Crystal Palace Caravan Club Site
One of the campsites I use the most is Crystal Palace Caravan Club site and so I thought it was about time I did a review. The site is very popular, partly due to its location being that it is very convenient for those wanting to see the sights of central London.
Crystal Palace Caravan Club Site – The Facilities
Some basic information about the site follows. It used to be open all year round but in 2011 the Caravan Club took the decision that only one of its two London club sites (the other being Abbey Wood) should remain open over the winter. Since Abbey Wood is the only site of the two that has storage facilities for motorhomes and caravans it was decided to close Crystal Palace between early January and mid March.
Crystal Palace Caravan Club site has all the facilities you would expect. With a total of 126 pitches, 68 of which are hardstanding they can accept motorhomes up to 8.5 metres in length, caravans and even tents. Pitches have electricity and there is a very good motorhome service point next to the shower block for taking on fresh water, dumping grey water and emptying the toilet cassette. The shower block is of a very high standard, there are plenty of toilets, wash basins and showers. The shower cubicles themselves are a good size and have plenty of hooks. Another feature I like is that you can control the water temperature yourself which I much prefer to those showers where you the temperature is dictated to you and you have to press a button every 20 seconds to keep the water flowing. The shower block also has a laundry with good sized washing machines and dryers, and laundry prices are fairly typical for UK campsites. The site also has chargeable wifi but I never use this as I have an internet dongle with the service 3 that gives me 15GB a month for a fair price.
Crystal Palace Caravan Club Site – The Area
That pretty much covers the facilities of Crystal Palace Caravan Club site but what about the area around the campsite? Dog owners will love the fact that the site backs on to Crystal Palace Park which is a huge area you and your dog will love. Although the site itself has a small shop, decent sized supermarkets are a 15-20 minute walk away in the town of Crystal Palace itself. There is a small Tesco Metro but for the greatest choice there is a much larger Sainsbury’s.
The main attraction of Crystal Palace Caravan Club Site for most people is its proximity to London. From Crystal Palace bus station you can catch the number 3 bus which passes through Westminster, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus and finally ending up close to Oxford St. The bus runs through the night, becoming the N3 night bus. Crystal Palace also has a train station with trains to Victoria where you can then connect to anywhere in London via the underground network.
Prices at Crystal Palace Caravan Club Site are also reasonable, especially for Caravan Club members. Prices are calculated by adding together a pitch price and then for the number of adults, children and pets you have. Depending on the time of year the pitch price at time of writing was between £5.20 and £9.50 per night. Each adult is then chargeable between £5.40 and £7.60 with children costing between £1.55 and £3.10. Not being a dog owner I cannot confirm what they charge for pets and I could not find this information on the website either. Membership of the Caravan Club is £40.00 per year plus a joining fee of £7.50 which is waived if you pay by direct debit. Non UK residents can also join The Caravan Club and if you are planning to spend any time in the UK you will quickly save the cost of membership by getting the cheaper members rates.
In summary Crystal Palace Campsite is a great London campsite, perfectly situated for visiting the city centre. It’s green enough that you might not realise how close to London you are as the site is so peaceful. For more information visit the Crystal Palace Caravan Club Site webpage.
This place looks good! I’d like to go there. Thanks for the heads up.
Hi Gary, hope you are well. Followed your European your with interest last year. I must say that I have been a little slow with my blogging over the winter but trying to catch up now. The Crystal Palace site is a great base for Central London but bizarrely our newer Hymer, Merc 1999 vintage, is not allowed inside the LEZ area, however our smokey 1991 predecessor would be. Whats your travel plans for the summer?
Hi Mike,
Thanks for leaving the comment on the blog. Being a Londoner myself I spend a certain amount of time at Crystal Palace but as from early next year my current Hymer will not be allowed within the M25 due to the LEZ. Planning to change my vehicle as a result.
Will email you directly with more info.
Thanks
Gary
Hi Gary,
I stumbled upon your blog as I’m considering setting one up myself, about our family adventures in our motorhome, although we don’t live in it fulltime (we actually rent it out as well, to help it fund itself). Anyway, I love your blog and have subscribed so look forward to more posts.
Have a good day,
Lisa
Hi, I also use this site when visiting London. I have heard that Bromley council have planning permission to redevelope the park and part of the plans is to build houses on the caravan site, area Rockhills. This would be a great loss to caravaners and I am totally devastated.
Hi Hayley,
I no longer use Crystal Palace as my vehicle is not LEZ compliant since January 2012. When I used to stay there I sometimes chatted to the wardens and the general feeling was that the real estate was worth too much to remain as a campsite but that it was unlikely that there would be any changes for a decade or two. Do you have any links to websites that indicate a change is due soon?
All the best
Gary
The Motorhome Vagabond
Hi Gary
I agree that the site is excellent. They even had classical music in the toilet block on our recent visit. We are some of the lucky few who are staying there during the Olympics. Granted I had to struggle for 45 minutes on the first morning of bookings before I succeeded, but boy was it worth it!
You mention trains to Victoria. There is also the Overground service to Canada Wharf, where you can connect with the Jubilee Line. This is a good alternative. The no. 3 bus is a bargain if you have an Oyster card, but the journey takes around an hour.
Hi Brian,
Glad you enjoyed your visit to Crystal Palace. Yes I remember they played classical music in the shower block! I cannot stay there now due to the LEZ rules but it is a really good campsite for people visiting London. There are some rumours that it will not remain a campsite for much longer and real estate values in London being what they are I would not be surprised if it gets developed on.
Gary
We were booked from 10-13 June. Having stayed here we were looking forward to returning. However after one day my husband was taken ill. The wardens arranged an ambulance to take us to kings College hospital. They gave me instructions for returning to site by using two buses which went well for me. They even gave me a get well card for John which he was very grateful as we don’t know anyone in London. Surprisingly they deducted the payment for one person duti g his three days in hospital. They checked daily with me that I was ok on my own. We can’t thank them enough. We are so sorry the site is closing in December. We will try to return before the closure to thank them. I do hope they are given another site where they want. We have been motorhomes for many years and never have been given so much assistance. I will never forget how friendly and helpful they were to us. Please pass on out thanks.
Wow great service from the wardens. Shocked to hear it is closing down, it was always likely but still shame to hear the news. I’m guessing it will be used for housing, as if London is not overpopulated enough already.