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An Oxfordshire caravan and camping site has topped the list of popular farm-based attractions on leading booking platform Pitchup.com, despite being open for little more than two years.
The Old Dairy Farm Caravan and Camping site in Cropredy, near Banbury, has scored 9.3 out of 10 based on nearly 1,200 customer reviews on the booking site, making it one of the UK’s top farm-based campsites.
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Visitors praised the thoughtful layout of the site, the friendly staff, and the cleanliness of the facilities.
They also loved interacting with the farm animals, the child-friendly nature of the site, and the rustic farm feel.
Site owner Keon Petre said he and his wife Phillippa started the venture in August 2020 after a music festival in Cropredy, run by folk rockers Fairport Convention, was cancelled.
Mr and Mrs Petre provided a 10-acre field to the festival for campers to use, but when it was cancelled the entrepreneurial couple decided to launch their own caravan and campsite to supplement their farm and wedding business.
After listing it on Pitchup.com, it proved an instant success and was immediately booked up from the launch date on August 20 to the end of September.
Mr Petre said the initial success had taken them by surprise, but had also encouraged the couple to invest in better facilities to plan for a longer season in 2021.
He said: “We started during the pandemic when there was a huge demand for camping as people couldn’t go abroad, but we weren’t really prepared for how busy it was going to be.
“We were full for the end of August and September but it died off in October which enabled us to plan for 2021, our first full holiday season.
“Since then, we’ve remained really busy and have had some fantastic guests who have given us lots of great feedback.
“This has enabled us to improve their experience and we’ve even made new friends, people who come back time and again, which is lovely.”
Many people visit The Old Dairy Farm Caravan and Camping site for the animals they get to see, which includes pygmy goats, Saddleback pigs, chickens, an exotic bird aviary including parrots, parakeets, and lovebirds, and the couple’s birds of prey, which are mainly native owls.
The site also includes a large children’s play area, shop and café, and around 90 – 100 pitches spread out over the 10 acres to give every visitor plenty of space to enjoy.
Mr Petre added he was delighted to be voted one of the top sites on Pitchup.com, especially after only being open for a couple of seasons.
This story was written by Matthew Norman, he joined the team in 2022 as a Facebook community reporter.
Matthew covers Bicester and focuses on finding stories from diverse communities.
Get in touch with him by emailing: Matthew.norman@newsquest.co.uk
Follow him on Twitter: @OxMailMattN1
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