CAMPSITES & GLAMPING | Fell End Holiday Park, Milnthorpe, Cumbria – Review

camping pods cumbria



The Lowdown

Fell End Holiday Park, Milnthorpe, Cumbria
pureleisuregroup.com

  • Camping pods £40 per night
  • Electric light, heater and power socket
  • No tent pitches
  • 5 star holiday park
  • Tourers & motorhomes
  • Static caravans
  • Indoor swimming pool & gym
  • Kids play area
  • Shop, bar and restaurant
  • Secluded woodland location

Fell End Holiday Park Entrance

The entrance to Fell End Holiday Park

Fell End Holiday Park Complex

Our Visit

Friday 6th March – Sunday 8th March 2015

The nitty gritty

On arrival we checked in and headed over to Pod number 2, and parked up beside it. It was a cold night, so as soon as we got in we turned the little wall heater on, and set about quickly unpacking the car so we could get settled. There is good spacing between the pods and due to the angles they are set at, you don’t feel too overlooked and you can park right next to most of the pods.

Our camping pod

Inside, the camping pods are slightly bigger than previous pods we’ve stayed in before, and due to the large volume of gear we always seem to bring with us, the extra size made for a truly comfortable stay. As well as camping and cooking gear, we also had walking gear with us and even with beds, chairs and a table inside, there was still plenty of room to move around.

Outside the camping pod

Once our gear was inside we headed back to the main complex which houses the reception, shop leisure facilities and the bar/restaurant, to grab a bite to eat before it closed at 9pm. The choice of food was good, with a typical pub food menu along with a decent selection of pizzas. My freshly battered fish was delicious, and with prices similar to your average pub, we thought the value of food and drink was good.

I loved the woodland that the pods are located in, and the tremendous morning bird song was a delight to wake up to.

The website stated that the pods had heaters, but just to be on the safe side, we took one with us anyway but despite it being bitterly cold, we didn’t need it. I was truly amazed at just how warm and cosy the pod was – the addition of electricity and a heater makes for a comfortable stay whatever the weather.

Both beds set up

Both beds set up inside the pod, there was loads of space

SLPY sleeping bag

Chilling in my fab SLPY sleeping bag

When camping in a tent or pod, I usually sleep in thermals, and always have an extra duvet on top of my sleeping bag, but I just didn’t need any extra layers at all and woke up in the night (when i’d normally be shivering) and was just as warm as I would have been at home, which makes packing light and taking just the bare essentials realistic, even for us!

Camping pods are amazingly convenient, and the electric heater kept us warm and cosy, even on a very cold weekend in March!

The pods at Fell End get top marks from us, and we’d highly recommend them for anyone wanting to camp comfortably during the colder months, or for families looking for value and convenience. The location is great too, and meant we got to explore a different part of the Lake District. I also loved the woodland feel of the pod area, and the tremendous morning bird song, which was a delight to wake up.

Inside our podInside our camping pod

Inside our camping pod

The electric and heater made for a very cosy stay

The facilities

The on site facilities are good, and the leisure centre is excellent. There is an indoor heated pool, and a very well equipped gym too; i’ve stayed in 4 star hotels with gyms much less well equipped, so I was super impressed and everywhere was very clean too. The pool and gym are housed in the main building complex, and childish as ever we couldn’t resist a visit to the arcade to try and beat the 10p machine (we failed of course).

Fell End Holiday Park Complex Reception

Fell End Holiday Park Bar

Restaurant & bar area

All of the static, seasonal and tourer pitches were pristine and very well kept, as were the camping pods which are all grouped together near the entrance, close to the main complex. There is a large, clean toilet and shower block that was a short walk away from the pods, which were warm, airy and pleasant to use. There was also a washing up and a laundry room, with coin operated washer and dryers. I’d say the amenities were on par with the holiday parks in Devon we visited last year.

Kids play area

Kids play park and field

For children, there is a field and great little play park; a lovely safe place to let small people play, surrounded as it is by static caravans.

Fell End Holiday Park Review

Out and about

Fell End holiday park is in a great location. It’s not far from the M6 and is close to Kendal, Windemere and Morecombe, making it an ideal base for exploring the southern part of the Lake District.

Sizergh Castle

We had planned to take a half hour drive over the border into Yorkshire, to walk the Ingelton Waterfalls Trail, but the weather was so cold and overcast that we decided that taking pictures on such a dull day wouldn’t do the falls any justice, so instead, we headed into the lovely town of Kendal for the Kendal Festival of Food. The food festival was a great choice, and gave us an excuse to try some delicious local produce (mainly cakes).

Sizergh Castle

bracket fungi

We then headed to Sizergh Castle & Gardens, a National Trust property just a few miles south of Kendal. Unfortunately the house itself was closed, but we spent a lovely couple of hours walking in the grounds, and had a brilliant time following the fabulous wild play adventure trail, which we can thoroughly recommend, even if like us, you don’t have children with you! With free parking and a lovely cafe and shop, if you are staying at Fell End, we’d thoroughly recommend a day out there.

Adventure trail

The great fun kids adventure trail at Sizergh Castle

adventure trail

Our Verdict

My one and only trivial gripe would be that when I camp, I love star gazing, but due to part of the woodland being lit (which does make it look lovely), it made it difficult to see the stars. As far as holiday parks go, my usual issue is that they tend to be big and noisy, but Fell End was truly lovely.  We did of course go out of season, and only a handful of camping pods were occupied, but the general feel of the place was friendly and relaxed, and if we return to the area, we would definitely stay there again.

Find out more about Fell End Holiday Park here.

camping pods cumbria

A big thank you to Pure Leisure Group who invited us to stay.



Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Shell Robshaw-Bryan
Follow Shell