Cheddar Petruth Paddocks named top-selling site in south west by Pitchup.com

Cheddar Petruth Paddocks in Cheddar, Somerset has been named by outdoor accommodation specialist, Pitchup.com, as its top-selling campsite in the south west for 2015.

The figures, compiled from Pitchup.com’s bookings for 1,605 camping and caravan sites throughout Europe, show Cheddar Petruth Paddocks led the way for visitors to the south west in 2015, bringing an impressive 3,363 bookings to the region, 136% more than last year and 122% ahead of its nearest regional competitor.

Having taken in £208,000 worth of bookings in 2015 so far, early bookings for the new year suggest Cheddar Petruth Paddocks is set to maintain its momentum in 2016.

Dan Yates, founder of outdoor accommodation specialist Pitchup.com, commented: "The south west is a popular year-round holiday destination, attracting 8.2m searches by our customers in 2015, making it the most popular region for our clients. Visitors are drawn to the region because of its beautiful beaches, stunning countryside, world class tourist attractions, artisan food scene and most importantly, the warm and friendly hospitality that they receive from the locals.

"Thanks to its excellent location, less than 15 minutes from Cheddar Gorge, and customer-focused team, Cheddar Petruth Paddocks has rocketed to the top of our best sellers list not only in the south west, but in the UK overall, for the second consecutive year."

Cheddar Petruth Paddocks is a large, laid-back site offering 200 pitches and two lovely tipis. The site also introduced a shepherd’s hut and canvas bell tents to its offering in 2015. The owner provides visitors with logs and kindling for open fires and an information pack of what to see/do and eat locally. There is plenty to keep all visitors entertained, from the fun of Cheddar Gorge, to hiking, walking and cycling through the Mendip Hills or Somerset Levels.

Commenting on the success, Julian Sayer (Jules), owner of Cheddar Petruth Paddocks, said: "We started working with Pitchup.com just three years ago so are naturally thrilled to hear that we are their biggest seller, considering they have such an impressive collection of accommodation, in all forms, throughout Europe. We’ve experienced unprecedented growth as a result of joining Pitchup.com and have been impressed with the simplicity of their website, which has enabled us to automate our bookings and run more efficiently as a business."

He continued: "Our visitors appreciate our flexible ‘free range camping’ ethos that means we will go out of our way to accommodate groups with varying needs and requirements. Many of our competitors are quite antiquated in their approach, which we feel gives us a competitive advantage. We look forward to continuing our success in 2016!"

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Notes to editors:

• Caravanning and camping is the most popular type of accommodation for domestic holidays
• In 2014, there were 13.3m domestic camping and caravan holiday trips in Britain, more than the number of UK residents who holidayed in Spain, Portugal and Turkey combined
• Brits spent 13% more nights on domestic camping and caravan holidays than staying at hotels or motels, and 5x more than at guest houses or B&Bs
• Strong growth as ‘staycation’ persists
• Between January and July 2015, domestic camping and caravan trips had increased by 9% compared to the same period in 2014, with nights up 13% and spend 2%
• 58% of British residents' holiday trips took place domestically in 2014, compared to 53% in 2008. The number of foreign holidays taken by UK residents was 15% lower in 2014 than in 2008
• Britain third largest camping and caravanning nation in Europe, after France and Germany

Source: National Statistics, Visit England, Eurostat

For media information:

Contact Cass Helstrip or Jardine Howlett at White Tiger PR
jardine.howlett@whitetigerpr.com 07866 508737
cass.helstrip@whitetigerpr.com 07968 255464

About Pitchup.com

Founded in 2009 by former lastminute.com man, Dan Yates, multi-award winning Pitchup.com lists over 1,500 outdoor accommodation locations in 18 countries, providing users with a simple platform where they can search for and book a holiday with ease.

In 2013 Pitchup.com became the first business of its type to launch a bookable mobile app and site, making the site easily accessible to users of mobile and tablet devices. The mobile site, m.pitchup.com, now accounts for 25% of bookings.

Pitchup.com enables users to search for all types of parks and sites from more than 60 chains right through to one-off campsites and unique outdoor accommodation options, which may have previously lacked a web presence.

Awards include Best UK Travel Website of the Year at the British Travel Press Awards 2011, Best Travel / Leisure / Sports / Mobile Strategy / Campaign at the Marketing on Mobile Awards 2014, and most recently ‘Best Place to Stay – Budget’ at The Independent Travel Awards 2015 ("a website that’s doing wonders connecting us with the countryside in Britain and beyond").