Our Experience

Over the years, we’ve amassed a fair amount of experience in what will/won’t work, and have concluded it’s better, easier, faster and less stressful to avoid making the mistakes beforehand rather than dealing with the consequences afterwards and this page is designed to share our experience and help us do that ;-)) 

Stop and consider.... don't just drive in without looking at the situation

if we are at all worried about the ground, we will ask you to pull into the field and STOP, remaining on the hard standing just inside the gate (don't drive onto the grass!) - the warden will see you and come over so we can agree where you'll go.  This is to avoid you stopping in a difficult place as the field is slightly uphill which may prove difficult to get moving again.   If she doesn't appear when you arrive, please call - 07734 488587.

Walk your route before committing to check you’re happy with the ground, identify your route and any potential trouble spots - we can give advice, but at the end of the day it’s your vehicle and your driving, you know them best.

You may see other vehicles in the field and may conclude everything is fine based on their presence, however, don't assume this means it's ok to go ahead and drive on - we will probably be proceeding with caution - measures will have been taken in each case to avoid trouble, so we need to do the same for you :-)

Put Something Under your Wheels

Often during these months, the ground is solid enough to drive on, but as soon as you stop the wheels can sink in ever so slightly.  We're not talking about sinking up to your axles here! (if that's the case, the site will be closed)  Just a slight dip in the gound, which adds just a little more resistance against the vehicle moving, and if the ground is wet or soft means the wheels are more likely to spin as you try to supply the extra power needed to get out of that slight dip, and once you're wheels are spinning, you're stuck!  Sometimes, with some vehicles (not all), it only requires a slight dip in the ground to make it impossible to get moving again.  Most vehicles will tend to sink in slightly overnight but it can happen quite quickly - even within 15 minutes with heavy/big vehicles. 
But it's so simple to avoid this happening :-)

So you MUST bring something to put under ALL your wheels to make sure you don't have trouble pulling away when you leave :-)   Even if you have a 4 wheel drive, please do this as it will help protect the field :-)  Motorhome owners - don't forget to use the boards/mats while you're filling up your water

Gripped slip mats are excellent for this and definitely a good investment if you like grass only sites :-) Otherwise, short lengths of wood (just enough to go under the wheel), no more than 1 inch deep (otherwise you’ll have trouble getting up onto them).  Ramps are also good, but sometimes it proves more difficult to get up onto them if the ground is wet - if it’s not raining at the time, these will be fine.  When you park up, try to avoid your wheels being in a grass free/flat mud patch.  

Main points to remember while driving on the grass 

• High gear, low revs - slow and steady is the key. 

• Don’t rev to go faster - that just spins the wheels.

• Try to make your journey across the field in a single smooth motion without stopping

  • • • • Especially, don't stop on an incline as it's harder to get going again i.e. don’t stop on your way to your pitch, (until you need to stop to reverse onto the pitch)

        • Once you've got going, avoid stopping again if you can - it's always the getting going that's the hardest, once you're moving it goes more smoothly i.e. don't drive off the mats you put underneath the wheels and stop to pick them up, just keep going til you're on hard ground!

• Wide turning circles are better than tight turns. 

• If your wheels start to spin, STOP - further revving and spinning will just dig you in and make it harder to get you out. (unless you have extensive experience in this situation and know how to get out of it! although this will probably damage the ground and create an ongoing pothole that we’d rather be without, so we’d prefer you didn’t “rock it” out  ;-) ).  

• Don’t turn your wheels while stationary or try to pull away while turning the wheels

• Please consider any damage you’re doing to the ground and try to avoid this where possible - divots and holes will remain for years!

Help!

We have a 4 wheel drive that can resolve most situations, although this isn’t always available at the drop of a hat, and we should try to avoid needing it ;-) 

Having a jack with you would make you self-sufficient - if your wheels are spinning, you can jack the vehicle up and put wood under the wheels to get going again.

Think about the detail

A lot will depend on your vehicle - more often than not, it’s motorhomes have more trouble as they are generally heavy vehicles with front wheel drive and most of the weight at the back.  So particular caution is required with these.  With caravans - everything will depend on the weight of the caravan and what you’re pulling it with.  Smaller vans i.e. VW’s are generally fine as we can push them out :-)   

It’s also worth noting the specific conditions at the time of your arrival and departure will play a large part - if it’s raining at the time, everything will become harder!  If it’s been raining a lot in the previous 24 hours, this will also not help.  Remember also morning / evening dew will make the ground more slippery.  And of course arriving in the dark will add complexity.  We suggest you check the weather for Bracknell and try to arrive/leave at conducive times.

Follow the Pitch Layout

Finally, please follow the pitch layout even if this isn’t the most agreeable solution and reverse onto the pitch so that you’re facing the gate ready for your exit.  This means if you have trouble leaving we don’t also have to try and turn your vehicle round to get you out ;-)  While the conditions are a little trickier, we won’t be able to handle any non-standard requests i.e. tunnel awnings that make your overall width more than 6 metres etc.