Walesby Forest

View prices & book 8.2 328 reviews
Kayak at the site
Swimming pool
The lake
Visitor image of their pitch

  • Adventurous site set in 250 acres of woodland and other rural scenery
  • A mile from Walesby village and 35 minutes' drive from Lincoln
  • On-site bar and shop; over 40 leisure activities on land and water
If you're looking to alternate between relaxing in 250 acres of Robin Hood country and a whole host of adventurous activities for guests over the age of four, seek out a spot at Walesby Forest in leafy Nottinghamshire. The vast range of leisure activities here should help even those averse to alfresco exercise get moving, with popular options including watersports, climbing, archery and rifle shooting. A friendly team of dedicated instructors is on hand to make sure all that outdoor action takes place in a safe, low-pressure environment. The programme is updated daily, with a flexible play and pay policy to keep it all affordable. Time to swap sporty sessions for a bit of downtime? Take your pick from drinks or snacks at the bar, a poolside snooze or rambles through the site's wild woodland areas, where all sorts of animals can be spotted. Angling fans may find it similarly peaceful to take advantage of the free river Maun fishing opportunities available on site. When it comes to food, there's a handy catering barn (which, with advance notice, can sort meals for guests with special dietary requirements), plus a small shop that stocks plenty of sweet treats and souvenirs. If you'd rather step out for dinner, make your way into Walesby (a mile away), where two popular establishments are all set to serve up pub-cooked food. While there may not be a playground on site, there are 250 acres of space for ball games and adventures.

Site type

Tent pitches 218
Touring caravan pitches 64
Motorhome pitches 4
Lodges, cabins, pods or huts 4
Open now
Opens 27 March
Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • The site does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Dangerous Dogs Act (i.e. XL Bully, Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro).
  • Your dog must be tattooed or microchipped.
  • Facilities/activities including adventure activities are subject to extra charges payable on arrival.
  • Discount cards and gift vouchers cannot be applied to bookings made via Pitchup.com.
  • Entertainment and activities are available between 28/03 and 01/11.
  • The bar is open between 27/03 and 01/11.
  • The games room is open between 27/03 and 01/11.
  • The restaurant is open between 28/03 and 01/11.
  • The site caters for families (immediate members) and couples only - bookings from all other forms of groups are not accepted.
  • No hen/stag parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • A cable measuring at least 20 metres is needed for the electric hook-ups.
  • The outdoor swimming pool is open between 02/05 and 31/08 (subject to weather conditions).
  • Reception is unmanned after 5:30 p.m.. Please inform the site while on your way there should you expect to arrive after this time, so that the team can provide information about your unit/pitch.
  • Swimming in the lake is not allowed.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri 27 Mar to

No availability here for your search criteria

Pitch types & availability

Other options

Reviews

  • 39%
    10
  • 9%
    9
  • 25%
    8
  • 7%
    7
  • 9%
    6
  • 2%
    5
  • 3%
    4
  • 0%
    3
  • 1%
    2
  • 1%
    1
Location
9
Value for money
8
Accommodation
8
Facilities / Activities
8
Customer service
9
Child friendliness
9
Cleanliness
7
Wifi
6

87% would recommend this site to a friend

83% would stay here again

What customers say

This is a large, well-maintained woodland campsite with exceptionally spacious pitches, ideal for families and groups seeking freedom and nature. Visitors praise the abundance of activities, friendly staff, and good value for money. However, several reviews highlight concerns regarding the cleanliness and upkeep of toilet and shower facilities, with some guests finding them dated and a long distance from pitches. Limited activities for very young children and occasional noise issues were also mentioned.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 33
Arrival date (latest first)

Facilities excellent. Especially the wristbands for…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
No rating

Electric optional grass pitch (large, no pets)

Liked Facilities excellent. Especially the wristbands for activities. We took 3 x 14 year olds to camp for a birthday and they took themselves off for hours!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Good for the price

Overall

7 out of 10
Location
8
Value for money
8
Facilities / Activities
7
Customer service
8
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
7
Wifi
5
Dan B. 1 review

Non-electric grass pitch (no pets, wild)

Liked Price to stay there was good
Wild camping area was clean and tidy and loads of space
Location is nice, quiet and scenic

Disliked Costs in the bar and shop
No electric/condition of toilet block in wild camping area (but that’s why that area is cheap!)

Recommend to friends Visit again

Beautiful site, need to upgrade the electric, 6amp is not enough

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
9
Facilities / Activities
No rating
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
No rating

Electric optional grass pitch (large, no pets)

Liked Beautiful site, lots of facilities if you wish to use them

Disliked Toilets and showers a bit of a walk from our pitch, electric only runs on 6amp so wouldn't power our air fryer or hairdryer. Bit naughty really when you've paid for it.

Had to ring the out of hours to come and reset it for us.

Be aware signal is pretty much non existent on youre phone on the park, bit better near reception

Recommend to friends Visit again

Very enjoyable stay overall ! We will be returning without crocs

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
7
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
6
Anonymous

Electric optional grass pitch

Liked Very friendly staff.
Beautiful site
Lots of space
Lots of activities for the children

Disliked Some long ques
No activity participation for kids wearing crocs

Recommend to friends Visit again

Pitches was wonderful…

Overall

6 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
8
Facilities / Activities
3
Customer service
7
Child friendliness
6
Cleanliness
3
Wifi
No rating
Anonymous

Non-electric grass pitch (no pets, wild)

Liked Pitches was wonderful

Disliked Shower facilities was so dirty, couldn't take shower properly, afternoon activities for kids was very poor, more than half was closed

Recommend to friends Visit again

Beautiful clean site with plenty to…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
5

Non-electric grass pitch (no pets, wild)

Liked Beautiful clean site with plenty to do. Will definitely be coming back

Recommend to friends Visit again

Beautiful secluded wild camping.

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
6
Facilities / Activities
6
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
7
Wifi
No rating

Non-electric grass pitch (no pets, wild)

Liked We wild camped which meant no electric but also no neighbours! We camped right next to the trees and the toilet block. Pitch was massive and we're able to put five tents on it. The teenagers took advantage of the free pool and woodland walks. Fire pit was free and facilities in the main camping section good.

Disliked The toilet block in the wild section isn't great. No electric,.no showers, no hot water. Apparently the men's was a bit smelly.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Perfect

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
10
Anonymous

Non-electric grass pitch (no pets, wild)

Liked Everything

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Would recommend

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Facilities / Activities
9
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
9
Wifi
9
Anonymous

Electric optional grass pitch (no pets)

Liked Excellent location

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Beautiful scenery, easy check in with…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
9
Facilities / Activities
8
Customer service
No rating
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
9
Wifi
No rating
Anonymous

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked Beautiful scenery, easy check in with friendly staff. Lovely big pitches with loads of room.

Disliked There was noise from other people until late at night. Attitude from lifeguards was really poor when addressing people (not in pool area, so wasn’t a safety thing). Didn’t get chance to use pool as it was too busy.

Recommend to friends Visit again


Features

Leisure on site

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

Amenities on site

Baby-changing facilities Bath available Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Food shop Free wifi Ice pack freezing Internet access Launderette 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 Rallies welcome Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

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

Camping 2.0

Jumbo tent pitches

Themes

Forest Peaceful Spectacular scenery Walkers' paradise Wild camping Wildlife haven

Utilities

Charging facilities Chemical disposal Electric car charging point(s) Gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby Nearby farmers' market Public transport nearby Shop nearby

Type

Very large (over 200 pitches)

Accessibility

Accessible parking at pitch Bathrooms: Large spacious shower Bathrooms: Large spacious toilet Bathrooms: Step-free access Bathrooms: Wheelchair accessible shower Bathrooms: Wheelchair accessible toilet Bathrooms: Wide doorways (over 30 inches/75cm) Level site, no steep slopes Smooth, hard roads e.g. tarmac Step-free or level access

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Climbing nearby Cycle hire nearby Cycling nearby Golf nearby Indoor pool nearby Leisure/theme park nearby Mountain biking nearby Outdoor pool nearby Restaurant nearby Watersports nearby

Location

Walesby Forest

Brake Road

Newark

Nottinghamshire

England

NG22 9NG

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London BST (GMT+01:00)

GPS

53.22455°N
0.99979°W

Nearest transport

Coach
6.4 mi Hetts Lane
6.5 mi Bingo Hall
7.1 mi Bus Station
Rail
6.6 mi Retford Low Level Rail Station
6.6 mi Retford Rail Station
7.9 mi Worksop Rail Station
Airport
17.7 mi Robin Hood Doncaster Sheffield Airport
18.1 mi Robin Hood Doncaster Sheffield Airport
19.8 mi Sheffield City Airport

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

With its tales of Robin Hood, ancient oaks, country houses and lush leafy landscape, Sherwood Forest has something to keep most sorts content. Clumber Park (15 minutes' drive) has long avenues of limes and open heath to stroll through, while over by the Major Oak (10 minutes) you can get acquainted with one of the area's stand-out trees before setting out on several waymarked hiking routes (maps available at the visitor centre next door). Similarly close to base is Go Ape Sherwood (10 minutes), where a medley of segways and zipwires nicely complement any on-site activities you've got up to during your stay. Kids not quite old enough for that kind of activity? Fear not, as families with younger members will find plenty of age-appropriate entertainment at Wheelgate Waterpark (15 minutes) or Sundown Adventureland (20 minutes). Spending time in town is also doable here, as Walesby Forest is just over half an hour from Lincoln's castle, cathedral and urban arboretum. Meanwhile, over in Newark (30 minutes), there's Civil War heritage, antiques shops and weekly markets in a handsome Georgian square, plus hovercraft tours if you fancy something a little different.

Must see

Sherwood Forest Country Park 3 mi

Mansfield Museum 10 mi

Bolsover Castle 12.2 mi

Hardwick Hall 12.9 mi

Hardwick Old Hall 13.4 mi

National Trust

Clumber Park 4 mi

Mr Straw's House 7.8 mi

The Workhouse, Southwell 10.2 mi

Hardwick Hall 13.4 mi

Hardwick Estate: Stainsby Mill 13.4 mi

Cycle routes

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

Other

Bothamsall - Robin Hood's Cave - Walesby - Bothamsall 1.9 mi

THORESBY PARK 1.9 mi

The Major Oak and Sherwood Forest 3.1 mi

The Major Oak - Sherwood Forest - Edwinstowe 3.1 mi

Clumber and Surrounding Forests - Robin Hood Way 3.9 mi

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.

Want to know more about camping in Nottinghamshire?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Walesby Forest have a swimming pool? Yes View all features
  • Is Walesby Forest dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Walesby Forest? With its tales of Robin Hood, ancient oaks, country houses and lush leafy landscape, Sherwood Forest has something to keep most sorts content. Clumber Park (15 minutes' drive) has long avenues of … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Walesby Forest?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  2 p.m. –  10 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    On-site accommodation
    Arrive:  2 p.m. –  10 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.

    Please call the duty manager on the number provided if you are running late.

    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Walesby Forest? From £20 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.