Seven Decades of Family Holidays

A Family Legacy Shaping Five-Star Escapes in the North West...

With more than seven decades of heritage behind it, Holgates Holiday Parks stands as one of the North West’s most established and respected holiday park operators.

Still proudly family-owned, the business has grown steadily while remaining rooted in the values that first defined it in 1956: quality, care and a genuine passion for helping guests create lasting holiday memories. Today, Holgates operates a portfolio of 10 parks, predominantly located across the stunning landscapes of Lancashire and Cumbria.

Nine of these parks sit within 10 to 15 minutes of the Carnforth and Silverdale area – a location long admired for its proximity to the Arnside & Silverdale National Landscape, the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales. The tenth park extends the brand’s reach into the Ribble Valley, offering a contrasting but equally compelling countryside setting.

A CAREFULLY BALANCED PORTFOLIO
Holgates’ portfolio reflects a deliberate and considered approach to growth. None of the parks are residential, allowing the business to remain focused exclusively on holiday and holiday ownership experiences. Six parks welcome both holiday guests and holiday homeowners, while four parks are dedicated entirely to ownership, offering owners a peaceful, community-focused environment.

Across its six holiday parks, accommodation options are varied and tailored to different guest needs. Five parks offer a combination of holiday caravans, touring pitches and glamping pods, while Hollins Farm stands out as a touring-only park enhanced by two thoughtfully positioned glamping pods.

Complementing the parks is the Holgates Collection of 11 self-catering cottages, all located within easy reach of the core Carnforth and Silverdale area, further strengthening the brand’s appeal to multi-generational families and longer-stay guests. This diversity enables Holgates to attract a wide demographic – from touring enthusiasts and first-time holidaymakers to loyal owners who return year after year.

SILVERDALE HOLIDAY PARK’S flagship leisure complex, featuring indoor swimming pools, spa facilities and a fully equipped gym, open seven days a week.

FLAGSHIP FACILITIES AT SILVERDALE
Silverdale Holiday Park is widely regarded as the flagship of the Holgates portfolio, setting the benchmark for facilities and guest experience across the group. At the heart of the park is a comprehensive leisure complex that rivals many standalone attractions. Open seven days a week, the complex features two swimming pools alongside a fully equipped gym, steam room, sauna and spa pool.

Beyond leisure, guests and owners can enjoy a large restaurant and bar, a bowling alley, arcade, soft play area, pitch & putt, ice cream parlour and on-site shop – creating a true all-weather destination. Silverdale also serves as Holgates’ head office, reinforcing its role as the operational and cultural hub of the business.

INVESTMENT WITH LONG-TERM VISION
Recent years have seen continued investment across the estate, with a strong focus on enhancing quality rather than expanding at pace. A standout project has been the redevelopment at Beetham Holiday Park, where 20 new lodges and caravans have been added across a two-phase development.

The first phase completed in 2023, with the final phase finished in 2025, reflecting Holgates’ long-term commitment to careful, phased growth that respects both guests and surroundings. This approach has allowed the business to future-proof its parks while maintaining the character and tranquillity that its owners and guests value.

SET IN THE HEART OF THE NORTH WEST, Holgates parks offer easy access to beautiful walking routes through coast, countryside, and the Arnside & Silverdale National Landscape.

PEOPLE AT THE HEART OF THE BUSINESS
Holgates employs approximately 200 staff across its parks, a mix of full-time and seasonal roles. As a family-run business, the emphasis on personal service and staff engagement is clear, with many team members developing long-term careers within the group.

This stability not only supports consistent service delivery but also reinforces the welcoming atmosphere that has become synonymous with the Holgates name.

ETHOS, CHALLENGES AND SUSTAINABILITY
Holgates’ ethos is rooted in its family heritage and trusted reputation. The business positions itself as a provider of exceptional coastal and countryside escapes, where quality facilities are matched by genuine personal care.

This philosophy has proven particularly valuable during a period of wider industry challenges, including rising operational costs, changing guest expectations and increased focus on sustainability. In response, Holgates has continued to invest in energy efficiency measures across its parks, alongside thoughtful park layouts and landscaping that minimise environmental impact.

Sustainability is approached as an ongoing commitment rather than a single initiative, aligned with the company’s desire to preserve the landscapes that underpin its success.

GLAMPING PODS NESTLED IN NATURAL surroundings, providing a contemporary holiday option across selected Holgates parks.

RECOGNITION AND COMMUNITY COMMITMENT
Quality and consistency have been recognised through industry accolades, with all Holgates parks holding five-star ratings from both the AA and VisitEngland. Netherbeck Holiday Park has also received the prestigious VisitEngland Rose Award, while the Ribble Valley park was named a winner at the 2025 Stars in Tourism Awards.

Beyond tourism, Holgates places strong emphasis on community and charitable engagement. Each year, the business selects a charity to support across its parks. In 2025, Holgates chose Breast Cancer Now, setting an ambitious fundraising target of £10,000 – a figure the team exceeded, reaching £10,319!

LOOKING AHEAD TO A MILESTONE YEAR
As Holgates approaches its 70th anniversary in 2026, the focus remains firmly on the future while honouring the past.

With a loyal customer base, a well-invested portfolio and a clear sense of purpose, the business is well positioned to continue delivering five-star holiday experiences for generations to come Holgates Holiday Parks is a family-owned holiday park operator with over 70 years of experience in delivering high-quality coastal and countryside escapes across the North West of England.

With a portfolio of 10 five-star parks and a collection of luxury holiday cottages, Holgates is known for its commitment to quality, personal service and long-term investment.

Holgates Holiday Parks
01524 701508
www.holgates.co.uk/our-story

JOINED-UP THINKING

JOINED-UP THINKING

A complete park management and booking system...

Visitors to Folly Farm, Pembrokeshire’s award-winning tourist attraction of 30 years, often commented that you needed two days to do everything on offer. With 100 acres of land to the North of the attraction, the team listened to their visitors and set about creating their own Folly Farm Holiday Park. Offering a wide range of accommodation for the family market to suit all budgets, to date Folly Farm boasts a 43 pitch-touring park, a 20-pitch campsite, four Showman’s Wagons and six fairground themed luxury lodges with hot tubs. A further eight luxury lodges and six safari tents will open soon.

 

 

LOCKDOWN LAUNCH
“We were confident there would be huge interest in our accommodation offering from our strong and loyal customer base but then the pandemic hit and we found ourselves launching our touring park after the first lockdown in July 2020 with just three weeks’ notice,” explains Zoe Wright, Head of Marketing “We achieved a 76 per cent occupancy rate that first August and followed that in August 2021 with 94 per cent.” Ease-of-use was top of the list when Folly Farm was selecting a booking system so the team partnered with the highly recommended GemaPark . GemaPark has exceeded our expectations in terms of a booking system for our touring park and campsite,” confirms Zoe.

“In fact, we also import into GemaPark partner bookings for accommodation we don’t sell directly, because it provides top line booking, arrivals and performance information in a much more user- friendly way than our booking partners’ systems,” she adds. GemaPark is used by many members of the team at Folly Farm. Holiday park wardens use it to generate arrivals reports and to check if customers are returners so they can welcome them back. Office staff confirm all the bookings and chase payments while the marketing team can easily upload or change tariffs and run property performance reports and push any availability. The finance team can easily reconcile payments, run spend-per-head reports and financial forecasts.

EASE OF USE
“Every member of staff finds it easy to use and it’s one of the few software systems we use that the staff don’t moan about,” says Zoe. “Reporting was a key consideration as we’d little to no experience of running accommodation so to be able to easily query occupancy rates, property performance for our different accommodation options and check financial performance has been pivotal to the future development of the holiday park,”

Zoe continues. “CRM was also important as we were building an accommodation audience from scratch. “We would happily recommend GemaPark to anyone looking for a booking solution for their touring site or campsite and the fact they can easily integrate with leading booking partners is a bonus.”

Netguides/GemaPark
T: 01983 282420
W: www.netguides.co.uk
W: www.gemapark.co.uk