caravan, camping & holiday homes guide - thedms

A Day
in the Life
Stephanie Bentley
Campsites Manager for the
National Trust
Servicing the needs of the 100,000
campers who visit National Trust
campsites in the Lake District
every year is no easy task but for
Campsites Manager Steph Bentley,
this is an exciting challenge.
With a background in property and
camping park management, Steph
began work with the Trust a year
and a half ago as Manager for Low
Wray, Great Langdale and Hoathwaite
Campsites.
Steph says... ‘I currently manage
a team of 15 staff, dividing my
week between Low Wray and Great
Langdale and one day either in the
office or ‘floating’ between sites.
There is no such thing as a typical
day and my biggest challenge so
far has been to implement a change
programme to improve access and
facilities whilst maintaining great
service for the campers.
We have recently
introduced a new
online booking
system and this has
had the biggest impact
on how we operate on
a day to day basis. This
is something campers
had been requesting
for a long time and has
made the sites more
accessible to people from further
afield.
At Low Wray we are making
improvements to enable our staff to
deliver a much better service and we
now also offer camping pods to those
who prefer a little more comfort, and
outdoor activities offered by ‘Long
Valley Yurts’ can be booked during
school holidays.
For news and updates about NT
campsites, please visit
www.ntlakescampsites.org.uk
parklife...
Mygolakes recommendation
Castlerigg Hall Caravan & Camping Park
Me and my husband wanted to get away for a few days with
the dog, but instead of having the hassle of pitching a tent
we decided to give a camping pod a go. We booked a short
break at Castlerigg Hall in Keswick and it was great fun!
It was the start of October, so the weather was a little bit wet
and windy, but that didn't matter as the Camping Pod was
really cosy and warm. Keswick is really good if you have a
dog as many of the pubs and local shops welcome dogs.
A wide range of attractions and activities are on the sites
doorstep and the town centre is only a short walk away.
The Pod was brilliant, and really convenient given we’d
driven straight to Keswick after work and weren’t really
up to pitching a tent in the rain! The pod has enough
space for a double airbed, and storage. There was also
a nice little heater, lights, a small balcony and much more
headroom than our usual tent offered. Castlerigg also has
excellent views over Keswick and Derwentwater and the
onsite facilities, including the restaurant, are really good.
I would stay in a pod again anytime, even in winter. They
are so well insulated that I imagine opening the doors on a
cool crisp winter's morning would be just magical.
www.castlerigg.co.uk
view more
recommendations
Greenlands Farm Village
Arriving at Greenlands Farm Village on a fine Sunday morning,
the question was “What first: farm, food or retail therapy?”
After a brief consultation with husband and
two children (11 and 14), we made a beeline
for the farm, where there were enough
appealing animals to melt even the hardest of
teenage hearts.
Heading back to the neatly paved street of The
Village we visited the potter, Wyn Abbot, in her
workshop and tried our hand at throwing a pot.
The results were definitely home-spun, but we
were proud of our efforts.
Lunch was at Wellies Cafe, where the menu
majors on fresh local produce and local dishes. I
opted for the local cheese platter with homemade
date chutney, my husband for a salad with a
meltingly tasty goat’s cheese tart. The kids went
for stone-baked pizza, fresh from the pizza oven in
the centre of the cafe. For desert there was a tempting selection of fabulous
cakes, including chocolate brodie, made with Hawkshead Brewery’s Brodies
Prime beer.
Over at the Farm Shop, there was lots to entice a food lover, including homereared
lamb and saddleback pork from the farm. We bought fresh asparagus
and tiny yellow stuffed pumpkins from The Deli. Upstairs, The Loft was a
treasure trove of gifts and homeware from local businesses, from fragrant
handmade soaps to stylish wellington boots.
We ended with a quick browse around the Woodcrest Garden Centre, bought
a bottle (or two) at Wine Time, before heading home, more than satisfied.
£2 million refurbishment
for flagship park
White Cross Bay is South Lakeland
Parks Flagship Park offering the
utmost in luxury for any holiday maker
or owner. The park is located on the
shores of Lake Windermere with direct
access to the Lake. It is a short drive
from Bowness and Ambleside and
offers a fantastic location for the shops
and restaurants in the area.
White Cross Bay has just completed
a £2 million refurbishment which
includes:
• New luxurious hire fleet lodges
• State of the art new multi sports
play area
• New beer garden
• Full boat and club house
refurbishment
• New restaurant and caterers:
The Flying Boat
• Development of new owner pitches
Included in the new facilities is The
Flying Boat Restaurant, a tribute to
the famous Sunderland Flying Boat
factory which once sat on the site that
is now White Cross Bay. Historians
and seaplane enthusiasts can learn
about this historic past through a series
of images which are displayed on the
walls around the restaurant.
The park features a range of luxury
lodges and caravans for both sale and
holiday hire. A typical lodge at the
park costs from £75,000 to purchase,
while the company also has a number
of special holiday offers for their hire
accommodation. The new hire fleet
lodges on site are the most luxurious to
Awards just keep coming for this
Lakeland gem
In 2009, Park Cliffe in Windermere
beat off hundreds of competitors
to take the prestigious overall
North West prize in the AA's annual
search for Britain's best places to
pitch a tent. The accolade followed
a silver award for the park in the
national England for Excellence
awards, putting it among the top
three parks in the entire country.
small number available for holiday hire.
But don't come to Park Cliffe if it's
discos, clubs and fairgrounds you're
after. For here, the pleasures all come
naturally - and there are plenty of
them. Apart from the stunning lake and
mountain scenery, there's a great choice
of walks and cycle rides starting from
the park, and an abundance of wildlife to
spot. In fact, TV botanist David Bellamy
is an especially big fan of Park Cliffe and
has presented it with his prestigious
Conservation Award for its work in
protecting the natural environment.
thelakedistrict
Cumbria
date offering high specification chic and
stylish furnishings.
For ownership call: 015395 69834
www.slparks.co.uk/White-Cross-Bay
For holidays call: 015395 69835
www.slholidays.co.uk/White-Cross-Bay
Covering 25 acres of picture-postcard
countryside above the eastern shores
plus children's play areas.
of Windermere, the park welcomes not
Ask guests what they treasure most
just campers, but also touring caravans But creature comforts of the human about Park Cliffe, though, and you
and motorhomes. It also provides luxury kind are also provided for here. There's will often be told it's the friendly, relaxed
caravan holiday homes to buy in this a delightful restaurant which features atmosphere and the helpfulness of their
gorgeous corner of Lakeland, plus a Cumbrian specialities on the menu, staff. www.parkcliffe.co.uk
www.greenlandsfarmvillage.co.uk
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