Caversham Lakes — Attraction in South Oxfordshire

Classic example of over-promising and under-delivering. We booked passes for a day at the family beach, which promises to be one of the largest sandy beaches in the south of England, but is a very small stretch of gravel. The website clearly states that dogs on leashes are allowed, but after being on the beach for only 20 minutes with our golden retriever (on her lead) we were told to leave because dogs are in fact NOT allowed on the family beach... even though the website FAQs clearly states they are, and even though she was allowed through at reception, and by the life guard at the entrance to the beach? I requested at least half our money to be refunded as the outing and payment had been a complete waste. I was assured we would receive the refund immediately; as yet no refund has been issued. I emailed inquiries as soon as we got home, and got an automated reply to say the website was down. Poor service all round,...

If you plan on camping at Caversham Lakes, then be prepared. No one will greet you upon entry, and you will be unlikely to meet any staff during your stay. The 2 available showers are cold which was actually nice for the heat wave that we went during, but isn't ideal on a usual day. There were 2 sinks running cold water (not such a big deal), but one of those sinks were blocked. We saw a review from over a week prior to our stay complaining about this. There are also 2 disgusting portable toilets. The staff didn't clean those either. The area itself looks like a dumping ground for people's old appliances, furniture and other rubbish. It seems as if they never actually maintain anything.

The campsite itself is quite small, so expect to be bumper to bumper with other campers.

I personally wouldn't recommend...

Big disappointment today. Drove for over an hour to get there only to be told at the gate that our activity has been cancelled due to strong wind. Now I understand the reasoning for this cancellation as it can be risky, this is not the problem. The fact that they did not send out any emails notifying paying customers of this cancellation or even a main page notice. We looked on the website after we were told and still could not find any notice of cancellation.

I will go again as the venue looks good and will be a fun day out. Just the loss in time and money going there today that doesn't sit well with me. They should be proactive in informing us thats all.

Update: After reaching out to them they added a story to their instagram notifying of the suspension due...