Wayside holiday park near Pickering Water Gardens opens

The owners of a holiday park near Pickering say they have completed 13 new pitches for luxury caravans and lodges in the centre of the park.

The £250,000 development means the end of seasonal touring caravans at Wayside Holiday Park.

Ryedale District Council approved plans for Wayside to create 13 new pitches for luxury caravans and lodges in the centre of the park last year.

Owner Mark Goodson explained this was a “transformational move”, taking Wayside up-market and breathing new and exciting life into the popular holiday park, creating a quality environment in its heart.

He said: “We are absolutely delighted with the response to the Water Gardens so far. Now the groundwork and the infrastructure on the development are finished, interest is gathering pace. Three pitches have already been sold, which has repaid my confidence in going ahead with this speculative project.

“This confidence stemmed from the continuing staycation boom and the tremendous success of our up-market Lakes development at Wayside, where we have sold every single one of our 37 lodges.

“We have a number of demonstration lodges on site now, so it’s the perfect time to come and have a look. In the recent past, there have been supply problems across the industry with the delivery of lodges, but these problems have been solved, so once you have decided to buy a pitch, it’s not long before you can move into your lodge.

Mike Drummond, a recently retired office worker from Wakefield, is one of the new owners of a state-of-the-art lodge at the Water Gardens.

“Wayside was just what we were looking for as a restful retreat, because of the quality of the park and its wonderful location. We originally bought a static caravan there, but when we saw the original artist’s impressions of the Water Gardens, they looked stunning," he said.

“When I approached Mark about the possibility of moving there, he said we could have first choice of pitch. The rest, as they say, is history and we moved into our new Lodge in March this year.

“We avidly watched the Water Gardens evolve with the Mediterranean planting. The view we have down the lakes watching the birds in and over the water is stunning and so relaxing, which will only get better as the plants and trees become established.

“Mark and the rest of the team are always there to help, advise and assist at any time and they even made sure that when they were planning the ford, it would not be too deep to allow access for my MX5 sports car !

“If you are looking for a quiet, tranquil and friendly holiday park. then I would certainly have no hesitation in recommending Wayside. The Water Gardens is perfect.”

Mark Goodson continued: “I am very proud indeed of what we are creating at the Water Gardens. As the name suggests, water is the predominant theme, with two small lakes and a connecting ford at the heart of the development. Each lodge has a veranda which actually extends over the water.” 

Mark paid tribute to his “fantastic” team at Wayside, which comprises park director Trevor Jones; Dave and Karen Freebre, the park managers Chris Bailey, the landscape manager and John and Gill Coates, the part-time park managers.