AA campsite award winners announced

The AA has announced the latest winners of its Campsite of the Year awards – with South Lytchett Manor in Dorset coming top overall.

AA’s specialist inspectors gave the site a five out of five pennant rating as well as 96% approval, noting recent improvements such as a new bike hire facility, site-wide Wi-Fi, new Romany caravan as well as the spotlessly clean facilities and bus stop by the main gates and more.

Also on the doorstep are the beaches of Bournemouth, Swanage and Studland.

The AA says: "South Lytchett continues to get better each year and has now become one of that very select group of top parks in the country, which has achieved this very high quality percentage.

“It is very much a family-run park and David, Joanne, and Matthew Bridgen and their dedicated team have developed the park to its current superb standard and all facilities are well thought out and are modern and spotlessly clean. 

Jo Bridgen told said: “We really need to emphasise that we are a camping park as well as suitable for caravans and motorhomes.  

We have owned the park for the past nine years. It was the Best Kept Secret in Dorset... we were determined to change that!”

For more information, see www.southlytchettmanor.co.uk.

The winning sites were presented with their awards at a ceremony in Bristol.

Small Campsite of the Year was won by Long Acres Touring Park, based in countryside some eight miles north of Boston, Lincolnshire (www.longacres-caravanpark.co.uk). This is an adults-only Premier Parks site that lists super-fast broadband, a biodegradable “doggy waste facility”, modern toilet block and more among its facilities.

The Roger Almond Award for Most Improved Campsite went to Trevalgan Touring Park, St Ives, Cornwall. It’s also a Premier Parks site, just two miles from St Ives, with Land’s End and St Michael’s Mount also within easy reach. The toilet block was fully refurbished in 2014, and there are outdoor and indoor games areas for children.

The AA reported: “Serious investment by hands-on owners, Annette and Neil Osborne, has totally transformed this park over the past two seasons.” More at www.trevalgantouringpark.co.uk.

Also among the winners are:

Wales – Pont Kemys Caravan and Camping Park, Usk. Some four miles from Usk and with the river of the same name running through it, and separate family and adults-only camping areas, this is Monmouth’s only five-star campsite. Free Wi-Fi for all guests is one of the most recent attractions. More at www.pontkemys.co.uk.

Scotland – Craigtoun Meadows Holiday Park, St Andrews. Unfortunately, this site only has limited pitches for tents. It says it will accept tents up to a maximum four-person size and only at certain times. More at www.craigtounmeadows.co.uk

Regional English winners include:

South West – Dornafield, Newton Abbot, Devon, near Newton Abbot, South Devon (www.dornafield.com). It lists 16 tent pitches, six of which have mains electrics. It is also a Premier Parks site and an Affiliated Caravan Club Site.

Heart of England – Clover Fields Touring Camping Park, Buxton, Derbyshire (www.cloverfieldstouringpark.co.uk). An adults-only site on the outskirts of Buxton, with latest offerings including large tent pitches complete with electrics and fresh water supply, plus the popular Teapots Café, with an all-new amenities block set to open in time for the season ahead.

North West – Hollins Farm Camping and Caravanning, Far Arnside, Lancashire (www.holgates.co.uk). This site also won the AA’s Most Improved Site prize in 2013. As well as extensive tent camping, there are two pods here. It’s a Premier Parks site and part of the Holgates set-up, with flagship site Silverdale just down the road offering attractions such as an indoor swimming pool.

The Holiday Centre of the Year, and the South East and North East England winners do not accept tents.

All of the above feature among some 900 inspected and rated sites in the latest edition of the AA Caravan and Camping Guide, priced £12.99. Each site is graded from one to five Pennants, with Gold Pennants awarded to the very best. More details at www.theaa.com/shop.

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