Overview

I booked a couple of nights here to see how manageable it might be to motorhome alone - just me and my assistance dog. I did some research and noticed that the site has made a lot of provision for disabled visitors, and it is right next to Rother Valley Country Park, which I love hiking round in my mountain trike. So it seemed like a good choice. There were a couple of things I wondered about. One is the elsan point. This is usually tucked away in an inaccessible room, often with a step or two. However, here it is really accessible (see photo). The bins are usually another concern but again I could easily get into the bins area, even with my dog attached to my chair... and it was clean, so nothing lying around for her to eat.

Transport & Parking

This site is just off the M1 at J31. You can actually see the motorway from the site, though no noticeable road noise. The road into the site is wide enough for two vehicles to pass. The path from the campsite down to the country park is steep and very uneven. I decided not to attempt it on my own. To drive down, you have to go back to the main road and down to the next right turn. Shame there isn't an accessible path down but it whatever they did would mean a fair climb back up.

Access

I'm actually here as I write this. So far, I have found everything to be accessible on site. There is a viewing area over the lakes and the path to it is very gravelly and might be tricky in a normal wheelchair but I used my freewheel and it was fine with that. The gate is a little tricky to open from the other side but I can stand for a moment or two so that was okay too. There is a designated dog walk on site but I saw a very recent review that indicated that people couldn't get round it because it is so overgrown with nettles. I'm terrified of them and have an unusually severe reaction so I haven't even tried it. It's through woodland though so I guess there isn't a good path. The roads around the site are well maintained and great for a wheelchair. The hardstanding pitches are gravel, which is always a tricky one but once off the pitch, it was a good 20 minute walk with the dog around the whole site. It is quite hilly though and one of the paths was too steep with my freewheel on. I had to go backwards so I didn't tip over.

Toilets

They have clearly put a lot of thought and planning into accessible facilities, which is great. I did use the toilet a couple of times but I mostly use my own. There is a key code on each toilet door and they give you the code on arrival, but it's a bit pointless really as the locks seem to not work and if you just pull the door they open anyway. The elsan point (where you empty the motorhome toilet) is on a level concrete path and is low enough to reach from a wheelchair. I've had a look at it and hope to test it out on my final morning. Big well done to the planners though on this one, as emptying the loo is rarely manageable on my own!

Staff

The check-in lady was lovely and helpful. The staff in the cafe seemed less so. I'd been walking the dog and was rather hot in the face, and then put a mask on, which meant my varifocals totally steamed up so I couldn't see the menu board. I told her I'd steamed up and couldn't see but she didn't really engage. I wasn't really bothered so I gave up and came back to the motorhome for a hot chocolate.

Photos