Latest news with #holidaypark
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Dawlish holiday park celebrates 50th anniversary
A Devon holiday park has celebrated its 50th anniversary. Cofton Holidays, near Dawlish, was bought and opened in 1975 by brothers George and Alf Jeffery. The park said it celebrated with special anniversary events and entertainment, plus a look back at its history and an exclusive gin in collaboration with Exeter Gin. Helen Scott, whose parents bought the park, said the way it worked had changed, including it being open all year, and offering more than just seasonal employment. More news stories for Devon Listen to the latest news for Devon Ms Scott said: "We bought a farmhouse on the park in around 1980 and moved there and I would have been about eight years old." She added it used to be "quiet" and "relaxing" over the winter and "busy summers". "Now things have changed completely - we're open all year round. "I think we recognised after so many years if we kept open all year round we could offer jobs all year round, rather than just summer seasonal jobs." She added: "Our focus is looking at what we can do as a family business and we can decide what to invest into certain things and improvements that will make it better for our guests to come back year after year. "Doing everything we can to keep the park sustainable... that's been very important to us for a number of years now. She also said: "Patterns and the way people book has changed. I think they're booking more short break holidays.. Any sort of economic uncertainty will affect the way in which people book." She explained that when people came to the park for a holiday and the weather was not good, there would be a mixture of reactions. She said: "You get the hardened campers that are in a tent in the rain and loving it and walking around in their flip flops and not a care in the world. And you may get one or two that are a little bit down in the mouth when it's a wet holiday. "I think I always did intend on coming into the family business... and all of us really have gone off and had other jobs and then come and brought those skills into the business, and I think that's been quite important to the business too." Follow BBC Devon on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@ More on this story Campsites hopeful of busy Easter amid tax rise Related internet links Cofton Holidays Celebrates 50 Years of Memories
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Devon holiday park celebrates 50th anniversary
A Devon holiday park has celebrated its 50th anniversary. Cofton Holidays, near Dawlish, was bought and opened in 1975 by brothers George and Alf Jeffery. The park said it celebrated with special anniversary events and entertainment, plus a look back at its history and an exclusive gin in collaboration with Exeter Gin. Helen Scott, whose parents bought the park, said the way it worked had changed, including it being open all year, and offering more than just seasonal employment. Ms Scott said: "We bought a farmhouse on the park in around 1980 and moved there and I would have been about eight years old." She added it used to be "quiet" and "relaxing" over the winter and "busy summers". "Now things have changed completely - we're open all year round."I think we recognised after so many years if we kept open all year round we could offer jobs all year round, rather than just summer seasonal jobs." She added: "Our focus is looking at what we can do as a family business and we can decide what to invest into certain things and improvements that will make it better for our guests to come back year after year. "Doing everything we can to keep the park sustainable... that's been very important to us for a number of years now. She also said: "Patterns and the way people book has changed. I think they're booking more short break holidays.. Any sort of economic uncertainty will affect the way in which people book." She explained that when people came to the park for a holiday and the weather was not good, there would be a mixture of said: "You get the hardened campers that are in a tent in the rain and loving it and walking around in their flip flops and not a care in the world. And you may get one or two that are a little bit down in the mouth when it's a wet holiday. "I think I always did intend on coming into the family business... and all of us really have gone off and had other jobs and then come and brought those skills into the business, and I think that's been quite important to the business too."
The Sun
21-07-2025
- Business
- The Sun
UK holiday park reveals major £8.1million makeover plans with new holiday cabins and campsite
A HOLIDAY park has revealed major plans for an £8.1million makeover with new cabins in Wales. Forest Holidays is hoping to gain permission to replace 85 caravans and camping pitches at its site in Beddgelert, in Snowdonia National Park. 3 The site plans to add 22 year-round, luxury cabins to its existing 16 cabin development and 85 additional pitches for both touring caravans and camping. In addition, Forest Holidays wants to create a new reception and cafe building. Currently, the site has 25 touring caravan pitches and 85 camping pitches. The proposals are part of a wider plan in collaboration with the Roberts Group - the owners of Cae Du and Cae Canol campsite, also in Beddgelert. Under a separate application, there will be more touring and camping pitches at Cae Du and Cae Canol so the village doesn't lose capacity. Public toilets and better path access for guests are also part of the plans. Back in 2017, the site gained planning consent for 16 cabins and up to 85 touring caravan pitches and camping pitches. Forest Holidays has 13 sites across the UK in woodlands owned by Forestry England, Forestry and Land Scotland, and Natural Resources Wales. The Beddgelert site is the smallest of the Forest Holidays locations and is set in a riverside wooded area. Each cabin currently has a hot tub and guests can enjoy access to the new Elvis Owl Nature Trail - which is ideal for kids as it includes activities to immerse them in nature. This holiday park has Maldives-like overwater bungalows Families can also hire bikes from the site, to explore the local area on wheels. Alternatively, guests can get some R&R with a spa treatment. Prices to stay at the holiday park vary, but can be found from £895 for a week, for a family of four. Beddgelert itself is a picturesque stone-built village, which is the ideal base for exploring Snowdonia National Park. From the village, travellers can head onto the Lôn Gwyrfai path which can be used by walkers, cyclists and horse riders. The route stretches over four miles to the village of Rhyd Ddu - which is then a good starting point to hike to the summit of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon). According to Forest Holidays, since opening in 2018 demand for the 16 cabins at Beddgelert has been high throughout the year. The site also expects annual occupancy levels of the cabins to be 96 per cent, with guests expected to spend £650,000 per annum in the local area as well. A NEW £23million woodland holiday park with lodges, treehouses and play zones is set to open in the UK. Forest Holidays, which submitted the plans for the project, hopes to build 75 timber holiday cabins on 140 acres in a Derbyshire woodland at Farley Moor. If approved, the holiday park would feature a shop, cafe, outdoor play area and 249 parking spaces. The whopping £23million project will be able to host 185 people with cabin sizes varying from one to five beds along with treehouse rooms. Forest Holidays plans to suspend all cabins above the ground on steel pillars to protect the forest floor. The cabins would be a flat-pack design reducing the need for heavy construction equipment. Center Parcs' boss also recently revealed what to expect from its brand new holiday park in the UK. Plus, the lesser-known UK holiday park named the best in the country – with unique all-inclusive stays and free booze.
The Sun
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
I visited the UK seaside town that looks like it belongs in Italy – with multicoloured houses and open air pool
TUCKED away in rural Wales is a place that's been hailed as 'picture postcard perfect' for almost 100 years. In fact, Portmeirion Village could even lay claim to pioneering the set-jetting trend. 6 6 I took my boys to see why the North Wales holiday resort has been on the must-visit list for decades. With visitors likening it to 'a slice of Italy on the British coast', I had high hopes, but I wasn't sure what my boys would make of it considering it's quite far removed from our usual holiday haunt. I needn't have worried though, as the Portmeirion magic seems to cast a spell over young and old. Made up of colourful houses and vibrant gardens set around a bay, the charming hotel-cum-holiday-park features two four-star hotels, one of which is set inside a castle, plus a motor-home park and several self-catering cottages. There are accommodation options to suit everyone and it really has got the wow factor that makes you think you're a million miles away from Wales. There's no playground or family-friendly features, just an old-world charm that suits quiet, meandering rather than rambunctious roaming and boisterous boys. On arrival, we spent a happy few hours on the giant chess set in the garden while my littlest paddled in the shallow pool nearby. One of the big travel trends over the past few years is set-jetting - fans of film and TV using their holidays to take them to the sights they've seen on screen. Think Death in Paradise viewers heading to the Caribbean island of Guadaloupe or Harry Potter fans taking a train trip on the tracks of the Hogwarts Express. But that's been happening here at Portmeirion for 50 years now, after the site shot to fame when it was used to film TV show The Prisoner. Its unique look was the perfect backdrop for this cult classic, in which a government agent is abducted and held captive in an idyllic seaside village which turns out to be a prison. I've never seen the show as it was a bit before my time, but heading down a shady path through rhondendron bushes and trees towards the shoreline put me in mind of Rebecca, the famous Daphne du Maurier novel set on a Cornish coastal estate. And maybe that's the secret to this special spot - you feel like you're stepping onto a film set or into the pages of your favourite novel, but it's entirely your choice which fantasy world that might be. Saundersfoot - The little-known UK seaside resort town with one of the cleanest beaches in the country 6 6 To be honest, I wouldn't fancy spending thousands of pounds set-jetting, only to find the scenery from your favourite film or series is something of a letdown once you're there. But there's no chance of that happening here as there's something new to marvel at around every corner and so many little nooks and crannies to explore as you wind your way around the site and come across buildings, grottos and pools around every corner, framing the bay beyond. There's even an open air swimming pool for the use of holidaymakers staying in the cottages dotted around the village, the main hotel at its entrance or the motorhome park nearby. It's a century since architect Clough Williams-Ellis first started designing and building Portmeirion and it took 50 years to complete. His vision feels just as vibrant today as it ever did. A mile away is Minffordd station, where passengers can catch a train on the famous Ffestiniog and Welsh Highlands line, the world's oldest narrow gauge railway. 6 So you could make a bit of a day of it and tick off two unique Welsh experiences that should be on every Brit's bucket list. You don't have to be spending the night to enjoy the wealth of facilities, either. Day passes to Portmeirion cost £37 for one adult and two children, with lots of different family tickets up to two adults and five children for £79. If you're touring Wales in a motorhome, there are pitches here which start at £55 per night and include complimentary access to the site out of hours and use of the outdoor pool. That's an option to consider if you want to see for yourself why this Welsh wonder and OG set-jetting site is still going strong after a century in situ. Plus, the Sun Travel team reveals our favourite seaside towns that are less than 90 minutes from London. And where you can find the best value summer holiday resort in Europe 2025.
The Sun
21-07-2025
- The Sun
The Maldives-like overwater bungalow resort in the UK that has a new outdoor pool and slide complex
THIS luxurious holiday park in Devon has overwater bungalows just like you'd find in the tropics - and new water slides. Clawford Lakes, the holiday park that opened three years ago not only has floating lodges, but now has a brand-new outdoor swimming pool and three flumes. The holiday park is set across 98 acres in Holsworthy which is half an hour away from Bude and is surrounded by sparkling blue lakes. It's known to be a great fishing spot and a place to enjoy paddle boarding and kayaking, plus there's also a new pool. The outdoor pool is heated and 25 metres long. It even has three flumes, which have been popular with families staying there. One recent visitor wrote on Tripadvisor: "The outdoor pool had just opened when we arrived we did get to use it. My daughter loved the water slides and went on them repeatedly." The holiday park is hoping to keep the pool and flumes open until October Half Term (weather permitting). When it comes to accommodation, there's plenty of options from floating lodges to luxury pods. The lake pods are set across a private lake and look like they could be in another country. One visitor remarked: "Clawford Lakes is an absolutely stunning venue. The lakes look like something from the Maldives - such a stunning blue colour! It's nice and peaceful as well." Guests can enjoy views across the water from a private deck in the summertime. The beautiful lake an hour from London with overwater bungalows like the Maldives 5 5 If it's rainy, visitors can still take it all in thanks to the ceiling to floor glass windows. The pods have an open plan living and dining area plus fully fitted kitchen complete with standard size oven, microwave, hob and fridge. They sleep up to four people, with a double bed and sofa bed meaning both couples and families can stay there - all of them are dog-friendly too. Aside from enjoying the water, there's plenty to do at the holiday park from walking routes to trying out archery. There is an the onsite restaurant and bar called The Apple & Grape with gastro-pub meals and local ales. For anyone not wanting to swim outside, they can head to the spa where there's an indoor heated pool which is open 7 days a week. Visitors can also book treatments like massages and even an entire spa day for pampering. Here's a look inside the new spa woodland pods that have opened in the UK that make you feel like you are abroad. And check out these five holiday parks in England that are the friendliest, with one even likened to a five-star hotel.
