I’m on the lookout for campsites with good facilities (EHU/ decent sanitary blocks) that preferably don’t allow groups. I know I sound antisocial but one of my kids is a very light sleeper and gets very grumpy when tired (as do I). We may just have been unlucky but have had a few experiences with loud groups at family campsites.
I 100% understand camping means you will hear noise, but in my experience groups seem to be the loudest- e.g. kids shouting late at night etc.
I’m open to trying anywhere in the UK. Thanks in advance.
Don't forget to leave a review of the campsites you have visited this year or last!
Welcome to UKCS.
You might be best to join one of the two clubs as they’re pretty strict on noise (in my experience). CAMC doesn’t take tents at all its sites. But both of them have small 5-unit Certificated Locations (CAMC) and Sites, where the owner controls (for want of a better word) who comes on.
For independent sites with good management, we like Blair Drummond, but Stirling might be too far: it would help if you gave us an idea of your general location.
I’m sure there’ll be lots of suggestions for you.
Apart from people noises, dawn chorus could be very loud, as do farm animal noises early in the morning.
I used earplugs when I was a tenter so that I could be less disturbed by noises such as screaming children early in the morning.
As for campsites, as Fiona has mentioned, the club sites of the two main clubs are quite straight on noise late at night. Club sites have warden on site 24/7, some have been known to walk around the site to check on noise level after 23:00!
DK
------------- Apple The Campervan - A Van For Work, Rest & Play!
- 2027: ? NL+DE+FR
- 2026: FR+DE
- 2025: 17/77
'24: 10/49; '23: 9/47;'22: 8/46; '21: 9/34
* Ex-tenter
* Treat life events like a dog: if you can't eat it, play with it or hump it, p1$$ on it and walk away!
I think you can get rowdy groups almost anywhere if you are unlucky, so the key is to find a site with strict rules about noise after 10pm and who don’t accept groups. Most sites have their rules on their websites. Unfortunately, I can’t recommend a specific site as the lovely quiet sites we have been on this year have mostly been adult only, but if you get a site with clear rules, it helps. For example, we were at the Old Brick Kilns site in Norfolk a few weeks ago which is an adult only site and a group of young people arrived, probably 19-21 year olds. They weren’t making a massively intrusive noise but they were a bit rowdy and we noticed the site manager going over to speak to them, which I guess was a warning. About 2 hours later they hadn’t calmed down and they were evicted from the site, so sites with rules can be useful.
I don’t know where you are based but we are currently on the Bay View site in Bolton-Le-Sands, Lancashire and they have an absolutely enormous tent field. I would guess that on that field, if you went to the end furthest away from the facilities, you could have half the field to yourself as people tend to pitch in the half closest to the facilities.
------------- Pixie
Don't forget to leave a review of the campsites you have visited this year or last!
Sadly, I think the days of consideration and old fashioned camping etiquette have all but disappeared! It's a tad better on adult only sites in some cases I've found, but no use to you. CL/CS sites are often better by simple weight of numbers, less people, so less chance of inconsiderate ones.
As to CAMC sites being quieter, and wardens strict, the one in Coniston wasn't last Nov! Generally bloody noisy by anyone's standards. One caravan near me had 3 dogs that barked incessantly when the owners were with them, and they seemed to make no effort to quieten them! Another MH had a loud group in the awning every night until I don't know when, but they were in full flow when I took the dog for a pre-bed wee at 1am! On my pre-bed dog walk one night at around 1am again, some character was SHOUTING into his phone held at arms length for half an hour or so outside the reception building (Wi-Fi hot spot?), which was right next door to the warden's accommodation (all 3 couples of wardens!), he could be heard most of the way across the site, the wardens could hardly have failed to notice right outside their doors, yet not a sign of any wardens making any effort to quieten anything down!
Lot's of screaming/shouting children during the day, to their credit a number of parents did try and explain that it wasn't the place to be so noisy, but kids are like goldfish, memory span of nano-seconds!
It certainly wasn't the tranquil stay I've encountered on that site in the past, and perhaps as bad as I've experienced anywhere, with just so many noisy people all at once!
I don't think you can 'organise/choose' a guaranteed quite site, it's dependent upon the people there at the same time, and the wardens willingness to enforce the rules on noise (which every camp site I've encountered has!). As a generalisation, I'd say, yes, the club sites are likely to be the most reliably quite, as the clubs centrally set the rules and standards and are a known quantity, and fairly consistent across all sites (in all respects - which is the appeal of club sites to many).
To some extent I think you have to filter the likely people going to a site, if it's one of a chain with bar/clubhouse/entertainment, then perhaps going to appeal more to 'party people', if it's remote and basic amenities only and more 'nature' orientated, then better chance it'll be full of people 'early to bed, early to rise' and not going to be partying into the night - no guarantees of course!
Couldn't agree more Monty. So far this year we've had dogs barking in an outdoor kennel / trailer affair at 2am with noone making an attempt to quieten them. We've had goalposts set up behind our caravan for both football and hurling, no parent made an attempt to stop them. When they hit the caravan with a football I growled and shouted and some of the parents had the cheek to tell me I should take it up with them and not the children! We've had someone slamming their campervan door shut over 40 times (I stopped counting at 42) between 1am and 3am. We've had numerous incursions across all parts of our pitches. The list goes on. I think it's a combination of a general lack of care for others since COVID and people who haven't known or been taught how to live in a camping community. One things for sure, it's not as fun as it used to be.
Quote: Originally posted by Monty15 on 22/7/2024
On my pre-bed dog walk one night at around 1am again, some character was SHOUTING into his phone
This has just made me laugh out loud and read it out to my husband, as yesterday morning, I came out of the shower block after my morning ablutions and thought to myself that I could hear a voice that sounded just like my husband. As I got closer to our caravan I realised that it was my husband SHOUTING into his phone. I rushed to the caravan where I found him in the awning shouting down the phone at his sister who had phoned him about a DIY problem she was having, and as my husband is hard of hearing, he didn’t realise how loud he was and that the loudness increased along with his frustration at his sister. He has now been suitably chastised and is mortified that half the site must have heard his conversation.
------------- Pixie
Don't forget to leave a review of the campsites you have visited this year or last!
Herding Hill Campsite at Haltwhistle advertises itself as a quiet site and it certainly was when I was there earlier in the year.
It has EHU and very good sanitary facilities.
I left a review if you're interested. (There are others too).
I have just spent a week at Big Barn Camping, near St Clears in South Wales. I have never been to such a quiet site, also very little lighting so great for stargazing (providing you get a clear night).
**Edit I have just read your post again and it doesn't have a EHU and to the toilets are compost toilets, but still a great site.
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: Quiet campsites
via mobile 21/7/2024 at 9:22pm
