CARAVAN PARKS PREPARE FOR ACTION HOLIDAYS

Olympic-inspired Britons on holiday next year will be swapping their deckchairs for diving boards, their loungers for lawn tennis, and their sun-hats for cycling helmets.

That's the view of holiday parks surveyed by the Best of British group which recently set out to assess the likely legacy of this year's Olympic Games.

The responses from the 50 independent Best of British parks in the group showed that a significant number were already getting prepared to welcome more sports-minded visitors.

 Examples include a new cycle path - called the ‘Wiggins Way’ - at Plassey Leisure Park in North Wales, and a new tennis court for guests at Stroud Hill Park in Cambridgeshire.

Other parks too are gearing up for families who will see their holidays as a chance to enjoy one of the sports popularised by this year's Olympics and Paralympics.

Activities such as horse-riding, cycling, swimming, sailing, rowing and archery are also among the opportunities which parks say they will be providing.

‘Our findings suggest that this year will have changed completely the dynamics of the traditional British holiday,’ says Best of British chairman Claire Jeavons.

 Ms Jeavons’ own park, Beverley Holidays in Paignton, South Devon, is currently forging sporting links for next year with local providers of activities, from sub-aqua and surfing to pony trekking and sand sailing.

Many parks in membership of Best of British, most of which are family owned and with top tourist board grades, also provide on-site sporting facilities such as swimming pools and cycle hire.

For more information, www.Bob.org.uk.

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