Blog
12th March 2024
We would like to say see you later and thankyou to all of our lovely campers. We have loved meeting you all over the last 21years, we have made some amazing lifelong friends from our regular campers who have visited us right from the early years. The memories we hold of you all will stay with us forever. It has been a privilege sharing this small part of Arran with you. The Bells
Robin Bell
Owner and Maintenance
Christine Bell RIP
Owner and taking it easy most of the time
Elizabeth Bell
Manager and daughter of Robin and Christine
Morgan Bell
Chief Grasscutter and Elizabeth's son
10th March 2024
Introducing to you our lovely new owners Kevin and Pamela Prunty, they are regular campers themselves so you will be in safe hands. Please bare with us through this handover period, it is going to take a few weeks to get the systems transferred and setup; please for now continue phoning and emailing your booking enquiries through to us. I will still be around for a couple of weeks helping with the handover. Elizabeth
10th January 2024
Happy New Year. After going back up for sale the campsite and cottages were immediately back under offer. The sale is moving at quite some pace and we are hoping to handover to new owners at the beginning of March. Due to the transfer of ownership all bookings are being taken via phone or email. Once the new owners are moved in they will setup the new season on the booking system. Elizabeth
27th October 2023
Unfortunately our buyers are stuck in a chain and are not in a position to move forward with the sale, we have had to make the difficult decision to put the campsite back up for sale. watermans.co.uk/property/id-204684/
13th April 2023
We are now under offer and all being well the new owners will take over in October. They will continue running the site as a touring site, we will give you more information as and when we can. In the meantime Robin and Elizabeth will continue to run the site for their final season, they hope to see all their regulars and say hello to new faces.
It's official we are For Sale.
As a family we have put so much love, time and energy into the campsite. It was my Mother's dream and as a family we helped make that come true. It's now time to find someone who will love it just as much.
We are still open and taking bookings for the coming season.
Christine Bell's funeral is on the 6th September 2022 at 1.30pm, Holmsford Bridge Crematorium, Dreghorn, Irvine. Followed by a wake at Riverside Lodge Hotel Irvine at 2.15pm. If you wish to attend please let us know 07881400064.
22nd August 2022
It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Christine Bell. Please bear with us whilst we as a family are grieving we are still trying to keep the campsite open. The campsite was Christine's dream and gave her years of happiness, meeting, welcoming and getting to know all the campers we have had over the years; many have become family friends.
25th to 30th May 2022
Unfortunately our original septic tank of nearly 18yrs decided it needed replacing. We don't have mains sewage here so we are reliant on tanks to hold the waste. This is one of the reasons we ask that you don't put anything down the toilet or chemical disposal point apart from human waste and toilet paper (NO WIPES). A septic tank with the right bacteria will never need emptying but introduce wipes especially the ones that contain plastics it will need to be emptied regularly which is expensive. Thank you to local business Murchie Sand and Gravel Ltd for all your hard work.
10,000 litre tank
being delivered.
It looks a bit like a submarine.
A very big hole needed
Took a lot of digging
Concrete bed for the tank to sit on.
Tank now being filled with water.
Still being filled with water.
Now it has to be
surrounded by gravel.
The tank is then covered in soil, which then needs to be landscaped and seeded for new grass to grow.
We often get asked about the drying tent, that is in our back garden. Here is a wee video all about it from the makers www.shielingdryer.co.uk
21/04/22
We now sell Arran Milk, the cows that make the milk are 2 miles down the road at Tigheanfraoch Farm, Blackwaterfoot; can't get much more local than that.
It is £1.30 per litre but if you just want a cup full to pour over your cereal we can sell you just a cup full. We have branded bottles that make a great souvenir, they are £2 each. If you do not wish to keep the bottle you can return it before you go home and we will refund you £1.50.
December 2021 Merry Christmas to all our campers past and future, we hope the New Year brings better times for all.
24th September 2021
We are now recruiting for next year, please get in touch with Elizabeth if you would like to join our happy team at Bridgend.
Seasonal Wardens required for 2022.
From April to end of October 2022.
2 days a week and holiday cover.
Free pitch and expenses.
Duties include taking bookings, checking guests in, cleaning toilet blocks, keeping site clean and tidy and assisting with guests queries.
You get to enjoy stunning views from your pitch and explore the beautiful Isle of Arran when you are not on duty. Own Motorhome/ Caravan is required.
2nd May 2021
It's lovely seeing the campsite coming back to life and everyone enjoying themselves. Thankyou to our lovely happy campers this bank holiday weekend.
Thursday 1st April 2021
The improvements are coming along nicely, although completion of pitch 8 is on hold due to Richard helping with lambing at Bellevue Farm; it needs a bit more hardcore and compacting. Robin is busy as ever, he's adding more hookups on site; hopefully every pitch will have an electric hookup point when we are able to reopen on 26th April.
The grass has received it's first feed this week, to help it grow nice and strong to cope with tents, vehicles, feet and paws. Seed is sown in areas that have become worn and not recovered.
Robin covering new lane cables to extend the hookups to the top of the site.
New cable going under pathway and heading up to the top of the site.
Pitch 8 - more hardcore needed, soil embankment in place now at the side of the pitch. No more good quality spare turf so grass seed sown.
Pitch 3 - The turf is taking nicely, a bit more sunshine, warmth and rain needed.
Pitch 10 - The turf taking nicely, a bit more sunshine, warmth and rain needed to make it ready for awnings and happy campers to sit out on.
Friday 5th March 2021
Every year we like to improve the campsite in some way, this year pitches 3, 8 and 10 are getting a makeover. Pitch 8 is becoming a hardstand, Richard Walkinshaw is hard at work digging out pitch 8. As you can see we are dealing with a sloping site, which causes lots of challenges with installing level pitches, it does mean we don't have problems with flooding. Quite a few years back we also put in a drainage system on site which means you don't get your tyres bogged down during wet weather.
At Bridgend we don't like to waste anything so the soil being dug out of pitch 8 is being put on pitch 3 and 10 to extend them, the battle of a sloping site has also limited the size of some our pitches. Robin and Morgan are hard at work spreading the soil, compacting and levelling to make sure pitches 3 and 10 are nice and level for you. The turf taken up off pitch 8 is getting reused on the extended pitch 10.
Pitch 8 being dug out
Pitch 8 Turf all stacked
Pitch 10 soil all levelled
Pitch 10 all ready for turf
Pitch 8 shuttering ready for hardcore
Pitch 3 turf cutting for soil to be put underneath