Greenhillock Glamping

Liked: We arrived during a storm with our two dogs. We hadn’t checked the weather report and were due for 50mm of rain over 48 hours! Our tent, which is normally brilliant in wet weather, was dripping without an hour from the heavy downfall. Stig and Kate offered to upgrade us to a hobbit hole for free because they had no one else staying that weekend (everyone else had the sense to check the weather report!). They said it wasn’t the first time they’ve bailed campers out during a storm. We’ve been to Greenhillock about 6 times over the last year and we love this place so much!

Disliked: Phone signal is no good, but honestly we’re quite enjoy doing a digital detox. We read more books, played Connect 4, and went for plenty of walks and foraging in the woods. If you need to have amazing signal at all times, this might not be the right spot for you.

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Liked: Lovely eco site with a fantastic communal area, The West End, for all to use. The site is wilded so has a thriving wildlife system, sundown presents an absolute treat for the ears as the owls and bats come out!

Disliked: Be mindful that you can't park by your unit so you have to haul your kit to your pitch. Great news is that wheelbarrows are provided to assist in the matter, it just helps to be aware. The wilding of the site means that many areas and pathways have thistles and nettles present. As a permanent shorts wearer I found myself frustrated being under attack from them during our stay. Bring long trousers Campers! Hot water for showers relies on solar power so it can be... refreshing in there!

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From the manager: Thanks very much for your feedback and we are glad you appreciate our efforts at re-wilding and conservation. I'm sorry about your legs. Towards the end of summer things do tend to start flopping into the pathways. It may be time to get the strimmer out! We were actually experiencing a problem with the temperature valve at the showers during your stay but we didn't know at the time. It has subsequently been reported and resolved and the system is now - by and large - delivering hot showers. As ever we don't guarantee this when we are very busy or if its very cloudy. We wish you happiness in your future travels, Kate and Stig

Liked: Flat ground for our tent and quiet location

Disliked: Unsanitary facilities, no hot or even warm water for either showers or dishwashing. Overpriced and didn’t meet the expectations we had after reading the description which was misleading. They call themselves a glamping site which is not a fair representation. There was a family with two small children camping next to us that went to a friends place to shower. We got the impression they are lazy about maintenance and cleaning.

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From the manager: We try to respond to all reviews in a positive way, it has been particularly difficult to do that with this review given the fairly hurtful final sentence. None the less, Stig and I thank you for taking the time to point out what went wrong with your stay. Sadly had you raised these issues with us in person it would have been possible to resolve much of what you describe. We were encountering two separate issues with hot water during your stay. The washing up area we knew about and were waiting for a replacement boiler which has subsequently been received and fitted and is providing hot water. The hot water at the showers we did not know about at the time. Once it was highlighted to us we identified the cause, bought a replacement part and had it fitted and working, producing hot water, within four hours, hence this could have been resolved during your stay had you mentioned it. We describe ourselves as Greenhillock Glamping due to the spacious pitches, provision of in and outdoor seating, access to fridge, freezer and log burning stoves and our programme of food and music events. We are very upfront on our listing about the nature of our loos and showers. We know this style of facilities is not for everyone. I hugely refute the accusation that we are lazy about cleaning and maintenance. I know we are not because it is Stig and I who do these things. We are a small team and may at times be busy doing other things such as delivering logs, cooking pizza and breakfast, manning the camp shop and managing bookings but we are by no means lazy. Our mobile number is published everywhere on site and we respond to it immediately from 9am to 10pm and in emergencies. Guests are encouraged to contact us in person or on the phone with any concerns. Finally, to the comment we are overpriced. Our prices have been held at the same rate since 2019. This is because we felt families needed to get into the outdoors more than ever during Covid. Many camping and glamping sites took advantage of increased demand to hike their prices. We felt this was unfair and did not follow the trend. We went straight from Covid into the cost of living crisis and, in spite of the fact this increased the cost of running the business and our own costs we held our prices static. We feel this was the fair way to treat our valued guests when times were tough. We are sorry you did not enjoy your stay with us, we certainly never set our to provide people with a bad experience. We wish you happiness in your future travels. Kate and Stig

Liked: I used your campsite to enable me to see my family (I live in bristol)did your website say children would be running around .I have a dog how many times did I have to tell her off.Loved all that the sight offered but a field with no children would be nice.Got to love being a 71 and loving the camping.Thanks for the wkend next year is another year and the owners were really pleasant and passionate about Greenhillock

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From the manager: Thanks for your feedback Jan, we always strive to respond to both positive and negative comments. The website is pretty clear, that in the main, we are a family campsite. Around 1/3 of the photos on the website are of children running around in the meadows and the page says this "This is, in fact, something of a haven for free-range families: there’s plenty of den-building material around for kids’ constructions, and a wildlife pond has lots of wooden platforms for dipping in the water (plus some basic science equipment to help you identify what you’ve found)". We believe that children and families need more opportunities to play and explore in wild places, so we encourage guests to build dens and light campfires and get away from screens and technology. Children are encouraged to roam freely on the self-contained site, near enough for parents to relax, far enough to have their own adventures. What is a real shame is that you didn't mention this being a problem whilst you were staying since we do have a dedicated grown-ups area of the site you could have moved to. The grown-ups only pitches are available as a bookable option on Pitch Up. They are tucked away on the North side of the North Paddock, specifically designed for people travelling without children. They have been here since 2019. We genuinely strive to provide the right facilities for all our guests and this issue could easily have been resolved if you had spoken with us. Wishing you all the best in your future camping endeavours, Kate and Stig

Liked: The campsite was beautiful. Loved the wild flowers growing everywhere. We stayed in a hobbit hut and it was perfect for our family with everything we needed. Owners very friendly and welcoming.

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Liked: This was an absolutely lovely place to stay. We ended up at Greenhillock a couple of days longer than planned due to car trouble and the hosts were so helpful and kind. It took so much stress out of the situation. The campsite is large and spacious, with plenty of room to feel private, a good range of facilities, including bathrooms, showers, a common area with a warm stove and chairs (great for an unexpectedly cold and rainy night in August!) and a shop selling essentials and some camping luxuries. Optional pizza nights on Saturdays and Wednesdays made a lovely break from camp-stove cooking and are just one of the activities that go on at Greenhillock, regularly or as one-offs. We were not travelling with children but other campers with families also talked about how much they loved the art room and other facilities. The practicalities of this site were all great and we would definitely go back, but the thing we loved about it more than anything was the sense of being really embedded in the natural world. We saw hedgehogs (the closest I've ever been to them) and heard them trundling outside our tent at night, buzzards and so many field birds and opening the tent doors every morning onto a large wildflower meadow was just divine. It made for a really peaceful, soothing experience.

Disliked: Hot water for the showers was a bit patchy, but a new system is going in shortly, so this shouldn't be an issue in future, and wouldn't stop us visiting again anyway.

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Liked: The people were very friendly and the landscape was beautiful. The idea of the site is Good and really Creative

Disliked: The toilets and facilities were unacceptable. I do not think, it is possible to operate a campsite with compost-toilets.

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From the manager: We are very sorry to hear you did not enjoy your three night stay with us. We are very upfront on the website about the back to basics nature of our site and for many guests that is the charm of Greenhillock. We are aware our composting loos are not for everyone but they are part of our eco-credentials and the only practical solution to providing toilet facilities at Greenhillock. If you had mentioned you were unhappy with site in any of your several interactions with us, we would have been glad to offer you a refund and recommend other more conventional sites in the area. Best wishes Kate & Stig

Liked: Loved the hobbit house. Very cosy and had everything you needed for a wee get away. Loved the pizza night and option to buy coffee and rolls on Sunday morning. Will be back

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Liked: Great stay with my young family, will definitely be back again.

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Liked: Beautifully maintained campsite, meadow flowers surrounding the tent pitch sites. Good, clean facilities. Lovely welcome too. No hesitation in booking again if we return to the area. 👍🏼

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