Bovey's Down Farm

A aimé Good site ,all the facilities were very clean and tidy, WiFi was ok for basic scrolling but needed to switch to mobile data now and again to watch stuff. The ladies in the restaurant were fantastic and very helpful. Some pitches lower down the field are on a slight incline, luckily we were near the top and it was flat. Great views over the valley

N'a pas aimé Nothing, would stay again .

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A aimé Thoroughly enjoyed our stay. We were pitched next to our friends as per our request and had plenty of room. Toilets and showers were basic - it’s not a concrete block like commercialised sites but they’re always exceptionally clean and the showers are hot which is all that matters.

Our friends ordered a fire pit which we enjoyed using and on a chilly evening it was perfect to allow us to stay outside.

We can thoroughly recommend the Sunday roasts in ‘The Swallows Rest’ onsite. Portion sizes were excellent and the food was hot, tasty and of excellent quality. Proper home cooked food.

N'a pas aimé It wasn’t a dislike, however, if you’re someone who’s particular about wanting to use the WiFi and you booked specifically with this in mind, it’s worth noting the WiFi doesn’t quite reach with enough signal in some spots which are on the perimeter. This wasn’t an issue for us at all but I can imagine some may be disgruntled if they’d booked it purposely.

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A aimé Friendly, welcoming hosts; breakfast, lunch and dinner available on site; farm tours happily provided; plenty of water and electricity points; great location for exploring, with pubs and plenty of nature-based activities in the vicinity. The toilet and shower rooms all had sensor-lights which meant they came on when necessary but turned off to save electricity; and most of them also had automatic extraction fans, which is a great idea to deal with smells and damp! Freezer, microwave and clothes-washer on site.

N'a pas aimé Grass was rather long and tussocky, which would have been annoying if we were camping in a tent (lumpy), and meant that when it was wet, wellies were definitely required - but it *is* a farm, and we stayed early in the season so it may be that when the campsite is busier they cut the grass.

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A aimé Great location and comfortable showers and toilet blocks

N'a pas aimé Slightly sloping ground for most of the site

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A aimé The layout of the site and the wonderful views

N'a pas aimé Nothing - it was lovely.

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A aimé Absolutely beautiful scenery owners made my stay welcoming, all the amenities are there including washing machine which was a god send, will be back there again soon.

N'a pas aimé Nothing

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A aimé Friendly welcome, lovely views, clean and tidy site

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A aimé Everything! The site was clean and obviously well looked after, the owners were really friendly, the food was lovely, and the caravan had everything I needed for an enjoyable stay, despite the torrential rain lol! Not rated wi-fi as I didn't use it.

N'a pas aimé Nothing.

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A aimé Level pitch not far from toilets/showers and bar restaurant area.
Welcoming and friendly owners nothing to much trouble for them.

N'a pas aimé Not a dislike, but others should remember that this is a working farm and comes with various farm and countryside noises. Don’t moan after you’ve been there if you don’t like farm noises.

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A aimé There was a microwave and a fridge to use which came in handy.

N'a pas aimé Starting with the booking process, I chose this site specifically because it advertised an on-site cafe and shop. At no point during the online booking process was it stated that these facilities would be closed between 31 December and 2 January. Only after payment was completed did I receive a booking PDF stating that both the café and shop would be closed. This was a significant issue, as we were travelling with a dog and there were no nearby food options within walking distance, other than along a busy road. Had this information been made clear at the time of booking, I would not have chosen this site.

In addition, I booked and paid for a hardstanding pitch but was allocated a grass pitch instead. Due to the heavy rain and icy conditions, we struggled to exit the pitch when leaving. Several other campers experienced the same problem, and I had to assist another couple whose camper became stuck.

The £10 bag of firewood purchased on site was also disappointing, as the bottom of the bag was filled with water, leaving part of the wood unusable.

Safety and cleanliness were further concerns. The paths leading to the toilet facilities were not salted on either day despite icy conditions. As a result, my partner slipped, fell, and sustained a leg injury that required attention. The toilet facilities themselves appeared poorly maintained, with leaves and cobwebs present, suggesting they had not been cleaned thoroughly for some time.

Overall, the experience fell well below expectations. Due to the lack of transparency, safety issues, and general standard of facilities, I would not return to this site or recommend it to others.

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Réponse du gestionnaire : Good morning.
Thank you for your review, and apologise if in this instance we 'failed', in your opinion.
I have thought long and hard about the reply as there are many thing slightly wrong in your review.
Prior to booking when you where worried there maybe fireworks and we spoke , I did make you aware the restaurant would be closed and parking down here would be the best option for you, with a car & roof tent including a dog that might be frightened if others let off fire works. but you responded no to that location.
We emailed a welcome letter stating the reduced opening hours for the festive break .We are always closed on a Tuesday. Wed 31st , (your arrival day ) thinking the 3 appointments we had would prevent us from opening we put that as closed in the email, things changed on the day & we were home by 3.20pm & opened the Swallows rest shop. The farmer came & checked all was okay with you , with a firm reply, yes thank you. We couldn't understand why you pitched as you did?
We sent a map circling on it for parking on gravel, grass area next to it for plugging in power only.
You booked a grass and gravel pitch & that is what you had, only for whatever reason you didn't park on the gravel/hard standing.
Supplies.
We were open on 1st January as stated on our information with our barn shopping corner & plenty of food options, no one needed to be short of anything. A short walk across the yard from the shower block to say hello, sit & chat a while would have solved many issues. Any camper that become stuck only needs to make a phone call and Gerald is right there to help.
Your map had our contact details as did the welcome letter. We would happily have changed the logs, had we known the bin had some wet logs in it.
Regular cleaning always takes place but leaves blow in through doors left open and of course lights attract insects causing cobwebs.
I would be interested to know where your partner slipped as we did treat the track. No accident was reported at the time.