Delamere Forest

ALL-YEAR-ROUND APPEAL

Posted on October 24, 2023

ALL-YEAR-ROUND APPEAL

KESWICK is one of a growing number of parks open to visitors all year round.

The seasons might be changing but The Camping and Caravanning Club has 18 sites open year-round and a total of 23 sites open until the end of the year. “Camping, caravanning and motorhoming doesn’t have to stop when the nights draw in,” says Simon McGrath, Head of Communications at the Club.

“We have 23 Club Sites open through to Christmas and into the New Year and 18 that welcome campers year-round,” he continues and adds: “Modern motorhomes and caravans are warm, comfy and well-equipped for year-round use – and even tent campers can still enjoy pitching up in colder weather with a little more preparation.”

The following Club Sites are open year-round:

THE BOROUGHBRIDGE CLUB Site in North Yorkshire provides an ideal base from which to explore York and the North York Moors National Park.

• Blackmore, Worcestershire
• Boroughbridge, North Yorkshire
• Bowness on Windermere, Cumbria
• Braithwaite Village, Cumbria
• Canterbury, Kent
• Chertsey, Surrey
• Conkers, Derbyshire
• Delamere Forest, Cheshire
• Derwentwater, Cumbria
• Devizes, Wiltshire
• Hertford, Hertfordshire
• Keswick, Cumbria
• Kingsbury Water Park, West Midlands
• Moffat, Dumfries and Galloway
• Oxford, Oxfordshire
• Salisbury, Wiltshire
• Tavistock, Devon
• Theobalds Park, Hertfordshire

To help people prepare for the autumn and winter, Iain Geddes, Senior Technical Advisor at the Club, has compiled five top tips for making the most of a winter camping break:
• Set up camp while it’s still light
• Insulate from the ground up
• Check the power
• Complete vehicle checks
Keep your eyes and ears on the weather

For more advice on autumn and winter camping check out the Club’s advice pages: www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/advice

CHILDHOOD DREAM COMES TRUE

Posted on April 27, 2022

CHILDHOOD DREAM COMES TRUE

CAROL GERRARD- HUGHES and daughter Sophie at Forest View.

Carol Gerrard-Hughes has realised a childhood dream by investing £300,000 to improve the Forest View pub and caravan site in Oakmere, Northwich using a Business Finance loan from Reward Finance Group. Carol fell in love with the site when her parents bought a caravan when she was six and the family spent weekends and school holidays at Forest View.

At 13, she started washing up in the pub, then worked behind the bar and, ultimately, finished up running it. Realising her ambition to own Forest View has not been easy. Having bought the tenancy for the pub and the site in 2007, she was advised by pub operator and owner, Scottish and Newcastle, that they were planning to sell the site to a housing developer in 2009. To prevent this from happening, she moved quickly and bought the whole lot from them.

As well as the pub, the site has 45 static caravans and 26 touring pitches. Recognising The potential for Forest View, which overlooks Delamere Forest, Carol was keen to make a significant investment in the site. Her plans were to extend and refurbish the pub, build a new toilet block, create 20 more touring pitches, provide additional electrical points for the caravans, as well as landscaping and tidying up the site to further enhance its appeal.

Despite the equity in the site, none of the banks would lend her the money to carry out her plans. However, Matthews Sutton & Co Accountants in Liverpool introduced Carol to Reward Finance Group, who quickly provided the funds having been impressed with Carol’s enthusiasm and tenacity, as well as her plans for the site and the additional revenue this would generate.