In 2019 after a long journey we were finally granted planning permission for a brand new campsite on our families old farming land. During the application process the biggest hurdle we faced was the protected round barrow situated at the entrance of our site. It only seemed right that we named the site after it; plus Anchor Barrow Campsite had a pretty good ring to it. We knew it was going to be a challenge with a lively 1 year old boy (Rex) and a surprise little on the way, but challenge accepted!

We started with a blank canvas, a vision, along with 2 fields, 16 acres and an old barn. The first part of the project were the services, easier said than done. We had an old water feed for the cattle but that was all. We upgraded the water pipes, brought in a new electric supply and installed a massive 34000 litre septic tank with a 550m drainage field. The fields were like a scene from a war film with trenches, mud and pits everywhere.

The toilet block build itself was a battle during one of the wettest winters on record. It unfortunately set us back a few weeks . We frequently joked with the builders that as soon as it was complete the sun would come out, how right we were! The sun came out and lockdown loomed. On completion of most of the general groundwork’s we set to repair the camping fields and reseed all of the damaged areas. From that moment we literally had no rain for basically the next 3 months. Stress levels were high! Lockdown slowed us down but we kept going. It felt like everything was against us. With the pandemic sweeping the country our opening date had to be pushed back which thankfully gave us more time to get our site how we wanted it.

Not Long after Boris made the announcement, we could open on July 4th 2020. We were hit with an overwhelming tsunami of bookings. We held off getting any software as were unsure if we would be ready/ given the green light to open so an excel spread sheet would have to do. How Levi managed to get to the opening date without a grey hair is quite frankly a miracle.

Our site opened on time with the first keen campers arriving from 8am in the morning. Juggling a new business in strange covid times, two destructive storms, the butchers and two children under 2 it was an intense summer. We knew there would be teething problems but tried to fix them as quickly as possible. We were totally blown away by how kind our campers were baring with us as we winged our way through our first season. We must also thank our family, friends and this years Anchor Barrow team for their hard work and support we do not know how we would have coped without you!

We started with a basic plan as new campsite owners. A simple site with quality facilities and a relaxed atmosphere. We have listened to all the amazing feedback that we received and we are constantly looking at new ideas and solutions to ensure that our campers have the best experience possible on our site.

Thanks for reading,
The Anchor Barrow Team (Tony, Levi, Rex, Norah and our Spaniels Angus and Ralph)

Work In Progress…

We will update you with future plans and works as we make improvements as we go….