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Walcot Hall Glamping

UK England West Midlands Shropshire Bishop's Castle

Glamping in the grounds of Walcot Hall with exquisite views of the Shropshire countryside

The real camping dream is often a slightly exotic one; alpine mountains kissed by the morning sun; dusty orange rocks curling around Himalayan valleys; salmon jumping beyond your tent flaps in North American forests; the rich aroma of pine needles tingling in your nostrils. The same smells, sounds and romantic camping atmospheres are closer than you think though. Come to the feet of the Shropshire hills and you can find the exoticism of foreign fir tress, bygone birches and Pacific pines at your fingertips, and still with that all-important English country pub just a hundred yards away. Now if that’s not the dream, we don’t know what is!

Home to one of Britain’s finest and most eclectic arboretums, Walcot Hall is the very site in question. It was back in the early 1800s that the first trees were purposefully planted here, in the sweeping grounds of a grand stately home, and since then both the trees and the collection have continued to grow. Different species and varieties are always being added and today the vast range makes for an impressive visit at any time of the year. The old ones, though, are still the best – in particular a towering Douglas Fir planted by Lord Powis in 1842 and once the tallest tree of it’s kind in the entire country.

The real joys here, though, are for those who really want to delve amongst the bows, camping beneath the arboretum canopy in one of Walcot Halls hidden treasures. The campsite now boasts no fewer than ten different glamping hideouts spread around the 30-acre site and the majority are tucked up amongst the trees providing a true sense of woodland seclusion. Sticking with the spirit of diversity these too are a varied bunch, from a traditional wooden shepherd’s hut and creamy canvassed yurt to an old-school gypsy wagon and a vintage fire-truck surrounded by rhododendrons. All are exquisitely fitted out in a rustic but luxury style with huge beds and nearby ablutions facilities.

Whether you chose the indulgence of glamping or the space of the campsite, guests are still welcome to all the privileges of a night at Walcot Hall. There are water pools for fishermen, two large lakes with rowing boats to dabble around in and stables for those inclined – head out for a hack with Stuart Murray who’ll show you the local bridleways. For more independent travelers there’s a wealth of other activities on the doorstep (no, beyond the pub!) not least the fabulous walking opportunities in the Shropshire Hills. Try the scenic three-mile route to Bishops Castle, a thoroughly welcoming little market town accessed along a beautiful tree-lined pathway – not that you haven’t seen them before!

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Details

Facilities

Facilities include heated amenity block with showers, toilets, washing machines, dryers and chemical disposal point. 12 of the pitches have electrical hook-up available. Walcot Hall estate has 2 large lakes with rowing boats which can be used, and one of the largest arboretums in the UK which guests are welcome to explore.

Suitable For

Everyone! Glampers, campers, tents, campervans, caravans, dogs, groups, families, couples...

Nearby

Walcot Hall is an ideal place to join the trails of the Shropshire Hills (01588 674080). Many local footpaths skirt directly around the edge of the estate so it's easy to head directly into the countryside from camp. The Stiperstones (though a short drive away) are particularly beautiful, thick with heather, flourishing purple through spring and early summer, or walk famous Offa's Dyke (01547 528753) just a few miles from the site. The campsite is situated 3 miles from the small market town of Bishops Castle, renowned for its alternative, arty culture and friendly community, and is 30 minutes away from Ludlow and Shrewsbury.

Food & Drink

The campsite is directly to the rear of the Powis Arms (01588 680254), a delightful pub at the bottom of the Walcot Hall driveway. The pub serves bar meals at lunch and in the evening. There is also the village shop just a short walk away. Nearby Bishops Castle (with food shops and a petrol station) is know for its brilliant beers and homemade food. Pubs such as the Three Tuns (01588 638797), the Six Bells (01588 630144) and the Castle Hotel (01588 638403) are famous for their own home brews.

Open

April – October.

Why book with Cool Camping?

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The Owner Says

Walcot Hall is considered as one of the top wedding venues in Shropshire. With its turquoise freestanding ballroom, characterful accommodation and eclectic furnishings, it really is a feast for the eyes and perfect for unique wedding ideas. The 30 acres of grounds, including one of the finest arboretums in Britain, offer a wide variety of panoramas, floral displays and garden features including the extensive lake, walled courtyard, unusual statues and a fountain. Whether you are interested in hosting a wedding or hiring one of our holiday cottages for a weekend away, this vast estate makes for one of the most impressive wedding venues and memorable holiday destinations within the Shropshire Hills.

Accommodation

A multitude of glamping options including vintage caravans, yurts, shepherds huts, an old fire truck and even converted chapel! All glamping accommodations are pet friendly.

After the Gold Rush - Yurt

Yurt or Ger Sleeps 4

Spacious yurt comfortably accommodating up to 3 adults or 2 adults and 2 children, 2 on a double bed and 1 adult or 2 children on a small double sofa bed. There is a wood burning stove and a cooking area with a table and four chairs. We will supply you with bed linen but please bring towels.

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Buffalo Springfield - Yurt

Yurt or Ger Sleeps 2

A cosy two person yurt with a double bed, wood burning stove and seating area. There is a dressing table and 1 ring gas stove cooker so you can make yourself a brew in the morning. We supply you with bed linen but we ask you to bring towels.

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Crazy Horse - Yurt

Yurt or Ger Sleeps 2

Crazy horse can sleep two people and it is located on the edge of the arboretum with brilliant lake views. Outside there are shared toilet facilities, a campfire, table tennis and badminton set which is for all the yurts.

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Fire Truck

Quirky Sleeps 2

Our quirky Fire Truck has a full size double bed surrounded by fabrics and furniture such as old wine crates, lanterns and white wicker chairs make this a cosy romantic retreat. In Spring our wagon is surrounded by a carpet of bluebells.

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Green Glory Showman's Caravan

Gypsy caravan Sleeps 2

Our Green Glory Showman's Caravan can sleep 2 people, with stunning views over the Shropshire's Longmynd. It is an authentic caravan which has been renovated and redesigned. We provide Bed linen and logs but not towels.

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Gypsy Caravan

Gypsy caravan Sleeps 2

Our bright and cheery retired travellers wagon is kitted out with a double bed and a child's cabin bed. We provide you bed linen in the cost but the towels are not included, please bring your own. The caravan has no electric or running water, it is ideal for the agile and adventurous wanting to get away from it all!

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Heart of Gold - Yurt

Yurt or Ger Sleeps 2

Our newest glamping unit is located in the yurt field with its own private decking and wonderful views over the village of Lydbury North. It has a comfy double bed with bed linen supplied. There are hot showers and flushing loos a short distance away.

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Red Showman's Caravan

Gypsy caravan Sleeps 2

Our spacious traveller's caravan nestled deep in the Arboretum. It does not have electricity but it has a wood burning stove for heating and cooking.

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Shepherd's Hut

Shepherd’s hut Sleeps 4

Our Shepherds Hut is located in a provate spot on our grounds. It has recently been decorated, it had 1 cosy kingsize bed and 2 single bunks above which can fold out when required. There is no electricity or running water so best suited for those who want to get away from it all!

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Ram-Baa

Shepherd’s hut Sleeps 2

The Ram Baa is one of our ten 'Hidden Treasures' and sits right in the middle of the arboretum, surrounded by beautiful trees and nature. It has a cosy double bed and bench seating with storage. Borrow one of our rowing boats and venture onto the lake.

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Location

Contact Walcot Hall Glamping, Walcot Hall, Lydbury North, Shropshire SY7 8AU

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Getting There

The nearest train station is Craven Arms (0845 748 4950) which is approximately 15 minute drive away.

Reviews

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Rated ★★★★☆ over 6 reviews

★★★★★

An incredibly beautiful spot, warm and cosy accomodation

We had a beautiful couple of nights staying at Walcott Hall glamping site. A group of us stayed in the two of the Yurts, the Green Glory, Red Showman's Caravan and Ram-Baa. We found the accommodation warm and cosy, and the site is just beautiful. There was ample wood left for us to gather around the fire pits in the evening. The showers were warm and toilets were clean. Each site was a decent distance away from other campers so we weren't disturbed by any others at night. We'd thoroughly recommend Walcott Hall glamping in the future - I'm keen to go back.

Jul 5, 2021 by Steven Bloomer Verified Review

★★★★★

Green Glory Glamping Sept 2020

We had read a few reviews before booking and as ever there are always negatives which we took on board but went ahead anyway... Our four nights in Green Glory vintage showmans caravan was sheer relaxation. The setting in the woods on a gentle slope, with views over the Shropshire hills was a perfect place to sit in front of the fire pit or the log burner inside should it be raining... It has been renovated internally recently and looks clean and fresh.. The bed was so comfortable, spotlessly clean and offered a fab night's sleep.. When you open your eyes then the curtains you can lay their and take in the view..the shower and wc just a few yards away, like many of the buildings in and around Walcot was very quirky and unique.. The shower was lovely and hot.. Take a good torch you will need one... There is no running water or electrics in the caravan but you do get a kitchen area with sink (water butt supplied), single ring burner, plates, cups, utensils and a table for two. The livingroom area seating was a little thin to say it was a comfy seat, also the outside seating was damp and wooden a little rickety, not a moan, we didn't fancy a wet behind 😁.. Just by chance we had a pair of foldable camping chairs in the car which worked perfectly for both in and outdoors... We did see some comments about there being old vehicles, machinery etc lying about the grounds..We won't lie, this is true but add these together with all the other hidden treasures around the grounds, it all added to the Walcot experience.. Go explore... Glamping is not a 5 star hotel so don't expect 5 star luxury. Another tip, make sure you have wellies, if it's wet, you will need them. The golden question would we go again...A huge yes. We were so relaxed at the end of our break, a fabulous setting, thank you Walcot Hall..

Sep 26, 2020 by Mark Fenemer Verified Review

★★★☆☆

After the Gold Rush - Needs a Freshen Up

The grounds around Walcot Hall were fantastic and my family (including dog) were able to enjoy exploring the arboretum as well as pleasant a walk to the nearby Bury Ditches (Iron Age hill fort). The yurt itself was good although, rather disappointingly, the clear dome at the apex has undergone 3 repairs with what look like gaffer tape. There was a heavy storm during our stay and the repairs were unable to hold out all of the rain. Cleanliness was not as good as we expected. On arrival, the water jug had a small amount of water in it, which we hope was from being cleaned but not fully dried. The barbecue was dirty, with no drip tray to catch dripping fats, and contained an unwashed, grease-laden frying pan left by a previous occupant - We would have expected this to be noticed in the current 'Covid-cleaning' times. Needless to say, it went unused during our stay. The shower, toilet and kitchen facilities were basic. A better standard was expected from a glamping site. The boat on the lake had a broken seat - a Heath Robinson repair was made to make it usable. I also had to spend 20 minutes bailing out the water that had collected over time, so that wellies weren't an essential item of clothing for a row around the lake. Overall, our family rated the stay 4 stars out of 5 - the fourth star being awarded based on our ability to make the most of our stay, regardless of any conditions we are faced with. A relatively small investment in sprucing up the facilities and improved cleaning checks at turnover would reap big dividends. My wife passed on constructive feedback to the the General Manager of Walcot Hall upon our departure.

Aug 25, 2020 by Richard Pattison Verified Review

★★★★☆

A bit of a surprise....

...considering some of the comments below. Stayed here overnight on a trip back from the Welsh Coast and we would have no hesitation stopping here again. The campsite is small but perfectly adequate with good views, clean facilities and provides excellent value for money. The host was welcoming. Access to the grounds of the hall provides good walks and the glamping pods can be found here.

Oct 15, 2018 by GreenCamper

★★★☆☆

Pleasant stay.

The marketing of this camp site is a quite misleading, it has nothing to do with Walcot Hall and is just a small field behind a pub, facilities are very basic and dated. The field is next to the drive to the Hall which was very busy with cars up and down into the late evening. If you expect basic and pretty you will not be disappointed, the tree's are beautiful and the pub was lovely, it just wasn't what we expected having found it on the Cool Camping website, we thought we had the wrong place! It did have the best swing which the children loved and it was peaceful.

May 7, 2018 by BMW

★★★★☆

Midweek break in the sun

We decided to head to this unfamiliar area to us with our hound and took a gamble on this site, it was midweek and when we booked the lady was friendly and helpful but that was the only interaction we had with anyone during are stay, I liked that. The site is behind a bit of a run down pub which was next to the shower / toilet building which was clean although a bit tired and dated and the showers were pretty cool which meant we were in and out.

We were the only ones on the site but it is really pleasant surrounded by mature trees and hedges and just an atmospheric place especially when the sun set. The approach lane to the estate borders one side and leads to the hall which has a very uncommercial timeless feel which when booking the lady urged us to explore, a beautiful place.

We used the site as a base to go walking and hiked through the village of Lydbury North which was nice and headed over the hills to Bishops Castle, a lovely historic village with good pubs, the Three Tuns highly popular and friendly but we sat and got slowly mellow in the Castle Hotel's beautiful garden, locals did not have anything positive to say about the Powis Arms next to the camp site and said the landlord was unfriendly which put us off a bit. Walked back walking through the grounds of Walcot hall as light faded which as a lovely lake running through its centre and worth seeing for the nature alone.

In summary we were pleased we gambled on this cheap, hassle free site in a pretty spot, don't know how busy it'll be a weekends but I was surprised it hadn't been reviewed, definitely worth a stay.

May 1, 2015 by Blue&Aimi