Reviews of The Cud Life Harrogate

Management response: Thankyou for your review, we wished you had given us the chance to put things right during your stay, we see that a couple of our guests have had their say. We pride ourselves on being friendly and approachable, we walk the campsite and clean the toilet block twice a day, Dave is always on the farm and I am mostly in our cookshop (even on the days we are closed) to offer advice if needed and we give every camper with our mobile numbers. This is the first time we have heard that our site is infested with anything.

We are not able to do much about flies/wasps in the countryside but we understand it has been a particularly bad year for them all over the country. Following reading your review, we have spoken to guests and asked them to tell us if they suspect a nest anywhere in the vicinity of the campsite and have reminded everyone not to leave unopened food or drinks on their pitch which could attract them.

Regarding the nightly cat visits, unfortunately a camper thought it was a good idea to feed our farm cats (we of course asked her to stop doing this as soon as we were aware) and a couple of them have been seen on the site. We have put a reminder on the notice board for guests to use the fridge/ freezer that we provide or store food in sealed containers, without the temptation we hope they will return to where we need them.

We are unable to do anything about parking charges but we could have directed you to cheaper or free parking in Harrogate if you had asked us - brace yourself if you ever visit York! As far as we know the A61 directly into Harrogate has not been closed or diverted but it can of course take longer during busy periods.

We do allow bbq’s on pitches as long as they don’t burn the grass or are used as firepits. Disposable or low bbq’s can be used on the central stoned area for safety reasons (we have had a very dry summer) and to preserve the grass so that it is not full of burn marks. We are trialling having cars off the site, once guests have set up and no longer need them, to maintain the peace and quiet of the site, preserve the grass entrance and to make it safer for everyone. The car park, immediately next to the campsite, has proved very popular and we have had nothing but really positive feedback so far, with your comments being our first negative so we will of course take this into account when we review at the end of the season.

It makes no difference to us if the grass is burnt, if firepits are used, if people drive their cars on and off the site all day, if people are noisy all night, if they leave food to attract cats and vermin. The only reason we do this is for the comfort and enjoyment of our guests. We appreciate you won’t be staying here again but would suggest that you speak to campsite owners/wardens if you feel anywhere is infested with anything during your stay or to help you make the most out of your stay – that is what we are here for as our only goal is for people to enjoy their stay.