The leaves are turning, the last August crowds are a distant memory, and you are wondering whether to shut the gate until Easter. Running an open all year campsite is tempting, because empty pitches earn nothing. But winter opening is not just summer with a jumper on. It changes your costs, your rules and your risks.

Here is how I would decide whether to stay open, and how to do it without wearing yourself out or wrecking your grass.

Check the paperwork before you decide

Before you think about heating or gritting, check you are allowed to open. This catches more owners out than anything else.

If any of those say no, you have your answer. If they say yes, carry on.

Work out whether winter opening pays

Do a simple sum. Estimate how many nights you might realistically sell from November to February, multiply by a sensible winter price, then take off the extra costs.

Those extra costs usually include:

Be honest about occupancy. A busy Saturday in July is not a guide. Winter demand is mostly weekends, school holidays and the Christmas and New Year break. You can see how that works in our post on how to fill your campsite at Christmas and New Year. If the sums show a small profit, it may still be worth it for repeat guests and cash flow. If they show a loss, a shorter season may suit you better.

Protect your ground and your pipes

Wet ground is the biggest enemy of a winter site. One heavy van on a soaked pitch can leave ruts that take a year to recover.

Use hardstanding where you can

Put winter guests on your best drained pitches. If you have gravel or hardstanding, make those the only winter pitches and close the grass ones. You will protect your turf for spring and cut down on tow out requests. Our guide to waterlogged pitches goes into this in more detail.

Lag and drain what you can

Frozen pipes are expensive. Lag exposed pipework, drain taps and standpipes you will not use, and know where your stopcock is. Our winterising checklist lists what to do, and what to leave running if you stay open.

Keep one toilet block warm

Pick one block, heat it just enough to prevent freezing, and close the rest. Guests will forgive a basic site in winter. They will not forgive a frozen toilet.

Keep guests safe when it is dark and icy

Winter brings a different set of hazards, and you are still responsible for your guests' safety.

Update your risk assessment for winter. It does not need to be long, but it should mention ice, darkness and wet ground.

Set winter prices and rules that make sense

Winter guests are a different crowd. Many are retired couples, motorhomers escaping for a few nights, dog walkers and people who simply love a frosty morning. They want warmth, hot showers and a quiet pitch.

Think about:

Make winter bookings easy to manage

Winter is quiet, but it is also when small slips cost you most. A guest turns up in the dark to a locked gate, or a booking for a closed pitch slips through. A few habits help:

With CampSuite you can mark pitches as closed, set winter prices and minimum stays by date, and send automated confirmation messages. See how bookings work and how guest messages save you from repeating the same texts every evening. Taking deposits online is covered on the payments page.

Plan your own winter too

This is the part nobody mentions. If you run the site yourself, winter opening can mean no proper break from February to November. Be realistic about your energy.

Some owners open only Friday to Monday and block out midweek. Others close for January and use the time for repairs, accounts and a holiday of their own. Both are sensible. A tired owner makes worse decisions, and guests can tell.

It also helps to write a short winter routine: who checks the toilet block each morning, who grits the paths, who answers the phone after dark. Even if that "who" is just you, writing it down stops jobs being forgotten when the weather turns nasty. If you employ seasonal helpers, the seasonal staffing guide is worth a read.

Finally, keep an eye on the bookings you take. A few good reviews from winter guests are worth a lot, because they tell the next person you are properly open and looking after people. Our guide on how to get more campsite reviews shows how to ask.

The takeaway

Staying open all year can bring in steady income and loyal guests, but only if the paperwork allows it, the numbers add up and your ground can take it. Start small. Open a few well drained pitches, keep one warm toilet block, light the paths and price for the guests you actually get.

If you try one winter and it does not pay, you can close earlier next year. That is a perfectly good business decision.

If you want to take winter bookings without the paper diary, start with CampSuite for free. It takes about 15 minutes to set up, and you can see how it suits a small site on the small sites page.

Rob