Haycraft Club Campsite

Rated 4 of 5

Peace and quiet

Rated 2 of 5

Facilities and cleanliness

Rated 4 of 5

Location

Rated 2 of 5

Good for families

Quiet site within walking distance of Swanage

We stayed on this site in our motorhome so that we could go to the Swanage Blues Festival. This is a small site, down a fairly narrow lane with passing places. The site has good sized pitches. There are direct paths from one corner of the site over farm and National Trus land towards Swanage. There is a bus stop at the end of the lane for buses into Swanage and I believe Poole. We were disappointed to find a plastic bag of dog waste on our pitch, this seems to be a bit of an issue here. The toilet and shower block was very clean but also very run down. Plastic skirts coming off at the bottom of the showers, one of the two sinks was taped off and not working as was one of the three outside dish washing sinks. What is the CAMC doing with the increased fees we are paying I would ask? We did ask at reception about timings for the Blues Festival but the response was, "yes I think there is one on", surely they should have knowledge of local events and the CAMC should be promoting such things? One thing I have noticed is that there are never any responses to members reviews, does anyone at the CAMC read them I wonder?

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ChrisG2023

Reviewed on 04/11/2023 11:17

1 review

1 Helpful note

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Rated 4 of 5

Rated 5 of 5

Peace and quiet

Rated 4 of 5

Facilities and cleanliness

Rated 5 of 5

Location

Rated 3 of 5

Good for families

Disappointed

We have just spent 10 nights at what used to be one of our favourite sites. Close to many attractions in and around Swanage, and a lovely dog walk for our elderly Labrador, it used to tick all the boxes for us. However, on this occasion, on arrival we were greeted by (Mr) surly warden who gave no welcome whatsoever and, after I had paid, proceeded to lecture me on how to park, instructed me not to let my car wheels onto the grass and even told me not to allow my awning storm strap pegs on to the grass strip between pitches ! Somewhat gobsmacked, I managed to get one of the larger higher level pitches and was able to comply with all instructions. Despite having a great dog walk, it appears to be the norm to walk dogs around the site, or between the information hut and Haycraft lane allowing dogs to defecate in the road, or what used to be the grass pitches either side. One woman walked six whippets (in shifts of two at a time) in this fashion! Although they picked up, there were faeces residue still on the road - unpleasant for anyone walking in or out of the site. As a responsible dog owner, I would have spoken to the warden about this unsavoury practice but (Mrs) warden did same thing every day. As we were going to host two friends one evening, I called at the office to register them and asked for a visitors car pass (as required by the 3 notices on the wall) I was brusquely informed that there was no visitor carpark, to park their car on my pitch, but under no circumstances let the wheels on the grass. During our stay, these rather unfriendly wardens were replaced by a pair of relief wardens for a few days but, despite being on the next pitch to us, they did not speak to us once during our stay, not even to say good morning. Spoiled what was otherwise a relaxing holiday in a lovely area.

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ArthurandJean

Caravanner

Reviewed on 12/10/2023 14:15

17 reviews

1 Helpful note

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Rated 4 of 5

Rated 0 of 5

Peace and quiet

Rated 0 of 5

Facilities and cleanliness

Rated 0 of 5

Location

Rated 0 of 5

Good for families

Run down, poorly managed, too many dogs

If your sub 7 metres then your get allocated a pitch with no view or sun in the evening and on route to the dog walk so covered in dog mess, despite warden walking their own dogs and taking the same route they made no attempt to clean it up over the 6 days we were there, facilities were in the poorest condition I have seen on a club site in 33 plus years membership and they also need a deep clean, due to the access road and pitch restrictions on 50% of the pitches should be a restriction of 7 metres. Do not understand why 1.25 hours are required to clean such a small toilet and shower block it certainly doesn’t show this in the end result. The children’s play field is shared with the dog exercise area and dogs barking is an issue thus the mark for family friendly, peace and quiet. Could not understand why the grass pitches were out of action after a sunny period but back in action a few days later as there had been no rain or why two sets of wardens could not provide a better standard site.

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Touring1

Reviewed on 20/09/2023 17:31

3 reviews

1 Helpful note

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Rated 4 of 5

Rated 5 of 5

Peace and quiet

Rated 5 of 5

Facilities and cleanliness

Rated 4 of 5

Location

Rated 4 of 5

Good for families

Perfect for Peace

I have been going to this site for 6 years now. It is so wonderfully peaceful and perfect if you have a dog. The bus service is great and of course there is the steam train too. The staff are so welcoming and as a solo traveller it makes such a difference. The showers are always spotless and as I run an Airbnb my standards are high and I've never been disappointed.

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Moonriver1

Motorhomer from Wiltshire

Reviewed on 19/09/2023 21:57

2 reviews

1 Helpful note

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Rated 4 of 5

Rated 5 of 5

Peace and quiet

Rated 5 of 5

Facilities and cleanliness

Rated 5 of 5

Location

Rated 5 of 5

Good for families

Really excellent

This was the first solo trip I have been on since being widowed and it was a great choice of site. It was a lovely, quiet, friendly site. Could hear the owls and the steam train whistle - both positive! Facilities were spotless - can't quite understand the complaints about the facilities block - it isn't hotel plush, but it isn't a hotel! Staff were kind and helpful. Hadn't quite realised it was only a 10 minute walk to the train station which was perfect for a trip to Swanage. Lovely!

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ScreenName93EAD280A9

Campervanner

Reviewed on 10/09/2023 22:23

1 review

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Rated 4 of 5

Rated 5 of 5

Peace and quiet

Rated 5 of 5

Facilities and cleanliness

Rated 5 of 5

Location

Rated 5 of 5

Good for families

Handy for Swanage area

Great but small site with local bus stop in village and good vehicular access to Swanage, Corfe and the Isle of Purbeck; there is even a stop for the Swanage railway. Have stayed there before and will use it again only criticism is that it is not very big so we could not get all the nights we wanted because it was fully booked. Would recommend.

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boydzfish

Motorhomer from Wiltshire

Reviewed on 31/08/2023 08:55

3 reviews

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Rated 4 of 5

Rated 3 of 5

Peace and quiet

Rated 1 of 5

Facilities and cleanliness

Rated 2 of 5

Location

Rated 1 of 5

Good for families

Bit dissatisfied really.

The site is not that easily accessed, if you’re a bit nervous about towing on single track roads and through narrow villages it’s worth considering that before booking. The site is strangely laid out. The pitches are not what we are used to on club sites. The pitch we had was the nearest to the disabled facilities but it was right next to the entrance road so we had all the traffic going in and out to contend with plus late night merry noisy guests returning from the pub. The grass was desperate for a trim! The site was kept clean though. The disabled facilities were dire! Clean but dire. Entry via a Radar key but once inside the facilities were very very tired. The wet room area is opposite the entrance door which is 1/2 frosted glass, the wet area had no privacy curtain. You’d be able to see someone was in the area! The toilet was terrible. It’s next to a window, I had to pull the blind down as people walk next to the window to access the work area. That was very embarrassing. The toilet flush needs urgent attention, it’s flushed but takes an age to refill, part of my issues mean I need to flush a couple of times and had to wait for over 10minutes for the refill. The sink and hand dryer are too low, yes great for a wheelchair user but not accessible for me with my disability. It needs rethinking completely and refitting. It felt like it has been overlooked for years. The staff were lovely nothing was too much trouble but there’s no consistency with rules. The pitch next to us was too close when our vehicle was parked up. We felt like we were obstructing them especially when a large motorhome parked in the pitch. Would we stay here again? Probably not. Definitely not on a grass pitch for sure but the hard standing pitches were very small with little space to sit around too so I don’t think we will be back. Over priced for sure.

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Kaza

Reviewed on 21/08/2023 18:30

1 review

1 Helpful note

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Rated 4 of 5

Rated 5 of 5

Peace and quiet

Rated 3 of 5

Facilities and cleanliness

Rated 5 of 5

Location

Rated 4 of 5

Good for families

Haycraft Aug 23

Nice and quiet site in a great location with easy access to local attractions . Don’t be put off by the reviews about the toilet blocks, although they are dated they are clean and the showers had plenty of hot water.

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Matt911

Campervanner

Reviewed on 09/08/2023 18:15

1 review

0 Helpful notes

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Rated 4 of 5

Rated 5 of 5

Peace and quiet

Rated 5 of 5

Facilities and cleanliness

Rated 5 of 5

Location

Rated 3 of 5

Good for families

Favourite site

We have stayed on this site many times and it is our favourite. The wardens Andie and Al make this site they are superb and work tirelessly to make your stay just the best. Your ratings make it difficult as the site is spotlessly kept but needs serious renovation, so gave that 5 stars purely on cleanliness even though there are shabby facilities. The area is stunning and we know it well but never tire of visiting the area. In all honesty I don’t think the site is brilliant for children as it is tiny by todays standards and there is not much to amuse them on site. By the way if you are awake early in the morning you will often find deer munching in the grass areas… gorgeous.

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SPCLTD

Caravanner

Reviewed on 14/07/2023 13:27

3 reviews

1 Helpful note

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Rated 4 of 5

Rated 5 of 5

Peace and quiet

Rated 3 of 5

Facilities and cleanliness

Rated 5 of 5

Location

Rated 2 of 5

Good for families

Lovely site - but needs significant attention.

I commented to some that this was perhaps - in terms of noise pollution and light pollution - probably the quietest site I have stayed on. It's off the beaten track and the songbirds (plus the owl) were some of the most vociferous I have heard. Occasionally in the distance, the whistle of the steam engine into or out of Swanage. It's a dream spot. But the pitches are, at best, a bit haphazard and some are frankly just too small for some of today's outfits. I applaud and support the reason for rules; they're a necessary evil, but rules should be consistently applied - and they don't appear to be. Perhaps if some pitches were removed to create more space for the remainders? The field at the bottom, the dog walk / dog play area, might be put to better use? It seems to be a somewhat wasted asset. There's little for children to do on site, so not really a family place, but then some members prefer fewer children around and it could be considered suitable for those who prefer more 'adult' stays. The wardens make the best of the toilet facilities; they're as clean and tidy as they possibly can be. But hopelessly, hopelessly out of date and would benefit from some attention with a big hammer and a fresh start. And what a waste of an old red telephone kiosk; in the middle of the site; it looks forlorn and forgotten when it could be a feature starting with a lick of paint - and some imagination. CAMC should be considering significant investment here.

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TOF

Reviewed on 04/07/2023 16:20

10 reviews

3 Helpful notes

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