CAMC Gallery 2021

Treamble Valley – As the name suggest this definitely is in a valley! A well kept, presented and managed site with a welcoming and helpful team onsite. This is an unusual layout for a CAMC site and is not as conventionally laid out to drive around (for example only one section has a one way loop – any error in turning means a reverse or three point turn), so different to others we have experience of. We had long delays on the M5 on the drive down to this location and so despite booking a hardstanding pitch for the motorhome they only had grass left for us! So, we selected Pitch 7. Now this was a daily level pitch but we were compromised by Pitch 6 being too far right and Pitch 5 having large windbreaks eating into the space – so we ended up jutting into the field so we could get the awning out – was slightly awkward. The roads in are very (and we mean very) narrow so the instructions on timings for coming and going are a must! There is a limited mobile signal (if at times none) in this location and the CAMC wi-fi was not strong at all so bear this in mind if it is essential to your travels. Perranporth and the surrounding villages are a good (but not unreasonable) walk away – we did this a couple of times and found that the footpath routes through the fields were more suitable than the lanes leading to the campsite. The only thing of note was the smaller motorhome service point that is in a tight turning roundabout layout next to Pitch 113 – so for a longer motorhome (we are 7.5m) there was a bit of back and forth to get to the waste, for example.

Merrose Farm – This was a super site and we really enjoyed our stay here. This had been on recommendation from friends and was easy to see why this was fully booked and busy. A great team who were welcoming and helpful. We were lucky to find a great pitch just as another couple were leaving late – so took Pitch 33 – which was perfectly level for the motorhome so made for great setting up. We put our marker and chairs out and went to find the service point. We learned a great lesson with this site – as we go to the water fill there was no push fit/click adapter on the tap (we soon found out that this is not a standard thing on sites) so with tails between legs went back to the pitch and filled with the Aquaroll. So note to newbies – buy yourselves a kit of all adapters for all occasions! This site had a great traffic light arrangement for the road in and a nice wide entrance by the offices. Both mobile and the CAMC wi-fi were good at this location. We would highly recommend taking a walk up the entrance lane, turning right and immediate left down a lane to the farm shop and Cornwall Coast Path. The farm shop had some excellent local produce! We would highly recommend this site.

Marazion – We really enjoyed our stay at this bijoux Caravan and Motorhome Club site, which is a couple of miles walk from the sea front at Marazion and the gorgeous St Michaels Mount – down a single lane to the south of the site. This was a pleasant walk for us and the two dogs with very little traffic and provided the most direct route on foot. There are buses from the nearby St Hilary (again a short walk east out of the site towards the main Rellabus road. A very helpful and single couple team on this site welcomed us. This was a grass pitch for us and we selected the wider Pitch 9 against a small wooded area – reasonably flat but an interesting night when the storm hit the south coast! The main challenge on this site was two fold – firstly the EHU was exactly 25m away – so pitch too far right and you’d need to move to reach with a standard cable length. Secondly, the motorhome waste point is a reverse in job! The point is to the side of the main office – we were hindered with this as on departure an early caravan arrival was waiting in front of the office – unhelpfully did not desire to move – so made for a tight reverse in and trip round the site again to leave! That could do with some rethinking. The little office was also a well stocked shop with very nice local produce – resulting in a cream tea one afternoon! The bonus of this site is the peace and quiet – well spaced pitches and rural location make it an ideal place to relax. No issues with 4G or the club wi-fi.

Buxton (Grin Fell) – The site in the quarry! What an impressive way to start our second summer tour. This is an impressive site – both in location, the welcoming team and location close to Buxton. Pitch 45 was our choice – nice hardstanding pitch and relatively flat requiring not a lot of ramp adjustment. We had a couple of nights here and enjoyed a super Sunday with our dear friends Gemma and Jackie (who live a short hop away in Chesterfield) walking to the monument and down into the town for coffee and cake.

Meathop Fell – We arrived here for the second stop on the second summer tour of 2021, and a great site to kick off the time in the Lake District. We chose this site as a location for walking to Grange over Sands (as we were without a car) and despite being a good walk was a very pleasant one all the same. The entrance to the site is a steeper one and tighter for relative novices out on the road at this stage! Friendly welcome and a good choice of pitches on arrival. We worked our way around and quickly noted that many of the views were taken but opted for a spot on Pitch 73 which proved just lovely all the same. We absolutely would recommend this site and shall be back as part of our tours in 2022!

Dockray Meadow – This was another quiet and remote location. A short drive up from Whitehaven on the coast or drive down (in theory) from Cockermouth. On our visit the A5086 was closed off the A66 near Cockermouth so had a 25 mile diversion along the coast and back up again! Once here we were impressed and opted for our first attempt at a side-on pitch and so took Pitch 8 for this visit. This was lovely as a stream ran by the edge of the site here. This site has no facilities block so you need your own! Very well kept and maintained by the couple here – he was very proud of his grass so we did get told off for slightly driving over this by the motorhome service point. 4G mobile is very weak here but you could access and the club Wi-Fi non existent.

Durham Grange – This was a last minute decision as a way of looping back round to the A1 to come down from the Lakes to our last stop at Castle Howard (see our independent site reviews for this one). The site itself is literally next to the A1 so if noise from the road is an issue then this is not a site for you unless you take pitches 1 to 11. A first here as we tried the serviced pitch option for our first time – Pitch 33. We quite like this option but learned another newbie lesson – make sure you have long enough waste pipe. Amazon order placed whilst here ready for our arrival home! Great mobile and wi-fi service all round here. Now, if you fancy a walk to Durham this is 3 miles, but this was a pleasant mix of riverside and fields to the edge of the city. It was a warm summers day for us and very pleasant but would be less so when wet or damp as there some slopes and hilly bits. We would sum this site up as a great ‘stop off’ if you are doing a longer trip north or south along the A1. Only a 20 minute drive from the Angel of the North too – which was a bonus first visit for us during our stay here. Our plan is to use this site on a tour in summer 2022 due to this ideal location just off the A1.