Review: Andrewshayes Holiday Park

Review: Andrewshayes Holiday Park

As tent campers, we’re not usually fans of camping at caravan parks, however I’m always happy to be proven wrong! That was certainly the case with our recent stay at Andrewshayes Holiday Park, near Axminster in East Devon. Prior to becoming parents, me and Luke were quite happy with a basic site; in fact, the quieter the better. These days it’s a different story! We still don’t like big holiday parks, but a few child friendly facilities make life so much easier with a demanding toddler.

We had a nice spacious pitch at Andrewshayes. (Photo courtesy of Clare Mackenney)

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Andrewshayes, however it turned out to be the best of both worlds. As soon as we arrived we were warmly greeted at reception, and everyone we met during our stay was helpful and approachable. It’s a small, friendly site; yet has great facilities and lots to keep a small child occupied. Don’t get me wrong, we love camping, but camping with a toddler is no holiday! Luckily Andrewshayes has lots to keep the whole family entertained, from an outdoor playground, swimming pool, games room and toddler play room.

Our pitch was right next to the playground

The toddler play area was a godsend when I needed a sit down for a few minutes

We had a big pitch to ourselves right next to the playground. In fact, as the site is compact, all the facilities were just a short walk away. The toilet block was clean and warm and featured plenty of showers. Also, each cubicle was large, with somewhere to put all your clothes (one of my pet hates about camping!). We also found a family shower room in the next field, which certainly made life easier with a small child.

One thing which caught my eye was the indoor pool and it was a great addition to the site. I would have liked to have spent more time in there, but we were so busy exploring the area that we didn’t have time to do everything.

The indoor heated swimming pool at Andrewshayes is free for guests

There is a small shop on site selling basics, gas etc and a bar and takeaway for those nights when cooking is a struggle! There is also an information room, which I thought was a great idea.

We largely cooked for ourselves, but it’s always good to have a backup plan just in case!

For me, the best thing about Andrewshayes is the location. Not only is the holiday park in a beautiful setting, it’s ideally placed for exploring the local area.

Andrewshayes Holiday Park is surrounded by beautiful countryside.

Things to do in the area:

Pecorama

Seaton Wetlands

We took a drive along the Jurassic Coast from Lyme Regis, all the way to Portland. There are lovely places to stop along the way, such as West Bexington and West Bay (which will be familiar to fans of Broadchurch). We made a couple of stops to walk along some of the South West Coast Path and were treated to some stunning scenery.

Lyme Regis has a lovely sandy beach and is a good place to start exploring the Jurassic Coast

It’s a great drive down the coast to the Isle of Portland

We largely cooked for ourselves, however we did have a couple of meals out, which I was impressed with. We had a nice lunch at The Cobb Arms, which is beside the harbour at Lyme Regis. We also stopped off at The Kings Arms in Portesham. Both were child friendly and we enjoyed our meals.

Have you ever been to East Devon?

 

Disclosure: We were given a free pitch for 4 nights for the purposes of this review. All opinions are my own.

Related

Comments

  • Notmyyearoff Notmyyearoff May 02, at 10:31

    It looks amazing and weve just come back from one and that toddler playground would have been amazing. Looks like a really lovely place! #triedandtested

    Reply
  • Fiona Fiona May 02, at 11:07

    Looks a well thought out park for families with plenty to do on site and out and about #TriedTested

    Reply
  • Jul Jul May 02, at 13:03

    Its the bees knees. Its just great.

    Reply
  • Ashley Beolens Ashley Beolens May 03, at 09:16

    Certainly seems like a nice place for the family #TriedTested

    Reply
  • Colette Colette May 03, at 13:07

    What a beautiful place to visit.
    Thanks for sharing your review on #TriedTested this week x

    Reply
  • What a wonderful place. My husband is keen to go camping, but I’m thinking this might be a better option until the girls are older x #triedtested

    Reply
  • Tracey Bowden Tracey Bowden May 05, at 10:25

    I have never been on a camping holiday. I love caravans but never actually been camping. I love that there are great facilities as this is probably one of my worries if I was to ever go camping. Great pictures too #triedtested

    Reply
  • Helen Helen May 08, at 11:54

    I totally agree about the need for some additional fun when you have kids, even though I’m with you on the peace and quiet otherwise. I think you compromise when you have children, in order to make things less hard work. Love Lyme Regis – nothing better than a good British beach!

    Reply
  • Lyf&Spice Lyf&Spice May 08, at 12:15

    What perfect views + I love the name of your site (PS: I love hiking :)) Cheers!! #MondayEscapes

    Reply
  • It looks like a great holiday park. The indoor pool in particular is great for little ones. Lyme Regis looks stunning;) I had no idea how lovely it was. Thanks for linking to #MondayEscapes

    Reply
  • Mini Travellers Mini Travellers May 10, at 06:01

    It looks like you had a really lovely trip, the pool is a fab addition on a camping trip isn;t it! #MondayEscapes

    Reply
  • Kerry Kerry May 10, at 18:18

    We’ve been thinking of trying camping with a toddler, somewhere like this looks fab! She’d love that play area xx #MondayEscapes

    Reply

Post Reply