EV charging points

MINISTER VISITS DRUMMOHR CAMPING & GLAMPING

Posted on February 13, 2025

Scotland’s Tourism Minister Richard Lochhead visited Drummohr Camping and Glamping Site in East Lothian last Autumn, celebrating its success as a leader in quality and sustainability within the tourism industry.

Drummohr, located on the Firth of Forth near Edinburgh, was recently named UK Campsite of the Year by Camping magazine and Best Park in Scotland by Pitchup.com. Minister Lochhead toured the 11-acre park, known for its eco-friendly practices and top-tier accommodations, including luxury lodges, glamping pods, and en suite bothies.

Site Manager Angie Purves showcased initiatives such as solar energy generation, EV charging points, and support for local transport links. Biodiversity projects include wildflower gardens, bug hotels, and native flora protection, making the park a haven for wildlife.

During the visit, the Minister planted a cherry blossom tree to commemorate the park’s AA five-star award and honoured a long-standing seasonal guest who recently passed away. Lochhead also met staff, including site wardens and the gardener, who contribute to the park’s environmental goals.

The Minister praised Drummohr’s commitment to sustainability and its role in boosting Scotland’s economy. “Businesses like Drummohr are crucial to Scotland’s high-value tourism sector, contributing to a thriving, sustainable future,” he said.

Angie Purves highlighted the park’s community impact, from supporting local businesses to sourcing products from nearby suppliers. Drummohr, part of the WCF employee-owned group, employs 13 staff and continues to invest in guest satisfaction and sustainability.

Drummohr Camping & Glamping Site
01316 656867
www.drummohr.co.uk

CELEBRATING HAMPSHIRE’S TOURISM STARS

Posted on May 16, 2024

Winchester MP Steve Brine has marked this spring’s English Tourism Week with a visit to a family’s wildlife-friendly glamping park near the village of Bighton near Winchester in Hampshire. Mr Brine was the guest of Two Hoots Glamping Site where he was welcomed by Shaun Ascough and his wife Michele who say they put sustainability at the top of their business agenda.

The couple acquired the park three years ago as their “dream project” after spending a career in property development both in the UK and South Africa. Now, they told the MP, their ambition is to embark on a new holiday park development of super-luxury accommodation which will include eco-lodges with a minimal carbon footprint.

Mr Brine was shown around the five-acre grounds which, said Shaun Ascough, are a ‘wildlife wonderland’ for a host of different animal, bird and plant species. The hilltop site, where guests can enjoy panoramic views across the Hampshire countryside, includes hare, red squirrels, deer, pheasants, red kites and even glowworms among its residents.

The MP was also shown an oak-frame barn which the family is converting as their new home, and which will use solar power and an air source heat pump to generate much of its own energy.

EV charging points for guests with electric cars are hoped to be installed soon, and the couple – who have three grown-up children – will be creating extra wildlife habitats around the park. There is also a wildflower meadow with many different native blooms which, said Shaun, provide vital foraging for honey bees, butterflies and other pollinators.

EV CONCERNS STALL STAYCATION GROWTH

Posted on May 10, 2023

EV CONCERNS STALL STAYCATION GROWTH

BBC CAMERAS ZOOM in on Martin Cox at his Dorset holiday park, Highlands End

Fears that ‘range anxiety’ amongst electric vehicle owners could put the brakes on domestic tourism growth have been voiced by a major holiday parks operator. Martin Cox, whose family business owns five holiday parks in Dorset, is now calling on government to address the lack of charging points in many rural areas. Their absence, he said, could dissuade visitors from venturing too far into the countryside because of uncertainty about being able to top up their electric cars.

Martin’s concerns were featured in a recent BBC television report in which he warned that rural economies could suffer substantial losses of tourism revenue as a result. Martin was filmed at his company’s flagship holiday park of Highlands End in Bridport which has six EV chargers – the maximum that the local power supply can sustain. “We have up to 500 cars a night in summer, and it simply isn’t enough to meet demand,” he told BBC Politics South reporter Frankie Peck.

“Many will have driven upwards of two hundred miles to get here, and their vehicles will need re-charging before they go out the next day, but we simply haven’t the capacity. “There are only around 275 charging points throughout the whole of Dorset, so the available options are very limited. “Nobody wants to spend their holiday in a state of anxiety about their car coming to a halt, and just one bad experience could deter a family from making a repeat visit.

“In our five decades of operating holiday parks, we have never supplied petrol or diesel to our customers, but there is now an expectation that we will be able to charge their cars. “It changes the dynamics of our relationship with guests who, of course, we want to keep happy - but who we know are sometimes frustrated at not being able to plug in,” he said. As vice president of the British Holiday and Home Parks Association, Martin says that many of the body’s 2,500-plus holiday park members report similar problems.

They would like to help EV owners, he says, but the limited electrical supply capacity in their regions is a major hurdle to them installing additional, or even any, EV charging points. “I am fully sympathetic with the government’s aim to drive up EV usage and have done all we can at present to provide charging facilities,” said Martin, himself an electric car owner.

“However, until the electrical supply infrastructure is improved in many rural areas, some EV owners may think twice about taking a holiday too far from home. “This will produce serious consequences for the visitor economy, and the victims will be the many small businesses who rely on tourism spending to survive and sustain jobs,” said Martin. Martin’s family has owned parks in Dorset for over 50 years, and in 2022 Highlands End Holiday Park won the top gold accolade in the holiday park category of the South West Tourism Awards.

MANY ELECTRIC CAR OWNERS are reluctant to travel far from home, says Martin Cox