Date of Visit: March 2022
Overall View
This was my first visit to Love2Stay in Shrewsbury having seen and read so much about it. I was keen to see if the premium site fee price was merited. The following is a personal review of the site. Love2Stay is part of the a group which also has sites across the region, including sites at Minffordd in Harlech. www.love2stay.co.uk
Access to the site is very straightforward, please see site arrival video HERE.
Security is via a secure barrier card system, and you use these to access the main facilities block.
The site itself is situated to the rear of Salop Leisure Caravan dealers, and a Love Plants Garden Centre. There is also a large, secure storage facility with an optional tow onto pitch service.
The site offers a premium Wi-Fi service at extra cost, at the time of writing £10. I was advised to log on with my code outside of the van on the first attempt. It was possible to sign on, however, the Wi-Fi managed two bars at most and was effectively unusable. I requested a refund – this was given without question. With regards to mobile coverage, I used EE and had 5G over most of the site. It was a particularly strong signal.
TV coverage was well above average with good clear signals and a considerable number of channels available.
Facilities
Love2Stay has a very wide range of facilities to cater for every age of and tastes of caravanner. The facilities are of the highest standard as befits a five-star site. There are two on site cafes, the largest serving breakfasts, snacks, pizzas, and hot and cold drinks. The main cafe is located to the side of reception and in front of the swimming pool and hot tubs. Please note the swimming pool is not heated.
There is a large children’s play area situated to one side of reception with a good range of play equipment available. The flooring is of soft and safe wood chips.
By the entrance to the site there is a dog walking area and a small dog agility area. There are dog bins placed around the site which is very convenient. It should be noted, however, that the dog walk area is at the opposite end of the site – a good 5 minutes’ walk downhill from the touring pitches.
There is an on-site gym, a running track, an area where films are shown and a children’s play pool. As this was a low season visit many of the activities were not running – it is advised to check the site website for further details.
The large main facilities block has the usual male and female blocks plus a central area which comprises the dishwashing area the launderette, two family bathrooms and a superb fully accessible bathroom. You require an additional security card to gain entrance to the accessible bathroom, available from reception on request.
It was also pleasing to note that complimentary toiletries were available in the toilets and shower block. Indeed, in the accessible bathroom towels were also provided.
There is also, to the rear, a service block which comprises a pay as required automatic Elsan toilet cassette cleaning machine. In addition, there is a dog washing facility and the Elsan emptying point for those who do not wish to use the cleaning machine.
The site has a mixture of touring pitches, all of which have water and grey waste as standard. There is also the option, at charge, of booking a superior pitch which includes a pre setup Isabella awning.
There are also a range of glamping pods, wood cabins and a development, currently ongoing, of a set of lodges.
Review of Site Pitch
I had booked a standard pitch, which allows for you to have your own awning, which was very spacious indeed. Had I decided to bring an awning, there would have been sufficient room to have the awning, car, and caravan side by side with room to spare.
The pitch itself was in excellent condition and relatively level. Being requested to park to one side of the pitch meant that a block was required to level up the van side to side. This was a minor adjustment and could have been avoided if parking the van slightly further into the middle of the pitch.
The service bollard was clean, in excellent condition and fully operational. Taps and grey water disposal points are incorporated into the same bollard. If you use green chemicals in the toilet, you are allowed to use the on pitch, grey water point as your disposal.
The view from the pitch was particularly good as I was on a raised promontory and advised by the site to place the van nose in.
Around and About
Situated, just off the A5, means access is straightforward but also affords the visitor the opportunity to visit a good range of attractions and activities easily. This was a 5-day visit and I was fortunate to enjoy some early Spring weather so was happy to enjoy sitting outside the van in the very warm sunshine watching the world go by.
I planned to do one off site activity a day. On this visit, I went to Attingham Park, (NT) which is about a 10-minute car drive from the site. It is a very level site on the main area, including the full facility stable block which has been turned into café, shop, toilets etc. There is a buggy, (please ring ahead to check if it is operational on the day of your intended visit). There are also, pre-bookable electric mobility scooters. There are superb views, and it is possible to book guided tours of parts of the house, former home of the Earls of Berwick.
Another day was a shop trip – there are plenty of options, Shrewsbury being a few miles north of the site. It is recommended you use Meole Brace P&R; this is adjacent to a small out of town retail centre and has a Sainsbury’s and fuel. Visit Shropshire – Visiting Shrewsbury and central Shropshire
For those who enjoy a good mooch round a Garden Centre, firstly there is Love Plants which is next door to the site, Dobbies Garden World about 6 miles along the A5 towards North Wales on the A49 junction. Finally, Shrewsbury was home to Percy Thrower, of TV garden fame and his TV gardens are now open to the public on the outskirts of Shrewsbury – there are plenty of brown tourist signs to guide you. Percy Throwers, A Wyevale Garden Centre Perennials | Garden Centre Guide
The final outing was on the Sabrina boat trips on the River Severn. You can book tickets from the site reception – I did this and was glad I did as it guaranteed me a seat on the upper panoramic deck. You just have to ring and confirm directly with the boat company first thing on the morning of your trip. It has full disabled access and refreshments are available on board, www.sabrinaboat.co.uk I was fortunate to have yet another beautiful day and the 45 minute guided boat trip was excellent with an informative but not intrusive guide. Perusing their website further you will see that they also offer a range of themed cruises and Sunday lunch – that I imagine being very popular. Very limited parking is further along on Victoria Quay where it sails from. The main car park is about 150 yards away over the river bridge.
Summary
Love2Stay is a very well-resourced site of the highest standard – this is reflected in the site fees. I asked myself the question at the beginning of this review – are these prices merited. On the whole yes, you are certainly getting a premium product with one or two minor exceptions. It is a well-placed site and with the current developments, which appear to be nearing completion, it will be a very large site. I would certainly return but not during the high season, as simply the price per night is too expensive for me personally.