Caravan Park and Campsite Gradings Update

What a year this has been for top awards, ratings and upgrades! Now that our touring, camping and glamping parks just for adults have had their annual inspections, there are more top ratings than ever before with high scores and upgrades.  This news is in addition to the many awards Tranquil Parks won this year, including TripAdvisor Certificates of Excellence and Top 100 Sites awards.

In this article we’ll be taking a look at the major nationwide rating schemes for rating caravan parks and campsites. We’ll also give details on how our member parks have scored this year. For Tranquil Parks membership at least 4 stars are required from a national assessment body such as VisitEngland or Visit Wales, or at least 4 AA Pennants.

Bath Chew Valley Caravan Park is one of the parks in both the VisitEngland and AA schemes. Park owner Keith Betton believes that the VisitEngland inspection is the most rigorous and the park’s recent score of 99% is very impressive indeed. “Seventy-six separate items are assessed, ranging from cleanliness and quality of personal facilities, through to the site layout, grounds care, lighting and even the quality of tourist information provided” he explained. 

How Do the VisitEngland and Visit Wales Grading Schemes Work?

To achieve 4 Visit England stars, touring parks or campsites need to score 90% on cleanliness, 85% on the park grounds and over 80% on everything else, such as reception and facilities. To achieve 5 stars parks need scores of over 90% or 87% on all criteria. The Gold Award signifies that a park has maintained its high score for more than a year.

The Visit Wales assessors use the same criteria to assess holiday accommodation as the other national bodies to award 1 to 5 stars. The stars are intended not only to show the quality of the facilities, but also that of the overall experience.

How Does the AA Pennant Scheme Work?

The AA gives caravan parks and campsites which join its scheme 1 to 5 pennants for scores of at least 50 out of 100. At least 4 black pennants are needed for Tranquil Parks membership, which equates to a score of at least 80 out of 100. 

At the top of each AA tier, pennants are gold rather than black. And at the very top of the 5 pennant tier is the platinum level for the highest scores. 

The inspectors make a subjective assessment on the quality of facilities, customer care and the park’s overall landscapting, which is based on their experience. The pennant scheme score applies to touring pitches and facilities, rather than any accommodation or static caravans on site. (The AA operates a star scheme for hotels, B&B and self catering accommodation.)

 

Park Upgrade News this Year

 

Visit England 5 Stars + Gold Award

 

Visit England 5 Stars

 

Visit Wales 5 Stars

 

AA 5 Platinum Pennants 

 

AA 5 Gold Pennants 

 

AA 5 Pennants

 

VisitEngland 4 Stars + Gold Award

 

Visit England 4 Stars

 

Visit Wales 4 Stars

Three Castles Caravan Park, Monmouthshire

 

AA 4 Gold Pennants

 

AA 4 Pennants

 

Find out more

Visit England assessments: https://visitenglandassessmentservices.com/establishments/

Visit Wales ratings: www.visitwales.com

AA hospitality ratings https://www.ratedtrips.com/