Channel 4 shone the spotlight on Oakdown Holiday Park in Devon this autumn when it dedicated a half-hour programme to exploring just why its such a family favourite. The Best of British member was taking part in the hit show The Perfect Pitch which searched the length and breadth of Britain to find the UK's finest holiday heavens.
Helping in their quest were six families who stayed on the parks in a variety of accommodation from tents and transit vans to super-luxury motorhomes. And their verdict on Oakdown? "This is posh!" said one, while another happy family member declared "This reminds me of a gorgeous French campsite".
Welcoming the camping connoisseurs to the park were husband-and-wife team Alastair and Andrianna Franks whose family has owned Oakdown for almost 45 years. Alastair told the group that the park preferred to focus on high quality surroundings for lovers of the Devon countryside, rather than noisy entertainment and cabaret shows. But as the families quickly found out, that didn't mean there wasn't a full line-up of activities to keep both children and grown-ups thoroughly distracted throughout their stay.
That's because the Franks' had arranged a series of light-hearted challenges which the Channel Four cameras showed the guests taking on – with varying degrees of success. The fun started with a round of golf on Oakdown's 9-hole private course where a series of not-too-serious games had to be tackled with families cheering each other on. Next came an expert-led fossil hunt along the beaches of the Jurassic Coast in Charmouth.
Finally, there were explosions of laughter when guests tried to get to grips with an obstacle course at a nearby activity centre, leaving most soaking wet and mud-splattered.
"We had a fantastic time with our television families, and judging by their comments afterwards it was just the type of holiday they would all love to come back to," said Alastair.
"It was very flattering to be asked to take part in a series which aimed to highlight Britain's most perfect parks, and I think the producers got exactly the type of action shots they wanted!
"We received a flurry of enquiries from potential customers after the programme aired, and many of our existing customers said they enjoyed it greatly," he added.
A few years ago, Oakdown was crowned Holiday Park of the Year in the Devon Tourism Awards – and has also received many other quality and environmental accolades. As well as camping and touring facilities, the park provides holiday homes to own and to rent, plus recently installed Norwegian barrel pods which provide a glamping experience like no other.
Congratulations Team Oakdown on your Channel 4 feature! You have highlighting camping and touring holidays in Devon perfectly!
