Blandford Forum, Dorset, England
Electric grass pitch
Liked We really enjoyed many aspects of our stay and there are lots of things that make this campsite a great place to visit.
The pitches are large and spacious, giving you plenty of room and making the site feel relaxed rather than cramped. We particularly appreciated being shown to our pitch by the man on reception when we arrived, which was a lovely personal touch and made settling in really easy. The staff were friendly, helpful and welcoming throughout our stay.
There are plenty of walking routes accessible from the campsite, with maps available from reception, which is great for exploring the surrounding area. The site also has clear signage, plenty of accessible water points around the campsite and well-lit walkways to the toilet facilities, which is especially useful once it gets dark.
The facilities are spacious, with large shared toilet and shower areas and multiple sinks for washing up. There are also washing machines and tumble dryers available, although unfortunately the tumble dryers were not working during our stay.
Families are well catered for, with a large play area and lots of open green space nearby where children can run around and play football. There is also WiFi available in the games area, which is a useful addition.
The on-site shop is well stocked and convenient for picking up essentials, and we really enjoyed having food options available on the weekend, with a pizza van on Saturday evening and fish and chips on Sunday.
Overall, there are lots of positives to this campsite. The spacious pitches, friendly staff, good facilities, walking routes and family-friendly areas make it a lovely place to stay. With a few small improvements, such as getting the tumble dryers working, it would be an even better experience.
Disliked Despite many positives, We were really disappointed with parts of our stay, particularly as this was the only holiday we will have this year.
The facilities could also be improved. A separate disabled/baby-changing room would be really useful and would help reduce waiting times. The disabled toilet was also not locked, meaning it was being used by anyone. As a result, we sometimes had no choice but to use the main facilities with our two autistic children, which was difficult and stressful.
Unfortunately, the biggest issue during our stay was the arrival of a large group of around four families. Their behaviour had a significant impact on our holiday. There was constant shouting and calling of younger children’s names, dogs were off lead and barking constantly, and torches were being shone into our tent after 11pm. There was also loud talking late into the night and very early in the morning, with seemingly no consideration for other people who were trying to sleep.
There were also fights between teenagers, which added to the feeling that the campsite had become very unsettled and uncomfortable. The group appeared to take over one part of the campsite and, unfortunately, seemed to have very little consideration for the people who were already staying there. This completely changed the atmosphere of the site. When we arrived a few days earlier, the campsite had a very different and much more respectful vibe.
We spoke to reception on the day we left. They were apologetic and explained that they had already spoken to the group, but unfortunately this had had no effect. It was disappointing to feel that there was nothing further that could be done.
Ultimately, we felt we had no choice but to leave a day early. Staying for another evening like the previous one would have ruined our holiday even further.
It is extremely disappointing that our only holiday this year was cut short because of the behaviour and complete lack of respect shown by other campers. We appreciate that the campsite cannot control every guest, but we do feel that stronger action should be taken when repeated complaints about excessive noise, dogs, fighting and antisocial behaviour are made.
We hope the site can address these issues in future, as otherwise it is difficult to relax and enjoy what should be a peaceful camping experience.
Recommend to friends Visit again
Pen-y-cae, Powys, Wales
Non-electric grass tent pitch
Liked Lovely campsite, we had everything we needed on site. Place to wash up, dogs allowed, hot showers, toilets and a pub!
We were able to upgrade to an electric pitch when we arrived. It wasn’t too much bother at all ☺️
Recommend to friends Visit again
From the manager: Thanks for your review. Glad you and your family enjoyed.