MP Tours Award Winning Edinburgh Campsite
Minister tours Award Winning Edinburgh Campsite that is flying flag for quality tourism. Scotland’s Tourism Minister Richard Lochhead took time out this autumn (30 Oct) to see how an East Lothian holiday park is using quality, team engagement and guest feedback to underwrite its success story.
Drummohr Camping and Glamping Site on the shores of the Firth of Forth welcomed Mr Lochhead following a year which saw the park scoop a number of top awards.
They included the overall UK Campsite of the Year award from Camping magazine, and the Best Park in Scotland accolade from major bookings platform Pitchup.com.
The MSP was welcomed to Drummohr by Jo Ritzema, Managing Director of park owners WCF Ltd, and Daniel Sowerby, the company’s Head of Estates and Facilities.
Multi Award Winning Edinburgh Campsite & Glamping
He was greeted too by Drummohr Site Manager Angie Purves who was keen to show how the park was constantly raising the bar on its quality standards.
Based in the 11-acre grounds of a former monastery some 10 miles from Edinburgh, the park provides a range of accommodation options for visitors to the city and surrounding countryside.
They include self-catering luxury lodges with hot tubs, glamping pods, and en-suite bothies – plus serviced pitches for touring caravans, motorhomes and tents.
Angie explained to the Minister that much of the energy on the park is generated by solar panels, and that a charging point is available for the owners of electric vehicles.
Luxury Lodges with Hot Tubs, Glamping Pods & Bothies
In addition, guests are encouraged to make use of the excellent local bus and train transport links when exploring the region, and are provided with maps and timetables in their own language.
Mr Lochhead also heard how the park has become a haven for wildlife and undertaken a raft of landscaping projects to protect its native flora and fauna, including owls.
At one of the park’s newly refurbished amenity buildings for touring guests, the Minister planted a cherry blossom tree to commemorate Drummohr’s recent prestigious five-star award from the AA. The tree was placed in memory of one the long-standing seasonal site guests who had recently passed away,
There he also met with two of the park’s site wardens Mark and Elaine Hedger and gardener John Witherspoon to hear about how its biodiversity objectives are being met. This included wildflower gardens and bug hotels.
Angie Purves celebrates Above & Beyond Award
And there was a pause for celebration when Mr Lochhead presented on behalf of WCF a bottle of bubbly to Angie Purves to mark her winning of the company’s “Above and Beyond” award for managing the transformation of the site and grounds.
Speaking after his visit, Mr Lochhead said: “Drummohr Camping and Glamping Site has had an impressive and award-winning year. I was particularly pleased to congratulate the organisation for being designated the UK’s best campsite by a respected industry body.
“It was encouraging to hear of their dedication to sustainability while touring the five-star site and commend them for paving the way for similar businesses to embrace the change required to tackle the climate emergency.
“Businesses like Drummohr are important to Scotland’s economy, with the number of caravan park and campsite businesses having grown by 48% since 2010 and now combining to contribute over £102 million to Scotland’s economy.
“That’s why the Scottish Government is committed to a strong, high-value tourism sector and stands ready to do all we can to support businesses to be successful,” he added.
The Minister was accompanied on his park tour by Sarah Allanson, Scottish Director of the British Holiday & Home Parks Association (BH&HPA) which co-hosted the visit.
Mr Lochhead was the principal speaker at the association’s annual conference in Edinburgh in November last year, where he spoke of his support for sustainable tourism.
“It was great to be able to show the Minister how we are committing to first-class quality standards to ensure that our guests enjoy the best possible experience,” said Angie.
“It’s very much a team effort involving all of our employee owners and guests. The park invests substantially in new facilities and top-end accommodation to meet the highest expectations and focusses on implementing the little things that make a huge difference.
“We are proud too that the spending of our visitors benefits many smaller local businesses, such as shops, restaurants and visitor attractions, and supports the jobs they provide. We actively promote these both on our website and through our guest app.
Buy Local and Supporting the Community
“Our park has a strong “buy local” policy and our shop sources many of its products from nearby producers and suppliers, from ice cream and eggs to craft beer and jewellery.
“We are very much part of the local community, and we are delighted that Mr Lochhead was able to see how we are taking our responsibilities to it seriously,” added Angie.
Drummohr – which provides jobs for 13 staff – is part of the WCF employee-owned family of businesses which operates across the UK in the leisure, retail and logistics sectors.
There is more information about the award winning Edinburgh Campsite, which has a top five-star quality grading from VisitScotland and the AA, on its website at www.drummohr.co.uk.
