The Old Vicarage
5 acres hosted by Susan B.
1 glamping pitch · 2 tent pitches
Activities
Biking
Fishing
Horseback riding
Paddling
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Reviews
79% Recommend17 Ratings · 11 reviews
Loved the area and the water stream nearby. My kids loved it and really enjoyed it here.
L
Liezel F.
2 months on Hipcamp
The location of this campsite is genuinely stunning — nestled right by the river, it's a beautiful plot with loads of natural charm. Unfortunately, that beauty is let down by how the site is run.
The owners clearly take full advantage of the setting and pack in far too many people. I saw tents pitched as close as a metre apart, which is not only uncomfortable but raises serious safety concerns — it feels like a fire risk waiting to happen.
If you're heading here for a peaceful getaway, be warned: the on-site "Cave Bar" pumps out music until late. If you're not into late-night drinking or are looking for the quiet side of camping, this place could feel like hell on earth.
The amenities are another letdown — tired, dirty, and badly in need of restoration. The owners often reply to reviews saying maintenance happens in the winter, but it doesn’t seem like much changes. Year after year, the facilities remain pretty grim.
That said, if you’ve got kids, they’ll likely have a brilliant time. The river is the star of the show, and for little adventurers, that’s all that matters. It’s a shame the rest of the site doesn’t live up to its potential.
R
Ryan R.
3 months on Hipcamp
Recommends
· December 2024
With pets ·
Luxury Log Cabin
We loved the log cabin. Took the dogs for a couple of days, the place is lovely. The weather wasn't the best, so after a couple of wet an rainy walks (which the dogs LOVED) we just hunkered down in there. Played games, drank wine, listened to music. Its perfect to hide away for a couple of nights.
L
Louise M.
7 months on Hipcamp
This was our first ever camping trip an we couldn’t have picked a better place. It was a lovely looking location, beautiful stream, few animals in the surrounding fields and plenty of amenities. Will definitely go back and will bring the children too they’d love all the swings an zip line over the stream
T
Tirren L.
3 reviews
Recommends
· April 2024
Tent ·
Non Electric Grass Pitch
Lovely site, lots of cute places to pitch your tent
L
Lyndsey B.
5 reviews
What an absolute dump of a place. Random pitches, totally uneven grass with 18” dips in places. Facilities dirty and only 2toilets and one broken shower for a site that caters for 30+ units. Oh and it’s situated at the end of an airfield runway so from 8am you’ll have the pleasure of light aircraft constantly taking off and landing. No to mention it’s literally right beside the A1 trunk road, lovely for the constant traffic noise in the background, non of which is mentioned in the write up of the campsite. We’d booked for two nights but left after just one. Worst campsite I’ve visited in 15 years of camping.
Carl M.
2 reviews
The campsite has the potential to be amazing, with it's lovely picturesque setting, and the river running through it, however the facilities are lacking. The toilets and shower weren't cleaned very often (I get that it was a muddy site so the floor would be dirty but the toilets themselves were filthy). There was no soap and often no toilet roll. The fridges in the kitchen kept being switched off and were stinking as a result. The pitches aren't defined which I understand is to protect the grass and that's good, but it meant that tents ended up very close together and it wasn't clear what space was yours. Overall we still had a good time but we have stayed in much better campsites for less than what we paid to stay here.
M
Melanie H.
2 years on Hipcamp
Recommends
· June 2023
Tent ·
Non Electric Grass Pitch
Really lovely location. The river is perfect and it gives the campsite a very peaceful/magical vibe. Decent toilets and showers.
Inês A.
5 reviews
This campsite is amazing.
Brilliant for families with children - there’s a shallow river than runs through with lots of swings and zip wires over and safe for children to play.
The pitch was flat and plenty of room (we were by the kids play area) and even when the site was busy there was plenty of room.
Site is just off the A1 but you really wouldn’t know.
Impeccably clean site, bins available. Wonderful cave bar, fire pits available for £10 hire and firewood for Same price. The hosts are v friendly and helpful.
There are 2 ladies toilets and one separate disabled one, and one shower available for ladies. The block was clean but does get busy - we didn’t queue as went at non busy times.
There is a small village shop in Elkesley village that sells milk and bread etc, and a Starbucks a precarious walk along the A1.
Would definitely recommend
L
Laura P.
2 reviews
This campsite is a little piece of paradise. Brilliant for families with children - there’s a shallow river than runs through with lots of swings and zip wires over and safe for children to play.
The pitch was flat and plenty of room (we were by the kids play area) and even when the site was busy there was plenty of room.
Site is just off the A1 but you really wouldn’t know.
Impeccably clean site, bins available. Wonderful cave bar, fire pits available for £10 hire and firewood for Same price. The hosts are v friendly and helpful.
There are 2 ladies toilets and one separate disabled one, and one shower available for ladies. The block was clean but does get busy - we didn’t queue as went at non busy times.
There is a small village shop in Elkesley village that sells milk and bread etc, and a Starbucks a precarious walk along the A1.
Would definitely recommend
L
Laura P.
2 reviews
Wow what a find! We had a great time here, the kids absolutely loved it.
Easy to find, welcoming check in and left alone to enjoy this amAzing site.
We had a duck race downstream, we had about 15 kids playing games with us, magical.
Dogs all on leads, just wish they could walk them outside of the site where children are playing.
L
Lynne J.
2 years on Hipcamp
Location
Retford, Nottinghamshire, England, United KingdomTo respect the Host's privacy, the precise address of this land will be provided after booking
Hosted by Susan B.
Joined in March 2022Things to do nearby
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