Big Bear Lodge

View prices & book 9.5 33 reviews
Camping pods (added by manager 09 Sep 2022)
Pod with outdoor deck
The pods
Eagles nest pod

  • Peaceful and secluded site with spectacular views
  • In a wildlife haven: listen for owls at night
  • New amenities block including a shower for disabled guests
Your little bears might not want to leave. Big Bear Lodge is a Shrewsbury site with what the owners reckon just might be among the best views in Shropshire – and it's in a spectacularly secluded countryside location where your young can run around and go spotting badgers, foxes, bats, squirrels and even the resident cuckoo that arrives each May. A flock of feathered visitors also flit around this calmly quiet site, including red kites, woodpeckers, swifts, buzzards and even some tame robins – sit peacefully and you may just spy photo opps. You'll hear the local owls hooting at night, and if it's a cloud-free evening you can settle down under the skies for a spot of peaceful stargazing: no light pollution or traffic noise here. The Big Bear facilities include fresh water adjacent to pitches, and an amenities block a short walk away with three showers (including one for disabled guests), heated towel rails, rainfall shower heads and washing-up facilities with hot and cold water. Dogs are welcome on site but must be kept on leads. Big Bear Lodge is also near where the Vyrnwy and Severn rivers meet, so has a wealth of walks very close by – and Shropshire has over 3500 miles' worth of hikes if you want to take things a bit further. Get set to roar with pleasure…

Site type

Lodges, cabins, pods or huts 4
Tent pitches 10
Rent a tent 4
Open now
Opens 13 March

Tourist board rating

Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Wed, 13 Mar to

Pitch types & availability

Reviews

91%

would recommend this site to a friend

91%

would stay here again

  • 81%
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Only showing reviews for the last 30 months.

Lovely site

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
James B. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: I stayed at the campsite at Big Bear lodge for a couple of nights, on my way to Barmouth. From booking it, Cassie was very helpful in answering any questions I had, and directions. As I was there during the week, I had the campsite to my self, lovely quiet location. The pitch was a great size, I bought a 5 bell tent, and still had plenty of room for the car. There's no wifi, but I had 5G, I'm on 'Three' On my first night, I ordered a Pizza to the supplied phone number, it was fantastic, home made, great size and good value with lots of topping. I also went for a sausage and bacon sandwich in the morning which was also fantastic, both delivered to the tent. Sadly the morning I left it was raining hard, as theh were quiet, they kindly said they said I could leave later to let the tent dry, which was much appreciated! The showers and toilets were spotless, and the honesty shop was a great idea, and had a great variety of things. I'll certainly be returning, and will bring the family, as they would love the play ground.

Disliked: Can't think of any!

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi, thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a lovely positive review. Please come back again soon. James and Cassie

Big Bear gives a big hug!

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: Big Bear Lodge is a quiet, friendly and well thought out site that goes with the moniker of self-service and at the same time gives you support when you need it. Each plot is clearly marked and has plenty of space to pitch your tent and park next to it without feeling boxed in. There's a decent shower and toilet block, onsite honesty shop, catering options for breakfast and dinner (the pizza is exceptional) as well as play areas and a park for the kids. This place is firmly on 'my favourite places to camp list' and I'll be returning soon.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Thank you for taking the time to write such a lovely review. So glad you enjoyed your camping trip. Hope to see you again soon. James and Cassie

Lovely site but bell tents need a few more luxuries for the price

Overall 6/10
Location 8
Value for money 4
Accommodation 6
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 8
Child friendliness 8
Cleanliness 8
Wifi 2
Nicola S. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Banff bell tent (family)

Liked: *You can order breakfast and pizza right to your tent *its spotlessly clean *they have a shop on site that's open all the time so if you forget anything, you can get most things there *you can have a fire in a firepit and there's a bbq there too *the site is spacious enough to play football and Frisbee with the kids *there's a chicken coop there and the kids can feed the chickens *the staff were friendly

Disliked: *The bed was very uncomfortable and i could feel the hard springs. So much so, I opted to sleep on the floor *Definately needs more blankets as one thin quilt wasn't enough on the chilly evenings *The Banff tent is very close to the toilets and the lights go on and off all night *there's no outside light so when it starts to get dark, it's hard to see *There's no chairs to sit on inside the tent when it rains *Needs a little table to prep food inside when it rains

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you for your positive parts of this review. I wish you had of spoken to one of us whilst you were here. We saw you so many times, we even delivered food to you, asked if everything was ok. Why didn’t you say!! We have worked so hard this summer so it’s a bit unfair you didn’t give us one chance to put your issues right. Firstly with it being August you would think it would be warm enough and two weeks before we had someone who needed fans it was so hot but we have had a rubbish summer I would always say if camping in the UK you have to pack for both conditions because you never know. But you could have asked for more covers. You could have mentioned the mattress, we have had no complaints all summer but if you had of said we have a spare one we could have changed it for you. I’m guessing you slept on one of the futons not the floor because for three nights you surely would have mentioned it. The quilts are all the highest tog not thin as you say and again if you had of asked I would have got you more. You mention another table. We obviously thought one was enough but the other tent does have two. Again we will look at that for next year, no one else had mentioned it we thought one table for food prep was enough for a short stay. But we have more and would have brought you over something. The futons do double up as chairs but again if you wanted extra chairs we would have given you some. Again the lights, you say there was no light but then complain there was too much light but again thank you for the feedback as maybe we can move the tent for next season. The price is a difficult one you booked the most expensive weekend of the year, we do still do special offers but you didn’t book one of those you booked the three day stay. I don’t agree with your scoring as you have marked us 2/10 for WiFi. But what WiFi we can’t offer WiFi as we are a remote site we have great 4G and 5G coverage and that is fully explained in the details. So everyone else marks that section, none given so I’m not sure why you think that is a fair score. I wanted to answer all your points as I just thought it was a bit unfair you didn’t give us one opportunity to help you whilst you were here and we work hard to make sure everyone enjoys their stay. James and Cassie

Fab Stay at Beautiful Big Bear Lodge. Highly Recommend!

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Richard N. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: Lovely peaceful secluded campsite with great facilities and very relaxed vibe. We were there for the bank holiday and even when the site was busy there was ample space, kids loved the park, honesty shop is a fab idea as was the deliverable Breakfast / Pizzas. Great comms prior to arrival very accommodating. Great site location, shirt drive to Shrewsbury but we also went in a waterfall hike locally.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you so much for a positive great review. Hope you come back again soon. James and Cassie

Ideal location for a getaway in the best pod around.

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Paul H. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Wolf's Paw camping pod (two person)

Liked: Everything! The pod was very warm and cosy. It had everything we needed for a few days away. We loved the little touches which made it feel like a home from home. We liked it so much we extended our stay 🙂.

Disliked: Having to leave

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi, thank you you so much for taking the time to leave such a lovely review. So glad you enjoyed your stay and hope you visit again soon. James and Cassie

Great location lovely campsite with a 24 hr honesty shop with basic…

Overall 8/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
DANIEL C. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: Great location lovely campsite with a 24 hr honesty shop with basic essentials and more. Loved that we were able to have a camp fire which my eldest daughter loved hunting for sticks to help light.

Disliked: Unfortunately the slide at the park was broken so was unable to use bit everything else was in fab condition

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you for all the positive points in the review I am really sorry we dropped to an 8 for the broken slide. We were actually not aware the slide was broken was so we will rectify that first thing tomorrow. The play area is throughly checked when we mow which was only a couple of days ago. The slide is relatively new and it’s such a shame it is broken, as you can imagine it is a huge expense to keep replacing items when they are broken. But thank you for bringing it to our attention. We would have sorted it whilst you were here so you could have used it if we had of known.

Excellent site, brilliant little shop, good level pitch, peaceful.

Overall 10/10
Location 8
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Emma G. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: Excellent little shop for necessities. Clean facilities. Peaceful setting. Climb up Breidden Hill was fabulous.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a lovely review.

Clean excellent facilities helpful staff beautiful surroundings…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 8
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Banff bell tent (family)

Liked: Clean excellent facilities helpful staff beautiful surroundings

Disliked: Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you for leaving such a positive review.

Very nice and will go back

Overall 8/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 10
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: Lovely place and clean

Disliked: The shower was a bit disappointing

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you taking the time for leaving a positive review. The toilets and showers are all brand new but sorry you were disappointed.

Amazing little site

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 6
Rachel J. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: Everything! The host were lovely, honest shop great idea and had things that you might of forgotten! Kids loved the ice creams and toys We had the pizza the second night and it was amazing, they delivered to the tent in the pouring rain with a smile! Great space for kids to play and lovely little playground. We had a fab weekend thank you so much

Disliked: Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a positive review and I’m Glad you enjoyed the pizzas.


Features

Leisure on site

Bar or club house 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

Bath available Car parking by pitch/unit Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Food shop Free wifi Ice pack freezing Internet access Launderette Parent & baby washroom Pick-up from public transport Picnic table Portable toilet Pub toilets Public telephone Shower available Toilet block Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

D. of E. welcome Family friendly Motorcycle friendly Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

Barbecue provided Barbecues allowed Campfires allowed Commercial vehicles allowed Dogs allowed Dogs allowed all year

Themes

Peaceful Remote location Spectacular scenery Walkers' paradise 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 Shop nearby

Type

Small (11-25 pitches)

Accessibility

Disabled facilities

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Climbing nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Horse riding nearby Indoor pool nearby Mountain biking nearby Restaurant nearby Tennis nearby Watersports nearby

Location

Big Bear Lodge

Melverley

Shrewsbury

Shropshire

England

SY10 8PH

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

52.7504°N
-3.00004°W

Route directions

Please note that your satnav will take you to Little Hendre not Hendre Villa. From Little Hendre look further down the lane for a large timber-clad building.

Nearest transport

Coach
5.5 km Breidden Hotel
5.5 km Breidden Hotel
5.9 km The Crescent
Rail
14 km Welshpool Rail Station
16.1 km Gobowen Rail Station
17.4 km Shrewsbury Rail Station

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

This part of England running into Powys and Wales has been popular for yonks with outdoor and active sorts, who come to canoe or fish its waters, canter around the countryside by horseback or foot, climb or mountain bike its peaks, or tackle less trodden options like clay shooting or paragliding. Golf is available locally too. If you're more into sightseeing than activity, Powis Castle, Erddig Hall, Chirk Castle and the Hawkstone Follies are all good local options, or you could have a day out in Shrewsbury to stroll through its Shuts (ancient alleyways) and over its nine bridges. And as for those miles and miles of Shropshire – and Powys – walks? Try a wander around Pistyll Rhaeadr waterfall just over the Welsh border, among the wildlife and birds of Lake Vyrnwy, up and down the three peaks of the Breidden Hills, and through Nesscliffe Hill Country Park between Oswestry and Shrewsbury – with a pitstop at fifteenth-century pub the Old Three Pigeons Inn.

Must see

Powis Castle & Garden 15.4 km

Much Wenlock Priory 34.3 km

Darby Houses (Ironbridge) 36.1 km

Blists Hill Victorian Town 36.4 km

Iron Bridge and Toll House 36.8 km

National Trust

Chirk Castle 21.4 km

Attingham Park Estate: Cronkhill 22.9 km

Attingham Park 23.6 km

Carding Mill Valley and the Shropshire Hills 25.7 km

Wilderhope Manor 32.9 km

Cycle routes

Find local routes on the National Cycle Network - over 12,000 miles of cycling routes.

Other

Breidden Hills (Rodney's Pillar) and Belle Eisle Farm 4 km

Breidden Hills (Rodney's Pillar) and Middletown Hill 4 km

Middletown and Moel y Golfa 5.5 km

PRADOE 7.9 km

Welshpool - Severn Valley Walk - Powis Castle - Welshpool 14.1 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 Shropshire?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Big Bear Lodge have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Big Bear Lodge dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Big Bear Lodge? This part of England running into Powys and Wales has been popular for yonks with outdoor and active sorts, who come to canoe or fish its waters, canter around the countryside by … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Big Bear Lodge?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  3 p.m. –  7 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    On-site accommodation
    Arrive:  3 p.m. –  7 p.m.
    Depart by:  10 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Big Bear Lodge? From €23.75 (for 1 night, 4 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.