Peak District Camping At It's Best!
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Recommendation added: 03/05/2006 22:03
By: dewberry (YSUK rating +816)dewberry has been thanked 50 times for this contribution
"If you're looking for somewhere to pitch your tent in the Peak District, then try Greenhill's Holiday Park. Located just outside Bakewell (home of the pudding), this campsite is a central enough base for you to explore the gorgeous Derbyshire countryside without straying too far from home and bed – well, tent and sleeping bag anyway!
A few facts and figures before I launch into what I thought of the place I called home for the weekend. Greenhill's Holiday Park covers 12 acres of some of the prettiest countryside in the UK and is located in the mouth of the Lower Wye Valley. The park itself has space for 75 mobile homes and 100 tents, plus there are two fields in which privately owned permanent caravans are sited. Greenhill's is open from March to October, with prices varying depending on whether you visit during high or low season.
We arrived at lunchtime on Friday, after deciding on a last minute camping trip now the warm weather is arriving. After a quick and straightforward visit to reception to book in, we were shown to the far field and given basic advice on the best position in which to pitch our tent. We duly ignored all advice and ended up half pitching the tent before realising it was too close to a boggy area in the corner – an hour wasted as we had to repack the tent and move back 20 yards. The joys of camping…!
The first thing I noticed when we finally sat down was the scenery. The general area is green as far as the eye can see; I could hear birds rather than traffic and see tree tops instead of pylons. Very different from Birmingham! I found it ultra relaxing just sitting in front of the tent and looking around. Greenhill's is 'walled' by woodland which is perfect for an exploratory walk to get acquainted with your surroundings, it's a narrow but lush wooded corridor where you can't possibly get lost and you even have the chance of seeing some wildlife. According to the lady at reception there are badgers, rabbits, squirrels and a trillion different mouse, bird and insect families hiding in this woodland – and it's one of them things, you can definitely hear life around but nothing is quite daring enough to show itself as you traipse through.
The Holiday Park itself is nice to walk through too; it's very open plan and allows visitors to wander around all sections freely. I've used campsites before where you're not allowed to walk around the motor homes section if you've only paid to pitch a tent; here all aspects of the park are open to be explored. It's nicely laid out, with the pitches all radiating from the central reception area and connected via a long wandering pathway. It's quite hilly though (you're in the Peak District, after all!) so make sure you tell them at reception when you book in if anyone has any kind of mobility problems so they can accommodate you closer to the main hub of the park.
This reception area contains just about everything to keep you comfortable during your stay. Onsite staff are dotted around the place and in my experience were all approachable and helpful, also having good local knowledge which is a bonus when you've arrived in Derbyshire and don't really know where to head for the attractions. There are information leaflets and guide books available for purchase in reception, including a general Peak District book which cost around a fiver and turned out to be invaluable when we planned our days away from the park.
The shower block is near reception, and is quite possibly the best campsite shower block I've seen. The ladies toilets and sinks are spotlessly clean and well maintained with a (surprisingly) good stock of soap and toilet paper. Feminine hygiene facilities are discreetly available and not outrageously overpriced as is usually the case in UK campsites. The showers have free hot water and there are a good amount of cubicles, meaning there's never a wait of longer than 5 minutes or so before you get in the shower. There's plenty of room to manoeuvre inside so you can get dressed comfortably without worrying about touching anyone else while trying to dry your bum without dropping the towel and showing the room your boobs – it's a Brit thing… My partner tells me the gents block is equally clean, and this in itself is a minor miracle considering how smelly men's pub toilets get! The shower blocks are open 24 hours a day, although the showers themselves are roped off for an hour each morning while they're cleaned.
The onsite shop is great for essentials as they stock a little bit of everything, from cigarettes and Coca Cola to tent pegs and bottles of gas for your cooker. Prices aren't too bad, obviously more expensive than buying your groceries in the nearby village but you'll always forget something and this is when the shop comes in handy.
However, the main place which sets Greenhill's apart from other campsites is The Stable Bar, the great onsite pub. This is a very small building which is open to all Holiday Park users, meaning 150 or so people are crammed into an area which I'd say would be licensed to seat around 40 if it were a city centre pub. This makes for a fantastic atmosphere in the evening, particularly if your visit coincides with one of the cabaret acts as the sing alongs are always fun giving a kind of 'happy camper' feeling towards the end of the night. A good variety of draught and bottled beers are available; as well as wine, spirits and soft drinks. Prices are extremely reasonable and on a par with regular high street pubs, you can also buy delicious pre packed sandwiches which are freshly delivered each morning. Great for when you get the nine o'clock munchies and can't be bothered to walk back to the tent for food.
Alongside The Stable Bar is a brilliant kid's play area consisting of a decent sized adventure playground, probably best suited for the 7 – 12 age bracket. This is so close to the pub that it's easy to keep an eye on the children playing while you're having a drink, or you can sit outside on one of the benches if it's sunny. My children love Greenhill's because they can experience a small amount of freedom; it's safe for them to wander a short distance from the tent as we've told them all the safety rules. A word of warning here, never let your children wander unattended in ANY campsite unless they're old enough to understand the dangers – and when they're old enough drum it into them that they're to stick to the public paths and never enter a caravan under any circumstances.
Other facilities worth a mention are the plate washing area and laundry room. A definite boost to our weekend, no washing greasy breakfast plates in cold water from a tap in the field.
Greenhill's Holiday Park is brilliant; it's local to Buxton (home of the water), Bakewell (home of the pudding) and Ashbourne (home of the fabulous fish & chip shop). There's loads to see in Derbyshire, and much of it is within driving distance of the park – another must see is Chatsworth House where the recent Pride & Prejudice was filmed.
Prices at Greenhill's depends on whether you're pitching a tent or hiring a motor home; also the cost is obviously more expensive in the summer 'high season', although there is only roughly a £5 rise for each option. We paid £10 per night to pitch the tent, which includes two adults, and also £1.50 for each of our two children in supplementary charges. Our long weekend cost a total of £33, which is about average for a park of this size with the inclusive facilities available. Because we stayed at the beginning of the season there was no need to book as the park was only around half full, but we've been here in the summer and booking is essential as it's a popular park and gets full quickly.
Greenhill's Holiday Park
Crowhill Lane
Bakewell
Derbyshire
DE45 1PX
Tel: 01629813052"
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