BBC gives low-down on Dorset park’s grown up holidays
A popular New Forest touring park which has declared itself a child-free zone was the focus of a recent BBC radio feature on the rising phenomenon of adults-only holidays.
Reporters travelled to Back of Beyond park near Ringwood for the hour-long look at why growing numbers prefer their escapes free from the patter of tiny feet.
Helping to explain the trend were Martin and Vicki Bowrey who acquired Back of Beyond almost five years ago, and immediately placed an 18-plus age requirement on guests.
The husband and wife team said that customer reaction had been “one hundred percent positive” from the outset, and that they often had to hang the no-vacancies sign up this summer.
Vicki told the audience of BBC Radio Solent’s popular morning show, which came live from the park, that grown-up holidays had a special appeal to certain sectors.
They included teachers and child care professionals who liked not to be reminded of their jobs when they go away, and to young professionals and older couples.
The BBC reporter also talked with guests staying at Back of Beyond, all of whom declared that they certainly didn’t dislike children in any way.
But as one elderly couple with grandchildren explained, it was so much easier to relax without excited yelps or boisterous games resounding around the park.
Covering 40 acres of quiet Dorset countryside, over half of which is woodland, Back of Beyond provides pitches for camping, touring caravans and motorhomes.
It now also offers ready-erected tents, yurts and timber lodges for glamping guests with comforts such as full-size double beds, heating and kitchen areas.
Listeners to the BBC show were told that the park was far from being a one-off, and that more and more parks were now successfully adopting adults-only policies.
Back of Beyond, said Vicki, is also a member of the Tranquil Parks group whose 40 members are all exclusively for people of voting age and above:
“There are hundreds of parks in Britain which welcome children, and which we greatly enjoyed visiting when our three teenage sons were younger,” she said.
“Parks like Back of Beyond are simply offering an alternative for those who want to chill in a gorgeous environment, and wake up to bird song rather than chirping children.
“It was great to be able to explain this type of holiday to the BBC audience, and the interviewer finished up by saying that the park sounded just like her cup of tea!” added Vicki.
There is more information about Back of Beyond at www.backofbeyondtouringpark.co.uk
