Devon park makes £1m waves at start of milestone year

East Devon's Ladram Bay Holiday Park is preparing to greet the 2018 season with a one million pound splash on a new water attraction and other guest facilities.

The multi-award winning park in Budleigh Salterton will be celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, and believes it could be busiest on record for the business.

Families will be able to benefit from a raft of new improvements and services on top of those already made Ladram Bay one of Devon's most popular park destinations.

They include a multi-activity outdoor splash zone alongside the park's main swimming pool, starring a line-up of fun activities for the children and grown-ups.

The 160-square metre splash zone will include interactive water features, spray guns and even a pirate ship for youngster to clamber over and explore.

There have also been upgrades and makeovers across other popular park features, including its amusement arcade, retail outlets, and beach shack.

In addition, this winter has seen Ladram Bay source even more South West suppliers for its restaurant, beach shack and takeaway, including locally brewed ales and farm-made ice creams.

The park enters its anniversary year with a wealth of accolades, including being honoured among the top three parks in the county in the 2017 Devon Tourism Awards.

The park, a former farm, has been owned by the Carter family for many decades, and in 1943 it began welcoming camping guests for the first time.

The outstanding views and the welcome provided by the owners soon cemented its popularity, and the family began to invest in new facilities and accommodation.

Today, guests have use of the park's many attractions, including a new indoor climbing wall as well as the swimming pool complex, and an adventure golf course.

Ladram Bay provides a wide range of holiday homes and leisure lodges to rent or own, glamping pods, and pitches for touring caravans, motorhomes and tents.

This winter, it has also invested in additional accommodation for hire and to buy, including a luxury holiday lodge with private hot-tub and dramatic views over the Jurassic Coast.

Ladram Bay director Zoe House, who is a member of the Carter family, said that everyone was looking forward to a sizzling new holiday season:

"We have been creating happy holiday memories here for over seventy-five years, and our guests now include those whose great grandparents first came here as youngsters!" she said.

"That's a great heritage of which we are extremely proud, and Ladram Bay has always had a policy of investing in new ways to improve our guests' experiences.

"But what hasn't changed is our strong commitment to creating a warm and friendly atmosphere, and it's this which guests mention most often in their reviews," added Zoe.

The park officially open its doors on Friday 16 March, and forward bookings are said to be "extremely strong". There is more information about the park at www.ladrambay.co.uk