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A friend has kindly offered us (Myself,Mrs Cheviots, little Cheviots and the dog) the use of his VW camper van for a weekend during the summer, just need to decide on a campsite.
Requirements for the campsite as follows-
Collecting Van from Rochdale at approx 5 o' clock so ideally somewhere approx 1 hour away!
Walking distance (15/20 mins) to Pub/shop.
Child & dog friendly.
Nice, clean toilet/showers etc..
Really looking for a site that would be the perfect introduction to the world of Camper Vans.
Thanks
As I live round here I'm not overly familiarwith local sites, but the site above will help
What sort oif site do you want tbh and do you want rural or urban?
Urban campsite?!..A tinker site?
If picking it up from Rochdale would it not be best to travel north? Around todmordon or further north?
Hayfield campsite perhaps?
There is a site next to the Burrs country Park just outside bury , access to bike trails and walking by the river, I think theres a pub but I don't know if its any cop
The idea of a camper van is you dont need a site.
[url= http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=203913049334888237522.00049af91baebfd18ebc7&t=h&z=6 ]Here[/url]
Dales_rider - Member
The idea of a camper van is you dont need a site
This,
I've never paid for a site in our camper, but as a first time introduction a site is a good idea to be honest, can't help with a site I'm afraid, but the ukcampsite link above is a very good place to start
[url= http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/sites/reviews.asp?revid=2275 ]Hollingworth Lake?[/url]
About 20 minutes from Rochdale Town Centre.
Near to the M62, but I doubt it'd bother you.
Nice, if pricey, pubs.
Good caffs and a chippy.
Shops 10 minutes down the road.
Brilliant walking/cycling from the site.
Not exactly middle of nowhere though & the pubs can be very busy.
Worth driving up to have a look, might just be perfect for you.
There is a site next to the Burrs country Park just outside bury , access to bike trails and walking by the river, I think theres a pub but I don't know if its any cop
The pub is the Brown Cow and not bad. We called in on a nght ride a few weeks back. It Does good food apparently. You can walk straight onto the sculpture trail from there, and of course, loads of riding nearby
Hollingworth Lake would be interesting. Nice enough place, great riding from there, some nice pubs, but its Vauxhall Corsa central at night
Hollingworth Lake would be interesting. Nice enough place, great riding from there, some nice pubs, but its Vauxhall Corsa central at night
That was my only concern, Binners.
Don't ride round there at night very often these days, but I know the pubs can get a bit busy on Bank Holidays and hot Sunday afternoons.
Can't see them venturing anywhere near the campsite though.
The campsite at Hollingworth Lake is quiet at night - I live there in my motorhome for about a year, and the only thing that disturbed me was the dawn chorus - ****in noisy tweety birds!
There is a site at Higher Poynton, next to the [s]Muddywood[/s] Middlewood Way for gentle cycling, and I lived on that one for a while too. Edit - very basic facilities at Poynton, unless it's changed in the last three years.
[quote=nick1962 > http://www.caravanclub.co.uk/caravanclubapps/applications/uk-caravan-sites-and-parks/SiteDetails.aspx?csid=21929
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That's at the bottom of Cragg Vale, and doesn't have a toilet block
Thanks everyone but was really hoping for personal experiences and recommendations.
+1 for Hayfield Camping & Caravan site. Immaculately kept, small play area for kids, short walk into Hayfield, plenty of pub grub to choose from ... & lets not forget the superb Peaks trails from the door!!
nick1962 »> http://www.caravanclub.co.uk/caravanclubapps/applications/uk-caravan-sites-and-parks/SiteDetails.aspx?csid=21929
/p>That's at the bottom of Cragg Vale, and doesn't have a toilet block
Doh! My own link, read - FAIL 😳
Been past that site a few times and was gonna recommend it to someone else who is coming up to try out some of the road rides in the area.Not now.
Burrs is a lovely site, you wouldn't believe it was in Bury.
Dogs welcome. Brown cow pub does good beer and food.
Nice walks and there's a steam train that trundles past a few times a day.
Not cheap though and you may need to be a caravan club member.
Also, it's a popular site so availability might be an issue.
cheviots - MemberThanks everyone but was really hoping for personal experiences and recommendations.
An hour out of Rochdale ?
Thats why not many people are giving personal recommendations, be a bit more adventurous and put the van to its proper use, otherwise you may as well just have day visits into the Manchester urban sprawl
Two great sites in Rivington. Both cheap with great views and facilities.
Good riding and the bowling club does great food and beer. Propbably 30-40 mins from Rochdale
trashcanman - Member
+1 for Hayfield Camping & Caravan site. Immaculately kept, small play area for kids, short walk into Hayfield, plenty of pub grub to choose from ... & lets not forget the superb Peaks trails from the door!!
Another vote for it here. Not been there for a few years now but it always used to be great, perfect location for the Peaks & village.
Some mates of mine stayed at the Hayfield campsite mentioned twice (edit: three times) above with a VW camper and were quite happy there. Great riding and walking literally out of the campsite entrance, decent pub five minutes away and more in the village itself another ten minutes walk or so distant.
I live about ten minutes away, but I've camped there with my mate and his twin nine-year-old boys for an 'adventure' myself and it was clean, quiet and pleasant. Not super atmospheric in that it's all flat grass and manicured lawns, no Lake-style boulders or owt, but all the facilities you could want and clean, well maintained etc and there are hills all around.
Google maps says about 50 minutes from Rochdale, though Friday-night traffic might slow things down.
I don't know anything about campsites further north, but there are quite a few in the Peak District area - Coopers bang in the centre of Edale for example which meets most of your criteria, I think, and has its own cafe along with a proper hilly feel.
cheviots - Member
Thanks everyone but was really hoping for personal experiences and recommendations.An hour out of Rochdale ?
Thats why not many people are giving personal recommendations, be a bit more adventurous and put the van to its proper use, otherwise you may as well just have day visits into the Manchester urban sprawl
He's right you know. Most people in that area will do their camping much further afield than Rochdale, they'll be camping precisely because they are more than one hour from home.
What you need is people who live miles away from Rochdale and that drive there for their weekends away. And therein lies your problem... If there is any one who actually falls into that category then I'd be extremely cautious about taking their advice on anything.
I'd also agree with the comments about the whole point of campervans being to not stay at a campsite. I can recommend you loads of great places to spend the night but not round here (south manc)
I'd say the recent highlight was being in the Cairngorm Carpark at Easter when it dropped to minus 9 outside and minus 6 inside the van. Beautiful starlit night with nobody else around. Kids in the poptop roof wrapped up in Rab down, pop the heating on for 20 minutes in the morning and out the door for a spot of skiing. That's what campervans are for, and Cairngorm should have fresh snow at the moment, but it is a helluva drive.
It's about trying a camper van out and luckily someone has been kind enough to offer us the use of their van.
Yes ideally it would be a two week tour of Western Scotland but as it has to fit in between ending work at 5 on Friday and getting the van back on Sunday evening, it limits our options a bit.
So thanks for all the 'advice' and it looks like Hayfield is the venue, just need to book some good weather!