Hi-de-Hi!
Camping has been viewed as a leisure activity, to be enjoyed rather than endured, since the late Victorian era. The first holiday camp, Cunningham’s Camp for Men, opened in 1894 on the Isle of Man. Visitors stayed in tents and activities consisted of outdoor games and excursions.
In 1906, John Fletcher Dodd opened Dodd’s Socialist Holiday Camp. Accommodation was also in tents, which were replaced by chalets after the First World War. The camp, renamed Caister Holiday Camp in 1912, went from strength to strength, with a licensed bar, games and sports.
In 1931 Captain Harry Warner launched Warner’s on Hayling Island. Precursors to the better-known Redcoats, Warner had Greencoats, who were on hand to entertain holidaymakers. Funfair entrepreneur, Billy Butlin, joined the board of the company, later using the same construction company to build the first of his camps, in Skegness in 1936.
Billy Butlin and his famous Redcoats became synonymous with holiday camps. He thought big: while other camps could accommodate a few hundred, his could house 2,000. Butlin offered a week’s holiday for a week’s pay – and dreamt up the Redcoat. For stars such as Des O’Connor, Jimmy Tarbuck and Jimmy Perry (co-writer of Dad’s Army and Hi-de-Hi!) being a Butlin’s Redcoat was a springboard to stardom.
During the war, Butlin’s camps were used for training by the Royal Navy – even the Duke of Edinburgh stayed at one – reopening as holiday resorts in May 1946. In total, Butlin opened 10 camps, and three still remain to this day – in Bognor, Minehead and Skegness.
Another big name in the industry was Fred Pontin, who opened his first camp in 1946 in Somerset. By 1949 had six sites across the country. By the 1960s, Pontin introduced his Bluecoats (famous Bluecoats include Shane Richie, Brian Conley and Lee Mack), who, like Butlin’s Redcoats, were on hand to make sure holidaymakers got the most out of their stay. But there were differences between Pontin’s and Butlin’s. Pontin advertised his camps as ‘small unit holiday camps for the connoisseur’, taking on no more than 250 campers at a time, compared to Butlin’s, which would host thousands.
By the 1960s, the country’s road network had dramatically improved, and the caravan holiday was born. Some chose to tow their own, others rented a static caravan. Many of the new parks built to accommodate them had social clubs, entertainment, swimming pools and bars. One of the most popular caravan holiday parks in the UK, Haven, opened in 1985. Today, it has 45 parks.
In July 1987, the first Center Parcs holiday village, Sherwood Forest, opened. There are now four villages, each set in 400 acres of woodland. Center Parcs holidays tend to be for those who love the outdoors, with activities that include horse riding, archery and cycling. As staycations become more and more popular, these parks promise to be around for a few more years yet.
Butlin’s
For a family of four (two adults, two children) a three-night weekend break costs from £60 per person. A four-night break (Monday to Friday) costs from £40 per person.
0845-070 4734, www.butlins.com
Center Parcs
Weekend breaks (Friday to Monday) in a two-bedroom Comfort Villa start from £339. Midweek breaks (Monday to Friday) in a twobedroom Comfort Villa start from £309.
0844-826 7723, www.centerparcs.co.uk
Haven
A four-night, selfcatering holiday in Scotland staying at Craig Tara Holiday Village, costs from £99 per family. A fournight, self-catering holiday to Blackpool, staying at Cala Gran Holiday Village, starts from £231 per family. Both prices are based on a family of six sharing standard accommodation.
0871-230 1900, www.haven.com
Pontin’s
A seven-night break for two adults and two children in August, for example, would cost approximately £450 for self-catering accommodation, and £765 on a half-board basis. A three-night break costs around £280 for self-catering and £450 for halfboard.
0844-576 5943, www.pontins.com
In 1906, John Fletcher Dodd opened Dodd’s Socialist Holiday Camp. Accommodation was also in tents, which were replaced by chalets after the First World War. The camp, renamed Caister Holiday Camp in 1912, went from strength to strength, with a licensed bar, games and sports.
In 1931 Captain Harry Warner launched Warner’s on Hayling Island. Precursors to the better-known Redcoats, Warner had Greencoats, who were on hand to entertain holidaymakers. Funfair entrepreneur, Billy Butlin, joined the board of the company, later using the same construction company to build the first of his camps, in Skegness in 1936.
Billy Butlin and his famous Redcoats became synonymous with holiday camps. He thought big: while other camps could accommodate a few hundred, his could house 2,000. Butlin offered a week’s holiday for a week’s pay – and dreamt up the Redcoat. For stars such as Des O’Connor, Jimmy Tarbuck and Jimmy Perry (co-writer of Dad’s Army and Hi-de-Hi!) being a Butlin’s Redcoat was a springboard to stardom.
During the war, Butlin’s camps were used for training by the Royal Navy – even the Duke of Edinburgh stayed at one – reopening as holiday resorts in May 1946. In total, Butlin opened 10 camps, and three still remain to this day – in Bognor, Minehead and Skegness.
Another big name in the industry was Fred Pontin, who opened his first camp in 1946 in Somerset. By 1949 had six sites across the country. By the 1960s, Pontin introduced his Bluecoats (famous Bluecoats include Shane Richie, Brian Conley and Lee Mack), who, like Butlin’s Redcoats, were on hand to make sure holidaymakers got the most out of their stay. But there were differences between Pontin’s and Butlin’s. Pontin advertised his camps as ‘small unit holiday camps for the connoisseur’, taking on no more than 250 campers at a time, compared to Butlin’s, which would host thousands.
By the 1960s, the country’s road network had dramatically improved, and the caravan holiday was born. Some chose to tow their own, others rented a static caravan. Many of the new parks built to accommodate them had social clubs, entertainment, swimming pools and bars. One of the most popular caravan holiday parks in the UK, Haven, opened in 1985. Today, it has 45 parks.
In July 1987, the first Center Parcs holiday village, Sherwood Forest, opened. There are now four villages, each set in 400 acres of woodland. Center Parcs holidays tend to be for those who love the outdoors, with activities that include horse riding, archery and cycling. As staycations become more and more popular, these parks promise to be around for a few more years yet.
Camping It Up
Butlin’s
For a family of four (two adults, two children) a three-night weekend break costs from £60 per person. A four-night break (Monday to Friday) costs from £40 per person.
0845-070 4734, www.butlins.com
Center Parcs
Weekend breaks (Friday to Monday) in a two-bedroom Comfort Villa start from £339. Midweek breaks (Monday to Friday) in a twobedroom Comfort Villa start from £309.
0844-826 7723, www.centerparcs.co.uk
Haven
A four-night, selfcatering holiday in Scotland staying at Craig Tara Holiday Village, costs from £99 per family. A fournight, self-catering holiday to Blackpool, staying at Cala Gran Holiday Village, starts from £231 per family. Both prices are based on a family of six sharing standard accommodation.
0871-230 1900, www.haven.com
Pontin’s
A seven-night break for two adults and two children in August, for example, would cost approximately £450 for self-catering accommodation, and £765 on a half-board basis. A three-night break costs around £280 for self-catering and £450 for halfboard.
0844-576 5943, www.pontins.com