Campsite review: Croscombe

Campsite review: Croscombe Camping, Somerset

At the start of May 2024 we journeyed down to the picturesque West Country of England, for three nights camping in rural Somerset. As most of Somerset is rural, there are plenty of campsites to choose from, each with varying assets and attributes to suit exactly what you are looking for. We were looking for a basic campsite, with toilet and shower facilities, but we didn't want an overly commercialised campsite that would appeal more to caravan and motorhome users, so we took to Pitch Up, and found Croscombe Camping (link at the end of the post).

Located near the village of Croscombe, and not far from the town of Shepton Mallet, we chose the campsite for its 'middle of nowhere' feeling, whilst still being near amenities like shops for food and essentials if needed. The main selling point for me was that the site boasts a view of the Glastonbury Tor aka, the Isle of Avalon. I've long been a keen (but amateur) student of our national history and mythology, and since reading Bernard Cornwell's Warlord Chronicles, I have been fascinated with the Celtic history of Britain, and how it ties in with Arthurian Legend. This is primarily what led me to visit Glastonbury in August 2023, where myself and my partner Catherine enjoyed the Abbey, esoteric style shops, and of course, climbing the Tor for the views it provides. Since this trip, I have been eager to return and climb the Tor again - more on this later.

As previously described, Croscombe Camping, is a basic, yet charming site, with a large grassy field, on a gentle slope, but with enough flat sections to make camping comfortable. At the top of the field is an area of levelled hard standing, furnished with a large open sided barn, in which we found the toilets, showers, and a washing up area. It also featured two wooden picnic benches, which would be great for cooking/taking shelter, in the event of poor weather, if you were in a small tent without much room for anything other than sleeping.

Although we had brought our big tent for this trip, my trusty Vango Hudson 500, we were also joined by some friends who had brought their gazebo, so we used this as a communal space for sitting and cooking, which was great for when we had some light rain, as we didn't all have to cram into one of our tents! There was also no extra charge for this, which you do find on some sites. The site was relatively quiet all weekend, and although there was a handful of other campers on the site, it was large enough that everyone could spread out and not feel too close together.

 

We had paid a deposit for our stay online prior to the trip, and so we still had to pay the remainder of our fee to the host of the campsite not long after we arrived. The host was friendly and helpful, offering us the use of a firepit, and recommending local walks and pubs that we might be interested in. We were made to feel really welcome. My only small niggles with this campsite which I feel that I should mention are that the toilets didn't have very effective lighting; which made taking a torch up necessary, they occasionally ran out of toilet paper; although this was usually replaced regularly, and there is no waste disposal point, meaning you have to take your rubbish away with you. This is only really an issue if you don't have much space in the car after packing up.

As well as car campers and a few small camper vans, there were also some cyclists and motorcyclists camping on site, so I can recommend the site if you are biased towards two-wheeled transport too. This being said, due to the soft ground, if I were to bring my motorcycle here, I would probably leave it on the hard standing at the top of the field, and camp on the grass nearby.

Glastonbury & the Tor 

After spending our first whole day relaxing on site, enjoying beers, barbeque and catching up, we decided that the next day we would drive the 20 minutes to Glastonbury, to first climb the Tor, and then explore the shops and undoubtedly some pubs too! The weather was overcast, but dry, although we were expecting some rain later, and the temperature was fairly warm. We parked near the start of the walking route up to the Tor, and then began our journey up the inclining path with so many others. It's only a short walk up to the top of the Tor, with well defined paths and a cooling breeze, but obviously, it is all up hill, which on the flipside means that you're rewarded not only with epic views, but also a nice downhill afterwards. At the top you can walk through Saint Michaels Tower, and take in the views all around from the other side. You can then return the way you came, or carry on over the Tor which brings you down to a country lane, which if you follow it, will lead you back into Glastonbury, near the Chalice Well.

When booking this trip, we hadn't realised that the dates coincided with the spring pagan festival Beltane. Glastonbury is a huge centre for neo-paganism, wicca, and many other wonderful alternative spiritualities, so both the Tor and the town were very busy, and there was even a parade, filled with flower and vine crowns and antler head dresses, not to mention scores of Morris dancers. We visited a pub that we went to when we had visited in August the year before, and enjoyed a drink whilst taking in the busy atmosphere created by the Beltane festival. After this we re-visited some of the shops that we had enjoyed the last time we were in Glastonbury, spending considerable time in the second hand bookshop, it can't be helped!

When we returned to the campsite, we took shelter from the rains in the gazebo, before enjoying a dinner of wine, cheese, and crackers, and taking in our final views of the Tor. We had a great time at Croscombe, and if you're looking for a basic, but charming campsite in the area, I would definitely recommend it.

Campsite link for reference:

https://www.pitchup.com/campsites/England/South_West/Somerset/croscombe/croscombe-camping/