Blog 132 Waterloo Farm, Great Oxendon, Northamptonshire, 1st visit + Leicestershire

By keef and annie hellinger, Nov 19 2018 09:53AM Blog 132 Waterloo Farm

A KeefH Web Designs Travel Blog Motorhome trip No36 : Nov 16th- 18th 2018 NOTTS->Waterloo Farm Leisure, Great Oxendon, Northamptonshire ->NOTTS 127 miles 258 years and counting and 30+ camping years under our belts collectively 😉

We returned again in 2020, see blog 142

Blog 132 Waterloo Farm - Discover the calm charm of Waterloo Farm, a Northamptonshire retreat that blends lakeside views, open space and a reassuring sense of escape. This blog captures peaceful walks, well‑kept surroundings and the simple pleasure of slowing down in a place that gets the basics exactly right. With thoughtful facilities, easy relaxation and a setting that encourages you to breathe a little deeper, it’s a confident, inviting snapshot of countryside downtime done well. We visited Waterloo Farm with our dear pals Pete and Joy. One of the few adult only sites open at this time of year. Although late on in the year we had 2 very sunny (yet crisp) days and one overcast day on arrival. We were on grass pitches 53 & 54 next to one of the 3 fishing lakes on the site. An anglers paradise only none of us fish, only eat it! Lakeside hard standing pitches were only £17.50 per night at this time of year, a bargain esp. when the early morning sun rose over the lake a fantastic breakfast outlook. The facilities were not bad but one would guess in high season inadequate in number. The very large shower /loo/washrooms could be converted into a greater number of separate loos in my humble opinion however we were not complaining. I didn’t even get time to read the National Geographic on offer.

friends and the old grammar school, market harborough

Such fun to catch up once we all set up over a few bevies. We had a lovely goulash meal on Friday eve that Pete had prepared earlier and Joy rustled up in the van, fantastic and oh those cheesecakes to die for. Saturday after bacon butties we walked along the old railway track into Market Harborough past all the sloes and rosehip bushes. The farm seemed to grow masses of winter feed type greens. We crossed the border into Leicestershire (smile) At the outskirts of Market Harborough the Millennium Mile starts and we took that past allotments, Bowden recreation park into the town centre. A lovely place with great architecture, the old grammar school / butter cross, indoor market where Keef bought some black bomber cheese. P&J had bought some from their local butcher, a huge slab, I love it! The church , Crimbo Deccies, River Welland, Old town hall and Everest & West shop were most interesting. We then rested and refreshed in the Old Swan pub and finally caught a cab back to the site for more chat over cheese and bikkies. In the eve we had a meal up in the site restaurant and very nice it was too in their conservatory. Sunday after brekkie A&I went back along the old railway line to collect sloes, which were in abundance, for homemade sloe gin. A task to be undertaken with relish! We then all packed up and said our fond farewells. Another fab relaxing weekend with our pals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hqEcoCjH1o

#motorhome #motorhometravels #travelsin2018 #campsites

SUMMARY

Our stay at Waterloo Farm unfolds as a calm, grounded slice of Northamptonshire countryside — the kind of place that doesn’t need to shout to make an impression. The blog captures the easy rhythm of days spent by the lake, gentle walks through open fields and the quiet satisfaction of being somewhere that simply works. It’s a trip built on small pleasures: fresh air, space to breathe and the reassuring sense that nothing here is trying too hard. And that, of course, is exactly why it succeeds.

Across the summary of our visit, Waterloo Farm comes across as a site that understands what motorhomers actually want. The pitches are level, generous and sensibly laid out. The facilities are clean, reliable and refreshingly straightforward. The café and lakeside setting add character without tipping into gimmick territory. Everything feels intentional, practical and well‑kept — the kind of thoughtful design that makes you relax without even noticing.

But what truly makes Waterloo Farm memorable is its atmosphere. There’s a friendliness to the place, a sense of space and calm that encourages you to slow down. You can wander, sit by the water, watch the world drift by or simply enjoy the quiet. It’s a site that gives you room — physically and mentally — and that’s rarer than it should be.

By the end of the blog, it’s clear why Waterloo Farm earns repeat visits. It’s dependable without being dull, scenic without being showy and peaceful without feeling remote. A campsite that gets the fundamentals right and wraps them in a setting that feels genuinely restorative. Exactly the kind of place you leave thinking, “Yes — we’ll be back.”