We are off to this site this weekend, joining my parents/friends there. Anyone any first hand experience of staying here - what's it like? Is it a good site? Thanks in advance. Lisa and John.
Riverside Caravan Park - Stratford-on-Avon
- Thread starter soldlisa04
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Parksy
Moderator
Hi Lisa
We've stayed on Riverside a couple of times, and many of the local C&CC district associations also hold rallies at Riverside.
(have you ever tried rallying? The children would love it and it doesn't break the bank)
Yes, it's a very good and popularsite, clean and well run bordering the River Avon. You can take the river taxi, a small motorboat, into Stratford from the site, and although I haven't actually tried one I'm told that the cooked breakfasts at the on site cafe are very good.
The site is quite large with lots of statics and there is a club house with vocal entertainers and bingo if you fancy a drink.
We've stayed on Riverside a couple of times, and many of the local C&CC district associations also hold rallies at Riverside.
(have you ever tried rallying? The children would love it and it doesn't break the bank)
Yes, it's a very good and popularsite, clean and well run bordering the River Avon. You can take the river taxi, a small motorboat, into Stratford from the site, and although I haven't actually tried one I'm told that the cooked breakfasts at the on site cafe are very good.
The site is quite large with lots of statics and there is a club house with vocal entertainers and bingo if you fancy a drink.
Cheers Parksy - we met a couple on the day we'd bought our van back in September and they invited us to join them in their small rally group and we are going to meet them for drinks to get re-acquainted before we dip our toes in the pool of rallying! Not sure if my strapping 15 half year old son would enjoy it so may leave it to weekends when he is with his Dad but we are willing to give it a try (I think a lot of it depends on who you rally with). Sadly you mentioned the B word at Riverside which will have my Mum rubbing her hands together in glee as she loves her weekly game of Bingo - guess where we may be this Friday night then!!!! Can't wait for Friday to come so that we can get away again ... just going into the caravan on our drive and inhaling it's particular smell transports me to another land!!!
Parksy
Moderator
Have a great weekend Lisa, there is plenty to see and do around Stratford and I hope that the weather picks up a bit.
As for the rallies, yes a lot depends on who you rally with and I'm sure that your son would enjoy at least some of them.
We sometimes rally with the C&CC Birmingham d.a. which is ok for older couples, not many youngsters are usually present (although they are more than welcome).
Our regular d.a. is West Midlands, they have a thriving youth section who often go off in tents and do their own thing, the da have discos, entertainment, walks and all sorts of things for ralliers of all ages and their rallies are very popular with youngsters.
I know what you mean when you go into your caravan to savour it's ambience. We've had this one for four years now and there are many very happy memories bound up with it.
As for the rallies, yes a lot depends on who you rally with and I'm sure that your son would enjoy at least some of them.
We sometimes rally with the C&CC Birmingham d.a. which is ok for older couples, not many youngsters are usually present (although they are more than welcome).
Our regular d.a. is West Midlands, they have a thriving youth section who often go off in tents and do their own thing, the da have discos, entertainment, walks and all sorts of things for ralliers of all ages and their rallies are very popular with youngsters.
I know what you mean when you go into your caravan to savour it's ambience. We've had this one for four years now and there are many very happy memories bound up with it.
Steve are you on the rally at Willows Farm if so I will be upset if you do not pop in as you know we are only a mile away from there,I would visit you but having had my operation on Wednesday i can not drive for at least 2 weeks
Parksy
Moderator
Hi Tone
The West Midlands da are at Willows Farm this weekend, and the sites officer phoned us a couple of weeks back to ask if we could steward it because the couple who were down to do it couldn't make it.
Unfortunately because my elderly step mother Rosaleen has been in hospital for the past couple of months, and we've done most of the visiting because of health problems with other family members, we had to say no. We're at home getting everything ready to go to the Readers Rally at Stowford on Tuesday in between hospital visits over the weekend, and preparing Rosa's bungalow ready because she should hopefully be discharged on Monday, fingers crossed.
If we hadn't been so pushed for time I'd have come to see you, I hope that your feeling better soon and we'll see you when we get back.
The West Midlands da are at Willows Farm this weekend, and the sites officer phoned us a couple of weeks back to ask if we could steward it because the couple who were down to do it couldn't make it.
Unfortunately because my elderly step mother Rosaleen has been in hospital for the past couple of months, and we've done most of the visiting because of health problems with other family members, we had to say no. We're at home getting everything ready to go to the Readers Rally at Stowford on Tuesday in between hospital visits over the weekend, and preparing Rosa's bungalow ready because she should hopefully be discharged on Monday, fingers crossed.
If we hadn't been so pushed for time I'd have come to see you, I hope that your feeling better soon and we'll see you when we get back.
goodness Steve you sound like you have your hands full, hope all works out well and that you have a good time at Stowford if the weather improves.
Tone
Tone
Good luck to all those on riverside sites, perhaps you all ought to be moving uphill at the moment, what with all this rain!
There is a river behind us but the bank is about 4 feet high which means we can't see it. This, maybe, is a good thing. It's a job to hear each other talk because of the noise. Horrendous night of gusting winds and driving rain and it's not supposed to stop until 7pm tonight. That means I 've got to go out in the elements twice more to take the dogs. One of our dogs was shaking with fear when I took her out this morning so I had to carry her
Last year we went to Cumbria for 2 weeks in July and ended up coming home after 9 days because of continuous rain. Same in August, 2 weeks at Beddgelert and came home saturated after 9 days. After the past week here in Cornwall, and the forecast for next week, I'm beginning to think that this caravanning malarkey ain't for us anymore
Last year we went to Cumbria for 2 weeks in July and ended up coming home after 9 days because of continuous rain. Same in August, 2 weeks at Beddgelert and came home saturated after 9 days. After the past week here in Cornwall, and the forecast for next week, I'm beginning to think that this caravanning malarkey ain't for us anymore
OMG what a weekend at Riverside!!! It was a little like a catalogue of errors. Are you sitting comfortably ... then I shall begin.
Set off at 4.00pm Fri with a set of directions printed from UKCampsites. When we reached Shipston-on-Stour I realised that we had perhaps travelled too far and rang the campsite who informed us we were 10 miles past our destination! Anyway, long story short - got back to Stratford on Avon and found the Tiddington Road and sailed straight past the turning for Riverside. At this point my shoulders were touching my ears with tension and my OH was speaking to me through gritted teeth in a raised voice. Once I'd informed him he'd missed the turning he decided to turn right into a junction where there is a triangle in between the roads. "You can't turn here", said I, to which he replied "Sssshusshhh - hush now!". To his credit the van followed the car perfectly without so much as grazing the kerb. We then booked in and arrived to my parents and their friends all suited and booted in waterproofs clapping as we pulled up about an hour late!
So, I was told to go and sit with my Mum and her friend whilst the men did their thing and sorted out the van and awning. Great (it was raining again by now) so I wasn't going to argue! Eventually the time came for me to sort out the food etc. and making the van look nice whilst my OH got tea (chilli) underway. Every ten mins the electric kept tripping - luckily OH could re-set on EHU post but it was a tad annoying as we'd not got a lot on and couldn't understand why (now realise that Riverside is only 10 amps if this makes sense?) Anyway, just about to serve tea and I heard an expletive which I shan't repeat on here and the ladle had fallen out of the saucepan, complete with chilli con carne in it and fallen on the floor - splashing the vibrant redness all up the cooker, units, bed, bedding and all over the floor. "Oh dear" I said - well, I didn't want to cause a scene. "We'll sort it out in the light of day." Ate our tea and walked over to where my parents were in the motorhome next door. What happened next can only be described as a perfect re-enactment of the scene in Only Fools and Horses where Del Boy, not realising the bar flap has been lifted up, goes to lean on it and falls perfectly onto the floor. I had returned from fetching a candle to show my parents and friends, and was in the process of turning around to shut their door, when I'm not sure how - but I lost my footing and went flying out of the m/home and landed on my right wrist face down on their astro turf!!! Mum said it was like I'd been sucked out of a vortex. Anyway, obviously my OH jumped up full of concern and came to my rescue ... NOT! My Mum and Dad were there like a shot (you still need your Mum when you're hurt and I'm 43!). Well, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry so I did both - laughed until we cried. Tears were rolling down our faces. Then to top it all off my Dad managed to get himself locked in their loo - we heard this knocking and then had to release him. It was such a funny moment and I wish we'd been able to film it! Apart from a twisted back and sore tendons am pleased to report that my wrist wasn't broken.
But, the saga doesn't end there because as you all know the weather was absolutely horrendous Sat night/Sun morning. At 4.15 am Sun morning I was still wide awake, lying in bed listening to the wind howling and the rain lashing wondering if the caravan was going to blow over at any moment or if the awning was going to be ripped off! I think I managed under 3 hours of fitful sleep - I kept thinking the Avon was going to burst its banks and flood the site. (Your imagination works overtime at night doesn't it?). Anyway, sure enough Sun morning OH had emptied the awning when I heard him call my name .... it was about to be ripped off the rail so I grabbed it and we managed to save it from being torn off but have sustained a small amount of damage which he says he can fix. We were lucky, some poor chap was walking up the road with the remains of his small awning trailing behind him as it had been ripped off. Horrendous.
I didn't dare comment about how worried I was about the journey home but have to report that my OH did a sterling job and we stuck to 50MPH following their m/home and didn't once feel the van move on the back. What a trip! All we need now is to be out in it in a thunderstorm and we really have experienced all kinds of weather in three visits away! But it hasn't put us off at all. (I can say that now after a good night's sleep).
Roll on Broadway in two weekends time!!!!
Set off at 4.00pm Fri with a set of directions printed from UKCampsites. When we reached Shipston-on-Stour I realised that we had perhaps travelled too far and rang the campsite who informed us we were 10 miles past our destination! Anyway, long story short - got back to Stratford on Avon and found the Tiddington Road and sailed straight past the turning for Riverside. At this point my shoulders were touching my ears with tension and my OH was speaking to me through gritted teeth in a raised voice. Once I'd informed him he'd missed the turning he decided to turn right into a junction where there is a triangle in between the roads. "You can't turn here", said I, to which he replied "Sssshusshhh - hush now!". To his credit the van followed the car perfectly without so much as grazing the kerb. We then booked in and arrived to my parents and their friends all suited and booted in waterproofs clapping as we pulled up about an hour late!
So, I was told to go and sit with my Mum and her friend whilst the men did their thing and sorted out the van and awning. Great (it was raining again by now) so I wasn't going to argue! Eventually the time came for me to sort out the food etc. and making the van look nice whilst my OH got tea (chilli) underway. Every ten mins the electric kept tripping - luckily OH could re-set on EHU post but it was a tad annoying as we'd not got a lot on and couldn't understand why (now realise that Riverside is only 10 amps if this makes sense?) Anyway, just about to serve tea and I heard an expletive which I shan't repeat on here and the ladle had fallen out of the saucepan, complete with chilli con carne in it and fallen on the floor - splashing the vibrant redness all up the cooker, units, bed, bedding and all over the floor. "Oh dear" I said - well, I didn't want to cause a scene. "We'll sort it out in the light of day." Ate our tea and walked over to where my parents were in the motorhome next door. What happened next can only be described as a perfect re-enactment of the scene in Only Fools and Horses where Del Boy, not realising the bar flap has been lifted up, goes to lean on it and falls perfectly onto the floor. I had returned from fetching a candle to show my parents and friends, and was in the process of turning around to shut their door, when I'm not sure how - but I lost my footing and went flying out of the m/home and landed on my right wrist face down on their astro turf!!! Mum said it was like I'd been sucked out of a vortex. Anyway, obviously my OH jumped up full of concern and came to my rescue ... NOT! My Mum and Dad were there like a shot (you still need your Mum when you're hurt and I'm 43!). Well, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry so I did both - laughed until we cried. Tears were rolling down our faces. Then to top it all off my Dad managed to get himself locked in their loo - we heard this knocking and then had to release him. It was such a funny moment and I wish we'd been able to film it! Apart from a twisted back and sore tendons am pleased to report that my wrist wasn't broken.
But, the saga doesn't end there because as you all know the weather was absolutely horrendous Sat night/Sun morning. At 4.15 am Sun morning I was still wide awake, lying in bed listening to the wind howling and the rain lashing wondering if the caravan was going to blow over at any moment or if the awning was going to be ripped off! I think I managed under 3 hours of fitful sleep - I kept thinking the Avon was going to burst its banks and flood the site. (Your imagination works overtime at night doesn't it?). Anyway, sure enough Sun morning OH had emptied the awning when I heard him call my name .... it was about to be ripped off the rail so I grabbed it and we managed to save it from being torn off but have sustained a small amount of damage which he says he can fix. We were lucky, some poor chap was walking up the road with the remains of his small awning trailing behind him as it had been ripped off. Horrendous.
I didn't dare comment about how worried I was about the journey home but have to report that my OH did a sterling job and we stuck to 50MPH following their m/home and didn't once feel the van move on the back. What a trip! All we need now is to be out in it in a thunderstorm and we really have experienced all kinds of weather in three visits away! But it hasn't put us off at all. (I can say that now after a good night's sleep).
Roll on Broadway in two weekends time!!!!
Yes it was rough yesterday surprised the river did not break its banks As it did at Shipston so we where shipston in stour for a while lol
I have not stayed at the Broadway site (presume its the CC one) But its a lovely area you can walk in to Broadway from the site Its part of the old Railway Line from Cheltenham to Stratford on Avon
Hope the sunshines for you
I have not stayed at the Broadway site (presume its the CC one) But its a lovely area you can walk in to Broadway from the site Its part of the old Railway Line from Cheltenham to Stratford on Avon
Hope the sunshines for you
Hi Rita, we stayed at Broadway during that wonderful weekend in March which I think was our summer! We loved it and cannot wait to take my parents back there. My Dad will love the railway element of the site as it's his thing. I was convinced we were going to get a knock on the door at any moment Sat night telling us to abandon our van the rivers coming lol! Scary.
Did you find Toddington inlast time as you can park there and ride in to cheltenham
http://www.gwsr.com/planning-your-visit/finding-us/toddington.aspx
http://www.gwsr.com/planning-your-visit/finding-us/toddington.aspx
Parksy
Moderator
Oh Dear, you did have a rough time of it!
I hope that you weren't too badly hurt when you fell out of the doorway of the m/home, I'm sorry to confess that I'm laughing as I type this though
We were on a seasonal pitch on the banks of the Avon at Eckington and the river burst it's banks and flooded the site nearly five years ago, we'd just bought our first ever brand new caravan after years of having used models.
The caravan was only three months old when the Avon flooded the floor to a depth of about 4" and we were devastated.
Fortunately for us we'd insured the caravan with the C&CC and although the caravan was declared a total loss the C&CC sorted everything out very quickly with no fuss and no further stress for us and we were able to get a brand new replacement very quickly.
We tend to steer clear of riverbanks during spells of bad weather now!
It's easy to miss turnings when travelling through unfamiliar places, I always look at Google Maps, get the directions from our caravan storage to the site and print them off along with enlarged maps of any tricky parts of the route where I could miss turnings. Because I've just printed the map off it doesn't matter if I scribble my own notes all over it and over the directions. I have a sat nav but never rely on it because it tries to send me along routes unsuitable for caravans, I can pre-programme it but I still use the Google maps to be on the safe side.
If you look on Google Street View it's often possible to look at the view of the road or lane leading to the site entrance, it's always worth spending a bit of time sorting out where you are going on the computer.
At least your O/H seems to have become used to towing, so I hope that you have a lovely time in and around Broadway and that all goes well.
I hope that you weren't too badly hurt when you fell out of the doorway of the m/home, I'm sorry to confess that I'm laughing as I type this though
We were on a seasonal pitch on the banks of the Avon at Eckington and the river burst it's banks and flooded the site nearly five years ago, we'd just bought our first ever brand new caravan after years of having used models.
The caravan was only three months old when the Avon flooded the floor to a depth of about 4" and we were devastated.
Fortunately for us we'd insured the caravan with the C&CC and although the caravan was declared a total loss the C&CC sorted everything out very quickly with no fuss and no further stress for us and we were able to get a brand new replacement very quickly.
We tend to steer clear of riverbanks during spells of bad weather now!
It's easy to miss turnings when travelling through unfamiliar places, I always look at Google Maps, get the directions from our caravan storage to the site and print them off along with enlarged maps of any tricky parts of the route where I could miss turnings. Because I've just printed the map off it doesn't matter if I scribble my own notes all over it and over the directions. I have a sat nav but never rely on it because it tries to send me along routes unsuitable for caravans, I can pre-programme it but I still use the Google maps to be on the safe side.
If you look on Google Street View it's often possible to look at the view of the road or lane leading to the site entrance, it's always worth spending a bit of time sorting out where you are going on the computer.
At least your O/H seems to have become used to towing, so I hope that you have a lovely time in and around Broadway and that all goes well.
I'm still laughing now Parksy as people at work are coming up to me and asking how it was with the weather etc and of course I have to tell them about my tumble!!! Yes, I think we'll steer clear of waterside parks for the time being and I must admit I think I prefer hardstanding to grass pitches as well as it's cleaner but that's just my preference. Sorry to hear about your new caravan, that must have been a frightening experience but glad it was all sorted quickly. I did look at Google maps, as did OH but there are massive roadworks and a sign obliterating the one turning we'd missed so it vindicates us a bit but I wish they'd told us the site was opposite the NFU Mutual head quarters as you can see this for miles around!!!! We've just put it all down to experience and something to tell at dinner parties etc.
Did you find Toddington inlast time as you can park there and ride in to cheltenham
No didn't know that Rita but worth bearing in mind for next trip! Thanks. Lisa.
No didn't know that Rita but worth bearing in mind for next trip! Thanks. Lisa.
Parksy
Moderator
The steam railway has a station at Toddington and there used to be a good carvery meal at The Hob Nails just up the road. I haven't been round there for ages so I don't know what the meals are like now.
Ah Parksy, am familiar with the name Hobnails Pub as my ex husband lives near there so takes my son there regularly for meals and apparently they are extremely good. Worth bearing in mind as well (although OH is a Chef so he takes a bit of persuading to part with his readies "when he can cook it himself!").
Hi All, google british leyland caravan and camping rally clubs. there about 10 clubs in a book anyone can join any of them its about £15 for the year and go on any of the rallys as long as you are a member of one club. were going to hendra whitsun week with landroverccc for £95 all in thats £13.57 a night high season. ill either love it or hate it but we know the stewards and bro in law and family is going there 40 caravans within the clubs going so we will have a lot of one filed. i dont do the social side of it and they dont badger you to. some do fancy dress themes and its a knock out for the kids but most chill out , do there own thing and go to coffe/tea morning if you want in the week sometime.
hope this helps for a few
hope this helps for a few
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