We chat to the owners of this family-run site, set in a quiet corner of west Cumbria, close to the Lake District’s attractions
MEET THE OWNERS
How long have you been running your campsite?
Our campsite opened in 2008 so we have been running the campsite together for 16 years.
Tell us a little about your site and how it first began
The campsite first began as a five-’van site with three holiday cottages – this was part of farm diversification. We decided to start a campsite as we used to go away in our caravan as a family for years and as we enjoyed going to different campsites, we wanted to create our own where people could come and enjoy our facilities and the area that we live in.
What did you do before becoming the owners of this site?
Before building our campsite, we had it as part of our agricultural land which we then decided to expand into a campsite. We built the campsite from the ground up, starting with a farmhouse conversion which created the cottages that we have today. Within 18 months of us opening we had already increased our site to 12 touring pitches and 30 tent pitches.
Today we now have 35 touring pitches and 44 tent pitches, two camping pods and three holiday cottages as well as our two shower blocks. We also have cycle hire which we decided to start due to the fact we have many great cycle routes around the area, and it was our girls’ favourite thing when we caravanned.
As from this year our middle daughter, Rachael, is stepping up and becoming our new campsite manager. She has worked in the holiday industry and has now decided to come back and work within the family business, continuing to evolve what we have built. We have a working farm, as well as a campsite which is open all year round.
What do you like most about being the owner of a campsite?
Owning a campsite has allowed us to meet amazing people and make great friends along the way. It is very rewarding being able to see people enjoy their time away on our site and listening to them speak about how much they love the countryside we live in.
Being able to visit Muncaster Castle, the La’al Ratty railway and enjoy all the beautiful walks along our local beaches. We are also very close to Scafell Pike which is the tallest mountain in England, and can be seen clearly from the campsite.
What are the biggest challenges you face?
One of the challenges of owning a campsite is ensuring that, even after bad weather, all pitches are up to a high standard and ensuring all of
