Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre

No availability at present on Pitchup.com 8.9 27 reviews
Buttercup meadow (added by manager 22 Feb 2021)
Dragonfly pond
Meadows
Campsite. portaloos are near the entrance and river is to the back

  • Back to basics pitches in a hay meadow on the edge of Craven Arms
  • On the Shropshire Way, nine miles from Ludlow and Long Mynd
  • Shop and café on site, plus fishing permits to buy
If you’re setting out to explore the Shropshire Hills, what better place to do it from than on site at the Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre? The back to basics pitches here are on the edge of Craven Arms, just a few minutes’ walk from its shops, pubs and takeaways, and in a handy spot for getting out and about. The folk that run the place describe stays here as being close to wild camping – numbers are kept low and there are no regimented pitches. This isn’t the place for you if you need things like showers and electric hookups, as the only facilities on site are a cold water tap and ‘festival-style’ toilets (although you can also use the centre’s proper loos during opening hours). However, it may well be the place for you if you like the sound of camping among 12 hectares of nature reserve that’s recognised by the British Dragonfly Society as a hotspot for dragonfly spotting. You may well also see red kites overhead and notice kingfishers and otters down at the banks of the river Onny, 50 metres away. All sorts of outdoor pursuits are possible around here: buy day permits for fishing in the river (home to trout, salmon and grayling), set off on the adjacent Shropshire Way for a walk to Ludlow or Clun or head out for a ride on National Cycleway 44, which runs through Craven Arms. Those travelling without a car can get around on the bus (from the stop just outside) or train (from the station five minutes’ walk away). Don’t forget to leave some time to explore the centre itself: it’s got a great exhibition about the area (including the story of the Shropshire Mammoth) and houses a café serving breakfasts, lunches, snacks, drinks and ice creams.

Site type

Tent sites 15
Motorhome sites 3
Opens
Please note
  • This campground/park has no on-site shower facilities.
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • The campground/park does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Dangerous Dog Act (i.e. Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro).
  • Group bookings of 3 or more units (e.g. tent, caravan, motorhome or accommodation hire) travelling together are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • Group bookings of 4 or more adults are not permitted (couples and immediate family members excepted).
  • Single-sex bookings of 4 or more people (couples and immediate family members excepted) are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • No hen/stag parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • Facilities/activities including fishing are subject to extra charges payable on arrival.
  • Twin axle vehicles are not permitted on site.
  • Commercial vehicles (vehicles used for work-related purposes, carrying goods or fare-paying passengers) and sign-written vehicles are not permitted on site.
  • Discount cards and gift vouchers cannot be applied to bookings made via Pitchup.com.
  • Reception is unmanned after 5 p.m.. Please inform the campground while on your way there should you expect to arrive after this time so that the team can provide information about your unit/site.
  • Units longer than 7.5 metres are not allowed.
  • Units heavier than 7500 kg are not allowed.
  • Guests are advised to bring a good quality torch with them as parts of the campground/park are unlit.
  • Please note that the site is adjacent to the main A49, and there will be some associated traffic noise. While flushing toilets are only available during centre hours (10am - 5pm daily), portable toilets are available at all times.

Languages spoken

English

French

German

Pitch types & availability

No availability at present on Pitchup.com

Choose your dates and we'll email when available.

See nearby bookable sites

Reviews

93%

would recommend this site to a friend

89%

would stay here again

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Only showing reviews for the last 30 months.

So many fun things to see and do all within close proximity…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 2
Joe P. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Onny Meadows unpowered grass motorhome site

Liked: So many fun things to see and do all within close proximity to the site! The centre itself has a great exhibition and a lovely cafe. There’s a bmx pump track 10min walk away, Long Mynd is a 15min drive, there’s meadow walks all around the Oni meadows, a cute museum of lost content 5 minute walk away. A garden centre/camping supplies shop 2 min walk from the centre made sure we were able to grab things that we hadn’t intended to bring like a different style bike pump or extra gas. There is a river that runs through the campsite which is great for activities just be up on your water safety talks. Our dog is a bit obsessed with water so we chose to keep him nearby. However, dogs were welcome so long as they were well behaved and on the lead during walks.

Disliked: Not so much a dislike, but be prepared and bring lots of insect repellent just in case. There are lots of water sources and midges and mozzies love that stuff. Wearing plenty of mosquito repellent was a must for us.

Recommend to friends Visit again

No fuss site with basic amenities as advertised…

Overall 8/10
Location 6
Value for money 10
Accommodation 6
Facilities / Activities 4
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 2
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Onny Meadows unpowered grass tent or trailer tent site

Liked: No fuss site with basic amenities as advertised

Disliked: Slightly hard to find the campsite turn off from a reasonably busy road.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Small quiet site. One Chemical toilet that was clean. Only down side…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 8
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 2
Adam C. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Onny Meadows unpowered grass tent or trailer tent site

Liked: Small quiet site. One Chemical toilet that was clean. Only down side is on night there was a group making a lot of noise until 1.30 in the morning and flashing a light around at tents.

Recommend to friends Visit again

We really enjoyed our stay here, plenty of walks to do with…

Overall 8/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Jasmin P. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Onny Meadows unpowered grass tent or trailer tent site

Liked: We really enjoyed our stay here, plenty of walks to do with the kids and pup. The area was clean and well maintained we will come back at some point

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great place to stay. Did some lovely walks and just over the…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 8
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 8
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 6
Kirsty H. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Onny Meadows unpowered grass tent or trailer tent site

Liked: Great place to stay. Did some lovely walks and just over the road from stokesy castle. No showers but hey ho. The cleanest porta loo ever seen! Saw lots of different birds and at night lots of bats and an owl swooped over us! Perfect 2 night stay.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Nice site but take torches, lanterns and lights…

Overall 8/10
Location 10
Value for money 8
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 6
Customer service 4
Child friendliness 6
Cleanliness 8
Wifi 2
Mark H. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Onny Meadows unpowered grass motorhome site

Liked: Nice site but take torches, lanterns and lights

Recommend to friends Visit again

Perfect budget pitch in the Onny Meadows

Overall 10/10
Location 8
Value for money 10
Accommodation 6
Facilities / Activities 6
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 8
Cleanliness 8
Wifi No rating
Martin P. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Onny Meadows unpowered grass motorhome site

Liked: Perfect budget pitch for a night in the Onny Meadows. A tap, a bin and a chemical toilet are, as advertised, the only overnight facilities - but that's all we needed! A short walk to the Discovery Centre and the town, a longer morning walk to the woods on Norton Camp above.

Recommend to friends Visit again

A lovely get away from it all stay

Overall 8/10
Location 6
Value for money 10
Accommodation 8
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 6
Joanne K. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Onny Meadows unpowered grass tent or trailer tent site

Liked: We loved the setting. It was great being surrounded by nature, the fields, the river, the walks. We also loved the cafe and the activities at the centre.

Disliked: It would be great to be able to take our dog into the centre, even if just a small area. Travelling as a lone adult with children and a dog this made using the cafe and the centre facilities difficult.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Amazing little find discovery center was brilliant. Porta loo was…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 10
Nicola M. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Onny Meadows unpowered grass tent or trailer tent site

Liked: Amazing little find discovery center was brilliant. Porta loo was clean nice quiet site

Disliked: Road noise

Recommend to friends Visit again

In a meadow, near river, orchards & wildlife just basics ,loo & water.

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 8
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Onny Meadows unpowered grass tent or trailer tent site

Liked: Gentle introduction to wild camping with extra amenities a short walk away (a mile).

Recommend to friends Visit again


Features

Leisure on site

Bar or club house Cycle hire Evening entertainment Fishing Fitness centre Games room Indoor swimming pool Kids' club On-site restaurant/cafe Outdoor swimming pool Play area TV room Take away Tennis Watersports

Amenities on site

Bath available Car parking by site/unit Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Food shop Free wifi Ice pack freezing Internet access Laundry Parent & baby washroom Pick-up from public transport Portable toilet Pub toilets Public telephone Shower available Toilet block Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

D. of E. welcome Family friendly Motorcycle friendly Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

Barbecue provided Barbecues allowed Campfires allowed Commercial vehicles allowed Dogs allowed Dogs allowed all year

Themes

Budget/backpacker Walkers' paradise Wild camping Wildlife haven

Utilities

Charging facilities Dump point Electric car charging point(s) Gas cylinders available No hot water Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Convenience store nearby Dog walk nearby Nearby farmers' market Public transport nearby

Type

Pop-up campground Small (11-25 sites)

Accessibility

Disabled facilities

Nearby leisure

Cycle hire nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Horse riding nearby Mountain biking nearby Restaurant nearby

Location

Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre

School Road

Craven Arms

Shropshire

England

SY7 9RS

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London +0100 (GMT+01:00)

GPS

52.43757°N
-2.83271°W

Nearest transport

Coach
29.2 km Nag`s Head Hotel
29.2 km Nag`s Head Hotel
30.6 km Marche Lane Jct
Rail
0.6 km Craven Arms Rail Station
3.9 km Broome Rail Station
7.4 km Hopton Heath Rail Station

Please note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.

Local attractions

Start your stay with a visit to your local manor house, the medieval Stokesay Castle – it’s only 10 minutes’ walk away, so it’s easy to pop round for a tour of the house and the walled garden. If you’ve got an eye for historic buildings, check out the ruins of Clun Castle (20 minutes’ drive) and the National Trust’s Croft Castle and Parkland (half an hour) too. A stay in the Shropshire Hills should also involve some walks, of course – the landscapes around here are rather special. Top spots include Wenlock Edge (15 minutes) and the trails of Carding Mill Valley and the Long Mynd (20 minutes). Several local towns are worth a stroll, too, including foodie favourite Ludlow (15 minutes), Church Stretton (15 minutes) and Shrewsbury (35 minutes) with its half-timbered Tudor centre.

Must see

Stokesay Castle 0.8 km

Ludlow Castle 10.9 km

Much Wenlock Priory 25.5 km

Enginuity 31.1 km

Ironbridge Gorge Museums 31.4 km

National Trust

Carding Mill Valley and the Shropshire Hills 12 km

Wilderhope Manor 15 km

Croft Castle and Parkland 17.1 km

Attingham Park Estate: Cronkhill 27.5 km

Attingham Park 29.6 km

Cycle routes

Find local routes on the National Cycle Network - over 12,000 miles of cycling routes.

Other

Craven Arms, Halford and the River Onny 0.1 km

Craven Arms and Hopesay Common 0.1 km

STOKESAY COURT 4 km

FERNEY HALL 5 km

OAKLY PARK 8.1 km

Please note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.

Nearest sites

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable sites.

Want to know more about camping in Shropshire?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre? Start your stay with a visit to your local manor house, the medieval Stokesay Castle – it’s only 10 minutes’ walk away, so it’s easy to pop round for a tour of … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre?
    Camping and caravan
    Arrive:  10 a.m. –  Anytime
    Depart by:  Anytime
    Read more