Cripps Farm, a family-run caravan and holiday business near Burnham-on-Sea in East Huntspill, Somerset, marked 40 years of family ownership with a gathering attended by more than 150 people on Saturday, August 22, 2026.
The anniversary marks four decades since the family arrived at the 56-acre site in September 1986, when the property was primarily a dairy farm requiring substantial repair and redevelopment. The early years involved rebuilding winter cattle housing, managing a dairy herd during calving season, harvesting two acres of potatoes and caring for 300 chickens housed in three former static caravans. “It was, she says, a lively start.”
The family purchased a Massey Ferguson tractor, trailer and muck spreader at the farm sale. The tractor was later restored by Graham, Dave and Hayden and remains in use at Cripps Farm, including for moving caravans around the property.
During the first years of ownership, the family focused on restoring the farm’s infrastructure. Buildings were repaired, hedges were reinstated, and a new herringbone milking parlor and collecting yard replaced the previous facilities. Dave and Kathy became involved in the operation from a young age, with Dave driving tractors and feeding cattle while Kathy assisted with milking and calf feeding.
The business gradually expanded beyond agriculture. In 1999, the farmhouse was extended, and Sue operated a bed and breakfast for a period before returning her focus to the farm. She also sold breakfasts, lunches, cream teas and homemade ice cream from the property and operated a small milk round supplying local residents with milk, eggs, potatoes and ice cream.
Cripps Farm’s first five-van riverbank caravan site opened in 1987, followed by the seasonal site in 1993. The riverbank operation later became associated with the family’s memories of early guests and local community connections. In 2014, the seasonal site was expanded with eight additional pitches.
The site’s accommodation offering continued to develop during the 2000s and 2010s. Planning permission for the static caravan site and Mendip Lake was granted in 2000, while permission for the lodge site and Quantock Lake followed in 2004. Four holiday cottages were created in 2010 by converting the former workshop and milking parlor.
In 2014, Dave, Leah and Hayden moved into the farmhouse and took over the business, allowing Sue and Graham to move toward semi-retirement. Their respective roles have continued to reflect the family’s combination of operational, construction and administrative skills. Dave’s experience as a steel erector has supported construction work on the site, while Leah manages the site office, cottages and spa.
In 2020, the former shrubbery was converted into a spa retreat for guests, adding another element to the property’s holiday offering. In 2024, Field B was developed with 18 additional pitches and a new toilet block. That same year, Brent Knoll Lake was added, along with three new lodge plots, according to Burnham-on-Sea.
The three lakes at Cripps Farm—Mendip, Quantock and Brent Knoll—are now established parts of the property, with landscaping continuing to mature around the accommodation areas.
The anniversary also reflects a broader transition in the family business, from its origins as a dairy farm to a diversified rural tourism operation incorporating caravan pitches, static accommodations, lodges, holiday cottages and guest amenities.
For operators, the site’s history illustrates how phased development and the reuse of existing agricultural buildings can allow a rural property to add accommodation and ancillary facilities over time while retaining its original agricultural setting.
Sue and Graham now have more time for travel and leisure activities, with Graham pursuing land sailing and Sue continuing to play tennis. Other members of the family remain involved in different ways, including Kathy, who works as a veterinary nurse in Cheddar, and younger generations who have pursued welding, tool hire and further education.
At the August 22 anniversary gathering, Sue thanked the friends, neighbors, guests and wider community whose support has accompanied the family’s four decades at Cripps Farm.
