Center Parcs is the UK’s most visited holiday park, delighting guests with its woodland setting, huge variety of activities and, of course, those all-important rapids.
And now, the company has announced that, after months of searching, a brand new Center Parcs site will be opening.
Here is what you need to know.
Where is the new Center Parcs?
The first ever in Scotland, the new park will be in the Scottish Borders, north of Hawick and south of Selkirk, and around 90 minutes from Edinburgh and Newcastle, and two hours from Glasgow.
The village, which they say ‘represents an investment of £350m-£400m’ will have 700 lodges, an Aqua Sana Forest Spa and the beloved Subtropical Swimming Paradise.
At full capacity, the site will be able to welcome 3,500 guests per break.
Center Parcs say that the new site was needed as their ‘existing villages are pretty much full all year round and we feel there is strong demand for another Center Parcs in the UK.’
They also added that picking a site in Scotland was no coincidence: ‘We have a lot of Scottish families who visit Center Parcs already and this is a great opportunity to keep their economic impact in Scotland.
‘The landscape and culture of the Scottish Borders also gives us an opportunity to take a bold and new approach, by creating our own woodland.’
There are currently five Center Parcs in the UK: Whinfell Forest, Sherwood Forest, Longleat Forest, Elveden Forest, Woburn Forest. There’s also one village in Ireland: Longford Forest.
Each of these villages was developed in existing woodlands and forests, but this time, Center Parcs will be planting it’s own in a process known as afforestation.
They are they are ‘planning to ‘planning to plant thousands of trees’ to create their own woodland.
The site – and therefore its opening date – is still subject to planning permission so there is no fixed timeline yet. However, it’s estimated to be about three years in the making.
A statement on the website reads: ‘Whilst we expect the village to look and feel like our existing villages, we are planning to take a bold, new approach and create our own woodland by planting thousands of new trees on the site, which is currently mostly open grassland.
'I've been to every Center Parcs in the UK'
Metro’s Acting Lifestyle Editor, Kristina Beanland, has spent many family holiday at a Center Parcs village.
She says: ‘I’ve been going to Center Parcs with my family since I was in primary school.
‘As a child, I signed up to some weird and wonderful activities: from street dance (picture the instructor as an older Raygun) to an oft-regretted two days making a music video to Madness’ Baggy Trousers (I was about nine at the time, and was more of an S Club fan).
‘There was also a few bizarre years when I was big into circus skills. I’m still yet to find a real-world use for my diablo practice.
‘As I got older, I was lucky enough to call Center Parcs my retreat amid GCSE and A-Level stress. A place to revise among the quiet, before throwing myself head first down the rapids for some light relief.
‘Mind you, whatever my age, cycling up the hills (particularly those in Longleat Forest) has become no easier – to the point where I’ve now ditched the two wheels for two feet instead.
‘I’ve celebrated some pretty important milestones in a Center Parcs village: the final episode of Friends, and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, to name just a few.
‘I’ve visited the village up in Cumbria, the one down in Bedford, and all the others in between – meaning I’ve been to every single one in the UK (although I haven’t ticked the Irish site off my list).
‘The village in Woburn is small and compact, and less than an hour away from London, but my favourite is probably Elveden, with its huge lake (try cable water skiing), sandy beach, and award-winning water ride, the Tropical Cyclone.
‘I only have happy memories (apart from that one time my mum tore her Achilles during an ill-fated game of badminton, but that’s a story for another day), and now the visits are less frequent, but still just as fun. Circus skills have been swapped for spa days, and I’ve been drunk on a bike on more occasions that I care to admit here.
‘Now, we’re joined by my young niblings – a new generation of my family is becoming equally as obsessed with Treats (iykyk) as I am.
‘Center Parcs is far from a budget holiday, but it’s worth saving up for – I can’t wait to go back.’
‘We have already carried out a number of site surveys and we believe that this is the right location for a Center Parcs in Scotland. Although this is a big day for us, it is only the start of a long journey towards submitting a planning application to the local authority.
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‘We will now continue with rigorous site surveys and pre-planning works, as well as drawing up detailed designs.‘
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