Gallaber Park

Apr 21st, 2023

Mar 19th, 2023

Feb 10th, 2023

Feb 5th, 2023

We were very positive about buying a static home on Gallaber Park back in 2020, having had many seasons with a seasonal tourer since 2012. We had many friends already here and there was always a positive vibe in and around the park. This meant there was a natural sense of a community feel which is an important part of sharing spaces and staying in close proximity to one another. The park having been bought out several years ago from the previous lovely owners, meant that new opportunities were available and this has included the expansion of static units on site, building a lovely new bar and more recently a new park for the younger children. The bar is a huge lovely building and has a lovely terrace. It is ran by great staff, Nigel and Sharon. I do wish it could offer bar snacks, pub food etc, would be nice to be eating out on site whilst grabbing a beer and ditching the car. Though the site is dog friendly and with a great area in which to walk your dog, the bar is not dog friendly inside meaning those of you who maybe visiting with tourers and tents, maybe in the colder months, bare this in mind. It's fair to say that since buying our home, site rules and petty politics, mostly affecting seasonal static homes, have left many residents feeling less than happy. Twice in less than a year, we have been asked to change our annual insurance policy, to increase the "public liability" content, two policy amendments charges later, we feel it's a punishment for not obtaining the parks own policy. More recently, static home owners are being charged profound amounts for electricity and gas use, some 3 or 4 times the cost of using the same energy at home. Despite many people voicing their concerns and writing in to head office, we have been given blanket details about the world economy whilst the basis of charges remains mostly a mystery. Much of the gas is piped from on site liquid storage tanks, bulk LPG, many of us know and use bulk supplies regularly away from the site thus the lack of transparency about costs is frustrating for many. At the moment it's around twice the cost of using bottled LPG. We were told confidently when we asked about the benefits of piped LPG, that, it would always be cheaper than the bottled equivalent. It seems that many customers have been let down by comments or former discussions by previous sales staff about certain circumstances. We have considered selling our home, but when asked for a valuation, it was nearly half as much as we had paid new, just two years ago, though it remains in excellent condition throughout. Had I have known how quickly static caravans seemingly depreciate, myself and my Wife may have made different decisions though we have to say, we love the area and have enjoyed many nights using our home from home. Staff here are hardworking and keep the site looking amazing throughout the year, one of the great and positive things about owning a static home here. Gallaber park has many loyal, longstanding, and decent paying guests who have continued to support its growth, year on year as fees have increased. We understand that this is a business and needs to operate around many parameters. But this business is about people, it's about the experience and enjoyment of customers staying away from home. Many of us discuss our concerns and many of us have opinions. It is a shame there is no encouragement from Thornley Leisure to openly discuss concerns with their customers and guests, who ultimately, contribute the lions share of site turnover. The feeling of "pay the fees and follow the rules" is not how customers should feel and after reading many positive reviews, mostly from weekend visitor's, I wanted to contribute my owns thoughts and feelings as a static caravan owner. I will be happy to update this review throughout my future stay and hope that it contributes a positive outcome, to what is ultimately, a lovely site.
Nov 22nd, 2022