Camp sites you have visited since lockdown

[Jack_P]

Looking around its still a confusing state. Thought it would be good to hear first hand of any sites you have been/cycled to since the great release.  What facilities are open and how busy, Cheers 

[Deano]

I'm away on a camping trip now, Jack, but probs out of your area.

Both Leekworth in Middleton and Dufton have reduced capacity, lots of hand sanitizer, etc.

The tricky bit was booking - usually I just rock up with my tiny tent, but they all seem to have strict capacity ideas (except for the bluff Yorkshireman in Hawes, of course). Weekdays easy, weekends a bugger.

[Robh]

Just had 2 nights trying out the new megatent at the C&CC Cambridge site. Very friendly, clean, well run, etc.  Small facilities block (looked like just 2 male and 2 female showers) but then it’s probably primarily a site for motorhomes and caravans. Pretty busy when we left, Saturday morning.

[Regulator]

Just had 2 nights trying out the new megatent at the C&CC Cambridge site. Very friendly, clean, well run, etc.  Small facilities block (looked like just 2 male and 2 female showers) but then it’s probably primarily a site for motorhomes and caravans. Pretty busy when we left, Saturday morning.

In Great Shelford?

[Jack_P]

Its all good Dean, since when has distance been an issue, hopefully, good info for all 

I saw this yesterday, wondering whether to explore further

https://nearlywildcamping.org/

[Robh]

Just had 2 nights trying out the new megatent at the C&CC Cambridge site. Very friendly, clean, well run, etc.  Small facilities block (looked like just 2 male and 2 female showers) but then it’s probably primarily a site for motorhomes and caravans. Pretty busy when we left, Saturday morning.

In Great Shelford?

Yep.

[Regulator]

Just had 2 nights trying out the new megatent at the C&CC Cambridge site. Very friendly, clean, well run, etc.  Small facilities block (looked like just 2 male and 2 female showers) but then it’s probably primarily a site for motorhomes and caravans. Pretty busy when we left, Saturday morning.

In Great Shelford?

Yep.

You should have waved - I live just down the road.

[Robh]

Just had 2 nights trying out the new megatent at the C&CC Cambridge site. Very friendly, clean, well run, etc.  Small facilities block (looked like just 2 male and 2 female showers) but then it’s probably primarily a site for motorhomes and caravans. Pretty busy when we left, Saturday morning.

In Great Shelford?

Yep.

You should have waved - I live just down the road.

What a pity. We could have exchanged notes on those yacf shorts I sold to you years ago (or was it a shirt?). We’re in Cambridge again on Wednesday (22nd) if you’re available for coffee.

[quixoticgeek]

Looking around its still a confusing state. Thought it would be good to hear first hand of any sites you have been/cycled to since the great release.  What facilities are open and how busy, Cheers 

Mini camping Slappeterp - Busier than I expected, but not totally full. Everything was working, people were keeping to themselves. No special measures

Camping de dobbe, Holwerd - Less busy than expected, one person at a time signs for toilet block and showers, some ignored, some didn't.

Bring your own toilet roll policy at both, apparently due to coronavirus, logic not explained due to language barrier.

Lots of people out on 5 bag bike tourers. Met a family from Sheffield at one of the sites, they had a flag pole with an EU flag on it. Interesting to chat to.

J

[phantasmagoriana]

Was up at Glen Nevis earlier this week, everything seemed to be open (booking essential) and fairly busy.

[Notsototalnewbie]

We spent last weekend at Long Acre Caravan and Camping site near Lingfield in Surrey, the furthest we've ventured since the start of lockdown.

Not my favourite kind of site (heavily aimed at caravans and people with huge tents with all mod cons) and not cheap either but we needed somewhere closer to home because it's been a while since we cycled with a camping load and this was only 20 miles away.

Us being the only lightweight campers on site aside, it was fine - they assigned us shower 'slots' to make sure the showers never got too busy (changing these when I pointed out we'd prefer evening slots after cycling all day), and the toilets were never too busy either (and naturally socially distanced as they were in big cubicles alongside the showers). Toilets/showers were cleaned four times a day and there were hand sanitiser dispensers dotted all around. It was a bit noisy (music, loud kids games) but everyone shut up on the stroke of 11pm as per campsite rules. Fires were allowed if you rented a fire pit but that was £25 a night so we didn't bother.

Loads of room and spare pitches on the non-electric field we were in. There were pubs within walking distance but we're not keen on going into pubs right now so spent the rainy Saturday afternoon huddled under a tarp with tea and port. I didn't mind because we've spent long enough stuck inside.

[Jack_P]

Stopped at Slade Paddock campsite at Witcham near Ely mid week.
cash paid in envelopes for a flat grass pitch, very little shade though.
Plenty of room for a small tent and no problems with about 20 pitches taken, mainly caravans.
They gave you a token to hang on the very clean toilets/ separate shower wet rooms whenever you were in them and I never had to wait.
Has a TV shed with a fridge to use, and nice sofas, bliss for me having no seat to eat my dinner on, and it was cool.
Owner was dishing out plums from his laden tree as a bonus.

[Frank9755]

We have just had a couple of nights at Compton Farm in the Isle of Wight.  Small site but it was almost full.  The owner said that since re-opening, it had been like bank holiday weekend every day.  Most people I spoke to were previous visitors (as were we).

Toilet and shower block is very small and often no-one else was in when I went in, but impossible to distance as there isn't space.  They did introduce a one-way system outside so you wouldn't pass people on the narrow path leading to it. 

Other than the one-way, everything was as it had been last year.

[Notsototalnewbie]

Hook Farm campsite in West Hoathly near East Grinstead this weekend.

This campsite is basically some slopey fields with running water, portaloos and compost toilets dotted around. A little temporary kiosk takes payment contactlessly and will also sell you firewood, kindling etc.

You are allowed a fire wherever you like but we chose a pitch where there had clearly been a fire before. Easy to social distance. The fields seemed informally separated into one for big groups and ones for people who wanted a quieter life.

All of the owners/staff were incredibly friendly and welcoming. We arrived exhausted and a little frazzled on Friday evening (see lorry incident thread) and couldn't face dragging our bikes around the fields looking for a flatter bit so ended up pitching on a slight slope which we obviously regretted at night. The owner noticed on the Saturday and offered us to repitch on another flatter field down the road but neither of us could be bothered packing up for just one more night. If we had got there earlier it would have been easier to find a flatter bit but many of them were already taken.

We wanted to go for a walk on the Saturday and the staff promised to keep an eye on our bikes when we locked them next to the kiosk which was kind of them.

The campsite is only open Fri-Sun and bank holidays.

[hatler]

Probably not strictly useful for anyone here, but there's been a temporary change to planning rules as a result of Covid.

It has been the case that it was allowed to have up to 28 days camping per year on any patch of land without planning permission. This rule has been changed to allow for up to 56 days for this year.

This is certainly going to help the one campsite I know about who have had a very tough time so far this year. They spent all their spare cash on their own sewage treatment system, and work finished about a fortnight before lockdown. No income from then until a month ago. Ouch. 

[FifeingEejit]

Isn't that rule not just so travellers wernt forced to move around so often?

Sent from my BKL-L09 using Tapatalk

[hatler]

As far as I understand it the recent rule change has been aimed at farmers and the like who already run a bit of camping to allow them to potentially double their income.

[jiberjaber]

Its all good Dean, since when has distance been an issue, hopefully, good info for all 

I saw this yesterday, wondering whether to explore further

https://nearlywildcamping.org/

I saw that a while back but they only reveal locations once you are a paid up member and the indicative per night costs seemed quite high for what might be just a field and a loo.  I guess I need to calibrate relative to teh cheapness of France else I'll be going nowhere this year!

[Notsototalnewbie]

Two more:

Riverside Farm camping in Rudgwick off the Downs Link. Bit of a weird one it has to be said.
It's a farm that lets out a couple of fields for camping. Two flushing toilets equipped with antibac wipes and hand sanitiser, the shower is closed due to Covid. They were very nice and friendly and delivered our firewood & fire pit to our pitch, however the 'firewood' was mostly bits of skirting board and door frame with nails in, bit of a funny thing to pay for. You can camp close to the river and it was not busy. But it seems to be a full-time permanent home for many in caravans with big awnings, which gives it a different vibe to a more usual site. The kids on site seemed to enjoy the horses, ponies, sheep and chickens.

Knepp Wildland camping in Dial Post. Very expensive but absolutely fantastic, beautiful place with lots of walking and wildlife on the wider site which is huge. Showers and toilets, (also a couple of outdoor baths) and hand sanitiser everywhere. Huge amount of space between the mowed-in pitches; they could pack people in but they haven't. Provided firewood that still looked like logs as above, and complimentary old newspaper to burn. A very useful shop onsite that sold local beer (only 1 household at a time allowed inside). They eagerly pointed us towards their cycle parking which was a small row of wheelbender racks. I politely explained why we would not be using them. I think they are pretty booked up for the near future but we'll definitely return.

[trekker12]

Brighthouse farm in Lawshall, just south of Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. It's a fairly regular of ours as it's 30 miles from home in Ipswich so seemed a useful way to test the water. We cycled there last Friday and came home Sunday (and that's our entire holiday plans for the year).

It didn't feel any different to how we have experienced it before. It's quite a large site and I've never seen it full. Most of the areas with electric seemed well used but talking to the owner it seemed he still had capacity. The big open field without electric and no arranged pitches was almost entirely empty - we normally go there on our own but met some friends with a van so we camped next to them in one of the electric areas.

The facility blocks are basic but clean as usual. We were asked to bring anti-bacterial wipes and our own toilet roll but he did seem to replace the toilet rolls most mornings - they appeared to have been stolen by the afternoons. He charges £1 for a shower token which lasts about two minutes. I've never liked sites which do this, just charge an extra £1 for the night but I suppose many caravans have their own shower.

There were a few large groups in the top field which didn't seem to be adhering to any form of social distancing - four or five vans parked in a square with a big fire pit in the middle. They were far enough away from us to not be a nuisance though.

[De Sisti]

The following link is about a campsite closing due to holidaymakers flouting covid-19 rules:

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/travelnews/lake-district-campsite-close-litter-coronavirus-a4526726.html

[Notsototalnewbie]

Evergreen Farm Woodland camping just outside East Grinstead (yes, all of my recommendations are ones that can be easily cycled from Croydon without the need for trains).

Hard to know whether to recommend this one. The campsite itself has a pretty setting, and the compost loos were clean. They give you a little tank of water with a tap for your pitch so no need to share a tap with others. Very easy to keep really far away from everyone else. No showers.

Unfortunately there are a couple of larger pitches that lend themselves to groups. Groups who get really drunk, play music til 4am and then shout loudly while crashing around the woods near your tent, lost. When we complained to the owners (the site is described as 'peaceful' after all) they were apologetic but didn't seem to think there was much they could do.

Also I got a really severe attack of something bitey despite being wrapped up all evening.

[Tim Hall]

Two more:

Riverside Farm camping in Rudgwick off the Downs Link. Bit of a weird one it has to be said.
It's a farm that lets out a couple of fields for camping. Two flushing toilets equipped with antibac wipes and hand sanitiser, the shower is closed due to Covid. They were very nice and friendly and delivered our firewood & fire pit to our pitch, however the 'firewood' was mostly bits of skirting board and door frame with nails in, bit of a funny thing to pay for. You can camp close to the river and it was not busy. But it seems to be a full-time permanent home for many in caravans with big awnings, which gives it a different vibe to a more usual site. The kids on site seemed to enjoy the horses, ponies, sheep and chickens.

Knepp Wildland camping in Dial Post. Very expensive but absolutely fantastic, beautiful place with lots of walking and wildlife on the wider site which is huge. Showers and toilets, (also a couple of outdoor baths) and hand sanitiser everywhere. Huge amount of space between the mowed-in pitches; they could pack people in but they haven't. Provided firewood that still looked like logs as above, and complimentary old newspaper to burn. A very useful shop onsite that sold local beer (only 1 household at a time allowed inside). They eagerly pointed us towards their cycle parking which was a small row of wheelbender racks. I politely explained why we would not be using them. I think they are pretty booked up for the near future but we'll definitely return.

Did you take a look round the Knepp Estate when you were there?  It's where the first white storks have hatched in the UK for hundreds of years.

[Notsototalnewbie]

No, because we were using it as a base to meet up with my mum and were only there a short time. Her dog wasn't allowed on the campsite so we met offsite instead. I realised that we'd missed out, though, and we've got another trip planned.

[hatler]

Blackberry Wood is within striking distance I would have thought. They have a pretty strict no music at all and no noise after 11pm rule.