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Reviews of Gilestone Farm (now Closed)
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PERMANENTLY CLOSED
Gilestone Farm (now Closed)
Taly Bont On Usk
Brecon
Powys (Browse area)
   
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Pitches:
Rating: 
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 No Tents |
 No Caravans |
 No Motorhomes |
 No Campervans |
 No Glamping Units |
 No Statics for Hire |
 No Statics for Sale |
 No Seasonal Pitches |
 No Electric Hookups |
 No Hardstandings |
 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 |
 No Toilets |
 No Showers |
 No Washing Up Area |
 No Bathroom |
 No Baby Changing |
 No Laundry |
 No Drinking Water |
 Disabled Friendly |
 No Chemical Disposal |
 No Battery Charging |
 No Gas Exchange |
 No Recycling Facilities |
 No Kitchen Facilities |
 No Freezer / Fridge |
 No Motorhome Point |
 No Wifi Access |
 No Shop |
 No Bar |
 No Restaurant |
| Activities |
 No Playground |
 No TV Room |
 No Games Room |
 No Evening Ents |
 No Fishing |
 No Wild Swimming |
 No Indoor Pool |
 No Outdoor Pool |
 No Horse Riding |
 No Cycle Hire |
 No Golf |
 No Tennis |
 No Beach |
 No Watersports |
 No Boat Launch |
| Other Features |
 No Sea Views |
 Not Working Farm |
 No Campfires Allowed |
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 No Waterside Pitches |
 Public Transport |
 No Dog Walk |
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Reviews:
47 in total, now showing 21 to 30
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| Date of Visit: August 2007 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Virgincampers |
6 reviews from this member |
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 Just returned from Gilestone Farm and was very excited about visiting this site due to the glowing reviews I had read, however I was a little disappointed. Firstly the positives, Lovely peaceful surroundings, very pretty, nice walks direct from campsite so no need to use a car - little play area, goal posts and sand pit for kids to play, food (cafe/BBq style all day and night) Negatives were : This site is clearly catering for tent campers as an afterthought and is primarily a caravan site. The toilet facilities were small about 5 showers 5 toilets for a huge site that were mostly dirty, bins overflowing, no sanitary bins in the ladies just tiny plastic flip top bins, they were situated directly onto the reception area which is where all the cars pull up and people queue for food etc so not very discreet, locks not working on a couple of the doors and the toilet blocks such a tight squeeze hardly room to open the door. NO WASHING UP FACILITIES WHATSOEVER so we just boiled our kettle and washed at the tent which resulted in us having to tip dirty water directly on to the grass.
The owners were clearly hard working in trying to build up a good business but in spending so much time involved in the catering the cleaning of the facilities were left - The idea behind their enterprise has good intentions - a little family block with hair straightners and dryers and changing station for babies, play areas in the marquee where the food is served - but the level of cleanliness is lacking and for campers who are managing on basics for a few days clean toilet facilities however basic are vital. This site would benefit from an indoor washing up room and a twice daily shut down for a thorough clean down of toilet facilities. 
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| Date of Visit: August 2007 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Bennion1 |
7 reviews from this member |
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Went here bank holiday weekend, very warm and sunny. I got the feeling the site was trying to get as many people in and the facilities werent there to match. Having said that we had a great time because of the fabulous location.
Good points - fab location, with easy going, helpful staff and a large range of items in the shop. Food available all day. Cooked on a barbie.
Bad points - we were the lower field, which was a fair old trek from the toilets, (we found it easier to cycle). The field was very stony and we bent a number of pegs putting up the tent. The biggest problem was the toilets and shower facilities. Ith it being a B/H weekend, it was very busy (easily 300+ units), but there were only 3 gents toilets. It was a also limited for the ladies, and queueing was normal. There were 6 showers and they were of poor standard. The whole toilet/shower block resembled a portacabin that was poorly maintained.
The wash /toilet facilities were very poor, but everything else was good
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| Date of Visit: August 2007 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Yazz+Neil |
4 reviews from this member |
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We chose this site partly because of previous reviews and partly because of the location - accessible by public transport and with good hill walking. The location is absolutely idyllic – beautiful views, and Talybont is a very picturesque and friendly village. We camped in the top field for three nights. The field has direct access on to the canal. The post office (with shop and off license) and two very nice pubs are about ten minutes walk away. There is a site shop selling basics and a site café. The cafe was shut on the only day we wanted to use it due to staff shortages. We only shared the field with a few other tents, but had some problems with one very noisy family on the first night. Notices in the field advertise a strict ‘no loud noise/music after 10.30pm’ policy, and the family were reprimanded the following morning (but no one enforced the noise policy at the time). There are plenty of electric hook ups, taps and benches in the field. The staff and other campers were very friendly, and clearly a lot of effort has gone into the site. Toilets and showers: there are two toilet and shower blocks – one near reception and one near the top camping field. Those by reception are very good. However, the female showers by the camping field were a bit scary – five or six cubicles with shower curtains but no doors! There was not much hot water and the showers did not drain very well – room for improvement there. The toilets also ran out of toilet paper on one day. The campsite is quite hard to find if you don’t know the way. I’d forgotten to print out a location map, and there are no signposts, so we had to ask at the post office. By road you still have another mile to go from the post office, although its only 5-10 minutes if you take the shortcut along the canal towpath. Overall, this is a really lovely site, and we would definitely stay here again if we wanted to re-visit the area, but the top shower block could definitely be improved and a signpost in the village would really help first timers to find the site.
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| Date of Visit: April 2007 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Jules13 |
2 reviews from this member |
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A fabulous find, a little gem. We found the campsite when organising a group meet for friends from all around the UK. As it is local to us, we did a trial run in our tent in April and had a blast, the owners Chris and Geraint are friendly and welcoming can't do enough for you, the shower blocks and toilets are spotless with plenty of hot water.
We returned in July with 16 others, friends made use of the tipis which can be put on site, most of our friends were first time campers and all have vowed to return,
Great marquee with good food selections. On Sunday we ran out of meat for our BBQ, Chris got us a great selection of fresh steak, pork and kebabs all for a very reasonable price.
We will most definitely be returning, can't wait,
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| Date of Visit: August 2007 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Phil dixon |
1 review from this member |
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Just spent our 3 weekend this year at Gilestone, and thorougly enjoyed it again. We were in the top field which has stunning views , also has electric and water for each pitch,maybe we were lucky but we didnt find the ground hard or stony.
Toilets and showers are basic, but were always clean. There is a marquee in the main part of the site, with a bbq and a bar in the evenings (you can also take your own cans, which is much cheaper). The owners couldnt be more friendly or helpful.
There are three pubs within 10 minutes and one a little further,(try the Star if you like real ales) The surrounding countryside is stunning with plenty of walks and outdoor activities.
Only downside I can find is the no cars allowed to park overnight in the camping field( not sure why they do this) but its only about 300 yards walk at the most
It was very peaceful and quiet the whole weekend, but I suppose thats just down to pot luck whether or not you get noisy neighbours(glad to say we didnt) No problems taking our dog with us, he was as welcome as we were
All in all, we think its great here and will definitely be coming down to the site a few more times this year (weather permitting )
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| Date of Visit: June 2007 |
Unit: Touring Caravan |
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| Reviewer: Happy-camper |
1 review from this member |
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I stayed on this picturesque site last weekend for the first time with my husband and two children (5 and 8)and we will definitely be going back.
A warm welcome awaited our arrival, and a lovely man showed us to our pitch-and couldn't have been more helpful. There is a choice of two types of pitch. Standard (electric and water point on each pitch on a grass standing, Lovely large, level pitch on grass). Or a 'super-pitch'. A super-sized, hard standing pitch with electric, water, tv ariel connection point, and grey water discharge connection all on one bollard a brilliant idea!
The site is divided up into areas a family field for caravanners with families that includes a 5 acre fully enclosed play area for the children. A field for caravanners without families, a seperate area for tents (with their own showers and toilets) and a rally field across the lane from the main site. There are also ready-erected tepees for hire, a brilliant idea for so many occasions! My children had a lovely time exploring the woodland walk, admiring the animals in the pets corner, and cycling along the canal (on bikes we had hired from the site). There are also apparently horse rides, but that weekend the horse was unwell! Every friday and saturday night there is a bbq in the marquee, and the owners have a bar licence just starting now. The food was great, and breakfast and lunch were also served, with daily specials, it was lovely and extremely good value for money. Toilets and showers were always clean, and we did not have a problem with our water pressure at all. The site is constantly evolving and improving (it has only been open just over a year)and we will certainly be going back! if you are wondering whether or not to go, definately do, one of the best sites around!
ps we did not have a problem with noise at all, there were staff patrolling all night to make sure. A lovely place to go.
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| Date of Visit: June 2007 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Serenlas |
3 reviews from this member |
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Gilestone Farm is in a beautiful location - surrounded by the stunning countryside of Mid Wales.
The site is split up into 3 sections - an area for caravans and two camping fields. The top camping field is more family orientated with electric hook ups and a 10.30pm curfew while the lower field is more suited to groups. We stayed in the lower field where there was plenty of space and the ground was fairly level. The only downside was that the toilets and shower block are a bit of a trek from this field - they could really do with putting a small toilet block in the lower field.
The main toilet block is near the reception and was clean and well maintained. There are also plenty of (free!) showers which meant no queueing for the shower in the morning. In this area is also a small shop and a bbq area where you could buy bacon rolls in the morning or burgers/hot dogs in the evening if you don't fancy cooking.
The village of Talybont on Usk is about 10 minutes walk away along the canal. In the village is a general store/post office and a couple of nice pubs which tend to get very busy on weekends.
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| Date of Visit: May 2007 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Wendy fleming |
9 reviews from this member |
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We stumbled upon this site by accident - and what a find it is! We find it so relaxing we don't want to tell anyone else about it and keep it all to ourselves.
The owners are friendly and helpful but also don't bother you and let you enjoy your holiday.
The onsite shop does stock the bare essentials but Morrisons in Brecon is only 20 minutes away in the car which enables you to stock up on the main things (wine and beer)!
Every Sunday there is a car boot sale in Brecon town which is only 10 minutes away but the site does have a board up outside the shop with details of what is happening.
We felt the children were very safe on this site and were allowed to ride their bikes down to the playing field which does not have much in the way of apparatus but does have a sand pit and a very large playing field.
The toilets and showers in the camping field were always available and free with plenty of hot water. There are also plenty of tables in the camping field for your use and the pitches are well spaced out. Each pitch does have hook up if required all with a water point on each hook up so no trecking around the site looking for water.
Also our two dogs were free and the owners did not have a problem with our Staffy coming onto the site (which a lot of sites do) even though she would lick you all over. The dog walk was beautiful and they would have loved to have gone rabbiting - even our two daughers didn't mind the walks along the canal!
On the down side:-
You are not allowed to leave your car in the camping field overnight - you have to park it in the car park which was a bit of a problem for us as the dogs sleep in the van.
The dish washing facilities in the camping field leave much to the imagination (a sink with a cold water tap in the middle of the field)
The shower block does get locked at 9pm - we don't know why.
But all in all a relaxing site with beautiful views across Brecon and the surrounding area, if you want a cheap holiday at a relaxing pace and the peace of mind that your children are safe then this is the site for you.
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| Date of Visit: May 2007 |
Unit: Touring Caravan |
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| Reviewer: Brucenswaus |
1 review from this member |
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We agree with Paraman's comments as far as the friendly and very helpful welcome and beautiful surroundings go at Gilstone.
In our Grand Tour of the Old Country we found the Brecon Beacon main roads among the best for towing a Wandering Star Bushmaster with very few other drivers getting upset at its size. It's just such a relaxing area.
We were surprised however at the numbers of vans on site. We read that it was set up for 50 and I think there were many more than that, maybe 100? This had an effect on the temporary wc/shower facilities that is all that is available at the moment. That didn't really affect us as we are pretty well self-sufficient (including a sat-phone) The shop had many of the things we had forgotten to resupply with so that was good. We don't eat pork so we didn't have the pig-roast that had been laid on but the burgers were delicious.
We had some difficulty in getting in to any of the local pubs, numbers again, but here our Aussie accents eventually helped. The landlady said that the villagers were getting used to being outnumbered by caravanners but she didn't mind in the least.(!)
We also enjoyed the entertainment although the volume in the markee was sometimes a bit too loud for normal conversation. Having been in Britain for a couple of weeks now, we were not surprised at the Aussie-like enthusiasm for ´tinnies´ that you Poms now have in good weather. A good time was had by all although sometimes the language got a bit blue but most parents didn't seem to mind.
All-in-all an interesting visit to a nicely-located if overcrowded, party-oriented campsite quite different to any of the others we have stayed at in the UK. We're now off to Ireland where they also like their drink! We'll tell you about it next.
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| Date of Visit: May 2007 |
Unit: Touring Caravan |
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| Reviewer: Ronparaman |
1 review from this member |
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If you are considering visiting this site but are put off by some of the reviews don’t be. We thought this site was great. The welcome from the owners, Geraint and Chris was wonderful, the whole family and the staff couldn’t do enough to help. The views from the site are beautiful as are some of the walks nearby.
The food and beers, some real ale, at the local pubs was excellent. The site shop is small but adequate and some of the local produce is wonderful. The site clubhouse is a huge marquee where all sorts was available including a pig roast on the Saturday. There was a Barbie most weekend evenings and super breakfast rolls every morning. There was a singer to entertain on Saturday night.
I have some mobility problems and use an electric scooter for longer distances, Chris offered to charge the scooter if I needed it and the ground staff offered to move huge boulders preventing vehicle access to the canal so I could get the scooter between them. Children are well catered for with a 4 acre field as a play area with sand pit, football nets and climbing frames, only one entrance and exit so children can’t wander off. There is also a kiddie area in the club house.
For anglers there is fly fishing on the Usk at cost of a ticket from Geraint (£5.00 for half day) and free course fishing on the canal. For canoeists there is the Usk. There is mountain bike hire on site for a reasonable fee.
The site facilities are clean and well maintained, if I had a criticism I would say there are not quite enough of them and another toilet block might help but at no time did I see a queue at the men’s and only briefly on Saturday night at the women’s. The showers were nice with plenty of good hot water.
Over all, a lovely site with lots for both adults and kids. I will definitely be going back.
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