The Camping and Caravanning Club has announced that it is planning a phased reopening of its campsites across the UK at the start of July.
The organisation is hoping to open to reopen sites in England on 4th July, in line with the government’s phase three plans of the lockdown exit roadmap, and will be releasing further information regarding sites in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland in due course.
The Camping and Caravanning Club manages over 2,000 campsites in the UK.
In a statement via its website, the organisation believes that: “we are well-placed to offer you a safe, enjoyable UK holiday, providing a much-needed break away from home” due to “being in the fresh air, the physical space between pitches and with additional social distancing measures [in place]”.
A comprehensive list of social distancing measures has also been released ahead of reopening.
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Measures the organisation intends to introduce include reducing the number of campers on site, a contactless check-in, a ban on group bookings, six-metre spaced pitches and markers placed on the floor to remind visitors.
The statement continues: “It’s important that we give our members a choice as to how they would like to camp, so we’ve introduced some new measures to help keep you and our teams safe.”
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“To allow us to operate our campsites in a responsible manner we have increased our cleaning regimes – this places extra demand on our teams and we have had to open some of our campsites without toilets and showers this season, these campsites are better suited to campers who can bring their own facilities.”
“We’ll only open facility blocks if we’re allowed to do so by the government, we will keep our website updated and let you know if anything changes.”
If you’re looking to plan your Great British ‘staycation’ this year, here’s the full list of The Camping and Caravanning Club campsites hoping to reopen next month:
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Open Campsites (with Facility Blocks)
Here are the Club Sites set to be open for the 2020 season with facility blocks available to use, however the reception, play areas, laundry facilities and other communal areas on the site will remain closed.
Alton The Star, Staffordshire
Ashbourne, Derbyshire
Blackmore, Malvern Hills
Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
Canterbury, Kent
Charmouth, Dorset
Chertsey, Surrey
Culzean Castle, Ayrshire
Dartmouth, Devon
Delamere Forest, Cheshire
Derwentwater, Lake District
Devizes, Wiltshire
Dingwall, Highlands
Drayton Manor, Staffordshire
Dunbar, East Lothian
Dunstan Hill, Northumberland
Hertford, Herfordshire
Horsley, Surrey
Keswick, Lake District
Kingsbury Water Park, Midlands
Loch Ness Shores, Inverness
Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire
Milarrochy Bay, Loch Lomond
Moffat, Dumfries and Galloway
Moreton, Dorset
Normans Bay, Sussex
Scarborough, Yorkshire
Scone, Tayside
Sennen Cove, Cornwall
Slapton Sands, Devon
Slingsby, Yorkshire
St Neots, Cambridgeshire
Theobalds Park, Hertfordshire
Tregurrian, Cornwall
Verwood, New Forest
West Runton, Norfolk
Winchcombe, Gloucestershire
Windermere, Lake District
Wolverley, Worcestershire
Wyeside, Powys
You can click here more information about each campsite listed.
Open Campsites (without Facility Blocks)
Here are the Club Sites set to be open for the 2020 season without facility blocks available to use.
If you do choose to stay on one of these sites, you will need to bring your own sanitation. Separate toilet tents can be used on your allocated pitch to accommodate your own chemical toilet. The reception, play areas, laundry facilities and other communal areas on the site will remain closed to help facilitate social distancing.
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All sites will provide access to fresh drinking water, a place to dispose of toilet waste such as a Chemical Disposal Point (CDP), motorhome service points and washing-up facilities.
Pitches will be available with electric hook-ups.
Bakewell, Derbyshire
Bala, Snowdonia
Barnard Castle, County Durham
Beadnell Bay, Northumberland
Bellingham, Northumberland (Open with facilities from 1st August)
Cannock Chase, Staffordshire
Cardigan Bay, Ceredidion
Cheddar, Somerset (Open with facilities from 1st August)
Chichester, Sussex
Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire
Clent Hills, Midlands
Clitheroe, Lancashire
Conkers, Derbyshire
Corfe Castle, Dorset
Crowborough, Sussex
Delamont Country Park, Northern Ireland
Ebury Hill, Shropshire
Graffham, Sussex
Hayfield, Derbyshire
Hereford, Herefordshire
Kendal, Lake District
Kessingland, Suffolk
Oxford, Oxfordshire
Polstead, Suffolk (Open with facilities from 1st August)
Ravenglass, Lake District
Rhandirmwyn, Carmarthenshire
Rosemarkie, Highlands
Salisbury, Wiltshire
Sandringham, Norfolk
Skye, Isle of Skye
Tarland, Aberdeenshire
Tavistock, Devon
Teversal, Nottinghamshire
Walton-on-Thames, Surrey
Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire
You can click here more information about each campsite listed.
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To read a full list of social distancing and health & safety measures being put in place ahead of reopening, please visit The Camping and Caravanning Club website here.
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The Camping and Caravanning Club is seeing public demand increasing and asks that you book in advance to guarantee your pitch.
Bookings made whilst sites are closed are fully flexible.
Manchester palaeontologist unearths bones of what may be the largest known marine reptile
Emily Sergeant
A Manchester-based palaeontologist has unearthed the bones of what may be the largest known marine reptile.
This new identification is a crucial part of a fascinating eight-year long discovery journey.
It all started when a seasoned fossil collector named Paul de la Salle found a giant jawbone on Lilstock Beach, near Bridgewater in Somerset, back in May 2016, and then father and daughter, Justin and Ruby Reynolds from Devon, found the first pieces of a second jawbone and another giant bone while searching for fossils on the beach at Blue Anchor, also in Somerset, in May 2020.
And now, a palaeontologist at the University of Manchester (UoM) Dr Dean Lomax, has identified the fossilised remains of the second gigantic jawbone that measures more than two metres long.
Experts have identified these bones as belonging to the jaws of a new species of enormous ichthyosaur – which is a type of prehistoric marine reptile – and astonishing estimations suggest the oceanic titan would have been more than 25-metres long.
Dr Lomax has been working together with Justin and Ruby Reynolds, along with Paul de la Salle and several family members, since the father-daughter duo first contacted them about their groundbreaking discovery in 2020.
“I was amazed by Justin and Ruby’s find,” Dr Lomax commented.
“In 2018, my team and Paul de la Salle studied and described Paul’s giant jawbone, and we had hoped that one day another would come to light.”
He explained that Justin and Ruby’s new specimen was “more complete and better preserved” than the first find, and that he “became very excited” at the chance to learn more following their discovery.
As mentioned, the Manchester-based research team, led by Dr Lomax, revealed that the jaw bones belong to a new species of giant ichthyosaur that would’ve been about the size of a blue whale, and they have called the new genus and species Ichthyotitan severnensis – which means ‘giant fish lizard of the Severn’.
The bones – which represent the very last of their kind – are around 202 million years old, and date back to the end of the Triassic Period in a time known as the Rhaetian.
During this time, the gigantic ichthyosaurs swam the seas while the dinosaurs walked on land.
The University of Manchester, where Dr Dean Lomax works as a palaeontologist / Credit: UoM
Ichthyotitan is not the world’s first giant ichthyosaur, but the discoveries by Paul, and Justin and Ruby, are said to be “unique among those known to science”, as they appear roughly 13 million years after their latest geologic relatives – including Shonisaurus sikanniensis from British Columbia in Canada, and Himalayasaurus tibetensis from Tibet in China.
Speaking on the confirmation of the bones’ identification this week, Dr Lomax said: “This research has been ongoing for almost eight years.
“It is quite remarkable to think that gigantic, blue whale-sized ichthyosaurs were swimming in the oceans around what was the UK during the Triassic Period.
“These jawbones provide tantalising evidence that perhaps one day a complete skull or skeleton of one of these giants might be found.”
Featured Image – UoM
News
Northern Quarter favourite Pie and Ale has sadly closed down
Danny Jones
Beloved Northern Quarter eatery and pub Pie and Ale has sadly and quietly closed its doors this week in yet another gutting bit of news for the Manc hospitality sector.
Known for its legendary homemade pies, great selections of ales, craft beers and lagers, not to mention a great little pub when it comes to watching live sport, it’s long been considered an NQ institution.
Unfortunately, however, as confirmed by a sign posted in the window, Pie and Ale has now closed for business after more than a decade.
Safe to say, we’re absolutely gutted, as we’re sure everyone else is.
Credit: The Manc Eats
While no official announcement has been made on their social media as yet, which will no doubt receive love and sadness from its loyal following, the sign in the window simply reads: “Pie and Ale has unfortunately ceased trading. Apologies for any inconvenience.”
The local favourite which was always hailed for being great value for money – celebrated especially for its popular pie and a pint for under a tenner deal – also served up great nibbles and light bites as well as dessert specials.
Although the Lever Street spot previously shut down for a short spell back in 2018 due to what they labelled as “unforeseen circumstances” before reopening just two months later, this latest update looks pretty definitive.
Sister-site Bakerie also ceased trading back in April 2019, with husband and wife founders, Alyson Doocey and David Cook, admitting that all independents had been “feeling the squeeze”.
While we have few other details at this stage, it does look like Pie and Ale has indeed closed down for the foreseeable future.
A mainstay on our list of the best pies in Manchester since day dot and just the latest in the list of losses in 2024 so far, they will be sorely missed.
We sincerely hope this is like last time and will keep our fingers crossed that we see the pie pros and expert pourers back in business at some point.