Walesby Forest

View prices & book 8.3 391 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
1/296
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.
  • Swimming in the lake is not allowed.

Languages spoken

English

No availability here for your search criteria

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

8.3

Overall rating from 391 Pitchup.com customers

  • 43%
    10
  • 3%
    9
  • 30%
    8
  • 4%
    7
  • 11%
    6
  • 1%
    5
  • 3%
    4
  • 0%
    3
  • 1%
    2
  • 1%
    1
Location
 9
Value for money
 8
Accommodation
 8
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 9
Cleanliness
 7
Wifi
 6
Forest

86% would recommend this site to a friend

82% 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 40
Arrival date (latest first)

Lovely location really not great facilities

Overall

4 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 2
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 1
Customer service
 4
Child friendliness
 5
Cleanliness
 1
Wifi
 1
Sarah D.

Non-electric grass pitch (no pets)

Liked The location and space

Disliked Toilets and showers stink and people in same field still playing loud. Music and drinking till 3 am. Not enough toilets or showers and need a through deep clean.

Recommend to friends Visit again

We still loved our stay and will visit again

Overall

7 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 3
Cleanliness
 7
Wifi
 3
Angela T.

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked The freedom of the safe field for the kids to run about and the pitch size was amazing.
We loved having to go into the woods to get our own fire wood.

Disliked The shower blocks and toilet was to far way, luckily I brought a porter loo just before coming.
There is no park as there was no activity's for my boy as he wasn't old enough.

Recommend to friends Visit again

See above. Our money back would be a good gesture.

Overall

1 out of 10
Location
 5
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 1
Customer service
 1
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 1
Wifi
 1
Dave P.

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked Large pitching area

Disliked Toilets were disgusting with bowls blocked and faeces floating in same toilet for 3 days. Many toilet bolts missing so no privacy. Outdoor pool freezing as not heated. Night warden did nothing about screaming, fighting and car horns at 2.00 in the morning. Our young children were very scared. Would never return here.

Recommend to friends Visit again

We all had an amazing time,…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 5
Wifi
 No rating
Laura B.

Non-electric grass pitch (no pets, wild)

Liked We all had an amazing time, definitely would come back.. staff very helpful and friendly 😊

Recommend to friends Visit again

We had the most wonderful weekend. We will be back!

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 7
Wifi
 No rating
Stephanie R.

Non-electric grass pitch (no pets, wild)

Liked The activities were fantastic, and enjoyed by the adults and older teens in our family.
The lake was beautiful, and we absolutely loved the kayaking.
The scenery was absolutely stunning, and we really enjoyed foraging for wood for the fire.
The bar and shop were a great touch, and we loved taking photos on the giant deckchair and in the giant postcard frame!
We had lots of space around our pitch which was brilliant, and meant we were not too close to anyone else.
The wild camping area and forest were absolutely beautiful and provided the most stunning backdrop to our family camping trip. We loved every second, thank you!

Disliked The wild camping toilets could have been checked more frequently throughout the weekend in terms of restocking soap and blue paper towel, and the outside bins were overflowing by the end of the weekend, but this did not spoil things in the slightest for us.
It would also have improved our experience even further if a wider range of activities were available each day, as there were activities that we were really looking forward to, that were not available on the day we did the passes.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great value for money, good pitch size, showers need updating.

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 6
Wifi
 2
Anonymous

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked The activities and the prices of the wristbands are excellent value for money. We had a 7 teenagers with us and they had something for everyone. The pitches are a great size and happily pitched our party altogether.

Disliked My only downside for me were the shower/toilet facilities. They could do with updating and look a bit grabby and run down. We were on K field. However, we found a newer block on another field that we travelled over to, to have a shower.

Recommend to friends Visit again

We had a great time and would come back

Overall

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

Non-electric grass pitch (no pets, wild)

Liked We had a lovely time and liked the fact that there was lots for the kids to do!

Disliked The toilets didn’t seemed to get fresh toilet roll and I had to leave a bar of soap in there as no soap was topped up the 4 days we were there. Nothing major tho and didn’t have an impact on our stay

Recommend to friends Visit again

Afraid we won’t be recommending or returning

Overall

4 out of 10
Location
 4
Value for money
 4
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 4
Customer service
 5
Child friendliness
 5
Cleanliness
 1
Wifi
 1
Joanne W.

Electric optional grass pitch

Liked Activities at the centre. Staff at the centre.

Disliked Being so far away from the toilets and showers. Nearest showers and toilets were disgusting. There should be more facilities there as it is such a large campsite.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Przestrzen, swoboda…

Overall

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

Non-electric grass pitch (no pets, wild)

Liked Przestrzen, swoboda

Disliked Ilosc toilet

Recommend to friends Visit again

We stayed in Pitch M, nice…

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 4
Sarah M.

Electric optional grass pitch

Liked We stayed in Pitch M, nice & quiet, large sized pitches.
Didn’t do any of activities but enjoyed the lovely walks with the pooches.
Loved having to be able to use a fire pit too.

Disliked Long walk to toilet blocked especially during the night, could do with a few more scattered about.

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.

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 €20.88 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.