Norden Farm Campsite

Last updated 18/4/18

The weather and the ground conditions have improved but we are not fully dried out – we are still asking that people contact the reception before travelling to the site without making a booking.

Sustainability of EHU Pitches – 2018

In the last few years, we have been finding it increasingly difficult to sustain our EHU pitches throughout the season and then get them to recover sufficiently over the winter months in preparation for the following season. This is not an uncommon problem on any grass field site, and it is one that we must tackle on various fronts in order to provide the best pitches and overall site appearance that we can achieve, year on year. Therefore, this season, we are having to bring in some revised conditions of site use that will potentially affect both tourers and campers alike.

The largest part of the problem is that the grass is being severely damaged by the widespread use of awnings and the huge increase in tents requiring an EHU pitch. Continued unbroken use of a pitch inevitably results in the grass dying off very quickly. This is so even in the dry weather, but is much more noticeable in periods of prolonged wet weather. The grass has no chance of recovery and will quickly become just mud when it is repeatedly walked over. No doubt, quite a few of you will have experienced this last year. Breathable ground sheets possibly help a little in the short term, but are not the whole solution. We have carried out extensive extra drainage work over the last few years and whilst this has helped the fields overall, it does not solve the underlying cause of grass just not being able to survive being covered for long periods of time.

This season, we will be taking additional measures to combat the problem. These will include a rest period between bookings for the pitches that may need to breathe, so you may well be seeing empty pitches when we are ‘fully booked’ – these will be empty for a reason. We are also introducing a restriction on the length of time a tent or an awning may remain in one position; this is a maximum of 14 days after which time awnings must be taken down and tents will need to be moved to another pitch that has aired. Those staying in our non EHU Top Field will not be affected by these measures as we are happy that those pitches naturally rotate with every new arrival. However, please be reminded that the maximum stay across the whole site is 21 days.  

Not only are we striving to provide an overall better standard of pitch, but also believe that this will help maintain some underlying root growth which may then improve individual pitch drainage in the periods of very wet weather.

Whilst we fully appreciate that this may be inconvenient to some of you, we also trust that you will understand that we have an obligation to manage the site to the best of our ability in ways that provide a good standard for everyone throughout the season.

Many thanks,

The Campsite Team