BEECH CROFT FARM CAMPSITE REVIEW - BLACKWELL, PEAK DISTRICT

This was a bit of a lucky last-minute find for us - as we'd actually planned to go elsewhere but they were fully booked (which often happens when you leave it until the day to ring somewhere on a nice sunny day) and I think it's one of the best ran sites we've been to!

PRICE AND BOOKING:  

We Paid £23 for a 1 night's stay, with no electric hook up and booked via their webpage.

We did this the night before and received a confirmation email first thing the next morning.

It's worth noting here that on their 'Tariff' download page it states that there is a 2night minimum stay during peak season (3 over bank holidays) and the prices listed all included electrics – but when you come to book if you have a small campervan like us, then be sure to select the option 'campervan less than 5m' on the booking form as this gives you a cheaper option, due to being able to park in the 'tent field' rather than on one of the larger, hardstanding fully serviced (water, electrics waste etc) pitches. You can still have electrics in the tent field if you require, but they run off a 'pay as you go' meter - which I've never seen or used before so I'll be trying those out next time we stay!

£23 might sound like a lot, but most sites these days work at apx £7-10 per person, and that can just be for a field with a flushing loo and a lukewarm shower that you have to pay extra for! This site had EVERYTHING you could ever imagine needing.. even for me! and I'll list these in the 'The Site' section...

DIRECTIONS

The site is just off the A6 in Blackwell, which is a really good, wide road and trusty Google took us straight there, with no problems. There were plenty of caravans of all shapes and sizes there too! which indicates it's not too much a pain to get to if towing!

Upon arrival there is a large entrance area, so don't worry if you have a larger vehicle or caravan. If you have booked a hardstanding pitch, simply find one that's free and pitch up! Make a note of the pitch number and head to the reception to book in. If you're on the camping field, there is a designated waiting area to pullup and then head over to reception (This also features a motorhome service station to drain your grey-water or fill up with fresh)

THE SITE

As mentioned above this site had everything you could imagine and more! So for ease, I've listed the key things!

• An on-site shop - selling food, ice creams – including a vegan AND gluten-free ice cream! – gifts, camping necessities, and firewood. Fire pits are available to hire too if you don't have one.

• A cafe - offering breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks, and again vegan options were available!

• Goats! yes, they had pet Goats!

• A 'camping hut shelter', which consisted of an undercover area that had bench seats, plug sockets, a microwave and a hot drinks machine (£1.25 each) Brilliant for those really wet days when camping in a small tent and no room to stay dry!

• TWO children's play areas, one for toddlers and one for older - which had a zip line that even I wanted to try out! and there were surrounding grassy areas with benches so you can keep an eye on them too!

• Free WiFi! - Which was actually quite reliable!

• An 'enclosed' dog area - we didn't try this and with having a beagle we'd always recommend you check it is 'secure' prior to using.

• Modern, clean facilities - the females had 2 really large hot showers, a row of toilets/sinks, a baby change area and even an area with plug sockets and mirrors for hair straitening! and the males had simular, with 12v shaver socket too.

• Pot wash facilities, laundry facilities, disabled facilities, and there was even a 'unisex' building with large showers, toilet and washroom for when the others were being cleaned.

• a recycle area amongst all waste bins - this shouldn't be such a big deal but it's surprising how many times we have to take the majority of our rubbish home with us because there is no option to recycle.

The grass 'tent' area was well kept, level and comprised of 3 medium-sized fields which were separated by well-kept hedges and connected via a 'through' road with a turning circle. The hard standing is on the other side of the site, but again all connected via a level paved road and the whole site had gorgeous views of fields and trees.

The site was pretty much fully booked, and considering how family-friendly it is - it was surprisingly quiet! So quiet in fact I even had a mid-afternoon nap!

The only negatives I could find, and this is me being REALLY picky is that the path to get down to the facilities, shop, etc is VERY steep - smoothly paved, but steep – you can avoid by going the long 'road' way around, but this could be problematic for the elderly/disabled so do take care. The taps on the sinks were too small/close to the basin making it hard to wash your hands. And due to the time of year and the weather, there were a lot of flies in the late evening - so be sure to take your citronella candles.