Longleat Club Campsite
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Jewel in the crown of theCaravan Club
jtrchallenge
Reviewed on 26/05/2015 13:35
What's not to like
Great for a visit to safari park!
Just returned from 3 nights at longleat, the site itself is very clean and the staff very friendly. the dog walk is sufficient and the kids play area is great, very clean and modern. longleat is literally a short walk around the corner, my advice is buy a two day pass if you have kids as there's plenty to do. We also visited Bath and got a two for one entry at the roman baths on producing our CC card. A saving of £14!. We would recommend this site and may return once our kids get older.....oh and you CAN hear both the lions and the sea lions in the evenings which completely baffled our springer spaniel!
Life with the lions
Just spent 7 enjoyable nights at this site. Please stick to the arrival times as the long narrow approach can make passing very difficult in places. There is every chance that if you arrive earlier than stated that you will have to reverse somewhere on the lane. The site is large, well shaded and very clean, The wardens are brilliant, they work so hard keeping the site clean, and they will help you with information about the area. These are amongst the very best wardens we have ever met. We did hear the sea lions each day but alas no lions. As for the site if you want to visit the house / safari park you need to book a day in advance to obtain the best deal. The lowest price can be found on the CC web page. We would suggest a two-day ticket as being the best deal, especially if you want a good look around the house and see the murals. Access to the park is restricted so no ticket, no entrance. The site is a long way from main roads, so you really need the car. You can forget walking to the pub. Take a bus tour of the safari park if you want to visit the monkeys and keep your car in one piece. The bus trip takes around 1.5 hours to 2 hours depending on park traffic and at £ 5 per head really good value. You need to book a seat at Guest Services where you buy your park ticket. You really learn a lot from the driver. We also visited Stonehenge. If you are going to visit, then arrive early, and visit the stones straight away. Once the tourists start arriving in their coaches the visitors centre and shuttle buses are quickly filled. We would recommend a trip to Old Sarum, a very interesting fort/ castle to the north of Salisbury.
We visited at the end of April and the road works on the A36 just past Bath were a nightmare. The road is closed and will be for months. The island at the end of the A46 Bath Road took ages to get around and once heading towards Bath there there a few signposts showing the diversions. Suggest you go to Junction 17 on M4 and take A350 to Warminster then follow local signs to Longleat and CC site. This is a much more pleasant journey.
Longleat site
Just spent four nights at this site (April) and we were fortunate to have some great weather.
The site is accessed via a narrow, winding road. Last time we came here, you drove on the road to Longleat House – a far more suitable road. Apparently the new management of the House stopped visitors to the site coming this way, so now we have to use a, frankly, unsuitable road. Thanks for that!
Speaking of Longleat House and its gardens and attractions, CC visitors also used to be able to wander from the site into the grounds (only 100 yards away) but on our first day there was a security guard there asking to see our pass. Very friendly! He wasn’t there on other days though, so not sure what the policy is here.
The site itself is fairly large, but attractive, with plenty of trees to divide it up. All pitches are hardstandings and these are a good size. I believe the vast majority are awning pitches. There is a bit of an ‘urban myth’ that you can hear the lions roaring from this site.....well we’ve never heard them. It’s the sea-lions in the lake that you can hear, being fed.
There is good TV reception, although a socket is available for your white cable on the bollard, should you need it (we didn’t). Mobile phone reception (Vodafone and Three) was non-existent. The Club Wi-Fi was a bit hit and miss – quite slow and it had a tendency to ‘drop out’. It’s probably adequate for checking emails now and then, but that’s about it.
There are two toilet blocks, both to the usual Club standard. There is also a ‘family room’ in a separate building – used for playing games, I think. There is also an information room. The gent’s toilets had 4 toilet cubicles, 4 showers and 5 wash cubicles. I don’t know why the Club insist on providing more than one or two of these wash cubicles because they are barely used.
Ample water and disposal points are provided, dotted around the site.
Apart from Longleat House and the safari park, there are plenty of places to visit, but they are all a car ride away. This would include Bath, Wells and plenty of other places. The nearest pub is probably the one at the end of the long, narrow lane leading to the site – about 3 miles away. There aren’t any bus routes nearby, as far as we could see.
The site was very well maintained and up to the best standards of the Club. We found it pleasantly quiet most of the time, apart from the kids whizzing the wrong way around the one way system on their bikes – encouraged by their parents.
This is a nice site and it’s a shame that the management of Longleat House appear to want to make life difficult for CC visitors, considering the amount of extra business they must bring.
IanH
Reviewed on 27/04/2015 09:10
Great experience
PM1999
Reviewed on 15/04/2015 20:47