Run Cottage Touring Park
Woodbridge, SuffolkA beautiful award-winning touring park with 45 generously spaced pitches with grass, hardstanding, 6 serviced pitches and glamping pods.
Season’s Greetings and December news
As 2024 comes to a close, all of the Tranquil Parks’ owners, managers and staff would like to wish you a wonderful Christmas and a very happy New Year.
They would also like to thank everyone who visited during the 2024 season and look forward to seeing you next year. If you need any help choosing next year’s destinations, you can see all the parks on a map on the Discover our Parks page, or you can order a copy of our 2025 brochure.
Don’t forget that Tranquil Parks gift vouchers are available if you need a last-minute gift!
Escape the winter blues on a touring or glamping trip
Most of our 43 member parks are now closed for the season, but 21 are open for the festivities. With all-weather hardstanding pitches, which are fully serviced at most of the parks, you can stay warm and toasty in your caravan, campervan or motorhome. Some of the open parks also have glamping options and there may even be some availability for a festive getaway (see below)!
These 8 parks are staying open until early in the new year
- The South West – Back of Beyond Touring Camping & Glamping Park near the New Forest, East Dorset | Hallsdown Farm Touring Park in North Devon
- Wales – Red Kite Touring Park, Llanidloes, Powys
- West Midlands – Sunnyside Farm Caravan Park, Lodges & Fishery, Shrewsbury, Shropshire
- East Midlands – Cherry Tree Springs Touring Park, near Sutton on Sea, Lincolnshire
- The North – York Naburn Lock Caravan Park (facilities currently undergoing refurbishment) | York Caravan Park just outside the City of York | Overbrook Caravan Park, Thornton-le-Dale, North Yorkshire
These 13 parks are open throughout the winter and all year
- Devon – Parkland Caravan, Camping & Glamping Site near Kingsbridge
- Somerset – Waterrow Touring Park near Taunton | Wells Touring Park on the outskirts of the City of Wells | Bath Chew Valley Caravan Park near Chew Valley Lake in Bath & North East Somerset
- Wales – South Wales Touring Park near Llanelli (fully serviced pitches are closed 5 January to 1 March) | Daisy Bank Touring Caravan Park near Montgomery, Powys
- East of England – Run Cottage Touring Park near Woodbridge, Suffolk
- East Midlands – Stretton Lakes Touring Park in Rutland | Eye Kettleby Lakes near Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire | Wolds View Country Park near Caistor, Lincolnshire | Brookside Country Park, near Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire.
- West Midlands – Cartref Caravan & Camping Site near Shrewsbury Shropshire
- North of England – Blue Rose Country Park in the East Riding of Yorkshire;
New winter offer, late availability, what’s on and news from the parks
Winter wonderland offer alert from Wolds View
Wolds View Country Park near Caistor in Lincolnshire invites you to “Come chill with us!” They have just cut the cost of winter midweek stays to £20 per night plus electric! Touring caravans, motorhomes and fifth wheelers are welcome. Call 01472 851099 to book your stay. (This offer excludes Christmas and New Year.)
You’ll find a well heated facilities block and a very tempting cafe at Wolds View (open 9am-3pm, closed Mondays and Tuesdays at the time of writing). It’s a 15-minute walk into Caistor and just a 10 minute walk to the Viking Way from the park entrance.
Bath Chew Valley Caravan Park – cancellations and great Chrimstas markets
Recent cancellations at Bath Chew Valley Caravan Park mean there are a few pitches available if you’d like to spend the festive season with like-minded caravanners in tranquil countryside with toasty-warm 5 star facilities. There is also availability in the lodges over the holiday period.
Leading up to the big day, there are Christmas Markets to visit, particularly Bristol and Bath, which each justify a day out. Bath is enchanting; there are so many shopping malls and lanes to explore in addition to the main streets.
Local events and onsite bar times for Cartref, Shrewsbury
Chris and Leza at Cartref Caravan & Camping Site, which is open all year, tell us that the decorations are up and the fire is lit in Bartref, ready and waiting to greet customers. They would like to share some information about local events and the opening hours for Bartref (the onsite bar):
- Christmas Charity Tractor Run & Craft Fair, Shrewsbury Livestock Market, Sunday 15 December: SFYFC and RABI Charity Illuminated Tractor Run & SFYFC Craft Fair Bowmen Way, Battlefield, Shrewsbury
- Sleeping Beauty at Theatre Severn runs until 12 January 2025
- For Christmas shopping at local, independent businesses, check out the multi-award winning Shrewsbury Market Hall
Bartref (Cartref bar) opening hours:
Christmas Eve – normal opening hours 13:30-20:00 | 25 December – Christmas drinks: 11:00-13:00 | Boxing Day – normal hours: 13:30-20:00 | New Year’s Eve – 14:00-17:00 (ticketed evening event sold out) | New Year’s Day – 13:30-20:00
More parks to check out for Christmas availability
Red Kite Touring Park
Llanidloes, PowysA family owned touring park with 62 fully serviced pitches with 16 amp electricity, wide range of facilities all with beautiful views across the valley.
New Delph Bank clubhouse on the way
We’re excited to share these impressions of the new club house coming to Delph Bank Touring and Glamping Park in Fleet Hargate, Lincolnshire, next year. Having closed at the end of November and reopening on 1 Feb, the team will be busy preparing the new building for the 2025 season.
This wooden building will feature a log fire, a plasma TV, darts and a kitchen for cooking the Thai cuisine on Saturday nights. The popular Austrian lagers and drinks will become available in a new bar. There will also be comfortable seating and the owner is looking for local musicians to play relaxing tunes on Saturdays and bank holidays.
New lodge for sale at Grooby’s Pit
A brand new lodge is now ready at Bellwater Park. It’s 45×13.6 ft with decking overlooking the fishing lake. Adjacent to Grooby’s Pit Caravan Park, Bellwater Park is a small development with a residential licence which means you can legally live there all year round or buy it as a holiday home. The lodges are all bespoke and built to a very high standard with insulated floors, walls and ceilings and double glazing. This lodge has a super king size bed, a walk in wardrobe, high spec bathroom and hardstanding parking, along with hedged garden and uninterrupted lake views, among other features
The lodge is for the over 50s and is dog friendly. The price is £140,000 and there is ground rent and metered bills in addition. If you are interested, call Tracy on 07427 137463 to discuss.
Stretton Lakes on award shortlist
Stretton Lakes in Rutland (shown here in last month’s snow) has made it onto the shortlist for the Tourism Excellence Awards 2024-25 for the category Self Catering Accommodation of the Year in the Lincolnshire and Rutland Tourism Awards. We’re keeping our fingers crossed for them.
It’s already looking a lot like Christmas
- Left top and bottom: Bath Chew Valley Caravan Park is beautifully decorated for the festive season as always. It’s a very social time, with a good natured competition to win a long weekend prize for the best decorated unit.
- Right: Eleri and Hywel at Yr Helyg / The Willows near Abersoch in North Wales are wishing everyone a very merry Christmas!
The elves at Back of Beyond Touring Camping and Glamping Park in Dorset have been busy and the park is looking very festive, especially around reception and Monty’s Bar.
Christmas has arrived at Eye Kettleby Lakes and the staff have enjoyed decorating the reception, tearoom and lodges. Even Reggie the owners’ black Labrador took part in modelling for the photoshoot.
Almost a white Christmas
It’s still too early to say just yet whether we will all have a white Christmas this year. Tranquil Parks around the country did see some snow in late November, though, which certainly made them look very Christmassy!
Somers Wood Caravan Park in Meriden, West Midlands, sent us these lovely photos of the park in the recent snowfall, just before closing for the season at the end of November.
- Top: Snowy pitches at Bath Chew Valley Caravan Park
- Bottom: Snow falling on the camping field at Yr Helyg / The Willows Caravan & Camping Park, Mynytho nr Abersoch in North Wales
York Caravan Park sent in these snow photos with their best wishes for a very merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
- Top: Daisy Bank Caravan Park near Montgomery in Powys saw plenty of snow
- Bottom left: A lodge at Red Kite Touring Park near Llanidloes in Powys was looking more like a ski chalet
- Bottom right: A cold seat for Bear at Briarfields Motel & Touring Campsite near Cheltenham in Gloucestershire
- Top: A rare sight for guests at Back of Beyond Touring Camping & Glamping Park in St Leonards, Dorset
- Bottom: Even Parkland Caravan Camping & Glamping Site near the South Devon coast received a dusting!