Member Article

Exclusive holiday lodge development in the heart of North Yorkshire enjoys stellar year

An upmarket holiday park in the North York Moors National Park has enjoyed an excellent year.

The 10-acre £500,000 Wayside Lakes development between Kirkbymoorside and Pickering is situated next to the popular Wayside Holiday Park. Both are owned by Yorkshire businessman Mark Goodson.

Mr Goodson, whose family are steeped in the entertainment business and ran iconic cinemas in Filey, Tadcaster and Sleaford, is hoping that 2019 will prove even more successful for Wayside Lakes.

The five-star development, whose focal point is two picturesque lakes, caters for up to 38 exclusive lodges. Already 16 lodges have been bought and are occupied on site, with strong interest coming in for others from across the north of England. Prices start from £60,000, rising to £120,000.

Mr Goodson commented: “2018 was a strong year for us. We sold four lodges, together with five static caravans, worth a total of nearly £400,000. This was despite the uncertainty of Brexit, the awful weather at the beginning of the season and the football World Cup, when everything stopped,” explained Mr Goodson.

“This time around, the late February weather has been amazing, Brexit may well encourage our key demographic, the Grey Pound, to holiday in the UK and there is no World Cup. We currently have three demonstration Lodges at Wayside Lakes and four new static caravans at the Holiday Park. We are already experiencing strong interest in both the Lakes and the Park.

“Last year was also notable for the fact that we were short-listed for two prestigious awards, the York Press Family Business of the Year and the Ryedale Family Business of the Year. It was extremely gratifying for Wayside to gain such recognition in the county,” he said.

Meanwhile Kevin Hollinrake, Conservative MP for Thirsk and Malton, is paying a visit to Wayside next month during National Tourism Week. He will be celebrating the success of the holiday park and honouring park manager Trevor Jones, who completes 30 years’ service at Wayside this year.

Mark Goodson commented: “We are delighted that Mr Hollinrake is visiting Wayside. We are proud of our contribution to tourism in Ryedale and look forward to showing our MP around. We will be telling him that the quality holiday lodge market is buoyant, and that an exclusive holiday park is an idea whose time has come.

“Currently the fall in the strength of the pound means that holidays abroad are markedly more expensive and the idea of a ‘staycation’ is increasingly attractive. What better than making that staycation permanent by investing in a high-quality but affordable lodge in beautiful surroundings?

“Most of our new owners are 50-plus, professional and white collar workers who are retired or semi-retired. They have decent pension pots and want a comfortable and attractive home, away from the bustling world, but close enough to beautiful countryside and sophisticated tourist attractions. They find our development fits this bill perfectly.

“Location, of course, is crucial,” said Mr Goodson. “Wayside Lakes is ideally situated within easy reach of Yorkshire’s breath-taking coastline, historic market towns, world-class heritage and mile upon mile of superb walking country. Set amid North Yorkshire’s rolling, wood-fringed fields, its peace and tranquillity are perfect for those who want to escape, relax and recharge their batteries.”

“We have enhanced this beauty and tranquillity, too, by creating a wildlife haven, with special wildlife walks, where nature is unfettered. We are already attracting nature-lovers and bird-spotters and we believe that our new lodge owners will find the natural environment incredibly uplifting and joyful.”

Run by three successive generations of the Goodson family, dedicated to personal service, quality and stewardship of the land, the original Wayside Holiday park development provides static caravan holiday home luxury, together with a provision for seasonal touring caravans.

Mr Goodson stressed that Wayside Holiday Park development was an intrinsic part of Yorkshire, not just because so many wonderful tourist attractions, such as the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and the Yorkshire coast, are on the doorstep, but also because all the suppliers and contractors of the development are local.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Robert Beaumont .