A guide to adding accommodation for fisheries

How can accommodation transform your fishery venue?

There is an argument to just leave your fishery as it is, continue taking day tickets or overnight bivvy bookings, or perhaps get permission to host a few caravans onsite. But our team here at Fisheries.co.uk have seen many venues change from ‘small turnover and paying the bills’ to generating real revenue and profit by adding accommodation to their venues.

The modern new glamping pods at New Farm Fishery in Cheshire

Benefits of adding accommodation to your fishery

Attract new customers from a wider area: By offering accommodation, you can attract customers from further afield who are looking for a longer stay. This can help to increase your customer base and generate more revenue. More and more anglers are looking to get away for 2-3 days, sometimes even for a week.

Increase revenue and cashflow: Accommodation can be a significant source of additional revenue for your fishery. Anglers pay a premium for accommodation and your overall spend per angler will increase if you have the option to offer just more than a day ticket, or bivvy stay.

Improve customer satisfaction: By offering comfortable and convenient accommodation, you can improve customer satisfaction and encourage repeat business. Many anglers like venues that have the conveniences and luxuries that they get at home.

Extend your season: This is a big one. Accommodation can help to extend your season by attracting customers who would normally be put off by the weather or cold. This can help to generate more revenue and improve consistency all year round.

Angling Pods

Angling Pods, sometimes known as fishing pods, glamping pods or Bivvy pods are semi permanent structures that sit on the bank side, offering anglers a sheltered and more comfortable experience than using a bivvy. Pods have been massively popular for venues where night fishing sessions are the norm and anglers love the fact they reduce the set up time and the amount of gear they have to bring with them, as well as the extra warmth on those cold nights.

Tardis Angling Pods

Specifications can vary, but generally pods are functional accommodation, a step up from a bivvy, allowing fishery owners to charge between £20-£30 a night rental on top of the fishing. They are easy to install and set up, low cost to purchase, giving the fishery owner a fast return on investment and the option to rollout accommodation at scale.

We’ve partnered with a number of Pod creators, one of them is Tardis Angling Pods, who offer a high quality, flat packed product that is easily erected on site with little or no ongoing maintenance required. Made from 70mm insulated sip panels with a waterproof membrane, the Tardis Pod comes equipped with Upvc reinforced double doors with trickle vents for ventilation keeping them cool in summer and warm in winter, providing an ambient temperature all year round.

The Mobile Pod

The Mobile Pod is unique. Spring Rock Leisure Ltd, the company behind these pods, brings over 7 years of experience to the table.  Owner, Andrew Griffiths initially developed the Mobile Pod for his own fishery, but now, thanks to the success, Andrew is building them for other fisheries across the UK.

What sets The Mobile Pod apart is its portability and that they have been built in such a way to avoid the need for special planning requirements. These pods are designed to be fully mobile, meaning they can be easily transported and set up at various locations around your fishery. The pods can be towed from the front and the back by just inserting the supplied tow hitch into the sleeve on the pod at either end. This makes them ideal for placing by rivers and lakes as they can be reversed into place close to the waters edge. Should flooding be an issue the pods can be moved very easily and quickly to higher, safer, drier ground.

While the standard models are designed to comfortably sleep two people, they don’t include bathrooms, but they do offer a comfortable and well-equipped space, with room for essential appliances. They feature a timber frame, waterproof membrane, and dual-cavity construction for superior insulation and condensation prevention. Rock wool insulation ensures efficient heating/cooling and sound reduction. Plastic cladding and a steel tile roof minimises the need for maintenance. LED lighting, industrial vinyl flooring, and pine T&G interiors provide practical, clean finishes.

Pods by Future Rooms

Glamping pods, as the name suggests offer a little bit more luxury when it comes to accommodation at your fishery.  Available in a huge number of different styles and designs, Glamping Pods can be supplied as bare units, or fully fitted to offer high-quality leisure accommodation, equipped with features such as kitchenettes, en-suite showers and WCs, decked areas, hot tubs, and even catering and showering facilities for commercial uses.

Pods By Future Rooms offer 4 different pod designs, manufactured in the UK from their premises in Worcestershire.

One of the leading suppliers of glamping pods to the fisheries market are Future Rooms. Their pods are designed, and built in the UK, operating from their purpose-built premises in Worcestershire.  Future rooms glamping pods come in four main designs and offer generous open plan space that is filled with light due to the large doors in the front elevation. They are also able to manufacture to bespoke sizes based on your specific needs.

Future Rooms – offering a range of glamping pods for fishery owners in the UK

In addition to their Glamping Pod range, they also a range of Modular Pods and Cabins. Their Modular Pod range are all built to order, using their own structural insulated panels that are manufactured in-house using high-quality materials. These modular pods can be supplied as finished units, or as flat-packed kits, for self assembly. These prefabricated building structures offer stunning design combined with sustainable and efficient construction methods and they are highly suitable for locating around your venue, close to the waters edge.

Lune Valley Pods

Another manufacturer of high quality glamping pods is Lune Valley Pods. They began as a timber building manufacturer in 2003 and have since become one of the UK’s leading camping / glamping pod producers.  Identifying a gap in the market, this family business developed what they initially termed a “wooden tent,” characterised by a distinctive arch shape. This arch remains a key design element as their product range has expanded to include larger, bespoke living spaces. While offering design templates, Lune Valley Pods customises each pod to meet individual customer needs.  The company, based in Lancashire, has supplied hundreds of pods across the UK and employs over 30 people.

Custom pods for fishery businesses

Lune Valley understands the fishing market well, having supplied many pods to venues over the UK. Whether you need a basic wooden bivvy for anglers looking for a simple overnight stay or a high-end, fully insulated pod with en-suite facilities and heating, they will create the perfect accommodation solution.

On the larger size, their original Mega Pod sleeps 4 and is available from 6M to 8M in length. Lune Valley Pods are designed to suit different budgets and situations and the layout of all their pods can be adapted to your needs. With features such as en-suite bathrooms, kitchenettes, underfloor heating, and panoramic windows. These luxury options attract families, couples, and non-angling guests, turning your fishery into a desirable getaway destination.

The robust construction and high-quality materials mean these pods are built to withstand the elements (the roof tile finishes come with a 40 year guarantee), providing a long-lasting, luxurious accommodation for your fishery.

Water Lodges

If you’re looking for a truly unique and luxurious accommodation option, then you could consider water lodges. These floating structures offer a one-of-a-kind experience for guests and can significantly add value to your fishery. They are ideal because they can be situated on existing lakes where there may not be space for more traditional bank-side or land based buildings. Another advantage is that they can be moved around you venue, between lakes or even between venues. It’s a not fixed asset and is super flexible. There also a resale market too.

Being on the water also creates a unique selling point, attracting new customers and giving a very memorable experience.

Being on the water also creates a unique selling point, attracting new customers and giving a very memorable experience. Staying in and fishing directly from the water, is something that is not available at many fisheries. Plus, installation generally causes minimal disruption to the surrounding environment and fishery operations compared to traditional construction on the bank side, which distubs wildlife, vegetation and landscaping. Water lodges gently slip into the lake and provide instant luxury accommodation that you can fish from.

We work directly with a company called Waterlife who are the UK’s leading houseboat company. They offer a range of high-quality water lodges designed specifically for fisheries and provide expert advice and support from planning and design to installation and after-sales care. They even offer turnkey solutions and can assist with securing finance for your new accommodation. By adding water lodges to your fishery, you can create a truly unique and luxurious experience for your guests, attract new customers, increase bookings, and generate significant additional revenue.

If you’re looking for a truly unique and luxurious accommodation option, then you could consider water lodges

What are the potential returns?

The potential returns from adding accommodation to your fishery will vary depending on a number of factors, including the type of accommodation you offer, your location, and your target market. However, it is possible to generate significant additional revenue from accommodation.

How easy is it to start?

The process of adding accommodation to your fishery will vary depending on the type of accommodation you choose and the planning regulations in your area. However, in general, the process is relatively straightforward. You will need to obtain planning permission from your local authority and ensure that your accommodation meets all relevant safety standards, all of the suppliers on this page can provide advice on this.

Will I get bookings?

Destination based fisheries are in demand. We’ve seen a growing appetite for luxury, lakeside accommodation driven by anglers wishing to book a break with their families. While there is definitely still a market for anglers who bivvy up, a growing number of anglers are choosing destinations that are setup and can cater for their family and friends who don’t fish.

The data on Google proves it, with 3,600 searches for ‘fishing lakes with lodges’, 1,300 searches for ‘fishing lodges with private swims’ and 8,100 searches for ‘fishing lodges’ each month in the UK, the demand is high. Consumers are looking for destinations that can offer something for the angler, but also catering for the non anglers as well.

If you offer high-quality accommodation at a competitive price, you should be able to attract bookings. You can also promote your accommodation through your website, social media, and online travel agents. Of course you can also advertise on our website too on our fishing & angling holiday section.