Congratulations to our parks
It’s great to see our hard work rewarded! Many parks in our group have once again been recognised with major awards – here’s a quick guide…
Top 100 Sites 2019
Thank you if you voted for our parks. These awards, organised by Practical Caravan and Practical Motorhome magazines, have put several Tranquil Parks in the top spots.
Overall winner: Eye Kettleby Lakes
This angling paradise in Leicestershire is also the regional winner for the Heart of England, as well as ‘Best Open All Year Site’, ‘Best Site for Caravans’ and ‘Best Site for Motorhomes’
Best Adult Only Site: Bath Chew Valley Caravan Park
A friendly welcome, helpful staff, spotless facilities, picture-postcard surroundings and a tranquil location were praised at Bath Chew Valley Caravan Park by Top 100 voters
Amazingly, the park has now won this award for the 10th year! It’s also the regional winner for Somerset, Avon and Wiltshire. Keith Betton, the park’s owner says “The magazine’s annual survey asks caravan and motorhome enthusiasts to give their verdict on the quality and hospitality of Britain’s 3,000 plus touring parks. Bath Chew Valley Caravan Park has been child-free for over 20 years and has consistently strived to maintain its tranquil, countryside environment as one of the park’s most appealing features.”
Best Green Site: Old Oaks Touring Camping and Glamping
This Somerset park is teeming with wildlife. The management team puts ecology at the forefront and works to minimise its impact on resources, while enhancing the environment. Green credentials include reed beds for waste water and recycling points for all kinds of waste.
Other Tranquil Parks featured in the Top 100 by region:
- Wales – Red Kite Touring Park, South Wales Touring Park, Three Castles Country Caravan Park, Tyddn Du Touring Park
- North-East England – Blue Rose Country Park
- Eastern England – Brookside Country Park, Long Acres Touring Park, Run Cottage Touring Park, Stroud Hill Park, Wolds View Touring Park,
- Heart of England – Lamb Cottage Caravan Park, New Lodge Farm, Somers Wood Touring Park,
- Dorset – Back of Beyond Touring Park
- Somerset Avon & Wiltshire – Plough Lane Caravan Site,
- Devon – Woodland Springs Touring Park
2018 Campsites.co.uk camping and glamping awards
- Best Caravan Park: Wales – Red Kite Touring Park; East Midlands – Cherry Tree Springs Touring Park
- Best Campsite for Couples: Wales: Daisy Bank Caravan Park (commended); East Midlands – Greendale Farm; North East – York Caravan Park
- Top Dog award for dog friendly sites: Winner – Old Oaks Touring Camping and Glamping Park, Somerset; Commended – Woodland Springs Touring Park, Devon, where dogs go free
AA Awards
John Plant from Long Acres Touring Park (right) collects the 4 gold pennant award
Many Tranquil Parks have been awarded four or more pennants again this year. If you want to get an idea of what goes into these ratings, you can see details on the AA site. Gold pennants are awarded to the parks with a Quality Score of 90% and above. Even harder to achieve platinum pennants are awarded for over 95%.
Bath Chew Valley Caravan Park and Old Oaks Touring Camping and Glamping Park (also in Somerset) have both achieved 5 platinum pennants this year – read more. Parks with gold pennants include Back of Beyond Touring Park, Dorset, and Long Acres Touring Park, Lincolnshire.
TripAdvisor Certificates of Excellence
Over 20 Tranquil Parks were awarded TripAdvisor Certificates of Excellence in 2018. To earn one of these certificates, parks have to maintain an overall rating of at least four out of five, receive a minimum number of reviews and be listed on TripAdvisor for the full 12-month period from 1 April to 31 March. 2019 recipients will be announced in late May, so we’ll keep you posted. Read more about how Certificates of Excellence are awarded.
Loo of the Year 2019
Both blocks at Woodland Springs Touring Park in Devon have each been awarded a Platinum Award. Proprietors Chris and Jan Patrick have also been named ‘Washroom Cleaner of the Year’. Red Kite Touring Park has also picked up a Platinum Award,
CaraMaps ‘Best Places 2018’
CaraMaps announced the ‘Best Places 2018’ in February, naming Grooby’s Pit for being an excellent stop for motorhomes.
Welsh Hospitality Awards 2018
‘Best Caravan Site in Wales’ was awarded to South Wales Caravan Park near Llanelli.
Bath Bristol and Somerset Tourism Awards
Touring Camping and Caravanning Park of the Year 2018 was won by Waterrow Touring Park for the third year running.
South West Tourism Excellence Awards
Touring Camping and Caravanning Park of the Year Bronze Award went to Waterrow Touring Park.
Collecting awards: (left) Hywel Davies from South Wales Touring Park; (right) Lynette and Jamie Cook from Waterrow Touring Park
David Bellamy Awards
Details of David Bellamy Awards for nature conservation are listed in our recent blog on preserving the wildlife in our parks. Read the blog Nature Conservation in our Parks.
Visit England Awards for Excellence
A new format for these awards was announced at a recent ceremony in March 2019 to celebrate the awards’ 30th anniversary. This follows a year-long review of the awards. The new competition will soon open.