Today’s interview is with Kathryn at Castle Coast Campers.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourselves?
Welcome to Castle Coast Campers – the home of Glampervanning! Castle Coast Campers is a small family run business based in the village of Hart in County Durham, ideally placed for starting your adventure along the Castle Coast of Yorkshire, Durham and Northumberland.
Whether you are looking for the fun adventure holiday to share with friends, the perfect family break with the kids or the most romantic honeymoon of beautiful sunsets and sunrises together, Castle Coast Campers has a classic VW Campervan just for you.
But how did it all begin? A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away….
Back in 2008, Kathryn was taken into the local hospital feeling unwell. Within a few days she had become critically ill and was transferred to the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle where she got a comfy bed and her long suffering partner in crime was given a chair to sleep in beside her!
Kathryn was not expected to live but the fantastic doctors and nurses at the Freeman managed to save her … and as soon as she got out of hospital she and her husband John organised their wedding in just 10 weeks flat, hiring a classic VW Splitscreen Campervan, a classic early VW Bay Campervan and a VW Karmann Beetle as the wedding transport.
By the end of their wedding day in March 2009 they knew they wanted to share the ‘VW smile’ with as many people as possible, so started to look into what business opportunities would fund a VW Campervan of their own and the idea for Castle Coast Campers was born!
It took until 2011 to save up for, find and buy their first Campervan, Henry, a classic 1973 VW T2 (Bay) Westfalia Continental, who has since been joined by Miss Scarlett and Tilly.
Have you always wanted to run a glamping site? How did you get interested in it?
Did we always want to run a glamping business? No! Kathryn is a pharmacist who was responsible for millions of pounds of NHS money and John is a financial adviser who advised companies on their pension schemes and other such things!
It’s hard to explain why VW Campervans are so iconic and popular as there are many things that make the overall classic VW Campervan experience something special – for some it is the flexibility and clever use of space inside – Castle Coast Campers classic VW Campervans can sleep a family of five yet are only the size of a large family car. For others it is the romance of having the freedom to go where you want and stop off as you choose, while for some it is the great value for money ‘staycation’ – no expensive hotels each night so you can spend your money on things you really want to experience, do and see.
It is all those things and much more; Castle Coast Campers combine the classic retro good looks with an equipment level that means their guests enjoy Glampervanning at its finest! We offer the best of the old combined with touches of the new, so that our guests do not want to give their Campervan back when their time with them comes to an end!
When the bank asked us what our business plan was, we explained that we wanted to offer the best VW Campervans, restored and upgraded to the highest standards, with the best equipment and service – we want all our guests to get that Friday feeling whatever day of the week it is! The bank laughed!
What made you pick the location for your glamping site?
We are both originally from the area but John worked away for many years all around the country before returning for the better quality of life that the area offers.
Castle Coast HQ, home to our iconic VW Campervans, sits at the heart of an extraordinary region ideally positioned on the border of three great counties, where breath-taking countryside and dramatic coastline are dotted with cultural treasures including Cathedrals, Castles, World Heritage Sites and four Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Explore County Durham, Yorkshire and Northumberland in a classic VW Campervan and you will find beauty, peace and tranquillity in almost every little corner you visit. If you are feeling more adventurous, then Cumbria and the Lake District, and even the Scottish Borders are all easily reached from Castle Coast HQ.
Do you get a wide range of different people from different walks of life or are there certain types of guests who come to stay at your site?
We offer holidays, honeymoons, naughty weekends and general times of loveliness across Yorkshire, County Durham, Northumberland, the Lake District, Cumbria and the Scottish Borders which results in a huge mixture of people arriving as our guests and leaving as friends.
If you are looking for fun, freedom and flexibility, the compact size of a classic VW Campervan is hard to beat, and life in the slow lane gives you the opportunity to relax, unwind and enjoy the journey as well as the destination.
Kathryn and John love classic VW Campervans; each one has its own character, its own little quirks and transports you back to a more innocent time, a time before the nine to five became the twenty four seven; a VW Campervan is for sharing and smiling, for being you and being with the ones you love, a VW Campervan is an escape to happiness!
Life is too short to be taken seriously, do what makes you happy and do it in a Castle Coast Campervan!
When guests stay, do they usually cook on site or do you find a lot like to go exploring and eat out at local places?
Both – we provide a Campervan Cookbook on board full of ideas and great recipes, along with a gas stove as well as suggested places to visit and sample fabulous food and drink! – there are so many great places serving great local food in our region the list would be too long to type here – you will just have to come and experience it for yourself!
And for those who like cooking for themselves, we are blessed with fabulous top quality fresh ingredients readily available from farm shops, delicatessens, markets and artisan producers throughout our region.
Everything from fresh fruit and vegetables, to delicious bacon, steak, fresh fish and seafood, and not forgetting, some of the best ice cream this side of Italy!
If there was one activity to participate in, landmark, or place of interest that you would recommend guests visit while staying at your site, what would it be and why?
Castle Coast Campers think County Durham, Yorkshire and Northumberland are England’s best-kept secrets; magical places filled with ancient castles, hidden gardens, pristine coastline, rolling hills, rugged moorland, sweeping views, friendly little market towns and villages and a cultural heritage all of their own.
Enjoy the four stunning enormous National Parks, the magical moors, ancient woodlands, pretty stone villages, the star scattered, clear dark night time skies, the breath-taking coast of sky-scraping cliffs and vast empty sandy beaches; England’s most clean, uncongested, tranquil and spacious region – a week just isn’t long enough to make the most of all that the beautiful counties surrounding Castle Coast HQ have to offer!
County Durham, Yorkshire and Northumberland are counties of contrasts, where the unrivalled scenery is only matched by the friendliness of the people you meet there. This is Campervan Country!
Whether you are planning a vigorous, outdoor adventure, gentle walk on a golden, sandy beach or a cosy meal in a country pub, County Durham, Yorkshire and Northumberland offer you the time, place and space to do it.
Our happy glampers come to enjoy the large open empty sandy beaches with the family, the great surfing or the spectacular scenery – think Cornwall, but without the congestion and crowds; and without the high prices too! Where will your Campervan adventure take you?
What do you think sets your glamping site apart from others?
Our beautifully restored original VW Campervans have been given makeovers other Campers can only dream about. Their Union Jack pop-tops were custom made by the last sail makers on the banks of the River Tyne and their curtain material was commissioned from Dogs N Dubs chief designer Marc Doyle, who even matched the colours to their paintwork!
There are no other Campervans in the world quite like our Henry, Tilly and Miss Scarlett!
We designed our business with our two year old daughter in mind, so our vehicles are not the ‘standard’ specification campervans available elsewhere. As well as being beautifully restored classic VW Campervans, all our Campervans are ‘family’ models – they have a double bed for 2 adults in the back, an enclosed bed for 2 children or 1 adult in the roof and a child (from age 3 to approx. age 7) bed in the front.
We have also upgraded all our Campervans from their original 1970s specification so that they now have modern seat belts to all seats (making them suitable for most makes of child seats), they are fully insulated with non-itch eco insulation, have automatic engine bay fire suppression systems fitted (as used in racing cars) as well as interior smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, fire blanket, fire extinguisher and full first aid kit.
Our Campervans have also had all their original gas pipes and regulators replaced and are inspected annually by an independent Gas Safe Registered engineer.
They are also kitted out with a DVD player, iPod/smartphone friendly CD player and tuner and, of course, they also come fully equipped with all the camping equipment you might need!
We aim to offer the best VW Campervans, restored and upgraded to the highest standards, with the best equipment and service.
What has been the most memorable moment that has happened on your glamping site?
We provided our Campervan Henry to the annual VW Festival at Harewood House in Yorkshire in 2013, who ended up starring in his own video and providing the Festival Host, TV and Radio Motoring Presenter Paul Woodford and his new wife Vicki, with ‘Honeymoon Accommodation’!
Over 16,000 people attended the Festival over the sunny August weekend, no doubt to see our Campervan and possibly some of the other VW cars, vans and campers on show!!!) Although his VW Festival video has now been watched over 10,000 times on YouTube, Henrys career in the movies started earlier in 2013 when he was chosen to star in the advertising campaign for the North York Moors National Park.
With the success of both 2013 films, we are happy to be working with both organisations again this year on some really exciting projects.
Do you provide any services/entertainment/activities onsite or elsewhere for your guests?
Castle Coast Campers gorgeous classic VW Campers are mainly hired by their guests for fun family holidays and fantastically romantic weekend breaks, but they have also been busy this year with some wonderful Weddings and Proms, as well as film and promotional work.
Being located in the centre of a farming community, Castle Coast Campers also offer a range of fabulous fresh food hampers stuffed full of local goodies such as artisan cheeses from nearby Sedgefield, vegetables fresh off the local farms, free range eggs (one of the hens likes to lay her eggs under Henry!), Dropswell Farms famous award winning sausages, and the best bacon for miles, along with a selection of beers from the likes of the Black Paw Brewery, Consett Ale Works and Nick Staffords Hambleton Ales, to name but a few of the local craft brewers.
Hampers are tailored to individual tastes and Castle Coast Campers also offer special occasion packages; organising flowers, chocolates, champagne, fabulous Campervan shaped cakes and cookies; in fact pretty much anything our guests want can be ready and waiting in the Campervan when they arrive.
What plans (if any) do you have for your glamping site in the future?
We have been amazed at how quickly the business has grown with 2013 being much busier than we expected having only set up in mid-2012 – and bookings for 2014 are already ahead of 2013!
It is exciting times at Castle Coast Campers and expansion plans for the business have now been brought forward again; the business will triple in size in 2014 with another classic VW Campervan currently undergoing restoration to meet the high standards needed before joining the fleet in time for summer 2014.
And there are big plans for 2015 too!
