Nestled alongside Wick River, Wick campsite offers a picturesque setting surrounded by trees providing the perfect secluded camping spot, all the while with the convenience of being just a short 10-minute stroll to the heart of town.
But now under the management of Wick Development Trust the campsite offers more than a restful night’s sleep. By choosing to stay here, you’ll be helping the Trust re-invest in the local community for years to come.
Wick Development Trust successfully bid to lease the campsite from the Highland Council back in June 2022. Since then, the Trust and a band of volunteers have been working tirelessly to awaken the full potential of the campsite as a community asset.
With an ambitious business plan in place, the Trust has outlined a comprehensive roadmap for the development of the campsite spanning across three phases.
Phase One has already been successfully completed ahead of opening for the 2023 season with a new on-site road layout including 12 new hard standing pitches increasing the capacity to 75 designated pitches, along with doubling the number of electric hook-ups available and improved lighting around the site.
For Phase Two the Trust have set their sights on a new fully accessible net zero toilet and amenities building which will include toilets, showers, laundry, and waste disposal all under one roof. With the design plans for the facility drawn up, the next step is to obtain planning permission before pulling together a funding package for the works.
Phase Three will focus on a new reception building with the potential for a café and community space to host workshops and events with the Trust ultimately aspiring for the site and facilities to be utilised all year-round.
The campsite currently employes 4 local people who take care of the day to day running of the site.
Campsite Supervisor, Martin Kelly said, “We like to give visitors a warm friendly welcome and ensure that they enjoy everything the area has to offer. Before opening on the 1st of April we’d already taken over 900 advance bookings so it looks to be another busy season ahead. We get visitors from all over the world at the campsite, many want to know more about the Trust and comment on how fantastic it is that the site is being run by the local community, for the local community”.
With the Trust comprising of local people who live and work in the area themselves, the passion for the project is clear, its all about the long-term strategy for the campsite as a self-funding community enterprise with the ability to re-invest profits back into the local community.
Since establishing in 2019, the Trust has already completed several projects to improve Wick town centre. You can find out more on those here – www.wickdt.co.uk
WTD Chair, Jonathan Miller, said, “The Trust want to unlock the campsite's full potential as a 5-star visitor facility and community asset. While in the short term we are investing in the campsite facilities, the long term plan is that all profits will be reinvested into local regeneration initiatives in and around the town and local community projects.
The Board are a committed group of business people offering up their time and expertise to drive forward the Trusts ambitions for the campsite, with the motivation being for all of us knowing just what a fantastic opportunity this is for our town, community, and visitors alike.”
Wick Caravan & Campsite is open 1st April to 31st October and is now taking booking for the 2023 season www.wickcampsite.co.uk
If you would like to know more about Wick Development Trust and their current projects please visit www.wickdt.co.uk
