Horsley Camping and Caravanning Club Site

I recently decided to try out another local campsite. I usually look for a Camping & Caravanning club site and the two nearest to me are Walton on Thames and Chertsey. I tend to use the latter mostly as the former has shockingly bad mobile broadband reception. Having looked at the website I decided to book Horsley Camping and Caravanning Club Site. It should be noted that this site is only open late March to early November.

Horsley Camping and Caravanning Club Site – Facilities

Check in was a simple process. I followed a warden who showed me my assigned pitch, located on the other side of the lake. The lake is popular with fishermen and I don’t know what it is but fishermen are often such miserable sods. Today was no exception as I slowly made my way around the lake an old guy glared at me… perhaps my diesel engine was scaring the fish!

I was shown my pitch and given a quick but detailed explanation of where everything was. Electric hookup was rated at 10 amp which is lower than some sites but more than enough for my needs. There are 130 pitches in total and the site accepts motorhomes, caravans and tents. Like the other club sites I’ve stayed at there is a clean shower block, laundry and dish washing facilities. It also has wifi but according to some reviews I’ve read they don’t have enough boosters. This results in a poor signal if your pitch is far from the reception area. These same reviews also say that mobile coverage is not great but to be honest I had no issue.

Pets are welcome and being close to the North Downs the site has lots of good places to walk a dog. Another thing I noticed on the club’s website is that this site offers seasonal pitches, something that is quite rare this close to London. I expect demand could be high but for the fulltimers among you it is worth noting if you happen to work in the London area. However you could not make Horsley your home all year as it closes between November and late March!

Horsley Camping and Caravanning Club Site – What’s nearby?

As stated above the site is quite convenient for those wanting to visit London. Once you walk to Horsley station there are direct trains to Waterloo which take about an hour. Train are expensive however so this site would not appeal to London commuters. My advice for regular commuters to London would be to look at Crystal Palace or Abbey Wood Caravan Club sites if your vehicle is LEZ compliant. If non compliant your best options are probably the campsites at Lee Valley.

One popular tourist destination close to the site is RHS Wisley which is about 3 miles away. A little over 10 miles away you have Denbies Wine Estate, one of the most famous vineyards in England. For those with young children to occupy in the summer holidays you have the theme parks Thorpe Park, Legoland and Chessington World of Adventure close by.

All in all I enjoyed the visit to Horsley Camping and Caravanning Club Site. I stayed late in the season just before they closed. It’s a site I will use again when they open in March 2013.