Alderford Lake

Me gustó If I could give it a 0 I would! Future campers please read my review as Alderford Lake have advertised their camping facilities in a very misleading way!

Alderford Lake website portrays an image of camping in a quiet area with a lakeside experience.

No me gustó This is untrue. The camping field sits alongside a very busy A road. The road noise did not quieten overnight. HGVs were bustling along the road continuosly through the night and did not make for a "quiet" night's sleep. We did not sleep.

Check in is at 2pm. Be aware future campers that the lakeside experience that is sold to you is only accessible for about an hour or so after you arrive. The site and all it's facilities including access to the children's park and food completely shuts down at 4.30. There is nothing and no facilities available after this time. No lakeside experience, no play park, no sunset paddle as quoted on their booking page.

The shower facilities are less than basic. And I struggled to find a shower that locked.

I raised my concerns to Alderford. No apology was given. Instead I was completely dismissed.

As an experienced camper I was really shocked and appalled by the lack of information provided at booking, the misleading information to campers on pitch up and their own website for overnight guests. I was also shocked of the lack of customer care.

Do not book!

Lo recomendaría a mis amigos Lo visitaría de nuevo

Del administrador: Thank you for your feedback, Hayley. We would like to clarify some of the information in your review for future guests.

Although bell tent check-in is from 2pm, guests are welcome to arrive from 9am and enjoy the site throughout our published opening hours of 9am to 4.30pm. Guests can also use the site from 9am until 4.30pm on the day of departure, so access is not limited to the period following check-in.

Alderford is a daytime visitor attraction with overnight camping accommodation, rather than a holiday park operating its attractions throughout the evening. The camping area and its essential facilities remain accessible overnight, but the lake, play area and visitor facilities close at 4.30pm. Unsupervised lake access cannot be permitted outside designated sessions due to serious health and safety considerations and the requirements of our insurance.

Alderford is located near a public main road, and traffic levels can vary. The location of the camping field is shown within our booking information, although we recognise that individual experiences of road noise will differ.

Following your complaint, we inspected the shower locks and the padlock provided for your bell tent. All were found to be working correctly, and we have not received similar complaints from other guests. Had either issue been reported during your stay, our team would have been available to assist.

Your complaint was reviewed by two members of our management team. Although we did not agree that the circumstances warranted a full refund, your concerns were investigated and responded to fully.

Me gustó Well laid out site...amenities were clean and showers hot...nice big tent...designated area for cooking...someone has obviously put a lot if thought into this and it works well

No me gustó Tent floor could have been a bit cleaner and we would have swept it if a brush was available...it rained hard and there were 2 puddles on the floor...it would have been useful to have been able to access the adjacent play area

Lo recomendaría a mis amigos Lo visitaría de nuevo

Del administrador: Thank you for your lovely review, Liz. We’re so pleased that the bell tent was a great introduction to camping for your grandchildren and that you enjoyed the layout, facilities and designated cooking area.

We appreciate your helpful feedback regarding the tent floor, the puddles and the availability of a brush, and we’ll review these points with our team. Access to the adjacent play area is also something we can consider for future stays.

We hope to welcome you and your family back again soon!

Me gustó Very pretty, lake right next door, fresh water and I think there was a park that you could go in (but we were there too late to check out). Cute honesty box and toiletries if you have forgotten anything. Very quiet. Staff were really nice. Went on the watercourse the next day and all the staff were fantastic and so friendly.

No me gustó Toilets were pretty horrid to be honest. Claustrophobic and very smelly. Make sure to go camping on the same day as camping. We camped and went the day after where parking ended up costing an extra £5 Uneven ground in most parts so try to remember your levellers if you're in a van

Lo recomendaría a mis amigos Lo visitaría de nuevo

Del administrador: Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. We’re really pleased you enjoyed the setting and found the campsite peaceful, and it’s especially lovely to hear such positive feedback about our team on the water course – we’ll be sure to pass that on!

We appreciate your comments regarding the toilets and will take this feedback on board as we continue to look at improvements to our camping facilities.

Just to clarify regarding the parking, this is included for the full duration of your camping stay, including both your arrival and departure day, so there shouldn’t have been any need to pay the additional £5 the following day. We’re sorry if this wasn’t made clear during your visit.

Thank you again for your feedback, and we hope we can welcome you back for another visit in the future.

Me gustó Once you can gain access into the lake, it's a beautiful place and time to spend a couple hours. Great for the kids.

A brilliant park run on Saturdays at 9am.

No me gustó Not the biggest fan of the toilets and showers

The booking did not include lake access so I felt we paid way too much for a basic Camping site

Didn't like the location, had to drive everywhere, not the best countryside or nice towns to visit nearby

Lo recomendaría a mis amigos Lo visitaría de nuevo

Del administrador: Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. We’re really pleased you enjoyed spending time at the lake with the children, and it’s great to hear you managed to join our Saturday morning parkrun too!

We appreciate your feedback regarding the toilets and showers. We know our camping facilities are fairly basic at present, and this is an area we are continuing to look at improving.

Activities on the lake, such as swimming, paddleboarding and the Aquapark, are booked separately, as these require dedicated lifeguards and safety teams to operate. We do try to make this clear when booking, but appreciate that this may not have been what you expected from your stay.

We’re sorry to hear the location wasn’t quite right for you. We are fortunate to have Whitchurch just a few minutes away, as well as a number of lovely Shropshire and Cheshire towns and countryside spots within driving distance, although we appreciate that exploring the area generally does require a car.

Thank you again for your feedback and for choosing to stay with us.

Me gustó The site was tidy and clean and including the wash facilities and toilets. It was a nice walk into the town with plenty pubs.

No me gustó We were very disappointed as you do not actually camp by the lake and it is not even visible from the campsite. It's is mis sold as to do any of the water activities or to even walk around the lake one family were told they needed to pay. When you book on pitch up you see photos of the beautiful lake and swimming but not told it is at an additional cost of £11 to just dip your feet in the lake is ridiculous when camping is already expensive. We expected to be able to at least go for a swim when we were paying £37.50 a night to park on grass with no electricity. The play area for the children can be seen from the camping field but not accessed either as it is all fenced off. It is expensive for something very basic. As a family it would have cost us an additional £40 per day to just swim which when you are there for a bank holiday weekend would be £120 which is just unreasonable. There should be benefits of paying to stay overnight not only 20% off or the camping needs to be cheaper in the first instance. We would not go back unless things change as there are much nicer camping fields at a fraction of the cost.

Lo recomendaría a mis amigos Lo visitaría de nuevo

Del administrador: Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback. We're pleased to hear you found the site, toilets and wash facilities clean and tidy, and enjoyed the walk into Whitchurch.

We're sorry to hear that the overall experience didn't meet your expectations. We would, however, like to clarify that our camping pitches are not advertised as lakeside pitches, and our Pitchup listing explains that access to the lake and activities is charged separately. The photographs show Alderford Lake and the facilities and activities available across the wider site, rather than indicating that these are all included within the camping price.

Our camping fee covers the pitch and campsite facilities, with lake admission and activities kept separate so that guests only pay for these if they wish to use them. Camping guests receive 20% off lake admission and activities throughout their stay.

We do appreciate that for a family wishing to use the lake every day, the additional cost can add up, and we understand your feedback that you would prefer more to be included within the camping price.

Thank you again for your comments. We regularly review our camping offering and pricing, and feedback such as this is useful when considering how we develop the campsite in future.

Me gustó Was great, kids loved it - gutted we couldn’t use the fire but that’s not their fault, deffo be returning

Lo recomendaría a mis amigos Lo visitaría de nuevo

Del administrador: Thank you so much for the lovely review! We’re really pleased to hear you had a great stay and that the kids loved it.

We know it was disappointing not being able to have a fire, but with the exceptionally dry conditions and recent wildfires, we had to put the restriction in place to keep everyone and the surrounding area safe. We really appreciate your understanding and look forward to welcoming you back to Alderford again soon!

Me gustó Pitches are a decent size.
The showers are hot.
The bell tents looked pretty nice.
Whitchurch is beautiful.
The lake and activities are excellent 👌and as guests you get 20% discount!

No me gustó The toilets and showers look like a temporary fixture, portaloo style.
There are not enough facilities for all the pitches.
Most of the pitches are not very flat, you'll be rolling to the corner of the tent (ours were fine though in the far corner to be fair).
The road noise is going all night long, hard to sleep.
There was also loud music from a wedding party at the lake until 12:30/1am.

Lo recomendaría a mis amigos Lo visitaría de nuevo

Del administrador: Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. We’re really pleased you enjoyed the lake and activities, and that you found the pitches spacious and the showers hot. It’s also great to hear you made use of the 20% camper discount!

We appreciate your feedback regarding the camping facilities. Our campsite is still a relatively new and developing part of Alderford, and we recognise that there are areas we would like to improve as it grows. Our current toilet and shower facilities are temporary units, but they are regularly serviced and maintained throughout the season. More permanent facilities are something we are looking at as part of our future plans for the campsite.

Unfortunately, being located close to the A41 does mean that some road noise is unavoidable, although we appreciate this can affect guests differently.

We’re also sorry to hear that you were disturbed by music during your stay. While we do occasionally host private events at Alderford, we appreciate that noise late into the evening can impact our campers and this is something we will take into consideration when planning and managing future events.

Thank you again for the constructive feedback. We’re delighted that the lake itself was a highlight of your visit and hope we can welcome you back to Alderford again.

Me gustó Nice & quiet. Very close to lake, plenty to do. Staff very friendly & helpful. Toilets were ok.

No me gustó Expensive for what it is, we paid to stay in bell tent which was pricey but then on top there is a fee to walk around the lake or go in the lake. I think this should be included with your stay.

Lo recomendaría a mis amigos Lo visitaría de nuevo

Del administrador: Thank you for your review. We're really pleased to hear you enjoyed the peaceful setting, being so close to the lake and found our team friendly and helpful.

We appreciate your comments regarding value for money. Our bell tent stays include your accommodation and access to the campsite facilities, while our lake activities are priced separately so guests can choose which activities they would like to take part in during their stay. Camping guests do, however, receive a 20% discount on our lake activities.

We hope you still enjoyed your time with us and your stay by the lake.

Me gustó We stayed at Alderford Lake for three nights over the weekend in one of the glamping tents. There are definitely some lovely aspects to the site. The lake itself is beautiful and the overall setting is really attractive. We had a great time as a group and there is lots of potential for this to be a fantastic place to stay.

However, there were a number of things that really let the experience down.

Firstly, the road noise is quite significant. The site is right next to the A41 and there is a steady flow of traffic, including heavy vehicles. When you are staying somewhere surrounded by countryside and a beautiful lake, you expect a degree of peace and tranquillity, and unfortunately the road noise does spoil that.

I was also surprised that, despite paying to stay on the campsite, access to the lake itself wasn’t included. I completely understand paying separately for additional activities and equipment, but given that staying at Alderford Lake isn’t particularly cheap, I think basic access to the lake should be included for overnight guests.

Another disappointment is that when the lake closes at 4.30pm, the other facilities close too, including the café and children’s play area. For people actually staying on site, particularly families, 4.30pm is incredibly early. It would make a big difference if campers could continue to access some of these facilities into the evening.

The camping facilities themselves also need considerable improvement. There is no permanent amenity block and the washing facilities are extremely limited. There was just one sink available for the whole campsite to wash dishes. The site was virtually empty during our stay, so it wasn’t a major problem and I only had to queue once, but I can’t imagine how this would work when the campsite is full.

The biggest issue for me, though, was the toilets. There are six toilets in total – three for men and three for women – and they are essentially festival-style port-a-loos. For a campsite charging these prices, and particularly one offering glamping, I don’t think this is acceptable. Proper permanent toilets, showers and washing facilities should really be a basic expectation.

Alderford Lake is in a beautiful location and we did enjoy our weekend, but the facilities don’t currently match the price or the impression of a glamping experience. With proper toilet and shower blocks, better facilities for campers, later access to the café/play area and lake access included for overnight guests, it could be so much better.

Lo recomendaría a mis amigos Lo visitaría de nuevo

Del administrador: Thank you for taking the time to leave such detailed feedback, Sarah. We’re really pleased to hear that you enjoyed the beautiful setting of the lake and, most importantly, had a great weekend together as a group.

We completely appreciate some of your comments regarding the campsite facilities. Our campsite is still a relatively new and developing part of Alderford, and improving the facilities available to our overnight guests is something we are actively looking at as we plan for future seasons.

Just to clarify a couple of points, our showers do provide hot water and good pressure, and while our toilets are temporary units rather than a permanent amenity block, they are serviced and maintained regularly throughout the season. We do, however, understand that guests would welcome more permanent facilities as the campsite develops.

Our standard opening hours do currently finish at 4.30pm, although campers are still able to enjoy the campsite and wider setting after this time. For health and safety reasons, access to the lake and certain activity areas is only permitted during our operational hours when the appropriate staff and safety provisions are in place. Lake activities and swimming are separately ticketed as they require dedicated lifeguard cover and additional operational resources, which is why these aren't automatically included within the cost of a camping or glamping stay.

We really appreciate the constructive feedback. There are certainly areas we want to continue improving, and comments like yours are genuinely useful as we develop the camping experience at Alderford. We hope we can welcome you back in the future so you can see some of those improvements for yourself.

Me gustó The amount of amenities around the site.

Lo recomendaría a mis amigos Lo visitaría de nuevo

Del administrador: Thank you so much for your review, Benjamin!

We are glad to hear that you enjoyed your stay. We hope to welcome you back soon!