Lowther Castle & Gardens

So much potential at this campsite which is surrounded by natural beauty. Unfortunately the lack of love and general upkeep made it an unpleasant stay for our family. We were pitched on 11B with our touring caravan. The pitches were small and cramped in. The toilet block was very disappointing: the entrance was dirty and full of cobwebs all over the door. Inside, the facilities were very rarely cleaned (if at all while we were there) which meant there was toilet roll all over the floor, empty soap dispensers and empty toilet roll holders for the majority by of our 3 night bank holiday stay. The toilets, sinks & showers themselves were also not particularly clean with multiple toilets often full faeces due to flushing issues. The showers although powerful, were push button and only stayed on for 5-7 seconds. Other areas of the site were beautiful and the grass pitches near the parks were more open and appealing. The children’s parks were ok for children up to 7 years. There was a basketball/football court, but nothing really to cater for older children. Overall a disappointing stay and we will not be returning.

· via Google

Lovely location. Great walks. Close to motorway if travelling on. Stayed 1 night. Pitch full of dog excrement which tread into my vehicle... ..requested it be removed but 3 hours later still the same.. was allocated a different pitch at my request. Lovely helpful lady on reception. Manager showed zero interest in resolving my complaint and advised he only had 1 staff member. Showers cold, no hot water in pot wash. Sinks in pot wash and ladies facilities dirty. Pitches small and close together. I wouldn't return.

· via Google

Stayed here with my partner, daughter and grand children, arrived on Wednesday 15 July so we thought we would go down to the Cow Shed to watch the England V Argentina World Cup semi final, I was Racially abused for supporting Argentina and had my drinks removed and asked to leave by the general manager who was in the bar with his partner supporting England, The matter could have been diffused very quickly if he had chosen to do so, but he didn’t, Dave is an embarrassment to the company he works for, I managed to talk with a senior member of Staff as to which we explained the situation and said we were leaving the site due to what happened, she asked us not to and to go to the bar and put a meal on the Company, we decided to do that which was generous, after placing the order the bar staff came to our table to highlight what we we allowed, wish we hadn’t bothered meals were terrible and timescales was ridiculous, The Bar staff were very helpful but run off there feet as was told they are short of bar staff and working 9 hours with no breaks, location is great some nice walks, Pitches are very small and tight, Toilets could do with being updated. Won’t be back.

· via Google

Arrived on Friday for a six-night stay. First impressions were poor. The whole site feels tired and neglected. It reminded me more of a run-down housing estate than a holiday park. The pub was better inside than out, but the kerb appeal on arrival was not great, and the permanently closed shop didn't help. Then we had to use the toilet facilities. Honestly, they are some of the worst I've ever encountered. There's a keypad entry system to access both toilet blocks, yet one of the keypads had been ripped off the door. Even worse, the door handle was lying on the floor inside the block when we arrived and was still there several days later. No maintenance team ever appeared to fix it, and it remained broken when we left. The cleanliness was absolutely appalling. Within 48 hours, the block was rancid. Broken toilet seats, blocked toilets, blocked sinks, sanitary waste left in sinks, and floors that clearly hadn't seen a mop for days. There were broken locks lying on the floor, and someone had even smeared "HELP" across one of the toilet walls. This was during a busy Bank Holiday weekend when the site was completely full. After two days, we went to reception and asked when the toilets would be cleaned. We were told they had attempted to clean them between 8am and 9am but it had been too busy. The problem with that explanation is that we were camped directly next to the toilet block and didn't see anyone arrive to clean it at all. Over the six days we stayed, we witnessed the toilet block being cleaned only once or twice at most - roughly every three to four days. That is simply not good enough for a busy holiday park. I've camped all over the UK and Europe, and these are genuinely the worst facilities I've experienced. Most sites clean at least once or twice a day, with additional checks during peak periods. I've honestly used festival portaloos that were cleaner than these toilets. The lack of upkeep extended across the site. The grass on the pitches was long, patchy and overdue a cut. After rain, it soaked your feet every time you stepped outside. There was also dog mess left around the site, which my son unfortunately managed to tread in. Not exactly the holiday memory you want to take home. What really stood out was the contrast between the lack of maintenance and the marketing. There are signs everywhere encouraging visitors to upgrade and buy a static caravan or lodge. It genuinely feels as though selling ownership is the priority and touring guests are an afterthought. As a final example of how little attention seems to be paid to the details, there is still a poster displayed advertising an "Owners Coffee Morning in The Squirrel Pub". The pub was renamed The Cow Shed around five years ago, yet the old marketing material is apparently still hanging on the wall. This site feels neglected, poorly maintained and badly managed. Basic cleanliness and maintenance standards are simply not being met. We stayed for six nights and kept hoping things would improve. They didn't. In the end, we abandoned the final two nights of our stay and checked into a hotel because we simply couldn't face another day of using the facilities. We won't be returning.

· via Google