Coronavirus and Polmanter…

Updated 14^th March 2022

The 2022 season is nearly upon us, and we’re looking forward to opening on time this year!

As we gear up to welcome our first guests, we’ve been reviewing our COVID policies.

We know that many of you will welcome a return to ‘normality’, but there will be others, particularly those with health vulnerabilities, who will be glad to know that we are still mindful of Coronavirus and the risk that it can pose to the health of our guests and staff.

We recognise that despite everyone’s efforts, the challenges from this virus aren’t quite over yet, and for that reason here at Polmanter, our COVID Safe plan involves working together to continue providing a safe holiday space for everyone.

Social distancing

Please continue to be mindful of staff and guests’ space.

Cleaning and disinfection

Alongside our thorough cleaning and disinfection procedures, you will continue to find hand sanitisers around the site. We encourage regular hand washing, and sanitising wipes are also provided in the communal corridor of each amenity block for additional cleaning of handles / taps etc before use if you wish.

Indoor spaces

We aim to ensure all indoor spaces are well ventilated, however if you prefer, you are also welcome to wear a face mask. We will allow our staff to chose if / when and where they wear a mask.

With regards to The Stable Bar, as restrictions currently stand, limits on table numbers in The Stable Bar no longer apply and you won’t need to book a table in advance. We will return to our previous walk-in policy to offer more flexibility for our guests, and orders will be taken at the bar.

For anyone wanting to order food and drink but still feeling a little anxious about dining in shared indoor spaces, our bar patio has plenty of seating, and our takeaway service will be available too. Orders can be placed at the bar or via ‘The Stable Bar at Polmanter’ app.

Feeling unwell

If you become unwell during your holiday, we would ask that you be mindful of others, and as with any contagious illness, limit contact with other guests.

Holiday Protection Plan (HPP)

Our HPP is still available to purchase up until your balance is due (6 weeks before arrival), and continues to offer a level of cover should you not be able to holiday due to COVID in 2022.

In summary the protection covers you and your named party for;

• Sickness preventing travel in a member of your party – including illness or the need to self-isolate due to Coronavirus
• redundancy
• jury service
• or death of a member of the party or an immediate relative

It’s priced at £2.50 per night, and also offers a level of cover if you need to cancel your holiday for another reason.

Please note, this isn’t insurance – in some situations, travel insurance may be able to provide you with a higher level of cover. We would recommend considering both options and making a decision based on your personal requirements.

We hope our plan helps to find a balance on site, so that we can enjoy the relaxing of restrictions, but still recognise that there are individuals who may feel, and still are, vulnerable. It is for this reason that we must all respect each others choices and do our bit where possible to reduce the spread of COVID.

Throughout the season, we will continue to monitor government advice, and carry out our own risk assessments regarding any measures that may need to be reintroduced across the site.

Thank you for your understanding and co-operation. If you have any questions or concerns, please do contact us at reception in person, by email – [email protected], or by telephone – (01736) 795640.

Updated 6^th October 2021

We’re winding down now, with the end of the touring season only weeks away (31^st October).

It has been another busy summer, which extended into a fully booked September too. Thank you to everyone that has stayed with us over this time, both returning guests alongside those visiting for the first time. We welcomed many new faces that were drawn into the staycation camping and touring boom, which we hope we’ve now converted and will be planning another trip again soon!

We’re so grateful to have been able to make it through this season without any closures or outbreaks, and a lot of that has been down to you, our guests, continuing to follow our COVID-19 safety measures. We really do appreciate you going above and beyond to keep us, our community and each other safe.

Although, we understand many were still affected by the pandemic. We’re sorry for those that were unable to holiday this year due to positive tests, self-isolation or simply weren’t ready. With the introduction of the Holiday Protection Plan, we’re pleased to have offered a level of compensation for those that found themselves in these situations and will continue to offer this plan for 2022 bookings. Holidaying has changed for the time being and we would always recommend taking out travel insurance for unexpected eventualities (COVID or not!), or looking at our HPP as an alternative.

For the remainder of our season, we will be continuing to encourage our visitors to follow our COVID-19 guidelines to help us maintain a safe and enjoyable environment to holiday in this October.

In summary, these include;

• Social distancing and face masks are encouraged in any indoor spaces shared with staff or other guests
• Limit time spent indoors and visit reception, shop and laundry along when possible
• Reception ands the shop are still using screens as an extra precaution. Card payments preferrable
• The Stable Bar continues to take orders via ‘The Stable Bar at Polmanter’ app for both food and drink when dining in or for takeaway, however we are now able to take orders at the bar, which will be served to your table
• Soft play and the games room are open. Please wash/sanitise hands before and after use.

So if you do fancy a last minute break away, you know where we are!

There is still availability throughout October, including half term, plus 7 night stays receive a £15 bonus discount: www.polmanter.com/stay/

Updated 17th July 2021

So it’s official – we will be moving to ‘Step 4’ of the ‘roadmap out of lockdown’ from Monday 19th July!

We welcome this next step in returning to ‘normality’, but we do so with caution.

Although legal restrictions around social distancing have been removed, we are mindful that Coronavirus cases have been rising and are expected to continue to do so, and we have been advised to continue to carry out our own risk assessments and take necessary measures to protect guests and staff from the ongoing risk.

In early June 2021, after half-term and the G7 summit, many restaurants and some hotels in St Ives were forced to close for up to 10 days, after staff contracted Coronavirus, or were required to self isolate due to contact with others who had.
Although we have been fortunate not to have been affected in this way so far, we are aware that this risk will remain, and may grow during the season ahead.

Infection and transmission can occur even between vaccinated people, and we believe that continuing to have safety measures and recommendations in place will help to reduce the risk to one another. This will give us the best chance of keeping our staff healthy (many of whom are under 40, and have not had the opportunity to be fully vaccinated yet), so that they are able to help us to keep our facilities and the holiday park open this summer.

We have summarised the latest updates on our Coronavirus FAQs page and some key points below.

We are grateful for the co-operation and understanding of guests during this transition period, and ask that when you stay with us this year, that you please follow the signposted advice at each facility, and do not be offended or frustrated with our staff if they ask you to consider wearing a mask or to queue outside a busy facility.
This will hopefully see us as safely as possible into the next phase of the pandemic, and we will continue to review our measures as part of our regular risk assessments.

Key updates:

Although no longer legally required, we will be continuing to ask guests to wear masks or face coverings in all enclosed indoor spaces, (except when seated at a table in the Stable Bar, when in a cubicle or individual room in the amenity blocks, or when there are not other staff or guests present from outside their household).

We will continue to ask guests to limit time spent in indoor spaces and observe social distancing and other measures specific to particular facilities, signposted at each space and summarised in the FAQs linked above. Other measures including screens at till areas will remain.

We are pleased to be able to reopen the indoor soft play area and games room with precautions in place, and as an outdoor space with the added protection of chlorinated water, we will no longer be required to restrict pool numbers solely for social distancing purposes.

At The Stable Bar, although we will reserve some ‘walk-in’ tables for those who wish to drink only, or have not made a reservation – including all of the outdoor tables – we will continue to take table bookings, and will ask guests to wait at the entrance on arrival to be seated by one of the team.

We will continue to use ‘The Stable Bar at Polmanter’ app for both food and drink ordering when dining in or for takeaway, however where guests do not have a smart phone, or have difficulty using the app, we will now also be able to take orders at the bar, to be served at a table.

Our staff are carrying out regular Lateral Flow testing, and we’ll encourage our guests to do the same. Anyone can collect FREE NHS lateral flow testing kits from their local pharmacies or order online.

It’s our understanding that most local businesses are also maintaining some degree of COVID-19 precautions in order to give themselves the best chance of remaining open and able to welcome you this summer. We would recommend continuing to wear a face covering when using the Royal Buses service between Polmanter and St Ives, taxis and other public transport.

Kind regards,

Becki, Phill and the team at Polmanter

Updated 23rd June 2021

How time flies…!!

Since our last update, we’ve had the news that the COVID ‘Delta’ variant of concern has required the next step of the COVID roadmap to be delayed from the 21st of June until the 19th July at the earliest. While this is disappointing, we recognise the importance of being cautious in relieving restrictions, and hope that it helps to pave the way for a safe summer of holidays ahead.

To further strengthen our COVID safety measures we have adopted regular lateral flow testing for all staff, and encourage all guests of secondary school age and above to take lateral flow tests before travelling to St Ives  – You can order coronavirus (COVID-19) rapid lateral flow tests from the GOV.UK website or visit your local pharmacy to collect tests for free.

We’re looking forward to a busy summer ahead, and a couple of frequently asked questions we have been asked include:

How do I book a table for the stable bar? – We’ve recently upgraded our table booking system, and you can now book tables up to 4 weeks in advance on our webpage – www.polmanter.com/eat or by emailing [email protected]

Do I need to book to swim? – The renovated swimming pool has been a big hit, and so far, outside of the school holidays, we’re finding the number of swimmers  at any time comfortably falls within the current COVID restrictions, so aside from coming ‘pool-ready’, no bookings or other measures (such as the band system) are required.

Over the Whitsun half term holiday we found the system we used last summer of having coloured wristbands to indicate time of entry, and restricting the length of swimming sessions to 45mins at busy times has worked really well to ensure as many guests can enjoy the pool as possible.
If restrictions remain in place after the 19th of July, it is likely that we will continue with this system, so you do not need to worry about planning booking swimming times for your summer holiday at this stage! If we are required to change the system and do begin taking advance bookings, we will let guests know via email ahead of their visit.

Is the indoor soft play / games room open? – At this stage, we have not reopened the indoor play facilities. As indoor spaces where children often play unsupervised, we do not feel confident that these facilities can meet the high standards that we are aiming to achieve, to reduce the risk of COVID transmission to guests and staff. We are keeping this decision under review as further information and guidance comes to light.

Are the spa treatment rooms open? – At this stage, due to reduced demand and COVID risk, there is not currently a therapist in the treatment rooms. We are keeping this under review, and hope that we may be able to offer ‘pop-up’ services in the space later in the season if circumstances allow.

Do you have availability for this summer? – As regular guests will know, it can be tricky to get a pitch at Polmanter in the peak weeks, but the ‘staycation’ boom has meant that June and early July are also now very busy too. We are currently fully booked until mid September, but occasional cancellations do arise, and where they do, they become available to book online and we highlight them on our Availability page, which we keep as up to date as possible, but they rarely last long!!

Can I book for next year? – 2022 bookings will open at 9am on Thursday the 1st of July.  This is usually an exceptionally busy day, and you may have to be quick if you have a specific pitch and date in mind!
We will have extra staff on standby to take bookings by telephone and in reception, but there are a limited number of phone lines into the reception, so we recommend booking online as the easiest way to see the availability and place your booking for a specific pitch.

Take care for now!

Becki, Phill and the Polmanter team

Updated 23rd May 2021

It’s been a busy time since re-opening!

The site has been getting fuller by the day, especially since the easing of restrictions from Monday 17th May. This latest step has allowed us to fully re-open our amenity blocks, so both toilets AND showers, along with family rooms, baby bathrooms and dishwashing facilities are available for your use. We do ask that guests continue to wear face coverings when entering the buildings, and be mindful of the social distancing signage.

Dining in has also returned to The Stable Bar. It’s lovely to have people indoors again – especially with the questionable weather at the minute! We’re now open daily from 9am, serving breakfast (9am-11am), lunch (1pm-2pm) and dinner (5pm-9pm), plus roasts on a Sunday Lunch (12pm-4pm).

There are still guidelines in place, so please familiarise yourself with how we’re currently operating;

• The rule of 6 or 2 households
• Please arrive wearing a face covering. This can be removed once seated
• On arrival, you will be welcomed and seated by a member of staff.  Every customer over 16 years old is required to ‘check-in’ on the NHS Test and Trace app or provide their contact details to a member of staff
• Table service only

We are encouraging guests to download ‘The Stable Bar at Polmanter’ app in advance of their visit, as this enables you to view the full menu, order and pay for both dining in and takeaway. Alternatively, you can visit polmanter.com/eat or a member of staff can take your order. It also allows you to book a table. Table bookings are required, especially in the evening, as space is limited to comply with the current government guidelines. You can book a table four weeks in advance, and remember to let us know if you’ll be bringing your dog(s) with you as these tables are limited.

For now, we have decided to keep the Escape treatment rooms and soft play closed, until at least the next stage of restrictions easing. With regards to soft play, it became apparent from our latest risk assessment that controlling numbers and sanitising the area between use is a tricky one with the current guidelines in place. However, our outdoor children’s play areas are open – a great place for kids of all ages to burn off some energy!

And finally, the news that a lot of you have been waiting for… the swimming pool is now open, and boy are we proud of this space! After retiling the pool and extending the seating area with new paving and decking, we’re excited for you to enjoy this newly renovated facility.

It will be open from 9am – 7pm, with the first hour dedicated to an adult only swim. You do not have to book to use the swimming pool, you simply turn up pool ready. Only toilet facilities will be available poolside. At busy times, we may need to limit the duration of swim sessions to 60 minutes in order to ensure fair access to the pool, whilst keeping everybody safe.

Who’s looking forward to taking a dip?!?

Updated 11th April 2021

Well, its a great feeling to be preparing to welcome guests back to Polmanter tomorrow! The team have been super-busy preparing the grounds and facilities for the first arrivals, and the work on the swimming pool renovation continues at pace!

We had some good news on Thursday, with an update to the government guidance to say that we can open the laundry room and toilet facilities, alongside the originally planned water and waste disposal points, shop, reception and take-away, from our opening date tomorrow.
Shower facilities are still required to be kept closed (unless dedicated for a single household or cleaned between every user, which we don’t feel would be practical to achieve), but after a quick change to plans and rotas, we’re now all set to open the toilet/sink areas in our main blocks, with the same social distancing and cleaning measures that we put in place last year.

We were also glad to hear from the latest update, that at the moment, the “lockdown roadmap” appears to be on track for the next step on the 17th of May, when we should be able to open shower facilities and family rooms, and start offering dining in alongside takeaway in the Stable Bar.

Here’s a sneaky peak of the pool progress….
Looking forward to seeing you all soon!

Updated 4th April 2021

We’ve woken up to a beautiful fresh and sunny morning this Easter Sunday, but it definitely feels like something is missing…

To have an empty site for a second year over Easter weekend is very strange – Phill says never in his lifetime can he remember a quiet Easter until recent times! Normally there would be a lovely hustle and bustle, as campers wake up to the sounds of sizzling bacon on the BBQ and the light chitter chatter of friends and family making plans for the day.

But it won’t be long. 8 days until we open now and we’re really excited to share this space with you again!

From tomorrow, our first guests to arrive on 12th April will be invited to start their Pre-arrival Check-in online. This will allow you to update any relevant guest information, provide/update your car registration(s) and to add any extras – all helping to ensure a quick and easy check-in at Reception on the day of arrival.

Subsequent guests will receive the same invitation via email 7 days before their arrival, or you can simply login to the Guest Area. This online area allows you to manage your bookings and to double check any details you might not be sure about, at any time before the start of your holiday. If you have any problems logging in, just contact our Reception team and they can set a temporary password for you to gain access.

As far as government advice goes, nothing has changed so far, so the toilet and shower blocks will have to remain closed as planned from 12th April, with the earliest re-opening date being 17th May.

The Stable Bar team are busy in the kitchen, preparing to open for takeaway (including their popular Sunday Roasts) and our grounds team are making final preparations across the site before the season commences.

We can’t wait to see new and familiar faces, pitched up and enjoying Polmanter once again.

Updated 10^th March 2021

Since the announcement a few weeks ago, it’s been pretty busy here at Polmanter as we work through everyone’s bookings alongside answering the phone and responding to emails (we hope we’ve not kept anybody waiting too long!).

It’s such a shame to have to cancel bookings again, especially those that had already postponed their Easter holidays from last year and are having to do so yet again. Thank you for your understanding and flexibility when its come to these changes.

However, we are feeling optimistic about our reopening date of 12 April and it’s great to have new bookings coming in reflecting that same mood.

So much so, we’re nearly fully booked for June in addition to July and August. If you were thinking of getting away, we’d recommend looking at availability sooner rather than later! May is still fairly flexible (apart from Whitsun) or later in the year, from mid-September onwards.

Nothing stops our team of groundsmen, who have been extremely grateful for the glorious weather recently – although back to rain and gale force winds over the next few days!

They continue to work on the upkeep of the site, getting it spick and span for your arrival, alongside the ongoing winter project of the swimming pool renovation.

The countdown starts now with just over 4 weeks to go until opening day!

Update 22nd February 2021

It is disappointing to need to return to this page again in 2021 to be providing information on how the Coronavirus pandemic may be affecting holidays at Polmanter for the year ahead!

We are still getting our heads around the fine detail but it appears that:

• We will have to postpone the opening of the park to at least the 12th of April, where the government has stated that self-contained accommodation that does not have shared facilities may be able to open.As a result, if the 12th of April is the date when the UK is allowed to move to ‘Step 2’ ,we will only be able to welcome guests to our self-catered accommodation, or to the touring park if they are visiting with a caravan or motorhome with their own self-contained toilet and shower facilities, and there will be restrictions around other facilities that we can offer on the park.We will not be allowed to welcome guests to dine or drink in the Stable Bar, but we will aim to offer a take-away service on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings as a minimum.Communal indoor facilities such as dishwashing rooms will also be required to remain closed (we installed hot taps on the outside of each amenity block last season to help address this), and our games room / indoor soft play area will also remain closed.Each booking must comprise of guests only from one household.Please also note, during April, final works on the pool refurbishment will be undertaken, including completion of the paving around the pool, and there may be some noise associated with this – we will ensure that noise does not begin before 9.30am, and our reception team are happy to discuss pitch choices if you’d prefer to be sited further from this area.

• From the 17th of May at the earliest, if the UK is ready to move to ‘Step 3’ we should be able to start welcoming guests who require our amenity blocks for toilet and shower facilities, and be able to start offering the opportunity to dine in the Stable Bar, alongside our take-away service.We hope also to be able to share the newly refurbished outdoor swimming pool and patio at this point if restrictions allow.Restrictions may still remain at that stage around facilities such as the games room, indoor soft play etc, but we expect outdoor play areas to be allowed to be open throughout the season.

We trust that there is more information to come over the next few days, and we will be in touch with guests whose Easter holidays are unfortunately going to be cancelled as a priority, followed by guests booked to join us in later April and May in turn.

If you have an urgent query, please email [email protected], and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Best wishes,

Becki, Phill and the Polmanter Team

Update: 28th August 2020

Well, we’re delighted to say that we’re still here, we’re still open, and we’re still smiling!

It has been lovely to welcome guests, old and new, to the park for the last few weeks, and to have had such great feedback about how systems are working on site!
Following the last government update, face masks are also now required in amenity blocks until you are in a cubicle, and we’re grateful for everyone’s co-operation with this so far.

Update: 4th August 2020

Who agrees you can’t beat a refreshing, cold pint of Korev on a sunny Cornish day?!?

Thankfully now that bars and restaurants are open again, our very own Stable Bar is able to keep our guests fed and watered during their stay. Initially we were offering takeaway only, but having reviewed the advice, we’re now confident and happy to offer a safe ‘dine in’ option too. This is available in the conservatory, with a reduced number of tables to comply with government guidance, and within our outdoor seating area. Booking is required for indoors (unless there happens to be a spare table when you arrive), whereas outside is a first come first served basis. We must say, it’s lovely to see guests enjoying our delicious home-cooked meals in these comfortable surroundings again!

We’ve also decided to sign up to the Government’s Eat Out to Help Out Scheme, which kicked off yesterday. This enables guests to get 50% off food and soft drinks up to a maximum of £10 per person on Monday – Wednesdays throughout August.

For those that are still a bit cautious about dining in, the takeaway service is proving very popular and a great way to get out of the washing up duties!

Update: 27^th July 2020

Three weeks in now and we’re as busy as ever! Officially, the school term is over for most which means we’ll be welcoming lots of families to the site over the next 6 weeks.

So, it’s no surprise that news of the swimming pool opening again has gone down a storm. You’ll now find a dedicated team of pool attendants stationed poolside between 10am – 6pm to manage swimmer numbers and keep the area sanitised. During busier times, we’re currently using a band system to ensure all our guests get fair access to the pool, which may mean shorter swim sessions. If that’s the case when you turn up for your dip, we advise considering a few visits to the pool at quieter times.

This approach has been working well so far but we appreciate this is probably the trickiest facility to manage with COVID-19 precautions and guests’ expectations. It’s all about striking the right balance that allows everyone to enjoy the pool whilst adhering to the Government guidelines – so work with us on this one!

Overall, we’re happy with how our COVID-19 safety precautions are operating across the site and have received many reassurances from guests following their visits. This feedback is invaluable to us and really does give the team a morale boost following all the extra effort put in to ensure a safe and enjoyable stay for everyone.

“We were one of the first tourers to arrive after lockdown and what a lovely welcome we received from the team. The site is spotless and the pitches are a very generous size. Lovely to see even our fur babies were catered for with poo bags left at the side of bins for those that are caught short, a dog wash and plenty of dog walks on and off the lead. We are definitely returning in the near future. Thank you for making my much needed break so great after working non-stop through this Covid pandemic 😎”

Travelled from Essex

“I was a bit apprehensive of the current Covid -19 situation but after being at Polmanter and seeing the precautions that were in place on the site, I would recommend this place to everyone. The staff have gone above and beyond to make this a safe environment for us all to enjoy our holidays. There is hand sanitiser in place before entering the toilets, showers, shop and the restaurant, with the one-way systems working well. The staff are continuously cleaning and sanitising all touch points. This is a huge task and they are still friendly and helpful at all times. Well a huge thank you to all the staff at Polmanter for giving me a lovely, beautiful, safe holiday in these unsettled times.”

Travelled from Newcastle upon Tyne

“As can be expected, we were not sure how comfortable we’d feel after having been at home for months. But, as soon as we arrived, we felt very comfortable being there! As usual, the site and ablution facilities were spotless and we appreciated the provision of sanitiser wipes at the facilities – hand sanitiser even by the dog waste bins! We mostly used our bathroom facilities in the caravan but when we had to visit the communal facilities it never felt unsafe! We hardly ever saw anyone there.

“We also liked the take away facilities at the Stable Bar! Ordering online was easy, the food was ready at the requested time, it was tasty and the service was friendly and excellent!

“Well done on what you have put in place to make people feel welcome and safe! We are booked to come again in September and we are already looking forward to our visit.”

Travelled from Wiltshire

“Just wanted to thank you and congratulate you on the precautionary measures you have put in place. When the government said they were allowing campsites to reopen, Polmanter was first on our list as we thought your site is always immaculate even in the height of season so we knew the cleanliness would be top quality and felt assured we would be as safe as we could be and you didn’t disappoint.”

Travelled from Caerffili

“I wanted to let you know what a wonderful time we had at Polmanter on our recent stay. We only got our motorhome just a few weeks before the start of lockdown, so our trip to Cornwall was our first outing in it. Your facilities are spotless. We made regular use of the baby bathroom for our 17 month old, it was immaculate every time we used it. We got takeaway food from the restaurant on two occasions, ordering online and collecting was so easy and the food was fantastic quality and value. The team on reception were so friendly and helpful, they’re doing an amazing job.”

Travelled from Shropshire

Update: 8th of July 2020

Well, we’re open at last!!

So wonderful to see tents, caravans and smiling guests on site again.
Its been a whirlwind few days making sure all the new systems for social distancing were clearly explained and working well, but its all been worth it!

Fantastic to see children playing on the new play equipment, and serve guests from the new bar.
And true to form for the great British weather, guests have also made good use of the new bus shelter on a couple of windier days!

Some of you may have spotted us on Sky News on Saturday, when they joined us for the morning too…!

The town council has shared a leaflet – Staying safe in St Ives – with information about the measures taken in the town…

Update: 27th of June 2020

Wow! We’ve been run off our feet the last few days, doing our best to respond to queries from our existing guests, and hundreds of potential new customers!
A few questions have come up time and again, so we’ve put them on a dedicated page of Coronavirus FAQs. If there’s anything else you need to know, please drop us an email on [email protected] and we’ll do our best to answer ASAP.

We’re still busily getting everything ready, and on track to welcome our first guests in 9 months on the 4th of July, and will be in touch with July guests shortly to request balance payments.

Got our certification yesterday to confirm we’re ‘Good to Go’ as well!

Update: 23rd of June 2020

What a rollercoaster of emotions we’ve had the last few days!! – Things were looking a little uncertain for camping holidays over the weekend, but thankfully due to support from our local MP and tourism leaders, we are delighted to confirm that the government have today announced that holidays, including camping, can resume in England from the 4th of July, and that shared facilities can be used as long as they’re kept ‘clean’!

Now, regular guests will know we already aspire to better than ‘clean’, but we’ve also got plans and protocols in place to ensure that shared facilities are even more sparkling than ever!
We’ve scheduled additional rounds of disinfection of ‘frequently touched surfaces’, in addition to our routine cleans that already occur day and night.

We have been preparing for take-away only in the Stable Bar and Restaurant, and despite the reduced social distancing requirements announced today, we have decided to stick with this, at least for the time being – we’re not entirely confident that it is safe to congregate in large numbers indoors for prolonged periods, so we’re working instead on a really efficient food and drink take-away service, that we hope you’ll enjoy and find convenient.

Our site shop will also be open for the usual essentials such as bread, milk, and other groceries, plus our favourite Cornish treats.

Unfortunately it has been confirmed that ‘close-contact’, indoor facilities must remain closed, so we will not be opening the indoor soft play area, or Escape spa treatment rooms for the rest of the season.

We are delighted however, that we will be able to welcome children to our outdoor play areas – including the new equipment that we positioned this very morning – and that guests can also use the tennis courts (though you are still encouraged to bring your own rackets and balls), and putting green.

We are chasing further clarity on the swimming pool – we have our fingers crossed that it will come under the umbrella of low risk facilities that can open safely, and it is just indoor swimming pools that need to remain closed, but we have not been given a definite answer on that just yet.

Royal Buses still intend to run their regular service to and from St Ives, and local taxi firms have also taken measures to promote guests safety, including installation of partitions between guests and drivers.

We are already accepting bookings online at for caravans and motorhomes, we have asked our IT team to flick the switch to add the ability for tents to book again too, which will hopefully come back on line later today.

Availability is narrow, so getting 2 or more pitches side-by-side will be tricky just now, but if you are visiting with friends/family and would like to try to find pitches near each other, then you may find our map-based availability search helpful.

Balance payments – we will be in touch very soon with guests booked to join us in July, to request payment of your remaining balance.

If you have decided not to join us this year, please let us know asap, so that we can arrange a credit note for your deposit, and offer your pitch to another potential guest.

The team are in the office, dealing with enquiries, so if you need some extra help, get in touch, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible!

Looking forward to seeing you soon!

Becki, Phill and the Polmanter team

Update: 20th June 2020

Well, what a frustrating few days we’ve had!!!

‘Early June’ for government guidance around safely welcoming guests, turned into ’15th of June’, then ’18th of June’, but now its the 20th of June, and still we’re in limbo!
From the hints being dropped, we’re feeling increasingly confident that we will be able to open on the 4th of July, but we’re wanting to wait for the nod to say that we really are ‘at the front of the queue’ for the reopening of hospitality businesses before we start asking for balance payments!

We’re working on setting out processes for ‘the new normal’ at Polmanter for 2020, to help keep guests, staff and the local community as safe as possible. We’re pretty sure that we’re on the right track, but we can’t finalise them till we receive the government guidelines, so if anyone has a hotline to Boris, please tell him to hurry up!

There appears to be a small chance that they will initially prevent communal facilities such as amenity blocks from opening, so for now, we’re only accepting new bookings from guests with their own toilet/shower facilities on board.

We’ll need to make some adjustments to the way that our facilities are used, but we hope that you will still be able to have a fantastic stay with us.

On a cheerier note, even if its going to have to be a take-out service instead, we’re really excited to be getting the new kitchen staff team together and putting the final touches on the new bar….

Hopefully speak soon…

Becki and Phill

Update: 14th June 2020

So, its still a waiting game here!!

We have been eagerly awaiting updated government guidance regarding the procedures and restrictions that will be required before we can open, and whether the provisional date of 4th July for hospitality businesses to open will still apply.

Without wishing to jinx things, this is looking promising, and so we are working hard behind the scenes to bring staff back from furlough, employ our new seasonal staff team, and get the risk assessments and procedures in place to help ensure that you can visit us safely this summer.

As soon as we have confirmation about our opening date, we will be in touch with guests booked to stay with us this summer to advise on any restrictions that may apply to facilities, and when balance payments are required.

We already know that the spa treatment rooms and indoor soft play will be unable to operate for the forseeable future. Swimming pools and outdoor play areas are also currently not able to be used due to government legislation, so we are uncertain if we’ll be able to offer these – we are however working on processes to enable guests to access these facilities with Coronavirus in mind, so that we’ll be ready to open them as soon as the government deem it safe to do so.
It is doubly frustrating, as we welcomed a delivery of new play equipment for our younger visitors this week, and as parents, we recognise the potential frustration of having facilities where kids can look but not touch!! But its also really important to us to keep our visitors, young and old, as safe as we can, so we’ll stick to the guidance as it evolves.

We expect that core amenities such as toilet and shower facilities, our shop and reception and food and drink sales will be permitted – They will however, look a little different, with solutions for socially distant check-in, one-way system in the shop, and take-away food and drink service for the Stable Bar, all in development as I speak!

We are fortunate that a stay at Polmanter can very easily be ‘socially distanced’, with no need for prolonged close contact with other guests or staff, but our team will still be on hand, keen to welcome you and help ensure that you enjoy your visit to St Ives, even in these unusual times!

Local restaurants and shops are all working hard on their safe continued operation too, and the town council is developing plans to facilitate social distancing, including a proposed pedestrian-only zone in the centre of the town from 10am-4pm daily.

Royal Buses still intend to run a regular shuttle service to and from the town from the site, but they will need to restrict numbers of occupants, and face coverings will be required for all passengers, to meet with government legislation for safe operation.

As a family, we’ve always enjoyed walking down to St Ives, and using the bus or taxi to get home again, but during lockdown, we’ve started walking or cycling back too, and we’ve been pleasantly surprised that the route is *nearly* as pleasant on the way back!!

Local taxi firms are also following guidance around having partitions between driver and passengers, cleaning between occupants, and facilitating card payments, to protect visitors who need to use their services.

We’re informed that we should have more clarity on the 18th of June, and once we have this, we’ll be able to update you all further.

Thanks again for your patience and the lovely supportive messages we’ve been receiving, it’s made a tough time a lot easier!

Keep safe, and hope to see you soon,

Becki, Phill and the (growing!) Polmanter team

Update: 20th of May 2020

Well, its still very surreal here at Polmanter!

We should have been open for over 6 weeks, and have had almost uninterrupted blue skies throughout. We ought to be preparing for one of our busiest weekends of the year, welcoming over 150 families for the Whitsun half term week.

Sadly, it remains necessary for everyone to follow government guidance and stay at home, so its incredibly quiet here!
One of the unexpected benefits of this is that we’ve seen local wildlife enjoying the park instead, with foxes, rabbits and birds enjoying the park in your absence! An incredibly special visitor was also spotted a couple of weeks ago, when a deer took a wander through Rosewall camping field!

Aside from wildlife spotting, we’ve been working hard on getting in touch with all of our 2020 guests. Sadly, so far, over 1,200 bookings have been affected by Coronavirus, so its not been an easy task, but following the most recent government ‘roadmap’, indicating that hospitality and tourism may return from the 4th of July, we have emailed everyone booked with us up to that date to help arrange cancellation or postponement.

If you are due to visit us before the 4th of July and have not heard from us yet, please drop us an email on [email protected] to make sure we have an up to date email address / contact number for you.

We have been delighted to welcome Rhea back from furlough this week, to help with this huge task, and help us to prepare for reopening.

For guests who are due to stay with us from July onwards, you’ll have had an email confirming that we will NOT be requesting balance payments 6 weeks in advance as usual, and instead, will be in touch once it becomes more certain that your holiday can go ahead.

We’re busily working out how we can most safely welcome guests once travel is allowed, and we can  confirm with regret that Escape spa will not open for the 2020 season. We will be guided by government advice about the availability and safe operation of other communal facilities.

If you are booked to stay with us during the forthcoming season, but for health or personal reasons you do not feel able to continue with your planned stay, we’re happy to allow you to use your deposit towards a holiday with us later this year or next without a fee to postpone your booking or issue a credit note.

We’re also working hard to ensure guests booked with us for 2020, who’ve experienced this uncertainty over their holiday, get the small perk of priority booking for the same week(s) next year, on the same pitch wherever possible, without any increase in tariff or admin fees.

Once we’ve conquered that task, we’re hoping to get general 2021 bookings open – We’ve got our fingers crossed that we can make that happen a little earlier than our usual 1st of July date, so everyone can get their next Polmanter holiday in the diary to look forward to.

We hope you’re all muddling along in these strange times, and want to say a huge thankyou for your patience, kindness, and supportive messages, its made a huge difference, and an even bigger thankyou to our NHS and other keyworker guests, who are supporting our public services with such dedication right now.

With best wishes,

Becki, Phill, Kerenza, William and the Polmanter team.

Update: 10th of May 2020

In light of the Prime Minister’s latest briefing, we recognise that it seems possible that we will be unable to welcome guests to Polmanter before July at the earliest.

We understand that there will be more details to follow in the coming days, and we will watch these closely.

For guests due to stay with us in dates that may now fall within the travel restricted period, we will be in touch as soon as the situation is clarified with information regarding cancellations and opportunities to rebook for later in 2020, or in 2021.

For holidays already booked for later in 2020, we will not be requesting balance payments unless it seems likely that government restrictions will allow the holiday to proceed.

Update: 17th of April 2020

We have extended the closure of Polmanter Touring Park in response to the government announcement, to the 16th of May. We have emailed the affected guests, and will be contacting guests with stays in later May and June over the next couple of days.

22nd of March 2020

Dear friends and valued guests,

It is with regret that we must confirm that we have postponed opening for the 2020 season at Polmanter Touring Park.

It feels incredible to be writing this, as our family have been welcoming campers to Polmanter for over 50 years, and Dad (John) cannot recall ever having to close for even a single day.

Having enjoyed the opportunity to work part time alongside Phillip on the holiday park in recent years, I will now be free to to increase my hours in frontline NHS care as a Doctor.
The rest of the team will be able to take the necessary measures to protect the health of themselves and their families, and contribute towards the effort that we must now all take as a nation, to reduce the rate of spread among our community.

At present, we’ve postponed opening the site until the 1st of May, and have made contact with guests booked for April by email.
We do however recognise what a great challenge we are all facing with this virus, and know that it is unclear when we will be able to start to look towards opening.
We have closed to new bookings for May too at this point, but we will continue to follow government advice and take things one day at a time with regards to when we may be able to consider re-opening, and will share further updates hare at www.polmanter.com.

We will be in contact with guests booked to stay with us from May onwards as soon as possible, and we are grateful for the patience you have all shown to us so far!

If you have an urgent query, please email us on [email protected] and we’ll reply as soon as possible.

We have not taken this decision lightly, and the team are so disappointed not to be making final preparations for reopening in 2 weeks, but we felt it was our obligation to do so, following the government advice against non-essential travel, including holidays; and especially with the awareness we have over the stresses that peak holiday visitor numbers have on our local NHS services.

As always, the team have been working so hard preparing for the season ahead, and we were looking forward to serving drinks across the new bar, seeing children enjoy new under 5’s play equipment, and perhaps welcome some of you to our luxurious new holiday home, complete with outdoor hot tub!

We wish you all the best at this concerning time, and urge you to join us in following the strictest interpretation of the government guidance around self-isolation as closely as possible in the coming weeks, to help turn the tide, support our incredible NHS, and be able to look forward to brighter times ahead.

Best wishes, from Becki, Phill, and the Polmanter team

Update: 22/03/20: We’ve had messages asking for a peek at what we’ve been up to, so I’ve added some snaps below. We hope it won’t be too long before you can safely come and see for yourselves!

The new bar in The Stable Bar – almost there!

Under construction, this role play caravan, is due to join a couple of other new arrivals in the Under 5s play area.

The garden of our new 2-bedroom holiday cottage at the entrance of the site. A work in progress, which has now ground to a halt, but we hope it won’t be too long before we can get back to wrapping up this huge winter renovation project and welcome our first guests.