Monday 3rd to Wednesday 5th April 2023
My brother and I decided to take a mini camping trip this Easter as a test run for a bigger trip later this year. I haven’t been camping since I was 17 so I was eager for our taster trip with my brother’s campervan. We stayed at Hayles Fruit Farm campsite for two nights, a site my brother favours, and I soon found out why.
Day 1 – The Campsite and Hailes Village
Hayles Fruit Farm campsite is situated just outside the market town of Winchcombe in Gloucestershire. Arriving at the site early Monday afternoon, we found everything well signposted and easy to navigate. My brother is registered disabled and struggles with his mobility, the staff happily accommodated our request of a pitch nearer the facilities. The site itself was surrounded by lots of trees with a coded gate entrance so it felt secure and secluded. The next field over was home to a bug hotel and stunning fishing lake with lots of Canadian geese pottering around. We couldn’t walk too far with my brother’s mobility but Hayles Fruit Farm was hosting an Easter themed trail for families and had other nature trails around the area to explore.
The facilities on the campsite were excellent. Lovely heated toilet and shower block that was always clean, warm and had plenty of hot water. Next to it was a campervan waste disposal and general waste/recycling area. There were lots of electric hookups on the hardstanding pitches and plenty of drinking water taps dotted around the site. Over on the grass tent pitching area there was a portaloo block and washing up area. It felt to me the site had been well thought out and there was always someone on hand if there were any problems. As a working commercial farm, Hayles Fruit Farm proudly offers their home grown products to buy from their farm shop, next door to their popular tea shop. I picked up a bottle of their award winning Badger’s Cider but there was a huge selection of other locally produced foodstuffs and gifts to choose from.
Hayles Fruit Farm is situated next to Hailes Abbey which is run by English Heritage. Although we were not there during opening hours, we were able to see some of the Abbey ruins as we walked by. The site hosts a museum and audio tour as well as the beautiful, peaceful setting of the abbey ruins themselves. Across the road from Hailes Abbey is the wonderfully preserved Hailes Parish Church. This little 12th Century Norman church is set off the road in a small churchyard. Inside the building, we were greeted with original Medieval painted wall frescoes and beautiful floor tiles (that I understand were removed from the adjacent Abbey after the Dissolution). A stunning piece of religious history to be admired, but with no electricity so make sure it’s during daylight.
That evening was clear and crisp, with a bright Gibbous moon overhead and the Canadian geese partying into the night. The temperature dropped but my first night under canvas in over 20 years was quite an exciting and cosy one.
Day 2 -Sudeley Castle and Gardens, Winchcombe
The next morning was bright and sunny with a slight frost on the canvas. Fortunately the campsite showers were hot and efficient, making it easy to get ready for the day ahead. We were cooking our meals in the van and had our food and drinks planned out, so we fuelled up on hot porridge, prepped some sandwiches and headed out to Winchcombe for the day.
We travelled the short drive from the campsite through the narrow streets of the quaint Cotswold market town of Winchcombe, to spend the day at Sudeley Castle and Gardens. With its Royal connections and the resting place of Katherine Parr, I was so impressed with the wealth of history and information Sudeley Castle had to offer. We had plenty of disabled parking to choose from and lots of accessible information provided to us by a very helpful and friendly wheelchair using member of staff. We were also offered a wheelchair to borrow.
Sudeley Castle is surrounded by 10 gardens to stroll around and enjoy. We set off through the Tythe Barn garden, which takes you through the ruins of the 15th Century Tythe Barn and offers the best view of the castle over the large koi pond. We found all the gardens easily accessible and scooter friendly, with many staff happy to help us navigate suitable paths. For a sunny spring time visit, the gardens were lush and green and offered promise of what blooms and displays the summer season will hold.
Inside the castle were the exhibitions. These did require taking some steps to upper floors, which fortunately my brother was able to slowly manage. The exhibitions were incredible and worth the effort to see them. We were treated to a complete indepth history of Sudeley castle, its owners and famous guests through exhibits, timelines, displays and videos. I was so impressed with the quality of the items on display and we could have spent much longer looking through everything, but with the sun beconning us into the gardens, we headed down the ‘haunted staircase’ and out into the sunshine.
The castle also has some of the castle rooms open to visitors. As these required more stairs, we decided to skip these. We were told that the castle rooms were available to view on tablets from the groundfloor, which I thought was a great feature to offer.
In the castle grounds we found the restored St Mary’s Church, surrounded by some of the castle gardens. Originally the castle chapel, the church houses the entombed Queen Katherine Parr after her original tomb was discovered in the chapel ruins in 1782.
Sudeley Castle and Gardens hosts an outdoor adventure playground as well as a willow maze for children and adults to explore. They also work in partnership with Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust and had several outdoor exhibitions and wildlife information points around the gardens.
Day 3 – Packing Up and Final Thoughts
Following a warmer night, the next morning was overcast and then subsequently drizzly. As the morning wore on, the rain became more substantial. We decided to take a leisurely morning to pack up and head home, knowing a lot of our things were getting wet and would need drying out. We had to vacate our pitch by 12 noon and so then headed to the farm shop to stock up on local goodies before heading back home.
Reflecting on our mini trip, I had a great few days away. The site was lovely and peaceful and I was surprised at how few guests were staying, as I had expected lots of families for the Easter holidays. We had also been blessed with warm Spring sunshine for the majority of our stay.
This trip was an opportunity for me to acquaint myself with camping with my brother’s van. He has a Ford Transit Devon conversion campervan, about 25 years old and he calls her ‘Ye Old Faithful’. He took his time to show me how to fill up the water, connect the electric hook up, set up the solar panels, ready the cassette toilet and pitch the awning. As well as all the relevant switches and dials inside the van. We discovered the water gauge was inaccurate but the old girl is functioning pretty well considering.
Something I really appreciate about YOF being a small Transit, is that we can drive off into towns and villages and park up in normal sized parking spaces. She’s small and compact but burrows a lot away and we can take her onboard facilities wherever we go.
I will definitely be returning to Hayles Fruit Farm campsite again, the facilities were excellent and there was so much more to explore in the area. Travelling with a disabled person with limited mobility offered me the chance to explore how accessible different points of interests were. I was pleasantly surprised at how accommodating people and places were to us. A lovely mini Spring trip to test out our kit.
Nicky J Green 
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