Quantcast
Channel: YellowFields » West country camping

Campsite Review: Eweleaze Farm, nr Weymouth, Dorset

0
0

Where: Eweleaze Farm, Nr Weymouth, Dorset – ONLY OPEN in AUGUST

How much: It’s a bit complicated, you will need to check the website, but one weekend night for two adults and two young children cost us £38, it is cheaper on weekdays.

Campfires: Yes, anywhere you like (in accordance with safety regulations)

Wood: Yes sold in the farmyard £5 per bag.

Types of Camping: Tents and small campervans only.  Bell tents can also be hired, set up and ready to go from Honeybells.

Facilities: Mostly composting toilets, a few flushable toilets, solar heated showers, very basic outdoor washing up areas, shop, bakery, wood fired pizzas, coffees etc.  Animals to pet, hay bale kids fun, puppies to walk, ponies to ride!

The Review: Campfires, sea views and its own private beach! I could barely contain my excitement as we approached Eweleaze Farm on a sunny August day. As we drove up the track, the Red Arrows, mid display, appeared in the sky above us.  It was an auspicious start to our visit.

The site spans a number of fields, infact it is easily the biggest site I have been to, open as a campsite only in August, the rest of the time pasture land.  Not all of the fields have sea views and little of it is flat.  The fields closest to the beach and with the best views are carless.  Which also made them the emptiest.   With a little determination we did locate a spot with a decent view, my helpful hint is get there early if you are going for the weekend. Though if you aren’t so bothered about the sea view there is loads of space and pretty pastoral views all around.( On our second visit we found a great spot in East Field close to the outward bound holiday camp, plenty of space and sea views.)

The whole atmosphere of the site is of a  family friendly festival; lots of bell tents and flags and kids enjoying the freedom.  In the central area there is a fairly well stocked shop, you can also get stonebaked pizzas and various other snacks and hot drinks.

Great for the kids is also the thoughtful addition of a barn with hay bales to climb and throw themselves off, and a selection of friendly animals who happily nestle among the picnic tables.

This goat is ALWAYS standing on a table!

Pigs LOVE icecream!

Kids can also ‘help’ walk the farms sheep dogs and some of the older puppies – a very popular activity!

The beach is stony and there are a fair number of steps down to it. If you walk along to the right some way you will reach a more sandy section of the beach.  Nothing can beat going to the beach in your pyjamas.

Off to the beach in our pyjamas

The toilets are composting toilets.  They are absolutely fine, just don’t look down.  There are solar powered showers which are apparently pretty good and water taps all over the place. As it is usually a farm it lacks some niceties like a washing up spot, warm water or sinks for washing your hands. There are lots of groups, I didn’t notice any rowdiness but plenty of people sitting up late talking (with various degrees of loudness) round the campfire.(NB in 2012 there were washing up areas and an attempt at warm water for them!)

It is possible to walk along the coast path from the campsite in either direction, towards Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove or Weymouth.  Lots of areas to explore.

In all a bit rough and ready, but the central area gives the place a nice focus and of course you can’t ignore that beach and sea views.  You should try to book in advance.  However, they are very flexible.  If they appear to be full on the Saturday but not on the Friday it is possible to book for Friday night only then extend your visit once you are there. It is also possible to add you and your family, car tent etc to a friends booking even on arrival. They have a nearby sister site called Northdown Farm open in July, no sea views but same formula.

Beach.

Have you been?  Do you have any good tips? Please leave a comment if so!



Campsite review: Leeford Farm, Doone Valley, Exmoor.

0
0

Where: Leeford Farm, Exmoor

How much: £6 each for adults, £3 for children under 5

Campfires:  On the floor, no official fire pits,  just make a fire.

Wood: £4 for a ‘small’bag and £5 for a large bag of very nice Ash.  Very good value! No kindling sold.

Types of camping: Tents, campervans, motor homes, anything really. Electrical Hook up available but no hard standing.

Facilities: Unisex toilet and shower block.

The review: In my ‘campsites to visit’ spreadsheet (yes, I am that obsessed), I have a campsite I have annotated as ‘Leeford Farm, the new Cloud Farm?’.  Having found Cloud Farm packed to bursting, the natural response was to try Leeford Farm, only a few minutes drive down the valley.

Leeford Farm offers riverside camping.  There is one large flat field, bordered on one side by the river, and a couple of other fields that have some flat areas. Campfires are allowed and the farmer comes round selling bags of very well priced and good quality logs.

Leeford Farm, the river runs along within the trees.

The other edge of the field.

It is not quite as picturesque as Cloud Farm, the land around is mostly sheep fields but don’t get me wrong it is still a very pretty spot.  We happened to pitch next to the place where it is easiest to get down the the river, a little river beach,  the perfect spot for that morning cup of tea and endless entertainment for the kids. Kingfishers and an otter have been spotted here.

A fellow camper had made this cool river seat out of the stone around. Perfect cup of tea spot!

Way down to the little river beach.

The facilities do need a mention, this is not four star camping.  The facilites are basic.  However, there are two toilets and two showers.  The showers are apparently pretty good and certainly spacious.  There is also an under cover washing up area.  All of this is housed in a repurposed farm building.  it is not luxurious or attractive but it does the job.  Although, there were quite a lot of campers the toilets were always as clean as you could reasonably expect them to be.  I didn’t much fancy using the towel hung on the back of the door to dry my hands though.

Leeford Farm – facilities.

We camped on the very busy Jubilee weekend and by Sunday the site had filled up considerably.  In fact we were almost squeezed out of our pitch by a large group of family tents which pitched right next to us.  The very affable farmer, Ray, has not instituted any rules which is good in some ways but perhaps a minimum distance from the next tent would be good.  There was also a large group on the other side of the field playing guitar and singing very loudly until quite late, fortunately we were far enough away that we couldn’t hear them.  I would not have been happy if we had pitched next to them though. Perhaps a curfew on music would be good.

However, this is all part of the rough and ready nature of the site.  It does accept large groups and you can rock up without booking.  Ray and some neighbouring campers assured us it was never usually that busy, so I would still be willing to give it another go.

There is no website but Ray can be contacted on 01598 741231 or 07974 443476

You can walk into the village of Brendon from Leeford Farm, there is a tea room for cream teas, with an attached restaurant for evening meals  and a pub which serves food.  At busy times you will need to book to eat at either for evening meals, although the pub does also do a small takeaway menu.

Check out more alternatives sites along the Doone Valley (or the East Lynn River Valley) and in the area.






Latest Images