Brit Stops, a network of independent pubs, farm shops and other unique hosts that allows motorhomers to pitch up in their car parks, is celebrating the success of its new app. The concept has come a long way from when Tom Clark and his dad put together all the details of their hosts and published them in a book.
The family-founded business has been bought out by US firm Harvest Hosts and has launched an app, but Tom has been kept on as general manager. His passion for the platform shines through as he sits down with CaravanTimes to give us the lowdown on the latest development, which is a new Brit Stops app.
What’s Brit Stops all about?
Brit Stops is based on France Passion, which operates in the same way across the Channel, although as Tom points out, it has a lot more vineyards on its platform! The concept is mutually beneficial for hosts and motorhomers, who aren’t charged a fee to stay at any of the locations.
Instead, revenue is created through an annual membership and motorhome owners are encouraged to spend their money with the local venues hosting them. There’s no booking facility at present, with motorhomers calling ahead or just turning up at the spot looking for a space.
Tom said: “It’s a way to support local businesses and drive custom to them. Often, they get people who wouldn’t even know they were there or were just passing through. Our own surveying shows we’ve done a lot to help boost some of the local economies we operate in. And that’s something I’m really proud of.”
The amenities you can expect when using Brit Stops can vary. Some hosts offer a flat car park and that’s it, which can be just enough for an overnight stay. Others have blackwater waste facilities, electric hookup and a whole range of things.
All of these elements are easily seen on the app before you plan a stay. There’s also the functionality to filter results, so you can find the stops with the facilities that are necessary for you and your setup.
Introducing the app
Moving over to a digital platform from the original printed version of Brit Stops offers benefits all round. Not only can the information be kept up to date more easily and new hosts added instantaneously, the customers can also upload reviews and their own photos to the platform.
Features include:
- Route planner
- Favourites
- Search
Unique stays
The platform is pushing 1,200 hosts, offering visitors a wide selection of places to stay up and down the country. The majority of stops are pubs, which make up 70 per cent of the locations, but there are also farms, castles, golf courses and even distilleries.
Tom said: “I recruited a place that lets you drive a tank recently, which is pretty cool.”
Tom’s favourite Brit Stop experiences
Tom and his brother once did a winter tour of Scotland, staying exclusively at Brit Stop locations. They got to meet many of the hosts in person and spent two weeks hiking and climbing north of the border.
“The highlight of the trip was a Brit Stop at a seafood bar near Fort William. It was a high dining place in a beautiful setting,” Tom told CaravanTimes.
Other than that, Tom likes to stay at a location not far from home that’s actually a parachute school. It’s a unique spot that you wouldn’t expect to be a Brit Stop and it gets mentioned to him all the time. Visitors speak of sitting in their motorhome drinking wine and watching people jumping out of planes.
Brit Stops for hosts and motorhomers
Brit Stops is always extending its network of hosts, so businesses wishing to be added to the app should fill out the form here. There’s currently a promotion on annual membership to Brit Stops offering 20 per cent off. Simply use the BRITSTOPS20 code at sign up.
