The Shire

Liked Awful

Disliked I don’t usually leave reviews, but after what my family and I experienced at this campsite, I feel obligated to warn others. From the moment we arrived, the hosts were rude, unwelcoming, and made it very clear that guests were more of an inconvenience than anything else. We were spoken to with an appalling lack of respect and made to feel like we were constantly in the way.

The facilities weren’t anything to write home about either. The bathrooms were barely clean, the pitches were uneven and cramped, and the general atmosphere was anything but relaxing. The campsite is by a busy noise road. For a place that markets itself as “family-friendly,” the attitude of the hosts was shockingly cold and aggressive.

We left early because we simply couldn’t take the negativity anymore. I’ve never felt so mistreated while on a trip with my family. There are plenty of other lovely, welcoming campsites out there—this is not one of them. I genuinely regret spending a single penny here.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: We're sorry to hear that you didn't enjoy your stay, but we feel it's important to clarify a few things for the sake of fairness and transparency for future guests.
Within 20 minutes of your arrival, you began helping yourselves to clearly private items that were part of our personal living area, including our large heavy firebowl which took 2 of you to carry to your pitch (obviously not there to be moved) chopping board, helped yourself to firewood and even our sun loungers. One of our pots was even used to do your dirty dishes, and the dirty water was left behind.
These items are not included in the £12-per-pitch camping fee and were not offered for guest use. We politely contacted you to explain this and asked that you return the items, but you continued using them regardless.
We provide a low-cost, no-frills wild camping experience, with space to pitch, access to drinking water, and compost toilets. We are very clear about what's included. We do our best to offer a peaceful, respectful environment, but unfortunately, in this case, boundaries were not respected, and we felt our space and belongings were intruded upon.
We understand that not every setup suits everyone, but respect goes both ways. We welcome guests who are looking for a simple, respectful wild camping experience-but not those who feel entitled to take whatever they feel.

Liked It was simply and small. Was within feet of a co-op so super convenient. They also had really cute chickens!

Disliked The ground was very uneven and full of stinging nettles and spiked weeds so my daughter couldn’t really run around. There’s no washing up area at all, so was a bit of a mission to get dishes washed. Was steps away from an A road so you can just hear all the traffic all night long.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Liked Nice setting, wildflower meadow in surrounding parts. Near ammenities such as pub and shop, 5 min walk. Nice hosts, allowed us to use washing line after very rainy day and freezer for ice blocks. Trampoline was a fun bonus :)

Disliked Bumpy ground, at least on the left hand side near river.

Recommend to friends Visit again