Brand New Campsite Opening in the Peak District - Upper Hurst Farm

New campsites in The Peak District are rarer than hen's teeth, so when Sue Dillon contacted us about her brand new site, Upper Hurst Farm, Hartington, Derbyshire, we wanted to know much, much more.

Going back a few years, this was originally a thriving 30 acre dairy farm.  Sadly, business was affected by the downturn in the dairy industry and the UK recession but with a keen awareness of farm diversification opportunities, Sue, a former caravanner, with a steely determination to succeed, decided to restore this beautiful farm and it’s outbuildings to their original glory, for the enjoyment of the local population and future camping visitors.  

But how on earth, we were eager to know, did Sue get the holy grail of planning permission for a new campsite in the Peak District National Park, where the local authority are incredibly strict on new tourist and leisure developments?

Well, a few decades ago, Sue's business partner and owner of the farm, Frank, started taking tents and caravans in a spare field to earn a few bob on the side. This was the original, no-frills style of camping, with just a water tap and a midden (!) The complete opposite, in fact,  to the luxury camping experience which Sue and Frank have now created at Upper Hurst Farm Campsite.

So, the fact that there was an existing campsite at the farm, together with some heavy negotiation by Sue and ultimate compromise between her and the Local Authority, meant that planning permission was eventually granted, and Sue and Frank could start in earnest to fulfil their dream.

And this is exactly what they have done.

This is a luxury campsite for discerning campers.  Sue’s objective is “To have a smart, upmarket, Caravan Club standard site, but with fewer rules”.  The shower and loo block are in local stone, with under floor heating, the hard standing pitches are large, the grassy areas for tents is “huge”, which means that there will be plenty of room for tents of all sizes (a maximum of 6 pitches), and lots of space for children to play in safety.

This beautiful and unique site is just 2 miles from Hartington village, described by Sue as as a “real hotspot”.  The site is unusual in that it has virtually 360 degree “stunning views “ of the Peak District hills and countryside from every pitch.

Walking to many renowned and beautiful Peak District locations direct from the site is a major advantage of the site.  Nearby Beresford Dale connects to Hartington Village and from there to other dales, leading ultimately to the world famous Dovedale (approx 5 miles away).  For cyclists, there are more trails than you can shake a stick at – all the famous ones – Manifold, Tissington and High Peak, which will keep the keenest cyclists busy for days.

Sadly, most of us can only dream of living in such a perfect place, but from April 2012, thanks to Sue and Frank's hard work and determination, campers, caravanners and motorhomers can now share this little corner of Derbyshire for a night, a weekend or a precious few days away. 

Establishing a camp site at Upper Hurst Farm means that Sue and Frank can use the income generated to ultimately restore and convert the farm outbuildings into holiday cottages, retaining all the natural features such as wooden beams, hay cart doorways and original grit stone walls. In fact, all of the wooden furniture inside the cottages will be made from  200 year old reclaimed Douglas Fir, and Sue will  be machining much of it herself on Frank's benchsaw!  Restoring and converting the cottages means that even more visitors can enjoy and experience this wonderful place . . . . and that’s not a bad legacy, is it?

Above image : Southerly view from Upper Hurst Farm : Copyright Upper Hurst Farm 

In pursuit of the Derbyshire panther

According to Glynn Harthorne at Standcliffe House CL, the Derbyshire Panther is definitely not a rural myth. This, and other stories about the local area will be related to visitors who stay on this delightful 5 van site in the shadow of Crich Stand, near Matlock, Derbyshire.

Always at the cutting edge of new technology, a few years ago, Glynn set up a webcam from the back bedroom of his house, focussed on Crich Stand, originally so he could keep an eye on arrivals at the CL from his computer at work. The Law of Unexpected Consequences came into play, and he found that people from all over the world were logging on to look at the Derbyshire weather, study cloud formations and homesick expats wanting to see a little corner of home. Apparantly, the viewing figures per week run into the thousands. Well I never! Take a look for yourself using the link at the end of this article

Crich Stand, situated immediately behind the site, is a memorial to the 11,000 men of the Sherwood Forristers Regiment killed in the First World War. It is 1,018 feet above sea level at its tip. To reach it is a gentle (uphill) stroll, and what better way to watch the sunset than from such a vantage point?

Standcliffe House CL is situated right at the top of the Derbyshire village of Crich (Peak Practice’s Cardale), next to the Crich Tramway Museum. On a clear day, the views from all pitches are far-reaching and panoramic. The area can be explored on foot direct from the site. Alternatively, buses go from just down to road to Matlock, Alfreton, Chesterfield and other Derbyshire towns. Within spitting distance is a village shop, newsagent, pubs and a fish and chip shop, which means you don’t need to take the car out at all if you don’t want to.

The site is slightly sloping and all 5 pitches have hook-up. Pitch One is a flat hardstand, ideal for motorhomes, whilst you can take your pick of grass pitches anywhere on the field, if your cable is long enough. There is a recently refurbished WC and hand wash basin and a small tourist information area and Glynn is planning to install a power shower over winter, which will make this site just perfect. This is a popular site, and current pitch availability is shown on AvailablePitch.com

This site is great for us, being just a 20 minute drive from home, yet far enough to be “on holiday” for the weekend. Now – do we believe the panther story or not………?

PS: Big cat experts believe there may be as many as 100 leopards and pumas roaming the British countryside.

http://www.crichweb.co.uk/Webcam.htm

The weekend it rained a bit .....

Every year, our gym group have a camping and walking weekend. Last year saw us walking 12 miles vertically uphill over Kinder and way, way beyond. Never again. After 12 months of earache, our Party Leader organised a “flat, easy walk around Monsal Head”. Finding a campsite with availability for 2 motorhomes and 2 tents for the first week of the school holidays was difficult, fortunately, John and Julie at Cottage Farm Caravan Site, Buxton, Derbyshire had vacancies.

We watched severe weather warnings that week and anxiously tracked the forecast. After frantic texts on Friday, we motorhomers decided to go ahead, our Party Leader chickened out of camping on Friday but brought the tent on Saturday in case of an unexpected heatwave, and the rest completely wimped out of the whole weekend – lightweights.

Actually, Buxton missed the bad weather. Yes, we had some rain, but nothing like the deluge seen in Gloucestershire and Worcestershire. We watched these disasters in stunned silence on TV Sunday night when we got back.

Cottage Farm Caravan Site is set in a picturesque Peak District location between Bakewell and Buxton, and is a great place to stay for the many attractions, including the Caves at Castleton, Dovedale, and Eyam - The Plague Village, and the charming village of Ashford in the Water (an unfortunate name, given the weather conditions – luckily it did not suffer, although we did see sandbags at the ready).

The campsite has three camping areas – the terraced hardstands, a flat grass area with hook-up for larger tents sheltered underneath trees, and a large open camping field for tents only. The views from the camping field across the surrounding countryside are really lovely with the best views from the hardstand area on the top tier. These pitches are however fairly small, and whilst we were OK in our motorhome, there isn’t a lot of room for awning and car too if you are in a caravan. However, this is a very popular site, and even given the horrendous forecast, when most right-minded people would have locked themselves in at home and waited for the storms to pass, it was almost full.

We parked at Monsal Head, and our walk took over 5 hours – with a pub stop at the Three Stags' Head, at Wardlow Mires, which has an, er, unusual, landlord. There was a roaring coal fire IN THE MIDDLE OF JULY and every time we went in or out of the bar, there were choruses of SHUT THE DOOR!!! What do they do in winter??

The walk, despite being flat, was still very strenuous, the highlight of which was a shortcut up a steep, narrow, disused path thick with nettles and thistles. Think we all overdid it that day, with the exception of our Party Leader, who could run up Kinder in one go and still have energy for a gym workout afterwards.

Next time, think I’ll suggest a gentle stroll along the shores of Ladybower reservoir. Then stand well back ……..

Lickpenny Caravan Park, Matlock, Derbyshire

The wettest weekend of the season found us aquagliding in our motorhome to Lickpenny Caravan Park, a family-owned and run Park near Matlock, Derbyshire. On the day that the whole of June’s rainfall fell in a few hours, it took us 2.5 hours to do 20 miles and we were well frazzled when we arrived. A quick call ahead assured us there was no problem at Lickpenny – all the pitches are well-drained, hardstanding, so once we got there we’d be home and dry – well – home and extremely wet actually.

There are two outstanding things about this site – it’s location, and it’s Wardens, Val and Brian. Lickpenny is situated on the edge of the Peak District, with Bakewell, Buxton and Chatsworth House, all within easy driving distance. The site is built on former nursery land and the landscaping is delightful for a relatively new site. The pitches are huge, laid out in tiers, and many of them are individual, with some doubles – brilliant for friends camping together, and all are surrounded by mature trees, shrubs and hedgerows, not spindly twigs masquerading as trees separating the pitches like on some sites.

As regards the Wardens - Val and Brian are just the best we have ever met. We knew them when they worked at Shardaroba, (now Camping and Caravanning Club Teversal site) and were delighted when we heard they were resident at Lickpenny. In between working extremely hard to keep the site and facilities pristine (you should see the toilet and shower blocks) they always have time for a chat, a cheery wave or a good roll-your sleeves-up gossip. And they can tell you where to get the very best fish and chips in the area.

This is a large site with around 120 pitches with hook-up for caravans and motorhomes. Tents are not accepted but children and dogs are made very welcome. There is a bus-stop a short walk down the lane but if you want to take the car or motorhome out, we found a huge car park clearly signposted just before Bakewell, with no height barriers.

The best pitches? Well – it’s a matter of opinion, but we loved the pitches right at the top of the site. Once the storm clouds cleared, we had sweeping distant views over the Derbyshire countryside towards Riber Castle. We were however very taken with Pitch 45, self-contained on its own in a halfway up the site with great views – a real “honeymoon” pitch, but it was sadly already occupied. Maybe we’ll put in a special request next time………..