The Old Vicarage

Liked Really nice campsite..kids loved being by the stream and all the swings/ziplines across the water

Disliked Checkout was at 10 and in order to stay till 2 pm I was asked to pay for a 'day pass'. This wasn't advertised and seemed unnecessary as I had already paid 130 for the cabin and wasn't even there 24 hours.

I didn't appreciate the approach either feeling like a criminal when I had already paid a decent amount to spend 24 hours at the site!

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From the manager: Unfortunately the check out time is 10am due to the turn around time, we had another guest checking in at 3pm. We couldn’t let you check out of the cabin at 2pm with a guest coming again at 3pm as it takes longer than an hour.
We don’t advertise our day rates as they are as and when people ask us and if we have availability for it.
Thanks
The Old Vicarage Team.

Liked The site is absolutely beautiful with so much potential, the kids absolutely loved playing in the stream.

Disliked The facilities are run down and there was a huge pile of overflowing rubbish.

There was also a large group who were very drunk and were playing music, singing, aggressively shouting and swearing and walking around the campsite until gone 3am. My 5 year old needed the toilet at one point during the night but was too scared to leave the tent due to the shouting and swearing from the group.

Safe to say the rest of the campsite got very little sleep and there were a lot of unhappy campers this morning.

I was happy to put this down as just a bad experience but this morning when I tried to mention what had happened overnight to a member of staff/owner - his response was to shrug his shoulders and just walk off mid conversation which I found incredibly rude.
We were planning to come back next year with some friends but unfortunately we will not be returning and we would advise others not to aswell.

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Liked Loved our stay as always. This is our 7th year I believe. Everything was just great. The place is great. The people are great.

Disliked There was an illegal rave again which meant for 2 nights and 2 days its was constant boom boom boom. Also the toilets and showers are not up to standards really. Also the bar is expensive.

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From the manager: Thank you for your review. We hope to see you again soon.
We don’t know when the raves are going to happen, they aren’t on every year otherwise we would do as it is such an inconvenience to our business.
We will look into sorting the toilets and showers.
Unfortunately our bar prices are in line with our suppliers and our cost price.
Thanks
The Old Vicarage Team

Liked Very picturesque setting. The kids loved splashing in the river and it's great to have swings and other play equipment on site. It was really quiet at nighttime. Easy access and lots of space.

Disliked Some of the play equipment is a bit squeaky and wobbly. Floors in the gents toilets probably need replacing as there were some puddles and unevenness (but they were clean and it's a campsite, not a 5-star hotel, so just a minor thing). A few bits of litter and the main bin area near the entrance was a bit messy and almost overflowing, but again nothing major.

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Liked The family! The relaxed atmosphere, beautiful surroundings, activities put on on special days

Disliked The noise of some neighbours after 11pm curfew. Bank holiday was really busy but one family was really loud.

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From the manager: Thank you so much for your review , you and your group are welcome back anytime❤️
We do apologise for the noise, we do our walk around, we wish we could have someone on duty overnight in order to combat this but being a small family run business it makes this hard.
Lovely to see you all again
Thanks
The Old Vicarage Team

Liked Lovely walks in surrounding area
Close enough to supermarkets etc. but not too close where it is busy and loud area
Great outdoor activities for kids
Fun in the river
Staff very approachable and kind. Water went off in cabin reported to staff and within 5 minutes issue had been sorted.

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Liked What an amazing place for kids they loved the river. Not far from clumber park too.
Amazing couple of days.
Facilities basic but adequate.
Would stay again

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Liked Stunning place, the photos don’t do it justice at all. The stream is perfect for kids to play in and there is so much to keep them busy. It was really hot when we stayed but there are plenty of trees to keep shade and the temperature down. Showers were decent too. There were a lot of negative reviews I read before, but I was pleasantly surprised and we had a great experience. I can see why it is a wedding venue. The staff were friendly and helpful.

Disliked The fridges in the kitchen area were not very cold, but better than nothing.

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Liked What a unique, magical place. Clean toilets and showers, great washing up facilities. Simple and perfect. Loved the bar, in a cave and the crystal clear brook for bathing and water swings.

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Liked Absolutely stunning location, river running through which is shallow and clear for the kids to play in. 2 small play areas kept kids entertained for ages. Plenty of attractions locally but we barely left the sight as the kids loved it. Loose chickens too which we loved and farm animals in the field beside it.

Disliked Very paticular where we could pitch, of course it's the owners site and she's entitled to allocate people, we would of just preferred more choice in where we pitch as we prefer to be out of the way rather than in the middle, but our pitch was still stunning next to the river.
Cave bar closed, shame it's not open more as the little bar area is comfortable and it's always good to be able to buy refreshments on site if needs be.

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