CCC • View topic - CC Centenary site, Bransgore, New Forest, Hampshire

Spent 3 nights on this very popular site. Was almost full on all 3 nights.
A large open site, with young planting which will soon grow which will improve its appearance. There are four distinct areas names after WW2 aircraft as the site is on an old airfield. The oneway system is a bit odd in places and its easy to drive round and round trying to find the way out. Nearby is a memorial to the RAF. There are two large well appointed toilet blocks which have the usual laundry and veg prep/dish washing rooms. Plenty of loos and showers for all. The pitches are a mix of hardstandings and grass, we ended up on grass as that was all that was left, but it has been dry there for weeks and the ground was rock hard and people with awnings had to really hammer away for ages to get the rock pegs in. There is a nice well fenced dog walk, a very good play area for small children with some interesting play things and a large field with some goals for playing ball games. Although this was a lovely site and very well kept it seemed a little souless. You could have been anywhere as it was not 'in' the Forest like Black Knowle is. The wardens were very particular how the vans were parked up even on the hardstandings. Reverse in, peg on the nearside edge, awning one side, car on other. Our preference would be Black Knowle when we go that way again. No photos, but the CC website has plenty.

We went for a walk Monday morning before departing and walked around a C&CC Forest site close by, called Holmley. This looked a far nicer proposition as it was within the Forest and had lots of stiles around the perimeter fence allowing access (with or without dogs) to the New Forest. Checking on Ukcampsites there is the usual problem of being crammed in because you can pitch anywhere there is a space and I noticed that a number of the large wheelie type bins were full to overflowing which would attract vermin. If you go there, go when its the quiet season.

We would have liked to go there but decided to leave it for awhile to give the trees chance to establish themselves. I imagined it to lok like an open mown field Confused

Ironically in August we are going to Teesdale, a site that hasn't been built yet Laughing

BTW Black Knowl was bad for ticks this year Gill, even Her Ladyship had one biting into her arm after picking up the dogs to put them in the car as we were leaving. We found another 2 in the van.

As far as I can tell, the dogs nor ourselves have been troubled by ticks. Having light coloured dogs is quite useful for tick spotting and we didn't see any. Dosed up both the dogs a few days before we went, with Frontline. Our vet told us that it would be perfectly ok to give the dogs another dose two weeks later when going to a tick infested areas. luckily the Cotswolds don't seem troubled by ticks on the whole (probably too flippin' cold in the winter). I knew ticks liked warm damp weather so thought the dryness we've been having would have kept them at bay, but with your experience it seems that they are about this year too.