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Reviews of California Chalet And Touring Park
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California Chalet And Touring Park
Nine Mile Ride
Finchampstead
Berkshire (Browse area)
RG40 4HU
Tel: 0118 973 3928
Visit their website Check Digital TV coverage See Weather Forecast
   
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Pitches: 38
Open: 01/01/2024 to 31/12/2024
01/01/2025 to 31/12/2025
Rating: 
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Photos (30)
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| 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 |
 No Baby Changing |
 Laundry On Site |
 Drinking Water |
 Disabled Friendly |
 Chemical Disposal |
 Battery Charging |
 Gas Exchange |
 Recycling Facilities |
 No Kitchen Facilities |
 No Freezer / Fridge |
 No Motorhome Point |
 Wifi Access |
 Shop On Site |
 Bar <1 mile |
 Restaurant or Cafe or Takeaway <1 mile |
| Activities |
 Kids Playground |
 No TV Room |
 No Games Room |
 No Evening Ents |
 Fishing On Site |
 No Wild Swimming |
 Indoor Pool <5 miles |
 Outdoor Pool <1 mile |
 Horse Riding <5 miles |
 Cycle Hire <5 miles |
 Golf <1 mile |
 Tennis <5 miles |
 No Beach |
 Watersports <5 miles |
 No Boat Launch |
| Other Features |
 No Sea Views |
 Not Working Farm |
 No Campfires Allowed |
 Open All Year |
 No Waterside Pitches |
 Public Transport <1 mile |
 No Dog Walk |
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Reviews:
52 in total, now showing 31 to 40
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| Date of Visit: August 2010 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: LynnPhil |
2 reviews from this member |
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 Had a lovely stay here over the bank holiday weekend. The site is in need of a little updating but it has character and all the facilities are there and are clean and in working order.
The showers take 20p and we used the family one and got us all done for only 40p so there's plenty of hot water. The toilet block was clean but didn't always have the loo roll replaced very quickly!
The site has direct access to the country park and the adventure playground kept our 2 (aged 3 & 5) entertained for ages. The cafe in the park serves a selection of meals, snacks and hot drinks and we tried the full breakfast on the day we left - which was fab and good value for money. The splash pool was open and looked like it would be good fun but it was too cold for us - good value at only £1 each though. There are plenty of walks to do and lots of people were fishing around the lake.
There were a selection of bins on site for recycling and general waste and the only complaint was that they were overflowing by the end of the weekend - whether this was because it was a long weekend and the site was full we don't know.
It is a short drive/25-25 min walk in to the village which has a corner shop and a selection of takeaways and there a number of pubs within a short drive which have good play areas and are suitable for families. Not too far for supermarkets either.
We had one wet day and took the kids to the Coral Reef water park in Bracknell. Just 15 mins drive further down the same road and we all had a fantastic time. There seemed to be a lot of entertainment facilities in the area, some for older families but we did not try them so cannot comment.
A lovely relaxed park in pleasant surroundings and we are definitely thinking of going back next year. 
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| Date of Visit: August 2010 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Rosietoo |
5 reviews from this member |
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The last time we stayed on a site with such poor facilities was 30+ years ago. The area is lovely but the site desperately needs updating. No-one on duty after hours and no way of obtaining the required tokens for the men's showers. No duck-boards in the showers so you end up standing in water while trying to get dressed in a very small area with no-where to hang your dry clothes. Only two of four hand basins were working in the ladies and no-where to plug in a hair dryer. There is a small hair dryer in the family room but that didn't work - kept cutting out which was probably a good thing given the amount of steam and no extraction. Good shops and a chippy (didn't try) and a filling station about half a mile away, super Indian restaurant(would highly recommend) and lots of other visitor attractions in the area. But, we had a family next to us with a Staffordshire bull terrier cross on an extending lead (sometimes running loose) who were swearing and screaming at the kids until after midnight and telling them to use a bucket outside if they needed the toilet. The next morning we awoke to find the ground at the rear of their tent festooned with toilet paper! We left the site a day early and were packed and off by 7. 30 am. And glad to get away - won't be back - on other sites we've been on there is often a site manager who comes round during the evening to check things are OK - would have been very welcome on this one.
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| Date of Visit: June 2010 |
Unit: Touring Caravan |
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| Reviewer: Kevin richings |
1 review from this member |
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Very quite site covered by trees with a nice looking lake. I was greeted at the office, where the owner was very nice and told me all I neded to now.
I fished the lake without success, but it was very hot on my visit. Plenty of nice walks round the site. The showers and toilets were ok 20pence a shower but it was enough time to wash.
Shops were only a short drive were there is a chippy. Ask the owner for pubs to eat at, I found one with good food. I enjoyed my stay.
If you are looking for a quite break try this site.
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| Date of Visit: July 2009 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Jo40 |
3 reviews from this member |
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We chose the site for location - to meet friends, both of us coming from different countries. On arrival, our friends had pitched their 6 man tent - there was no room for our tent then as the plots are so small - we asked the management if we would therefore be charged just for one plot/tent and were refused - we had had to pre-pay using a credit card. We all slept in the one tent - very squashed as there were 3 adults and 5 kids!
This spoilt the feeling off our 2 day stay. Otherwise the facilities were ok though could have been cleaner. Surroundings were perfect and I would be inclined to rent a caravan pitch and put up my tent on the grass next to the freestanding concrete - you'd get much more space and only for a few extra pounds. Unfortunately the shop had also been closed since I'd last been.
The park, 5 mins walk by the lake is great for kids - especially in the evening or early morning when it's quiet.
We went to the arbofield garrison open day - 5 min drive away which was fantastic - there is a museum there too.
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| Date of Visit: June 2009 |
Unit: Campervan |
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| Reviewer: Rayovlight |
2 reviews from this member |
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A beautiful location but in serious need of modernisation. When your paying so much for 2 nights and then need to pay 20p for a shower you expect it at least to be clean and up to date. 2 showers were in operation in the gents and a sign saying out of order on the third. Only 2 washing up sinks so be prepared to wait. No low level lighting around the site so take a torch.
Pitch 15 was a concrete hard stand with a small section of shale around it unsuitable for an awning that needs to be pegged out - we would advise you avoid pitch 15. Most of the hard standing pitches are similar (but admittedly several of them are larger than than number 15). The hard standing pitches do have a lot of space in between them, this and the trees are one of the redeeming features. The site is totally surrounded by trees so the sun rarely reaches the pitches.
The site has several rules and regulations such as no washing lines, no ball games.
The water connection on the luxury pitches is a stand pipe and it really is just that - trying to fill up a water container with the spray that comes out took about 10 mins - the taps have no connectors so be prepared!
The reception keeps office hours - therefore you need to book ahead if you plan to arrive after 5pm weekdays or any time other than Saturday morning at the weekend reception will be closed.
Its a shame that the electric gate can not be activated from inside your car. A dongle is needed that you touch on the fence post.
The area around the campsite is lovely the lake makes a great walk and I'd recommend walking through the signposted Everglades walk, wild orchids galore on our visit.
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| Date of Visit: June 2009 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Deiseach |
4 reviews from this member |
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For the purposes of full disclosure before an enthusiastic review, we have peculiar needs from a campsite. My wife grew up in Wokingham and still yearns for the place so we get value from proximity to a location that the rest of planet Earth views as a slip road off the M4. No effort has been made to remove those rose-coloured glasses. Caveat emptor.
The first thing to be said about California Touring Park itself would be trivial to most but is very important to a constant worrier like myself. On our recent trip through England we booked four campsites. Two took deposits and a third took nothing off us. Only California took the full fee and sent us documentation about our impending visit. This is a Good Thing. As we arrived at each of the other sites we had no idea whether they were expecting us or not. As it happens, all of them were. But if you're the fatalistic type it is distressing not to be sure. In the case of California though, you get a map with your pitch marked on it. Now that eases a stress-prone mind.
The campsite is easy to find, well signposted on a long straight road. The site is a good distance from shops, so make sure you stock up ahead or prepare to be climbing into the car again. There is a reliable bus service to Wokingham train station (it never let us down anyway over a half dozen uses) but it doesn't run after about 1900, so expect to get a few cabs from Wokingham which won't see much change from a tenner even at off peak times.
The last time we came here in August 2008 it was very late in the day. This was expected but everything was as planned and we set up with no fuss. This time we arrived forty minutes early, unexpected, but were cheerfully ushered to our pitch. In every other campsite I have ever frequented, tents are an afterthought. A field in the dingiest part of the site. In California you get a wide, well defined pitch in a beautiful space. Then again, all parts of the site are beautiful, surrounded as you are by tall trees and with a lake a few metres away.
This may not appeal to everyone. Having no children, the concerns of wee ones are not something I have to factor in. The lake is obviously an amenity they would enjoy and the various ducks, geese and moorhens are comical - hoard your stale bread! But it is rather sedate and the distance from any activity makes it a place most suited to adults.
Getting back to the trees, they not only make the place enchanting - not a phrase you often associate with campsites - but protect you from the rain and turn the place into a veritable fortress. When we last visited we left the tent and car for a couple of days while we got the Eurostar to Paris. This time we ended up crashing in a friend's house in London, returning the following morning to find our worldly goods entirely unmolested. Again, going back to the worrier theme, it is fantastically secure. Cars can't get into the site without a key fob (£20 deposit required, refunded on departure) and no one is likely to walk in. Beats a car park in London any day.
The washing / laundry facilities are decent without being remarkable. 20p will buy you a hot shower that is the perfect temperature throughout and just long enough to get a good scrub - if you are the type to linger in the shower, bring 40p. There's always soap and loo roll and it is kept spotless. The place does have a slightly worn feel to it though, a product of its 1980's origins. The hand dryer is marginally more effective than waving your hands in the air. Not a big deal - we all have towels, right? - but the whole block could do with an overhaul before it really starts to fray.
In short, California is my favourite of the half dozen campsites I've been to in the UK, the only one I've gone back to and the only one I anticipate returning to. Effortlessly professional service and a wonderful setting, it is a refuge from the hurly-burly of life yet only 90 minutes from London. I look forward to returning in 2010.
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| Date of Visit: September 2008 |
Unit: Touring Caravan |
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| Reviewer: Jimmymacjimy |
3 reviews from this member |
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It is a very dark site being located in woodland and with very little light even during the day and at night with no site lighting whatsoever. The pitches were OK with plenty of room and water and drainage at the pitch, pity our drainage was blocked .The toilet and shower block is adequate and the laundry is good. The site grounds were well maintained by the staff. There are plenty of pubs nearby if you fancy a drink or meal. We only used this site as we were visiting my son who lives in Stratfield Saye which is nearby
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| Date of Visit: August 2008 |
Unit: Touring Caravan |
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| Reviewer: Familystanbridg |
6 reviews from this member |
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We stayed here for two nights as a stop-over and base to visit Legoland, but would've happily stayed longer.
The site is based around a fishing lake, so it seems to be used by anglers and familys, nice and quiet while we were there.
The toilet and shower block were clean and water was hot. We used the family/disabled room which was good, except wheelchair users would struggle to insert 20p for a shower, as the slot is very high.
The touring van pitches are level concrete with electric hook-up, mains water and waste water drain. All seemed pretty spacious with plenty of room to manoeuvre.
I shall be using this site again, but will choose one of the more secluded pitches next time.
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| Date of Visit: August 2008 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Chickadee73 |
1 review from this member |
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We stayed here for a week and thought it was lovely,,my kids aged 6,8 and 9 were safe to wander about having fun as it is small and gated,the site was very clean and not too many people so you could enjoy the peace and quiet.
We stayed in an average sized 6 man tent and found the pitch a little on the small size but big enough for a table set and wind break,,we wouldn't have got even a small gazebo up though. Nice area and plenty to do within an easy drive, my son fished in the lake less than a minutes walk form our tent, the only downside about the site, annoying wasps and lots of them but the other places we visited were much the same, only £120 for a week, if we lived locally I would definitely go back but we are 300 miles away.
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| Date of Visit: July 2008 |
Unit: Touring Caravan |
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| Reviewer: Generalhawk |
4 reviews from this member |
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The site itself is very nicely laid out with large pitches all separated by trees and bushes, mainly rhododendrums which affords a good deal of privacy. Most pitches have hookups and the premium pitches additionally have their own water and waste facilities. The toilets, showers etc are clean but a bit 'worn'
The park itself is adjacent to a large lake and a number of pitches have their own swims which makes it a good site for fishermen. The cost for fishing is basically reasonable (£5.20 per day) although those who wish to use two rods are charged double which is astronomical!
Now the downside. The staff manning is very poor, with no cover whatsoever on sundays and bank holidays. The quoted time for saturdays is 10 till 4 but this is not adhered to. Whilst on our way there we received a phone call from the site at approx 2pm to say they were closing and would leave our access key in a letter box beside reception. When we arrived, there was no - one there to show us where our site was or explain the facilities etc.
One last point I noticed was that the rubbish skip wasn't emptied even once during our stay of 8 days - not too pleasant in the hot weather.
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52 Reviews in total, now showing 31 to 40
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Common Questions
Is California Chalet And Touring Park child friendly? YES, it accepts children & has a playground View all facilities
Where is the nearest shop to California Chalet And Touring Park? There is a shop on site View all facilities
Is California Chalet And Touring Park dog friendly? YES View all facilities
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