The Willows

Positiv It is very good value for the area. The views are spectacular. Proximity to Keswick, Braithwaite village and routes to all parts of north and west Cumbria are really good. For hill climbing, it’s a great location. The bathrooms work very well as they are self-contained and lockable so you could use them like a bathroom at home. Electricity and water are on tap at the pitches. The pre-information is clear and directions are very helpful. There is a great deal of trust in payment as we never had face to face contact. I really respect the entrepreneurial spirit, using the land and environment sensitively to combine practicality and income with a drive to develop the area and provide a conduit for sustainable tourism. It is lovely to see the business units, the community centre, the campsite and the livestock in such close proximity. It’s embedding the idea that the countryside is not a romantic painting but a complex multi-reliant organism. Everyone who was camping was very respectful of the expectation to keep dogs on a lead.

Negativ The touring pitches are small and all loose stone based. I have a very small campervan and usually want to erect an awning, which wasn’t possible here. I do not think that is clear from the images and detail on pitch-up. It is more suited to motor homes and particularly those on a one-night stop. If we’d booked for longer, or had lovely weather, we would have struggled having a ‘camping’ experience.

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Vom Platzbetreiber: Good morning Elizabeth, thank you so much for your feedback it is so important to us and greatly appreciated. We are indeed hard standing and try and make that implicitly clear in our advertisement on pitch up. We have had guests throughout the summer who have pitched awnings and you will have seen those pictures on our pitch up listing no doubt. We arent always around that is absolutely true as a working farm we are often juggling many tasks at once but we are always only a phone call away and live just behind the units, so if for example you had wanted your awning up, we have previously helped people with that having lots of tools to get the pegs into the stone which we absolutely appreciate isnt the easiest. Thank you again for taking the time to leave your review, Lindsey

Positiv Nice small site ,beautifull setting ,easy access to lovely walks and nice pubs near by ,

Negativ Maybe this time if year a little bit of heat in shower rooms and a drying area but otherwise all good

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Vom Platzbetreiber: Morning Marian, thank you so much for your review. Totally agree about the heating in the shower rooms, and I have had to put a note on the switches to ask guests not to muddle with the settings as they are set to a timer so that none of our guests feel chilly when having a shower, really sorry it wasnt warm hoping my friendly request is adhered to :-) Really happy you enjoyed the site and the setting we are so lucky to have the surrounding fields to explore and a much nicer alternative walk into Keswick than along side the road. Thank you again, Lindsey

Positiv Lovely views out from the caravan site. Good toilet and shower block

Negativ Size of pitch. Choice of awning or car next to caravan. Insufficient room for both. More suited to motorhomes

Location, although close to Keswick and the beautiful surrounding areas, the site is located almost on a small industrial estate, and takes away from the lakeland experience we all travel for.
Close to main road which was very noisy early morning

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Vom Platzbetreiber: Good morning Linda, the farm is a working farm and has been expanded to allow for its continuation as a farm with our semi commercial units which alongside the all of surrounding fields and cattle in them belonging to ourselves is all one entity. The car could have easily been parked on the other side of the fence if the question had been asked as we have done throughout the summer when we have been full. We advertise as having 5m x 5m sized pitches? so I dont know how that was missed when you booked, I am regularly called by guests who need a bigger space either for a bigger motorhome or extra car and thats when I am able to advise them of the fact we have plenty of space for them to park on the unit side of the fence so its unfortunate the question wasnt asked before you arrived, Lindsey

Positiv Absolutely lovely. Perfect location & great showers !

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Vom Platzbetreiber: Thank you so much for your review so happy that you enjoyed your stay with us, hope to see you again, Lindsey

Positiv Good facilities. Washing up liquid & mountains of toilet roll.
Hard standing so no mud.

Negativ It’s near a main road and very small. Next to open fields but not that rural.
Very convenient for Keswick though.

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Vom Platzbetreiber: Good morning Sarah, thank you for your review. I am not quite sure how we are not rural having 250 acres of farm to walk through and around from your pitch, serves as an ideal alternative way to walk into the town is via our fields and country lanes as well so not sure how we are not rural? I do appreciate the farm does have some units close to the site so perhaps thats what you mean. We are indeed close to the main road and with that comes the benefit of the bus stop and an easy flat walk into the town if you prefer to walk along the road rather than through the fields and willow. Appreciate your feedback regarding the facilities, Lindsey

Positiv Clean small private site
Online booking & payment

Negativ Specific marked sites but improvements being done

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Vom Platzbetreiber: Thank you for your review it means a lot, look forward to welcoming you back, Lindsey

Positiv Staff were phenomenal.
Facilities were clean.
Lovely Fell views.

Negativ Had a bit of a factory yard feel to it.
Recycling / rubbish area was also a bit grim.
Was a bit of a tab into Keswick.

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Vom Platzbetreiber: Kevin, the recycling area has since been tidied, unfortunately it appeared from the CCTV that we had our first fly tipping experience and for that mess I can only apologise. I dont know where there is a factory yard in the UK that has the mountain views, fields full of cows and mountain outlook that we have but there are parts of the country I havent visited so I will just have to believe that they exist and thats where you have drawn that comparison from. A bit of a tab into Keswick, I dont know what tab is? but I can only guess again that you mean you felt 3 miles was a long distance to travel...... No comment needed there. Apologies again for the rubbish area, that was found to be unacceptable by myself when I saw it, I have just ordered signs to advise the bins are covered by cctv so it shouldnt happen again. We charge £30 a night, remain the cheapest in the area and the majority of our guests leave really happy having paid just £30 to wake up to mountain views and a lovely shower.

Positiv The setting and village were great

Negativ The shower/toilet area were clean but could be updated

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Vom Platzbetreiber: Morning Roz, thanks for your review, we just have the middle toilet left to update the others have both been updated with rain showers now and our plan is to match that to the other two during the quieter months when we also repaint everything including the floors after a very busy season :-) Thank you again for staying with us and for your feedback its really appreciated, Lindsey

Positiv We loved the view

Negativ The pitches were a bit rough and ready and the toilet block were basic.

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Vom Platzbetreiber: Good morning Michael. In reply to your review I try to ensure in the photo gallery (where the images are not enhanced) that the site is shown as it is, a fully hard standing campsite with great views and that although being exactly what you described seems to have been missed by you when you booked. You are correct with your comments that the pitches are rough and ready, as shown in the 100+ images, and the toilet block is indeed basic, again shown in the 100+ images, but with that in mind the toilets as reflected in previous reviews are clean and the showers are excellent. We remain the cheapest pitch per night in the area with no minimum stay and thats in spite of having some of the best views available in the area. I hope for any future bookings you make you look through the gallery so that you dont impact the owners review score because you failed to look at where you were booking as you have done with mine. Lindsey, Owner

Positiv We loved how small and quiet this site is. Ideal for Braithwaite, Bassenthwaite, Keswick and Derwentwater and the site looks out towards Skiddaw. All in all, a great place and a convenient base for exploring. Toilets are well maintained and the pitches are spacious.

Negativ To be honest, we can't think of anything negative which is good!

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Vom Platzbetreiber: What a fab review, thank you so much for your feedback its really appreciated, look forward to welcoming you back in the future, Lindsey