For us the site had a special feeling about it as soon as we arrived for our 1 week stay at the beginning of August 2015. Well spaced pitches with all the hardstanding ones in use. Stunning scenery surrounds the site. Around 40 pitches on the upper level are fully serviced - more than we had ever seen on a Club Site. The rest are all hardstanding - some are caravan/motorhome only pitches (i.e. no awning) and there are a very small number (12/15 or so) are seasonal pitches where people can leave their caravan for the season - we don't have an issue with this, in fact it's a good idea for a site that won't be full all year round. The grass pitches were not in use, and in fact hadn't been used at all this year (2015) because of the wet ground. Remember folks, this is the Lake District and it does rain more than usual BUT it's quite often interspersed with sunny days and parts of days, especially in summer. Because the ground gets sodden, red and white wooden poles surround the grass areas as a guide to keep off with cars, caravans & motorhomes. Some reviewers have suggested this was bad - anyone with half a brain must appreciate that vehicles on wet ground don't mix well and the same reviewers would be quick to criticise if the grass was covered in unwieldly mud tracks. We visited a campsite alongside Ullswater during our stay and saw just how bad muddy tracks affect the grassy site. So a massive thumbs up as far as we are concerned - if you are unlucky enough to hit one of the wooden poles, they go down easily and wouldn't cause any damage to a van or a car unless hit at speed. They're more like a large version of an pitch peg which is stuck on the back of every pitch. The two amenities blocks are kept pristine - they are a bit older than at other sites, but we found them excellent. There's a couple of childrens playgrounds and plenty to do for the young ones. When we were there, kids stayed for 1p - surely a massive bargain for families looking to save money. You do need a car to get about the area - motorhome owners would find it difficult to get around on foot unless they were well organised public transport wise and fit for walking. Keswick is around 20 mins west, and Penrith is 20 mins east, with plenty of places another 20 mins away from those two places. So well done Troutbeck Head - one of our new favourites to which we will surely return.
