Fairwood Lakes Holiday Park

We picked the lodge so anglers and non-anglers could spend time together, with fishing right from the lodge and a hot tub or somewhere to relax for everyone else. It's a lovely, well-equipped place for a restful weekend, but the lake needs some work before it becomes a great fishing venue. There was lots of branch debris and dead wood, and the bottom was very silty. Finding the lodge in the dark was tricky too, with so little lighting and signage that we walked in circles for 10 minutes before finding it. That added to the adventure, I suppose. I was in lodge 4 of 5, with anglers in lodges 1 and 5. Since you can only fish from one side, that left me very little water, especially with the person next door using six rods, in three pairs. That's a lot of line pressure on such a small lake. Bait boats were allowed, which was lucky because tree branches made overhead casting impossible. I don't know if anyone caught carp during our 72 hours there. I caught a bream, as did our neighbours, and there was also a small pike. The lodge allocation could be thought through better based on who's fishing. We could have been spaced out more, since a couple of lodges were empty or had people who weren't fishing, giving everyone more water.

We came away from our girls' weekend feeling recharged. The peaceful, scenic setting was just right for relaxing in the hot tub and enjoying the fire pit in the evening. Our container lodge with a hot tub was spotless and cosy, and made a great base for visiting Centre Parcs spa, Frome and Bath. We arrived a bit late, but the host was friendly and helpful on the phone, so check-in was very easy. We had a wonderful time at Fairwood Lakes and would highly recommend it as a relaxing retreat.

We visited on a day pass. The play area was great, and the bouncy castle was a nice extra. The kids had a wonderful day, though the place was a bit basic. It'd be good to have healthier food choices, even just a sandwich or ciabatta. Nothing fancy needed.

We stayed in a lakeside lodge, and the view from its balcony was gorgeous. The surroundings are lovely, and the site is currently being maintained, with exciting plans to come. It's not far from the beautiful towns of Frome and Norton St Phillip, both great for history and architecture.