Branbridges Leisure

Liked This was practically perfect.
Kids said "the best camping we've ever been on". Earned a lot of dad points on this trip.

We camped in the woodland.
Plots are well sized for a family size tent. There's also grass plots if you prefer or your tent is huge.
Enough facilities for the size of the site. We didn't once have to wait for the toilet for example, whilst the campsite seemed near capacity. Toilets were clean and didn't smell at all during our stay. Not a long walk away.
Cars stay in the car park except when setting up the tent - so no speeding cars to watch out for, which has been a worry at some other campsites.
It seemed safe and staff were very welcoming and friendly.
It is near water so of course, take insect repellent and use it properly in the evenings if you don't want to get bitten. We didn't get bitten - the kids don't keep it to themselves if they do.

Canoe/paddle board hire is great and reasonably priced. Kids really enjoyed it. Everyone else on the water seemed to be having a good time too. Highly recommend. The river is lovely to paddle around, there's locks so no current and easy to paddle/swim in. We were out for hours.
Lots of other things to do nearby.
On site there's a field and lots of games to amuse kids and rope swing.

Remember to bring pound coins for the shower. Showers are clean. Some reviews say the coins are annoying, but it's a tiny fraction of the cost of a night's stay and they're clean and nice.

The site is near a road/industrial estate but it doesn't feel like it, it's just like in the pictures.
There's a co-op right next to the site, which is extremely handy.
There is occasional road noise but it's not from any normal road traffic, it's the odd misbehaving motorbike and deliberately noisy car. I'm a light sleeper. I was worried it might keep me up at night, but apart from very slightly spoiling the tranquility in the early evening it's nothing to be worried about.

Disliked A couple of the other reviews made me a little nervous, particularly about the road noise, but from my experience I don't agree - it's such a minor gripe. No problems at all, great campsite.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Liked We had a really great stay in the woodland area. The pitches are well spaced out with plenty of shade and privacy, plus a lovely view over the pond. Having direct access straight onto the river path through the site gate was brilliant, and the multiple jetties made getting on and off the water effortless. We hired kayaks on site for the day, which was a real highlight! It’s also super handy having a local Co-op just down the road for grabbing extra snacks and essentials, clean toilets on site, and some fantastic walking routes right on your doorstep.

Disliked There were just a few small things to keep in mind for future stays. You do get a bit of background noise from nearby warehouses during the night, and the ground on the woodland pitches can be quite tough, so make sure you pack some sturdy pegs. The showers are coin-operated (£1 for 3 minutes), so bring change. Lastly, while the on-site café is great, it closes at 4:00 pm I understand why but 8it would have been lovely if it stayed open a bit later into the evening so you could grab a bite to eat or a beer in such a nice setting!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Liked Loved the lake and proximity to the river. Lovely staff and a well maintained site

Disliked Industrial estate next door gave off a low hum during the week, not massively intrusive but noticeable. It went off over the weekend

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you for your review. We are so pleased you enjoyed the location and the staff. We are sorry you were temporarily disturbed by noise from the local bakery. We look forward seeing you again soon.

Liked Good to have river access, kayak/paddle board rental and on-site café.

Disliked Only 3 toilets for the whole site (all with tiny sinks and one small and not very private at night). Only 2 cramped showers in a horse box, with timed and paid usage from exterior machines. Site has a level of constant ambient noise from roads and adjacent industrial units, so it feels like camping in a very built-up area.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you for your review, We are so glad you enjoyed the river access and the onsite cafe. It's a shame you didn't feel there were adequate facilities for the number of campers as we are often complimented on this area.
We hope to see you again if your travels bring you back to the area.

Liked The river was lovely, we swam, fished and canoed. Friendly staff and a well looked after site

Disliked Hum at night from the adjacent industrial estate

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you for your review, We are do pleased you had such a lovely time and enjoyed the river. We are sorry you were disturbed by the intermittent noise from the local bakery, we understand they were having some power issues and needed to rely on a generator.
We hope to see you again soon.

Liked Setting, sandwiched between lake and river

Disliked Miserly showers (£1 for 3 min) and not enough toilets and no bins. Also cars not permitted on pitch yet many people had them and were not asked to move

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you for your review. We are pleased to hear you liked the setting. Sorry to hear you did not like the showers, toilets and no bins. Our listing shows the exact facilities we have and information on the rubbish. In regards to the vehicles, everyone was asked to move once they finished unloading as always. Perhaps it was the campervans on the field you are referring to. We hope you enjoy the rest of your summer camper.

Liked Everything about this site was amazing kids loved everything

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you so much for your lovely review. We are so glad you all enjoyed it. We look forward to seeing you again soon.

Liked Friendly and accommodating staff. Easy and fast check in. Lovely location with cafe on site and riverside walk adjacent. We were impressed with the toilets too!

Disliked None

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you so much for your review. We are glad you had such a lovely time and you were able to make use of the facilities

Liked Really good place

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you for your review. We are glad you had such a good time and you enjoyed your stay. We hope to see you all again soon.

Liked A beautiful campsite in a peaceful setting. Welcome on arrival was so friendly and informative. Felt very secure which was great for our toddler - also great that there aren’t cars driving around outside of packing and unpacking. Will definitely be back!

Disliked Would have preferred a couple more toilets and one of the showers was out of order. Also - while clearly listed as not having one, chemical waste disposal would really have negated the only 4 toilets. Paying £5 for a one year old seems slightly steep given he didn’t need any of the facilities.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you so much for your lovely review. We are glad you felt comfortable and welcomed onsite. We loved meeting you all.
Thank you for your feedback regarding the showers we will take it on board. We appreciate your comments regarding your one year old. Due to capacity restrictions we have to charge our head rather than by age, but we try and keep the cost as low as possible where we can.
We look forward to seeing you back with us soon.