The Orchard Campsite

Annabelle Ramsey
5 Star
We had a lovely 2 night stay at Orchard Campsite. Stunning location, very laid back and campfires allowed which is always a huge bonus for us. Saturday night had a really fun atmosphere and Sunday was super relaxed and quiet. Really well placed to explore the coast and the little shop was brilliant. Adults, kids and dog all had a great time will definitely book again
Monday 14th August 2023

Damian Hill
5 Star
It has been rumoured that the campsite grounds were worked on by Capability Brown back in the day, it was almost like camping in a park. Fortunately no feral screaming children on our stay (midweek). Nice friendly blackbird. Owner and family very welcoming. Shaken by the hand on arrival "come up and have a gin and tonic later on" Being cycle tourers we are generally happy with a flushing toilet and a hot shower. This place had that... Not in the best conditions. But the score goes back up to 5 stars because we had access to a toaster for the first time in 5 weeks. There was also a handy kettle and fridge. We even got a discount as we didn't have a car. So you can't grumble. Thankyou for a wonderful stay.
Friday 30th June 2023

Paul Collins
3 Star
Nice campsite, not the cleanest. Noise from the A12 was not expected. It wasn't a big problem but not as peaceful as I'd have liked. Listening to the owners political opinions in the site shop wasn't appreciated, I was there two days and had to listen to his babble twice. Brexit ruined his life, conservatives have ruined his life, fat Boris bla bla bla... please keep your opinions to yourself. I'll never return
Monday 18th September 2023

Rob Goodwin
3 Star
The location is excellent, you are so close to many great places to visit. Yes you are near the A12 however it really did not disturb us. The pitches are large and the staff really friendly and helpful. Our only negative is the bathroom facilities, I appreciate that people using the campsite have a responsibility to leave them clean, however in some toilets there were no toilet brushes, overall I do think a deep clean and possible refurbishment of the toilets and bathrooms and a better cleaning regime would make this an amazing place to stay.
Thursday 4th May 2023

Kim Gowen
3 Star
Great for groups - basic amenities We booked Orchard Campsite with the selling points being: group bookings welcome, no book in or out times, river access and fishing pond access too. On arrival, we were well accommodated with regards to pitches etc and managed to secure a large area for all of our family with electric hook up (using card so you only pay for what you use - which was a positive). First impression were that it seemed like it was rather run down and needed some tlc. The toilet block was very old and unclean. There was always toilet paper on the floor and leaks from pipes making it wet too. They were very smelly and just seemed like they could do with a full refurbish along with regular deep cleans. The showers were hit and miss with sometimes them being hot and powerful and others cold and squirts of water. These were also very old and unclean, pretty small too so it was hard to wash without soaking all of your dry clothes in the tiny area behind the shower curtains. There were a few hooks to hold towels up and some cubicles had old plastic stools in to use for items. There was a female only wash area but only 2 out of the 3 showers were open and again - it just seemed unclean and bodged together with 1 random mirror stuck to the wall and some old worktop beside the wash basins etc. As a family, we have enjoyed other sites that have had family washrooms to offer more space if you have younger children - something we definitely missed here. We understand that camping is camping but we do definitely rate sites for their appearance and cleanliness (having been used to seeing regular cleaning and general tidiness elsewhere). There was a general rubbish area - didn’t have to separate food waste from recycling etc and that was overflowing with black sacks when we arrived. On reflection, we found the website and social media rather dated and not really giving adequate images and information of the site or facilities available. Although we enjoyed our time camping with the family and we made the best of having some rather wet and windy weather - the river was not accessible due to high levels of bacteria (which we were understanding of), the fishing pond is no longer in use and full of weeds etc, the play park looked tired and only consisted of 2 swings fenced off which were in constant use so meant our young child only got a few goes on it. We found there were limited activities we could do onsite. For our first few days, the site was quiet and there was space for us to play cricket, badminton and bike ride but once full - we had limited space for outdoor activities with the children so ventured out for days instead. We made the best of our time there but have certainly stayed at more well maintained and cleaner sites.
Sunday 6th August 2023