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Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Daily Mirror
UK caravan park 'just a short walk' from one of country's best beaches
Melvich Bay Caravan Park covers 25 acres and is located on the north coast of Sutherland on the world-famous North Coast 500 scenic driving route As July reaches its end, the summer season is swiftly passing by, signalling that now's the time to snap up a family holiday before autumn makes an appearance. Scotland's staycation scene is bursting with potential, offering everything from serene woodland escapes to lively seaside adventures – the choice is yours. Yet, for many, the charm of a classic caravan park remains unbeatable. Melvich Bay Caravan Park, a newcomer already receiving rave reviews, stands out as a prime destination. Nestled on the north coast of Sutherland and gracing the famed North Coast 500 route, this 25-acre haven for caravans and campervans boasts nearly 70 per cent occupancy, according to the team on the ground. Angus Forbes, a local farmer and director who opened the park in March alongside two co-directors, said: "Demand from visitors has been exceptional. Customer satisfaction has been overwhelming and we're heading towards 66 per cent occupancy on the site." Forbes expressed surprise at the park's rapid success, saying: "We were only expecting 25 per cent occupancy in the first three months. We've even had an enquiry from a couple interested in coming up from the central belt to get married on our park-which is unexpected-but flattering!". With sweeping views of Orkney and the North Atlantic Ocean, Melvich Bay Caravan Park is just "a short walk away" from the quaint village of Melvich and the idyllic sands of Melvich Beach, reports the Daily Record. According to the Daily Record, Melvich Beach has recently been recognised amongst Scotland's finest coastal destinations by The Times, with the publication celebrating the bay as perfectly suited for motorhomes and describing it as a "wide curve of ochre sand". The proprietors of Melvich Bay Caravan Park established their venture to tackle the lack of accommodation options for tourists exploring the increasingly sought-after North Coast 500 route, with aspirations to build their customer base through word-of-mouth and the allure of their scenic locations. The facility boasts 30 pitches spanning 12 square metres each, catering to campervans, motorhomes and fellow travellers, with overnight rates set at £35 and including contemporary washroom facilities plus chemical waste disposal services. Amongst satisfied guests is Kelvin Pitt, who penned a glowing Google review declaring the beachfront vista as "second to none" and stating he would "recommend this site all day long". With visitor numbers exceeding projections, management are prioritising eco-friendly tourism practices, as evidenced by director Malcolm Morrison's correspondence to local authorities including Highland and Islands Enterprise and Highland Council, advocating for the Leave No Trace initiative - which encourages North Coast 500 tourists to remove their rubbish - to be "beefed-up". Morrison penned: "The North Coast 500's Leave No Trace policy already makes it clear on its website that illegal disposal of waste is unacceptable, but it is the belief of my co-directors and I that a substantially beefed-up campaigning should be developed and broadcast widely throughout the region ahead of this year's busy tourist season." He continued: "While thousands of annual visitors to our Highland communities have been an economic boon, the environmental disruption of litter and, worse, recklessly discarded biological waste, has been a rightful source of local complaint."
Daily Record
14-07-2025
- Daily Record
The Scottish caravan park 'just a short walk' from one of country's best beaches
One visitor described the views as "second to none". As we enter the middle of July, the summer season is officially halfway over. That means time is running out to book a family holiday before autumn rolls around. When it comes to staycations in Scotland, the only limit is your imagination. Whether you are looking for a quiet woodlands retreat or a fun coastal getaway, you have plenty of options. However, sometimes nothing beats a good old-fashioned caravan park. One new park that has already earned positive reviews from visitors is Melvich Bay Caravan Park. The 25-acre caravan and campervan park is located along the north coast of Sutherland, on the popular North Coast 500 scenic driving route. According to staff, the site is approaching 70 per cent occupancy. Director and local farmer Angus Forbes, who launched the business in March with two co-directors, commented: "Demand from visitors has been exceptional. Customer satisfaction has been overwhelming and we're heading towards 66 per cent occupancy on the site. "We were only expecting 25 per cent occupancy in the first three months. We've even had an enquiry from a couple interested in coming up from the central belt to get married on our park—which is unexpected—but flattering!" Melvich Bay Caravan Park benefits from panoramic views of Orkney and the North Atlantic Ocean. It lies on the outskirts of the village of Melvich, "a short walk away" from the sandy Melvich Beach. As reported by the Daily Record, Melvich Beach was recently named among the best beaches in Scotland by The Times. The newspaper praised the bay for being well-suited to campervans and described it as a "wide curve of ochre sand". Melvich Bay Caravan Park owners launched the business to address a shortage of facilities for travellers on the increasingly popular North Coast 500 route. They hope to grow bookings month by month on reputation, recommendations, and the appeal of its pitches. The park features 30 pitches of 12 square metres for camper vans, motorhomes, and other visitors. It charges £35 for an overnight stay, with amenities including modern toilet and shower facilities and chemical waste disposal. Among the happy visitors to Melvich Bay Caravan Park are Kelvin Pitt, whose Google review describes the outlook of the beach as "second to none". The holidaymaker adds that he would "recommend this site all day long". With demand well ahead of expectations, the directors are increasing their focus on sustainable tourism. In a letter sent to local stakeholders, including Highland and Islands Enterprise and Highland Council, Melvich Bay Caravan Park director Malcolm Morrison calls for the Leave No Trace campaign—which urges North Coast 500 holidaymakers to take their litter home—to be "beefed-up". Morrison wrote: "The North Coast 500's Leave No Trace policy already makes it clear on its website that illegal disposal of waste is unacceptable, but it is the belief of my co-directors and I that a substantially beefed-up campaigning should be developed and broadcast widely throughout the region ahead of this year's busy tourist season." He added: "While thousands of annual visitors to our Highland communities have been an economic boon, the environmental disruption of litter and, worse, recklessly discarded biological waste, has been a rightful source of local complaint."
Business Wire
10-07-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Zephyr Cove Resort Earns Environmental Accolades, Leads Fourth of July Cleanup at Lake Tahoe
PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Zephyr Cove Resort, operated by Aramark Destinations, announced today a pair of major environmental achievements and the success of its July Fourth cleanup efforts – underscoring the resort's leadership in protecting Lake Tahoe's shoreline. Through award-winning environmental practices and impactful waste reduction initiatives, the resort continues to set the standard for clean beaches and responsible recreation. 'At Aramark, we believe that environmental responsibility is fundamental to delivering exceptional guest experiences, and we're proud to support places that inspire people to connect with the outdoors in meaningful ways,' said Sasha Day, President & CEO of Aramark Destinations. 'Zephyr Cove Resort's recent designations and holiday cleanup efforts reflect the kind of leadership and community spirit that help keep Lake Tahoe clean and cherished by all who visit.' Among Zephyr Cove Resort's latest milestones are two prestigious designations: Leave No Trace Gold Standard Hospitality Designation: The highest honor awarded to organizations that exemplify best practices in outdoor ethics and environmental education. This recognition highlights Zephyr Cove's leadership in minimizing ecological impact and promoting sustainable tourism. Tahoe Blue Beach Member Designation: As part of the pioneering Tahoe Blue Beach program launched by Keep Tahoe Blue, this designation recognizes Zephyr Cove's proactive role in reducing pollution, enhancing beach infrastructure, and fostering a culture of environmental responsibility. The program, developed in collaboration with the USDA Forest Service and local stakeholders, is the first of its kind focused on sustainable beach management. Building on these achievements, Zephyr Cove Resort reaffirmed its commitment to environmental stewardship during the busy Fourth of July weekend. Staff and volunteers engaged visitors by emphasizing Leave No Trace principles and responsible recreation practices, handing out recycling bags on entry and running a 'recycle store' where guests turned in their recycling or compost in exchange for engaging prizes. Following a safe and successful Independence Day celebration, the resort participated in Keep Tahoe Blue's annual 'Keep Tahoe Red, White & Blue Beach Cleanup' on July 5. With the support of 72 volunteers, Zephyr Cove Resort removed over 85 pounds of litter, marking a 48 percent reduction compared to 2024. Since the debut of the public cleanup initiative at the site, litter collected at the site has decreased by an impressive 97 percent. These outcomes reflect the resort's dedication to the Tahoe Blue Beach program's 'Three E's' framework: Education through signage and visitor engagement Engineering of infrastructure to reduce environmental impact Enforcement of responsible recreation practices These efforts were made possible through the support of valued partners and sponsors, including Keep Tahoe Blue, Leave No Trace, Eco-Products, Kastlfel, Keurig Dr Pepper, PepsiCo, and Progressive Insurance – each playing a vital role in promoting sustainability and enhancing the guest experience. Zephyr Cove Resort has also expanded its eco-friendly amenities with the installation of new bike racks, waste disposal stations, portable restrooms, handwashing stations, improved signage, enhanced parking infrastructure, water refill stations, cigarette disposal canisters, a dog bag station, and an upgraded wayfinding map. The resort has fully transitioned to reusable and compostable products, further contributing to a cleaner Lake Tahoe. 'Our team is deeply dedicated to protecting Lake Tahoe's natural beauty while creating memorable experiences for our guests,' said Kevin Schiesz, Tahoe District Manager for Aramark Destinations. 'These continued efforts are a testament to what's possible when community, innovation, and environmental responsibility come together.' Zephyr Cove Resort will continue working with local partners to align environmental goals with the region's economic vitality and tourism strategies – ensuring Lake Tahoe remains a national treasure for generations to come. About Aramark Destinations Aramark Destinations provides authentic experiences in the outdoors aimed to inspire, restore, and connect. For more information about Aramark's work in parks and destinations, or to plan your next outdoor adventure, visit
Irish Independent
01-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Sligo remains ahead of the game in terms of promoting its tracks and trails
And there was plenty of discussion about trail development, as well as engagement and sharing of ideas, much of which will be relevant as Sligo plans its future developments and broadens its trail offering. In the first instance, there was lots of interest in the Sligo Walks stand which was manned throughout the day. More than 250 delegates were in attendance and many came to ask about the wide range of promotional activity Sligo Walks carry out to ensure that the walks are among the most prominent activities for both locals and visitors to the county. Indeed, several other counties approached to say that they had looked in detail at the Sligo Walks website and overall structure when building their own trail promotion model, which was very heartening to hear. The comments varied from enquiries about the impact of the various methods we use to engage and inform walkers, from signage to video and podcasting, through to suggestions on how to tweak and improve the service, all of which was very welcome. Indeed, there are lots of areas in which Sligo has gone a step or two ahead of many other counties. This includes the creation of our ever-popular pocket maps, illustrated by Annie West, which are delivered the length and breadth of the county. What began as a small project has now expanded to 16 separate walks maps which are distributed not only to hotels and tourist offices around the county but in more recent times to counties Mayo, Roscommon, Leitrim and Donegal. These colourful and informative pocket maps include illustrations, details about the walk and trail specific information. Especially during the tourist season, we receive increasing requests from the service industry to provide these maps, and they are also a good barometer of where our most popular walks are situated. When you add this information to the data collected from walks counters at different locations around the county, they are a very useful asset in terms of future planning and the provision of walks infrastructure. The conference was expertly led by MC Ella McSweeney of RTÉ and included a number of keynote addresses, including by Dara Calleary TD, Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht (whose team organised the conference) and by Una May, CEO of Sport Ireland. Some of the most interesting presentations at the conference included the topics 'Responsible Behaviour in the Outdoors' and 'Best Practice in Outdoor Recreation.' A panel of experts was assembled who took questions about the challenging issue of how to engender respect and responsibility in walkers on our trails and how to avoid congestion, adhere to Leave No Trace principles and how to foster respect for landowners and other trail users. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more These are perennial issues, particularly since Covid and the resulting rise in walking numbers. And while all of the speakers raised different suggestions about ways to tackle these problems, the solutions really came down to two areas - education and respect. By engaging with walkers from a young age, this should foster a healthy relationship with the countryside. And respect relates to not just the environment, ensuring we leave the trail as we found it, bringing home our rubbish and that of our pet and ensuring we adhere to local advice and signage, but that we also have respect for our fellow walkers and for the landowners who in many cases allow free access to their land. This can be interpreted as simply showing a courtesy to other walkers as well as ensuring that gates are closed after us. It was also very interesting to hear from groups, communities and providers who have given their time, commitment and passion to develop walking experiences around the country. This covered a multitude of areas and there is no doubt that - based on their feedback - there are lots of opportunities out there for people who want to create a niche market in walking tourism. We heard from Martin O'Brien of the Barrow Valley Activities Hub in Kilkenny, who described the years of work that the community in Graiguenamanagh have done in relation to the development of walking and other public amenities in their locality, and the success that has ensued in terms of significant increases (as well as management) in the numbers of walkers that come to visit them. Aisling Hubbard gave a great talk about engagement in outdoor activities with marginalised groups as part of the Wicklow Travellers Outdoor programme. Kieran Reilly spoke about the Croagh Patrick Ambassador Programme - which led to a conversation as to how we might develop a similar programme in Sligo, particularly to protect our Neolithic landscape and Queen Maeve's Cairn, for example. These and other topics were covered during what was a busy day, which came to an end much too quickly, with follow up calls and conversations scheduled for the weeks ahead. As part of the breakout discussion group we took part in, great interest was shown in a recent Sligo initiative developed by Aidan McCormack and Sligo County Council involving the use of Artificial Intelligence to create walking experiences and the use of a QR-based audio guides at Hazelwood (we plan to return to both of these topics in more detail in the future). Based on the feedback and interest we had in both of these areas, Sligo continues to be ahead of the game in terms of online tools relating to trail development and promotion. It was great to engage with people from so many parts of the country, and it was also good to see Sligo well represented, from Fáilte Ireland to Sligo Sports and Recreation Partnership as well as Sligo Walks itself. The information gained will be a valuable resource as we strive to constantly improve our walking trails. And significantly, when you consider the experts that attended the conference and their willingness to share first hand experiences, it's evident that among the walking community, there's a great willingness to work together to improve the entire network of walks and trails.
Daily Record
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Netflix fans have less than a week to watch highest rated Rotten Tomatoes film of all time
Netflix is removing one of the highest rated movies of all time which movie fans won't want to miss before it's gone. Netflix fans have been warned that one perfect scoring film is leaving the streaming platform in just a few days time. Leave No Trace has snagged a 100 per cent score on Rotten Tomatoes but viewers have less than a week to watch the film before its taken off the streaming platform on June 30. The 2018 film follows a father and his teenage daughter who live deep in a municipal forest in Portland, Oregon and need to rely on survival skills to make it through their day to day lives. However, after they are seen by a member of public, their world is turned upside down as they are suddenly dragged back into the real world. Will, played by Ben Foster, suffers from PTSD after serving in the armed forces and he and his daughter, Tom, played by Thomasin McKenzie, struggle as they try to adapt to normal life. The movie follows their tumultuous journey after being discovered by authorities living off the grid, exploring their relationship and love itself, without becoming overly sentimental. Directed by Debra Granik, Leave No Trace was the highly anticipated follow-up to Winter's Bone, which featured Jennifer Lawrence in her breakout role, and was released eight years before in 2010, the Mirror reports. Granik also scored another impressive 100 per cent score on Rotten Tomatoes for her documentary Stray Dogs about dog lover, motorbiker and veteran Ron Hall. Granik's double achievement is highly admirable considering the 100 per cent approval rating does not come around often. In fact only 68 films can claim the honour and when you think about how many movies exist, it makes the accolade that much more impressive. Only two titles from 2024 have made the list including All We Imagine as Light by Payal Kapadia, and Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl. Other famous films that have managed to snag a perfect score include Toy Story, Two Story Two, 12 Angry Men, Before Sunrise, Singin' in the Rain, Cool Hand Luke, The Terminator and Pinocchio. Leave No Trace has 252 reviews and they were all positive with one critic writing: "Leave No Trace, in the biggest of ironies, leaves the greatest of traces upon us." Join the Daily Record's WhatsApp community here an d get the latest news sent straight to your messages Another penned: "Leave No Trace is further evidence Granik is one of the most talented directors around - and Ben Foster ranks among the finest and most intense actors working today." A third remarked about the film: "Granik is one of the most distinctive filmmaking voices we have; I'd love to see her make more features but I'm also glad she takes the time to do them right." Leave No Trace is set to leave Netflix in just a few days time so viewers need to be fast if they want to catch the film before it goes.
