News from our parks November 2024
You might expect things to be quieter now that most of our adult only touring parks have closed for the winter. But there’s a lot going on in the run-up to Christmas at or near the parks that stay open, and with all-weather pitches and special offers to entice you, there’s no need to feel stuck at home!
There’s also plenty going on behind the scenes while the other parks are closed. ‘Operation leaf’ is now in full swing across the whole group, and while new energy sources, drainage and other groundworks may not sound very exciting, they are absolutely essential and can make a huge difference to the quality of pitches, facilities and, therefore, the enjoyment of your stay.
At Tranquil Parks we’re very proud of the continual investment and hard work that the owners and managers put into their parks. This, combined with their teams’ dedication and care, is why they keep winning top ratings and major awards.
Awards keep coming!
Old Oaks wins first AA Sustainable Park of the Year Award
Congratulations to Tara White, Manager of Old Oaks Touring & Glamping Park near Glastonbury in Somerset, shown here with wardens Debbie and Tony, and all the team. They are the first ever winners of the AA’s new Sustainable Park of the Year Award (they were also overall AA Park of the Year winners in 2013 and 2018)!
This new award recognises parks that put sustanability and ecology at the heart of what they do. It has been awarded for their efforts to minimise their impact on the environment and use resources carefully, while enhancing the natural landscape. We don’t have space to list all that the Old Oaks has done to deserve this award, but you can read about their green credentials on their website.
More congratulations are due to the Tranquil Parks that have won Campsites.co.uk awards for 2024:
- Somers Wood Caravan Park in Meriden, near Coventry Warwickshire has won Best Caravan Park West Midlands and Best Adult Only Site West Midlands
- Groobys Pit near Skegness in Lincolnshire is a Best Adult Only Site East Midlands Runner Up
- Old Oaks is also Best Adult Only Site South West of England Runner Up
At this year’s Welsh Hospitality Awards, South Wales Touring Park was runner up in the Best Caravan Site category, having won the title last year.
Well done to the team at Red Kite Touring Park near Llanidloes in Powys for not only maintaining their AA 5 star rating, but also attaining gold status They have gone from 88% to 90% following their recent inspection.
A number of Tranquil Parks have entered the Loo of the Year Awards each year with outstanding results. Parkland Caravan, Camping & Glamping Site near Kingsbridge and Salcombe in South Devon has entered for the first time this year and the park’s fabulous facilities have won the Platinum Plus Award for 2025.
New special offers
Back of Beyond Touring Camping & Glamping Park near the New Forest and Dorset coast has a new Black Friday offer. If you book to stay anytime from now until 18 December 2024, you can receive a 10% discount – use the code ‘BLK10’ when you book. Plus, make a glamping booking and receive 2 free house drinks at Monty’s Bar and 2 morning pastries (T&Cs below*). See this offer on Back of Beyond’s website.
At Eye Kettleby Lakes near Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire, fishing is free for all guests staying onsite between now and 28 February 2025.
There’s a new Festive Period Special Offer from Bath Chew Valley Caravan Park in Bishop Sutton, North Somerset: Book three consecutive mid-week nights, touring or lodges, and save 10%. The offer is valid on stays up to 19 December, so you could visit both the Bristol German Christmas Market, (1 November – 23 December) and the Bath Christmas Market (28 November – 15 December) shown here with the winter sunshine on a fully serviced pitch.
See all Special Offers for more discounts.
*Back of Beyond Black Friday offer T&Cs: Offer must be taken by 18/12/2024 on new bookings only. Strictly over 18s. Discount does not apply to dogs, welcome packs or any added extras. Glamping offer includes 2 x house drinks at Monty’s Bar to be given during Monty’s Bar normal opening hours plus 2 x morning pastries. Offer must be booked directly with our park either via our website or by calling the office. Offer is not valid via third-party websites. Minimum stays apply.
Working towards the 2025 season
There’s excellent news from Overbrook Caravan Park in Thornton-le-Dale, North Yorkshire: the owners are delighted to let you know that they’ve secured a much more favourable energy tariff for the next 3 years – down from £0.50 to £0.21 per kWh! Electric is metered at this park, so the reduction means that you’ll get a lot more electricity included in your pitch fees next season – 6kWh per night – and topping up will be much cheaper too.
Overbrook is popular with campervanners. Here are a couple of guests relaxing in the autumn suunshine with their dog, Ozzie.
The team at Yr Helyg/The Willows Caravan & Camping Park near Abersoch in North Wales, has started work on more spacious hardstanding pitches. There’s one vacant seasonal pitch still available.
Grooby’s Pit has a huge to-do list this winter. It includes relocating the bin/recycling area, building a new parking area, changing Kingfisher Lookout lakeside lodge to a Shepherd Hut (still with a private hot tub), removing Squirrel Hideaway and creating a new motorhome/campervan pitch, as well as relocating the seasonals’ shower block. The big machinery shown here will be moving the units around.
To prevent cormorants from eating their body weight in fish, they have strung CDs across the fishing lakes for the winter!
Festive fun and celebrations
Christmas and new Year are filled with festive fun at Bath Chew Valley Caravan Park, where the luxury lodges are beautifully decorated inside and out, and where sparkling lights illuminate the park. This year the lights switch-on is the same date as the start of the famous Bath Christmas market, 28 November.
The park is truly transformed into a winter wonderland as it’s customary for guests to take delight in decorating their own units. In fact, the owners of the best decorated unit will win a free weekend in the new year. And don’t forget that if cooking a Christmas dinner doesn’t appeal, there’s a huge choice of festive pubs and restaurants for every taste and budget nearby.
Winter event nights are now in full swing at Eye Kettleby Lakes. The next pitches available are for the Oasish tribute on Saturday 14 December.
Red Kite Touring Park has 3 pitches left for New Year’s Eve. They will again be lighting the bonfire, serving hot dogs and mulled wine, with a quiet, pet friendly firework display and glass of bubbly at midnight.
The family at Yr Helyg / The Willows are celebrating the engagement of Owain, the eldest son of the family who lives on site, to the lovely Alaw. He proposed at a local landmark which you can walk to from the park. Known to many guests as the ‘Jam Pot’ it’s proper name is Foel Felin. It was once a windmill and you can enjoy breathtaking views from its location. How romantic!
Appreciating our wonderful guests
Our parks would like to thank everyone who has visited this year and look forward to seeing you again.
Grooby’s Pit has raised £504.50 this year for Hedgehog Care at Louth. The money has come from donations as well as the pence left on guests’ smart meters at the end of their stays. A big thank you all guests for their generosity and also to Skiltons Artwork for this gorgeous illustration. Now that the park has closed, the chickens are wondering what’s happened to all the kind guests who feed them titbits!
Red Kite Touring Park had the best turnout they’ve ever had for their charity bonfire night this year. The event raised £396 for Early Years Wales.
The team at Somers Wood take great delight in the unexpected on their park, from vintage Jaguars and off-roading campers to nature’s amazing displays. They particularly loved the sense of humour shown on the back of a couple’s motorhome which says: “Two old codgers enjoying the kids’ inheritance!”