Meet the owners - Briarfields Motel & Touring Park

This adults only site is less than four miles from Regency Cheltenham and only six miles from Gloucester. We spoke to Briarfields Motel and Touring Park's owners, Jo and Scott, to find out more about this site on the edge of the pretty Cotswolds.

How long have you been running your campsite for?
Just over 10 years.

How did you first become owners of the site/what made you want to own and run a campsite?
We’ve always really enjoyed camping; when we lived in Lancashire we used to spend nearly every weekend in the summer months walking and mountain biking in the Lake District, then heading back to camp for a hot shower and a barbecue. Since our early camping trips we’ve camped the length and breadth of the UK, Canada and New Zealand to name a few and always hoped that we’d be able to run a camp of our very own.

Tell us a little about your site and how it first began?
Scott’s parents used to have a campsite in Cornwall for a few years prior to their retirement. The agent brought Briarfields to their attention a few months later as they knew that we were looking for a park to purchase and Briarfields was just down the road. We’ve never looked back...

What did you do before becoming the owners of this site?
Jo studied computer science at university before becoming a business analyst and Scott was a HGV driver trainer.

What do you like most about being a campsite owner/manager?
Variety... every day is different! We just love seeing our guests getting out and about for a little culture in Cheltenham and Gloucester or getting off the bus laden with shopping bags. Seeing guests relaxing in the sunshine is just brilliant.

What are the challenges?
The major challenge for us is that there are just not enough hours in the day; our ‘to do lists’ are endless. Being open all year it’s always tricky to do major works on site. The park needed a huge amount of investment over the first five years and the past few years we’ve been able to make the enhancements we had on our very first ‘to do list’.

What is a typical day like for you?
We really enjoy the variety of jobs that need doing. We can be out on the park for days at a time gardening, cleaning washrooms, decorating motel rooms, marketing and fixing broken toilets… there is no typical day; every day is unique which is just brilliant.

What do feel makes your site special and appealing to the guests who return every year?
Our guests return time and time again as they love the feel of the site. The variety of plant and bird life is vast for a semi-rural/urban park.

Cheltenham is proud to be known as the Festival town and is home to more than 35 festivals/major events each year. Cheltenham offers an abundance of restaurants from street food to Michelin starred fine dining.

Gloucester is a cathedral city and is Britain’s most inland port, steeped in history dating back to Roman times. It boasts many museums and attractions. The magnificent gothic cathedral is the site of Henry III’s coronation and the final resting place of King Edward XI.

Gloucester Docks and Quayside is a shopper’s paradise with an abundance of eateries set against a backdrop of the beautifully restored Victorian warehouse and Gloucester Sharpness Canal.

What do you love about the region your site is based in? Do you have any favourite locations/attractions?
Ooh there are so many; where do we begin? We feel so lucky to live in the beautiful Cotswolds and are surrounded by rolling hills. Cheltenham is fabulous for a spot of retail therapy and there is a huge array of different eateries. Can’t beat a stomp with the dog on Leckhampton Hill; on a clear day you can see as far as the Malvern Hills and Forest of Dean.

What do you like to do on a rare day off?
We’re both really outdoorsy and enjoy long cycle rides around the Cotswold villages and walking the dog along the Cotswold Way. As a little treat sometimes we’ll book a lunchtime swim at the fabulous Cheltenham Lido which is an outdoor 50-metre Olympic pool – it’s the best place to be on a sunny day in Cheltenham.