We were looking for a near-ish site for a few nights for our inaugral trip in Arthur. Mainly because we are running the new engine in and need to maintain the 200 and 500 mile oil changes, but more honestly because we wanted to be able to get home quickly should anything go disasterously wrong : A colleague recommended the camping site attached to the Royal Oak http://www.peakpub.co.uk/camping/ and after checking it out online and agreeing it looked nice, we booked for 2 nights. There are several things I learnt in a very short space of time:- 1. The words High Peak should really be a bit of a giveaway. There are a LOT of hills. Luckily I soon got used to ignoring the huge lines of traffic behind me and thoroughly enjoyed pootling up them at 25mph p*ssing everyone else off ;D 2. When camping in high winds, it is advisable to park the van with the back lid side facing the wind to act as a buffer for the awning and roof canvas (a startling enlightenment at 3am when fearing for my life in the top bunk) 3. It is more than beneficial to close the air vents in the canvas in said winds before settling in for the night (ditto the above enlightenment) 4. The instructions "use the poles to attach the drive away awning to your camper van" are not particularly sufficient an explanation. The camp site itself is fairly small, attached in 2 tiers to the back of the pub. No electric hook up and if you're a late arrival you may struggle to get an even pitch and will need to get the chocks out. Toilets and showers are clean and warm, there are sinks for washing up outside the block too. Fees were £18 per night for the bus, including the awning. The setting is just beautiful - lots of gorgeous quiet roads (perfect for those Top Gear-esque home videos of your bus on the open road) and plenty of nearby walks and cycle trails. Bakewell is 6 miles away and very picturesque for a little potter, and Buxton has a bigger shopping area but still maintains some local character. The pub itself is brilliant - dog friendly, good selection of real ales and a spectacular menu. Be warned you really won't need a starter AND a main as you may be in imminent danger of death through over-eating. Seriously epic meal portions. We bravely struggled on and managed both these and a pudding. Good job the bus was down hill, otherwise we'd really have been in trouble. We paid £95 for dinner for 3, which was on the pricey side but most definitely worth it (for any foodies, I had the chorizo, apple & cider salad for starters followed by Cranberry baby back ribs with mammoth chips and a spectacular home-made coleslaw). I spent a horrible, horrible first night in incredibly high winds with no adequate attachment for the awning, fretting every second over the dogs who just wouldn't settle in the bus, and worrying about the wind ripping past my face in the top bunk. There was a dangerous moment around 3am when I was very close to waking everyone up and heading home but sleep must have finally overtook me as I woke to a glorious calm day around 8am. The second night we were all set up properly, got some clamps for the awning, some long line leads for the dogs so they could sleep wherever they wanted and then promptly fell in love with our Arthur all over again. Can't wait for the next trip - Malham in North Yorkshire at the weekend. Few little pics for you all in the meantime. Z c="http://i859.photobucket.com/albums/ab151/zoevine1/244.jpg" /> What every bus needs - a magnetic dartboard! Boys home and knackered (nb we've just moved house hence the crappy floor covering and the telly propped up on the floor!!)
if we could have pets that last photo would have sent me straight to a pet shop they look very cute. also really love your van. bek
If you want a good campsite in Derbyshire, The Knockerdown Inn has one, the pub overlooks Carsington Water and has some awesome scenery. Although we have never stayed at the site, I do know the pub and area well & from all accounts the site is kept very clean http://www.knockerdown-inn.co.uk/caravan-camping/
Oops just realised I posted this in the wrong section - mods please can you move to the camp site bit? Ta and sorry! Bek - you can have one of my bears, so long as you take the naughty one ;D Mork - k+ for the tip, thanks fella (edit: hmmmm maybe not, my karma changing powers have deserted me )
This place is ace. We stayed there on Sunday night and were well impressed with the whole thing. £14 to camp, nice showers etc. pub doing great local beer (Hartington especially good) lovely food. We also had breakfast the following morning which was epic. The countryside around there is beautiful too.
did you try the cheese shop in Hartington, they do some very very nice cheeses - there is one caramilised onion, goes very well with red wine!
Good tip re cheese, mind you we were struggling to bend in the middle after eating so much in the pub.
