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Its quite a big site, well maintained, very busy when we were there but still fine.
Close to Symonds Yat, accessible via forest trails, we had our bikes so only 15 min ride, gated entrance, no open fires but you can use a fire bucket or bbq.
We stayed at this campsite over the Easter weekend and had a lovely time! When we arrived we hadn’t booked but there was plenty of space for our tent and the staff were friendly and helpful throughout our stay. Although some parts are a bit slopey we had no problems finding a suitable spot. The toilet and shower blocks were clean and well maintained and the washing up area was also a great asset. The location of the campsite is fantastic with Monmouth, Symonds Yat and lots of other lovely places within easy distance and there are lots of great walking and cycling routes around the campsite. We couldn’t have asked for anything more and will definitely be returning!
Set in the beautiful surroundings of the Forest of Dean, Bracelands offers incredible sunsets against stunning backdrops. The site is spacious, clean and the pitches are well-sized, with multiple showers and toilet blocks. We never had to queue, at any time of day, and on each visit the facilities were clean, the showers hot and the water flowed. For a relaxing stay, BBQ and ball games on the field, this is a great campsite, being friendly to dogs and families and in walking distance of some lovely, also dog friendly, pubs.
On the downside, there was no shop on site, the nearest one being a half mile uphill trek. And when we say uphill, we mean steep! Families with older children may find they have little to do on the campsite itself, with no games rooms or bars. One family did complain that as the gate is shut at 10, they had to time and rush back from an evening meal out, although this in itself seems easily overcome by just leaving the car in the parking by the gate and walking back to the pitch.
The site manager is very strict – spacing between pitches must be 6foot in case of fires and we were clearly told on arrival that our caravan must be parked with tow bar facing outwards in case of emergency. Within seconds of lighting our BBQ we had a visit from the warden checking we had briquettes and not wood.
While the rules are not necessarily a bad thing, and were clearly laid out at the start, we did over hear one neighbour, having parked his caravan incorrectly, being rather abruptly informed that it should be turned around by 9am or removed from the site – so really this attitude depends on how well you respond to rules on holiday.
On the noticeboard you will see that the neighbouring Adventure park offers a full English breakfast. We wandered down on our first day to find that the ‘cafe’ is a bare room in a ramshackle old house that would be a fantastic venue for horror films. The plastic table and chairs are reminiscent of a prison canteen, and the coffee was clearly made from last years grindings, reheated and moistened with puddle water. By comparison, the tea seemed fresh and the food was fine if not best value when compared to any other café.
The caravan hardstanding is the best postioned for pitches, getting the views and the morning and evening sunshine, and there is plenty of room around these pitches for tents, so aim for the top and front of the hill for relaxing, or the bottom for more flat areas if you have a footballer in the group and don’t mind shade in the evenings.
Altogether, a nice site and one we would happily use again if in the area, but too hilly for our kids to cycle on, being very young, and with no secure zone to let the dogs loose, a bit of a burden for long stays and bored, tied down dogs.
We hired a motorhome for 5 nights and stayed here for one night in the middle of our adventure. When researching the trip we weren't going to stay here as it seemed quite expensive, however with the motorhome we got Camping and Caravan Club Membership which gave us a discount here making it more reasonable. On arrival we initially were confused and stopped at Forest Holidays on the road down to this site thinking they were all one thing - they are not, carry on to the bottom of the hill for Bracelands.
The welcome to the site was very friendly, I previously found a Camping a Caravan Site in Hertfordshire quite hostile and rule obsessed. This site however achieves the right balance, clearly taking pride in running an immaculately clean site with good ground rules whilst also promoting a friendly welcoming holiday atmosphere.
Being winter we had a great choice of hard standing pitches overlooking the forest.
The site wardens were all helpful and gave us an excellent description of a walk to the river and then to Symonds Yat, including the wibbly wobbly bridge and the rope ferry. This walk was the best way to enjoy the forest rather than paying for organised commercial activities and was suitable for us two adults and two children (9yrs and 6 yrs).
The showers and toilets were very clean and warm. There is an abundance of information leaflets and a large wall map of the local area.
The site has just installed a motorhome services point which is a very easy drive in area for grey water disposal and freshwater fill up - very easy!
This site has gone on the list of possible summer returns in our normal mode - a trailer tent.
We booked to stay on this site for 7 nights through the Caravan and Camping Club website. First impression were good, staff seemed friendly, allowed us to pick our own pitch. Plenty of space. Facilities are a bit dated but fully functional.
All was well until the Wednesday. The weather had been marginal, especially considering the summer we've had, but Wednesday was ok and it was my birthday! Consequently I was keen to sit out and make the best of it. However our peaceful enjoyment was shattered by the grass being cut. OK grass grows and needs cutting, I get that, but this was incessant. We retreated into the van, closed the door and windows and tried to watch the TV, couldn't hear it!
The real problem was when I went to complain. The manner in which the staff dealt with me was disgraceful and they openly thought it was funny that I was distressed. The upshot was we asked for a refund and came home. Great holiday, thanks Bracelands!
We took the children to this site last weekend and it was fantastic. The noise was minimal by 10 pm and the staff were very helpful.
The toilet facilities were very clean and the showers were clean.
The shop there is very pricey but there are little shops just up the road that are cheaper. There are plenty of nice walks on this site and plenty of room for the children to run around and play.
The site has some flat areas but some areas are on a slope
Access - beware of poorly marked speed bumps and pot holes in the road down to site there are no warnings at top of road.
Amenities - Toilets / shower blocks have recently been given a makeover not a refurbishment, ladies showers in upper block have mould around the ceiling and flaking paint on walls. Not enough waste water disposal points for a site of this size only found two (they are not marked on site map). Two dryers next to the washing machines were out of order during our stay, the state of the apology taped to one of the machines would suggest that it had not been used for a long time.
We booked by telephone after reading reviews on UKcampsite, we were not told about the building works going on to construct hard standings for the premium pitches until we arrived. We arrived on Friday 13th June in the afternoon to be told that the building work would soon be complete, by 6pm it stopped and the work looked almost complete. The campsite was full by Friday evening and noisy with the sounds of people enjoying a weekend break, peace arrived on Sunday evening. A nasty surprise was in store for us on Monday the builders started at 8am to excavate another ten or twelve hard standings, work continued until 6pm. When on Tuesday the digger was working behind our caravan we complained about the noise the dust and difficult access to the amenities, only to be told “well nobody else has complained”. When we left on Friday morning the work had not been completed.
Overall we were very disappointed with our stay at Bracelands. A major part of a caravan holiday should be sitting outside your van enjoying the surroundings at any time of day this was denied to us. This campsite is run by a partnership of Camping and Caravanning Club and the Forestry commission but it is well below the standard Camping and Caravanning Club sites that we are used to.
Great location in the forest and walkers can do a number of walks direct from the campsite - for example to Symonds Yat and the Wye. Other parts of the forest such as the great sculpture trail and bike hire short driving distance away. Lots of sloping pitches but also some flat ones! Plenty of showers and very clean. Lovely, helpful team running the site. Would recommend.
Lovely site in a fantastic location. We had been warned about sloping pitches, and had packed plenty of blocks and chocks - we needed them all! The site was busy and despite the choose your own pitch instructions we didn't feel overcrowded at all. The loo blocks are being refurbished, one is already done and I guess the others are in the pipeline. Facilities all very clean. The dog loved the many forest walks, and so did we! The entrance to the campsite was chaotic at times with people trying to get in and out at the same time, this was made worse by parked cars nearby. Co-op and Tesco Express nearby in Coleford. Very nice meal at the Hostelrie in Goodrich. DON'T rely on your Sat nav as you can't tow over Symonds Yat and anything larger than a small campervan won't fit in the lanes! Really enjoyed ourselves, and will definitely be back.
Brilliant site and location. Great for walkers, cyclists and those into canoeing. Facilities, showers toilets etc were of a good standard, although best to use the shower nearest the door as the power reduces the further away you go! Excellent views from the site. Very friendly and informative wardens. Appeared to have a lot of seasonal pitches which reduced the amount of electric pitches available to tourers. Bus to Gloucester picks up from road at top of campsite (side with bus shelter) and takes an hour. Be aware of bus timetables before settling off as may catch you out, eg last bus back from Ross on Wye 15. 40 on Saturday! Overall great place to stay.
We have spent a weekend here after winning a UKCampsite.co.uk two night stay. (Thank you UKCampsite.co.uk!)
It is larger than campsites we usually visit but has a great feel. All the staff we met were very friendly. Although we had an electric hook up-so had to be in a particular area, you can camp any where, as long as you are 6 metres away from other tents. It was a busy weekend, at the start of the school holidays and although there are lots of sloping areas, everyone seemed to have found a very adequate flat area to pitch.
Facilities-by that I mean toilets and showers, for us there needs to be no other facilities-were plentiful and clean, even after torrential rain.
Being right next to the forest was great for walks and we frequented a local pub-The New Inn, which did great food and is about 30 minutes walk away.
we were really impressed at the service on arrival at this campsite, not been before and not booked.
Reception I got was outstanding, very pleasant, explained where camping was allowed and given map key codes etc.
The site was well maintained and toilet block very clean during our stay the staff was always polite and friendly
Coleford the nearest town was less than 5 mins away a lovely market town which had everything we wanted. The site was secure at night and very quiet and peaceful. I would certainly go back and use this site again
Just come home from this site and really enjoyed our short stay. Had a 'Premium' pitch but still grass. Pitches not numbered but have stone markers in centre line. Facilities very clean and staff friendly and helpful. As others have said most of the site slopes even the 'level' ones. Site fees a bit steep, this time of year £22/night. We got over 60 discount so paid £18. 66. Will be visiting again.
The forest surrounds the site so easy access.
Visit Tintern Abbey and have a meal at the Moon and Sixpence.
We visited this site for a quiet few days away from all the everyday hassles, use in our caravan and Mum in her tent. It did the trick brilliantly. We didn't use the electric facilities but the general toilets/washing up area etc were always spotless. We found all the staff to be friendly and helpful It's a little way down a drive passing Christchurch Campsite on the way, but well worth it as the other site was quite busy. We have put this on our definitely must return too. The weather was brilliant too, yes sunny and warm all day as we sat out for Breaky to tea each day, what more could we ask. Just spot on and well worth a visit for some walking next time we think. P. S. The Foresty discount made the cost much sweeter too 33% off, well worth it.
This should be a really lovely site, but there are some elements which really let it down. It's large and has a nice feel, with pitches set up in a higgeldy piggeldy way which makes it feel like a real campsite!
There are a few toilet blocks and a well stocked shop.
However, I don't know whether it was the weekend we went as it was very busy but the toilet blocks were dirty. Not just dirty from use, they looked as though they really needed a good clean to start with before anyone even considered maintenance cleaning. The showers were absolutely freezing cold. The bins were overflowing, with toilet paper left on the floor etc (which conscientious campers should pick up for themselves).
One of the main marketing approaches of the site is that its popular for family friendly cycling, so we assumed this meant that there are routes close by, especially as they hire cycles. However the first route we were recommended was overgrown, with lots of roots to catch on and was extremely hard going, fine if you're a mountain biker, but not so good if you have young kids, or even worse a kids bike seat or trailer.
The other route is down an extremely steep hill, a bit dodgy on the way down, really hard work on the way up, but not impossible if you like a challenge! Once into symonds Yat there is a great bike route into Monmouth which I would highly recommend, the disappointing part is that with young children it's probably safer to drive to symonds Yat first. We did cycle it and it is possible but we're leisure cyclists and found it hard going and a bit stressful.
Most frustrating was that when we went to the bike hire hut to ask for advice about cycle routes the member of staff had absolutely no idea, I would have expected them to be knowledgeable.
It feels like a site which is trying to be commercial but isn't quite meeting the required customer service standards and the marketing is misleading. Now I've read it again I can see how I made assumptions, but really it's not clear.
It's a beautiful location but I think I might try a smaller site in the area next time. This one isn't cheap but it doesn't deliver what I would expect for the price or the inferred promises.
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Common Questions
Is Bracelands Campsite child friendly? YES, it accepts children View all facilities
Where is the nearest shop to Bracelands Campsite? There is a shop on site View all facilities
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
All reviews and comments are the personal opinion of the review author only , and as such do not represent the view of the UK Camp Site.co.uk.
The facilities shown on this website are a guide only, and you should check with the campsite direct before making any booking. The UKCampsite.co.uk will not be held responsible for any errors or omissions
Tent Pitches 
Caravan Pitches 
Motorhome Pitches 
Small Campervans 
Glamping Units 
No Statics for Hire 
No Statics for Sale 
Seasonal Pitches 
Electric Hookups 
Hardstanding Pitches 
No Fully Serviced Pitches 
Families Welcome 
Not Members Only 
Rallies Welcome 
Not Naturist Site 
Dogs Welcome 
No Dogs Allowed 
Groups Welcome 
Motorbikers Welcome 
Toilet Facilities 
Hot Showers 
Washing Up 
No Bathroom 
Baby Changing Facilities 
Laundry On Site 
Drinking Water 
Disabled Friendly 
Chemical Disposal 
No Battery Charging 
No Gas Exchange 
Recycling Facilities 
No Kitchen Facilities 
Freezer / Fridge 
Motorhome Point 
Wifi Access 
Shop On Site 
Bar <1 mile 
Restaurant or Cafe or Takeaway <1 mile 
No Playground 
No TV Room 
No Games Room 
No Evening Ents 
Fishing <5 miles 
Wild Swimming <5 miles 
No Indoor Pool 
No Outdoor Pool 
Horse Riding <5 miles 
Cycle Hire <1 mile 
Golf <5 miles 
No Tennis 
No Beach 
Watersports <5 miles 
Boat Launch / Mooring <5 miles 
No Sea Views 
Not Working Farm 
No Campfires Allowed 
Open All Year 
No Waterside Pitches 
Public Transport <1 mile
Offroad Dog Walk On Site or Direct Access 
Its quite a big site, well maintained, very busy when we were there but still fine. 
