IT MAY BE UNLUCKY for some but Friday 13 May was a day of celebration for Devon site Oakdown Touring and Holiday Caravan Park.

 

The site, which was probably one of the first caravan sites, has been in business for 60 years. The anniversary is being celebrated with a price freeze. Regular and new visitors to the family-run site will be able to take advantage of its award-winning facilities at 2010 prices including the VAT.

 

Oakdown, which was originally a farm, is located just one mile from the east Devon heritage coast, near Sidmouth. It began life as a caravan site when the farmer, Edgar Ellis, agreed to allow a local businesswoman, Jill Bennett, to install a static caravan for letting in the corner of his field.

 

She installed four more vans before the business was formally licensed under the new Camping and Caravanning Act in 1960 and the site was taken over by the farmer’s daughter, Doreen Franks. Doreen (pictured on the right) still runs the site with husband Roger, son Alastair and daughter-in-law Andrianna.

 

The site, which sits within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, now has 150 touring pitches. Facilities include a nine-hole golf course which has habitat for wildlife and has earnt Oakdown a David Bellamy Gold Award for Conservation. Other facilities include heated washblocks, a shop, a launderette, a coffee lodge and children’s play area.

 

Charges for a pitch, two people and hook-up range from £17.50 to £22 per night depending on the season.

 

For further information, click here to visit Oakdown’s website.