A year has passed since David Rainsley and Sharon Brooker gave up their careers in the NHS and relocated to the Brecon Beacons and to start their own caravan site. And they’ve never looked back.“We left a four-bedroom house in Eastbourne and well-paid jobs, and swapped them for a mobile home and a six-acre plot of knee-high grass,” says David, who shares responsibility for running the Black Mountain Caravan and Camping Park.
Many of us will at some time or another have contemplated the same move. Running a campsite is no small undertaking, though the hours are long and the profits often small. But few owners and wardens regret their decision to escape the rat race.

GETTING STARTED
Many people start small with a Certificated Site (CS) or a Certificated Location (CL), which will hold a maximum of five caravans and can only be used by members of either the Caravanning and Camping Club or Caravan Club, respectively. These small sites require very little initial outlay. Exempt from various Acts of Parliament, including the 1936 Public Health Act and the 1960 Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act, they do not require planning permission and you don’t have to pay either club, yet you benefit from their free publicity.
The Caravan Club, and the Camping and Caravanning Club have almost identical guidelines for setting up certificated campsites. You will need a minimum of half an acre of land, safe access for tourers, a drinking water supply, bin for dry rubbish and chemical disposal point. A toilet block is not required for a CL, so everyday tasks will include only disposing of rubbish, cutting the grass and trimming hedges – and, of course, making visitors feel welcome. If you are buying a piece of land specifically with a CL or CS in mind, all the above criteria should be taken into account before handing over your money. The benefit for the clubs to have you as a site is the extra service which you provide to their members. Both clubs require you to fill out simple forms, with details of ownership, and to provide an exact Ordnance Survey grid reference and rough plan.
A representative from either club will then carry out an assessment of your site and provide advice. If your site is in an area of particular sensitivity, such as a national park, they may feel it necessary to contact the local authority. In most cases, it is in the interest of the clubs to be as helpful as possible and their advice will help improve your chances of success.
But what does running a small site really involve? Jimmy Gotts and his wife Joyce are the owners of Gotrans, this year’s Caravan Club CL of the Year. They bought a small piece of land next to their home and, without much difficulty, developed the site. Above all, they both appreciate that they need to be around whenever caravanners arrive. “You don’t want people to arrive with no-one to welcome them,” says Jimmy.
A CS may soon feel restrictive if the owner wants to cater for visitors outside the two main clubs (such caravanners would not legally be allowed to stay on the site) or to expand. If your intended site exceeds the limited facilities or amenities described in the paperwork for a CL or CS, you will need to contact your local planning authority.
The first stage is to complete an Application Form 1 and pay a ‘change of use’ fee of £220. Next, you will need to provide an Ordnance Survey-based location plan, identifying the area for use and details of any existing/proposed buildings. Although the plan must be to scale and include measurements, it does not have to be professionally drawn.
A planning officer will then visit the site. The application process is supposed to take eight weeks, but can take much longer and involves a fair amount of negotiation and compromise on both sides.
Greg Potter, owner of Rivendale Camping, Caravan and Leisure Park, in the heart of the Peak District, has experienced both the positive and frustrating aspects of running a caravan site. “Often the requirements of different governing bodies conflict and you are left, say, with the building control department insisting on an external fire escape while the planning authority refuses to permit one,” he says. In this case, Greg was converting an existing barn into a bar. After consulting the police, fire brigade, licencing justices and the planners, Greg was ready to proceed. But this was only after 11 plans had been drawn up and he had agreed to move a stone staircase.
If you intend, or can afford, to start a site from scratch, the key, according to those who have done it, is gradual expansion. Start off small and simple, learning from visitors what they want but, most importantly, only do what is financially viable.
Greg says: “The biggest problem is that everything, especially the installation of electricity, costs more than you think.” You can cut costs by doing some work yourself, such as landscaping and painting and decorating. But the National Caravan Council stresses the importance of using qualified labour to install gas, water and electricity, or for major building work. The Caravan Industry Supplies and Services Directory is a useful companies and suppliers resource.
Marie Louise Ashworth went to France and encountered similar, if not worse bureaucracy.
“We had looked in the UK, but property and land were way out of our price range. Being Francophiles, we decided to test the water across the Channel,” she says. They found an old farmstead with nine acres of knee-high grass, an apple orchard, a small lake and a single electricity point. “I thought Britain was big on red tape, but nothing prepares you for French legalities,” says Marie Louise.
As well as checking the deeds of the property to find out if you can set up a site, you’ll need to go through a lengthy process via the chambers of commerce and mayor’s office. Not to be beaten, the Ashworths have established a thriving 30-pitch site at Le Puits Farm in Calvados. It has also been given a double star rating by the local council.
Note also that whatever facilities you provide in Britain will be liable to business rates. Based on what it believes to be your ‘potential profits’, your borough council will take a percentage of the rateable value which is fixed for five years and reassessed after this time. It is worth contesting or at least discussing this rate because potential profits are notoriously difficult to calculate. The council may reconsider if you put forward a clear estimate of what your future profits might be.
Having said this, few of the site owners we spoke to would say they were in it for the money. Yes, it can be a useful additional income, but profits are rarely high. “Profit? What’s that?” says Marie Louise Ashworth. “Any money we make is invested in the site each year. Income has increased but so, too, have outgoings.” In some cases, the financial rewards are so meagre that it’s a case of ‘don’t give up the day job’. We work at the park for the love of it.”

HOLDING DOWN THE DAY JOB
It can be hard working during the day, as well as running a campsite. Depending on the site, daily duties will vary accordingly. But there are two things you can be sure of: the days are long and the responsibility is constant.
Joe and Helen Smith, of Dunn Street Farm in Kent, were looking for an additional income because of a downturn in farming. “It can be a tie at times as my wife and I have tended to run the site ourselves,” says Joe. “Somebody has to be available, whatever the time of day.” Daily duties include cleaning the loos and showers at 6.30am, and being on hand to welcome campers, help with enquiries or take fees.
The Smiths were able to exploit existing assets in the form of buildings and land. If, however, you do not have a plot of land already, the Caravan Club, Camping and Caravanning Club or the British Holiday and Home Parks Association can provide you with a list of estate agents who specialise in camping and caravanning sites. “Given the amount of hard work that owning a campsite entails, it’s essential you enjoy what you are doing,” says Joe. “But it’s not all graft. You meet people with diverse interests and backgrounds. It’s nice to have a chat and hear their stories.”
Taking over an existing site is another route into the business. On the plus side, facilities will already be in place and you will have an idea of the site’s potential. Conversely, the site may have built up a bad reputation which can be hard to shake off. David and Sharon, of Black Mountain Caravan and Camping Park, had just this problem. “Tradespeople would have nothing to do with the park, so we would only tell them where we were from once they had agreed to do the work,” says David.
Rex and Jackie Ireland looked at various parks in the West Country before taking over Newlands Holidays in Dorset. “We checked existing income and local planning policies but, most importantly, considered the location. Was it attractive to customers and where would they come from? It’s important that there is a reasonably populated area within an hour or two of the park,” says Rex.

LEARNING THE ROPES
If owning your own campsite seems like too great a first step, there is always the option of becoming a full-time warden or holiday site manager on a site. This way, you can enjoy the lifestyle of a site owner without the financial outlay or ultimate responsibility, and it allows you to find your feet.
The usual procedure is to start as an assistant warden or a holiday site assistant, after an interview and training, and spend a season on one of their sites. If this suits both you and the club, you may go on to become a warden or holiday site manager.
Look in the ads section of camping, caravanning or travel magazines or the BH&HPA’s journal for vacancies. As with any job, your chances are increased if you have some relevant experience. The Caravan Industry Training Organisation runs a variety of courses in park management which will equip you with all you need to know.
Alan and Ann Shepley, who have caravanned for 30 years, have spent their first month as assistant wardens at the Caravan Club’s New England Bay site in Port Logan, Dumfries and Galloway, in Scotland. Alan says: “After an interview, we were invited to attend a four-day course. We had a full day of first aid training, covered health and safety issues, admin and till use, tractor driving and ground maintenance, as well as cleaning tips and fire fighting advice. There was also a talk by several experienced wardens.” Their day starts at 7.45am when newspapers and bread are delivered, and ends at 8pm when their duties are officially over, although they are available for emergencies at any hour. Wardens usually live on-site in their own caravan, although some larger sites may offer a chalet.
Despite the hard work and long hours, the couple are adamant that they made the right decision. “We meet new people every day, and no two days are the same,” says Anne. “We live in a part of the country we have never visited before, and wake to the sound of waves breaking on the beach.” It sounds idyllic. It is, she says “if you like a challenge, are not afraid of hard work and have a good sense of humour.”.
Ann and Alan aren’t the only ones who are more than satisfied with their new lives. Now in their fifth year as Caravan Club wardens, Rod and Shirley Pope gave up their butcher’s shop to work at sites around the country. They had come to a stage in their lives where the family had grown up and the mortgage had gone down. It was time for them to take up a new challenge.
“We have worked as wardens in some lovely locations, including the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales and now at the Knaresborough site in central Yorkshire.” Their days are busy, with Shirley working mainly in the office, dealing with bookings and enquiries, while Rod is emptying dustbins, cleaning service points and carrying out general maintenance. “And we mustn’t forget the two hours a day we spend cleaning toilets,” says Rod.
Marie Louise Ashcroft warns that there is more to running a campsite than meets the eye: “Many people spend their holidays on a campsite in a beautiful area, see the owners pottering around and think: ‘What an ideal lifestyle.’ They can’t imagine the work involved in making the site attractive, ensuring there are no double bookings, being cheery all the time and making sure that everyone leaves happy and wanting to return.”
With numerous possibilities, it’s a case of doing your research, making some careful decisions and having a lot of enthusiasm. The benefits of running your own campsite are immeasurable, from being your own boss to meeting interesting people and living in a beautiful part of the country.
“Overall the job is great,” says Rod Pope. If the time is right for you, go for it. It’s a wonderful life,’’ David Rainsley agrees. “At the beginning, we thought we’d never get it right,” he says. But as he sits looking across the Brecon Beacons, and talking about the future of the site, there’s one thing he’s certain of: “We definitely made the right decision.”