If You Avoid CL's Then Think Again!
With the high cost of everything these days, especially fuel, then looking for somewhere not too far away to spend a few enjoyable days camping becomes even more of a challenge.
With that in mind I have a suggestion. It is a delightful part of the country that took me by surprise.
My wife and I only picked the area as we wanted to break up a long journey home from the south coast recently and we decided on a CL to cut the cost.
Like a lot of others I guess we are a bit cautious of CL's. I know that the club provide descriptions on their website and in the handbook bit they always seem a bit more of a gamble than “mainstream” sites.
Well, this CL is pretty good so I am happy to recommend it and, when combined with the delightful Oxfordshire market town of Witney, we have a good 'un!
If you are already a CL fan you will be only too aware that some rural CL's often have frustratingly difficult approaches down narrow roads, bumpy lanes or muddy tracks.
If you choose to camp at Hill Grove Farm in Witney then none of this will be a concern to you as, unusually, this CL has a a wide as asphalt lane leading into the site and another wide asphalt lane which is used as an exit. It is all very easy and relaxed for once.
The owners are both very friendly and extremely helpful. Katherine will give you a fistful of useful brochures and leaflets on arrival and both she and her husband are a mine of helpful local information should you require it. Katherine will also supply you with delicious fresh eggs from their hens (the local fox permitting as the sign says!).
The CL is linear in shape on three flat, but separate, levels. The pitches can be described as adequately hard standing but the grassy areas look as if they could get wet in bad weather. The site requests that rather than damage the grass you ask for a free tow out by tractor if things get muddy.
There are sufficient electrical hook-ups so you won't need a long lead.
If I have any criticism it is that the fresh water point that I used got wet and muddy as there was no drain. Some gravel in the area would cure this. The dustbins could be moved away from the water point too. This would be easy to do and would make the area more pleasant.
There is a reasonable screened toilet emptying point with a long hose for rinsing. Unfortunately water pressure is low so you need patience!
In truth, the fresh water points also suffer from low pressure so filling the aquaroll also gives you time to contemplate the meaning of life!
Bearing in mind that this is a working farm with the expected animal sounds sometimes going on to late into the night, it is actually a very restful place to spend a few days with the farmyard sounds being quite reassuring and comforting in a strange way. Interestingly, there is also a small guest house beside the owners home so it would be possible for you to camp whilst friends or relatives were booked in to a nice B&B!
The town of Witney is a delight! Once known for its blanket industry this is now sadly history. The town is the only place I know with a free, modern multi-storey car park. In fact, all the parking in the town is free. It is a surprisingly large town with a good mix of the old and modern. Shops include a large Marks and Sparks, a decent Waitrose, a new Lakeland and lots of local individual shops.
There are plenty of welcoming looking pubs and coffee shops which help make it a very pleasant town indeed. Witney is actually home to the Wychwood Brewery and, as well as a brewery shop you can arrange a brewery tour with beer tasting afterwards.
Witney is situated on the edge of the Wychwood Forest and is surrounded by some of the prettiest countryside and villages in the country. So it is an ideal centre to base yourself for a few days touring. The fast S1 and S2 Stagecoach bus services provide a very quick and very frequent service right into the centre of Oxford if you fancy spending a day or two wandering around the city of "Dreaming Spires" as the poet Matthew Arnold put it.
If you decide to spend a few days in Witney staying at Hill Grove Farm I can pretty much guarantee that you will never get bored and in being on a CL you may also save yourself some money!
Open all year
Earliest arrival: 12.00 pm
Latest departure: 12.00 pm
Contact
MR C A BROWN
Hill Grove Farm
Crawley Dry Lane
Minster Lovell
Witney
OX29 0NA
Email: chrisbrown541@btinternet.com (Preferred method of contact)
or Telephone: 01993 703120
Comments
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Its not realy a money thing with me, although cost is becoming increasingly important. I often feel that Club sites are like being back in the army. Some members seem to treat the large sites as the last bastion of the Empire with the rule book as a replacement
Bible.CL,s have a far more relaxed feel to them with smiles much more in evidence , and the rules are still adhered to.
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