The Anxious Book Worm

Campsite Review: Commons Wood Club Campsite 🚐

Location Details

Site Name: Commons Wood Club Campsite
Location: Welham Green, Hertfordshire

Overview

⭐ Overall Rating: 8/10

If you’re looking for a campsite that’s close enough to London to make sightseeing easy but far enough away that you don’t feel like you’re sleeping in the middle of a city, then Commons Wood is a fantastic choice.

This was our base for a long weekend in London and, honestly, it worked perfectly.

It wasn’t actually our first choice (another CAMC site closer to London was fully booked), but sometimes things work out exactly as they’re supposed to.

First Impressions

We arrived around 3pm and had plenty of pitches to choose from.

Straight away everyone was friendly, the site felt organised and there was loads of room for both the campervan and our awning.

One thing we’ve noticed with CAMC sites is they all seem to have a similar feel – clean, well maintained and very relaxed.

After the slight panic of our very first trip away, this time we actually looked like we knew what we were doing…

…well, from a distance anyway.

Facilities

The facilities were exactly what you’d expect from a CAMC site.

Everything was clean, tidy and well looked after throughout our stay.

Now, I know some of you will be waiting for Ben’s Official Shower Review™ because apparently every campsite should be judged on shower quality.

This week’s complaint was…

…the shower head.

Honestly, I have no idea what it had done to offend him.

At this point I’m beginning to think he’d complain if it was dispensing liquid gold.

So I’m choosing to ignore him.

The facilities were absolutely fine.

Pitch & Setup

We arrived at around 3pm but needed to be in London by 6pm for a concert, so we made the sensible decision not to rush around trying to set the awning up.

Past Kate would absolutely have tried to do everything.

Current Kate is learning.

The next morning we got up, took our time and properly set everything up.

And it was perfect.

We’ve realised we’re actually quite private people when we’re camping.

Rather than sitting at the front watching the world go by, we much prefer creating our own little space tucked behind the campervan and awning.

Our Cadac lived at the back.

Our chairs were set up there.

It became our own little outdoor living room.

That said…

We definitely packed too much.

Again.

Every trip teaches us something and this weekend’s lesson was that less really is more.

We’re getting there.

Slowly.

Location & Things To Do

For us, this campsite was all about London.

It took around an hour to get into Central London, which was absolutely ideal.

We grabbed an Uber (around 1.9 miles) to the train station before jumping on the train and then the Tube into the city.

It was straightforward, stress-free and meant we could enjoy London without actually having to drive into London.

Perfect.

If I’m being completely honest, we didn’t really explore the local area because every day was spent in the city.

Maybe that’s an excuse to come back one day.

Food & Coffee Nearby ☕

One thing that seems to have become a tradition already…

Before heading home, we always find a coffee shop.

Not just because coffee is one of my favourite food groups, but because it gives us chance to sit down, relax and chat about what worked, what didn’t and what we’d change before the next adventure.

It’s become our little campervan debrief.

Some couples discuss life.

We discuss storage boxes.

What We Loved ❤️

Fantastic location for visiting London

Quiet, peaceful site

Plenty of space around the pitches

Friendly staff

Easy transport links into the city

Great for campervans and awnings

It wasn’t full, so the whole site felt calm and really relaxing after busy days in London

What We’d Change 🛠️

Nothing about the campsite really.

Every change was about us and how we use the campervan.

The good news?

We’re definitely improving.

Our two large storage boxes that lift straight into the awning were an absolute game changer.

Being able to move everything in one go made life so much easier.

However…

The drive-away tunnel on the awning?

We hated it.

After using it properly we decided we don’t actually need to attach the awning to the van every time.

Maybe we’ll change our minds in winter.

Who knows.

But for summer camping, we preferred leaving it detached.

We’ve also decided that all morning coffee supplies need their own dedicated box.

Nobody wants to be rummaging through cupboards before caffeine.

Especially Ben.

Other purchases have already been made…

Proper shower flip-flops for me (the ones with the holes in so they actually dry properly).

Thank you, Amazon.

Ben also spent the weekend complaining about his pillow.

Rather than buying another camping pillow, we’ve decided we’ll buy a new pillow for home and simply steal the current one for the campervan.

Compromise.

Lastly…

Water storage.

After nearly dehydrating ourselves on our Peak District day trip, we’ve learnt that you can never have too much water in the van.

One final thing we realised…

We’re still spending like we’re on holiday.

Every coffee shop.

Every little farm shop.

Every cute bakery.

Every “ooh, let’s just pop in there…”

Don’t get me wrong, we absolutely love supporting local businesses and we’ll always seek out independent coffee shops wherever we go.

But we also bought this campervan so we could enjoy getting away without feeling like every weekend has to cost a fortune.

Next time we’re going to lean into campervan life a little more.

We’ll cook outside more.

We’ll make more of our own coffees in the van.

We’ll take packed lunches.

We’ll sit in beautiful places simply because we can.

The whole idea is that adventure doesn’t have to be expensive.

Sometimes the best days are just good company, fresh air and a coffee with a view.

I also realised something else this weekend.

I have a genuine problem with wanting everything to be perfect.

It’s something I’ve always struggled with.

But strangely…

Campervan life is helping me let go of that a little.

Every trip isn’t about getting everything perfect.

It’s about learning one thing that makes the next adventure even better.

And I’m actually really enjoying that process.

Would We Stay Again?

Absolutely.

Without hesitation.

If we were planning another London trip, Commons Wood would definitely be on our list.

It’s peaceful, well maintained, easy to get into the city from and gives you the best of both worlds.

Final Thoughts

This trip felt different.

Not because the campsite was better than the last one.

But because we felt more comfortable.

More confident.

Less like two people pretending to know what they were doing.

Every trip is teaching us something.

Not just about the campervan, but about ourselves.

How little we actually need.

How much calmer we feel when we’re surrounded by nature.

And how adventures don’t have to be thousands of miles away or cost hundreds of pounds.

We’re still finding our rhythm, still tweaking our setup and still learning with every trip.

But one thing is already certain…

This little van is slowing us down in all the right ways.

And I can’t wait to see where it takes us next. 🚐🤍