Our new barbeque is available for hire at £35 including gas. This should be an attractive proposition for groups, rallies and the like. Also the staff at Ravenglass intend to organise weekend barbeques open to all during the summer...should be good fun!

Annual Sea Quest 2013

Every year at the estuary in Ravenglass there is a canoe and kayak event where participants take part in a race along the estuary and up the rivers Irt, Mite and Esk. This is a great and colourful event and, although there are some serious competitors, the main aim of the day is to have fun. Carol and I generally pop down to take some snaps so I will keep you posted.http://www.copelandcanoe.org.uk/seaquest.html

Birds at Ravenglass

Our campsite, together with the surrounding area and estuary, are a haven for wildlife and, especially, offers a great opportunity for bird-spotting at all levels of ability. This post details all the birds spotted either on-site or within a 1 mile radius of the camp-site in addition to offfering a little bit of information on the birds. All the pictures have either been taken by myself or by guests staying with us and thanks again to the photographer Adrian Ward he allows me to use his images http://adriansimages.blogspot.co.uk/

This is a picture I took during winter when the birds need a little bit more energy food than normal. In the shot are the familiar garden birds Blue Tit and Robin; although these two are common on site I never get tired of seeing them - in this case familiarity does not breed contempt. The Robins on site are clever little things who almost always follow me when I do ground work in the hope that they pick up a nice morsel, they often do! The big fellow is a Greater Spotted Woodpecker and we have two, possibly three, breeding pairs on site that regularly visit the feeders. These birds are wonderful to see either in flight or feeding but maybe the most delightful aspect is to get up early on a beautiful morning and listen to them tapping into the trees.

Loads of Blackbirds on site this photograph was taken in early May just as the cherry blossom was coming out.

As our site is set in 6 acres of mature woodland with protected trees we are very lucky to have several resident Treecreepers who feed off insects under bark. The photograph above, one of many taken by Adrian Ward, is a superb example and displays the feeding habit perfectly (taken on-site february 2013)

Another of Adrian's pictures this one with some of the regular visitors to bird-feeders. Here we Long-tailed Tit, Chaffinch (male and female) and a great shot of a Coal Tit coming in for a feed.

Another garden favourite, the Great Tit, taken on our new bird-table bought from http://www.arkwildlife.co.uk/ a great company to deal with for all bird/wildlife related products.

 

 

I am really pleased with this shot, I was actually trying to take a shot of a Mistle Thrush that comes to take a drink and one of our many Chaffinches took a quick bath before trying to find a mate. Chaffinches are wonderful birds and would be better appreciated if they were rarer.

 

 

On the perimeter of the campsite many birds can be spotted that don't normally visit our centrally located bird-feeders, these include Redpoll, Siskin, Blackcap, Goldcrest, Brambling, Bullfinch and - in the photograph - the lovely Goldfinch.

Britain's tiniest bird, the Goldcrest.

One of my favourite birds, the Nuthatch, in 2012 we had numerous individuals visiting the feeders and bird-bath, this year I haven't seen any which is a bit disappointing, I hope they have got through the winter, I will update as soon as I see one.



The Village

 

Here is a little tour around the village of Ravenglass. This is one of the most tranquil places, not only in the Lake District National Park, but in the whole of England. In fact the village is so unspoilt that the BBC chose the location to shoot the film Noble which is due to be screened later in the year. The producers had a devil of a time trying to find a suitable location until they found us.

Actors from the film Noble in Ravenglass February 2013

They even changed the name of the Pennington Hotel, wonder if our guests still get 10% discount?

The real Pennington Hotel, dog friendly like most things round here. As mentioned above we have special discount packages for our guests which includes 10% off the great food served in the Hotel, choose from bar food, restaurant or afternoon teas.

 This is the Holly House pub close to the Pennington and right on the estuary front. It is a traditional pub at which you can sit outside with a drink and experience the amazing western sunsets...and it's dog friendly!

 The famous Ratty Arms next to the railway station only a few minutes walk from the campsite. Traditional pub grub and a decent pint with regular events such as quiz nights and music sets.

Rosegarth tea rooms next to the Holly House.

 Ravenglass village from across the estuary and, below, relax, let the dog have a run, and enjoy your holiday.

 

                                     

Cycle Hire at Ravenglass

Brand new for 2013 we are offering cycle hire at our campsite in conjunction with Muncaster Cycles http://muncastercycles.co.uk/ We offer an array of bikes together with accessories to enable guests to enjoy this part of the Lake District on two wheels, getting to places you just can't get to in a motor vehicle. Included in this offer are brand new electric bikes by Giant, these are state-of-the-art cycles enabling you to climb fell roads with ease and ride for miles without getting over-tired. The electric cycle scheme has recharging points in beautiful parts of the area including Eskdale and Wasdale, all from as little as £25 per day...I know what I'm doing on my next day off!

Roman Bath House

In the 2nd century Ravenglass was a thriving Roman naval port and fort known as Glannoventa. A few hundred yards from our site along the public footpath to Muncaster Castle stands the remains of the Bath House used by the Roman Soldiers at this time. The remains are very well preserved and would attract tourist attention if they were in present day Rome itself. Some of the walls are over 12ft high and if you go inside the remains you will clearly see the shelf on which the soldiers placed their deities. If you like Roman history I am sure you will find the area around Ravenglass interesting or why not just let your imagination take over and wonder what Ravenglass was like as an active Roman settlement.

Excavation on the site will start September 2013 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-22277334

Image courtesy of the photographer Adrian Ward who has generously allowed us to use his photographs free of charge on this blog site.

Camping Pods

Brand new in 2012 our three exclusive camping pods offer hassle free camping at any time of year. The pods are lambswool insulated and have heating and a light (but no electricity points) offering the opportunity to enjoy the Lake District National Park without any tent-related weather concerns; also pods are cool and kids love 'em!

Ravenglass Campsite

"On the western edge of the Lake District National Park"

Our Club Site at Ravenglass was once part of the Muncaster Estate. Set in six acres of mature woodland, it lies on the outskirts of the pretty fishing village which shares its name, in a quieter area of the Lake District National Park.
 The area is a walkers' paradise on Cumbria's western coast.
The seafront is 500 yards from the camp site - with opportunities for fishing. The village of Ravenglass has a craft shop, pubs and a lovely natural harbour.

The following photos are a tour of the site from the entrance at Walls Lane.
 

 

 

 

 

Walls Lane

 

 



 

 

Site entrance

 

 

 

 Site shop

 

Bottom camping field

Site facilities 1

Site facilities 2

Site facilities 3

One of our service points

 

Lots of flowers and wildlife on site

Side path to on of the dog walks

Top camping field

Ravenglass

Our Beautiful Estuary 

Hi my name is Mike Parker and, together with my wife Carol, we manage Ravenglass Camping and Caravanning club site in the lovely, unspoilt district of west Cumbria. This blog site offers information and day-to-day updates of what is happening on-site and in the local area. We are the only village in the Lake District National Park that has a coastline and we are a fantastic base for a memorable holiday. More posts to follow including a tour of the campsite.