A review of the Cambridge Camping and Caravanning club site located in Great Shelford, Cambridgeshire.
I stayed on this site for around 3 weeks of my first month of living in my van and it was a great site to use to get myself familiar with living in my van, testing things out, making necessary upgrades whilst still being in 'familiar territory'.
I have chosen that for the first few months, I will stay on campsites on grass only pitches except for my client work days where I will hook up to electricity to ensure no matter the weather conditions, I'm not going to have any issues with powering my laptop etc.
Club members only
It's worth mentioning from the outset, that this particular site is ONLY for Camping and Caravaning club members. If you're not a member, you simply cannot book. You can of course go as a guest with a club member.
No visitors (at the time of my visit and writing this blog)
During my stay, which was primarily in August 2021, a period in which all COVID related rules and regulations had been dropped by the government, this site, for whatever reason had a no visitors policy. I'm unsure of the thinking on this one personally because if you pay for someone to stay the night, then 'visitors' are permitted 🤔
This is something the club needs to look into because I cannot think of any legitimate reason why, when all COVID restrictions have been abandoned, visitors are still not permitted on site.
Location location location
If you have family or friends that live in Cambridge or surrounds, or you wish to explore Cambridge, then this is ideally located for doing so.
There is a bus stop not far down the road with buses going into central Cambridge. Plus Trumpington park and ride is a few minutes drive from the site.
If you prefer to cycle, it's about a 10-minute cycle ride into Cambridge town.
Amenities
As with many Camping and Caravanning club sites, this site has pretty much everything you could need on-site.
Toilets and showers - the toilet and shower block is checked and cleaned 3 times a day and was always very clean throughout my stay.
To the rear of the toilet block, there is a laundry with a single washing machine and a separate tumble dryer. At the time of writing this blog, it costs £3.50 for a 30-minute wash cycle and £1 for a 20-minute drying cycle.
Next door to this is a chemical toilet disposal room.
A disabled toilet.
And several sinks for dishwashing.
Dog walk - there is a short dog walk on the site and another one just a short walk from the site for those travelling with their pets.
Pros
Fair prices for proximity to Cambridge
Clean and well-maintained toilet block
Laundry on site
Greywater disposal point
Chemical toilet disposal point
Disabled toilet
Cons
No shop for essentials on the site. Having said that, there is a small convenience shop about a 10-minute walk from the site.
Its proximity to Addenbrookes hospital means there can be several helicopters at all times of the day. This wasn't an issue for me personally but thought I'd mention it if you are the sort that likes quiet sites.
