Campsites you'd recommend (or not)

[ThunderOnlyHappens]

Recommended:

Green Haven in Halesworth. So quiet and relaxing, family friendly and well located. Not too expensive.

Pitch and canvas at Broad Oak Farm-Chester. Small, nice okay area in the middle of the pitches, nice showers, close to the Welsh Coast and Liverpool.

Not recommended:

Kelhem Hall and Country Park. Hell on Earth. The worst showers I have ever to encounter.

I wouldn’t recommend Eweleaze just outside of Weymouth.

Cobleland campsite in The Trossachs, Scotland. It’s our ‘go to’ campsite every year. Site owners are delightful and tons of stuff to do in the area. It’s a small campsite but so beautiful. Facilities are spotless. Next to a lake so great for having fun at the water. Direct path (walk/cycle) takes you to Aberfoyle for provisions (cracking butchers).
Would definitely recommend.

Recommend Batcombe Vale in Somerset. It's a small campsite in the middle of the countryside. The scenery is stunning. It’s quiet, relaxing and family friendly. Dogs are welcome and you can hire fire bowls/pits. The toilet/shower block is new and clean and has a rustic feel. There are free hot showers and sinks for washing up. The pub is a short walk away. Very friendly campsite wardens. There’s a playing field for kids (but no playground) and a wooded area which they loved but best of all there is a boating lake and DD1 and DD2 spend hours on the boats for free. Also no light pollution so you can see the stars….

Why do you not recommend Eweleaze, Grumpbum ?

It was on my list to try as everyone seems to rave about it!

I would never, ever go back to Queen's Acre near Windsor. It was a grim patch of gravel dotted with dog turd, furnished with one shower and toilet. Yes, there's a playground, but getting to it involves leaving the site and going on the main road to the site next door, which is mostly caravans aehas a pretty grim atmosphere. Catgill at Bolton Abbey gets good reviews, but I don't rate it. Wet, sloping fields with only 4 toilet cubicles in the ladies. And not cheep.

Her0utdoors I looked at that Catgill site recently as we want to visit around that area later this year. I ummed and ahhed over it vs another one (which is quite different- small clubhouse/more caravans etc) for ages. We're not really clubhouse campers, but the price difference was £45 for Catgill vs £25 for the other place, and decided that vibe was not really worth that much (especially as we're going for a week!) Sounds like I made a good choice.

yes: baconsthorpe meadows near holt/ sheringham norfolk, sandringham campsite, deepdale backpackers

no: searles hunstanton.

Outney Meadow in Bungay. Beautiful riverside camping - we went during a very hot weekend last year and took out a canoe (you can hire them at the site). It was so hot that we moored up and jumped in to the river for a swim, which was fabulous.

The staff are very friendly and it's a short walk into Bungay town for food etc.

profpoopsnaggle, where did you end up?

Usha Gap is a lovely sit in the Dale's, good facilities and a food pub a short off road walk away.
We like Upwood Park for the children, good playground and a little soft play next to the on site pub.

Her0utdoors Upwood Park! Sadly my kids are now 'less playground' and 'more wifi speed'. I just worry a bit about noise on bigger sites, or those with more facilities. But it was an excellent base for where we want to visit and had good reviews.

Fforestfields in mid Wales - the best facilities of any campsite I’ve ever stayed on and an on-site lake. The only downside is that if it rains there is not much locally to do.

Tyn yr Onnen in Snowdonia - stunning location

Grindlebrook Farm in Devon. It’s a small site (used to be C&C members only until this year), the owners can’t do enough to help and sell their own produce on site

Another one to recommend-Irongorge Camping near Telford. Possibly a contender for most idyllic and relaxing holiday. Small, huge pitches, clean, fire pits with every pitch and decent showers.

Agree Batcombe Vale in Somerset is a delight.

We really didn’t enjoy Eweleaze. Mainly because it is extremely busy & there is practically no shade anywhere. It’s a free for all pitch wise so twice we were almost parked in by first time campers who had no idea about checking they respected other people tents & car access & we only stayed for three nights. We have small children & on 2 nights parties were very loud till at least 1.30am so much so that sleeping was a problem. It does have a fab beach & on site shops / kids activities. We do definitely prefer a smaller site that isn’t so hectic.

Recommend riverside camping near Caernarfon. Lovely site, has a river running right through it which is shallow and fab for kids to potter in. Good shower facilities, bistro on site but we didn't use it

Beech Estate Campsite in East Sussex - off grid, fires allowed, hundreds of acres of woods and secluded pitches. Incredible stars at night and super peaceful plus the guys that run it and live on site are lovely.

Wild Boar Wood Campsite in West Sussex - this one is a glamping site but in a super chilled small woodland with bell tents. It's a back to basics campsite but you can have a campfire and the old bluebell steamtrains run right past the campsite!

Recommend riverside camping near Caernarfon.
I agree with that one.

Thanks JellyK8, campfires and seclusion are part of my brief for Campsite choice, so similar recommendations appreciated!

Etties Field in Atherstone. Gorgeous boho style site with clubhouse, shop, alpacas, donkeys, peacocks etc. Family friendly and just really chilled.