Discovering Hayles Fruit Farm: A Cotswold Camping Experience

James
Jul 23
7 min read

Updated: 6 days ago

Hayles Fruit Farm Camping sunset

Overview of My Stay at Hayles Fruit Farm

I spent a night at Hayles Fruit Farm near Winchcombe. My goal was to test the campsite, explore the fishing lake, and sample the food at both the farm shop and the Orchard Kitchen café. If you're searching for top camping spots in the Cotswolds, this 134 acre site in Gloucestershire is a fantastic choice. It offers excellent facilities, a strong phone signal, and a superb farm shop.

Overall, I would rate my stay an 8/10. The site setup is impressive, and the farm shop is brilliant. However, a couple of food items didn’t quite meet expectations during my visit.

Campsite Scorecard

Location & Setting: ⛺⛺⛺⛺

Hayles Fruit Farm Cafe: ⛺⛺⛺

Facilities & Amenities: ⛺⛺⛺⛺⛺

Value for Money: ⛺⛺⛺⛺⛺

Food & Drink Nearby: ⛺⛺⛺⛺

Peace & Quiet: ⛺⛺⛺⛺

Essential Pitch & Site Info

Location: Winchcombe, near Cheltenham, Gloucestershire (GL54 5PB)

Pitch Rates: Hardstanding with electric £38/night (£40 on Bank Holidays); Grass tent pitches £12/adult, £9.50/child

Dogs & Fires: Dogs £2/night (max 3). Fire pit hire £5 per stay (+ £20 refundable deposit); wood must be bought on site

Facilities: Toilets, showers, fresh water points, wash up area, chemical disposal point

Check-In / Out: 2:00 PM – 8:00 PM check-in | 12:00 PM check out

Website: Camping | Hayles Fruit Farm | Winchcombe | Cotswolds

Getting There & Stopping in Broadway

I drove from Birmingham on the A435 and made a stop in Broadway for a coffee. I grabbed a flat white at Otis & Belle for £3.70. It was average, but finding a genuinely good flat white seems tough these days.

I also explored Broadway Deli. They offer nice products, but the prices are high, clearly catering to tourists rather than locals. Fifteen minutes later, I arrived at Hayles.

Checking In at Hayles Fruit Farm Camping

Upon arrival, I drove up the lane, turned right toward the campsite, and stopped at the farm shop first. The staff member checked me in by writing my name in the book. It was straightforward, friendly, and helpful, exactly what I wanted.

From there, I headed back down to the security gate, where a keypad code let me in. The warden, Mel, was super friendly. She double checked the book and told me to pick any spot I liked in the field. I chose a shaded area under some trees, plugged my fridge into the solar setup, cracked open a cold cider, and settled in.

First Impressions & Pitch Setup

The campsite features a large, open field. Most campers were hugging the tree lined edges for shade since it was boiling hot that day. It was quiet on Tuesday, but it fills up quickly on weekends. The site feels a bit more commercial and polished than smaller, wilder sites, which is expected with such a large setup.

Directly behind the pitches is the Hayles Fruit Farm fishing lake. Unfortunately, not many people were fishing during my stay due to a heavy algae bloom caused by the heat. Beyond the lake are the orchards, where they grow and harvest fruit for their ciders, juices, and seasonal PYO (Pick Your Own).

Toilets and showers are conveniently located around the site, with a mix of freestanding cubicles and fixed blocks. Fresh water points are scattered throughout, along with a dedicated washing up area. For walkers, the Cotswold Way runs just 100 metres from the farm, making it an ideal stop for hikers looking for places to camp in the Cotswolds.

hayles fruit farm caravan & camping site field gloucestershire
The toilets at Hayles Fruit Farm Campsite
My Campervan setup at the Hayles Fruit Farm Camping campsite
The Cotswolds way map
The main field at Hayles fruit farm camping
The Fishing Lake behind the Campsite

The Farm Shop & On Site Facilities

I took a short walk to the Orchard Kitchen and farm shop. Unfortunately, the café kitchen had already closed for the day by 3:00 PM, so breakfast would have to wait until morning.

The farm shop is one of the best I've encountered at a campsite. It features a proper deli counter with condiments, fresh fruit, vegetables, and local cheeses. The meat counter is well stocked with sausages, bacon, burgers, and lamb chops, plus local ice cream.

They also have an impressive outdoor lifestyle section selling Gozney pizza ovens, Yeti gear, barbecues, clothing, and footwear. A thoughtful touch is the sale of frozen sourdough pizza balls from Woody, along with all the toppings so you can cook your own pizzas at your pitch.

The pizza ovens we love, see our other review at Wolford Wood using one Gozney pizza ovens for sale.

The only downside? By the time I arrived, they were completely sold out of fresh bread and local meats, which scuppered my lunch and dinner plans. Instead, I cobbled together a Scotch egg, my favourite crisp brand, Two Farmers, some chocolate covered Brazil nuts from Ludlow, and a couple of bottles of local cider.

Back at the pitch, I tried the Scotch egg I’d bought from the deli. It was rock hard, dry, and not worth the £4. I won't be buying that again.

hayles fruit farm shop deli, local sauces and condiments
Hayles Farm shop at the campsite
Gozney pizza ovens for sale

Exploring Winchcombe on the E-Bike

Later in the evening, I took the e-bike down into Winchcombe, about a 15 minute downhill ride. I cycled around the village first; it’s a charming hub with a couple of supermarkets, classic pubs, a Chinese takeaway, and a proper independent butcher's shop.

The Evening Takeaway Experience

With no food left to cook at camp, I headed into town to the Winchcombe Indian restaurant. I asked for their top recommendation and settled on the chef’s special with a tandoori roti. Despite the restaurant being completely empty, there was a surprisingly long 40-minute wait for the food, so I passed the time at the bar with a cold Cobra beer.

I rode back up the hill with the takeaway, but unfortunately, the meal really didn't deliver. The curry was oily and tasteless, while the tandoori roti was doughy and under cooked in the middle. Portions were light for the price, too. On top of that, they still use old school foil containers instead of recyclable packaging. To add insult to injury, it felt ridiculously expensive, £24 for a curry, a single roti, and half a beer, despite their advertised 10% takeaway discount!

Starving and in a rush, I didn't think to question the bill at the time, but looking back, I’m pretty sure I was overcharged.

Still, you've got to try these local spots to know for sure. Back at the pitch, I picked through what I could of the meal. The evening soon improved, though, with a lovely sunset and absolute stillness. Mobile signal was surprisingly strong too, a rare treat in the Cotswolds, so I streamed a bit of Netflix and called it an early night.

Bad curry from Winchcombe Indian Resturant
local cider and Two farmers crisps
Sunset at Hayles Fruit Farm Campsite

Breakfast at Orchard Kitchen Cafe

After a refreshing shower, I walked up to the café for breakfast. The Full English was priced at £16, but without any black pudding, I decided to pass. Instead, I opted for the whipped feta on sourdough, topped with pesto, pine nuts, radishes, pea shoots, and honey, adding a side of bacon to round it off.

The café is nicely decorated with both indoor and outdoor seating, plus a wood burner inside for cooler days. They offer a great selection of condiments and free water served straight from a YETI cool box.

If you're staying over the weekend, they host a pizza night every Friday from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM featuring Tommy's Pizzas, alongside an open bar.

When my order arrived, it was missing both the honey and the pine nuts. The feta was too watery for my liking; I prefer it much thicker. This definitely took the shine off a £16.50 dish. That said, the flat white was great: rich, smooth, and easily better than the coffee I had in Broadway. I packed up my campervan gear shortly after and made the easy 1 hour 10 minute's drive back to Birmingham.

Hayles Farm shop Whipped feta fastbreak
Hayles Farm Cafe Flat White Coffee
Hayles Friut Farm Cafe inside
The main menu at the Orchid Kitchen

The Final Verdict

Hayles Fruit Farm is one of the most well equipped sites I’ve visited. Spread across a 134-acre estate, it combines camping, coarse fishing, a brilliant farm shop, PYO orchards, and a café. The campsite itself is fantastic: well-serviced, nicely proportioned, and open enough that you can pick your own pitch, all within easy reach of the Cotswold Way. It was ideal during my stay, though I reckon weekends could get a little lively with kids running about.

Food was a letdown throughout my trip. The farm shop Scotch egg, the greasy takeaway curry, and the incomplete café breakfast all missed the mark. That said, the farm shop setup itself is fantastic, and the on site coffee was decent enough. Location wise, it’s hard to beat: you’re right next door to Hailes Abbey and ideally placed for Broadway, local pubs, Sudeley Castle, the GWSR steam railway, and the May walking festival. It’s a brilliant base for exploring.

Overall Stay: 8/10

Breakfast Score: 7/10

Quick Visitor FAQ: Hayles Fruit Farm Opening Times & Details

The farm shop and Orchard Kitchen café are open Tuesday to Sunday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (closed Mondays). Camping check in runs from 2:00 PM to 8:00 PM.

Does Hayles Fruit Farm offer Pick Your Own (PYO)?

Yes, Hayles Fruit Farm offers PYO, running seasonally from summer through autumn for strawberries, raspberries, plums, and apples.

Can you fish at Hayles Fruit Farm?

Yes, Hayles Fruit Farm features a stocked coarse fishing lake located directly behind the campsite pitches.

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, here are some essentials I never go camping without:

Energizer Vision HD+ 260 Lumen Head Torch, Super Bright LE, for the 3 AM toilet run when the curry's kicking in 🔦

AeroPress Original Coffee Press 3 in 1 Brew Method, unbeatable travel coffee kit that permanently lives in the van☕

Flextail Portable Air Pump, makes quick work of topping up the airbed and stoking campfires, with a built in light and USB rechargeable battery. 💨

200 Firelighters Ecoblaze Natural Firelighters, hands down the best natural firelighters for getting the BBQ and fire pit going effortlessly.🔥