Alderstead Heath CC site

[Royston]

Wishing to visit long lost relatives around Reigate, Looking to stay at at Alderstead CC site, The site itself looks great on the website , but it is the arrival directions that have me totaly confused . I can see why you must not use sat nav , but must only follow the cc directions.Looking through my various maps of the region, coming off junction 8 of the M25 the local roads look very narrow, getting narrower the nearer you get to the site.( based upon Google Earth).Question is has anybody visited the site and how did they get on with the Actual cc directions. Many thanks in advance confused Royston

 

[cobbers]

Hi Royston. Used Alderstead for a week last July while visiting our daughter who lives nearby. Nice site, but do use the CC directions. DON'T make the mistake we did by entering Dean Lane from the bottom. Looks fine to start with but gets narrower and narrower until your mirrors are touching the sides. half way up we met a young lady in a mini who sat there execting me to reverse my outfit half a mile down a single track road. eventually the penny dropped!
The lane broadens out near the entrance to the site so you will be fine if you go up Shepherds hill onto Alderstead lane and turn LEFT onto Dean lane and the site entrance is inmmediately on your right. Shepherds hill and Alderstead lane are themselves fairly small roads (as are most round that area) but are fine if taken with care.
Enjoy your stay.

 

[PaulRT]

Hi Royston,
We use this site farily frequently, as my brother and family live in Reigate. It is a very pleasant site, well cared for up to the usual high Caravan Club standard. There are some good local walks in the surrounding countryside. It is worth driving a few miles to Farthing Downs for walks and views.
As regards the access, as Cobbers has said, you must approach from Shepherds Hill (B2031), from the A23, as the lower half of Deans Lane is too narrow for safety for either caravans or motorhomes.
The CC directions take you off the M25 at Junction 8 and then down a road called Gatton Bottom to join the A23 just north of Merstham. This is OK; Gatton Bottom is wide enough for 2 -way, but a bit tight if you meet a truck or speeding white van.
There is an alternative. Leave the M25 at the M23 intersection (Junction 7) and go north up the M23 towards Croydon. The M23 shortly runs out and you join the A23. Continue under a bridge, where it narrows to one lane northbound and in about 200yds turn right as if you are going into the lower end of Deans Lane, but actually do a U turn - there is space to do this using the exit from Deans Lane. It is a common manoeuvre there, so beware of others doing a straight U turn on the carriageway without using the exit of Deans Lane. Now proceed southbound on the A23, keeping right as the southbound M23 exits left. After about 0.5 miles, turn left into B2031 up Shepherds Hill to acces the site from the top of Deans Lane.
It sounds complicated, but it works!
Cheers
Paul

 

[Royston]

Thanks very much Cobbers and Paul RT for your very detailed info,you have both been extremly helpfull, unlike my present road atlas 2011 with regards to the smaller lanes, re-discovered my old 2007 atlas , that has very detailed approaches to London, Gatton Bottom was shown in great detail even showing going back under the M25, I also now know which of the crossover roads is Shepards hill.
Looking forward with a clearer head to visite this site, its position is ideal for us to visite long lost cousins that i lost contact with when in my teens lost my mum, regained contacts via a cousins daughter who lives in Perth Australia, who originally contacted my wife through facebook.
many thanks again Royston