Kelling Heath Holiday Park
A woodland holiday park on the North Norfolk coast offering camping, holiday homes, leisure facilities and nature-focused experiences.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Kelling Heath Holiday Park is a holiday and leisure destination in Norfolk, England, situated between the market towns of Sheringham and Holt on the North Norfolk coast. The park takes its name from Kelling Heath, an environmentally sensitive heathland and woodland area recognised for its landscape and wildlife value. Its location places the business within a distinctive coastal and rural tourism setting, while also giving it access to the North Norfolk Railway, whose heritage service links Sheringham and Holt and has a stop at Kelling Heath Halt. The site was acquired by the Timewell family after an extended period of negotiations and opened to holidaymakers on 6 April 1984. The opening was brought forward so that the park could operate during the Easter holiday period; that Easter was unusually warm, helping establish the new destination during its first season. During the following years, the park underwent substantial improvements. These included upgrades to electrical infrastructure and refurbishment of shower, toilet and laundry facilities, helping convert the original site into a more developed holiday-park operation. Kelling Heath provides several forms of accommodation and recreation. Its offer includes camping pitches and holiday homes, including higher-specification accommodation, alongside facilities such as restaurants, bicycle hire, a swimming pool and communal shower and toilet blocks. The combination of self-contained holiday accommodation, outdoor activity and on-site amenities positions the park as a family and leisure destination rather than solely a camping site. The surrounding heathland and woodland also support walking, cycling, wildlife observation and astronomy-oriented visits. Environmental management is a central part of the park's identity. The site lies within a protected ecological setting, including a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and many permanent buildings and accommodation units are arranged within woodland with an emphasis on fitting into the landscape. The park has invested in renewable energy, including reported expenditure of £180,000 on solar power. It also established a red squirrel breeding programme in 1999 as part of a wider effort to reintroduce the species into the British ecosystem. The programme later produced breeding pairs and young squirrels on the site, making conservation a visible part of the visitor experience and the park's public profile. Kelling Heath's low-light coastal location has also supported its association with astronomy. In 2014 it served as a location for BBC Two's Stargazing Live, which presented the site as a suitable destination for observing the night sky away from major urban light pollution. The park received further visibility when it won the Caravan Holiday Park/Holiday Village of the Year category at the 2013 VisitEngland Awards for Excellence and was subsequently reviewed or featured by national newspapers including The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mirror. The park is owned and operated by Blue Sky Leisure. Its brand proposition combines accommodation, outdoor recreation, heritage railway access and conservation within a managed heathland environment. Publicly available reference material does not establish a separate corporate headquarters, named current executives or a dedicated official website URL for the brand. On the available evidence, Kelling Heath Holiday Park remains an active United Kingdom leisure property.
History
Kelling Heath Holiday Park developed as a holiday destination on the North Norfolk coast, in the heathland and woodland landscape surrounding Kelling Heath. The site was purchased by the Timewell family after a prolonged period of negotiations. The park opened on 6 April 1984, with the opening timetable accelerated so that the business could capture the Easter holiday season. The first Easter operation benefited from exceptionally warm weather, described in contemporary accounts as the hottest Easter for many years. The original holiday park was progressively improved after opening. Significant works were undertaken during the following years, including extensive upgrades to the electrical system and refurbishment of communal shower, toilet and laundry blocks. These works allowed the site to support a broader and more developed accommodation and leisure offer. The park subsequently combined camping with holiday homes and added or maintained facilities including restaurants, bicycle hire and a swimming pool. A significant early operational incident occurred just after the May Day weekend in 1991. Two drums containing toxic chemicals washed onto nearby Weybourne beach, leading to the evacuation of the entire holiday park. The available account records the evacuation but does not identify lasting damage to the business or the outcome of any subsequent investigation. Conservation became increasingly important to the park's public identity. In 1999, Kelling Heath began a red squirrel breeding programme as part of a broader national initiative to reintroduce red squirrels into the British ecosystem. The programme was presented as successful, with red squirrels becoming established across the park. In 2013, the park announced that it had two breeding pairs and that two young squirrels had been born there; the young animals were named Sunny and Summer. The programme complemented the park's position within a sensitive ecological landscape and its efforts to manage heathland and woodland habitat. The park's environmental profile also included investment in solar energy, reported at £180,000, and an approach to building placement intended to remain sympathetic to the surrounding woodland. Kelling Heath is located within a Site of Special Scientific Interest, making habitat management and the relationship between tourism infrastructure and the natural environment important features of its operation. The site was also promoted for its dark skies. In 2014, BBC Two's Stargazing Live used Kelling Heath as a location, highlighting the absence of major urban light pollution and the site's appeal to astronomy enthusiasts. Transport and visitor access form another distinctive element of the park's history. Kelling Heath Halt is a station on the North Norfolk Railway, a heritage railway operating a 10.5-mile round trip between Sheringham and Holt. The station gives the holiday park a direct association with one of the region's principal heritage attractions and makes Kelling Heath unusual among United Kingdom holiday parks. Recognition followed the park's development as a combined leisure and environmental destination. In 2013, it won the Caravan Holiday Park/Holiday Village of the Year award at the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence. It was later featured or reviewed by The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mirror. The park is now owned and operated by Blue Sky Leisure. Available reference material does not provide a full corporate chronology, a named founder beyond the Timewell family acquisition, or details of current management. Its documented history nevertheless shows a progression from a newly opened camping-oriented site into a broader holiday-home and leisure destination with a strong conservation and outdoor-recreation identity.
- 2014
Stargazing Live location
[1]Kelling Heath was used as a location for BBC Two's Stargazing Live, which highlighted its dark-sky setting.
- 2013
Red squirrel breeding success reported
[1]The park reported two breeding pairs and the birth of two young red squirrels, named Sunny and Summer.
- 2013
VisitEngland award
[1]The park won Caravan Holiday Park/Holiday Village of the Year at the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence.
- 1999
Red squirrel breeding programme begins
[1]Kelling Heath started a red squirrel breeding programme linked to a national species-reintroduction initiative.
- 1991
Full-site evacuation after chemical drums wash ashore
[1]The park was evacuated after two drums containing toxic chemicals washed up on nearby Weybourne beach.
- 1984
Holiday park opens
[1]Kelling Heath Holiday Park opened on 6 April 1984 after the site had been acquired by the Timewell family.
Products and positioning
A nature-oriented North Norfolk holiday park combining camping and holiday-home accommodation with family leisure facilities, outdoor activities, heritage railway access and visible environmental stewardship.
Outdoor accommodation
Camping pitches
The park provides camping pitches within its heathland and woodland environment. Camping is part of the site's traditional holiday-park offer and allows visitors to use the broader leisure infrastructure while staying in a more directly outdoor format.
Holiday accommodation
Holiday homes
Kelling Heath offers holiday homes, including higher-specification and luxury accommodation, set within the park's wooded landscape. These units extend the business beyond touring and camping and support longer or more amenity-focused leisure stays.
Recreation
Leisure facilities
On-site facilities include restaurants, bicycle hire and a swimming pool, supported by communal shower, toilet and laundry infrastructure. Together these amenities form a self-contained holiday experience for families and outdoor visitors.
Destination experiences · 1999
Nature and astronomy experiences
The park's setting supports wildlife observation, walking, cycling and dark-sky activities. Its red squirrel conservation programme and appearance on Stargazing Live have helped make the natural environment part of the visitor proposition.
Marketing campaigns
- 2014Stargazing Live
United Kingdom
Kelling Heath served as a location for the BBC Two programme Stargazing Live. The appearance promoted the park's low-light coastal setting and its suitability for astronomy.
Outcome. The programme increased public visibility of Kelling Heath as a dark-sky and astronomy destination.
Brand decisions
1999
Establishment of red squirrel conservation programmeStrategyBackground
The park operates in a protected heathland and woodland environment and became involved in a wider United Kingdom effort to reintroduce red squirrels.
Action taken
Kelling Heath began a red squirrel breeding programme on the site.
Aftermath
The programme was reported as successful, with red squirrels becoming established throughout the park and breeding pairs recorded by 2013.
- Investment in solar energyStrategy
Background
The park's operations take place within an ecologically sensitive landscape, including a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Action taken
The holiday park invested £180,000 in solar energy generation.
Aftermath
The investment contributed to the park's environmental credentials, although the available material does not provide performance data or a precise investment year.
Solar-energy investment. £180,000 invested (Year not specified in the reference material)
Recent events
- 2014
Kelling Heath featured on BBC Two's Stargazing Live[1]
Campaign
The park was used as a location for Stargazing Live, drawing attention to its dark-sky conditions and suitability for astronomy away from major urban areas.
- 2013
Red squirrel programme records breeding pairs and young[1]
Other
The park reported that it had two breeding pairs of red squirrels and that two young animals had been born on the site. The young squirrels were named Sunny and Summer.
- 2013
Kelling Heath receives VisitEngland holiday-park award[1]
Other
Kelling Heath Holiday Park won the Caravan Holiday Park/Holiday Village of the Year category at the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence.
- 1999
Kelling Heath launches a red squirrel breeding programme[1]
Other
The park began a red squirrel breeding programme connected with a wider national effort to restore the species in the United Kingdom.
- 1991
Kelling Heath park evacuated after toxic chemical drums reached nearby beach[1]
Other
Shortly after the May Day weekend, the entire holiday park was evacuated after two drums containing toxic chemicals washed ashore at nearby Weybourne beach.
Sources1 sources
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