Have a Spooktacular Time this Halloween!

Here at Shorefield Holidays we're getting ready to welcome our guests arriving for half term, of course this half term is extra special as we will also be celebrating Halloween. We've got lots going on at all our parks, so come and join in with the fun.

At Shorefield Country Park we have a whole host of events including kids club activities such as Pumpkin Carving, Freaky Finger Puppets, Trick or Treat Bags and many more. Then in the evening get the whole family together for fantastic fancy dress themes, Family Prize Bingo, Resident Entertainers Shows and much more including the fantastic Elvis Tribute act on Thursday 30th October. There will also be a chance to create your very own caravan as part of our George Clark Competition on the 30th October at 1pm, so come along and get creative.

Nearby, at Lytton Lawn Touring Park, be prepared for Halloween Fancy Dress on Friday 31st October which will be followed by a trick or treat wander around the park. Once again there will be a small prize for the best decorated pitch during the week so bring along your fairy lights and make Lytton Lawn shine. The fairy light competition will run from Saturday 25th October until Saturday 1st November with the winner being notified after half term; so even if you are not here for the whole week you can still enter.

If you're staying at Merley Court Holiday Park this half term, join the team for a Halloween fancy dress trick or treat around the park. There will then be a disco at the Merley Inn and also a prize for the best fancy dress costume. Also, as a guest at Merley you're welcome to enjoy all the entertainment we have going on at Oakdene Forest Park, including some great kids club activities running throughout half term including Zombie Boot Camp, Pumpkin Carving, Ghost Walks and much more. Then in the evening, as usual there will be lots going on to entertain you including Halloween Gameshow Bonanza, a Rocky Horror Tribute Show on Tuesday 29th October as well as the very spooky Horror Walks running on Halloween night on Thursday 31st October. 

So take a look at our entertainment calendar and let us know what you got up to this Halloween half term at our parks. Also, don't forget to post your pictures on our Facebook page.

Announcing Shorefield Holidays Brand New Website

After many months in the planning, we are pleased to announce the arrival of our brand new website. We've been listening carefully to customer feedback and we have made many changes which will make your journey through our website simpler.

• We have streamlined our content, making it easier for you to find what you need.
• You’ll now find it easier to book a holiday online with us and your holiday results will be returned quicker.
• Our website is now mobile compatible, so whether you’re on your tablet or your phone you’ll be able to browse our website with ease.
• We’ve redesigned the events calendar so it’s easier to find what’s going on when you visit our parks.
• We’ve improved the Holiday Home Ownership search, so you can find out even more about your favourite holiday home for sale.

We’ve got many more exciting additions coming over the next few months, so keep checking back and remember to visit our social channels for all the latest news on the website.

To celebrate we’ve got two fantastic website launch offers; receive 25% off self-catering holidays for arrivals from the 1st to the 29th  June 2015* when you book by the 31st October 2014, simply quoteSC25JUNE at checkout to redeem this offer. You can also receive 20% off touring holidays when you book by the 31st January 2015**, quote TOUR20 at checkout to redeem this offer.

We hope you enjoy our website and we’d love to hear any feedback you might have.

* Excludes Signature units, applies to new bookings only and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer
** New bookings only and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer.

Bournemouth Air Festival 2014

This was the second year in a row that we attended the Bournemouth Air Festival, last year we took a brand new Regal Ambassador to the festival which attracted a lot of attention. This year however, we decided go bigger and better with two brand new caravans, a Regal Kensington and a Regal Henley. 

We had a great location on the beach near to Bournemouth Pier where we spoke to lots of festival goers and also managed to catch a lot of the impressive aviation displays. Unfortunately, due to the cloudy and windy weather on Friday some planes scheduled to fly were cancelled but that didn't affect the crowds, there was still a beach full of people waiting to catch a glimpse of their favourite aircraft's. 

The Air Festival was a great success for us and it was great to meet so many people as well as hand out plenty of Shorefield Holidays beach balls.

For more photos of the 2014 Bournemouth Air Festival, take a look at our Facebook page.

New Forest Tour Day 2014

We've been very lucky with the weather lately, the sun has been shining non-stop here and it's been great for getting out and about. The lovely weather has arrived just in time to welcome the New Forest Tour Bus back for its 2014 season; kicking off on the 28th June the open top bus returned to cover its three routes across the New Forest calling at various towns, villages and attractions throughout the forest.

Our itinerary for the day

Shorefield Country Park and Lytton Lawn Touring Park are on the blue route for the second year running after the new coastal route was added in 2013. We had great success with the New Forest Tour last year and many of our guests took advantage of the opportunity to explore the New Forest without having to take the car.

The first bus we caught, the red route from Lyndhurst

To publicise the return of the New Forest Tour, a social media day was organised by the New Forest National Park Authority and we were lucky enough to be invited along with several other business' that are located on the three routes. So, on a beautiful Wednesday morning we all assembled at Lyndhurst ready to catch the first bus on the red route to Burley, which is well known for its history of witchcraft. We stopped in Burley for an hour, giving us time to properly explore the village with its vast array of speciality shops including New Forest Cider, Burley Fudge Shop, gift shops and much more. There were also plenty of New Forest ponies wondering about, some had even taken up residence in the pub car park, probably waiting for a drink to cool down.  

New Forest ponies waiting for the pub to open

After a stroll around Burley, we hopped on the blue route which visits some lovely coastal locations including Keyhaven, Barton-on-Sea, Milford-on-Sea and of course Lymington, which is where we got off to take a look around. Lymington is not only fantastic for shopping but it also has a wonderful cobbled street leading down to Lymington Quay. There are boat trips that leave from the Quay ranging from short river trips to longer cruises to the Needles, you can also catch the ferry to the Isle of Wight from here.

Lymington Quay

Once we'd explored Lymington we hopped on the New Forest Tour once again, this time it was the green route, which takes you to some fantastic attractions such as Exbury Gardens and Beaulieu Motor Museum. It also stops at the popular village of Brockenhurst, a great place to spot ponies roaming free amongst the village. The green route also took us back to Lyndhurst, where we concluded our day out on the New Forest Tour.

Beaulieu

I had a great day on the tour and got to see so many sights and attractions throughout the forest, a highlight was seeing plenty of New Forest ponies and foals wondering through the forest. I can highly recommend a trip on the New Forest Tour, a great way to see the beautiful New Forest in all its glory. Take a look at some of our photos from the New Forest Tour day on our Facebook page.

A great time had by all on the New Forest Tour

The New Forest Tour runs every day until the 14th September and tickets can be purchased on-board or from the New Forest Tour website, where you'll receive 10% off your ticket price when you book online. WI     

    

Our Favourite Walks

There are plenty of wonderful walks near our parks, why not try out some of these fantastic places this weekend.

Hengistbury Head

Voted number 4 out of 25 in TripAdvisor's top beaches in the United Kingdom, this is an ideal place for those who want to see the abundance of wildlife that thrives here. More than 500 plant species and more than 300 bird species have been recorded here over time as well as many reptiles and amphibians, making Hengistbury Head a place of importance for wildlife. Hengistbury Head is also great for dog walking as the beach is dog friendly.

 You can find out more on the Hengistbury Head website.

 New Forest

There are plenty of fantastic walks around the New Forest for all ages as well as a selection of pubs on route so you can refuel after your stroll. There's also the chance to spot the famous New Forest pony as well as cattle, deer and lots of other wildlife which call the New Forest their home. 

More details on walking routes in the New Forest can be found on the New Forest National Park website.

Swanage

Swanage is the perfect place to take in some beautiful views as well as historic landscapes. There are many walks that take you throughout the countryside and heathland, some are for more experienced walkers, however there are some suitable for pushchair and wheelchair users.

Corfe Castle, located nearby, is also great place to explore. With its high vantage point across the surrounding area you can take in some beautiful views and you might even see the steam train cut across the landscape.

There are some fantastic Swanage walking routes on the Walking in England website.  

Brownsea Island

Filled with plenty to do for the whole family, Brownsea Island is the perfect place to explore. There are many varied habitats including woodland, heathland, lagoon and more, making it a fantastic place for wildlife. Brownsea Island is also one of the few places in southern England where you can see red squirrels; due to the lack of predators and grey squirrels, the population is thriving.

You can find out more about Brownsea Island walking routes on the Brownsea Island website.   

Milford on Sea

There are some beautiful walks only a few miles away from Shorefield Country Park. Enjoy a stroll along the cliff-tops or maybe take a walk on one of the many dog friendly beaches in the area.

There are some spectacular views of the Isle of Wight, Bournemouth and Swanage to be enjoyed as well, so remember to bring your camera along with you.

You can find out more about walking in Milford on Sea on the Enjoy Milford on Sea website.

So if you do head out on any of the walks we've suggested, remember to post your pictures on our Facebook page. WI 

English Tourism Week 2014 supported by Shorefield Holidays

English Tourism Week 2014 is a week-long celebration of events from the 29 March to 6 April 2014 showcasing the quality and vibrancy of the visitor experiences and the value our industry brings to our nation. Shorefield Holidays remains a family run business of six holiday and leisure parks based throughout Hampshire and Dorset, offering a vast range of services to visitors and local customers alike. The tourism sector within our area touches everyone, visitors, local residents and employees and is one of the few sectors active in every part of the country.

Annette Brooke, MP for Mid Dorset & North Poole Lib Dems, visits Merley Court

22% of all UK tourist beds are on holiday and touring parks and we are proud to have such a major impact on the local community and its economy. We employ over 250 full time employees, rising to over 300 in the peak tourist periods, of which 98% of them reside within a 10 mile radius. Over 212,000 visitors stay across our 350 lodges, caravans and chalets each year, including its residential guests, bringing valuable cross spend into surrounding local enterprises and businesses. A recent survey equated this figure to be nearing £27million.

Desmond Swayne, MP for New Forest West Conservatives, visits Shorefield Country Park

As part of English Tourism Week Shorefield Holidays welcomed local MP’s to its parks, showcasing each ones diverse facilities and services as well as the multi-million pound investments made, improving our guests holiday experiences. Annette Brooke MP for Mid Dorset & North Poole Lib Dems, Christopher Chope MP for Christchurch Conservatives and Desmond Swayne MP for New Forest West Conservatives visited Merley Court, Wimborne, OakdeneForest Park, Ringwood and Shorefield Country Park, Milford on Sea, respectively. Christopher Chope MP, opened the new café and restaurant at Oakdene Forest Park and Desmond Swayne MP, was proud to open the latest exclusive development of luxury lodge holiday homes for sale at Shorefield Country Park.

Christopher Chope, MP for Christchurch Conservatives, visits Oakdene Forest Park  

Simon Pollock Chairman of Shorefield Holidays commented. ' I'm delighted that our local MPs all recognise the vital role that Holiday Parks such as Shorefield Holidays ltd play in supporting the local economy and community'. 

Eggciting Easter Activities at Shorefield

Easter is one of our favourite times of year here at Shorefield Holidays; the sun is shining (most of the time), the evenings are longer and our parks enjoy fabulous displays of daffodils and bluebells. It's also time, once again, to welcome many families back to the parks to enjoy the many activities we have planned throughout the two weeks.

At Shorefield Country Park, we have got lots going on throughout the Easter break including kids club activities such as Critter Making, Mini Golf, Face Painting, Easter Card Making, Family Rounders and much, much more. The highlight of our kids club activities has to be our Easter Egg Hunts on Easter Sunday, come along and see how many eggs you can find! Our Easter Egg Hunt for under 9's starts at 11am and over 10's can join in from 12noon. We've also got plenty going on for the whole family in the evening including quizzes, discos, bingo, Resident Entertainers Shows as well as some fantastic cabarets including the Blues Brothers, a Kylie Minogue tribute, Diva Las Vegas and more.

Also, don't forget to pop into see our Holiday Home Sales team for their Regal Open Weekend on the 5th and 6th of April. The weekend will give new customers and our current Holiday Home owners a chance to look at the fabulous Regal Holiday Home range starting from £34,995.

Oakdene Forest Park have got lots going on too, our younger visitors can enjoy Easter Olympics, Parachute Games, Dodge Ball, Circus Workshops, Nature Trails and much more. There's also an Easter Egg Hunt on Easter Sunday at 2pm and on Sunday 13th April at 2pm. Evening entertainment starts from 6.30pm, you can enjoy bingo, party dances, Resident Entertainers Shows as well as cabarets from a George Michael tribute, Ray Charles tribute, Wanted Direction and more.

To find out further information about everything that's going on at our parks over the Easter break, take a look at our entertainment pages. We hope all our guests have a fantastic break and remember to share your pictures on our Facebook and Twitter pages.