Something for the Weekend: The Show Must Go On

This weekend we'll be preparing for the New Forest Show taking place on the 30th, 31st July and the 1st August. We'll have a fantastic trade stand on the park that we are hosting in association with Regal holiday homes; where we'll be able to guide you through lots of elements of the Shorefield Holidays experience including the spa, health and fitness, holidays homes and much more. We're also looking forward to seeing what reaction we'll get to the camping pod we'll have on display. 

We'll also be sponsoring the local produce area of the show for the second year in a row. We are proud holders of the New Forest Marque and we are constantly wowed by the incredible produce that is grown on nearby farms and produced by our local food heroes. I would recommend that you lace up the eating boots and bring your tasting fork as you won’t leave this area hungry.

There's so much going on throughout the three days, so once you've popped into see us you can explore what the show has to offer including equestrian classes, 600 trade stalls, a flower show, a whole host of animals including ferret racing and much, much more. It's certainly a good way to get a flavour of what the local area offers.
Last year we were very lucky to have the Queen arrive opposite our stand and although she isn't scheduled to visit this year, we're hoping the The Earl and Countess of Wessex will maybe pay us a visit as they will be in attendance this year.

So come by and say hello if you're planning to be at the New Forest Show, we'll be opposite the West Ring for all three days. WI 

Something for the Weekend: Wisteria House

After months of refurbishment Wisteria House, our most luxurious holiday home to date is finally completed and ready for guests to hire. This Saturday we will be manning the Wisteria House Open Day at Shorefield Country Park, a chance for everyone to get a sneak peek at the house before it goes onto the hire fleet on the 26th July.

The history of Wisteria House has been rather varied, starting out life as a Directors home, crèche and then housing various members of staff. The decision was then taken to convert it into a luxury holiday home ideal for large families or groups of friends, the house sleeps twelve.

We've been taking pictures throughout the process and it's definitely come a long way since those freezing January days when the refurbishment first started. Walls were removed, an extension added, new windows put in, a new roof, cladding added to the outside as well as a fresh coat of paint, decking and a lot of finishing touches. Seven months later the house has been transformed and we're very excited about welcoming our very first guests to Wisteria to see all the hard work that has gone into it.

So if you're intrigued about the changes, come along to our open day this Saturday any time between 12:00 to 18:00 to get a preview of what the house offers including 6 spacious bedrooms; 4 of which are en suite, the family bathroom, elegant kitchen with modern appliances, large living areas complete with Xbox 360 and entertainment system, hot tub on generous decking complete with BBQ and much more.

See you there. WI

Gangnam Shorefield Style

Saturday was the hottest July day since 2008; perfect for the Lymington Carnival which we took part in. This is the second year we have entered a float in Lymington Carnival and the team were excited to get started after weeks and weeks of practice.

Our James Bond themed float, complete with the addition of Gangnam Style dancers, attracted a lot of attention from the other carnival goers especially as Cybil the squirrel had mastered the dance. We are very pleased to say that all our hard work paid off and we won the trade category which the team are incredibly proud of.

Something for the Weekend

The weather has been great this week and it looks like the sun will be shining this weekend too; great timing for our two big events happening this weekend.

The first being our exclusive Willerby and BK Holiday Homes open weekend at Shorefield Country Park. There will be a selection of luxury holiday homes on display and both our Shorefield sales team as well as representatives from Willerby will be on-hand to answer any questions. Best of all there will be complimentary refreshments and a BBQ, perfect for the beautiful weather. If you'd like to come along, the event will be running from 10am to 7pm on Saturday and Sunday.

We'll also be taking part in Lymington Carnival, which I know the team taking part are very excited about. We're normally present at Milford on Sea Carnival but sadly it has been cancelled this year; so we will be taking our float to Lymington instead.

The carnival theme this year is entertainment and I'm certain our 'James Bond' themed float will be very entertaining for on-lookers. So if you'd like to come along the procession will be at Pennington Common & Square at 6.00 pm and St Thomas Street & High Street at 6.45pm where there'll be a pipe band, a marching band display, jazz band, lots of floats and much more. If you can't make it, don't worry as we'll be about to take plenty of pictures for you to enjoy next week. WI

Feeling hot, hot, hot!

This weekend was a scorcher, who'd have thought we'd have three hot days in a row! There were plenty of people on our parks, in fact most our touring and camping pitches were fully booked throughout the weekend.

We also had a beautiful wedding take place at Shorefield Country Park; Jodie and Mike's seaside theme really showed a different side to the Champagne Suite especially with the amazing lighting. After getting hitched at Highcliffe Castle they made their way to the park in a VW camper van and were greeted by lots of their friends and family wielding bags of confetti. Congratulations to the happy couple. 

Something for the Weekend: Drop it like it's hot

It’s Friday which means it’s that time of the week again where we let you know what some of the team are up to this weekend. You never know, we might inspire you to follow in our footsteps. The two week heat wave (fingers crossed) begins today! We've been looking forward to it all week and are keen to get out the BBQ and sun cream this weekend. It’s looking like a great opportunity to get your tent out and enjoy all the lovely weather we’re going to be having.

I’ll be at Shorefield Country Park taking some pictures at a wedding and with sun forecast all weekend they've picked an ideal date for their big day. Jodie and Mike, will be holding their wedding reception in Champagne Suite and I'm looking forward to being able to capture the room in its full glory as well as the couple’s special day.

The parks will also be looking glorious in the sunshine, so I’m also hoping to snap a few pictures of Oakdene Forest Park, Merley Court Holiday Park and Forest Edge Holiday Park as well as the beautiful coast nearby. So it’s looking like there’s going to be quite a lot of photos in our something for the weekend review. WI

Ahoy there

I have been getting excited all week about the prospect of sailing with Escape Yachting a charter company who operate out of Lymington and offer various solutions designed to meet your sailing requirements, from day sailing out of Lymington to Caribbean cruising. Unlike many other charter companies operating, Escape offer packages for individuals and small groups meaning you don’t have to cover the expense of taking out an entire boat on your own. I arrived at Lymington Yacht Haven for a 09:00 rendezvous which is a five minute drive from Shorefield Country Park.

The group all arrived and promptly boarded the Jeanneau yacht and met with David our skipper and Tim the chef; we had a safety briefing and discussed our plans for the day. As we motored out of the marina and into the Solent, Tim offered everyone a glass of Champagne or orange juice. The sails were hoisted and although the wind was light some good sailing was enjoyed and anyone who wanted to try their hand at the wheel was invited to do so, it’s not every day that I’m encouraged to take the helm a quarter of a million pounds worth of yacht and it was a breath taking experience.

We dropped anchor at Newtown Harbour for lunch which is a tranquil spot across the water from Lymington on the Isle of Wight, lunch was delicious and very well received as yachting is surprisingly hungry work. The food  as mentioned was great and the surroundings exceptional, should you want to drink with your meal you are welcome to bring your own alcohol or this can be arranged to be ready on board for you.

After lunch the wind picked up to about 15 knots and we were able to put the boat through its paces a bit more, this really was a lot of fun as the thing really could shift. Everyone who wanted to was invited to have a go at each element of the sailing, alternatively there is always the option to chill out and let the crew take care of everything whilst you relax. We were back in the marina by 15:00 and everyone on board had a great day. I absolutely recommend this as a fantastic day out and I will certainly be booking myself on another sail with them in the future. BL

The New Forest Tourific

The New Forest Tour open top bus started its 2013 timetable on Saturday, including a brand new route via Shorefield Country Park. I decided to try out the new blue route to see what fantastic attractions you could see if you decided to hop on this summer.

I start my journey at Shorefield Country Park, where once I had paid for the ticket I received an official guide which includes details on the various attractions, ideas on days out as well as a Brand New Forest card which gives you discount at a number of business’ throughout the New Forest. As the sun was shining I made my way straight to the top deck so I could get the best view of the journey.

The bus then made its way to the seafront at Barton on Sea with spectacular views across the Solent and an ideal location for walks along the bottom of the cliffs, where you might even find fossils of shells, plants or sharks teeth. We then made our way through New Milton and onto Burley, famous for the donkey and ponies that roam around the village as well as former tales of witches, smuggling and dragons. You can also treat yourself to some New Forest Cider or some fudge  both of which are made in the village.

Brockenhurst is the next highlight of the tour, which is one of the largest villages in the New Forest. It’s the perfect place to hire bikes or a New Forest Twizy; an electric car, making it an incredibly environmentally friendly way of exploring the forest. There are lots of places to eat and drink in Brockenhurst so it makes an excellent stop off point and you can also cross over to the green route which covers the South East area of the forest.

Next stop is Lymington, famous for its costal location on the edge of the New Forest. There’s plenty to see in Lymington including the harbour, quay and bustling high street. After that we head to Milford on Sea, which offers more beautiful views across to the Isle of Wight, especially from nearby Keyhaven. The bus soon arrives back at Shorefield Country Park, where we alight.

I found the blue route ideal for anyone who wants to see several different sides to the forest; you’ll not only see plenty of New Forest ponies, you also get to see the diverse towns and villages that make up the forest as well as beautiful coastal views. The audio commentary on each location was very useful and I found out quite a lot about this fascinating area. The best thing is that your £13 day ticket can be used on all routes so you can explore even more of the New Forest including Fordingbridge, Lyndhurst, Beaulieu and many more attractions along the way. Also, dogs and under-fives can travel for free on all routes and you can even bring your bike on board.

The tour arrives every six minutes past the hour from 10:06 to 17:06 daily near the zebra crossing just inside the entrance at Shorefield Country Park. Tickets can be bought from the driver at the time of your journey. WI