News about Barnswood

November 2023

A review of our camping high season, good and bad.

Barnswood has hosted campers, both local and from over 200 miles away, on more than 80% of high season nights, but has never been full. We have had over 3400 children staying overnight from around 100 different organisations, with only 16 of these from M&C.

Barnswood has had some large camps (greater than 300) and coped well by organising additional toilets and providing a refined traffic management plan (to cater for the single track) then operated by the camp organiser.

Despite the vagaries of the weather, Barnswood has provided good facilities throughout, with pleasant shade during the hot spells and rapid draining of sites after downpours and storms.

The recently added toilet block (near the dome) has come in for acclaim – particularly its hot showers. But has had some misuse.

We have had a couple of instances of groups driving trailers onto a site. This potentially damages the site and the pipework therein. It is expressly forbidden. There are parking plots for trailers adjacent to most sites – use these.

Some groups have moved stones or logs onto grassy areas and these have damaged the grass cutting equipment we use (as have some forgotten pegs) when we have not spotted them in time. If you do feel the need to bring material onto a site, please have the courtesy to remove it afterwards.

That said, the warden team have had a brilliant summer meeting many interesting and informative people who have looked after the site well.

Thank you. Come again.