The Caravan and Motorhome Club is delighted to announce the winner of its Certificated Location of the Year Award is Low Moor Head Farm situated in the beautiful Cumbrian countryside. Close runners up are Meadow Bank Farm on the edge of the New Forest and Welltrough Farm in the rolling Cheshire countryside.

Certificated Locations (CLs) are privately-owned, maximum five-van sites found across the UK, open exclusively to Caravan and Motorhome Club members. Many CLs are found in idyllic and remote locations such as farms, country estates and beside inns, and they can provide a valuable, additional income stream for local communities. The CL of the Year Awards are voted for by Club members, recognising the very best sites and rewarding hard-working owners who pull out all the stops for guests. The awards are presented at the House of Commons in recognition of the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act (1960) which enables the Caravan and Motorhome Club to grant certificates to landowners to operate CLs.

Harvey Alexander, Director of Marketing at the Caravan and Motorhome Club said: “We are proud to recognise the important part CLs play in both our members’ experiences and as a sustainable form of tourism. Visitors to CLs across the country help contribute towards the local economy by bringing income to the area; many owners have diversified into operating CLs as a means of generating additional revenue. The awards recognise those owners who really go the extra mile for members and provide them with a truly memorable experience. My congratulations go out to all this year’s winners.”

Winner – Low Moor Head

Low Moor Head Farm Certificated Location was opened in October 2005, a tranquil site, set on a working beef and sheep farm with land running from the Duddon Estuary to Kirkby Moor just six miles from the city of Carlisle. The site is exclusively for adults and offers the perfect location for visiting many historic attractions both in England and Scotland, being between two UNESCO World Heritage sites, Northumbria ‘Hadrian’s Wall & the Lake District National park. Guests come from as far afield as New Zealand, South Africa, Spain and Holland.

The Site offers five hard standing spacious pitches, set within one acre. It is open all year round and encourages visitors to get out and visit surrounding areas, helping sustain the local economy. There is very good vehicular access with a parking area for both guests and visitors; excellent digital TV reception and free organic free range eggs. Facilities also include heated toilet/ shower and disabled facilities, cycle racks and recycling point.

Low Moor Head Farm also has available an adult only ‘Pheasant Lodge’ luxurious ‘5 star, self-catering accommodation complete with hot tub, for friends! No stranger to winning awards, Low Moor Head was voted second place in the National Award in 2013 and winner of the Regional Awards in 2009, 2010, 2015.

Alexander continued: “Low Moor Head Farm consistently goes that extra mile for visitors with the provision of free range eggs, lots of local information and faultless facilities. Owners Owen and Adele have really strived to provide everything guests could possibly want and that includes a very warm welcome – this is a very well deserved win for an incredibly well run site.”

Joint runners up – Welltrough Farm and Meadow Bank Farm

Welltrough Farm Certificated Location opened in 2016 as a diversification project and has become a firm favourite with Caravan and Motorhome Club members. The tranquil adult only site is situated just outside the village of Lower Withington in the beautiful Cheshire countryside with stunning views. All the pitches are hard standing, spacious, generally flat and fully serviced; the site has toilets, a shower, free wifi and a well -stocked information shed complete with washing machine and tumble dryer.

There is a 3km walk round the farm with the unique facility of a warm dog shower and when the walking is done, there are plenty of local pubs in the area. Tourist attractions include Jodrell Bank radio telescope, Tatton Park, Arley Hall and Gardens plus numerous walks.

Alexander said: “With fantastic, well maintained facilities and plenty of local information the site is a welcome new addition to the network and well deserved runner up – congratulations!”

Meadow Bank Farm Certificated Location situated on the edge of the New Forest but within striking distance of Southampton, is another worthy runner up. The site was re-opened in July 2015 with the benefits of a refurbished toilet, shower and washing machine facility.

Meadow Bank Farm is located on a five acre plot in a very tranquil location with walks directly from the site; it is also just 30 minutes’ from the nearest beach and walking distance from a local pub. The owners firmly believe in making people feel welcome and always try to greet guests on arrival and see them during their stay. Added to this, there is a therapy room on site, available for members to enjoy treatments such as massage, nutritional information and other holistic therapies.

“Every CL is different and it is a real bonus that Meadow Bank Farm offers its therapy room to guests, offering optimum opportunity for re-charging the batteries. The warm welcome offered to guests really stood out and I offer my congratulations to this worthy runner up,” Alexander added.

Christopher Macgowan

@motorhomenews