Campsite must haves???

[Iwannalivebythesea]

my dh has dreamt forever of owning a campsite and now finally we are in the position to move forward and actually maybe do it!! its all very exciting and will be a drastic change of living for us if it happens.
But I was just looking for some general opinions/advice about what would be your campsite must haves. We would be a family run campsite aimed at families.... what would you want or need in a campsite??? Pool? Kids club? Bar/resturant etc etc??

A million thank yous in advance for any help!!

notwaving. The feeling of peasantry is only momentary and then contemplate upon WWRMD (What Would Ray Mears Do?) and know that he make do on the midgey slope with joy and fortitude.

One campsite we stayed at in the pitch heirachy wasso evident it was like that class sketch with John Cleese and the Two Ronnies. The ginormo caravans will DOUBLE awnings no less, at the top of the hill and as you went down there was a plateau for each of the lesser campers with the electricity free tents right at the bottom behind the bins and grass clippings.

Yes 6 week campathon all set to go ahead

ooo you should get some camping pods for all year camping!

I looked at that Vango table you were talking about, the table looked good, but those stools looked like an accident waiting to happen for DS1 (7) and DS2 (4).

I ended up buying a table and two benches (which are not joined together so are potentially less rubbish than the ones that are).

Now I just need to book a bit of camping action.....

this campsite is up for sale! it is fabulous but not quite cornwall

Wow, look at those beaches.

ooh yes, definitely get camping pods - I'm more inclined to nip somewhere for a night or two if I can use a camping pod - love them

I agree that tents and caravans should be seperate, although I have a couple of very good friends who have caravans they do tend to be a slightly different breed when on site. I don't mind being the lowest of the low in my non EHU tent, but I like being amongst other families with similar values as their kids are more likely to want to play impromptu games of rounders with mine rather than rushing back inside their caravan to watch TV.

No mobile signal is great, and one of the reasons why I love Beddgelert.

Leaving your cars in a car park also sounds like a great idea. Maybe something like Center Parcs where you can unload your stuff and then the car stays in the car park for the rest of your stay? That would make it much safer for kids playing.

My ideal site would:

-have a view
-be level
-not feel like a tent housing association estate, but have plenty of hedges, nooks and crannies to pitch in.
-have plenty of space for DC to play/ ride bikes/ congregate. A playground isn't essential imo as DC should learn to make their own play while camping.
-be secure so DC can roam freely but know how to stay on the campsite.
-not necessarily have a shop, but the little vans that come round in the morning with milk, fresh bread and bacon butties are fab.
-have a freezer available for ice blocks
-free decent showers
-not charge extortionate higher prices for school holidays
-not have a minimum of a week's stay in the school holidays
-allow campfires/ fire pits
-allow you to check availability/ book online
-guarantee end-to-end sunshine during the stay.

Arh, you can now order sunshine on Soulpad!!!!!

I thought of this today. Have a few bell tents for hire. Then those of us practical campers who secretly crave some fairy lights and kelims can hire them for the weekend. They don't have to be all kitted out and pre pitched, just available to borrow for a few pounds.

I still think location is the biggest draw. You can have the cleanest showers in the world in your field in the Home Counties but I can forgive a lot if I can watch the sun set over the sea.

Grockle - the campsite I based it one is South Penquite on Bodmin Moor. It doesn't have a shop, although they sell a few of their own farm products, and I didn't know how many tokens it would take to dry my washing, but it had all the rest, plus more.

spacious, free, hot clean showers (perferably cleaned at least twice a day e.g early morning 6am and afternoon 4pm (ready for the evening)
spacious room with small bath for toddler use (my dc hate showers)
level pitches
numbered pitches with a map (for returning customers who would maybe like to choose where they are located next time)
don't like the idea of keeping car away from the tent as we use the car to store things in to keep the tent clutter free, also if weather is bad don't fancy walking with dc getting soaking wet when its not necessary
space for dc to play and benches for parents to rest whilst supervising

Bilblio, that site looks perfect and not too far from me... I love sites with unmarked pitches and homemade lamb burgers-yum!

Grockle, very envious that you live so close. If anyone fancies opening a similar site somewhere vaguely in the north of England/North Wales I'd be one of your best customers :)

We have a vw camper, but are more tenty than caravany in our camping style iykwim. All we have is a double bed, cab bunk and small unit with a sink and double burner in - no pop top, no hook up, no toilet etc. We have a reasonably small awning though. We have stayed on sites where we were had to go in the caravan and motorhome field and we were treated like second class citizens and also disturbed by tvs and stereos, as well as massive get togethers and gatherings in the caravan's massive awnings. We definitely prefer to be in the tent field if possible, but I can understand people not wanting vehicles driving around when there are children about. We do make sure that we only leave and return to the site once a day and often we just hang around the site and enjoy the whole camping thing anyway.

We prefer very small sites and the ones we've enjoyed the most have had:

• Level pitches in sensible positions that aren't exposed to prevailing winds
• a limited number of pitches that were very well spaced
• a fire pit to each pitch and you could buy wood etc from them (in one case the wood and tinder was free, but you were asked to chop as much as you used so it didn't run out)
• a family bathroom, instead of shower blocks. The best one had a choice of half a dozen showers, plus a couple of family bathrooms with a toilet, sink, shower and bath in each one. It rained heavily from the whole holiday and being able to have a warm bath was bliss.
• free
• a campers kitchen, with a couple of basic cookers, a kettle, fridge and freezer and washing up facilities. Same site as above had one of these that was in a nice warm room adjacent to the bathrooms and also had a tumble drier and washing machine.
• lots of space for children to play safely
• walking access to a nice beach - or good country walk
• reasonable walking distance to a nice pub that serves good food is always lovely as well
• a shop that sells basics necessities, but isn't full of sweets and tat that the dcs will nag for
• friendly helpful owners with an open door policy and a willingness to go that extra mile to help if there's a problem
• a flexible attitude to charges, rather than charging for everything under the sun on top of the unit, people and awning
• an eco policy, with good facilities for recycling etc
• a drying room for boots, waterproofs etc
• an undercover barn type area with benches/tables etc where people can shelter and drink their hot choc etc if the rain gets too much
• can't remember which one it was now, but one lovely campsite owner took orders for breakfast butties and delivered them to your tent in the morning
• another site took orders for local/organic produce when you booked your pitch and had your order ready for you on arrival - great for chilled basics, milk, eggs, cheese, butter etc
• a noise and traffic movement curfew.

We wouldn't go to a site that:

• has caravan and camping club style tarmac roads and street lights (someone else mentioned this earlier I think)
• has pitches that are marked out to the millimetre
• has toilet and shower blocks in temporary buildings
• has perfectly manicured hedgerows and cricket pitch style grass that is over-maintained and comes with a massive list of rules
• has static caravans - or at least not so many they outnumber the campers
• allows big parties of single sex teens to practically take over the site, keeping everyone up until the small hours
• has the camping field set up alongside a road, unless its a very quiet lane with hardly any traffic.
• a clubhouse with entertainment or bar

Finally, cleanliness is paramount, nothing is more likely to cut our trip short than filthy toilets and showers.

• Definitely no cars parked up on site (only for loading/unloading)
• Spacious shower cubicles
• A larger 'family shower cubicle' (great if you're camping with small children)
• lots of trees on the site
• a washing machine is a nice bonus

If you are going to charge for showers then for the love of God put the meter for the coins inside the shower cubicle and not on the wall outside.

My must-have campsite probably isn't financially viable, but for what it's worth:

• Tents only, with pitches as private as possible. Think Blackberry Wood / Wowo / woodlands type set-up.

• No stereos / drums / etc, with quiet policy after, say, 11pm

• Campfires. Oh, but no paper lanterns, as I always have visions of woods burning down or people thinking it's distress signals or something thinking things emoticon

• To make extra money / extend the season, you could have Yurts. In those, you could have a proper glamping set-up, woodburning stove etc, and charge for optional "rustic" breakfast packs. Suckers like me will happily pay for that when too cold to camp.

• For "activities", some farm animals, chickens (could sell the eggs) etc. A big hit with children and would obviously be useful for you too.

• No under 21-year olds only, and potentially no groups unless specifically agreed with you (so default rule is none, thus avoiding stag, hen, etc). I know unfair on some, but it would mean you avoid potential complaints from people wanting a peaceful break.

Actually, I should probably stop now as could go on all night. I think the most important thing is that you have to decide exactly who your target audience is. You couldn't possibly keep hardcore basic campers and fluffy bingo hall types happy on the same site.

Oh, and please don't put the washing up area directly behind the toilets. Possibly just the basic sites I've been to, but some had this set-up and I can't possibly have a wee knowing people are drying their dishes 70cm away. I'm a sensitive soul, I know, I know.

Just to add to the coin issue - consider losing the £0.50 per camper. Last camp I got ready, hung towel on the minute nail in the door, started freezing my naked bum off, and just as I was about to insert coin, it fell and slipped through the wooden slots in the ground. I had no spares with me, and still get irrationally annoyed every time I think of it. Seriously, just charge £1 more per pitch if you really have to.

MisSal, if you're inthe South East, try Forgewood, just spent a fab weekend there - very free and spacious, did have big groups but not at all noisy and very friendly.

Actually not sure why I'm recommending this place as I want to keep it all for myself!

I disagree with free showers actually - when we have stayed where there are free showers they are a nightmare as people can be inconsiderate and stay in there for AGES where if they have to pay they are in and out, or don't use them I think a decent shower with decent amount of time for your money would be good though oh and not scolding or freezing!

I hate all the extras people charge for too, some get ridiculous to the point of - if you would like to breath whilst staying on our site, please add a pound per night per person - you get the drift It's like charging for sauce on sandwiches - just account for it in first place!

But you will never please all. We hate noisy bustly all singing all dancing camps with play areas and bars - other people love that. We like basic clean friendly amenities. Oh and with a quite door to the toilets!

oh adn good point about toilets and washing up places too!

at quiet door the toilets - good point, well made!

Campfires, campfires, campfires. The best thing about camping and sadly not nearly as common as it should be. Like someone else said, selling wood is a good extra moneymaker.

Family bathrooms/showers are a great idea with mixer taps that you can turn on and off. I just spent the weekend trying to hold my toddler up to the basin, press the cold tap (as hot water scorching) and get her hands underneath it in the 2 seconds the water stayed on - resorted to wipes in the end.

Free clean reasonably powerful showers, loads of hooks and maybe a bench to put stuff on in the cubicle - space permitting. Regularly topped up loo paper (pleeeease - I always forget to bring mine and have to go back for it).

Level pitches where possible.

No need for pools/clubs/bars etc but a good shop with camping essentials (tent pegs, gas bottles, head torches, waterproofs) a good idea, bread and milk and maybe some booze too. Lots of locally sourced food not a bad idea either and the option for ordering bread (and even papers) for the morning is a good one too - payment on ordering obviously or could be a financial loser. We stayed on one site where a van turned up in the middle of the site every morning and you could buy bread, bacon, doughnuts, papers and other camping essentials there - very handy.

Lots of space for children to run around in and explore and maybe a small playground for the little ones, though that is not essential by any means.

Maybe a family camping area separate from groups of single people if that is an option and you want to encourage both.

If you have the space and inclination, a barn or covered area of some description would be fantastic for cooking and eating when it is raining. This is less for the super-organised family camper with their cooking tents and awnings everywhere obviously but great for those with small tents and less facilities. We stayed in a site in Spain which had one of these and found it a godsend when the heavens opened one day. Good place for socialising too. One place in Wales made bacon sarnies and tea and coffee at breakfast time in their barn and provided tables and chairs to eat them at. Very nice and, again, not a bad money-spinner particularly in the rain.