Bridge Leisure Secure 3 More Sites

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After an £11million investment Bridge Leisure Management (BLM) have acquired three new sites for holiday parks.

Three new parks are located in Ashbourne Heights on the edge of the Peak District in Derbyshire; Hedley Wood near Bude on the Devon and Cornwall border, and Hengar Manor in Bodmin on the North Cornwall coast. With such rapid growth the group now owns and operates eight holiday parks across the UK. The other sites owned by BLM are located in the South West, Yorkshire, Ayrshire and Moray.

These new acquisitions come following a reported 2016 turn over of £21.4million. That is a whopping 29% increase on their previous year. And if their 2017 is anything to go by, sales on holiday homes are already up by 15%, the sky’s the limit for this company.

Andrew Howe (pictured below), CEO of Bridge Leisure said: “These latest acquisitions are important steps in Bridge Leisure’s growth. We have shown with past deals that we can add significant value to new parks by building pitches, investing in infrastructure and improving facilities to enhance the customer experience and create new jobs.

“We believe that those holiday companies offering the highest standards for customers will prosper. Each of our three new parks is superbly well run and among the very best in their local area, so we are incredibly excited about being able to support their ongoing success.

“Our plan is to maintain growth through further developments to our existing parks and by undertaking further acquisitions of holiday parks across the UK.”

Bridge Leisure Management have come a very long way over the past decade. They started out as a management support company for holiday and leisure parks in 2008. Since then they’ve had a steady growth. Then came a management buyout which allowed the company to move into a position where they could actually acquire sites and parks. Such the the new site pictured below.

The Sunday Times named then, in their annual Virgin Fast Track 100, the UK’s fastest growing companies for 2014. And this year they made the list for The Sunday Times top 100 companies to work for.

The company have a clear plan for the future and are investing wisely to ensure a high quality of holiday sites for the UK. With such successful growth in the industry I look forward to seeing their next stage in development. What this space!

Major Award Finalist For Fife Park

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By William Coleman

There is a new level of buzz at the Fife holiday park. Staff and management are extremely happy with the results from the Scottish Outdoor and Leisure Awards nominations. They have been nominated in 4 different categories by the tourism scheme, as voted for by the public.

The Elie Holiday park, just outside the seaside resort of Elie, could bring a whole new level of attention its site. One win would be great but if they win all 4 of their nominated categories, there are 17 categories in total, they will have a whole new prestige for the holiday park. There were more than 35,000 votes cast in these nomination. Like most things in life, if the locals like is then so will you.

This is the second year of the Scottish Outdoor and Leisure Awards which highlights businesses who have contributed to Scotland’s tourism industry. The verdicts will be revealed in a glamorous award ceremony on 29 October which will be hosted at the Glasgow Marriott Hotel.

The first round of the contest was held in the summer where the public were invited to vote for their favourite Scottish Holiday Experience. Great news for the Elie site to be nominated in 23% of the categories.

The 4 categories that the Abbeyford Leisure owned site have been nominated for are; Best Holiday Park, Best Campsite, Best Self-Catering Accommodation and Best Visitor Attraction. Not a bad list to nominations at all. It is an extremely impressive feat to be nominated in such strong categories.

Located on Shell Bay, Elie Holiday Park provides luxury holiday homes to rent and buy, lodges with hot tubs, plus pitches for campers, touring caravans and motorhomes. The park has been under the ownership of Abbeyford Leisure for over 30 years. The parks is visited by thousands of holidaymakers for the UK and abroad. Locals also get free entry at the site.

There have been recent investments into the park which have introduced extra luxury holiday homes and the opening of new cafe which has been shortlisted for an architectural award earlier this year.

Abbeyford Leisure chairman David J Evans said everyone at the company was thrilled to learn of Elie’s landslide of votes in the Scottish Outdoor and Leisure Awards:

“What makes us especially proud is that the public were putting their ticks against those tourism businesses which had provided them with the most amazing experiences,” he said.

“We know that for most people it’s not just the quality of the facilities provided, but also the standards of service they receive which matter most. That’s why we owe a really big thank-you to our staff team at Elie who always go the extra mile to make guests feel welcome and to provide first-class hospitality,” added Mr Evans.

The park is certainly working flat out provide the very best they can to make their site an award winning location. With such a wide variety of sites and locations to visit in Scotland this is a clear stand out for me.

Holiday Park Back Rowers Epic Challenge

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By William Coleman

Over the next 16 months two lionhearted men will train to take on “the world’s toughest row”. To aid them in their training they will be supported by the Beverley Holidays Park.

The Beverley Holiday Park, in Paignton, has stepped in to provide the official accommodation. The company will provide the two with luxury accommodation during their punishing 16 month training regime.

The two men in question, Mike Gibson and Craig Hunter, will be training to row over 3,000 nautical miles in the 2018 Talisker Whisky Challenge. The journey will start at the Canary Islands and finish in the West Indies. Rowing across the some of the world’s largest oceans and facing some of the planet’s most intense weather will be no easy feat.

The training itself will take place in the coastal waters of Torbay. So after a full day of training they will need a place to rest and recuperate, one of the essentials in successful training is the rest periods. Having trained for marathons I cannot stress enough the importance of rest between training sessions. Beverley Holidays are very of the needs of these athletes and are doing their very best to assist. During their stay the multi award winning park will provide one of their most comfortable holiday homes.

Due to the money raised and the generosity of the park Mike and Craig have officially named the sleeping compartment of the row boat “The Beverly Log Cabin”. The Beverly site has already managed to raise almost £600 for the various charities being supported.

Director of Beverley Holidays Nicola Furneaux said that everyone at the park is full of admiration for what the duo are preparing to take on, “By any measure, it’s a momentous challenge they are facing, and the journey is going to test their physical and mental strength to the limit,” she said.

“We’re delighted to have teamed up with Mike and Craig to become their official accommodation providers, and to help them raise charity funds. It’s going to be an incredible journey for them in every sense, and it’s great for us to be able to play a part in their arduous training regime,”/i> added Nicola.

Family-run Beverley Holidays comprises three parks offering boutique holiday caravans, luxury lodges, camping and touring, coupled with a wealth of leisure and entertainment facilities.
It really is great to see holiday parks step and provide for charities and other great causes.

There is more information about the group at Caerphilly County Borough Council

AA Gold Rating For Glastonbury Park

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By William Coleman

The Old Oaks camping park, a family owned business, has been awarded the prestigious AA Gold Pennant this month.

The pursuit of gold was achieved in what can only be described as a monumental effort by the adults only park. Located near the village of Wick, the site scooped tourism’s highest award after a gruelling revamp to improve the whole site. James and Tara White are the husband-and-wife management team at the Old Oaks Touring Park who have been the driving force behind all these outstanding enhancements.

The improvements made were thoroughly checked by the AA’s experts. A site must meet the exceedingly high standards before it can be considered for the ranking, awarded to a small elite list of parks. After the review the business was given 98% rating by the scoring system. One of the highest scores a business can be given.

With the site being given this award it brings a new level of prestige to the business, distinguishing itself from other sites located near the famous Glastonbury site. With such huge amounts of tourists flocking the area every year this site will be a clear stand out choice.

The 5-Star location has always been a favourite with campers, motorhomers and caravaners when visiting Somerset. With the most recent addition of the luxury shepherds huts with showers, kitchens and full size double beds, they will now have even more holidayers flocking to the site. One of these new huts even has its own hot tub, for those nights that warming up.

One addition that excites me the most are the cedar lodges. Coming fully equipt with a private decking area and fire pit it makes it the perfect spot to relax and under the stars after a day out exploring the area. With such high quality furnishings in all the cabins and huts it really does prove that the AA made the right choice with the new award.

Adding these new and innovative glamping huts to the soothing surroundings was just one of the many high quality factors that made this location an AA-5 Star site .

The AA’s ultimate gold accolade, says Tara, has topped off an extremely successful summer season for The Old Oaks which saw it welcome guests from across the UK and overseas:

“What’s especially pleasing for us is that the AA’s award puts a big emphasis on the hospitality we provide, and credit for this must also go to our hard-working staff team,” said Tara.

“They are forever going to extra mile to make guests feel welcome, and to create the warm and friendly atmosphere which so many mention in their reviews of our park. Providing truly memorable experiences has always been our main aim, so we’re naturally delighted to see this highlighted by our award,” she added.

After finalising the decision the AA said: “Where does a really top park go? Well, since last year The Old Oaks has got even better, and the attention to detail everywhere is excellent.
Needless to say, all facilities were spotless as usual. Overall, The Old Oaks is very much the leading park in the country, and one where James and Tara are constantly raising the bar.”

Being someone who enjoys the creative ways that parks are coming up with this is going to be a must visit for me. I especially like the idea of the hot tub.

If you’re looking for a luxury 5-Star say visit their website for more details and booking information, Caerphilly County Borough Council

Camplify UK Launch Announcement

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Camplify UK Launch Announcement

By William Coleman

Have you ever wanted to go camping but do not own a tent? A weekend break at a caravan site but can’t get access to an affordable caravan? Well that’s about to change.

Camplify are being dubbed as the Airbnb of the camping world and Australia’s largest peer-to-peer caravan hire and leisure vehicle sharing community, is about to launch here in the UK in September.

Camplify was founded in 2014 by Justin Hales and was fully launched across Australia in 2015. Having only been operating for 2 years Camplify is set to have the largest leisure vehicle fleet in Australia by 2017. “With so many people embracing Camplify’s RV sharing community in Australia, this move seemed a natural fit. We’re excited to be expanding into the UK marketplace, with European destinations also looking probable later on.” says Jason during the press release,

Justin Hales

The expansion into the UK will give users access to list their rental caravans, motorhomes, trailer tents, static caravans and holiday lodges for hire. There will also be a platform for communication between the owners of the listings and the UK manager for Camplifym Chris Laxen. Laxen, who joined Camplify from the UK’s largest holiday park network, says; “The response from other industry leaders has been really positive, so watch this space. I am very excited to see where we can take Camplify in the next six months and beyond.”. Chris will be able to answer a wide range of questions from insurance to pricing and much more.

The unique leisure vehicle sharing platform is a really exciting prospect for anyone who is planning a getaway. Millions of people around the world use Airbnb to get hotel accommodation. Applying that method to the camping and leisure industry will increase the reach and accessibility for staycations across the UK. The average person would just google where to stay and be faced with thousands of pages to go through, many of which have been paid to be at the top of the list and are more often than not, not relevant. With Camplify it’s a direct link to exactly what you need, cutting out all the rigmarole of searching tons of sites.

With nothing like this in the UK, considering the ever growing size of the caravan and motorhome industry, it seems like the perfect time for such a website. For me it seems like a great idea. It is something I would use to get away for a weekend. What do you guys think about this?

More Record Breaking Sales Figures For Motorhomes

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More Record Breaking Sales Figures For Motorhomes

By William Coleman

UK sales figures for new motorhomes have set new records in 2017!

From the beginning of 2017 to the end of June there has been a 14% jump in sales for new motorhomes compared to the same period in the previous year.

The NCC (National Caravan Council) reports a staggering 13,162 new motorhomes have been registered between July 2016 and June 2017. The year prior 11,559 motorhomes were sold. This is the first time ever that UK sales in motorhomes has exceeded 13,000 in a 12 months period.

With a lot of change happening in the UK, such as Brexit and uncertainty over the strength of the pound, a large number of people are choosing to take UK based holidays. This uncertainty mean that as package deals to Europe are becoming increasingly more expensive, many families and couples are looking at alternatives to trips abroad. All these factors are having such a positive impact on the sales of motorhomes as well as the UK holiday economy.

In February of this year, clearly keeping their finger on the pulse, ‘The Caravan Club’ changed their name to The Caravan and Motorhome Club. A clear sign that they are aware of the ever increasing popularity of the motorhoming industry and that they are moving with times by staying current and up to date.

The NCC have also noted that there has been an increase of younger buyers, 20% of UK dealers asked have said they are selling more and more to younger people. The NCC’s Director General, John Lally, added: “The European motorhome industry is working hard to provide customers with what they want – innovative and stylish products at great prices. There is also a strong view in the industry that certain sectors of the motorhome market – particularly van conversions – are now successfully appealing to a younger audience.”

With the massive rise in social media over the past few years there has been a huge growth in UK destinations being shown all round the web by the younger generations. When scrolling through Facebook and Instagram there are tons of photos, stories and even live streams of the youth of Britain travelling around the UK showing off the destinations they have visited. With such a massive influx of content from phone and app users it has now become extremely popular for short breaks and weekends away all over the country.
With the ever increasing amounts of festivals and events being held during the great British summer it’s exciting times ahead for both motorhome dealers and customers. Bring on 2018!

Highland Glamping On Its Way

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Highland Glamping On Its Way?

By William Coleman

The new camping phenomena that has swept the country could be getting even bigger. Plans for a new Clamping site in the Scottish highlands is under way.

With glamping sites popping up all over the UK, and many abroad as far as the USA, it seems there is no stopping this new camping craze. A proposal has been put forward for a new 20 Wigwam tent site in Defines Plantation, Angus, just on the outskirts of Monikie. The site would be located next to the Monikie Country Park that has over a 150,000 visitors a year.

With very few Glamping sites in the east and north east of Scotland this should bring a boost of visitors to area, on top of the many that are already visiting the area’s other attractions. The new site should get many more poeple staying over in the Wigwam style Glamping location.

If this site goes through and gets fully developed it would give a similar site, located in Tyndrum on the West Highland, a run for its money.

Glamping, is this something that will pick up much traction from the caravan and motorhome world?

The Elddis 2018 Factory Open Weekend Is Almost Here

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The Elddis 2018 Factory Open Weekend Is Almost Here

By William Coleman

In what is now becoming an annual must attend event, 2018 Elddis Factory Open Weekend is only 16 days away.

Since 2015 Elddis have been giving customer a unique inside look into the manufacturing side of the motorhome and caravan industry. This open day gives customers the opportunity to see what goes into making these stunning and award winning caravans and Motorhomes. Those attending will be shown the production and design that goes into putting together all the different ranges Elddis provide.

Apart from seeing how Elddis design and build their caravans and motorhomes the public will also be able to view the 2018 ranges from Elddis, Compass, Xplore and Buccaneer before the general public.

There will be industry experts there to give industry and product information directly attendees from the source, ideal for anyone who is interested in buying their first motorhome or caravan. At the end of the events there will be a range of special offers available. Perfect for anyone who loves a great deal without the waiting list and queues of people waiting to get there hands on the 2018 ranges.

Also attending the event will be two of the UK’s biggest membership organisers; The Caravan and Motorhome Club and The Camping and Caravanning Club.

With over 2000 people attending each day be sure to plan ahead and beat to book in advance and beat the rush to the ticket office.

To make booking and pricing infomation go to the Elddis website Caerphilly County Borough Council

Event Opening Hours: 10am to 4pm

Location: Elddis Factory
Access via Butsfield Lane (signposted Knitsley)
Delves Lane
Consett
County Durham
DH8 7PE

Channel 5 Launch Celeb Motorhome Mini Series

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Channel 5 Launch Celeb Motorhome Mini Series

By William Coleman

Have you ever wondered how celebrities would cope on motorhoming holiday?

Channel 5 are about to air a 4 part mini series on how 5 celebrities will fair going on a UK based staycation. The show which has been creatively called ‘Celebrity 5 Go Motorhoming’ will show the 5 celebs (Lesley Joseph, Don Warrington, Melvyn Hayes, Nick Heyward and Cleo Rocos) travelling across the the stunning and picturesque landscapes of Wales and Scotland, making a travelogue as they go. Channel 5 are aiming to have a fun and warm series highlighting the amazing scenery that can be seen in the UK and also reach a larger audience who may not be fully aware of the many delights a motorhome holiday can provide.

The show is getting a great helping hand from The Caravan and Motorhome Club who have provided the 5 with expert training on using 2 state of the art motorhomes that they will be staying in during their trip. The training has included manoeuvring, essential maintenance and the laws of affecting motorhome driving. The Club has also arranged for the 5 to stay in Coed-Y-Llywn Club site in Wales.

The Caravan and Motorhome Club site in Wales that will feature in the show is located in the Snowdonia National Park. The site is surrounded by miles of glorious landscape that is a photographers dream. Within a 10 mile radius there are 3 landscape garden sites which add to the dazzling scenery. To make the most out of a visit to the The Caravan Club site there is the famous views of the Dwyryd estuary to enjoy. For the more extreme sporters among us there is the newest attraction in Snowdonia, “Surf Snowdonia” (approx. 50min drive/27 miles from the Site). It is the world’s first inland surfing lagoon, with continuous rolling waves. Do not forget to pack your life jacket.

The Caravan and Motorhome Club Director of Marketing Harvey Alexander, said, “It’s great to see this leisure pursuit is the focus of a new television series. We really hope it inspires even more people to start motorhoming and caravanning. As Europe’s leading touring Club, we were delighted to help the celebrities get the most from their time away in motorhomes and really get to see, first-hand, the fun and adventures that can be enjoyed on a touring holiday. Motorhoming is an increasingly popular holiday, the Club has seen an increase in motorhome membership and holiday bookings by motorhomers are up by nearly 10% this season.”
This is great news for the staycation industry but also The Caravan and Motorhome Club who have a fantastic platform in Channel 5 to highlight their sites to many who may not have much of an idea about who they are and what they can provide. This is just another feather in the cap for the UK tourism economy especially with the increasing volume of Brits taking UK based holidays.
The show airs Friday 1st of September at 8pm.

The Elddis 2018 Factory Open Weekend Is Almost Here

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In what is now becoming an annual must attend event, 2018 Elddis Factory Open Weekend is only 16 days away on the 16th and 17th of September 2017.

Since 2015 Elddis have been giving customer a unique inside look into the manufacturing side of the motorhome and caravan industry. This open day gives customers the opportunity to see what goes into making these stunning and award winning caravans and Motorhomes. Those attending will be shown the production and design that goes into putting together all the different ranges Elddis provide.

to Book Your place please fill in the form and

BOOK YOUR PLACE HERE

Apart from seeing how Elddis design and build their caravans and motorhomes the public will also be able to view the 2018 ranges from Elddis, Compass, Xplore and Buccaneer before the general public.

There will be industry experts there to give industry and product information directly attendees from the source, ideal for anyone who is interested in buying their first motorhome or caravan. At the end of the events there will be a range of special offers available. Perfect for anyone who loves a great deal without the waiting list and queues of people waiting to get there hands on the 2018 ranges.

Also attending the event will be two of the UK’s biggest membership organisers; The Caravan and Motorhome Club and The Camping and Caravanning Club.

With over 2000 people attending each day be sure to plan ahead and beat to book in advance and beat the rush to the ticket office.

To make booking and pricing infomation go to the Elddis website Caerphilly County Borough Council

Event Opening Hours: 10am to 4pm

Location: Elddis Factory

Access via Butsfield Lane (signposted Knitsley)

Delves Lane

Consett

County Durham

DH8 7PE

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Caravan and Motorhome Club Site Re-Opens after 1m Knaresborough Renovation

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Caravan Club’s £1M Knaresborough Renovation Reopening

By William Coleman

Fantastic news for the Knaresborough Caravan and Motorhome Club site. After a 1 million pound regeneration the site and all its new and upgraded facilities are now re-opened.

The site, located in Lower Nidderdale, has 79 pitches available, 12 of which are fully serviced, for caravan and motorhome visitors. The refurbishment has also upgraded the service points and shower facilities. Not to mention the new concept restaurant and bar.

The Wanderer Kitchen and Bar is now open. Which makes the site even more appealing to holiday makers, besides the idyllic Yorkshire Dales scenery. This stylish new bar offers a full menu serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. If you need a night off from cooking and want great service with even better food The Wanderer Kitchen and Bar is the place for you. The contemporary stylish interior design is complemented by the stunning backdrop of the sites natural surroundings.

The menu offers a wide range of dishes. Queenie scallops and pan fried sea bass for the fish lovers and slow braised boroughbridge pork belly for the meat eaters. Not to mention the perfect “Wanderer Burger”. The sites new eatery and bar has been named after the first horse drawn carriage to ever pitch up which was the beginnings of the site. Back in 1907 “The Wanderer” set up camp at the site and the rest is history.

What stands out the most for me is that the produce used for this tasty menu is locally sourced. As someone who is a major supporter of his local economy this is something I feel captures the spirit of motorhoming and caravanning. Brian Morgan, Head of Communications and Events at the Caravan and Motorhome Club said: “We’re so pleased to be reopening one of our most popular sites and are introducing our exciting new Wanderer Kitchen and Bar concept. We are always striving to give our members new experiences that excite and delight them and we’re sure that both the redevelopment and the Wanderer Kitchen and Bar will do this.”

With £420m being pumped into the local tourism economies by Club members when on staycations this is just another step forward in collaborating with local producers to keep small to medium independent business thriving throughout the UK. The new local sourcing concept is something that the Caravan and Motorhome Club is planning to roll out across more of their sites.

As of this article being published we are now in contact with Knaresborough Caravan and Motorhome Club site to set up a visit to review the site and all its new facilities. And I will certainly be having my three, or more, daily meals and a obligatory nightcap at the Wanderer Kitchen and Bar. So keep your eyes peeled for a follow up piece on this location.

Being so passionate about keeping local business and communities thriving and connected I would love to see the local businesses you support. So please feel free to share your opinions, comments and photos below.

Burning Clean & Green – How Campsites Can Help Protect The Environment

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By William Coleman

The carbon footprint. Something every traveller is aware of and responsible for. As responsible holidaymakers there are a wide range of things that can be done to ensure we reduce the effects our trips have on our environment. Like the very small task of cleaning up your own litter and disposing of it sensibly to the not so easy conversion to solar or electric powered vehicles. Cumbria’s Silverdale holiday park is taking big steps in the right direction to protect our environment.

Guest’s using the swimming facilities are now becoming fully submerged in the new methods used to maintain the temperature of the crystal clear water. The pools water is now fully controlled by 100% green energy.

Silverdale has a powerful 200Kw boiler that burns sustainable woodchippings. The power generated by this boiler heats the entire leisure centre including its gym, bar, shop, restaurants, offices and bowling alley.

The woodchips used to fuel the large boiler are sourced from the Forest in Lancashire which are recycled from offcuts used for construction and furniture making. The natural seasoning of the chips ensure that the moisture content is very low which results in greatly reduced emission.

Business owner Michael Holgate has always been interested in a greener approach, he said “Our policy has always been to run Silverdale along sustainable lines, and we’re proud that the heating of the pool and our leisure centre is now more eco-friendly than ever,”. With this clean approach ensuring all the facilities are maintained responsibly Silverdale is a must go for any eco conscious holiday maker looking for a green staycation.

Silverdale and the five other holiday parks belonging to the Holgates group were recently awarded the David Bellamy Gold Conservation Award for their efforts to protect the natural environment.

There is more information about Holgates parks here

Tell us your best ideas to keep your holidays clean and green. What would you like to see holiday parks doing differently to protect the environment?