South Wales Touring Park, Carmarthenshire
A recent spring wedding found us heading for South Wales Touring Park, near Llanelli in Carmarthenshire.
Like many of the sites in the Tranquil Parks group, this is a family-run park, in this case by brother and sister Hywel (pictured) and Cathrin, and open all year round.
Another bonus was the campsite’s excellent location – it’s very easy to get to, just one mile from Junction 48 off the M4. With the Brecon Beacons National Park to the north and the Gower Peninsula to the south, it makes a great base for exploring this lovely area.
The small campsite, with just 25 pitches, is beautifully landscaped and terraced, which should have given all of the pitches glorious views across the Welsh countryside – sadly, during our four-day stay, the weather had other ideas. It was wet, windy and misty, leaving us with a view of the inside of our ‘van! All of the pitches are hardstanding, generous in size and have their own picnic table – not that we had the opportunity to use ours.
The toilet and shower facilities are small but have been recently refurbished to a high standard, and provided complimentary hand-towels and hand cream. A delightful, small site where the warm welcome from Hywel, Cathrin – and their cat – will ensure that this is one to which we will be returning in the very near future.
Find out more about touring South Wales with our Practical Motorhome Travel Guide to the area.
Old Oaks Touring Park, Somerset
En route home from our trip to Wales, we stayed at Old Oaks, close to both Glastonbury and Wells.
We booked this at the last minute because it was a convenient location for a three-day stopover on our way home but, oh boy, we were pleasantly surprised when we arrived!
This is a stunning site. We were warmly welcomed by the reception staff, who efficiently and quickly booked us in; we were then shown the way to our pitch by a charming man riding a bicycle.
Again, the site is family run, and it is beautifully and clearly lovingly maintained it’s rather like staying in your own small park.
The pitches are all hardstanding, very generous, and give delightful views across the countryside. Basic Wi-Fi, which we found more than adequate, is free, but there is also a premium service available for a fee if you require faster Wi-Fi. We found the TV reception excellent.
The facilities would give a first-class hotel a real run for its money, with individual rooms providing a shower, toilet and basin. Everything is toasty warm and immaculately clean.
We don’t have a dog, but they are well catered for here, with their own walking and exercise area.
Bird-feeders hang from the trees, so you find yourself surrounded by birdsong. As if all that isn’t enough to entice you here, they also had homemade ‘cake of the day’ – your waistline won’t shrink if you stay here, that’s for sure!
There isn’t a restaurant, but there is an excellent range of take-away food, which varies every evening. Simply fill out an order form and hand it to reception by 5pm. Your food will be delivered at around 6.30pm. On two nights a week, wood-fired pizza is also cooked on site.
A delightful communal lounge with TV and a library offers complimentary coffee or tea on tap. In fact, there is very little this campsite doesn’t have; would that all touring sites were of this high standard.
There are some beautiful scenic strolls from the site, all of them well signposted. Glastonbury Tor is only a 0.75-mile walk along a lovely (but steep) lane, offering glorious views across the countryside.
Just a few miles away is the ancient cathedral city of Wells, which is also definitely worth a visit, particularly on farmer’s market days (Wednesdays and Saturdays, all year). There are numerous car parks available, giving easy access to the city centre.
Find out more about touring in Somerset with our South West England: Practical Motorhome Travel Guide.
Plough Lane Caravan Site, Wiltshire
We wanted to get away for a few days to try out our new air awning. Getting to Plough Lane Caravan Site couldn’t be easier – so long as you don’t follow your sat nav!
Simply exit the M4 at Junction 17 onto the dual carriageway, drive two miles, then turn left at the traffic lights and the campsite is on your right.
Easy – but if you use sat-nav, it will insist on taking you via the scenic route, through the charming village of Kington Langley. It’s delightful, but narrow and twisty, so not great when driving a motorhome.
All of the 52 pitches are beautifully laid out, half hardstanding and half grass, with mature bushes and trees, so it’s as if you are staying in your own little park.
We managed to get the awning up with very few cross words and no divorce papers being served, which was a plus in itself. Air awnings are definitely a step in the right direction for a long and happy marriage!
It’s easy to see the pride with which this family-run site is maintained. The facilities are absolutely immaculate, for example, with complimentary soap and hand cream also provided.
There’s no on-site shop, but with a large Morrisons just a few minutes away, this really didn’t matter. There are also plenty of excellent hostelries nearby.
You’ll also find a good selection of cafés in and around the village. We enjoyed a ‘proper’ tea served in bone china, with a huge selection of homemade cakes. Very nice! It’s well worth the 20-minute walk there and back – this works off the calories and any feelings of guilt that might linger at the indulgence.
The site benefits from a bus stop just outside, with services to Chippenham. From there, mainline trains go to Bath, Bristol and Swindon.
It’s a peaceful site, except for traffic noise from the dual carriageway, but this does diminish in the evening and after the first day, we just acclimatised.
Find out more about touring Wiltshire with our South West England: Practical Motorhome Travel Guide.
Delph Bank Touring Park, Lincolnshire
I’m almost ashamed to admit that we had never been to England’s east coast before, so rather than head off across the Channel to France as usual, we opted to stay at Delph Bank, in the heart of the Fens, in the lovely village of Fleet Hargate.
This little gem is beautifully kept by owners Kay and Kevin. With just 45 pitches, all flat, generous and mostly hardstanding, it is small, peaceful, quiet and easy to get to – it’s just a stone’s throw from the A17.
The facilities here are pristine, with complimentary soaps and handcream, which seems to be a bit of a theme for adults-only campsites nowadays.
Every day, Kevin could be seen tweaking and pruning the bushes and mowing the grass – the whole place was a credit to them both and they have created a lush, green haven, not only for wildlife, but for us, too.
The Platform Walk (on part of the former Fleet Line Railway) is regularly mowed, making it very pleasant for an evening stroll or a walk with your dog. There was no shop on the site, but with an excellent farm shop and a good tearoom just a short walk away, that really wasn’t a problem.
This is an ideal location for exploring Lincolnshire and the north-east coast. Lincoln Cathedral is exceptional and worth the steep walk up a cobbled road, while Hunstanton gave us a spectacular taste of the beautiful scenery of the north-eastern shores.
From the bus stop just outside the campsite, there are buses departing every half-hour to Spalding in one direction and King’;s Lynn in the other.
This whole area is relatively flat, making it ideal for cycling, although on this occasion we hadn’t brought our bikes with us.
We found all of the site featured in this article immaculately kept, with very good facilities – and they really are very peaceful. So that’s four ticked off – many more to look forward to!
Find out more about touring Lincolnshire and East Anglia with our East England: Practical Motorhome Travel Guide.
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