As testament to our outstanding holidays, we’re delighted that Shorefield Country Park received Silver for Holiday Park of the Year at the 2020-2021 Beautiful South Tourism Awards. Close to the Tamar estuary, Whitsand Bay is a three-mile beach often overlooked for the more accessible surf breaks further south. There’s a thread with some detail on these sticks from way back which you can read here if you’re interested to learn more about them. If you’re a regular reader of the blog, you’ll have read several articles where I’ve been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to go through old collections or stashes of arcade cabinets. When you’re shot full of adrenalin it has to go somewhere, so you work like a demon. These “universal” machines were work horses, not pieces of art. Roger by that time was a renowned artist, responsible for designing many psychedelic album covers for various bands throughout the 70s. His most recognisable work was for the band Yes. It covers not just gas and electricity, but often also the use of the park’s facilities such as its swimming pool or tennis courts. If you require accommodation near to the facilities or with level access, please state this at the time of booking and we will do our best to help find you something to suit your requirements.
What I will say up front is that California Extreme is by far the best event I’ve visited in terms of the things you are likely to see. On occasion, we are able to do some good while we’re at it. We will ensure that the parts and cabinets that we found from the Automatic Services collection are put to good use and get a new lease of life, whether it be operated in a public museum, arcade or home collection. All the remaining cabinets and parts that he had left was stored in several connected buildings next to his home. They placed the cabinets at a public exhibition alongside other more humble looking arcade machines. One of the more interesting things he did was to develop and manufacture his own “Universal” style cabinets, with a bespoke wiring harness and cabinet design, long before the Jamma standard was even a thing. This lively campsite, in a beautiful hilly location overlooking the bay of Estartit, is perfect for older teens ready to enjoy a little more freedom. Give yourself the freedom to explore and head off to wherever takes your fancy!
Do check out the video below that Alex from Arcade Archive has uploaded documenting the weekend, which will give you a better idea of the location and the condition of the building. I have to say of all the experiences like this I’ve attended over the years, this was an epic weekend, hanging out with a great bunch of people. We discovered that the showmen’s reluctance was simply over the colour, a vivid metallic green. Prices, of course, vary from park to park, but even in high season you could easily pay less than £500 for a whole week’s rental. Kielder Observatory is down the road and Kielder Water and forest park is close by for mountain bike trails, horse riding, canoeing and sailing. Literally nothing was down or waiting repair during my visit. Make your stay one to remember, whatever time of year you visit. Stay with Al Fresco or sister company Eurocamp and kids from 13-17 can also hang out at BASE, the “parent-free zone” where the teens set the programme with the help of a specially-trained rep. You can have a morning of adventure at the beach and then take a stroll back to your cosy abode to rinse the salt out of your hair before having a well-earned bite to eat at one of its six food and drink venues.
Everything you need is right within the park boundaries, with activity facilities including adventure golf, swimming pools, play areas and boat hire. There are many other cabinets, including pinball tables, one armed bandits and other amusement machines. Another issue can be the facilities on offer at the park itself, as some guests have complained that they are basic and lacklustre. Chief scientist Prof Julia Slingo said: “No one can deny that we have had a pretty disappointing summer with a lot of unsettled weather and only a few warm spells, especially through July and August. You can also find traditional British seaside charm at Margate with its famous vintage theme park, Dreamland. Also I wanted to continue the mechanical theme by adding that truss style design to the sides of the roof. Dr Alan Meades teaches the undergraduate and post-graduate game design courses at Canterbury Christ Church University and is the author of Arcade Britannia, published by MIT Press. Released in limited numbers, the cabinet design was ultimately dropped. Mark Shepherd ran a company up north here in the UK called Automatic Services Limited. I have used some pictures here that I was unable to attribute to anyone – do get in touch if you’d like me to put that right.