Inside the oldest holiday park in the UK with adventure village, indoor swimming pool and nearby beach
WHILE there are lots of new holiday parks and lodges popping up all over the country, there are other places that have stood the test of time.
One of those is Caister-on-sea Holiday Park in Norfolk, which first opened in 1906 - making it the oldest holiday park in the country.
John Fletcher Dodd opened the site, which was then called Dodd's Socialist Holiday Camp, in a bid to provide cheap holidays to families in East London.
Holidaymakers flocked to the Great Yarmouth holiday park because of its accessibility to neighbouring sandy beaches.
Strict rules banned alcohol, gambling, and children under the age of two from being on the site.
While only a handful of tents were on the site at the time, the holiday park expanded into chalet structures after the First World War.
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The holiday camp even had a large dance hall - big enough to accommodate more than a thousand dancers.
After World War Two, the accommodation at Caister Holiday Park was upgraded again, with a bar and entertainment facilities being introduced too.
Other facilities like shops, bingo halls, and sports halls also started appearing.
And, a specialist train also ran from Liverpool Street Station in London to the holiday camp on Saturdays during the summer holidays.
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The route ran from London to Caister-on-Sea via Cambridge, Ely, Norwich, and Wroxham until the line and station closed in 1959.
Caister-on-sea Holiday Park is now owned by Haven, and it is home to a number of caravans and deck houses.
Despite the easy access to a nearby beach, the holiday park also has an indoor swimming pool.
The Holiday Park was recently renovated to include an Adventure Village, which has been introduced to several Haven Holiday Parks across the UK.
The Adventure Village includes outdoor facilities, such as an aerial adventure course, as well as The Jump – a six-metre-high freefall experience onto an airbag.
A selection of food and drink bars also form part of the village experience.
Haven currently has UK holidays on sale from £3pp per night.
Meanwhile, a little-known holiday park was recently crowned the best in the UK thanks to its all-inclusive free drinks and West End-style shows.
Potters Resorts, which is a family-run holiday park, took the top spot in a survey published by Which? - the Consumer Watchdog.
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And, a new holiday park could soon open in the UK, with luxury holiday lodges, lakeside views, and a restaurant.
Work has already started on Widdrington Lakes Holiday Park in Northumberland.
