What a busy year it has been so far, and we want to thank the many customers, old & new, that have supported us.

We are always striving to maintain or improve the site and 2022 has already seen a lot of work carried out…

1. The Conservation Area had a much-welcomed revamp with the ponds being cleared of reeds and over-hanging trees and new fishing swims installed giving better accessibility to those customers wanting to hopefully get a bite or two. Customers simply enjoying the peace & tranquillity have been treated to numerous sightings of the Kingfishers throughout the summer too!

2. For our younger guests an adventure playground was installed in June in the Lakeside Field and has proved very popular.

3. The larger pool is surrounded with Alder trees that need to be kept under control. This year about one third of the Alder trees were removed as part of the rolling management programme recommended by the David Bellamy Conservation Award programme.

4. Wild swimming, kayak & paddle-boarding in the large pool has been extremely popular with families throughout the summer. To make their experience more enjoyable the jetty underwent work to stabilise it, the ladder was re-positioned and additional steps were added to assist with entering and leaving the water.

5. We also managed to spend some time on the lodges over the spring and early summer with new kitchens installed in the Ledbury 3 Lodge and Four Oaks Lodge, meaning the kitchen refurbishment plan in all our smaller lodges is now complete.

It’s been an exciting start to 2022 with lots of work going on in our lodges:

• 3 lodges had new kitchens installed (Kites Nest VIP, Ledbury Lodge 2 and Ledbury VIP).
• Ledbury Lodge 2 has also had a total bathroom make-over with a walk-in shower with low level shower tray and glass screen instead of a bath.
• Kites Nest VIP has new modern style light fittings in the lounge area

We have more improvements planned for other lodges but these will be in the autumn now as the lodges are filled with customers.

Exciting News

We are also very excited to announce for those that come to Woodside for fishing, we are working on a special present for you for Spring 2022. The two ponds in the conservation area have been cleared and new fishing swims are being installed to make for a better experience.

New Fishing Swims

This has been a challenging year for everyone so we wanted to end 2020 on a positive note. Share with you some good news! Tell you about some of the improvements we have made to our lodges during 2020 to make them better for you – our wonderful customers.

Every lodge has had a degree of TLC – some more than others, but our aim, as always, to give customers a better experience staying here at Woodside Lodges.

A new hot tub is already on order for Springpools Lodge 3 and should arrive during January. It will certainly help with the increased demands from customers wanting spa breaks

Kingfisher Lodge, a spacious contemporary style 2 bedroom lodge has now been added to the letting fleet – full details will be on our website soon but get in touch if your are interested in booking.

Finally, we have worked hard throughout the year to make sure the site is Covid safe for all our guests. We have even more stringent cleaning & safety protocols than before and all guests, whether staying in our lodges, on the camp site, in the camping pods or bunkhouse can relax knowing we are covid secure.

We look forward to welcoming all our customers in 2021 – old and new. 

As part of our ongoing development plans we managed to secure some European LEADER grant funding to help us realise our plans earlier than would have been possible.  Over this winter the LEADER support has enabled us to be busy on many projects.

We’ve invested in a new, improved, safer entrance into the campsite; provided additional electric hook ups spread out across the Cider Mill field and Orchard Field plus fresh water points – improvements we have wanted to do for many years.  We’ve also added a new safer bin store and another fire point.

All the Woodside Team look forward to welcoming you to our site and hearing your feedback on the improvements we’ve made.

Cider Mill Field

We will be increasing the number of hook-ups along the full length of the field.  Previously all the hook-ups were at one end of the field making it difficult for customers to be pitched next to friends.  Now customers can choose for themselves when they book which end of the field they want to pitch.

As well as increasing the number of pitches we have also renamed the field to make it easier for customers when they book using the online system:

• The half of the field furthest away from the entrance and nearest to the toilet blocks is now known as Cider Mill East. This half of the field only caters for customers that require electric hook-up.  There is no facility for non- electric pitches in this area.
• The half of the field closest to the entrance is now known as Cider Mill West. This half of the field has mixed pitches and caters for anyone – both those wanting electric or those not wanting electric.  If you want to be with friends with different pitching requirements this is the end of the field for you.

Feedback from customers was that they enjoyed the informal character of the field, so this has been kept.  We still have no marked out pitches so you can choose how you want to pitch when you arrive, whatever end of the field you decide to stay on.

Prices

To help with refurbishment costs we have increased the basic pitch price for 2020 by £2 per night.  All other prices, including camping extras, pod stays and bunkhouse stays, have been held at the current price …meaning no price increase for 3 years.

Book now… The online booking system is now live to book camping, pods or bunkhouse during 2020. 

#1 Learn

The art of learning can apply to all ages and keeping your brain engaged is an important part of being happy & healthy. There are plenty of wildlife spots around Woodside lodges where you can discover new creatures and habitats to learn about. Our team are passionate about the wildlife onsite, so if you have a question or are curious about something, just ask!

If you don’t feel like exploring amongst the critters you could visit one of the more well known attractions like Eastnor Castle to learn about the rich history that the castle has to offer. Or if history isn’t really your thing, you might visit the Malvern Hills GeoCentre where you can learn about the Geology of the hills, and even discover fossils that have been found over the years!

#3 Active lifestyle

It may seem obvious, but people who are active have reduced health risks compared to those who don’t, such as diabetes, depression & dementia. Discovering an active lifestyle helps improve our appetite, strengthen our body & ease day to day discomforts. Not only that, it can improve your mental wellbeing – especially activities like walking and outdoor exercise.

We have a few walking routes available from Woodside lodges and they all vary in ability. Maybe walking isn’t your cup of tea, but watersports might be, so if you’re looking for something a bit more intense why not try a days canoe trip? Or if you’re a keen cyclist, the Forest of Dean hosts plenty of bike trails for all the family, you can even hire the kit you need too!

Maybe you’ll find an activity that you love and will continue with it after your break with us. Active lifestlye = healthy mind & body!