Away Resorts Clumber Park Lodges in Nottinghamshire Review

We loved the setting of Clumber Park Lodges in Nottinghamshire

We were very taken with Clumber Park Lodges in Nottinghamshire, which is now owned by Away Resorts. The company has more than 20 holiday parks and lodge parks around the UK, including a mix of seaside and countryside resorts.
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The area approaching Clumber Park Lodges is expansive and dense woodland, with the National Trust's Clumber Park pretty much on the doorstep. It is also close to Center Parcs Sherwood Forest. This differs from some 'woodland' resorts, which are just a few trees tacked on to make it feel a bit greener.

Once you are past the welcome sign at Clumber Park, you go along a nice smooth track before you reach the main resort (I should point that I'm a big fan of smooth tarmac and consider it a key indicator of a well kept holiday park). 

Accommodation at Clumber Park Lodges are these good-sized properties

As we got to know the site, we were really impressed with how clean, tidy and neat it is. A good number of the lodges at the site overlook a lake and give it a really lovely setting.

The lakeside lodges are the most appealing

The lodges don't feel too crammed in compared to some holiday parks

We found quite a lot of green space, which isn't always the case at holiday sites

​Even if you don't get one of those lodges, you can still enjoy the views from the onsite cafe, which has a pleasant balcony. 

The onsite café and bar overlooks the lake

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Feel and vibe at Clumber Park Lodges

Trees surround the site but the site itself is more of a clearing ,rather than feeling as if you are in the woodland. This gives it a slightly different feel to another Away Resorts holiday park, called Kenwick Woods in Lincolnshire and also to Center Parcs Sherwood Forest, where you feel you are living within the woods. 

We found Clumber Park lodges to be very peaceful and far enough away from the road that you don't have to listen to traffic. This is the sort of place where you could very happily relax and spend a lot of time reading a book or planning your next walk. 

There are trees at the site, but the main woodland vibe is around the edges

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The tarmac test

As mentioned earlier, one of our favourite things to do when we visit a holiday park is to take the tarmac test. This is where we look at how smooth the roads are around the site, as we think this gives a good indication of how modern and well maintained it is. I am pleased to report that Away Resorts Clumber Park Lodges scores very well in this regard. I didn't go so far as measuring the smoothness with a ruler, but it certainly looked decent.

Paths around the site are either smooth tarmac...

...or well maintained tracks that blend in well with the setting

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So, what about the downsides of Clumber Park Lodges?

It's fair to say that this is a small and simple holiday park and is perhaps best thought of as accommodation rather than a 'resort'.

It does not have a swimming pool and there aren't lots of activities provided.

Instead, Clumber Park Lodges is the sort of place where you bring your own bikes and explore the forests outside the grounds. It is certainly a long way from a Center Parcs type experience, where you don't leave the resort for several days. That is not intended as a criticism of Clumber Park Lodges, as that sort of holiday is not for everyone.

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Accommodation at Clumber Park Lodges

The accommodation at the site has a good consistency about it, and looks to have been added relatively recently. This is not always the case at holiday parks where you see a real mix of tatty old caravans with peeling stickers, alongside plush modern accommodation.

At most holiday parks you don't book a specific caravan and have to go off a stock image that may well not even be at that resort. I would have much more confidence booking at Away Resorts Clumber Park Lodges that you would get a similar quality of accommodation throughout the site. 

Overall then, I would recommend Clumber Park Lodges if you want to base for exploring this part of Nottinghamshire, or perhaps if you want to visit family or friends in the local area. Don't expect to occupy every minute at the resort but see it as a pleasant and peaceful base.

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