Foxholes Castle Camping Review | A Green Escape in the Shropshire Hills | Foxholes Campsite
- James
- Jul 16
- 6 min read
Updated: Jul 28
Foxholes Castle Camping Review
Foxholes Castle Camping Quick Summary
Foxholes campsite is a family-run, eco-conscious site just outside of Bishops Castle in the South Shropshire Hills AONB. A 10-minute walk from the town, this stunning campsite features solar power, low light pollution for stargazing, and unique railway carriage accommodation. Read our full review of this Bishops Castle camping gem below.
Campsite Scorecard
Location ⛺⛺⛺⛺
Setting & Views ⛺⛺⛺⛺⛺
Facilities ⛺⛺⛺⛺
Value for Money ⛺⛺⛺⛺⛺
Food & Drink Nearby ⛺⛺⛺⛺
Peace & Quiet ⛺⛺⛺
Price per night: £10 per adult (13+), £5 per child (12 and under), under 4s free
Hook up: Limited premium pitches available, £1 meter (roughly £2 per day usage), email ahead to confirm availability
Dogs welcome:Yes / £1 per night
Campfires: Yes / fire pits must be hired on site, no foraging wood from hedgerows
Showers: 50p
Nearest town: Bishops Castle / 10 to 15 minute walk
Best for: Campervan / Motorhomes / Tent / Motorbike / Solo / Couples / Groups / Kids
Website: foxholes-castle.co.uk
The Adventure Starts
Feeling stressed out again, I decided to pack up the motorbike gear and head off. Shropshire had been calling again after Small Batch, this time I fancied trying somewhere new in the South Shropshire Hills. Foxholes campsite caught my eye, family run, proper green ethos with solar panels and rainwater harvesting, and unique railway carriage accommodation on site if you fancy a bit more comfort.
Getting There, Birmingham to Foxholes Campsite, Shropshire
The journey from Birmingham takes around one hour fifty-five without stops. I always go through Bewdley over to Clee Hill, which has fantastic views, one of those routes where you don't mind it taking a bit longer.
This time I stopped at Brewe Clee Hill, a proper little spot to meet, drink, and eat homemade cakes and light bites, open Monday to Friday 8am - 4pm and weekends 8am-3pm. Had a chilli flavoured sausage roll and a flat white. The homemade sausage roll was really good nice filling and pastry with a good chilli kick. The coffee was just ok.
After that I stopped at Ludlow Farm Shop again to pick up some more chorizo sausages and some snacks for later.
Arriving at Foxholes Campsite
Foxholes campsite sits in the South Shropshire Hills, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, just a 10-minute walk along the Shropshire Way footpath to Bishops Castle. The site was built around Foxholes House, which dates back to 1937.
There's no set pitches here either, you choose your own spot across four camping fields, each looking out over the Shropshire Hills and Welsh Marches. Caravans and motorhomes have two dedicated fields with a handful of premium electric hookup pitches, though it's worth emailing ahead to confirm availability since they're limited.
Check in is simple, drive up the hill, park up, and ring the doorbell at the main house.
I've been here a couple of times before with friends. It's very well looked after, good toilets, showers, and wonderful views of the hills. The main field is big, and I like to set up camp in the middle by the trees near the little statue, where you get a nice cooling breeze on hot days without it being too exposed like some of the more open spots on site.
This time I set up camp with my old Wingman of the Road tent, pumped up the sleeping mat, and got everything sorted.
What struck me straight away, as always, is the green ethos running through the whole place, photovoltaics, solar panels, a bore hole and rainwater harvesting for the toilets. They also don't overfill the site, which means proper peaceful stays and genuinely low light pollution for stargazing at night.
One thing worth knowing before you go, they don't allow foraging wood from the hedgerows, as they've worked hard to boost the wildlife on site. Fire pits and logs are available to hire instead, which is a fair trade off for a genuinely eco-conscious approach.
The Wingman of the Road setup at Foxhole campsite Wingman of the Road setup by the statue Foxholes campsite Foxholes campsite view review
The Site
Alongside the camping pitches there are five self-catering options on site too if you fancy something different, the EcoCabin, the Datcha, and three converted railway carriages called Lydham Heath, Horderley and Plowden. The carriages are dog friendly as well, handy if you're travelling with a dog and don't fancy a tent.
You get a real mix of people here too, Duke of Edinburgh groups, motorbike clubs, families, solo campers like me. Says a lot about the place that it works well for pretty much anyone.
Bishops Castle
Getting to Bishops Castle is easy, you can walk from the campsite down the hill, past the allotments, through a field, then along a long field down into the village. It's a lovely walk down, but not so good coming back since it's all uphill.
Once in the village I always head to The Castle Pub, or Three Tuns Brewery which dates back to 1642. The Castle Pub sells Robinsons cider, my favourite, and has a great beer garden looking down towards the village. It's always full at weekends when the weather's good, plenty of visitors and locals mixing together.
The village has a good spread of food options too if you don't fancy cooking. Happy Bap does great sausage rolls and cakes, Herbies is highly rated for breakfast, and there's also Poppy House. For something different there's an Indian balti called The Ganges, a Chinese takeaway called Dragon's Lair, and Bishops Castle Delights fish and chips, I've had that once and it wasn't bad at all. Plenty of options if you don't want to BBQ.
After a couple of cold ciders and picking up some bits for the BBQ from the local supermarket on the high street, I headed back to Foxholes campsite to chillout.
Food and Evening at Camp
I didn't do too much tonight, borrowed a neighbour's small BBQ since I was on the motorbike and couldn't bring mine, and cooked the chorizo sausages along with some tandoori chicken skewers I'd pre-marinated back at home. Washed down with a few cold ciders, all came out spot on.
With genuinely dark skies away from any light pollution, Foxholes campsite is exactly the kind of spot for a proper night under the stars.
BBQ at foxholes campsite The walk down to Bishops castle View from Foxholes campsite Bishop castle
Morning
Had a great night's sleep in the Wingman of the Road tent, it's so comfortable with its built-in mattress and sleeping bag, perfect for motorbike camping. It's a bit on the heavy side so I don't use it all the time, but for a trip like this it earns its place.
Packed up the bike and decided to head off home via Bridgnorth this time, for breakfast at a café I'd heard did a very good full English, The Gatehouse Café, just off the high street.
I ordered the Gatehouse Special, two local sausages,back bacon, fried eggs, grilled tomato, mushrooms, nicely stewed beans, black pudding (which is a must), and toast. Excellent breakfast, worth the detour. Price was £8.50, bargain !, drinks extra.
The Verdict
Foxholes campsite stands out for its genuine commitment to doing things properly and sustainably, solar power, rainwater harvesting, and a deliberate choice not to overfill the site. Combined with Bishops Castle right on the doorstep and some genuinely unique accommodation options, it's a solid choice for a green minded escape into the Shropshire Hills.
As I said before, I've been here a couple of times now and I'll always come back. It can get very busy when the weather's good and during school holidays, but you can normally find a good spot away from the crowds if you know where to look.
Overall 8.5./10
The Non-Negotiables: Small Kit That Makes a Big Difference
It’s the small details on a trip that make the biggest difference between a smooth setup and a headache. Whether it’s getting proper coffee on the move, avoiding a pitch-black stumble across a quiet campsite at night, or getting a fire roaring without fuss, these are some of the bits of kit I never go camping without:
🔦 Energizer Vision HD+ 260 Lumen Head Torch, Super Bright LED, for the 3am toilet run when the curry's kicking in
☕ AeroPress Original Coffee Press – 3 in 1 Brew Method, 3-in-1 brew method, unbeatable travel coffee kit that permanently lives in the van.
💨 Flextail Portable Air Pump, Not only does it make quick work of topping up the airbed and stoking campfires, but with its built-in light and USB rechargeable battery, it eliminates the need for extra lanterns and bulky manual pumps.
🔥 200 Firelighters – Ecoblaze Natural Firelighters , ands-down the best natural firelighters you can buy for getting the BBQ and fire pit going effortlessly.
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Thanks James | Fishing Field Fork
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