CAMPSITE REVIEWS
Carlyon Bay, Nr St Austell/Eden Project, Cornwall
We stayed here in September 2019, while visiting the Eden Project and couldn’t fault the place. It was very reasonably priced, well-located, clean, all the things we were looking for in a site. Firstly, the price, I can’t remember exactly what we paid, but it very reasonable and we certainly felt we got value for money. We didn’t opt for a hard-stand pitch, but we did go for the EHU. The pitch size was more than adequate for my little T2, dwarfed by some of the supersized motorhomes and house-sized awnings others around us had brought with them. The toilet and shower blocks were immaculate. The staff at reception were very friendly. What more could you ask for? Well, a decent location is always a bonus. We were down in Cornwall for a visit to the Eden Project, just a 10-15 min drive away, so it was perfect for that. It was also a 2 minute walk to the beach, and a short stroll along the clifftops into the small fishing port of Charlestown, one of the locations used in the Poldark TV series. Being at the northern end of Cornwall it’s in one of the more accessible locations, but far enough away from the busier destinations in and around places like Newquay. It would be an excellent base from which to explore Cornwall and Devon, and particularly good for families with the beach and Eden project practically on the doorstep. The campsite itself has play areas for the kids, a swimming pool and a restaurant meaning young families needn’t worry about having to go too far for something to do. Excellent site, strongly recommended!
Update: We liked this place so much we went back in June, when we planned to visit the nearbyLost Gardens of Heligan. It’s that good! Worth mentioning how accommodating the staff were as we were arriving slightly after their cut-off for check-in. We’d got caught up in the Glastonbury traffic so emailed the site to say we may not make the 6pm cut-off. They couldn’t have been nicer about it. You don’t always get this helpful attitude with campsites. So when you do, it’s worth highlighting. In terms of the site itself, everything was as we remembered it. Top Quality. Clean. Peaceful. Cornwall is a favourite holiday destination for us, this site is one we will definitely be heading back to.
Visit SiteFaskally Caravan Park, Pitlochry, Cairngorms
This was the first stop on our 2020 East and North Coast of Scotland trip (didn’t have time for the whole NC500). It really did set a high bar for the rest of the trip! It was September 2020, so we weren’t expecting much to be open and fully operational, given the year leading up to it. This was the case at Faskally. On arrival we found the shop to be open with limited access and were informed that while the toilets would be accessible, the showers were out of bounds. This was no issue for us at all. It was reasonably-priced and we were upgraded on arrival to a hard stand pitch with EHU at no extra cost. The owners clearly had the customer welfare in mind and were doing all they could to keep everyone safe while ensuring we had most of what we needed. In any case, who needs to shower every day?… Sitting a two minute drive off the A9, the site is easily found and the setting for this site is breath-taking. Just a short stroll out of the back of the site and you’re greeted with the River Tummel and all its stunning scenery along your walk in to the picturesque town of Pitlochry. Pitlochry itself has everything you need, without being too busy. Great scenery, good walks, plenty of pubs and restaurants, and Blair Athol, one of Scotland’s oldest distilleries. Being right on the A9, it’s easy to reach some of the busier Cairngorms spots, like Kingussie and Aviemore. A great place to start or end an extended NC500 or perhaps a tour of the Speyside distilleries. If I was nitpicking, the site has one slight negative, and it isn’t even the site itself. The walk back from town along the main road isn’t well lit and its a good couple of miles. That said it’s not going to cost much for a taxi. So you might need to plan ahead a bit. But that’s it. A superbly run site in a stunning location!
Visit SiteArdtower Caravan Park, Inverness
We caught this one on the way back from the north coast of Scotland, having missed it completely on the way up. It’s a small and fairly new site, or at least I think it was in 2020, which is perhaps why we missed it when looking for stop offs the first time. I’m so glad we found it on the way back. As with many of the small sites, it benefits from being well looked after. The place is immaculate. Good-sized gravel pitches with EHU, washing and drying facilities for a small cost, and spotless shower and toilet facilities. The owners were great too, had some really nice chats with them and they were really helpful with suggestions of places to visit nearby. The location is perfect too, whether you want to see the historic sites of Inverness, Culloden battlefield, or just need a well-placed stop at the beginning/end of the NC500 route, this covers it all. A perfect example of the basics done very very well.
Visit SiteDalraddy Holiday Park, Aviemore
Dalraddy is a sizeable campsite, just south of Aviemore, set up to cater for all types of camper. We spent just two nights on site, but there were full season campers and longer stay campers there too. Despite being in the middle of a pandemic, all of the facilities were up and running and were being kept immaculately clean throughout our stay. I think this was one of the pricier sites on our Scotland trip, but not excessively so. Still very reasonably priced and definitely value for money. The shop was well-stocked, the site layout was perfect meaning toilet and shower blocks, and waste sites were not too far away wherever you were on-site. Our pitch was in an area off the main track and enclosed by trees either side, as all of the pitches in this area were. This meant it was quiet during the night and sheltered from the wind. It was, however, September in the Cairngorms, so a little chilly, but that meant it was also too cold for the midges so… In addition to the shop, the site had regular visits from food trucks. We had a great curry on our first night from one of these. The site office also has loads of info on the activities nearby. Aviemore is great for the outdoors types all year round, with cycling and hiking routes, and the Loch Insh Water Sports centre all within walking distance of the site. In the winter months you’re not going to be too far from the ski area either. I haven’t braved a ski trip in the van yet, but a sheltered site like this would make it all the more comfortable, I would imagine.
Visit SiteSkelwith Fold Caravan Park, Ambleside, Lake District
This is another site we visited before lockdown. Actually, it was our first trip in the van. A great site to start #vanlife. Close to Ambleside, at the north end of Lake Windermere, it’s not a difficult place to find. Ambleside itself has all the amenities you’ll need and many activities on Windermere, or hikes start here.
The site was immaculate. With a mix of seasonal campers and weekend visitors, the site was set up to cater for all needs. A decent sized shop on-site with good food selection, a park for the kids, heated floors in the shower blocks, which were particularly good for us, as we were there in November! Everything on site was immaculately maintained too. Also, the site is situated outside of the town surrounded by wooded areas, with plenty of trees between parking and camping areas, reducing the noise. A really pleasant setting.
On our arrival, the staff were extremely helpful. We were at the end of their season, so they took the time to explain what was around, what was maybe not available in terms of local activities, as peak season had passed. One place that definitely was open and came highly recommended by the site staff wasThe Drunken Duck Inn. Phenomenal food and local beers, inlcuding their own, reasonably priced, and just a short drunken stumble back to the site afterwards. One tip, take a torch or make sure your phone has enough battery, as the path to access it is very dark at night.
Farmer Phil's Campsite, nr Bude, Cornwall
This was a great last minute find. Having toured Cornwall for the weekend, heading right down south to visitLand’s End and theMinack Theatre on our last full day, the plan was to find somewhere in North Cornwall/Devon to break up the journey home. Bude seemed a logical stop off, but could we find a site with availability? No…until we stumbled upon this little site onPitchup.com.
The reviews were far and away better than many other sites in the area, so to see it had availability was a surprise. Perhaps being away from the coast, although only a 10 minute drive, meant it wasn’t quite as full as it could have been that weekend. Whatever the reason, it was highly rated and most importantly, comparatively cheap. We paid £20 for a grass pitch with no Electric Hook-Up, but EHU pitches were only a few quid more. Pretty reasonable and a good start.
On arrival, we called Farmer Phil, as instructed, who was a lovely guy, He directed us to the pitch at the far end of the field, explaining he was giving space between campers so it wasn’t too noisy or cramped. It was only a relatively small site anyway, so it made no difference to us being slightly further from the shower block.
The shower block itself was immaculately clean. The showers were powerful and you could regulate the temperature. Not something you see at many sites, as most tend to go for the push button, one temperature fits all option. In the same block there were microwaves and kettles, fridges and freezers, and washing up facilities. There was also a washing machine and a tumble dryer.
For such a small site, this place packed in a lot of features you wouldn’t find as standard at most sites.
The owner, Phil, was really helpful and told us where he could be found during our stay if we needed anything. He also runs a taxi service from the site. It really was going above and beyond and shows exactly why it was so highly rated.
This is another one of those places I would happily stay again and again.