------------- Experience enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.
Everything has been said before, but since nobody ever listens we have to keep going back and saying it all over again and again and again
we have stayed on these pitches twice,they are fab if raining,obviously! need strong pegs though ! we have carpet,but even so was not very comfy underfoot
the search button isn't working currently, but Jakers is the person to ask. Don't know if she posted on here or over on the campsites bit. But there was a long thread about the pros and cons. Jakers shows how smooth her gravel is by walking over it bare foot!!!!
------------- Shelli
Campers do it in the mud!
Hubby says we can
Not keen to be honest, not very comfortable underfoot and even with footprint under our groundsheet still ended up with damage where the legs of our bed had been, a nice hole in the groundsheet!
------------- May/June - Spring Valley
Aug/Sept - Leekworth
You have to be very careful or your SIG could end up damaged.The floor covering should be pea gravel as this has very few sharp edges,and some sites even loan you a type of matting to put down first.
I personally would be very wary.I think the best type of floor covering would be similar to the stuff they put down in children's playgrounds.
------------- Sue & Phil
--------------------- I Love My AeroBed
Just posted on the other thread. I would personally avoid AWP because I have 2 young boys who would be continually messing in the gravel and probably fall on it as they run around resulting in grazed knee's and elbows.
We also like to sit out on grass and be surrounded by green - gravel seems developed and urban and we camp to get away from that. Plus - we can live with mud lol!!
May have a different opinion if it was just me and my hubbie a few years down the line.
We installed 10 AWPs last season - we still have some grassed pitches to camp on, our customers apart from initial reluctance seem to head straight for them. Ours are a small rounded gravel base surrounded by grass, we have not compacted them which makes them kinda squishy - so like wet grass really !! We say for additional comfort folks might like to bring along an extra tarpauline to put down but certainly at times of heavy rain these pitches are ever so popular. It also means that when you arrive onsite you are not faced with a muddy pitch from the folks that left before you.
The trouble seems to be that AWPs vary in standard from site to site so what we have on ours isn't necessarily what others have on theirs, it;s not like a hardstand as by a hard stands very nature it is compacted and thus IMO extremely uncomfortable.
We have more info on our AWPs on our website and some of our customers have review them on UKCS reviews of our site.
We spent lots of time researching the ideal material to use including what they put down for play areas cost obviously is a major factor but also thinks like the play bark you can get actually rots and stinks once camped on a few times.
Hope this helps
Liz
------------- If you can't beat em, join em, so we did! And then we sold it for a holiday let & Glamping pod instead 😁
The answer depends on the make up of the all weather surface. I have stayed on some which are really good (fforest Fields uses their own design AWP), and yes although hard under foot, provided you use a good footprint your will not damage your tent and have the benefit of no mud and easy/dry packing up.
However I have also been offered ones with very rough / large stones. These need to be avoided as are not only very uncomfortable, will damage your tent unless you have additional layers underneath. I have in the past used a thick breathable groundsheet, under my footprint, under my sig which then works OK.
Best advice is to ask the site direct what sort of surface is on the AWP, then decide.
For what it's worth, i'm a fan of AWPs. I have only used them at Fforest Fields but have done so numerous times without any problems.
The last time we were there at Whitsun we took our Cabanon Pyramide which doesn't have a SIG. All we did was put a groundsheet under the bedroom and in the living area. We also put a carpet on top in the living area and it was more than sufficient.
The pegs went in easy enough and could be removed with ease too.
It made such a difference in wet weather because the rain drained away quickly and the ground was not soggy.
It also made a difference when packing up. Everything was clean and dry and so much easier than if you're on grass.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: All weather pitches?
