A campsite run by Bristol businessman Jules Sayer and his family has fought off competition from more than 1,000 sites across the country to be named as the top seller by an independent guide.
Visitor numbers at Petruth Paddocks in Cheddar have soared by an amazing 500% over the past year – earning it top billing on Pitchup.com, a free guide on camping and caravanning in the UK and Ireland.
Some 1,388 bookings were made at Petruth Paddocks between January and September.
Jules, who also works as a sales and operation director at Pill-based accounting software company Symmetry/bluQube, said: “It’s a seal of approval for all the effort we have put in. We are very grateful to all our visitors who have told other people about it and written great reviews.”
Petruth Paddocks in Cheddar competed against 1,050 other sites and outshone its nearest competitor in bookings by 23%.
The campsite, which now offers 200 pitches and two tipis, started out as a hobby for Jules, his wife Sandra and their children Kelly, 23, and Steve, 21.
But visitor numbers have soared from around 30 a year to 12,000 since it opened in 2003.
Visitor numbers were up by 10,000 last year alone. Turnover has also increased by nearly four-fold from £33,000 last year to £130,000 in 2014.
Jules bought the first 14 acres of land 13 years ago. He then bought a further 14 acres the following year at a total cost of £180,000.
He used inheritance money from his late parents, Peter and Ruth, and named the site Petruth in their memory.
Sandra, who also runs her own skin care and make-up consultancy, said: “We loved the whole atmosphere of a campsite. We mix with a range of people, from scaffolders to solicitors, from all across the country.”
“We welcome families and groups of young people. It’s a carefree place where people come to relax and enjoy the outdoors.”
Dan Yates, founder of Pitchup.com, which was judged Best UK Travel Website of the Year in 2011, said: “Petruth Paddocks has rocketed to the top of our best sellers list this year, thanks to its excellent location and customer-focused team.”
Pictured, from left: The Sayer family – Steve, Sandra, Jules and Kelly Sayer, with Kelly’s boyfriend, Dan Kostyla
