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Reviews of Callow Top Holiday Park
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Callow Top Holiday Park
Buxton Road
Sandybrook
Ashbourne
Derbyshire (Browse area)
DE6 2AQ
Tel: 01335 344 020
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This site has an availability calendar. You can check for availability here
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Pitches: 200
Open: 22/03/2024 to 10/11/2024
22/03/2025 to 10/11/2025
Rating: 
   
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Photos (17)
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 Caravan Pitches |
 Motorhome Pitches |
 Small Campervans |
 No Glamping Units |
 No Statics for Hire |
 Holiday Homes for Sale |
 Seasonal Pitches |
 Electric Hookups |
 Hardstanding Pitches |
 No Fully Serviced Pitches |
 Show Full Facilities |
| Who's it for |
 Families Welcome |
 Not Members Only |
 No Rallies |
 Not Naturist Site |
 Dogs Welcome |
 No Dogs Allowed |
 Groups Welcome |
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| Facilities |
 Toilet Facilities |
 Hot Showers |
 Washing Up |
 No Bathroom |
 Baby Changing Facilities |
 Laundry On Site |
 Drinking Water |
 Disabled Friendly |
 Chemical Disposal |
 Battery Charging |
 Gas Exchange |
 Recycling Facilities |
 No Kitchen Facilities |
 No Freezer / Fridge |
 Motorhome Point |
 Wifi Access |
 Shop On Site |
 Bar On Site |
 Restaurant or Cafe or Takeaway On Site |
| Activities |
 Kids Playground |
 No TV Room |
 Games Room |
 No Evening Ents |
 Fishing On Site |
 No Wild Swimming |
 Indoor Pool <5 miles |
 Outdoor Pool On Site |
 No Horse Riding |
 Cycle Hire <1 mile |
 Golf <5 miles |
 Tennis <1 mile |
 No Beach |
 Watersports <5 miles |
 No Boat Launch |
| Other Features |
 No Sea Views |
 Not Working Farm |
 No Campfires Allowed |
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 No Waterside Pitches |
 Public Transport <5 miles |
 Offroad Dog Walk On Site or Direct Access |
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Reviews:
335 in total, now showing 231 to 240
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| Date of Visit: May 2007 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: TinanGed |
9 reviews from this member |
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 A bit of a challenge to review this site! I didn't like it much but the kids loved it and are always asking to go back and the other half thought it was 'ok for a short break.'
The steep hill on entering the site is a challenge if it's wet when visiting with a tent all your kit and bikes - must be a nightmare for caravans.
Reception is spacious and welcoming with efficient, friendly and proffessional staff and the shop next door is very good. Not just essentials but pretty much everything you need including bits of kit you may have left behind and toys for the kids.
The site itself is very big, split into separate fields and pitches for tents are spacious. Caravans looked a bit packed in if they had awnings.
The field we were in was level and grassey with a big area in the middle to play for the kids. We also had a toilet block in our field so didn't realise initially that this is a luxury - not all the fields have loos and there was often a short queue. I expected a queue for showers as well as these are limited in number considering the size of the site but this was not a problem and the showers were nice, clean and lots of hot water for 20p.
The atmosphere of the site was very busy as there were so many children and they were all rushing around having a great time making friends and playing on the playgrounds which I was told by my kids were 'great.' The swimming pool is basic and looks dated (it was also packed) and I expected disappointment from the kids but they were straight in and given the chance would have stayed there all weekend.
The pub has tables outside and a large grassed area at the front which soon fills up with people wanting to party - the play ground is in sight so the kids ate their chips in record time are went off to play close by with their new friends. There was also entertainment on Saturday night.
The Tissington trial is right next to the park and this was the biggest bonus for me as you could get onto it without the kids having to ride bikes on a road and we had a great day cycling.
I would say this is not a site for if you want to relax in peace and quiet. This is a place to go if you want the kids to have lots to do. I will be going back - children can be very demanding - but I would not stay for more than a week end as I camp to relax and that's not what this site is about. 
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| Date of Visit: March 2008 |
Unit: Touring Caravan |
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| Reviewer: BarkyBaloo |
4 reviews from this member |
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Just come back from seven days at Callow Top.
On approach there is a long sweeping driveway that takes you to the bottow of a slow steady hill, me (being female) managed to tow our 6 birth Bailey Ranger(hubbie 3 kids aged 12,10 and 8, and my mother in a 4x4 discovery up the incline in second gear to the top, but we saw many being towed by the owners to the top of the hill.
Staff were friendly and helpful with information. Had a nice spot for the week as we were far enough from the playground but in sight of it so we could keep an eye on the young ones! There is Arnolds Room where the kids young and old can play pool or table tennis or watch England play (if they are on). The pub next door looked ok but we never went in as we preferd to spend time with kids. Shop was ok to last a day or two. Loads of space to ride bikes so kids felt freedom whilst you felt they were safe.
We visited Dove dale which is a lovely place to walk or cycle, as is Carsington Water, both of which are approximatly 15 minutes drive away. Swimming Pool wasn't open due to time of year but looked basic from what we could see. Only complaint was the dog mess that seemed to crop up randomly otherwise we had a good week.
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| Date of Visit: March 2008 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Rosie2007 |
10 reviews from this member |
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We booked this campsite because we were fed up of phoning round and getting 'sorry, fully booked'. It was the first on the list we had that had pitches available for Easter weekend.
The facilities were ok but I dont know how they would cope at busy times. Not enough toilet/shower blocks to for the amount of pitches. They were clean though and looked quite newly decorated.
The shop was ok for camping equipment but had hardly any food in it but loads of booze!
Seemed to be lots of unsupervised children on this site, went to the toilet block at around 9pm and a group of teenagers were using it as a youthclub! Another group of kids found it funny kicking a ball at our tent to wind our dog up.
It was ok but would not visit this site again.
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| Date of Visit: July 2007 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Micklaine |
9 reviews from this member |
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Callow Top was our first camping experience and it was ideal for us and our 2 youngest children (8 months & 3 at the time). We camped in the large field at the bottom and loved all the space in the middle for the kids to run about.
The shop was well stocked with all the basics
You may need.
The swimming pool is outdoor and it was very hot when we went so we used it alot and found it great, there is a separate pool for very small children and both pools were clean.
Our son loved the outdoor play area which was very popular with the kids and always busy.
The showers are 20p and although there didn't seem to be many of them I never had to queue for one and they were lovely and hot.
We liked the home brewed beer which we took back to our tent in a nice big jug!
The site has 24 hour security and the security guard comes round at 9pm every night to make sure that no-one is being too noisy.
We would definatelly like to go again this year.
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| Date of Visit: September 2007 |
Unit: Touring Caravan |
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| Reviewer: Cgriffin |
12 reviews from this member |
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Ve just returned from a weekend at Callow Top, and have very mixed feelings about it all.We arrived early Friday evening, and were faced with the very steep hill that I had read about on this web site. Ourcar groaned up in first gear, but our friends weren’t so lucky and started to wheel-spin and slide back down the slope. Luckily it seems that reception are well-prepared for such occurrences, and soon appeared with the 4x4 to pull both car and caravan up to the reception. Reception staff were very friendly, and pointed us in the direction of our pitches on Field 2. Once there we were greeted by piles of dog poo and fag ends all over the pitches. Nice. The pitches were so small you had to park your car opposite on a tarmac area. Luckily, being with friends, we didn’t mind being close. The evenings consisted of hundreds of folk, sitting outside the pub (as they can no longer smoke inside it) shouting four-letter words at their children until well after midnight. The PA system boomed out the bingo numbers until nearly 11pm. The showers were large, but filthy. This is the first site I have ever visited with no mops, so it was no wonder they had got in such a state. It hadn’t even rained, so I dread to think what they were like in the wet ! The showers were 20p for a 4 minute scalding, which was too hot for myself, so obviously I couldn’t use them for our 2 and 6 year old.
The play area was lovely and the kids were very happy, although they all kept coming back covered in dog mess again. The shop was large, and had everything you could possibly want for camping or caravanning. It also sold bread and milk, but no fresh fruit or veg.We had a lovely walk in Dovedale, which is literally just down the road.
We had a really nice meal at the Bailey Brook Inn down the road. Obviously we did not bother with the pub on site.I love the area and would go back again, but definitely not to this site.
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| Date of Visit: August 2007 |
Unit: Touring Caravan |
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| Reviewer: BigDowdy |
5 reviews from this member |
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This site was recommend to us by a neighbour who had recently taken their kids aged 4 and 10 for a week. We only managed a long weekend with our four year old, but it was long enough.
My first impression was one of horror as I began the very steep incline into the site entrance. My heart was in my mouth as we struggled up it in first gear. Our friends had taken a tent and forgot to mention the hill. Watching the car and caravan in front of us being towed up it by a 4 x 4 didn't fill me with confidence.
Once into reception, the staff where very friendly and helpful and pointed us in the direction of our pitch. We were in field 3. I found our pitch quickly, which was being used as a car park by the people in the next pitch. Luckily they were in and very friendly and quickly moved their car.
Next we put up our awning, which came right up to the next pitch. The pitches where very close together.
The site itself must have been a hit with the kids as it was full of them. Most of them in the play area until well after dark. The poor lighting on this site didn't deter them. (If you need to walk your dog at night take a good torch) The big age differences of all the kids playing was very noticeable and our four year old found it hard to get around the different apparatus. Luckily we were pitched just far enough away as to let our little one play (While supervised) but not have to listen to the other 50 kids the rest of the day.
The outdoor pool was fun, if not looking a little shabby and the site shop was a good size and well stocked. (if buying the 99p Transformer Robots you need to buy 5 to make the big Robot, sorry William.)
The toilets and showers were kept reasonably clean (Don't forget to take 20p's for the shower. 20p gets you four mins) The food and Menu in the Club House was basic but not to bad. The Club itself could really do with being alot bigger to cater for the number of families on the site.
We went to the on site Pub to eat on the Saturday night. After a long wait to find a table we then sat for another 30 mins waiting for a waiter to serve us. We eventually got his attention, only to be told we had to leave our name at the bar before he could serve us. This I did, to then be told there was an hour wait for food. I wasn't happy so got the family in the car and went into Ashbourne, only two mins away and had a lovely meal. We were back in the club house well before we would have been served in the pub.
If you like fishing there is a pond at the bottom of the hill owned by the site and it is also a great base for walking. The dog loved it. I think we would go back, but not for a long while.
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| Date of Visit: August 2007 |
Unit: Touring Caravan |
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| Reviewer: Michele139 |
3 reviews from this member |
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A lovely site, but the lack of toilets and shower blocks let it down. The size of the site is very big and I thought each field should have toilet and shower blocks on them, also it is very dark of a night time and there is no lighting around the site.
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| Date of Visit: August 2007 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Hush72 |
1 review from this member |
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What can I say? We had originally booked to stay at this site for a short break, however ended up staying for a full week. The kids just didn't want to go home! The site was well maintained with lots for the children to do. Lots to do in the surrounding area as well. The outdoor pool was the firm family favourite, particularly as we seemed to pick the hottest and dryest week of the summer. We also won £40.00 on the bingo, so needless to say, the children were thrilled. The arcade was small and reasonably priced which was ideal and didn't drain our finances as arcades can normally do.
On the negative side, there's not enough amenities. They have two facility blocks near the entrance and that's your lot (unless you count the porta cabin style toilets in a back field). This meant that with us being in the furthest field, we had to walk all the way to the entrance to wash dishes and shower etc, and once there, would often have to queue. They could certainly do with building a third facilities block and placing it in one of the further fields.
I would highly recommend this site and hope to go back for a further visit.
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| Date of Visit: August 2007 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Carl@atompl.co.uk |
4 reviews from this member |
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This was our last camp of the summer holidays, so we plumped for somewhere close and with things to do for the kids.
The site has security barriers at the entrance, a well stocked shop, a pub that opens from 7pm and serves food 6 nights a week, a second bar, also serving food, with tv's, pool tables, table tennis table and table football.
There is a play area for children with climbing frames, etc. And, a room called an Arcade, which had mainly computer driving games and space invader type games.
There were three toilet blocks on the site covering seven fields, two of which were permanent structures and one, if field six, which was a wooden portable structure.
The two permanent toilet blocks both had showers, oddly each shower accessed from the outside of the building by it's own door. I counted eight showers in one block and seven in the other, which seemed a little low for the number of pitches at the site.
The site also has a swimming pool, a paddling pool and boasts it's own beer and lager brewed on site in it's own brewery.
Initial access to the site is up a very, very steep hill, which at it's base has the advertised fishing and wildlife area and at the top a play field for children, although this was a long way from where we were in field five and outside the security barriers.
I have to say that this site was OK but not great. We only stayed for two nights and that was probably enough.
The main faults I could see were:
1) The swimming pool is 3ft 6inch at the shallow end, plunging very steeply to 7ft 6inch at the other end. This had the effect of bunching all of the younger, non swimmers in a small area (the slope to the deep end starts about 10ft from the end wall of the shallow end), leaving the deep end solely for the dive-bombing teens. The pool is also behind the pub and loses the sun quite early and as far as I could make out by the number of adults supervising their children, each adult there at the time were responsible for eight children and as there is no lifeguard, I found this a bit alarming.
2) The food served in the Bar was basic and expensive. I can't comment on the food served in the pub, as we didn't know that we had to leave our name at the bar in order that a waiter would visit our table and take our order and by the time we did figure this out, there was a wait of over an hour for food.
3) The main toilet block is attached to and shared by the bar, so it isn't like the half empty, quite toilets most campers will be used to.
4) The pitches in the field we stayed in (field 5) were, although quite level, very rutted in places. We did manage, after some head scratching, to find a flat area for our sleeping pods though.
5) The playing field is too far from the centre of the site for us to feel comfortable in letting our 10 year old to go and find friends to play with.
6) The site in general is a bit shabby and in need of a lick of paint and general maintenance, especially around the swimming pool.
The kids really enjoyed our stay at Callow Top, but we probably wouldn't stay there again.
My advice would be, if you've got the space, take bikes with you, as the Tissington trail crosses the site entrance and is a great cycle path. Oh! and don't be tempted to try the lager they brew on site, unless you're a real fan of home brew.
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| Date of Visit: August 2007 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Phiddler |
1 review from this member |
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Callow top holiday park is a lovely site with good facilities and plenty to do for all the family. Toilets, showers wash facilities are kept immaculately clean. there is a good shop for every day needs and with very competitive pricing unlike many on site shops I have visited. Site staff are very friendly and helpful/ The on site cafe and pub serve excellent food and drink again at competitive pricing. The swimming pools are very clean and reasonably warm for uk outdoor pools. The pool surrounding area is a warm pleasant area to relax. There is plenty of safe activity areas for children and plenty of areas for adults to relax. The site is within walking distance of the most beautiful countryside you could wish for. The site is very secure too. All in all Callow Top holiday park is well worth a stay!.
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Common Questions
Is Callow Top Holiday Park child friendly? YES, it accepts children & has a playground View all facilities
Does Callow Top Holiday Park have a swimming pool? YES, there is a pool on site View all facilities
Where is the nearest shop to Callow Top Holiday Park? There is a shop on site View all facilities
Is Callow Top Holiday Park dog friendly? YES View all facilities
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