showers

WISH YOU WERE HERE

Posted on May 6, 2026

Back of Beyond Touring, Camping & Glamping Park

Back of Beyond Touring, Camping & Glamping Park in St Leonards, Dorset, is a beautifully run adults-only retreat that blends peaceful woodland surroundings with excellent facilities and warm, attentive management.

Run by Martin and Victoria Bowrey since 2013, the 30-acre, five-star park has grown a loyal following for its calm atmosphere, spacious layout and thoughtful touches that make every visit feel restorative. The park offers 98 well-maintained pitches, ranging from fully serviced options to astroturf and non-electric pitches, ensuring that both touring guests and traditional campers are well catered for.

Those seeking something a little different can choose from cosy glamping pods, huts or even a yurt, all nestled among the woodland, lakes and heathland that define the site’s character. Facilities are excellent: two modern amenities blocks provide clean toilets and showers, while Monty’s Bar and a rotation of visiting caterers create a friendly social hub in the evenings.

Guests also benefit from on-site Wi-Fi, a handy shop stocked with essentials and locally sourced treats, and a dog wash—perfect after exploring the park’s extensive woodland. Nature lovers will particularly appreciate the dedicated wildlife lakes, part of a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest, and the 18 acres of off-lead dog-walking woodland.

There’s even a rustic pitch-and-putt golf course for relaxed afternoons outdoors. The team’s commitment to sustainability is evident through their recycling efforts, support for local producers and on-site beehives, whose honey is sold in the park shop—a charming and delicious reminder of their eco-friendly ethos. Location is another major draw.

Just three miles from Ringwood, the park is well placed for exploring Moors Valley Country Park, Avon Valley Country Park, the New Forest National Park and the sandy beaches of Bournemouth. It’s easy to see why Back of Beyond has earned recognition including Dorset Tourism Awards for both Best Campsite and Dog Friendly Business, plus a place among the Top 100 Sites and Adult-Only winner for 2025.

Peaceful, welcoming and impeccably maintained, Back of Beyond offers the perfect escape for adults seeking tranquillity, nature and a touch of comfort in one of Dorset’s most scenic corners.

Back of Beyond Touring, Camping & Glamping Park
St Leonards,
Dorset
01202 876968
info@backofbeyondtouringpark.co.uk
www.backofbeyondtouringpark.co.uk

INSURING YOUR CUSTOMER UNITS

Posted on February 12, 2025

Leisuredays are specialists in working with UK parks to insure customer holiday caravans and lodges...

Holiday Parks refer their customers to Leisuredays and then the insurance company’s team of over 60 advisers are on hand seven days a week to do the rest in terms of providing quotes, taking payment for cover, issuing documentation and managing renewals. The parks receive a valuable income stream on the policies sold and renewed.

Gareth Walker, Head of Leisuredays Development, says: “Parks love the ease at which they can refer customers to us, and trust our expert team to give great service to their owners. In the past many parks have taken on administration of insurance for customers themselves, but with growing regulatory requirements and a desire for park staff to focus on core park activities such as sales and day-to-day operations, many parks have made the switch to directing customers to a specialist.

Leisuredays are obviously very well set up for this with our contact centre and online quote and buy facility. We’re on hand to get park customers the cover they need quickly seven days a week. Gareth added, “We’re known for getting good take up rates amongst each park’s customer base with timely marketing, highly-rated service, great cover benefits and competitive pricing.

Despite insurance operations moving out of house on these parks, we’re still very good at keeping parks informed of who’s on cover and any ongoing claims.” Commenting on changes in risks seen on parks Gareth explained: “There’s not a great deal of change in common claim types made by caravan and lodge owners.

REVIEWING OUTFLOW points for flood water is essential.

The most common claims in 2024 included storm, flood, accidental damage to the inside and outside of units and then escape of water from toilets, showers, sinks and boilers - often leading to floor damage.” Gareth adds: “In terms of changes, it’s fair to say we’re noticing more frequent flooding. One in 50-year flooding events in some areas are becoming one in 10-year events and so on.

In terms of actual claims value the costliest, perhaps predictably, are for flooding and fire with these events often creating severe damage leading to major repairs or write offs.” Leisuredays have not taken the increase in flooding events lightly. In fact, they’ve been proactive in working with numerous parks to implement flood defences and flood mitigation strategies to lower the future risk of flooding.

These initiatives have also enabled the continued availability of insurance including vital flood cover at sensible premiums for the caravan owners on these parks. Testament to this in 2024 the company twice made finals in major insurance awards for its work with parks at risk of flooding.

Gareth expands on this: “Alongside our underwriter RSA, and an independent flood consultant, we have worked with parks on some major flood strategies resulting in the installation of bunds, piling, and state of the art sea walls to protect the park’s business and its customers from future weather events.” Talking about vital benefits provided by the Leisuredays insurance cover, Gareth explained: “In line with most common claims our policy covers caravan and lodge owners for flood, storm, fire, theft and accidental damage.

LEISUREDAYS INSURANCE have seen an increase in caravan owner flood claims on parks

Most owners get our new for old cover which means in the event a caravan or lodge is damaged beyond economic repair, we’ll buy them a brand new model as a replacement, subject to them having the correct sum insured. Obviously, in the event of a caravan needing replacement it’s costly to take the damaged one off the pitch and get rid of the debris, so our policy provides £10,000 of cover for that, and for re-siting and reconnection to services for the new replacement unit”.

Gareth went on to say: “What parks often find useful is our emergency repairs cover on customer policies. It allows them to make temporary repairs following serious damage to caravans and lodges, to make them water tight or secure and to prevent more damage or loss, in the knowledge we’ll pay them for the work.

Customers also love the benefit of ground rent cover paying them up to £2,500 when their caravan can’t be used as a result of an insured event.” If we were going to suggest any quick ways a park can reduce the extent of damage from flooding, we’d always recommend they look at existing park drainage – making sure floodwaters can escape the park quickly.

Leisuredays
01422 396 693
www.leisuredays.co.uk/smartway

LEISUREDAYS HAVE worked with parks on numerous flood defences such as this living wall on a Scottish park.

NATURE CALLS

Posted on May 17, 2024

If you ever wonder why you spend so much time planning, designing and maintaining your on-site washroom facilities, well the facts speak for themselves. On average, people in the UK visit the bathroom between six and eight times every day. That adds up to a whopping 2,500 times in every year and accumulates to three years sitting on a toilet during their lifetime.

Family changing space cannot be over emphasised. Apparently, you will change a baby’s nappy up to 10,000 times before they can use the bathroom by themselves. For those who fancy flushing money straight down the toilet, this one’s for them. A toilet paper roll made from 22-carat gold went on sale in 2013.

Sold by the Australian company Toilet Paper Man, it was priced at a whopping US $1,376,900. If you are looking to bulk order your stock control, you might like to know we use an average of 57 sheets of toilet paper a day. Toilet paper was first invented by the Chinese in the 6th century.

Each sheet was two feet by three feet. Imagine trying to get an eight-pack of that stuff in the washroom store cupboard. According to the well-known Harpic brand, a public toilet can play host to over 40,000 germs at any given time so it pays not just to follow a diligent routine but to keep a very clear record of that routine.

TICKING BOXES
Organisations like Visit England and professional teams like the Cubicle Centre and Commercial Washrooms are always on hand to assist you from the start of your project through to completion. You have to make sure you tick the boxes laid out in the Caravan Sites & Control of Development Act 1960 - Touring Caravan and Campsite Site Conditions.

Although not necessarily legally binding, in general, the following apply for you to demonstrate duty of care:
• Separate ladies and men’s washrooms.
• Optional family facilities
• Working toilets
• Basins with hot and cold water
• Showers with TMV3 (Thermal Mixing Valve) temperature-controlled water
• Power and shaver points
• Disabled toilet and/or disabled shower rooms compliant with Doc M of the building regulations
• Level-entry shower suited for wheelchairs
• Baby-changing facilities, ideally within both male and female washrooms
• Chemical toilet disposal points
• Separate dishwashing facilities - usually external to the toilet blocks
• Drinking Water

Let’s get down to some basic maths. The numbers of facilities provided should be one toilet and urinal for men and two toilets for women for every 30 pitches. There should be a minimum of four water-flowing washbasins per 30 pitches; two each for men and women.

They shall be adjacent to the toilets – usually within the same room. Where a site provides 70 or more pitches, provision of showers shall be on the scale of one shower per 25 pitches.

ALTHOUGH MEN AND WOMEN prefer separate cubicle space family- friendly facilities are an added bonus.

PRO RATA
When considering the numbers of toilet cubicles to be included it is good practice to make allowance for 1 in 4 cubicles (in any same-sex washroom) to be classed as ambulant. This includes for grab rails and outward opening doors. Toilets may not be justified where sites have less than ten pitches.

Their site position should be agreed in discussed with the appropriate authorities. Because of the likelihood that children will use site facilities the basins/ showers’ hot water temperature should be controlled by the use of thermal mixing valves. Thermal Mixing Valves (whether integrated within the shower/ basin or as an addition to the supply pipe-work) will limit the hot water temperature to a comfortable level and offer a safeguard against scalding.

When planning a new build washroom block or refurbishing an existing facility there are many building-related health and safety issues to consider. The common sense advice is to appoint and work with a reputable building firm, ideally one who specialises in commercial washroom and toilet refurbishment projects and liaise with planning authorities from the earliest stage.

Unless the budget is particularly tight, the advice is to go for strong and robust materials fit for the high level of use modern holiday resort washrooms receive. For example the use of Solid Grade Laminate toilet/shower cubicles as opposed to a cheaper chipboard core laminate material. The payback over time is likely to be significantly better. Commercial Washrooms Ltd can, of course, offer advice on the different materials available within the commercial washrooms market.

Read our blogs on Washroom Design. Inclusion of baby changing facilities is essential in modern-day toilet and washroom facilities. Depending on the size of the washrooms this may be as simple as a fold-down baby changer or a dedicated family room containing shower, toilet and basin as well as a considerable worktop and vanity unit space for laying the child down.

PATTERSONS WORKED with Away Resorts to freshen up facilities at Tattershall Lakes.

OUT OF THE CLOSET
From desirable to dilapidated, modern to outmoded, holiday destinations boast a compendium of conveniences as you aim to create your wellness oasis. Focus on the senses, a bit of background music helps cover some embarrassment – or turn this into a marketing opportunity with a blast of promotional ads or podcasts. Aromatherapy can play a significant role. I mean the pleasant kind.

In fact, the very earliest air fresheners were made from pomegranates and cloves while the first modern air freshener was introduced in 1948. You could also take the opportunity to turn your smallest rooms into art galleries with large scale themed pictures of local scenes or even celebrated film stars. Plan the washroom project as early and as thoroughly as possible in all instances.

This should include detailed working drawings which are continually consulted as well as a robust schedule of the work. Barring any unforeseen issues arising the upgrade should then happen within time and budget. Don’t be tempted to go cheap. More expensive and durable materials will likely last longer and be a better fit for purpose with the rigours of a busy holiday site.

Design of a washroom should be carried out by professionals with appropriate experience of this type of installation as there are many common errors which can be avoided. They will usually offer a full design service with CAD drawings for either a new build or refurbishment. Well-designed and energy-efficient washroom facilities can significantly enhance the overall customer experience for holiday park visitors, while clean, comfortable and modern environments can lead to positive reviews and repeat business.

SOMETIMES WE CAN take providing pet-friendly facilities just a step too far.

ENERGY EFFICIENT
With a prominent focus on the importance of water conservation coupled with the need to offer high-quality and modern washroom facilities, Richard Braid, Managing Director at Cistermiser, explains how holiday park operators can maintain a strategic edge.

“Offering premium, comfortable and energy efficient washroom facilities sets a holiday park apart from competitors. With more customers becoming environmentally conscious when it comes to choosing holidays and parks needing to manage their impact on the environment, it becomes a key selling point to attract more visitors and increase occupancy rates,” explains Richard Braid, Managing Director at Cistermiser.

“Incorporating eco-friendly washrooms can help reduce the environmental footprint of the holiday park while minimising water and energy usage, demonstrating a commitment to sustainability and responsible tourism practices. Energy-efficient washrooms can also lead to significant cost-savings over time.” Richard concludes: “Maximising washroom facilities’ design and energy efficiency is not only beneficial for the holiday park’s bottom line but also crucial for enhancing customer satisfaction, maintaining competitiveness and demonstrating environmental responsibility.”

We humans share five common activities every day: breathing, eating, drinking, sleeping and toileting… when you’re away from home, it’s often the latter which creates the biggest cause for concern. Despite this, washrooms are often overlooked, even in the hospitality and leisure sectors where guests of all ages will need to make sure of your facilities. Whether you have a positive or negative experience as a customer, chances are you’ll share it with family, friends and colleagues, or even make a few negative comments on sites like Trip Advisor and Facebook.

Maintaining high standards for your washroom provision can separate you from the competition in a crowded industry. After all, switched-on holiday destination operators know that it makes financial sense to keep visitors on-site as long as possible. The longer they stay, the more money they spend - and not just a spending a penny!

CHANGING PLACES

Posted on May 10, 2023

CHANGING PLACES

Even the humblest washroom facilities can make or break your brand, advises Becci Knowles...

ADD A TOUCH of character to your washroom facilities to keep the guests happy.

Leading market research firm Mintel says that in a competitive market, with relatively low brand differentiation outside of the leading holiday centre brands, catering for rising visitor expectations in terms of accommodation, facilities and experiences has become vital for success. Clean, modern, accessible, and eco-friendly washrooms have a key role to play in continuing this upward trend.

A quick look at holiday park reviews online at Tripadvisor is testimony to the fact that these facilities feature highly on the list of customer priorities across every demographic. Meeting the rising expectations of existing customers and changing the perception new ones, is vital for a destination’s growth. Park Holidays operates 43 caravan holiday parks across the UK from Cornwall in the West, Suffolk in the East and up to Yorkshire and Scotland in the North.

Commenting on the importance of its washroom facilities across the portfolio, a spokesperson told Holiday Park Scene: “On our parks which provide touring and camping pitches, the washrooms remain one of the single most important factors in shaping guests’ level of satisfaction with their stay.

“On review websites, our facilities will frequently be commended for their cleanliness, standards of maintenance, and overall impression of being a welcoming and hygienic environment for ablutions. “Positive comments on our washrooms also appear on Park Holidays’ Feefo review website and have helped the group achieve the platform’s excellence award for six years in succession.”

SUCCESS MARKERS
Washrooms are pivotal in the success of smaller parks too, particularly where there is a spa element Kevin Jones, resort director at Whalesborough Farm and cottages tells Holiday Park Scene. “Being a health spa and 5* cottages resort, cleanliness and the experience is vital to our business, we pride ourselves on giving the customer the best possible experience they can have while with us,” says Kevin.

He continues: “Businesses are judged by the cleanliness of the facilities and predominantly the washroom facilities, we want our customers to enjoy their time with and a clean, pleasurable place to be starts with the washrooms.” Shaun Matthews is the owner of Blue Hills Touring Park in Truro. He agrees that good quality, clean facilities help to present a professional image of your park.

“Many smaller caravan and camping sites such as our 50 pitches often don’t provide some of the other facilities that are found on larger parks so it essential that those we do provide are as good as they can be. They will be one of the main facilities that a park is judged upon. “The main requirement that guests are looking for, regardless of shape/ size washroom facility that’s provided is cleanliness, this seems to be the number one priority and is never going to change.

“Washroom facilities have been moving more and more “posh”, underfloor heating, heated and backlit mirrors, background music. In some case there has been a move to provide facilities that are more akin to a hotel, although this is still the preserve of the much higher end parks.”

AS DERBYSHIRE’S NEWHAVEN HOLIDAY PARK SHOWS, thoughtful design can make all the difference to washroom appeal Pic. Park Holidays UK

LOCATION, LOCATION
Emma Bateman is the site manager of Lincolnshire based holiday park, Westwood Lakes. Specialising in fishing holidays, it has seven lakes open to guests and the public. As fishing is an outdoor sport, and the lakes are sometimes a distance from the main buildings, the park has built its own toilet facilities around the lakes, which staff clean daily. The company also hires portaloos, via an external provider, for the lakes that cannot be reached by the water and drainage system.

Emma says: “Over the 16 years we have been operating, we have tried to update our facilities as we see fit. For example, the outdoor permanent toilet blocks are a recent addition to the site after fisherman complained the café and bar toilets were too far away from the lakes. “In addition, we have recently updated our hand driers to the Dyson air model, and we find they are much more efficient at drying hands and that means less paper is used too.”

Onsite facilities include both a café and bar with washroom facilities, including disabled toilets and baby changing units. Emma adds: “Having these extra facilities means we can accommodate all visitors; inclusion is important to us at Westwood Lakes, and this is reflected in our facilities having ramp access etc, to improve visitor experience.” Mayfield Park is a family-owned and run camping, caravan and residential park nestled in the hills on the outskirts of the famous market town of Cirencester.

Picking up on Emma’s point about access and inclusion, managing director Carl Upton agrees that the location of your washrooms, is key: “When planning on new toilet blocks it’s always good to keep them near the camp site and not miles away or in a muddy field and to have easy access for disabled users,” he says. Had the team at Westwood Lakes foreseen just how much how much the park would grow in the 16 years since its inception, Emma says they would have planned their washroom facilities differently: “For example, the outdoor permanent toilet blocks would have been built much earlier and we would have used part of the accommodation plumbing and drainage systems to be able to reach the further afield lakes instead of portaloos, which is an extra monthly expense.”

“Washroom location is everything,” says Blue Hills Touring Park’s Shaun Matthews. “So not too far from the furthest pitches but equally close enough to services to reduce installation costs.” He also points to ease of operation. “Are they user friendly, can some facilities remain open whilst others are closed for cleaning,” Sean asks. “Don’t underestimate the number of cubicles/ showers required, make sure that guests are well catered for and won’t have to queue for their morning shower. “Accessible and family bathroom facilities should also be provided. Can you integrate other facilities into the same building, for example, wash up areas.”

WITH THEIR HIGH VOLUME OF USERS, washrooms at Chichester Lakeside Holiday Park are scheduled for regular monitoring visits throughout the day. Pic. Park Holidays UK

ECO ESSENTIALS
Back at Whalesborough Farm and Cottages, resort director Kevin is keen to stress the importance of sustainability: “Parks should always consider sustainability, from thinking how we heat our washrooms to the water we use in them,” he says, adding: “We use water from our own bore hole and air source heating powered by our turbine on site.” Blue Hills Touring Park’s Shaun Matthews suggests using recycled and environmentally friendly cleaning products.

“If you can easily manage the cleaning maintenance through good design then you are part of the way to sustainability. “In addition, sustainability can be achieved through the installation of renewables such solar thermal, air source/ground source heat pumps and so on.” Achieving a more sustainable business model, especially in the current economic climate, remains a challenge for many parks.

Emma again: “We have to think of what is friendly and cost effective; we are becoming more aware of the environmental damage and we can make a difference with better quality hand driers, environmentally friendly toilet rolls and tissues. “Sadly, this doesn’t always equal cost effective, and that is something we are trying to balance here at Westwood Lakes,” she adds.

Looking to the future, Shaun says: “Washrooms will become more upmarket as guests demand a better experience. “Probably more eco-friendly, it’s quite likely that more operators will also move towards unisex facilities. This will help to reduce the number of cubicles required and reduce costs as utility bills continue to grow.” Picking up on this point, Whalesborough’s Kevin Jones says: “Washrooms of the future will be clean, vibrant, multi-generational, filled with cloud-based technologies, a zero emissions bathroom removes the feeling of guilt when using natural resources and energy.

“It will allow us to take a shower several times a day without placing a burden on the environment. “Designed as a small power station, the bathroom functions as a heat recuperator and water treatment facility, for example by converting waste materials into methane which is then used to generate heat.” While the development of washroom technologies continues to gather pace and the exact future of them remains to be seen, what is clear is that parks looking update their existing facilities or install new ones have an ever-widening range of products and services to choose from.