Broadleigh Farm

 www.broadleighfarm.co.uk

We stayed for 5 nights,  April 29th to May 4th at £13.50 per night in a Standard Pitch. We took with us our 3 year old and 2 small dogs. We slept in our Pennine Pullman folding camper.

Location:

The site is located 2 miles outside Paignton/Totnes. There's a Morrisons and a Sainsbury's within 3 miles.

Layout:

The site is big, electric points are plentiful, and water points are accessible. The site is pretty much all grass, there are a couple of gravel paths that lead you on and off. For the most part the pitches are level and spacious.

The chemical waste point was a little strange, as far as I could tell there was just one and it was a seatless toilet around the back of the shower block. Though I must say it was somehow a bit easier to use than the more common hole in the ground, and you got to give it a satisfying flush at the end.

The shower block and reception building is located near the entrance of the site, the furthest pitch on the site can't be more a 3 minute walk.

There is a reportedly a small section of the site exclusively for Caravan Club Members but it wasn't mentioned when we checked in. We couldn't see the location anywhere, we had our theories, but we didn't ask nor did we wish we had.

Facilities:

The toilet and shower block was big and clean though I never did figure out how to turn on the lights... In the men's block I counted 4 shower cubicles in all, 4 toilets and urinals. The showers are those silly 'push the button and get 20 seconds of water' set ups, though I can see the point I'm not a fan, it wasn't hard to get a rhythm started giving me a constant stream of warm water. 

The dog walking was better than most, there is a lane that runs behind the back of the site. A little muddy so wear appropriate footwear. There's also a field opposite where the dogs, and small children, can be let off the lead to burn some energy.

My single complaint about the site is the reception/shop. We were at the site for 5 days and saw the reception desk occupied twice, around 9:30 am both times. It's not really a problem, all you need to do is walk 50 meters across to the house and knock on the door and they're more than happy to help. But it does make a quick trip to the shop quite a bit less than quick. Needless to say I couldn't tell you what was in the shop.

What we did?

Beaches. There are a number of beaches within the surrounding 10 miles. We spent a morning at a lovely secluded beach in South Ham.
Tip: If you get the What's on guide to Devon, there's a listing of all the beaches that allow dogs.

The farm Scrumpy is worth a try. I personally couldn't make my mind up about it, but at £5.50 for 2 liters it's certainly worth it. After a little over 1 pint the very slight downward slant (due to my poor job leveling and being too lazy to correct it) of the camper seemed a lot more slanty.

Wizz Kidz www.wizz-kidz.com/. This is a soft play area located in Brixham. We spent an afternoon there.

Becky Falls www.BeckyFalls.com. 10 out of 10 for outdoor activities. They've got nature trails, a petting zoo, falconry and a game for kids, oh yeah and the falls.
Tip: You can get money off vouchers (£2 off the double adult admission)  from and tourist information, or even the local supermarkets, anywhere where there's a selection of leaflets on the local attractions.

BMAD Bike Festival (1st and 2nd of May) in Paignton. My son was happy enough to look at all the bikes, and even happier with the half a dozen carnival rides.

Here we go!

My wife and I are campers. My wife has many fond memories of childhood holidays in caravans across the UK. I grew up in western US so camping was a big part of my childhood.

4 or 5 years ago we bought a little 4 man tent and set out on our first camping expedition together. We had such a good, and cheap, time that we've continued the tradition.
Now we've got a 3 year old boy and two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.



Gradually over the years we we've upgraded and expanded our camping equipment and have started and ever expanding list of the do's and don'ts of camping.

The one thing that we've found a little frustrating is campsite reviews. Over the years we've tried with variable success to keep logs of the sites that we visit should we ever return to the area. On our last trip I decided that the best way to keep an accurate log of where we've been and what it had to offer, I'd start up this site.

This year we've joined the Caravan Club to see if it really was worth the money. I'll make a final decision about that toward the end of the season.