Keeping busy while our touring parks are closed

The Easter holiday usually marks the start of the touring and camping season. But with everyone avoiding non-essential travel due to Covid-19, this year has been unlike any other. Our caravan parks and campsites were completely empty when they’re usually booked out!

Being closed doesn’t mean there isn’t anything to do. Touring parks require a great deal of upkeep and maintenance – even without guests!  So here’s a quick whizz round some of our parks’ social media posts to see how they’re keeping busy during lockdown, plus some some rare and stunning photos of empty parks in the spring sunshine.

Non-stop maintenance

Hywel at South Wales Touring Park has been keeping us updated with plenty of Facebook posts. In addition to cutting the grass he’s cut all the shrubs, power washed the yard and completed a lot of painting. Being an early riser, he’s also been taking pictures of the sunrise.

Similarly, The Willows Caravan & Camping Park in North Wales have reported non-stop weeding, hedge cutting, strimming and other gardening duties, plus building and repairs. They’re wondering how they’ll cope with all the garden work once the guests return!

At Brookside Country Park in Lincolnshire  they’ve been grass cutting, road dragging and weeding, making sure it looks fantastic for your return. They’ve also been busy mowing at Greenacres Touring Park in Somerset, where there’s a new addition to their deer ‘family’!

Green fingered staff at Blue Rose Country Caravan Park in Yorkshire have successfully grown so many seedlings for hanging baskets, they’re outgrowing their polytunnel! The rabbits are reclaiming the park while the visitors stay away see more.

In Mid-Wales, home schooling for Red Kite Touring Park‘s youngest team member has included a lesson on the digger! They’ve been making areas level and doing other improvements while closed.

Getting creative

At Overbrook Caravan Park in Yorkshire, they’ve pretty much painted everything in sight, including the railway sleepers shown below. Darren, one of the owners, has also written excellent poems on the NHS, the caravan and the local area. The poem ‘Caravan’ is shown below. To see the other poems, go to their Facebook page.

The folks at Old Oaks Touring Camping & Glamping Park in Somerset have been busy making videos. There are interviews with the wardens, as well as birds on the feeders.  Their videos and Nostalgia Quiz can be viewed on their Facebook page.

Back of Beyond Touring Camping & Glamping Park in Dorset have been busy painting, while also clearing streams and waterways. You can see a time-lapse video of the younger family members hard at work here.

The company of animals

As working farms, New Lodge Farm in Northamptonshire and Hallsdown Farm Touring Park in Devon have had lambing and calving to keep them busy, as well as other animals to keep them company. Wilson, the sheepdog from New Lodge Farm, has become amazingly good at keep fit in this hilarious video. You can see how the goats, donkeys and baby lambs are getting on at Hallsdown Farm here.

Meanwhile, Eye Kettleby Lakes have shared some stunning photos of the empty site and this baby calf, whom their Facebook fans aptly named Hope.

At Long Acres Touring Park in Lincolnshire they’ve had to make do with the Soay sheep for company over Easter!

Real Easter bunnies made an appearance at Longnor Wood Holiday Park in Derbyshire. While down in Cornwall, the foxes have been pictured at Wayfarers Caravan Park.

Gone fishing

Instead of welcoming guests on Good Friday, the team at Fields End Water Caravan Park Lodges and Fishery in Cambridgeshire decided to do some fishing. They’ve also been racing their ride-on mowers!

Neil at Grooby’s Pit near Skegness has also taken advantage of the onsite fishing (when not cutting the grass). The hens, ducks and geese continue to lay plenty of eggs, so after giving some to neighbours, Tracy has donated them to the Salvation Army.

Fabulous photos

What a view! It’s so unusual to see an empty park when the sky is blue, the sun is out and the trees are coming into leaf. This is what Greendale Farm Caravan & Camping Park in Rutland, Green Acres Caravan Park in Cumbria,  Wells Touring Park in Somerset, Daisy Bank Touring Caravan Park in Powys and Lamb Cottage Caravan Park in Cheshire look like without any ‘vans’ or tents!

Bath Chew Valley Caravan Park has shared beautiful pictures of the local countryside, pointing out that it will still to be here for you to enjoy when shutdown is over. The stunning view from Wheathill Touring Park in Shropshire now bears a tribute to the NHS.

The team at Manor House Touring Park have been able to enjoy the dog walks on their doorstep!

The Somers Wood Touring Park family have shared some amazing aerial shots of the empty park, along with this wonderful caravan picture from grandson Toby.

Keeping you posted

As soon as we have any news about our parks reopening, we’ll let you know through our social media, our email newsletter and this blog.

 

‘Caravan’, a poem by Darren Ellis from Overbrook Caravan Park