Longleat

[smiley]

:huh: Hi all

It's been a about 4years since we went to longleat and stayed there with the kids. When we went you could buy a ticket each, and miander up the road to the eating palaces and use our tickets on what we wanted to do that day... It was brill doing a bit and being back a van for lunch and then back in afternoon.

Staying for four days was just good just going and doing a bit . But to my horror I have booked longleat this May
not a problem there but went on to look at tickets.

Far be but am i right a day ticket is only a day?? and the cost! I know you can't get around longleat in a day a pay attention to all....also I heard that you are not allowed to walk up and through the gates anymore, is that right??
has anyone been recently??

 

[woodsieboy]

We were at Longleat last week end but the new rules have been in place for the last year or so,firstly you have to arrive and depart via the narrow back road between farm buildings , no driving past the house any more.You are not allowed to walk up to the courtyard for a coffee etc any more ,and dogs are not allowed to be walked in the grounds. For a ticket for the attractions you have to preorder on line and as CC members you are able to claim a discount. my understanding is that part of the Longleat operation is now handled by the firm that owns Chessington,Warwick Castle etc and they brought in the new rules when they took over .The locals were also banned from riding and walking through the park, which they had been allowed to do previously. There is hope though, the chief executive has been replaced and the new man has stated that he wants to rebuild the trust of the locals,still a great site to spend time in your caravan,although we are looking at CCC at Devizes as an alternative for weekends.

 

[smiley]

So do they have gates or something? or is it a case of having to drive out and go in through main gates?

 

[woodsieboy]

If you want to take your car in to Longleat, I think you would have to drive out of the site and follow the signs,if you want to walk in through the grounds I think you can walk from the site,but you need to carry your pre purchased ticket with you.They have gates across the road to the left of the site as you leave the site,but no gates across the road in and out of the site. They have security patrols checking especially at night.You can also buy an annual ticket which entitles you to visit as many times as you like during the year.

 

[smiley]

Thanks for the info.

I used to really enjoy going to longleat one, you could buy a ticket that you could use anytime as its impossible to get around activities and house in one day. two , we could tkae our time with the kids morning slot back to van for lunch then afternoon slot.... and just generally stroll about and get a drink.... So it looks like any other attraction now and they seem to charge for it....

I wouldn't have minded them putting up prices but it would have been nice to leave the system alone... bet the locals aren't happy??

 

[Oldsalt49]

Below is an extract of a post that I made on another forum, this explains the situation as it is at present.

We were there a couple of weeks ago and can report some good news. While we were there the Longleat management had a meeting with the CC site wardens. The result of the meeting is that, members can enter the grounds of the Longleat Estate, but must carry their membership card and receipt for their stay when entering. We went into the Estate 3 times and were never asked to show anything, there is no-one manning the barriers, you just walk through. You can go into all of the shops and food outlets, which is quite useful if you go before just closing time and get a freshly cooked pizza to bring back to the caravan. Went down nicely with the chianti. Unfortunately you are still not allowed to take a dog into the Estate grounds.

As an aside, the access road from the A362 Warminster to Frome road) is not as bad as I thought it would be. We did experience vehicle that were travelling too fast (Estate staff) and a couple of tenant farm tractors, but nothing to cause a real problem. It is the initial section (approx. 30 metres) of the lane next to the White Hart that is narrow with no passing places. The rest of the lane has plenty of width or passing places.

The site has no tv reception, but the HU bollards have aerial outlets which provide excellent reception. Take your own aerial lead, as they are £15 to buy from the wardens. Some pitches are ideal for satellite reception, but the site is festooned with mature trees.

Overall a really good site with excellent facilities, both toilet blocks are new and very nice indeed.

Forgot to add, the site has 8 years of it's lease left to go, so it is not going to close anytime soon.