Which reviews to read? Blair Drummond
We're planning a first major trip with our caravan, a Scottish trip in a couple of months, with an overnight stop around Sterling between legs of the journey. Looking at the reviews of the affiliated CC site at Blair Drummond from 2016 paints a picture of a nice place but with serious black mould problems in the loo block, none too helpful wardens, and "wouldn't return".
Reading reviews of the same site for the same period on UKcampsite I see "nice clean warm facilities" "welcoming and helpful staff".
Most puzzling.
Does anyone have personal experience to update and clarify this, please?
Thanks for any help here,
Richard
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We stopped there last May and I have just looked up the review I left, which is posted below. As you can see I did mention the facilities being a bit limited for the size of the site. However, nothing about them not being clean, which I would certainly have done if not the case.
A short stay at Blair Drummond affiliated site gave us a varied experience. As already mentioned elsewhere, the location was ideal for visiting the Falkirk Wheel, the Kelpies and Stirling Castle, but we also explored the park. The tracks are good and signposted 'the quarry loch', 'the river', & 'Doune' but are limited as there are partridge and pheasant pens which are out of bounds. A walk following the river of just under three miles brought us to the bridge on the A84 over the river into Doune. Here we spotted a sign for Deanston distillery and decided to investigate. Still following the river we came to buildings (designed by Richard Arkwright) blackened with the 'angels share' - the evaporated liquid from the stored casks of maturing whisky. Inside we found a welcome, and, having decided against a tour, we sampled delicious coffee and homemade cake in the 'coffee bothy'. Refuelled we paused to taste a limited edition whisky produced by the distillery before returning through the park a slightly different way. The site was new to us. We found the walled garden site more open than Chatsworth, and the pitches bigger but thought the facilities a little stretched for the 90 odd pitches (plus 8 tents). The one block has only 4 showers in each side, and just 2 dish sinks. Busy when all the occupants of the seasonal pitches were in residence at the weekend. We didnt make use of, it but the site offers discounted tickets to the neighbouring safari park, good for a family day out.
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Same here its a few years since we stayed there but it was very nice then, its a popular site well used and is in a very good location. As you are only going to be staying the 1 night isn't it worth a look, if the facilities are not good just use your own. If the wardens are not helpful, well your only there 1 night so why worry.
If you really don't want to chance it how about trying 'The Woods' its near Stirling another AS site we have stayed there and its fine. Its on the Tillicoultry road.
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This is encouraging, but still unlike the more recent reviews I'm seeing for later 2016. Here's part of one:
"Others have commented on the state of the shower block ceiling - as an ex-builder I was more fascinated than horrified. I presume some paintwork repairs were done using cheap paint and this has become a breeding ground for black mildew - very unsightly but probably not harmful. It just spoils what are very modern facilities - far better than most on CC sites."
Others are less restrained.
SteveL, your review of last May is certainly more positive, so either it changed or something?
Thanks,
Richard
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Ooops! I was getting confused with another site. We were also there in May (from 12th for 5 nights). Yep the facilities were perfectly clean. I remember a particularly beautiful tree on site but cannot recall what it was. We enjoyed the location.
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Reviews are a mixed bag. Some are very informative, some appear nothing more than revenge attacks for not getting ones own way! All you can do is read a good many, discard quickly those with a personal axe to grind, and try and sift through what is important to you. If a bit of black mould is a major issue, then look elsewhere, but if you think you can cope for the short shower period each day (or use on board if you have them) then it could be a very nice site. We are not fond of some of the CC sites that others rave about, such as Cirencester, but they are just not what we like.
For Club Sites, we prefer reviews off of UKCS, the people who post on there possibly use a wider range of sites. Hope you get sorted with a stay.
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We went there in 2011 and found it perfectly acceptable if a tad expensive. I have a site report on my website here with pictures if its any help.
David
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I agree about reviews being a mixed bag. I saw a review on tripadvisor for a CC site in Cornwall where the reviewer gave the site only one star because it rained & they weren't warned by the Club about this when booking which ruined their stay.
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"because it rained & they weren't warned by the Club about this when booking which ruined their stay."
This is worthy of the famous case of the woman, either genuine or urban myth, who sued the makers of the microwave because where she'd always dried her pet poodle in the old oven, on tickover setting, the microwave instructions didn't suggest she shouldn't do this!
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Because we live so close to the Blair Drummond commercial site, we have only stayed there a few years ago for one weekend trying out a new caravan.
My recollection was that it was OK ,-- although many of the pitches had large trees stopping the sunlight. There was a good play area for kids and the site was handy for the Safari Park next door. If you like using the car, there are many interesting places within an hours drive.
Why don't you give it a try.
Cheers ...............................K
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