November 2013 As you make your way down a rather intimidating drive that threads between suburban houses, you wonder why this CL is called Meadow View Farm. When the severe-looking gates open electronically you find yourself…. well… in a farm. And after you have been directed to a pitch that overlooks a meadow it all becomes clear. If (like me) you had one of those Britain’s farms in 1958… you know, the ones with the lead animals… you’ll feel right at home. OK the farmer didn’t wear a smock and didn’t carry a pitchfork, but I was transported back to my childhood. We were greeted, on arrival, by pigs (safely on the other side of a fence) and we woke the next morning to the sight of all types of sheep. Later on there were tiny little horses (they only came up to my belly button) and the greenhouse was full of turkeys. Given that it was 5 weeks before Christmas the birds did look a bit down in the beak. The very spacious pitches are dead flat – no need for blocks – and even when wet, there is enough grip for manoeuvring with front-wheel-drive. No need for one of those expensive jeepy things. The electricity is provided via a coin meter (so take a couple of quids with you) but even in temperatures of -1 Celsius we heated by electricity and spent less than £2 per day…. So no rip-off here! The caravan site was in an old orchard and we were invited to compete with the horses and pigs for the apples. So we harvested a dozen at no extra charge… and very nice they were too! TV reception was a bit ropey on my 2nd hand telly… and the phone signal (3 and Vodaphone) was good enough for texts and calls but a bit slow on the interweb. Do you need groceries? Turning left out of the farm takes you (3 mins by car) to a Tesco Express which is worth passing… because you then arrive at Costcutter which is better, bigger, cleaner and (I think) cheaper. I was only in Loughborough for a couple of days to attend a family gathering, so I will probably never go back to this site… which is a shame. And that rather intimidating driveway…? if you have a biggish van and you're turning left into the drive, take it slow. Once you get past the drive, it's worth the effort.
