Date of Visit: September 2022
Overall View
The club site is located on the A53 between Leek and Buxton. If approaching from the South, you should approach via Leek. If approaching from the north, you should approach via Buxton. Please see arrival video here. It should also be noted that there is strict adherence to the 1:00 PM arrival time. There is nowhere to park nearby and turning the van around is very difficult and requires a significant detour.
The site is situated on an old World War Two Polish resettlement camp. Throughout the site there are posters describing the history of the site up until 1964. A book is also available for purchase from reception which gives the complete history of the site.
The site is on the side of a hill and is therefore on several different levels, set into tiers. The A53 is a major road and can be noisy at times. Pitches to the rear and therefore higher up are much quieter as a result. However, should you wish to use the main facility block there is a 5-minute walk downhill to get there.
The site is open from March to October each year. There are 87 pitches all of which are hard standing. The site does not cater for tents and is open for both members and non-members.
Overall, the site is well kept and clean. The wardens being helpful when required.
Facilities
There are the usual club site facilities. Two toilet blocks, the main one being on the lower part of the site and housing both reception and the disabled toilet and shower room. There is also a laundry room, family bathroom and dishwashing area. Towards the rear of the site there is another smaller shower block and dishwashing area. There is no disabled access toilet or shower in this block.
There is a drive over motorhome service point on the lower part of the site and service points are located throughout the site.
There is a good dog walk round the edge of the site, plenty of dog bins are provided, however it is not secure, and you are required to always keep your dogs on leads.
There is a dog shower located by the top entrance to the dog walk.
The reception sells a good range of essential foodstuffs and some essential caravan supplies.
There is a small information room to the side of reception.
There are a limited number of fully serviced pitches in the middle of the site.
On site club Wi-Fi is listed as gold. Overall, the signal strength was above average although streaming did give rise to a certain amount of buffering, particularly in the evening. The site was quiet during my stay and therefore not possible to ascertain if this would be the case when the site is full.
4G signal with EE was well above average. Vodafone gave a reliable service on 4G. Checking coverage of the area online showed that O2 also offered a good 4G service, however the Three network checker was not able to indicate their offering at the time of typing.
A small children’s play area is located towards the rear of the site to the side of the upper toilet block.
Review of Site Pitch
The majority of pitches on this site, due to the terracing, are level and now use the new club pitch peg system of two pegs and parking your van between them.
The size of pitches very considerably, some of the pitches particularly near the back of the site are quite tight to house a car caravan and awning side by side. That is not to say that there are no wider pitches, but these tend to be slightly lower down the site.
The site benefits from the new EHU bollards, however some of them are a considerable distance from their pitches. TV booster points are available and recommended by the club. In my experience an acceptable number of TV stations was obtainable by using the onboard TV aerial.
Around and about
Bus services which pass the site entrance go both to Buxton and to Leek. The information room to the side of reception and shop contains a good range of information leaflets plus times of the local buses.
The nearest supermarkets are in either Buxton or Leek, with Leek being slightly nearer. Petrol stations are available at these supermarkets. The nearest caravan accessories shop is Peak Leisure in Buxton.
Any visit to the Peak District should start with looking at www.visitpeakdistrict.com The area is well known for hiking, cycling, climbing and of course, Bakewell pudding!
During my visit I was able to get to see several visitor attractions, listed below.
Buxton is a famous market town on the edges of the Peak District. It is a Victorian spa town and in its heyday attracted visitors from far and wide to take the waters. There is a small crescent of houses reminiscent of the world-famous Bath Crescent. Apart from the houses, there are beautiful gardens and the Buxton Opera House. This venue houses many world-famous productions and concerts. There are the usual supermarkets and a pedestrianised High Street with a small number of independent stores. www.visitbuxton.co.uk
High Peak Bookshop – Over recent years this has become a destination in its own right and is situated on the A515 between Buxton and Ashbourne. There is ample level parking, and the venue is fully accessible. A dog friendly cafe and restaurant is to the side of the main bookshop itself. There are a very wide range of new books, covering all sorts of topics available to purchase. If you are a reader or book lover, then this is the place for you. www.highpeakbookstore.co.uk
Tittesworth Reservoir – This is an artificial reservoir built by damming the river Churney and owned by Severn Trent Water. It is only a 5-minute car drive from the site or a 20-minute walk with some pavements. The site is predominantly flat with graded walks around the perimeter. There is a large visitor centre with accessible toilets, a takeaway counter which enables you to obtain refreshments and sit outside, if you choose to. There are a good number of picnic benches close by with a small section undercover. In the Centre there is also a shop selling local goods and information. To the front of the visitor centre, overlooking the reservoir itself is a restaurant with an outdoor accessible balcony. It is possible to sit here and use the main restaurant menu which includes a very tasty full English breakfast, with vegetarian options, up to and including a full meal. I can confirm that the breakfast was very tasty indeed. You are also able to take your dogs onto the balcony. As a final point, all parking, including the large disabled parking area right next to the visitor centre is fully payable. At the time of writing there were two options, up to two hours or all day. www.stwater.co.uk/our-visitor-sites/tittesworth-water/
Rowsley Shopping Centre & Cauldwell Mill – These are two distinct visitor attractions although they are less than 5 minutes apart by car. Cauldwell Mill is an Arts and Creative space with a café and toilets. Care should be taken as access, whilst initially good, once on the site it is very uneven and hilly in places. Various handmade craft items are on sale, there is a small forge and glass making studio. Parking is free of charge. www.cauldswellsmill.co.uk Just across the road is the newly developed shopping centre with ample parking, including disabled access. There are a number of shops, including a satellite Chatsworth Farm Shop. Sadly, a number of the shops are currently empty but there are two food offerings, a garden centre shop and an ice cream shop. Fully accessible, including toilets and is dog friendly. www.peakvillage.co.uk
Leak and Rudyard Railway – www.rslr.org This is a half-sized narrow-gauge railway located at Rudyard Station just on the outskirts of Leek. There are covered carriages for passengers, which can be difficult to get in and out of, but you are able to book a wheelchair accessible place in advance. The trip takes you along the side of Rudyard Lake an historical lake from Victorian times. There is a level walk alongside the whole of the railway and a couple of stops which mean you can hop on and off all day. The trains are small and accessible and lovingly cared for by very dedicated owners. At Rudyard station there is a good amount of parking including adequate disable parking spaces. A large, dog friendly and accessible café is on the old Platform 2, (it used to be a double track full rail line prior to Beeching closure and retains the ambience of a station of the past. A day out, rain or not – one for adults and children alike.
Summary
Blackshaw Moor is a centrally located site for the Staffordshire Moorlands and the South Peak District. Distances between places are not necessarily lengthy but due to climbing in and out of valleys can take much longer. The scenery around is wonderful. The site has all the amenities you would expect and one I would definitely return to.