The 50 year history of Widdicombe Farm

2023 sees adult-only Widdicombe Farm Touring Park celebrate 50 years in business.

To mark this major milestone, we take a look back at the history of this quality campsite on the English Riviera.

Widdicombe Farm originally started in 1973, opened by Gordon and Thelma Glynn, with camping in one field at 25p per person per night. There was a small toilet block with flushing toilets which was quite something in those days. Most of the people camping were young and wanted to go into Torquay to visit the local night clubs. Gordon laid on a bus service to get them in and out of town. Shortly after they all arrived back on the bus, Thelma would walk round in her pyjamas telling people to keep the noise down.

The reception has evolved over the years. Starting out as a shed on the driveway, that changed to a small Greendale caravan, where Thelma and on occasion her father, would greet each arrival with beaming smiles. Then, with the caravan gone, booking in was moved to the farmhouse conservatory. Now that was real comfort.

Gordon was very busy rearing pigs, and growing his own vegetables on the land to supply his fruit and vegetable mobile delivery round. He really enjoyed himself when they converted a small building on the park into a shop. He often reminds people that Sunday was always a cracking day for the shop as there was no Sunday trading permitted in regular shops in the 70s. Many a time the shop sold out of cornflakes, and on one particular Saturday in 1976, they sold 800 pints of milk!

Never ones to miss an opportunity, in the early 80s Gordon and Thelma converted an old caravan into a fish and chip van and this was start of cooked food being sold at the campsite. In 1986 the first takeaway and shop was built, and this is where Poppies Restaurant still stands today.

1987 saw the real changes to the site, when the whole camping area was landscaped to make the terraces that Widdicombe Farm has today. Toilet and shower blocks were built at the top and bottom of the park in 1988. In 1989 The Old Hayloft Bar was built. All the furniture was second hand and purchased from the nearby closed Pontins holiday camp.

Access was greatly improved in 1990 with the introduction of the new ring road dual carriageway. In 1995 reception paperwork was too much for Thelma’s little office so a purpose built reception was made next to the restaurant/shop and in 2009 it expanded again with the extended office.

The most recent major change to Widdicombe Farm came in 2022, with the completion of a new, large and dedicated reception, including the shop, at the top of the newly designed entrance and driveway.