Campsite review: Byecross Farm Campsite
Campsite review: Byecross Farm Campsite
Byecross Farm Campsite is a small, family run campsite, located on a picturesque farm near Preston - on - Wye, Hereford. There are many such campsites scattered across the width and breadth of the UK, but this one stands out... to me anyway! This campsite was the first that I ever visited without my family, when I was just 17 or 18 (I can't remember the exact date), and so it was the first trip where I actually had to pack all of my own gear and setup on my own. So then, looking back this trip could be described as a momentous occasion, although when I remove the rose tint from the memories, I can remember that it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows!
Our party was a group of four, ranging from 17 to 24 in age, and we made the 40 mile journey divided between three vehicles - two heavily laden 125cc motorcycles, and an equally heavily laden 1960s Volkswagen Beetle. At the time, the location of the campsite as given by Google Maps wasn't quite correct, which, when coupled with my sisters map reading skills and sense of direction (or lack thereof) brought us to Wales... Eventually we arrived on the campsite, a simple setup of a few fields and an orchard on the banks of the river Wye, and it was more or less empty (this may have been because it was in early April and not a warm April either). I remember setting up my first tent, a black Vango Sigma 200, ready to set in motion a trip full of BBQ, river swimming, and oh so precious beers! Of course, this was now over nine years ago, and I can't recall the full trip and all of it's finer details, but here is the summary of what I can remember:
- We had brought an ambitious amount of meat, and only some disposable BBQs and a briefcase style gas hob to cook it with.
- The meat may not have been cooked as well as it should've been and I definitely remember the campsite owned dog stealing a beef joint off of the BBQ.
- The fact that we intended to book a BEEF JOINT on a disposable BBQ is beyond ambitious and is just plain ridiculous.
- Many beers were enjoyed by all, the hangovers however, not so much!
- During the process of enjoying said many beers, my hand was cut by my sister's thwarted attempt at 'shot-gunning' a beer.
- At many points on the trip I felt that I either hadn't got the gear that I needed or that the gear that I had with me was inadequate.
Despite these points seeming somewhat negative, we had a great time! The freedom of my first camping trip with friends ignited a fire within me that set me on a course of acquiring all of my own camping gear, planning more trips in new places, and eventually starting this very blog. So, with this nostalgic (for me anyway) story told, onto the review!
The trip outlined above was now over nine years ago, and in the time since I have been back to Byecross more times than I can remember, with both family and friends, in the warm height of summer, and the cold of early spring, so if there's any campsite that I am definitely qualified to review, it's this one!
As I previously mentioned the site is centered around the orchard camping area, right next to the river, with the reception/shop taking centre stage in a barn style building where you can now buy some basic supplies, food stuffs, and a decent range of ciders, beers, and wine. In the time that I have been visiting the site, this area has been furnished and improved to be more like the reception/shop that it is now, and you can even get great hot food from there (season dependent) including breakfast rolls, wood fired pizza, and chips. The other facilities of the campsite are part of this same 'complex' which includes male and female toilet and shower facilities, and down the other side of the building, smaller single cubicles. The toilets are kept clean and well stocked with loo roll, but because the site appeals to many river users, it can tend to have pits of mud and other river debris on the floor - not a complaint, this is to be expected and is regularly cleaned.
If you'd rather have the open field camping experience, or if you arrive and the orchard is too busy, then there are multiple large fields stretching out in the other direction. These are well kept and so spacious that you never feel too crowded - most of my trips have been in here because they're so peaceful! The fields are also better for large groups because of the space available.
Down by the river, next to the orchard's road entrance (which has a different entrance to the other fields) Hereford Kayak & Canoe are stationed, offering rental kayaks, canoes, and stand-up-paddleboards for either whole days or shorter 'paddle abouts'. It's usually wise to book in advance, but if it's not too busy then they are more than happy to book you in on the day. A canoe or kayak trip is a great addition to any camping adventure, and one that I'd definitely recommend trying.
One thing that I love about this site is that they happily allow fires, and even supply kindling, logs, and natural fire starters. In the orchard area, fires can be had on any visible patch of ground that has previously been used for a fire, and in the fields fire pits are welcome, but not ground fires (for obvious reasons). As well as logs and kindling, the shop on site will also rent you a fire pit at a very reasonable rate (around £5 per night last time I did it) with a refundable deposit too.
For me, Byecross offers a perfect camping experience comprising of peace and quiet, with just the right amount of comfort, whilst not being too commercial like so many family oriented sites these days - the addition of canoe rental on site, and a basic shop is more than enough in my opinion. Another thing which can make this site so appealing is the low price, which is just £12 per person per night at the time of writing - I don't see many camp sites offering so much for so little at the moment, as the increasing popularity of camping post-lockdown seems to be causing a price hike for campers across the country. One feature of Byecross that appeals to me on a personal level is that it doesn't have access for caravans, as the roads leading to the site aren't suitable. I have no personal issue with caravans, but I do think it's much nicer when your view isn't full of them! Especially when to me a big part of camping is feeling like you're out in nature!
My most recent trip here was also my first time coming solo. I spontaneously planned a solo one nighter for an opportunity to read and have some more hammock time, which the Bushcraft show left me wanting more of! I packed light, bringing only my hammock setup, a small stove and some tinned food for dinner and breakfast, my folding table and my chair. This trip felt really good for the soul, and as the evening drew in, I lit my fire, drank some excellent Hereford cider that I had bought on site, and sat watching as the bats whizzing past overhead. I then packed my gear away, and enjoyed a night of good sleep in my hammock. In the morning as I was packing up, I found out that some neighbours had been referring to me as 'flying bivvy man' which I found really funny! Although more they're common now, you still don't tend to see many hammocks being used on campsites, so they can take other campers by surprise.
If the place that I have described and told stories about above appeals to you, then I would definitely recommend booking a trip there, please see the links below for Byecross Farm Campsite, and Hereford Kayak and Canoe. Thanks for reading!
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