DESPITE an ‘unprecedented’ clamour for holiday bookings, a Lake District holiday park is committed to a ‘soft opening’.

Skelwith Fold Caravan Park, near Ambleside, will open its fields to caravans on July 4, but ‘glamping’ facilities as well as touring caravan and motorhome pitches will remain closed until July 15.

Park owner Henry Wild said: "We have now re-engaged all of our staff, and over the past few weeks we have been putting into place a raft of safety and social distancing measures.

"The aim is to help ensure that guests can enjoy their stay with complete peace of mind, but we also want our team to be confident about carrying out their work. Aspects such as contactless check-ins, monitoring certain communal areas, and the deep-cleaning of accommodation between visits will all take getting used to,” he said.

“By giving everyone a dry run with only around half of our 450 pitches occupied, we can closely monitor what’s happening, and fine-tune our procedures if necessary.

"Some customers hoping to come before mid-July have expressed disappointment, but are fully supportive of what we are doing to make the park as safe as possible."

Mr Wild said booking requests were strong before caravan parks were given permission to reopen this month but that, since then, demand had gone 'through the roof'.