Date of Visit: July 2023
Overall View
This is a CAMC members only 5 pitch CL site in between Shrewsbury and Church Stretton, in the village of Lebotswood, it is a family friendly site. Please see arrival video HERE.
It is situated out in the countryside and, apart from occasional farming noise – it is perfectly quiet. There is little lighting around so on clear nights, the night sky is very visible.
It is an oblong, mainly level field, laid mainly to grass with a brook running to one side of the field, there is a hedge but no fencing so care needs to be taken with children and animals. As it is a working farm, animals should be kept on leads at all times.
Facilities
This is a no facility CL, apart from one water tap and two Elsan disposal points which are located at the entrance to the field. One point is for use with organic green liquid and one for the usual blue liquid. Neither of these points have a flush facility – a tap and bucket is available close by.
Eggs and honey, when available, can be purchased from a little gazebo by the water tap and some information is available.
There are a couple of wooden tables/benches which you are invited to move to your van if you so wish for the duration of your stay.
There is no designated dog walking area but the top end of the field serves as a convenient spot until you can take your dogs off site. It is not advisable to walk your dogs immediately from the site entrance, roads are narrow with high hedges and are used by farm machinery and animals. We will provide information on some the nearest off site dogs walks later in the review.
TV signal was good obtaining a good range of channels – including Welsh channels if you so wish as this is in the Marches area which borders up to Wales.
All of the four major mobile networks coverage maps suggested a good signal up to 4G. That was certainly the case with EE, less so with Three.
Review of Site Pitch
As is normal, there are 5 pitches in the field – all of which are very well spaced out and there are well defined ‘bays’ where you can pitch – the way you point your van is more or less up to you. We opted to park sideways on, facing the sun and enabling the sun canopy to be a little sheltered.
There are 5 grass pitches and one small hardstanding one at the entrance. The hardstanding one is more suited to motorhomes or caravans without awnings, canopies etc. One side butts up to the fence so it is not possible to erect an awning there. The remaining 4 grass pitches are all able to easily accommodate awnings etc.
The field is well kept and regularly mown. There are areas of wildflowers spread through out the field and help delineate between these pitches.
As said earlier, the field is mainly level although we did require a levelling ramp as parking sideways on.
Water disposal is to the hedge line with the obvious request about heavily soiled water.
EHU is 16 amp and currently not metered.
Around and about
This is walking, cycling and hiking country – the world famous Long Mynd is virtually on your doorstep. Here you will find many dog walking routes.
A 15 minute drive from the site is Cardingmill Valley – to the side of Church Stretton.
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/shropshire-staffordshire/carding-mill-valley-and-the-long-mynd
It is well signposted with the usual brown tourist signs off the A49. It is a National Trust area and members are able to park free of charge. There is a fully accessible café and toilets both inside and outside the café. There is also an ice cream parlour and a National Trust information kiosk.
This is a good place to walk your dogs, provided you keep them on leads at all times as sheep freely roam throughout the valley. In terms of walking there are a huge range of routes available from a simple, easy and relatively accessible stroll to a couple of mini reservoirs up to full day and longer hikes – the latter are for serious walkers only! Walking along the bottom of the valley up to the reservoirs is mainly paved with plenty of seating and an above average number of dog waste bins – plus points for that!
Nearest shopping is in Church Stretton about a 10 minute car drive south on the A49. There is a wealth of independent shops, pubs, restaurants, cafes and a CoOp.
This also has the nearest railway station with trains going to Shrewsbury to the North and many mainline connections. Likewise, South is towards Hereford and also Cardiff with many mainline connections available in between.
Fuel is available on the A49 in Church Stretton on the crossroads and traffic lights.
The nearest bus stop to the site is on the A49 near the turning off the road for the site and travels between Shrewsbury and Ludlow. See Minsterley Motors for current timetables.
The nearest pub, which is dog friendly and sells food is The Pound Inn on the A49 in the centre of the village. www.thepoundinnpub.co.uk
Slightly further afield is the Ironbridge Gorge – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – its claim being that it was the birth of the industrial revolution. Nowadays the Gorge is a living museum with the highlights being the Bridge over the gorge itself – installed in 1779 and the Blists Hill Victorian Town. It is highly unlikely you will manage to see everything in one day and fully appreciate all that is on offer. To that end, unless you live an exceptionally long way away – and making a return visit within 12 months unlikely, you are well advised to buy a Pass – this gives you unlimited visits over a 12 month period starting on the day you first attend. Companion tickets for people with disabilities are also available. Please do check ahead at each of the venues to ensure that you can access those places you wish to visit. Blists Hill is largely dog friendly although you are not allowed to take them inside many of the buildings.
We opted, as we only had 1 day on this visit, to see the Blists Hill Museum and had originally intended to see the Dalby Houses, plus of course the Ironbridge itself. Unfortunately, the houses are very high up and, for me, not that accessible – another time. The Victorian Town is very well laid out and with the more recent addition of an incline plane passenger lift, much easier to get around than would have been possible before. It is a real trip back into time with actors playing various roles which brings it to life very well. It is also possible to buy produce from within the village – bread and cakes, proper fish and chips cooked in lard, an old style pub, sweet shop plus other more industrial style produce – plaster cornicing, crockery, tiling, ironwork and so on.
There is a café at the front, accessed by stairs or a lift, a souvenir shop and ticket office on the ground floor, plus accessible facilities throughout the site. Next to the school in the lower part of the town, is a café/restaurant. That can be closed if there are special events, weddings etc. Opposite this is a small children’s funfair. At the far end of the site is a small train which takes you into the mine – a very evocative film is shown too. There is a small additional fee to take the train.
The different museums all put on different special events throughout the year – you are best to start planning your visit by consulting their website, it is possible to book tickets online too and save the inevitable queues during school holidays.
Ludlow is a world famous medieval market town and has a castle at the centre of the town. There is a level access car park off to one side of the castle square and has very good accessible toilet facilities at the entrance. Ludlow has many very old and distinctive buildings, black and white, brown and white houses and hotels – there are several pubs/hotels dating back to the 1500’s. There are various market days throughout the week held on Castle Square in front of the entrance to the castle. Please note that there is an admission charge to enter the castle and its grounds. The Castle regularly holds events from all styles of musical concerts to the world famous Ludlow Food Festival and the Christmas Medieval Fayre. Access is reasonable and there is a café at the entrance and several others just outside the castle walls. A good range of shops – many independent are situated in close proximity to the Castle entrance. Please note that Ludlow town centre is atop a large and very steep hill, although most of the facilities are within a few streets of each other at the top of the town. The River Teme runs around part of the town – there is a Riverside Walk signposted and car parking is available. For a starting point of information – please see https://www.ludlow.org.uk/
Ludlow Farm Shop – This is again a very well known visitor attraction which is a couple of miles outside of Ludlow itself on the A49. It originally started off by selling good quality, local produce – meat, fruit and veg and bakery. Over the years it has expanded and now offers a range of shops selling many different products related to the home and garden. Please note that dogs are not allowed in the shops but there is a covered seating area and a conservatory attached to a café which does accept dogs. Parking is free and it is level access throughout the site with lifts available as required. www.ludlowfarmshop.co.uk
Bishops Castle is a reasonable drive away, it is possible to drive across country but the lanes are narrow, high hedges and we had a sizeable diversion due to a road closure. There are pleasant views to be had along the way though. https://bishopscastleandbeyond.co.uk/
Like Ludlow, Bishops Castle is a market town and sits on the side of another steep hill. As this is close to the Welsh border, there are castles, dating back to Norman times dotted all along the area. It is possible to visit and view the lower part of the town and then move your car to the upper area of town and visit there. Bishops Castle is home to the Three Tuns brewery and claims to be the oldest brewery in Britain. www.threetunsbrewery.co.uk There is also a limited public bus service which drops and picks you up from the lower part of the town,
Bishops Castle has had, in the long and distant past, a great many pubs – there is a diagonal signpost trail which gives the information, please check with the local tourist information office. This year it celebrated being granted a royal town charter 450 years ago, testament to how old some of the many wood and daub houses which still stand in the town.
There is a lovely little café, with outside seating accepting dogs, ramp access just off the High Street, down a side road next to the Pharmacy. Good home cooking available all day and the coffees and toasted teacakes come highly recommended.
Clun is on the way back to the A49, via Craven Arms, to the site. It sits on the River Clun and again has the remains of a motte and bailey castle run by English Heritage.
https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/clun-castle/ Its claim to fame, as written about by poet, A E Housman, (In Valleys of Spring or Rivers, as part of the collection of poems in ‘A Shropshire Lad’),
“If young hearts were not so clever, oh, they would be young for ever: Think no more; ’tis only thinking Lays lads underground. L Clunton and Clunbury, Clungunford and Clun, Are the quietest places Under the sun.”
Another pub in close proximity to the site is the ‘Bottle & Glass’ https://www.bottleandglasspicklescott.co.uk/
Summary
Castle Farm CL is a largely well kept site with pleasant views. It is very peaceful and is well situated to enable you to visit the many attractions and activities surrounding the area.