Ashridge Farm CC Site--- Second report below
Ashwell Street
Ashwell
Baldock
Hertfordshire
SG7 5QF

Tel: 01462 742 527

2 and a half acres, 30 touring pitches, some hardstandings, electric hook-ups, battery, gas, Gaz, tv good, shop half mile, non-members accepted, no tents.

Ten to fifteen minutes walk to Ashwell village where there are four pubs all serving meals. The village is beautiful and historic with many 14th-15th century buildings.
The site office supplies a printed sheet with a detailed tour of interests around the village.

As the ground was very wet the warden hooked our caravan up to his tractor/towing contraption and placed us onto a hardstanding.
Alterations are to be made at the site when it closes down in September 2000. The approach dirt-track is uneven and needs some care and attention. There is an automatic barrier opened by security cards issued by the friendly and helpful wardens.

The only building on the site houses the office, the toilets and shower rooms and the veg prep/washing-up sink. Although extremely clean and supplied the facilities would be inadequate if the site was full. It has one shower room, two cubicle washrooms, one toilet compartment, a sink and urinals. On the women’s side, two toilets, two washrooms, one shower, one hair-dryer, one hand-sink. Add to this a disabled person’s toilet room. Around the outside of the building the chemical disposal point, waste-water disposal point, fresh water taps (2). Although the toilet area houses everything, no-one has to walk further than 50 yards as the facilities are centrally located.

We spoke to a disabled chap who got around on a three-wheeled scooter and he told us that he has been storing his caravan at this site for seven years and finds the site fine except for the path to the building in one direction ( which is being made into a proper loop-road in September). He also said that his wife brings two dogs and there are good exercise areas directly accessed from the site.

The site is fairly flat and sheltered with trees through the middle and high-hedges around the outside, although to contradict this we were told that winds can be troublesome. There is a large play field in one corner which has yet to be equipped.

On asking when we must leave the site were told that we could stay until midnight if we wanted to as the site was half-full. We will be delighted to return especially when the improvements have been done.

Bernard and Diane Wing. CLIC. May Bank Holiday, 2000

Ashridge Farm CC Site--- Third report below
Ashwell Street
Ashwell
Baldock
Hertfordshire
SG7 5QF

Tel: 01462 742 527

Original reported by:-Bernard and Diane Wing.

This site has been updated to the usual Caravan Club standards.
The approach road is now tarmaced as well as the new road around the site.
There are now 40 pitches with over half of these being hard-standing.
The toilet block has also been extended. The site was full and the facilities proved adequate in both ladies and gents.
The playfield that was mentioned is no more, but there is one about 5 minutes walk in Ashwell.

Kevin Steel. CLIC. May bank holiday 2001.

Ashridge Farm CC Site
Ashwell Street
Ashwell
Baldock
Hertfordshire
SG7 5QF

Tel: 01462 742 527

Web site: www.caravanclub.co.uk

To Find Site:
From A1 at Junction 10 take A507 to Baldock. At T junction in town turn left onto A505 signed for Royston. (take great care at this junction, you may need to swing out to the right to give you enough room to manage the sharp left turn) In about 4 miles watch out for a sign on the left to Ashwell, do not take the first road signed to Ashwell but the second a little further on. The site is on the right in about one and a half miles.

This delightful little campsite is open to Caravan Club members only and does not accept tents. It is open all year.
Attached to the site is a large storage area which is well screened from most campsite pitches. The site is set out in two areas. The part opposite the site reception is all grass but the rest of the pitches form a U around the excellent toilet block and consists of a mixture of grass and hardstanding pitches.
Rock pegs are required for the hardstanding pitches and there seems to be a gentle slope in some parts of the site.

The village of Ashwell is only a short walk from the site. Reception will provide you with a map to aid a tour.
There are 3 pubs with at least two of them serving food. The Three Tuns has a nice garden and opposite this pub is the village Post Office.

David Klyne. CLIC. Jume 2004
For images of this site, and other reports, go to Caravantravels

Breakspear Way Caravan Club Site
Buncefield Lane
Breakspear Way
Hemel Hempstead
Hertfordshire
HP2 4TZ

Tel: 01442 268 286

Web site: www.thecaravanclub.co.uk

Date of vist: 26th July 1998

To find site: Leave M1 at junction 8 onto A414 to Hemel Hempstead. At second roundabout come back on yourself on the A414 heading towards the M1, after about half a mile, just past petrol station turn left into Buncefield Lane, site on left in 100 yards.

This is a fairly small site of 60 pitches, some are hardstanding. Access to the site is barrier controlled although during the day the barrier is sometimes left up. There is a circular tarmac road around the site with pitches around the edge of the site and around the large circular grass area. The centre seemed to be used as a play area and kept free of vans when we visited. There is one toilet block of a good standard near to the reception. The site accepts non-members. Once the warden goes off duty there is no access to the site for late arrivals and no where to park outside of the site.

This site is useful for those that need to visit Hemel or the other towns there abouts. It would also make a convenient stop over off the M1.

David Klyne. CLIC. January 1999
For images of this site, and other reports, go to Caravantravels

Commons Wood Caravan Club Site--- Second report below
Ascots Lane
Welwyn Garden City
Hertfordshire
AL7 4HJ

Tel: 01707 260 786

Visited January 2006

Level site, mixture of spacious grass and hardstanding pitches, although only hardstanding was in use in January. Electric hook up (free game thrown in - hunt the hook-up point - turned out it was the other side of the hedge from our pitch!)

Security barrier operated by card.

Facilities usual club standard.

Next door to hospital and ambulance station so you do get some sirens(!!) but not as bad as I expected. no real problem.
(Editor note)..Bearing in mind the average age of caravan and motorhome users, this could be an advantage ;o)

From the map in the information centre it looked like it was within walking distance of local shops, but we didn’t investigate that.

Wardens were very helpful when I lost my car keys - oops!

Myra Sears. CLIC. February 2006

Commons Wood Caravan Club Site
Ascots Lane
Welwyn Garden City
Hertfordshire
AL7 4HJ

Tel: 01707 260 786

A members only site

To Find Site:
Leave A1M at junction 4 onto 414 signed for Hertford and after about a mile take slip road for the A1000 towards Welwyn Garden City. At the end of the short slip road are traffic lights where you turn left onto the A1000, proceed carefully as you have to turn second right into Ascots Lane after only a short distance. Ascots lane is fairly narrow but fine if you take care. The entrance to the campsite is on the right immediately before the QE2 Hospital.

The Commons Wood campsite is in an urban setting on the southern edge of Welwyn Garden City, next to the QE2 Hospital, despite this it seems a peaceful location.
This members only site is open all year. There are in the region of 70 pitches with the majority being on hardstanding. They are set out around a circular site road and some are unusual, for a Caravan Club site, in being bordered by hedges so giving a greater degree of privacy. It seems that pitches around the perimeter of the site have recently been converted to hardstanding. The centre section of the site, in front of the toilet block, is all grass pitches which seem only to be used in the summer season. All pitches have access to electrics and TV signal. WiFi is also available.
There is a large storage enclosure as part of this site. There is one main toilet block which is up to the usual Club standards. Date of visit March 2009.

Commons Wood is close to the centre of Welwyn which has a good range of shops.
For those not wanting to take a car in the bus stop is situated outside the QE2 Hospital. There are several supermarkets the nearest being either Tesco near the A1M junction or Waitrose near the centre of the town. This site is also convenient for visits to London by train, the information hut on site has lots of information.
Hatfield House is close to the site but best to check opening dates on their website. There are several National Trust properties within travelling distance but the nearest is Shaw’s Corner the country home of the playwright George Bernard Shaw.

David Klyne. CLIC. March 2009
For images of this site, and other reports, go to Caravantravels

Hertford C & CC Site--- Second report below
Mangrove Road
Hertford
Hertfordshire
SG13 8QF

Wardens. Richard & Christine Bedford

Tel.01992 586 696

Map ref. 166/334113

Just spent the weekend at this site, and although there is absolutely nothing to do there, we thought it was brilliant. We chose it because it is just 30 minutes away from home and we wanted a weekend break.

It’s a very large (250 pitches), level, well maintained site, with plenty of trees and shrubs.
We arrived in darkness and were shown to our pitch by the warden, after he had asked if we had any preferences where we wanted to be. He even pointed out which way the sun rose and set!.
What I liked about the site was that everything was laid out informally, even the hook up pitches, so that there weren’t just rows of caravan/awning/car all facing the same way.

The toilet blocks were excellent and spotless. I particularly liked the showers - there were proper shower trays so you didn’t get everyone else’s soapy scummy bits (sorry!), individual lights, a pull down plastic seat AND a hook (never enough places to put all your bits and pieces IMHO), and unlimited hot water with a temperature control. And there was enough room to have a small party in each cubicle.

Apart from the toilet blocks, there is a reception selling milk and ice creams, and a few swings and slides for the kids. But, bags of room for ball games, frisbee, cycling or whatever. The town of Hertford is about 1 mile away. It would be a great base for someone wanting to visit London - 40 mins by train.

The cost for the 3 of us (2 adults and 14 year old daughter) £22 (GBP) for 2 nights, including hook up, this was at mid-season rates.
I have to say, it’s not the most exciting place to be for a 14 year old, but she took her bike and homework along and never grumbled once.

We didn’t have to leave the site until 5pm, but I’m not sure if this applies to High Season as well.

Roger Shephard. CLIC. September 1999

Hertford C & CC Site--- March 2005 up-date below
Mangrove Road
Hertford
Hertfordshire
SG13 8QF

Tel: 01992 586 696

BSB site ref. 166/25

Site Visited: April 2002

The area we were camped in this time was very attractive. Some areas of the site were planted for the centenary last year and still have a newly landscaped, slightly sterile feel to them, but hopefully that will change as the trees mature a bit... (pitches view 1).. (pitches view 2)

The site can get quite wet - where we were camped this time (May 2002) was quite soft - sufficiently so that the car got stuck and had to be towed off! When we were here April 2000 large areas of the site were waterlogged and only the hard standings were available for use.

Facilities v. good - 2 heated toilet blocks - didn’t go in the second block, but the first block had 6 loos, 6 basins and 3 showers in the ladies. There is a parent and child room in this block. There is a disabled toilet/shower room near the reception - you need a key for this - £5 deposit. Loads of electric hook-ups. Motor home service point.

Large field for children to play in. The furthest field has a pond in it which warns of deep water (the lake) you may wish to bear this in mind when booking if you have youngsters.........

We are likely to return again in the future as it is a nice site and close enough to us for a weekend away when we don’t want to travel too far.

Reception sells ice creams and a minimal variety of basics. Nothing much in the immediate vicinity of the site. Tesco supermarket is about a mile away, as is Hertford town centre.

Myra Sears. CLIC. April 2002

Update to my Hertford CCC site review.
revisited March 2005.
Previous info still stands.
Trains from Hertford station into London, if people want to do tourist stuff there.
Wardens very friendly/helpful.
High season adult £6.40, low season adult £5.55. Electric hookup/hardstanding £2.40. Age concession rate available all year here.

Myra Sears. CLIC. April 2005

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