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Car crash to success

Writing off their caravan and car on a European honeymoon trip may not have been the best start of a new life for British couple Nicky and Nick Kinson, but they turned misfortune into opportunity and have now set up the first UK-style camping and caravan site in Bulgaria.

After the traffic accident, they continued their year-long trip through 19 countries in a Swift Ducato motor-home, and ran into another small problem.

When they reached Bulgaria in May 2005 they simply could not find any camp-sites. Every tourist office they visited told them the same story: "
Camping in Bulgaria is July and August only."

So, with their fresh water tank empty, the toilet slightly past its limit and with no clean clothes in the drawers, they reluctantly checked into a hotel in Albena on the Black Sea Coast.

"
After nine months away from our home in Cardiff, Bulgaria was the first country that really imprinted its identity on us,"
says Nicky. "
We were enchanted."


She adds: "
It is a country full of lovely surprises;
the naturally produced beer, which didn’t give us a hangover;
the fantastic wine, including exclusive grape varieties such as Mavrud;
the generosity of the locals who dragged us into their gardens to sample salad and rakiya, the taste of seasonal fruit and vegetables and the relaxed atmosphere of a Bulgarian summertime."


Nicky, (40), a former primary school teacher and Nick, (41), a business development manager for Texas Instruments, had long nurtured the dream of setting up their own camp-site abroad. The crash, and a determination stemming from their growing love for Bulgaria, were catalysts towards making their dream a reality. And so Camping Veliko Turnovo was born.

"
We had met many other motor-homers equally perplexed by the lack of camp-sites open in May, so we set about trying to find our idea of the perfect camp-site location that would be open from the melting of the snow in March to the first deep frost in November,"
says Nick.

The couple’s first job was to mark all the tourist sites on the country map and choose somewhere central. Listing 12 criteria – derived from critiques they had written in a notebook on their trip across Europe – they gave their requirements to most of the 100 estate agents based in Veliko Turnovo at the time.

"
We were finding it really difficult to explain why tight hairpin bends on access roads and almost vertical plots were not ideal for 30-foot motor-homes. And we spent weeks trying to sort out the ‘possibles’ from the ‘blatantly unsuitable s’,"
says Nick.

Just as they were about to surrender to fate they met agents Silvia and her partner Lyuba who found them the site they are on today, on the outskirts of the village of Dragijevo.

Having found what seemed the perfect piece of land, the Kinsons soon realised they had a few more challenges to deal with. The land was agricultural, with no building permissions. There were no water or electricity supplies. Everything would need to be created from the ground up: a house, pitch areas, hookup and drainage services, not to mention building a bar and restaurant, toilet, showers, laundry and cooking block.

"
For example, getting a quote to find out how much it would cost for the main electricity supply was almost impossible,"
says Nick. "
In fact, we only knew how much it would cost many months after signing a contract to say we would pay an unknown amount."


Not discouraged, however, they bought the plot of land in June 2005 and then the real journey into the unknown began.

They designed the camp-site and left the details with the architect who then submitted the application on their behalf.

"
Explaining that we needed a place for the chemical toilet disposal unit was hilarious,"
laughs Nicky. "
The architect and his water engineer were rolling around the room, crying, when they finally realised that our guests were actually going to wheel 17 litre cassettes to a big underground tank to dispose of their ‘deposits’. It was at this point we started to wonder whether motor-home camping would ever take off in Bulgaria."


After 14 months back on the UK career treadmill, the Kinsons received a call from their translator, giving them the great news that the relevant permissions were granted.

"
Fourteen months is apparently very quick for Bulgaria, although for us it felt like a lifetime,"
says Nick.

By October 2007 they were standing at the edge of their plot. It had been ploughed and they were full of hope. Then they saw some little seeds glinting in the evening sunshine.

Nicky says: "
We later discovered the local commune had not been told that the plot belonged to us, and the week before our arrival they had planted it with winter barley. It wasn’t quite the lawn of Canadian rye grass we had planned.

"
October and November 2007 were probably some of the most difficult months of our time in Bulgaria. We were in a new country, with virtually no knowledge of the language, we had only a few trusted contacts to help us find a good builder. The quotes took us hours to decipher. Our translator had no previous experience with building, so it was a painstaking process for us all to check and double check everything."


By December 3 2007 the contract was signed, the footings were marked out with string and the JCB arrived to dig the first sod.

"
We were holding hands at the top of the cliff,"
says Nick, "
Taking that leap of faith into the unknown."


By summer next year, they hit a further setback when their builder was unable to fulfil his commitment to the project. Their luck changed, though, when they met the Raikov brothers, Giorgi and Ivan.

Nick felt that the brothers did an excellent job and "
got into the spirit of the place"
.

"
Depending on which brother was in charge,"
he adds, "
we would be treated to a soundtrack of death thrash metal or opera. Talk about chalk and cheese."


Nicky was working as an English teacher in Veliko Turnovo as the house was being built, while Nick project managed construction.

Having moved into their new home later in 2008, work began on the shower block for the camp-site.

Nick explains that their camp-site is the first of its quality to be built in Bulgaria. Visitors are full of compliments for it and some even say they would be happy to move there permanently.

"
We’ve tried to make it user-friendly,"
he says, "
and we’re really pleased that our customers are happy with the result"
.

Finally, in June 2009, Camping Veliko Turnovo opened for business. The first visitors, Barry and Margaret Williamson, a couple with more than 20 years' camping experience, arrived in their American motor-home.

"
They were fantastic first customers who gave us some great suggestions on how to develop the site. We were delighted to welcome them back again in 2010 so they could see how far we had come,"
says Nicky.

"
The 2010 season was amazing,"
comments Nick. "
We welcomed visitors from 29 different countries and entertained many groups. We hosted Bulgarian folklore evenings, with local food, music and dancing. Our local community have supported us superbly and they have helped us link the tourists with real Bulgaria.

"
We’ve also been blessed with our wardens. Bev and Gary Cox had a house in a nearby village and they have been working in the camping and hospitality industry for many years. They have helped us build the bare bones into a fleshy thriving business."


Now, in January 2011, the Kinsons have taken another leap of faith. The JCB has arrived to dig out an enormous swimming pool.

Whether or not they run into more setbacks is anyone’s guess, but one thing is for sure, nothing will keep the irrepressible Nicky and Nick from making an even bigger success of their latest improvements to Camping Veliko Turnovo.

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Nick and Nicky Kinson
Camping Veliko Turnovo OOD
Vasil Levski Street 70
Dragizhevo, Lyaskovets
Bulgaria 5145
Mobile: +359 (0) 886 877 244
Office: +359 (0) 619 42777
email: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Opening Dates: March 1 – November 31