower Trucks. The new electric powered truck will be a multi purpose utility vehicle. From towing to site maintenance the new Alke will do it all.
The ATC 210E is very versatile with a good amount of power under the hood. The new electric motor can do everything the Land Rover did and can tow a maximum of 2,000kg.
“The truck is much quieter than the Land Rover, so it minimises impact on the wildlife and also doesn’t disturb our guests,” said Susan.
“However, it isn’t completely silent, so people can still hear it coming, which is an important safety element on a busy site like ours.”
Park Cliffe boasts a raft of national and regional accolades, and was last year named as the Lake District’s top holiday park in the annual Cumbria Tourism Awards.
From its stunning lakeside setting, the park provides luxury holiday homes to rent and buy, glamping pod accommodation, and pitches for touring caravans, motorhomes and tents.
There is more information about the park on its website at www.parkcliffe.co.uk.
