aa awards

UK’s Top Parks For Happy Campers

Posted on February 9, 2017

UK’s Top Parks For Happy Campers

Castlerigg Hall in Keswick, Cumbria, took the top spot as the Regional Campsite of the Year for the North West.

Castlerigg Hall in Keswick, Cumbria, took the top spot as the Regional Campsite of the Year for the North West.

Vale of Pickering Caravan Park in North Yorkshire has been crowned the Campsite of the Year 2017 at the AA Caravan and Camping Awards. The park beat off stiff competition from 860 sites across the country, which were all visited by the AA’s campsite inspectors to assess the touring pitches, facilities and hospitality.

 

Each park is graded from one to five pennants, with Gold Pennants awarded to the very best. Since winning an AA regional award in 2013, owners of the Vale of Pickering Caravan Park - Chris and Dianne Stockdale - have continued to invest in the park each year, including a new state-ofthe- art facilities block which has six fully-equipped wet rooms and a dishwashing room. New electric points and a dog wash, with a hot shower were also added to the park this year.

Another notable winner this year was Forest Fields Caravan and Camping Park in Powys, which was named AA Campsite of the Year for Wales. The family-run park, which is located near to Royal Welsh Showground, is popular with families and outdoor adventure groups. The park’s owners - the Barstow family - also has plans to expand the glamping offering in 2017.

Elsewhere in the country Castlerigg Hall in Keswick, Cumbria took the top spot as the Regional Campsite of the Year for the North West. Owned by the Jackson family since 1938, the park provides luxury caravan holiday homes for hire, plus eco-friendly camping pods and pitches for touring caravans, motorhomes. A former farm which began by welcoming campers, Castlerigg Hall is today one of the Lake District’s most highly regarded parks. 2017 also saw the introduction of a new award – The AA Glamping Site of the Year, to celebrate the increasing popularity of glamping. The winner of this brand new award was Durrell Wildlife Camp in Jersey, which is situated in 32 acres of landscaped parkland and water-gardens offers guest the opportunity to stay overnight in stylish Ecopods with unlimited access to some of the rarest wildlife species on earth.

All the winners of this year’s AA Caravan and Camping Awards will appear in the new AA Caravan and Camping Guide 2017.

Dorset Clinches Title

Posted on April 15, 2016

South LytchettDorset Clinches Title

South Lytchett Manor in Dorset has been named by the AA as the best caravan and campsite in the UK, earning it the overall title of the AA’s Campsite of The Year.

The family-run business, near to Poole and Bournemouth, beat more than 900 other camping parks across Britain to take the prestigious pole place.

The accolade is awarded every year following a rigorous assessment by AA inspectors of parks’ standards of customer care, quality, and cleanliness.

Joanne Bridgen of South Lytchett Manor commented: “We’re absolutely delighted to have been chosen for this award and extend our heartfelt thanks to our holiday guests for their continuing support. “We are also extremely grateful to members of our hardworking staff team whose friendliness and commitment to quality service has been crucial to our success,” said Joanne.

Ten other camping and caravan parks across the UK were also recognised in the 2016 awards. The winning parks will be presented with their awards at a special prize giving ceremony in March.

Parks Find Winning Ways

Posted on May 19, 2015
All the 2015 AA Caravan and Camping Awards winners were recognised for their achievements at the lunch held at the Aztec Hotel in Bristol.

All the 2015 AA Caravan and Camping Awards winners were recognised for their achievements at the lunch held at the Aztec Hotel in Bristol.

Parks Find Winning Ways

The 2015 season has got off to a flying start for eleven of the UK’s top campsites after they were recognised at the recent AA Caravan and Camping Awards 2015.

Oakdown Touring and Holiday Park in Sidmouth, Devon was named the winner of the AA Campsite of the Year for England and the overall winner for 2015, while Witches Craig Caravan and Camping Park in Stirling and Bron Derw Touring Caravan Park in Conwy were named Campsite of the Year Scotland and Wales respectively.

Alistair Franks of Oakdown Touring and Holiday Park said: “We are all absolutely delighted with our award. We are continually investing in Oakdown to improve our facilities across the board to make our guests as comfortable as possible and we are thrilled that the commitment shown by us and our staff has been recognised by the judges of this prestigious awards scheme.”

The annual AA Caravan and Camping Awards recognise the best of the best when it comes to the nation’s caravan and camping sites. The winners are selected by the AA’s team of expert inspectors who travel the length and breadth of the country to ensure that campers can be confident of high standards wherever they see the AA Pennants at a campsite.

David Hancock, co-ordinator of the AA Caravan and Camping Scheme commented: “Today’s campers expect so much more than previous generations. Just because we’re away from home doesn’t mean we don’t want home comforts like privacy, clean and warm bathrooms and good access to the internet.”

David added: “Customer care is one thing that all our award winners have paid attention to. How well guests are looked after from the moment they arrive can make or break any holiday.

“Location also plays a significant part – the park must be in a place people want to visit and improvements to facilities can also score highly, especially if they have enhanced that all-important customer experience.”

All the 2015 award winners were recognised for their achievements at the lunch held at the Aztec Hotel in Bristol. The awards lunch also marked the official launch of the 47th AA Caravan and Camping Guide, which has details of over 900 fully inspected and independently graded camping parks across the UK.