| Want to camp somewhere? Check out my reviews, both UK and foreign.
I'm not going to spoon feed you with phone numbers, get them from the local
tourist information office. If you need to book in advance, I'll say so.
Click here for England, Wales,
Scotland, France,
Switzerland. |
England
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| Croyd (Baggy Point). I've only ever stayed at Stalagluft Ruda
which is more of a holiday park than a campsite. You need to pre-book and
get there before 10pm when the gates are shut. On arrival, go to reception
where their computerised system will issue you a pitch. The pitches are
all marked out and one tent only per pitch. If you're all in one/two man
tents then take walkie talkies so you can communicate with each other as the
pitches are quite large. The place is seriously expensive if you're on
your own but better value for families as you pay per pitch. There's
shops, caffs, bars and a swimming pool on site. OK if you like that sort
of thing but I won't be going back. It cost us £13 each for one night as
the only pitches they'd got left had electric hook ups, unfortunately my tent
didn't and they wouldn't give any discount for this. 2003 prices are £12
per pitch per night. Dartmoor, Plume of Feathers Princetown.
£6.50 per night in 2007. Very popular with groups so don't expect it
to be quiet. Toilets and showers OK and free but there's not enough of
them. The campsite is at the back of the pub and there's a cafe next
door and a shop ~100m away. There's also a bunkhouse at £7.50 (best
booked in advance). This is really cramped and the cooking facilities
are very poor due to a lack of mugs, pans etc. |
| Lands End. Trevaylor in Bottallack, about 1 mile
N of St Just. Got to be the best site in the country, flat pitches, no stones,
clean showers and toilets, shop which
sells climbing gear, bar which does evening meals. Cost is (2005)
£6.00 per person + 20p for the showers. The food is cheap and
OK (2004 update - food has improved - it now rates as very good, especially the
steaks). The bar is cheap. Beers, including at least one real ale, are
£2.00 per pint (2005) The pub over the road
(Queens Arms) does better food - try the fresh fish
- has a better
selection of real ales but costs more - you pays your money and you takes your
choice. If you make a reservation they'll cone off an area for you and
except in July and August they do a group discount which brings the price down
to £3.50.
Open Easter - October. 2005 update - cost with group discount is now
£4.00, shop gets a delivery of excellent pasties at
9:00am, £1.50 each (5p cheaper than shop in St Just) but they sell out
quick! About 2-3 miles up the road from Trevaylor (towards
Bosigran) there's another campsite. I haven't stayed there but it
looks pretty basic, as in a farmer's field basic, however, it does say
there's flush toilets. Cost is £2 per person, £1 for kids.
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| Roaches. Don't know the name of the site but it's right
underneath Hen Cloud. Cheap but basic. Toilets and wash basins are
in the farm yard about a quarter of a mile down the road. Don't expect
a lie-in as the old boy arrives on his ancient tractor at 7 am to collect the
money. Caff and pub within easy walking distance. |
| Swanage. Tom's Field. OK, small shop on site that sells
the Rockfax guide book. Two pubs within easy walking distance. Very
convenient for Dancing Ledge. If Tom's Field is full, which it might
well be in August, try Downshay Farm. Hang a right at Harman's Cross,
about 3 miles before Swanage and its down the lane on the right. Very
big site with toilets but only 2 (free) showers. £4 per person per
night in 2004.
 
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| Lake District - Wasdale Head. The National Trust site is far better in every
respect to the site a mile up the valley by the hotel. Its bigger and has
got showers. Need to drive for breakfast and pub although the Wasdale Head
hotel is about a mile away. It’s got to be said that the National Trust do
tend to do things well, and running a campsite is one of them. For starters
the campsite is in a magnificent setting at the top end of Wasdale, nestled
right in amongst the mountains. It’s only at 65 m above sea level so the
peaks tower up above you. Look east and there’s Scafell with all its crags,
look north and the S ridge of Kirk Fell comes down straight at you, look
west and there’s the bulk of Yewbarrow with its crags at the top. If that
wasn’t good enough then the camp site has a shop, plenty of hot showers and
the pub and gear shop are only about a mile away. The pitches are flat with
trees dotted about and since the site is big with only 120 pitches, even
when the “campsite full” sign goes up it doesn’t feel at all crowded.
Campsite doesn't do advance bookings, its first come first served.
Cost in 2005: £4.50 per person + £2 per car. 20p coin operated
showers.
  
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| Lake District - Seathwaite, Duddon Valley.
Turner Hall Farm. Officially open April - October, but in practice stays
open until the water supply freezes up. 2003 prices: £3 per person +
£1 per car. Toilets and wash basins but no hot water or showers.
Five minutes walk from the pub in Seathwaite. What you might call a
secluded location. Stunning views. |
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Lake District - Stonethwaite, Borrowdale. Firstly there's two
campsites. This is the one at GR 268133. You turn off the B5289, go
into Stonethwaite, past the Langstrath Hotel then follow a rough track for about
400m. The campsite is then on a flat bit on your left next to the river.
Note that its marked incorrectly on 1:50000 maps, its not on the side of the
hill! Facilities: tap and toilets, no showers, no hot water. Cost in
2006, £3 per person. Lovely location but on the early May bank
holiday weekend when I was there, very busy and noisy.
As of May 2006 the local pub (Langstrath Hotel) was very camper unfriendly.
They only open for hotel residents and visitors who have pre-booked evening
meals. That ought to change fairly soon as the pub was in the process of
changing owners, it can only get better. |
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Scotland
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| Glen Coe. Two choices here, the National Trust site or the Red
Squirrel. The National Trust site is better but the Red Squirrel is within
walking distance from the Clachaig. The relative prices of these two seems
to change each year. Good showers and shop in the National Trust site. Wild camping further up the Glen at the Kingshouse.
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Skye. Sligachan. Wasn't open for Easter
2004. Shut for the winter towards end of September. We camped
for free over Easter but toilet block was locked. Located opposite
Sligachan Hotel, great views of Glamaig and Sgurr nan Gillean.
Skye. Glen Brittle. Excellent site, idyllic location, flat
pitches, toilets, showers and really good shop that sells everything you
need or might need (inc. tents). £5 per person per night in 2007.
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Wales
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| Capil Curig. The site's called the Dolgam. On
the A5, between the training camp and the village. Cheap and free hot
showers. Easy walk to pubs and caff. Its the only licensed camp site
in Capil Curig. Arthur, the guy that owns it and comes round to collect
the fees in the mornings inherited it from his father in 1961. Cost is £3
per person per night in 2003. (£4 in 2007). Great views of Moel Siabod but can suffer
from midges from time to time (no where near as bad as Scotland though). |
Snowdonia, Tryfan. Gwern Gof Uchaf at
the foot of Tryfan. Small campsite with showers and toilets. Pitches
flat but car parking limited (you can't park next to your tent). Bad
points - no pubs in walking distance, good points - you're right at the start of
Tryfan N Ridge and Tryfan Bach. £4 ppn in 2007.
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| Gower.
Three Cliffs Bay. Stunning views
if you pitch by the cliff top but the downside of this is it can be a bit
draughty. Long walk or drive to pub, best pub is the hotel in Oxwich.
Reservations required, cost is £6 per person per night plus 30p for tokens for
showers and washing up water (2003 prices, no increase in 2004). For some reason directory enquires don't
have the phone number, it's 01792 371218. Open April-October. Take
breakfast stuff, good caffs in the Mumbles in Swansea but its a long drive and
they're shut on Sundays. The campsite isn't marked on OS maps, its at GR
537885. Need to book two weeks in advance for August bank holiday weekend.
2005 update. £7 per person (different rates for family tents / more
people per tent etc.) + 30p for shower tokens. Even in July you need
to book two weeks in advance for a weekend. |
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| South Pembroke. I always stay at Buttylands near Manorbier.
Large site, free showers, fish and chip shop. Pubs close by but breakfast joints limited as in this
neck of the woods a caff means tea and cream cakes. Shop about 1 mile up
the road towards Pembroke. 2003 prices:- £6 per night , £8.50 in July and
August, however, if you make a group booking in advance the price reduces to £4
(any time). Reductions for more than 1 in a tent. Bring your own
bog roll as the paper provided is the shiny tracing paper variety. For
evening meals you have the choice of the on site chip shop (5pm - 8 pm), or two
pubs both about a mile away. The Castle Inn in Manorbier is better than
the Swan Lake Inn in Jamestown. (The shop up the road does excellent free
range eggs, you can see the hens scratching around out the back.)
2005 Update. August bank holiday weekend group discount price = £5.
From 1st Jan 2006 the campsite will be called "Arreton" |
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North Pembroke. Glan y Mor about 1 km from St Davids.
Large bar on site that serves food. Flat pitches. 20p for
showers but on a May bank holiday weekend the hot water couldn't cope with
demand. Discounted rate of £7.50 per person (2006) which is cheap for
the St Davids area. Booking ahead recommended. 01437 721788.
www.glan-y-mor.co.uk |
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| Tremadog. Eric Jones'. At the back of the caff.
There's a shower and bogs in the caff. Tiny site so if anyone farts in the
night it'll wake the whole site., that said in January I had the whole site to
myself. Eric's never turned anyone away and it's
what you might call "convenient" for the caff and the climbing.
Also its flat. £3 ppn in 2005. |
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France
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| Argentiere. Les Chosalets. Nice site, clean and a lot
quieter than the sites in Chamonix. About half the occupants are Brits.
Small shop sells toiletries, stamps, post cards, phone cards and fresh milk and
croissants in the morning. You'll get change from £5 a day (2002). Easy
walk to shops and pubs in Argentiere. The proprietor can speak very good
English if she wants to but always makes you struggle with French. No
refunds for nights spent in huts. |
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Switzerland
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| Arolla. Not a great deal of choice as there's only one site.
Clean (what else do you expect in Switzerland?), new shower and toilet block.
Basic shop on site, better one in village. 10-15 minute walk to village
centre (up hill). They don't speak very good English and I don't speak
very good French but we managed to communicate. Located next to Hotel Tsa.
Refunds tax for nights spent in huts. Cost based on people, tents and cars, but
about £4.50 -£5 per night (2002), less without a car. |
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| Saas Grund. Camping Mishabel. This is the site where the
Brits congregate. Good site with good facilities, they speak excellent
English and are really helpful. Easy walk to town and really great choice
of eating/drinking establishments. Go through Saas Grund and take road to
Saas Almagel, about half a mile on the right, not far past the place with the VW
on the roof. Refunds tax for nights spent in huts. Cost based on people,
tents and cars, but about £4.50 -£5 (2001) per night, less without a car. |
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