Walesby Forest

View prices & book 8.2 346 reviews
Kayak at the site
Kayak at the site
Swimming pool
The lake
Visitor image of their pitch
Visitor image of the large pitches
Visitor image of their set up
Tent, picnic bench, altar fire/barbecue
Bell tent in amongst the trees
1/283
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

Rent a tent 9
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.
  • Your dog must be tattooed or microchipped.
  • 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).
  • 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.
  • The bar is open between 27/03 and 01/11.
  • The restaurant is open between 28/03 and 01/11.
  • Entertainment and activities are available between 28/03 and 01/11.
  • The games room is open between 27/03 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.
  • Fires, barbecues and/or firepits will not be permitted in dry, windy and/or hot weather conditions.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri 27 Mar to

No availability here for your search criteria

Pitch types & availability

Accommodation

Tent pitchesTouring caravan pitchesMotorhome pitchesLodges, cabins, pods or hutsCaravans for hireRent a tent
Choose your dates
2 adults
0 children
0 dogs
Tent
Other options

Reviews

8.2

Overall rating from 346 Pitchup.com customers

  • 39%
    10
  • 10%
    9
  • 24%
    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
Forest

87% would recommend this site to a friend

83% would stay here again

What customers say

This is a vast campsite offering extensive open spaces and a wide range of activities, particularly popular with families. Visitors praise the large pitches and the freedom to choose pitching locations, especially in the wild camping areas. While many highlight the value and enjoyment of activities and the friendly staff, a recurring concern is the condition and cleanliness of some toilet and shower facilities. Manager replies indicate ongoing refurbishments to address these issues.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews. Last updated 21/07/2026

Filter by topic

Reviews page 1 of 35
Arrival date (latest first)

Excellent, great value site with plenty to offer

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 9
 Heather B. 4 reviews

Non-electric grass pitch (no pets)

Liked Lots of space, large flat pitches, amenities conveniently dotted around the site, secure. You can park at the pitch. Lots of activities on offer, the kids disco was very fun, gift shop and bar, swimming pool, wifi in bar, good phone signal. Staff were lovely, great prices. Well lit at night without being too bright. Staff easy to find on camp if you need them. Excellent site, will visit again!

Disliked Nothing really. The toilets/showers were standard camp showers, clean and well stocked. If we were really picky they could be updated slightly but this is ongoing. Otherwise perfect.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Really big site, they have a…

Overall

4 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 7
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 8
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 No rating
Anonymous

Electric optional grass pitch

Liked Really big site, they have a bar, shop, outdoor pool and other activities for kids.

Disliked Unfortunately, our stay was spoiled by a large group of men who arrived late on the Friday evening. Loud music continued until after the campsite's 11pm quiet time, and although several campers asked them to turn it down, security eventually had to intervene. While the music was switched off, the group continued shouting and celebrating until security returned again at around 3.15am. As a result, we didn't get to sleep until around 4am.

Unfortunately, the disturbance started again early the next morning, with music resuming at around 6.45am. After getting only a couple of hours' sleep, my 10-year-old son and I were exhausted, and we decided to cut our trip short and leave at 4pm on Saturday.

We were told the gathering was for some form of tribal celebration. While everyone is entitled to enjoy their stay, I do feel that, if possible, a group of this size could have been allocated a pitch much further away from family campers. There were other fields available that may have been more suitable. Perhaps the campsite wasn't aware of what their plans were, but unfortunately the repeated disturbance meant our weekend was ruined.

It's a real shame, as the campsite itself is lovely, but the lack of a peaceful night's sleep meant we couldn't enjoy the break we'd been looking forward to.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great site excellent for dogs…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 No rating
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Chris T. 1 review

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked Great site excellent for dogs

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Massive pitch, clean showers, decent bar…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 8
 Chris H. 1 review

Non-electric grass pitch (no pets)

Liked Massive pitch, clean showers, decent bar drinks

Disliked Unfortunately no food which was tricky when arriving on a bicycle

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great location, friendly staff, lots things…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Cieszan C. 2 reviews

Non-electric grass pitch (no pets)

Liked Great location, friendly staff, lots things to do, showers, toilets

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you for your review. We're glad you enjoyed your stay & we hope to welcome you all back again very soon.

Lovely location. Lots of space and things to do . Great for families

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 6
Wifi
 4
 Philip C. 4 reviews

Electric optional grass pitch

Liked Lovely staff. The receptionist is as very helpful and friendly. Also because not that busy we were given the option of moving to a quiet section. The kids loved the outdoor pool. Bar was nice . Very peaceful. Plenty of room and things to do. Beautiful surroundings. Lots of wild life . Will be retuning 110%

Disliked Pitches need marking out better as it was our first visit and it was pretty unclear how to park but with it not being busy in our section it didn’t really matter . Also some of 240v connected hook up cables that could be adult be run over which should be marked in my opinion and my only other thing is the toilets and showers should be cleaned more often. It’s just a little grubby compared to most sites we have been on but still overall we really enjoyer the place and will return

Recommend to friends Visit again

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
Kirsty B. 1 review

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

Had a lovely time overall on our first trial of a family camping trip.

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 5
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Anonymous

Non-electric grass pitch (no pets, wild)

Liked Loved the amount of space and that you could pitch up anywhere in the wild camping area.

Disliked The toilet block in the wild camping area had no lights on at all during the night.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Perfect for large family groups - but take your own toilet!!!

Overall

7 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 1
Wifi
 7
 Craig W. 2 reviews

Electric optional grass pitch (large, no pets)

Liked The site is massive, with field after field of open spaces, more than enough room to help you feel like you are truly on the wilderness. Loved the children’s activities. Loads for them to do and the staff are wonderful.

Disliked Toilets. There are not nearly enough for such a vast site, they are extremely old and very poorly maintained. They look like a set from a Saw movie.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

Dogs allowed

Campfires allowed

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.