Mendip Basecamp, an off-grid camping and activity park nestled in the Mendip Hills of Somerset, has been awarded Silver in the prestigious Camping, Glamping and Holiday Park of the Year category at the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2025. The recognition highlights the park’s transformation from a school activity camp into a beloved destination for families and holidaymakers.
Originally created to host school activity trips, Mendip Basecamp expanded its reach during the Covid-19 pandemic, offering a 250-acre retreat for families seeking outdoor adventures. Since then, it has flourished into a nationally recognized holiday spot with a wide variety of activities for all ages.
The park offers over 20 outdoor experiences, including skiing, tobogganing, frisbee golf, rock climbing, abseiling, caving, snowboarding, air rifle shooting, archery, and axe throwing. Guests can also enjoy family-friendly zones such as a Nerf battle area, archery active, a giant sandpit, and an indoor toddler play space. In addition, a nearby water sports centre provides access to canoeing, kayaking, and stand-up paddleboarding.
Mendip Basecamp’s rustic charm remains at the heart of the experience. According to the team, despite upgrades and added amenities, the park continues to offer a space where families can disconnect from daily life and reconnect with nature.
The VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2025 ceremony took place on June 4 at the Brighton Dome Corn Exchange. The event celebrated outstanding businesses across 17 categories, including ‘Pub of the Year’ and ‘New Tourism Business of the Year.’ Hosted by VisitEngland Advisory Board Chairman Lady Victoria Borwick, the ceremony brought together leaders from across the tourism industry.
VisitEngland Director Andrew Stokes praised the winners:
“These annual Awards are an opportunity to applaud and showcase the businesses and individuals who provide outstanding customer service and continuously improve their products and offer for visitors. This year’s winners demonstrate the creativity, excellence, and diversity that make England’s tourism industry world-class.”
Mendip Basecamp was lauded by VisitEngland as “an off-grid family adventure campsite surrounded by ancient woodland,” where guests are free to choose their own pitch, park beside their tent, and gather around evening campfires. The park operates from May 17 to September 7 each year, with tent and campervan pitches starting at £10 per adult. Additional lodging options include bell tents, safari-style ‘glamphouse’ tents, and lodge-style bunk rooms.
George Combe, Marketing Manager at Mendip Adventure, expressed gratitude for the award:
“We are humbled and honoured to have won silver at the VisitEngland Awards. Mendip Basecamp started as a small project to provide families with a safe place to adventure during Covid—and now we’ve been recognised on a national level.”
Combe also acknowledged the team effort behind the park’s success and the unique beauty of the Mendip Hills:
“This award is a nod to the hard work of our entire team, the support of our wonderful guests and an appreciation of the extraordinary landscape we get to call home.”
Managing Director David Eddins reflected on the park’s origins and future:
“Winning Silver at the Visit England Awards is a huge honour and a proud moment for our whole team. Mendip Basecamp started as a bold idea during lockdown—to give people a place to feel free, to reconnect with each other and with nature. Our mission is simple but powerful: to inspire everyone, everywhere to make time for adventure. This recognition tells us we’re doing just that—and we’re only getting started.”
Mendip Basecamp joins a list of top tourism providers in the country, with the Gold in the Camping, Glamping and Holiday Park of the Year category going to Polmanter Touring Park in Cornwall and Bronze awarded to Hippersons Boatyard in Suffolk.
The award affirms Mendip Basecamp’s place as a standout destination for families seeking both relaxation and adventure in one of England’s most scenic natural landscapes.
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