ON LOCATION featuring Long Hazel Park

GOLD STANDARD
Located in glorious South Somerset, Long Hazel Park has been awarded 4 Pennant Gold from The AA in their most recent Park inspection. This is a first for the park operators Alan and Pamela Walton who have been part of The AA’s prestigious inspection scheme for many years, beginning their journey as a 3 pennant Park in 2005. “Our new groundwork, installation of new fully serviced pitches and shower block upgrade has been influential in our new ranking this year,” explains Alan. “The 4 Pennant Gold accolade puts us in the category of the best of the best of small caravan and camping parks, based on our facilities, grounds and customer experience,” he adds. Open all year, Long Hazel is an adult- only caravan and camping park with ample space for RVs, motorhomes, caravans and tents of all sizes. A new serviced touring caravan and motorhome hardstanding pitches available for 2021 while a shower and toilet block was completed in May this year.

FULLY ACCESSIBLE
Long Hazel also offers two self- catering holiday lodges providing accommodation for up to four people and are available all year for both long or short breaks. Long Hazel provides one of the only fully wheelchair accessible holiday lodge rentals in Somerset and the South West with their fully adapted Blackforest Lodge. Both holiday lodges have parking directly outside together with decking areas for al fresco dining The lodges have double glazing, are substantially insulated and fully heated for your comfort in all seasons. Fully furnished and equipped, the Park provides duvets, pillows and blankets but ask guests to provide their own bed linen and towels. Free WiFi with HD ready Freeview colour TVs are available in each lodge.

QUALITY SCORE
AA Hotel Services Inspector Chris Pike awarded the Park a 90% Quality Score during the impromptu inspection. Mr Pike noted: “The purpose of this visit was to verify the standards of maintenance and cleanliness were consistent with the Quality Standards requirements. “Extensive work has been carried out in the last two years. The facilities were spotless with detail paid to the cleaning and top-grade fixtures and fittings. “In reading the list of the enhancements to the park, I have no hesitation in recommending Long Hazel Park 4 Pennant Gold status with a quality score of 90%” Alongside their fantastic 4 Pennant Gold achievement, the Park is also celebrating success in this year’s Bristol, Bath and Somerset Tourism Awards where they have won a Gold Award in the Camping, Glamping and Holiday Park of the Year category, as well as becoming an award-winner in the Theo Paphitis Small Business awards last month.

“For us, being “green” isn’t a new thing; even our logo reflects how running an eco-friendly business is at the centre of our values,” says Pamela. Over 24 years at Long Hazel Park, the couple have planted over 2000 trees. Since 2019, they have worked on filling planters with plants more suited to tropical weather. Their plants are primarily watered with rainwater collected in large water butts and they use a special built-in, water saving formula in our hanging baskets to ensure that the highest amount of water is absorbed. Pamela again: “In the recent shower block overhaul, we switched to LED lighting throughout and changed over to eco-friendly hand driers to avoid extra paper waste.We have push taps and showers throughout to ensure that taps aren’t left running and our showers and washing areas are clad with recycled plastic.

We used local tradesmen and suppliers to help with our makeover.” “In 2019, they installed environmentally friendly solar panelling and the shower block is now successfully run on solar energy. Any energy not used by us on site is fed back to the National Grid.” Opting for eco-friendly cleaning products throughout the shower block and lodges with custom-scented air fresheners even use natural oils rather than aerosols, theWaltons sell their own eggs on site from their own chickens whose byproducts are used as an eco-friendly fertiliser for our plants. They also use grass cuttings as mulch around the trees and hedges and homemade bird boxes for the trees. Many of our hedges also house insect hotels to ensure sustainable pollination from wild bees with several hedgehog houses hidden away in hedgerows. “A particularly long-lived feature of our park is the recycling system and we are always over the moon when our guests help reduce, reuse and recycle too,” says Pamela who adds: “We are experiencing a wonderfully busy summer season already, bouncing back from closures last year and are enjoying welcoming guests old and new back to Somerset.”

 

Long Hazel Park
Tel. 01963 440002
www.longhazelpark.co.uk