We stored our caravan here for some years, from not long after it opened until last year. We visited many times and witnessed first hand as the site deteriorated in almost every aspect.
Firstly, its an affiliated site. Not owned or run by the club, so thats the first warning sign. The guy that actually owns it also owns the surrounding buldings, noisy workshops and farm. Each visit felt like he had added yet another new rule to control us.
Almost every alteration or update to the site is done ‘on the cheap’ using second hand materials. Scalpings for the drive areas and old gpo posts as fence posts etc.
Electricity is supplied by ‘ole smokey’, the wood fired generator opposite reception, which burns old oily pallets returned to the workshop adjacent the site. We soon learnt to pitch as far as possible away, cos on a bad day with the wind in the wrong direction you could hardly breath. They also reduced the EHU supplys from 16A to 10A one year, causing no end of trips on winter visits. Something they denied, but everyone we spoke to had the same issue, which had not happened before.
The site goes into lockdown at night, with massive gates lockng you in or out after 11pm. Supposedly theres no movements allowed after this. With all the driveways made of loose scalpings any movement is very noisy. My sister stayed one weekend with the rally field being used by a motoring club that continued running engines late into the night, with no sign of the wardens stepping in.
Having the large storage compound along with being open all year was a great attraction to us, but again we learnt not to pitch in the rows between the entrances or next to the compund gate, as theres a constant number of vans coming and going from the compound all day every day.
We used the site during the swimmng pool and chalets build, putting up with lots more noise. But were never able to use the pool due to the rediculous booking system and it’s excessive cost. Another costcutting exercise as they won’t employ a lifeguard and just open the pool for general use, so instead you buy a time slot for private use.
We’d stopped using the site by the time the toilet block extension build happened, but my sister did, although it was the last straw for her, hence we removed our van from the store, and will never visit again.
Almost any site is better than here. But if you do go, make sure you get a pitch as far from reception as possible. We favoured far left near the bells, which never actually bothered us. But far top right would do if youve got kids.
Oh and the eggs in reception are not free range. We accidentally stumbled upon the chicken sheds on a walk one day, and they’re definitely not out in the open.
