Outdoor accommodation keeps pace with other accommodation sectors

--New accommodation for 2014/15--

This summer saw a rise in brand new outdoor accommodation sites popping up all around the UK, offering a truly eclectic choice of accommodation. With affordable pricing, excellent locations and an ever more luxurious product, outdoor accommodation has become as popular and fashionable as any other accommodation type. Indeed VisitEngland statistics from 2013 show that the British outdoor accommodation sector accounts for 61.9 million holiday bed nights, some 25% more than the second most popular type, hotels and motels. Brits take more camping and caravan holidays at home than holidays in Spain and Greece combined.*

Pitchup.com is one of the UK’s leading providers of outdoor holidays offering over 1,000 bookable sites, with new accommodation being added regularly.

Amongst the best new offerings are: 

• Camping Pod Heaven near Inverness, Scotland launched recently to offer a choice of tent pitches and pods. Set in a small village with walking trails nearby, it’s a peaceful ‘heaven’ for those wishing to enjoy the highlights of Inverness and Loch Ness without them being immediately on the doorstep.  The tent pitches are perfect for summer and cost just £20 per night.  For all-year holidays the pods are heated, double glazed, insulated and even have an exterior covered area for extra protection against the elements. Pods sleep up to four people and cost £84 for two nights.

• Coastal Valley Camp and Crafts opened this summer and is perfect for anyone who loves unusual crafts and activities. The pop-up Victorian tearoom is a good place to start and from there visitors can try their hand at silk painting, weaving, woodworking or even bushcraft skills. Newquay with all its attractions, bars, restaurants and beaches is on the doorstep.  Accommodation choices range from grass touring pitches from £14 per night to a rather unusual hexagonal pod which sleeps four and costs from £299 for a three-night stay.  Features of the pod include a fire, ensuite bathroom, pretty fairy lights and a mini kitchen area.  Gas and coal is provided.

• Colemere Caravan Park in Ellesmere, Shropshire is designed to entice both traditional campers who just want a peaceful escape, as well as glampers who need a little luxury and technology to make it a perfect holiday.  There are a number of pitches for tents and tourers on site with visitors enjoying a good range of facilities including a well-equipped kitchen, a social area, and bathrooms.   More comfortable and quirky accommodation is offered in the form of pods and a gypsy caravan. The pods feature electricity, beds and beanbags as does the gypsy caravan.  All also come with a TV.  The caravan goes one step further with a woodburner, making it the perfect choice for winter. Prices start from as little as £8 for camping to £39 per night for glamping.

• Wardley Hill Campsite on the Norfolk/Suffolk border is a new eco-site set within six acres of woodland and featuring its own ponds, stream and spring.  Designed purely for tent camping, the site is a true back-to-basics experience, with new showers and toilets due to be ready next year. Until then the site offers portaloos and a car-free lifestyle.  Tent pitches start from just £12 per night or for £70 per night a little extra luxury can be found in the Lotus belle tent which features a gas burner, kettle, picnic area, double bed and exterior fire pit.  There is also a ‘hang in the tree’ solar-powered shower.  

• Jockhedge Touring Park in Skegness has launched to offer affordable and traditional camping combined with a higher class of facilities.  All hardstanding pitches on the site come with electric hook-ups, and the luxury shower block continues the theme coming equipped with underfloor heating, hairdryers, hand dryers, shaver points and excellent showers. The site also features a fishing lake and adventure playground.  All this comes at the bargain price of just £20 per pitch, per night, making it an affordable British beach holiday.

• Glasfryn Touring Park near the beautiful walled town of Conwy, north Wales is an easily accessible and affordable new site.  The pitches cost just £10 per night and are aimed entirely at motorhomes and caravans.  There is public transport on the doorstep and history, culture and shopping galore in Conwy, a World Heritage Site.  Just a few miles inland and visitors will find themselves in the spectacular Snowdonia National Park where hiking, cycling and all other types of outdoor pursuits await.

This is just a sample of the type of accommodation offered by Pitchup.com.  The company also offers outdoor accommodation in mainland Europe.

For more information visit www.pitchup.com.  All prices correct at time of writing.

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Notes to editors:

*In 2013, 61.85m bed nights were spent on domestic campsites and caravan park holidays in Great Britain, compared to 49.32m at hotels/motels. UK residents made 10.4m holiday trips to Spain and 1.6m to Greece, compared to 15.9m domestic holiday camping and caravan trips. Source: GBTS (VisitEngland), IPS.

For media information:

Cass Helstrip or Samantha Marsh at White Tiger PR

Cass.helstrip@whitetigerpr.com 07968 255464

Samantha.marsh@whitetigerpr.com 07711 265666

About Pitchup.com

Founded in 2009 by former lastminute.com man, Dan Yates, multi-award winning Pitchup.com is a free guide to all types of outdoor accommodation in the UK, Ireland, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Portugal, Croatia, Luxembourg, Austria, Poland and Switzerland. Pitchup.com, which currently lists over 5,800 sites, provides users with a simple platform in which they can search and book an outdoor holiday with total ease: the customer journey from landing on the homepage through to booking a holiday can be completed in as little as four pages.  The site also goes beyond traditional searches by allowing users to search for accommodation based on more than 80 criteria, such as adults only and campfires allowed, and view nearby events, Good Pub Guide pubs and VisitBritain attractions.  It’s also possible to check out water bathing water quality in the surrounding area with data provided by the European Environment Agency.  Users can also search on the offers page to find the best deals available.

In 2013 Pitchup.com became the first business of its type to launch a bookable mobile app and site, making the site easily accessible to users of mobile and tablet devices.  The mobile site, m.pitchup.com, now accounts for 20% of bookings.

Pitchup.com enables users to search for all types of parks and sites from the major brands right through to one-off campsites and unique outdoor accommodation options, which may not have previously had a web presence.

Awards include Best UK Travel Website of the Year at the British Travel Press Awards 2011, and most recently Best Travel / Leisure / Sports / Mobile Strategy / Campaign at the Marketing on Mobile Awards 2014.