Walesby Forest

View prices & book 8.4 332 reviews
Kayak at the site
Kayak at the site
Swimming pool
The lake
Exterior of kemp lodge
Veranda and external seating area
Outside bar and shop
The outside bar area
Bar entrance
1/262
Swimming pool
The lake
Exterior of kemp lodge

  • 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

Tent pitches 218
Touring caravan pitches 64
Motorhome pitches 4
Lodges, cabins, pods or huts 4
Open all year
Opens
Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • Your dog must be tattooed or microchipped.
  • No hen/stag parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • Facilities/activities including adventure activities are subject to extra charges payable on arrival.
  • The outdoor swimming pool is open between 02/05 and 31/08 (subject to weather conditions).
  • The restaurant is open between 29/03 and 31/10.
  • Entertainment and activities are available between 29/03 and 31/10.
  • The site caters for families (immediate members) and couples only - bookings from all other forms of groups are not accepted.
  • Discount cards and gift vouchers cannot be applied to bookings made via Pitchup.com.
  • 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.
  • A cable measuring at least 20 metres is needed for the electric hook-ups.
  • The bar is open between 29/03 and 31/10.
  • Guests are advised to bring a good quality torch with them as parts of the site are unlit.
  • No naked flames are allowed inside the hired accommodation units.
  • Swimming in the lake is not allowed.
  • If reception is closed on arrival: please contact the number provided on your booking confirmation.
  • Fires, barbecues and/or firepits will not be permitted in dry, windy and/or hot weather conditions.
  • The charging of electric vehicles is not permitted on site.

Languages spoken

English

Pitch types & availability

Accommodation

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

Reviews

8.4

Overall rating from 332 Pitchup.com customers

  • 46%
    10
  • 2%
    9
  • 31%
    8
  • 2%
    7
  • 12%
    6
  • 0%
    5
  • 3%
    4
  • 0%
    3
  • 1%
    2
  • 0%
    1
Location
 9
Value for money
 8
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 9
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 6
Forest

87% would recommend this site to a friend

83% would stay here again

What customers say

A big site focused on activities for kids. Guests love the space, fun stuff, and staff. BUT, toilets/showers need a clean-up and update. Power on electric pitches and some costs were also mentioned.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 34
Arrival date (latest first)

Great site, would not stay for more than 1 or 2 nights

Overall

7 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 5
Wifi
 1
Anonymous

Electric optional grass pitch (no pets)

Liked Pitch sizes
Activities on offer
Bar and shop on site

Disliked Toilets and showers not clean
Toilets too far away from “E” which meant everyone was wild wee’ing in the bushes

Recommend to friends Visit again

Ok site but poor facilities, in need of a good clean and upgrade

Overall

5 out of 10
Location
 7
Value for money
 7
Accommodation
 7
Facilities / Activities
 1
Customer service
 7
Child friendliness
 7
Cleanliness
 1
Wifi
 7
Anonymous

Electric optional grass pitch (large, no pets)

Liked Good size pitches with plenty of open space and the children liked the activities.

Disliked There are not enough toilet and shower blocks. We had a fair walk to get to our nearest one and once there, wish I hadn’t bothered. The blocks were so filthy and not fit for purpose for campers, there was no where to put was bags, etc and no stuff to clean down after yourself either. Really put me off. It

Recommend to friends Visit again

The size and surroundings of the campsite is lovely. The kids loved…

Overall

6 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 8
Accommodation
 5
Facilities / Activities
 2
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 8
Cleanliness
 1
Wifi
 1
sarah o.

Electric optional grass pitch (large, no pets)

Liked The size and surroundings of the campsite is lovely. The kids loved having the open space to explore and run around.
Didn’t get chance to use the outdoor pool as was only open 1.30-5.30pm and we were out all day which was a shame as the kids wanted to go in it in the morning.

Disliked The toilets and shower facilities were absolutely disgusting - did not see them get cleaned once.
Not enough toilets/showers for the amount of people staying there.
I was only there two nights but chose not to shower as they were that dirty!!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Activities for the children, pitch sizes were great. Staff were really friendly…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 8
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 6
Wifi
 No rating
michelle b.

Electric optional grass pitch

Liked Activities for the children, pitch sizes were great. Staff were really friendly and welcoming.

The staff went above and beyond to help with an issues with my gas cooker, different options were tried and thankfully a lovely lady in the shop offered me hers. All are a credit to Walesby Forest.

Disliked More showers and toilet blocks needed.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Staff are fantastic and excellent site can’t wait to go back

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Alan B.

Non-electric grass pitch (no pets, wild)

Liked Site is lovely and big. We stayed in the wild camping area. It was really quiet and pitches are huge.

Kids loved the onsite activities and had a blast getting back to basics.

Little or no phone signal allowed everyone to unwind and relax.

Recommend to friends Visit again

A very windy and enjoyable break.

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 7
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 6
Wifi
 8
Gareth P.

Electric optional grass pitch (large, no pets)

Liked A great pitch with electric. The activity were great for my daughter and being fairly quiet managed to use several times.

Disliked The toilet block at H was dirty and smelled. The block on A was excellent, although a bit of a walk in the middle of the night.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Good site very peaceful and spacious. Very helpful staff

Overall

7 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 7
Accommodation
 7
Facilities / Activities
 5
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 5
Amanda L.

Non-electric grass pitch (no pets)

Liked The size of the pitches. Lovely natural environment. The children loved gathering wood for the firepit

Disliked No hairdryer in the shower block. Activities only available at certain times

Recommend to friends Visit again

A good holiday for the grandchildren.

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 6
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 9
Cleanliness
 7
Wifi
 6
Joy F.

Electric optional grass pitch (large, no pets)

Liked Spacious pitches, forest walks, food available

Disliked Lack of toilet blocks, long way from some pitches. Good choice of activities for children.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Fun place to stay but the toilet/shower facilities need to some work.

Overall

5 out of 10
Location
 7
Value for money
 7
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 7
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 2
Wifi
 2
Michelle G.

Electric optional grass pitch (large, no pets)

Liked The range of activities on the site are good and good value. The space you get is great and the fact you can have a good sized camp fire, using the fire bins they provide is also good. I had a really great time due to this.

Disliked The toilets/showers need a deep clean. They wipe them down somewhat often but the dirt in the corners etc shows how long it’s been since they’ve had a deep clean.

Also there was nowhere to put your clean clothes whilst showering. Could do with another hook. So you have one for your towel and one for your clean clothes.

The showers had no temperature control. And the automatic timer was way too short.

Going to the toilet at night, the lights go off if you spend too long on the toilet. Not a very nice experience.

Apparently the boys urinal was constantly blocked and it stunk of stale urine due to this and was unbearable.

Lots of rubbish around the site.

Also we were told that we could use the code to get in before 10pm. We were lucky to have the phone number on us in order to ring so someone would let us in. It was before 10pm both times it happened. It should be mentioned when checking in and written in the welcome packs that you can’t get in using the code after a certain time and to make sure you have the phone number to hand.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Very large well kept site

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 No rating
J B.

Non-electric grass pitch (no pets, wild)

Liked - Large open spaces
- lots of activities
- Well kept site
- nearby to some beautiful parkland (clumber park etc)

Disliked - Toilets in wild camping area needed a bit of TLC

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 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 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 Fishing nearby Leisure/theme park nearby Mountain biking nearby Outdoor pool nearby Watersports nearby

Location

Walesby Forest

Brake Road

Newark

Nottinghamshire

England

NG22 9NG

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London +0100 (GMT+01:00)

GPS

53.22455°N
0.99979°W

Nearest transport

Coach
10.3 km Hetts Lane
10.4 km Bingo Hall
11.5 km Bus Station
Rail
10.6 km Retford Low Level Rail Station
10.7 km Retford Rail Station
12.7 km Worksop Rail Station
Airport
28.5 km Robin Hood Doncaster Sheffield Airport
29.1 km Robin Hood Doncaster Sheffield Airport
31.8 km 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 4.9 km

Mansfield Museum 16.1 km

Bolsover Castle 19.6 km

Hardwick Hall 20.8 km

Hardwick Old Hall 21.5 km

National Trust

Clumber Park 6.5 km

Mr Straw's House 12.6 km

The Workhouse, Southwell 16.5 km

Hardwick Hall 21.5 km

Hardwick Estate: Stainsby Mill 21.5 km

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 3.1 km

THORESBY PARK 3.1 km

The Major Oak and Sherwood Forest 4.9 km

The Major Oak - Sherwood Forest - Edwinstowe 4.9 km

Clumber and Surrounding Forests - Robin Hood Way 6.2 km

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.

Nearest sites

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable sites.

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 €20.79 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.