If you’re looking for a family campsite in North Somerset then I can thoroughly recommend Mendip Basecamp. We’re just back from spending may half term there so read on for our Mendip Basecamp review. It’s an award winning family campsite. Find all my recommendations for UK family days out and holidays here.
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Where is Mendip Basecamp?
Mendip Basecamp is based in North Somerset, in the village of Churchill, near Winscombe and Sandford.
The campsite is 15 minutes junction 21 of the M5. The SATNAC postcode is BS2 5PQ.
You will be sent clear directions before your stay too.
What we love about Mendip Basecamp
As soon as you drive onto the campsite there is a real festival vibe with colourful flags lining the edge of the road. The campsite is quite big too and it is family only so has a lovely laid back feeling.
We love the pavilion, it really is the heart of the campsite. It is really convenient if you need to purchase some basic supplies or if you want an ice cream or hot food. The charging points and freezer for ice packs are essential too.
The sandpit and outdoor games for kids are a fantastic addition for families and our kids loved it. These are right outside the pavilion and there are some chairs and picnic tables in this area too.
We also love the Mendip activity centre which is just a short walk down the hill. Tobboganing was a big hit with my children. We also played frisbee golf and went orienteering. There are some great places to explore not too far away. We had a great mix of days off site and staying onsite over our week long stay.
Read on to find out more.
Pitches at Mendip Basecamp
You are free to pitch where you like as pitches are not allocated. There are no ehu and all pitches are grass.
The campsite is huge and divided into 4 areas. As soon as you pass through the Basecamp sign there are camping areas on both sides of the flag lined road to the pavilion at the top. Then there are two more areas that are flatter on the top with the pavilion.
There’s plenty of space and even arriving on the Saturday afternoon of the bank holiday weekend (when many arrived Friday night) we still had plenty of choice of places to pitch. The site was really busy on the bank holiday weekend but it didn’t feel crowded.
If you don’t feel like pitching your tent they also have bunk tents, bell tents and glamphouse safari tents.
Facilities at Mendip Basecamp
There are plenty of showers and toilets at this campsite and we never had to queue even when the campsite was at it’s busiest. We always found them clean and regularly saw staff cleaning and restocking these facilities.
The showers are the type where you need to push a button every 20 seconds or so. They were always warm and clean.
There are washing up areas too. The only downside was the water was never particularly warm. All the water at Basecamp is pumped up the hill and once you arrive you’ll realise just how much of a feat that is!
As such all facilities are in a similar location so this is something to bear in my mind when selecting your pitch.
We were in area 3 and there were 2 toilets on the edge of our area but these were closed for the whole of half term week.
Campfires
Campfires are encouraged at Mendip Basecamp. You can hire a firepit for your stay and purchase logs, kindling etc from the pavilion.
We did this and our kids loved toasting marshmallows. You can purchase smores kits from the pavilion if you forget to pack any marshmallows.
If you don’t feel like having a campfire yourself, there is a large communal one in the evenings at Medip lodge.
Family activities at Mendip Basecamp
One of the reasons we booked Mendip Basecamp was for the activities. There are free activities for families most days and we tried many of them.
At weekends there is free live music down at the lodge (a pub) in the outdoor area. It’s a short (but steep) walk through the woods to get to the lodge and there is a lovely outdoor area and even a communal firepit for toasting your own marshmallows. The inside of the lodge is a bit tired but food and drink is good and reasonably priced and the outdoor area is lovely.
There were circus skills on Sunday at the campsite which my kids loved. Basically this is where an offsite children’s entertainer turns up with lots of circus equipment and teaches the kids to juggle, spin plates, walk on stilts etc. It’s a really lovely session
On other days there was nature crafts, outdoor games and a treasure hunt (app based). There is also a climbing wall one night in the summer holidays. Unfortunately not when we there in May.
You can also do an orienteering course for free as campsite guests. You sign up for this as the activity centre. We enjoyed the orienteering activity as a family.
You can also hire bat detectors to use at night.
The pavilion
There is a large marquee in the centre of the campsite. Here you’ll find a small shop, indoor and outdoor seating areas, small kids play area (teepee and campfire themed, really cute), a freezer for ice packs and lots of free USB charging points.
The pavilion is open from 8am to 9pm. The staff are really friendly and happy to help whenever you need it.
The shop has most of what you might need for your trip. For example, single pints of milk, a good selection of meat, bread, loads of choice of ice creams and lollies and other bits like kids toys. We found the prices very reasonable.
They also serve hot food here such as bacon sandwiches in a morning, paninis at lunchtime and pizza from 4-8pm. Again the prices are reasonable.
We had the pizzas one night and really enjoyed them.
When can we camp at Basecamp?
The campsite is open weekends only until the summer holidays and then daily throughout. Once the schools go back the campsite closes until may half term next year.
Things to consider
The drive up to Basecamp is very steep and there is hairpin bend as well. As such the campsite is not suitable for caravans or motorhomes. We managed fine with a campervan.
There are plenty of lovely walks from site. Again these all include steep hills. Make sure you walk to the viewpoint, the view is stunning!
You can walk down through a short section of woodland to the lodge in the evenings and during the day just walk a little further and you’re at the activity centre. It is steep so I wouldn’t recommend it with prams. There are fairy doors, bunting and string lights to make it enticing for children though so hopefully they’ll manage the walk back up the hill.
Have a look around the campsite before choosing where to pitch your tent or campervan as there are lots of different areas to pitch in.
The ground is very hard so bring rock pegs! (we have these ones – * rock pegs)
There is a free app that helps you find your way around the whole site, shares what activities are on and when and loads of useful information.
We had days out in Weston-Super-Mare, climbed Glastonbury Tor, climbed Cheddar Gorge, explored Wells and visited Tyntesfield National Trust.
Mendip activity centre
The activity centre is a great place to spend time and there are loads of activities to choose from. You can book on the day or in advance via the website or app.
There are target sports, rock sports, watersports, frisbee golf and snow sports. We tried tobogganing (30 minutes) which our kids loved. We also enjoyed the frisbee golf and orienteering. There’s also a nerf gun arena in the summer holidays.
How to book
Book your stay here – Campsite Booking | Mendip Basecamp
Camping tips
Find loads of tips for camping with kids here.
Find our Family camping essentials from OLPRO guide here.
And The best camping toys for kids here.