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Just got back from this site yestrerday and despite very dodgy plumbing and mould on shower curtains (see review) we did like this site but only from Monday to Friday. it was in a lovely area and we chose it as it has no club or shop and we there therefore assumed it wouldn't attract noisy "clubhouse" types. How wrong we were. After commenting on what a lovely peacefull sit it had been all week we got back on Friday, our last night, to find that a corner of the field, right next to us had been sectioned of with chairs by the family from hell! They had four tents and a motor home and played loud music and had the worst behaved children I have ever seen! They practicallly pitched in our tent and had no regard for anyone else. The music got louder as did the kids. I can understand kids making a noise, mine certainly do, but I have consideration for others and would not dream of letting my kids behave the way theres did. We asked them to lower the music at 10.30 as our youngest was in tears he was so tired but it made them worse. The kids spent the rest of the night screaming outside our tent and shouting insults. They were told by another camper to stop terrorising others but she was then called a moany minger and they carried on. Eventually went quiet at about 1am but our son was then sick at two and we were up all night with him. Needless to say we were the first up the next day and on the way home by 8am.

Why do these type of people choose this type of quiet site and why always next to me!! They were more suited to Butlins and in the case of the appaulling kids, a zoo. I have never had such an awful experience at a campsite and I cant believe these people would turn up at a tranquil site in the middle of no-where and turn it into Hell.

Is there no escape!!!! The website says the site is for small groups. Cleary not the case. This incident was such a shame because the owners were very nice  and this would be such a nice site with the addition of decent plumbing, a good clean and perhaps a walk around now and then by hte owners to check that this kind of thing is not happening. It really has put me off camping if even a site as remote as this attracts those kinds of people.

Dear Lisajane,

I'm sorry to hear that you're put off camping in general by some yokels who didn't now friendly neighbourness from "Nightmare on Elmstreet".

Don't !

I have been camping all my life (well, as a means of having a holliday, anyway) and I also have encountered with these kind of  'campers', their fencing off others on the site and expanding their bounderies in pitch as well as in tollerance. I've had the odd football or cricketball against the car, motorhome and so on.

Live and let live, but when I'm terrorised I undertake actions which will go as far as the agresors will lead me! it all starts by complaining to the land or site owner. In you case there was no help from that angle I understood, so you were sort of left to your own devices, which were none.

Don't let these loudpartygoers (they're NOT campers!) spoil your fun in camping, be prepared to ask if there are bookings for large parties when you book on a site. If so, ask where they will be sited and demand a pitch far from it.

Maybe a campsite with sepperated pitches will be more suited to you familycircumstances (little children need rest early at night, you too) but don't give up on camping! It means "they" would have won...

Cheers!

NO, NO, NO - you MUST not let hooligans like this put you off what is a wonderful pastime.. NO WAY - sorry for shouting.

Chances are that the reason this mob went there in the first place was so that they knew they could behave exactly the way they did as the smaller, (quieter) sites seem to have less security and camp rules. Must make the owners feel awfully intimidated too I should think with louts like this camping there.

P-l-e-a-s-e don't let one bad experience put you off for ever. Us good and considerate, friendly campers have to stick together.

You'd probably have been much better off at a large camp that does have all the facilities under the sun but where they also have security on site  24 hours and who patrol around regularly. The one we use, (and have been for over 12 years), is huge, with all those facilities and more and even though there's a club house open till midnight, you rarely hear much at all, even while it's open! You might hear the odd giggles as folk trundle back to their pitches after too much of the amber nectar but nothing to moan about really.

This year we did have a similar encampment to the one you describe on our site, (right next door as it happened), but every night bang on midnight, they would go silent! Without fail, so nobody could really grumble because they were still being considerate. Also had an equally large VW lot opposite and they were no trouble either also shutting up at midnight, (shame really as I was enjoying their mellow guitar tunes, not even too loud)! Now this may only have been because of warnings from the on site security but I'd prefer to think that they were just decent campers, like us.

So I will now say adios, (or tot ziens to freedombird), and bid you a fond farewell as I really need to make a cuppa. Have such trouble dragging myself away from this site, I'm even considering setting up the kettle next to me and getting one of those Wag bags, (don't ask!), to save the tiddle stops.... I really need help!

Back soon though.... And please- don't let the buers grind you down and carry on camping

I agree with John d, it was al ovely campsite but presumably when you went a couple of weeks ago it wasn't school holiday time. It was fairly busy on the Saturday we arrived but by the Tuesday, as I said, there were only about 6 tents and yes, it was peacefull. I cant believe that the mould on the shower curtain grew in just a couple of weeks but thats not the point.

The problem was the arrival of crowds of "weekenders" in large groups. The family from hell next to us weren't the only large group on the site on Friday, there were at least two others who had three or more tents but weren't quite as much trouble as our neighbours. I can only assume that they perhaps booked seperately as a small group to get in then pitched together when they got there. Dont suppose the owners of the site could have known they would do that. When the first of the family next to us arrived they only had one tent but they set out chairs to section off the whole corner of the field. They even told one couple who tried to pitch a small tent near them that they had to move to another part of the field as that area was booked!!!

It's not that we minded the large parties but the adults and children alike in these type of groups seem to all be trying to out do each other in terms of noise and high jinks. My boys are normal kids who like to play and mess about but even they wanted to go home away from these people. Perhaps we are just not used to being around such rude and rowdy people.

We just put our tent away and my son said thank goodness for that which is a shame because up till Friday they and we had been enjoying what was at the time a lovely tranquil site.

I still stand by what I said about cleanliness, thebathrooms really were pretty yeuck. Not easy showerering under a trickle of water whilst trying to avoid touching the new life form growing on the shower curtain!

perhaps we should have spoken to the farm owners before we left on Saturday but to be honest it was such a shock being around such awful campers that we just wanted to get back home asap. I can only hope that someone else complained to the owners and these peoiple were chucked off the site.

I have seen a few sites that say they have a no noise policy after dark and one that said that the sounds of nature are enough and they did not see the need for loud music. I did fear that they might be a bit regimental but if it keeps away the types that we encounterd then maybe it's worth a try.

Thanks for everyone who replied, nice to know someones on our side and not all campers see and open field as an excuse to turn into animals! (actually the animals around us were much more pleasent to be around than the people)

Also, to anyone going to Mandale next week, cant do much about the curtain but I did give the sinks a once over and left the Flash wipes there, so help yourself!!!

I go often to the caravaning and camping sites unregistered small secluded sites and have never had a problem with noise.  They have a no noise rule after about 10.30 or so and people seem to abide by it fine.  Why not give them a try, I find the membership is worth it just for the monthly magazine with reviews and tips and you do get this huge big site guide with these tiny campsites. Often you can go to these sites anyway without membership however it is finding them without the guide that is difficult.

Not come across one that does not have spotless facilities although sometimes they are limited in the very tiny sites.

I was sorry to read your posting.  Those campers sounded awful.  Please don't be put off.  Have you thought of joining the C&CC, I,m not a member myself but some of my friends are and their site sound good plus they have alot of temp and rally sites throughout the year.  I am a member of the CC and will only stay at their sites and have had no problems at all.  Even a week back at Longleat when the site was over run by kids by ten the the site was quiet.  Too be honest the site was never noisey, lots of kids riding around on bikes, laughing etc., but no rudeness.  The wardens we brill and the showers, loos etc., very, very clean.  I also attend various rallies through the Land Rover Club I am in and even when one decided to leave the social gathering early maybe 10ish the rest keep the nosie to a min.  Please keep camping.

So sorry to hear you had a bad hol. Not all of us are like that. Me and my hubby always go to family sights. Our children have their own children but would not be allowed to behave like morons. Please dont let the minority to put you off. Try to enjoy xxx

Oh No this really would be any campers nightmare! It's awful you had your holiday ruined by people like that..I went to Tenby 2 years ago we stayed on a lovely quiet site until new neighbours turned up,as soon as they arrvied I though here we go we are going to have noise off them, they started drinking from 5pm singing from 9pm & they finally went to bed around 6.30am.. We complained to the owner who had already had numerous other complaints that morning she didn't take any messing & told them anymore noise for the rest of the holiday & they would be off site staright away..Thankfully there was no more noise from them.I personaly don't think they should of had a second chance the noise was that bad from the karoke machine everyone off the camp was kept awake...