Silverburn Park Campsite

Excellent but with one big problem

Campsite excellent. Loved the special little touches, heated bathrooms, soap and cleaning products, hot, hot water for washing up, the trolleys to move your gear to the pitch. The whole place was very well maintained. But, the road in was abysmal! Very deep potholes which made you fear for the bottom of your car, and no way to avoid them. It was such a very, special place but this problem alone would make me seriously consider whether I would return which is such a pity. If that could be sorted, I'd give it 6 stars!

Quiet site

Great site. There was only one point that let it down. All the electric pitches flood when it rains as the pitches have not had time grow any grass to stop the rain from pooling. The electric pitches could be moved a few feet either way so as the tents could be pitched onto grass to prevent flooding.

Disappointment

Very bad experience overall. Road to campsite is total disaster - huge holes, very bumpy, you have to drive at like 4mph max or your car will be destroyed. I damaged our front bumper because the bumps are too high! Near campsite, it's just mud everywhere. My car got stuck, couldn't get out, wheels just spinning. Final thing - I broke side mirror on some wires and scratched paint badly. Parking? Ha. There is sign: "Beware of flying golf balls", nice, yeah? Perfect place to leave your car and hope that nothing smashes it. Parking is small, super tight. No privacy at all. The area around the tent pitches is very cramped - no space between you and the next tent. People literally walk 1 meter from your door, you hear everything. It felt more like a busy car park than a relaxing campsite. Toilets were dirty, smell bad, not cleaned regularly. Showers were okay actually - 2 of them on site and always free when I went, so that was fine. Dishwashing station - that was actually nice, hot water and clean area. But be aware - seagulls are crazy here! They attack every bag of food and scream like crazy. All day, they fly above people and try steal food while you eat. Check-in only for 2 hours a day. After hours, no help, no answer, nobody seems to care. We're not coming back. Never. I wish I read reviews more carefully. This place maybe okay for people with campervans and zero expectations, but for normal families with car and a tent - very bad. Only reason for one star - showers and dishwashing area. Avoid this place, please.

Site's response

Hi Urszula, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback — we’re genuinely sorry to hear that your stay didn’t meet expectations. Firstly, regarding the access road: you’re absolutely right that it’s not in ideal condition at the moment. Unfortunately, while construction is ongoing at the nearby historic flax mill, heavy construction traffic has made it difficult to maintain the road surface, especially during recent bouts of severe weather. At the time of your visit, we were experiencing some of the heaviest rain on record in our area, with an official amber weather warning in place. That said, we do take this seriously, and we’re planning repairs to the road surface in the immediate future. As for the parking area, I want to clarify that the signs that read, “Caution - golf balls” means there is a risk beyond that point and they are placed specifically to prevent vehicle access past that point. We’re sorry to hear that your car got stuck — the recent extreme weather created muddy conditions that have been challenging, especially in more exposed areas of the site. We're working on drainage and ground improvements to help mitigate this in the future. Regarding the facilities: we actually have three showers on site, not two. These are within the same units as our campsite toilets, so we’re a bit confused how the showers were fine but the toilets smelled unpleasant — unless you were referring to the public toilet block near the flax mill, which is much older and only used if the main facilities are fully occupied. That block is being retired once the mill construction is complete. We appreciate your positive comments about the dishwashing area and showers — and yes, the seagulls can be cheeky! Unfortunately, being so close to the beach, they’re a part of the natural environment here and can be just as persistent at any coastal site. Regarding the check-in process, we do keep a short check-in window because we are a small family-run team. However, all guests receive detailed information via email and in our welcome guide, including instructions for staff-free or late check-ins. We do our best to make this as smooth as possible. I’m really sorry that your overall experience didn’t reflect the kind of stay we aim to offer, especially to tent campers. We always strive to improve, and your feedback will be taken into account as we continue developing the site — particularly as we move through this busy period of construction and unpredictable weather. Wishing you all the best in your future travels. Kind regards, Scott Silverburn Park Campsite