With the government’s new "Plan to Rebuild", campsites in England are preparing to reopen from 4th July... which is pretty flipping exciting! There will of course be social distancing measures in place, along with reduced capacity, but the idea of a Summertime camping trip with family is looking likely to happen. Woo hoo!!
With that in mind, we decided to get in contact with our friends at Cool Camping to find out how they're managing bookings, how their campsites are planning to adapt to the new restrictions and some of their top recommendations on where to pitch up...
What new measures have you put in place for customers?
We're working had to provide maximum clarity to our customers, with a pretty comprehensive Q&A specifically about camping and coronavirus. Plus, we've launched our "Coronavirus Booking Guarantee"... you only pay 20% when you make your reservation. The rest is not due until 10 days before your holiday. If you can’t take the holiday due to coronavirus then you can rebook for free for up to 18 months.
How do customers know which campsites will be open or following the correct guidelines?
We’ve added new tags and pages to our website to make it easier for people to find the campsites that are right for them in the current climate. So on each campsite page you can read about new measures they are introducing. We have collections of campsites where pitches are more than 10 meters apart, collections of glamping sites with contactless check in and our full list of campsites with new social distancing measures in place.
Can you recommend your top picks of campsites with social distancing measures in place for Summer 2020?
In terms of some top picks with a spread around the UK, we’d go with...
The Wildings, Cotswolds
This is the perfect place to unroll your Bundle Beds, as most of the accommodation is pre-pitched wooden pods, but without beds in. A simply lovely, all-season camping pod site within walking distance of a quintessential Cotswolds’ village.
Measures in place for re-opening:
- Contactless check-in
- Increased cleaning measures
Star Field, Kent
Another fab spot to unroll your Bundle Beds, whether that's in your own tent, or one of their pre-pitched bell tents. Star Field is a brilliant off-grid camping spot in the High Weald of Kent with campfires, acres of space and a farm shop within strolling distance.
Measures in place for re-opening:
- At least 10m between pitches
- Spacing markers in facilities
- Contactless check in
- Adding extra toilet facilities to minimise sharing
- Increased cleaning schedule
North Rhinns Camping, Dumfries & Galloway
Back-to-basics camping near Scotland’s wildly beautiful south-west coast. We love thier number one rule ‘You must be laid-back.’ They have a selection of tent pitches, campervan pitches and a cosy 2-bed camping pod.
Measures in place for re-opening:
- Reduced the number of pitches this year to minimise sharing of facilities, and they have imposed a limit on the total number of people on the site
- At least 10m between all pitches
- Distance markings in facilities block
- Contactless check in
Ling’s Meadow, Norfolk
Spacious (and well spaced-out) tent pitches and pristine bell tent glamping set within a lush, four acre meadow, abuzz with Suffolk wildlife. They have a whole host of options from fully furnished glamping set ups to basic pitches, and the option to hire unfurnished bell tents.
Measures in place for re-opening:
- Staggered time-slots for showers so that there’s no queuing for facilities
- At least 10m spacing between pitches
- Contactless check in
- Increased cleaning measures
Chapel House Farm, Herefordshire
An on-the-border break near Wales' Brecon Beacons and England's Hay-on-Wye, with a mixture of camping and glamping on offer.
Measures in place for re-opening:
- At least 10m between pitches
- Spacing markers at facilities
- Contactless check in
- Increased cleaning
So here's hoping that we can get out and about this Summer, with our Bundle Beds ready to roll out and sleep under the stars... And if not, here's to some fun "camping trips" in the garden, sleepovers in the sitting room and some seriously good den building!