An Outdoor Hotel? (Woodlands Campsite)

Member Name: Wease

Product:	Woodlands Campsite
Date:	20/07/02 (1981 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Free entry to park, Relatively Cheap, First class facilities, Popular with families - lots of kids for Your kids to play with :)

Disadvantages: Noisy!, Too many children!

Coming from a military background, whenever I thought about camping images of roughing it in the middle of nowhere in a small canvas tee-pee, sleeping on a bed of leaves and cooking over a smoky fire... However, when I recently went on a jaunt around the South West of Britain and “camped” out I was welcomed with a completely different scenario!

My jaunt was a bit of a whim to say the least... my brother and I drove up to Wales to collect some of my things ready for my trip back to Hampshire until term starts again in October... one thing we collected happened to be the tent I had used for an Outdoor Activities module at college... our mother had gone on holiday to Guadeloupe for a few weeks and neither of us had anything planned so we decided we would take the scenic route home. Off we hopped on the M4, down to Bristol, took a brief detour to Glastonbury, met some mad people, spent a few nights camping in Somerset and then in Cornwall and eventually we landed in Devon. We’d managed to pick up a “Camping & Caravan Touring Map” which was a few years old to say the least but still very handy. It was on here that we spied a campsite at Woodlands (a theme park in Dartmouth). When my father lived in Plymouth we spent quite a few happy days at Woodlands and thought it would be nice to revisit an old haunt. The map also mentioned that campers were given free entry to the park – whooppeeeee!

~ ~ First Impressions ~ ~
We arrived fairly late (about 9pm) and thought we would have to camp in the “Late arrivals” area (which had the same facilities as the other pitches but was a bit further away from the washing facilities etc) but luckily we bumped into a chirpy ranger chappy who was locking up the main office.... he directed us up into the main campsite (located about 1/2km off the main road and a few hundred metres away from the park entrance) and told us to seek out the wardens who would be in their office.
Well, we made our way into the site and were met by a pleasant looking site – flat pitches with nice green grass which had been progressively cut into the slope creating a sort of pyramid of terraces as the gradient increased. Situated halfway up there is a huge chalet which we soon discovered boasted the restrooms, laundry area, washing up area and games room. We were met by a friendly warden (turns out their office is actually the camp-a-van the wardens, a retired couple, live in) who quickly showed us to a pitch. I was impressed by the flat, green, lawns... but not so impressed by the fact we were placed with 5 families with young children (max. of 6 tents per pitch), when there were lots of empty pitching lawns surrounding... management policy sadly!

~ ~ Pitching Lawns ~ ~
The brochures and website state the pitching lawns are quiet and peaceful... this maybe true when they are empty but due to the sites popularity with families I suspect tranquillity is a rarity... it certainly was when we were there! The children would scream and shout (as children do) from morning ‘til night and even after midnight the site was still fairly raucous. In fact one night we were kept awake by the couple in the tent next door having a “domestic” and then dragged out of our tents to give police statements of what we’d heard! This however seemed to be an isolated incident – judging by the directions the police had to be given to find the park!

Despite the noise the pitching lawns are good... spacious, with even and thick with grass (more comfy when you’re sleeping in a wee tent like me... although everyone else seemed to have these bungalow sized things!)... and I was glad to notice that visitors staying longer than a fortnight must move pitches on the 14th day in order to preserve grass. For the same reason ground sheets are not allowed. Some caravan pitches are on all weather surfaces. There are electric hook-ups (£2.
50 a night), plenty of water points and chemical emptying points next to the pitches.

~ ~ Cooking Facilities ~ ~
More or less gone are the days when camping involved sitting in a small clearing in the woods rubbing sticks together to create a small flame to warm marshmallows over. No nowadays campers either eat out.... make a picnic... use a barbecue block (grates and bricks available on site)... or an electric stove (the big cheats). Electricity hook-ups are available at a cost of £2.50 a night. Alternatively there are some quaint restaurants and pubs serving good food located in nearby Dartmouth. Torquay and Totnes also boast restaurants, pubs and fast food outlets. A friendly warden did take care to remind us that this was indeed, “deepest darkest Devon” and 24 hour shopping is very irregular so make sure you pop along to the BP garage down the road or the large Sainsbury’s in Totnes to fetch all of your provisions.

There is a large, neat, washing up area inside the facilities chalet. I recall there being around 6 or 7 sinks, all with hot water (free) and a small drying area for dishes.

Freezers are also available in the main facilities building although I think they are intended to hold ice packs rather than frozen foods!

~ ~ Washroom Facilities ~ ~
As the title suggests, staying at Woodlands is not really roughing it at all! The washroom facilities are lovely! They were beautifully clean with around 20 toilet cubicles (always abundant with loo roll) and 20 shower cubicles. The showers are free. There were also a large number of basins and several hair dryers (20p). For 20 pence you can have a bath in one of the private bathrooms (which also feature a sink and toilet) and are the ideal size for family use. They are also wheelchair friendly.

~ ~ Laundry Facilities ~ ~
There were several spin dryers (50p), tumble dryers (20p) and washing machines (2 x £1) available in the laundry room. Iron
s and boards are also available for the grand sum of 20p.

~ ~ Leisure & Pleasure Facilities ~ ~
One of the reasons the campsite is so very popular with families is the very fact that if you stay for 2 nights or longer you are given free entry to the attached leisure park – usually £6.75 per adult and £3.90 per child. The park, which is open from 10 am ‘til dusk (although this is a bit of a fiddle as we found it shut at 5pm in June... when even the earliest dusk falls at around 7:30pm!) everyday through the Summer boasts large play areas, water features, farmyard animals and arcade games.

Inside the main facilities chalet there is a large games room. This boasts a television area (lots of chairs, but they are not that comfy), table tennis table (bats and ball must be BOUGHT from reception (£5) or brought with you), 2 pool tables, an air hockey table, fruit machines and other various arcade games.

~ ~ Pets ~ ~
Although welcome you are advised to check with reception before booking if you wish to bring your pooch with you. Dogs are not allowed in the leisure park itself (which I personally think is a good idea... young children running around in the wood with scattered poo is not a good idea! Plus the noise could easily scare some dogs) but you may hire a basic kennel to house your dog during the day if you do not wish to leave it in your tent or caravan. The cost for bringing your doggie is £2.50 a night.

~ ~ Nearby Attractions ~ ~
One of the most famous attractions nearby has to of course be Dartmoor itself – perfect for a scenic hike! Of course Torquay is not very far away (1/2 drive with Summer traffic) boasts all the usual seaside attractions. Babbacombe model village and Paignton Zoo are also not more than a stone’s throw away. More traditional activities such as swimming, fishing, golf and horse riding are also available locally in and around Totnes.

~ ~ Prices ~ ~
A standard
pitch costs from £7.50 a night and includes accommodation costs for 2 people – extra people costs £3.75 a night although infants under 2 stay for free. Over Easter the cost rises to £10.50 a night and £14.50 over the summer hols and summer half term.

You may also be required to pay a full week deposit £50 a week in July and August and £35 a night at all other times.

~ ~ Extra Info ~ ~
Calor Gas is available and there is a battery charging service.

Newspapers can be ordered on a daily basis from reception.

Awnings cost and extra £2.50 a night.

There is also a £1 charge for extra cars/trailers/boats.

If your tent is larger than 120 square feet then you may also have to pay an extra £2.50 a night.

Arrival time 1pm...departure time 11am.

Woodlands offers good deals for groups e.g. schools but does not accept single sex adult group bookings.

Erm they also have an anti-fetish about clothes lines.... apparently... they look unsightly and are dangerous at nights hence they have been banned!

When you check in you will be given a vehicle and tent pass... make sure you display it at all times... or your car could be clamped!

~ ~ Getting There ~ ~
Find the A38 and then get off at Buckfastleigh... follow the brown signs to Totnes... jump on the A381 to Halwel.... take the A3122 to Dartmouth... the park is 2.5 miles on your right! It’s well sign-posted don’t worry!

Please note if you travel from or to Torquay and go through Dartmouth.... some maps are a tad odd and do not highlight that the A roads pass across a river mouth! There are two car ferries (lower and higher... lower tends to have a shorted queue but takes you onto a smaller B road at the other side) and they will set you back 30p for a pedestrian and £2.50 for a vehicle... lots of fun though!

If you wish to travel by train the closest station is Totnes.

The park is ope
n from Easter to October every year but gets very busy during the school holidays so booking is sometimes essential!

Chris Bendall, Woodlands Leisure Park, Blackawton, Totnes, Devon, TQ9 7DQ
(01803) 712 598
www.woodlands-leisure-park.co.uk

AA CAMPSITE OF THE YEAR
RECOGNISED BY CAMPING & CARAVANNING CLUB, RAC, AA,REGIONAL TOURIST BOARD
5 * IN THE COMMON HYGIENE 2002 LOO OF THE YEAR AWARDS
VOTED UK’S TOP FAMILY PARK BY PRACTICAL CARAVAN

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