Windermere holiday park makes splash in tourism awards

The Lake District’s top holiday park for 2016 has been named in the Cumbria Tourism Awards as Park Cliffe, based on the shores of Windermere.

The family-owned business, said award judges, “excels at customer service” – and will now be fast-tracked into the national VisitEngland awards later this year.

Park Cliffe’s accolade was announced last week at a glittering ceremony at Cartmel Racecourse, attended by hundreds of tourism professionals from throughout the county.

Stepping up to receive the honour was Susan Dickson who, with her husband Derek, took on the park almost ten years ago.

Park Cliffe first started welcoming campers to its idyllic location in the mid-1960s, and has benefitted from many new features introduced by the couple over the last decade.

Their success was acknowledged by Cumbria Tourism Award judges who noted that “Park Cliffe offers superb service and is both friendly and welcoming from the moment visitors arrive”.

They added “The park offers something for everyone from holiday home owners to families camping, caravanning, using motorhomes or staying in a glamping pod.

“Great facilities offer every comfort, and a well laid out, attractive park ensures that the most is made of its beautiful setting and exceptional views,” the judges concluded.

Susan Dickson said the Cumbria Tourism honour is also a fantastic tribute to the park’s hard-working staff team:

“Derek and I, with enormous help from our longstanding park managers Arlene and Tim Lovatt, have worked hard with the whole team here to develop the park.

“However, we knew we were up against some extremely tough competition in these awards from other excellent Cumbria parks, so we were delighted with the news!

“The honour comes right at the start of the summer season, so I hope it will also throw the spotlight on Cumbria generally as a wonderful place to take a holiday,” added Susan.

The award was the latest in a number of top accolades received recently by Park Cliffe, including a five-star quality award from VisitEngland, and a five-pennant AA Gold Park Award.

It also topped the Practical Caravan and Motorhome Magazines’ Top 100 Sites Regional Winner poll, and gained the prestigious TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence.

There is more information about the park at www.parkcliffe.co.uk