center parcs, elveden forest

can anyone help or advise me........
since i was very young (i am now 27) i have been visiting center parcs, sherwood forest as it was 15 mins away from home. however i have now moved and i have booked a cheap b'day getaway for me and the partner. but due to availablitiy we have booked the elveden forest site, but after reading several reviews i am worried.
i haev read lots on bikes being stolen so we have decided not to bother with bringing the bikes as i would rather walk everywhere than have a hol reuined by theft. this has got me quite worried about general safety and security with the park. can anyone share their experiences of elveden with me to relax me?

thank you xx
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  • moneypooh
    moneypooh Posts: 2,217 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    Went to Elveden twice last year, and booked for Christmas so don't worry at all. Thefts are common everywhere but if you're bike is locked it's ok. We always take ours as the site is so flat. We go to all 4 parcs in turn over a few years, but at least 4 times each year and I've never been worried about security at any of them. Just be sensible as you would anywhere else and you'll have a great time :)
  • cherydee
    cherydee Posts: 752 Forumite
    moneypooh wrote: »
    Went to Elveden twice last year, and booked for Christmas so don't worry at all. Thefts are common everywhere but if you're bike is locked it's ok. We always take ours as the site is so flat. We go to all 4 parcs in turn over a few years, but at least 4 times each year and I've never been worried about security at any of them. Just be sensible as you would anywhere else and you'll have a great time :)

    Not wishing to hijack this thread but could you tell me if possible in order which center parcs you prefer. We have only been to the Whinfell one for a winter wonderland weekend and thinking about going to Sherwood in August with the grandchildren but just worried it will be heaving and everywhere crowded.
  • moneypooh
    moneypooh Posts: 2,217 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    That's not the easiest question, we go to all 4 because we like them for different reasons. As for being busy, if anything August does feel less crowded if the weather is good as everyone is enjoying all the outside activities and that spreads everyone out over the village.
    We prefer the rapids and swimming at Longleat, with Elveden & Sherwood tied 2nd. I like all 4 main areas again depends on the weather.
    Elveden's main village has everything close (except the aqua sana & country club), and Longleat is too spread out, but has the land train! Longleat & Whinfell are very hilly, the others flatter.
    The restaurants are all basically the same although we love the lakeside inn @ Whinfell, shame they lost Yang :(
    Prefer the Aqua Sana's 'world of spa' at Sherwood & Elveden, the others are too small.
    We love the new exec Lodges in seven pines @ Whinfell, & the town houses @ Longleat.
    As a family we all have different things we like about different sites, which is probably the reason we do travel between them. I'm hoping Woburn will have all our 'best bits' on one site as it's only 40 mins away :)
    The trick with being crowded is to time things right, and book tables at restaurants during busy periods.
  • ebsks76
    ebsks76 Posts: 67 Forumite
    jac_eyre wrote: »
    can anyone help or advise me........
    since i was very young (i am now 27) i have been visiting center parcs, sherwood forest as it was 15 mins away from home. however i have now moved and i have booked a cheap b'day getaway for me and the partner. but due to availablitiy we have booked the elveden forest site, but after reading several reviews i am worried.
    i haev read lots on bikes being stolen so we have decided not to bother with bringing the bikes as i would rather walk everywhere than have a hol reuined by theft. this has got me quite worried about general safety and security with the park. can anyone share their experiences of elveden with me to relax me?

    thank you xx


    I think all the CenterParcs have the problem with theft, although we have been going since the first one opened and we've never had our bikes stolen.

    As for being busy, you can pre-book resturants and activities six weeks before you go. Although the outdoor pools are far busier in August than the indoor. Also try avoiding swimming on arrival/departure days as they seem to be very busy then.
  • We went to Elveden CP in March 2009 and on the first night we had my DH and DD1 bike stolen. We declared all our quite pricey bikes on the form before we went. The bloke who came to take our statement the following morning said it had never happened before. Once back and speaking with Suffolk Constabulary they inform us that they get on average 10 bike thefts PER WEEK from CP. CP refuse to have any police presence, whether uniformed or non uniformed, and CP deny there is a problem.

    It did ruin our holiday but they did give us 2 hire bike FOC. All we can think of is that we declared the bikes we were taking on site. We think ut us an inside job, so to speak, because how can 'they' go around 700+ villas in one night picking bikes. Rather someone on the insde is feeding them the info on where the higher value bikes are. Suffolk Police did say they are the higher priced bikes being stolen.

    Saying all that we love CP and are planning to go back this March either Elveden or Sherwood but we will NOT be declaring the bikes we take on site and will be bringing them into the lodge every night.

    Before anyone pounces yes they were locked fully with motor bike locks!

    This is our experience, not a good one, and yes there is a theft problem there but we still plan to go back as love all that CP offers.
  • moneypooh wrote: »
    That's not the easiest question, we go to all 4 because we like them for different reasons. As for being busy, if anything August does feel less crowded if the weather is good as everyone is enjoying all the outside activities and that spreads everyone out over the village.
    We prefer the rapids and swimming at Longleat, with Elveden & Sherwood tied 2nd. I like all 4 main areas again depends on the weather.
    Elveden's main village has everything close (except the aqua sana & country club), and Longleat is too spread out, but has the land train! Longleat & Whinfell are very hilly, the others flatter.
    The restaurants are all basically the same although we love the lakeside inn @ Whinfell, shame they lost Yang :(
    Prefer the Aqua Sana's 'world of spa' at Sherwood & Elveden, the others are too small.
    We love the new exec Lodges in seven pines @ Whinfell, & the town houses @ Longleat.
    As a family we all have different things we like about different sites, which is probably the reason we do travel between them. I'm hoping Woburn will have all our 'best bits' on one site as it's only 40 mins away :)
    The trick with being crowded is to time things right, and book tables at restaurants during busy periods.

    We live in Herts and can't wait for the one in Beds to open in 2013!!:j
  • thank you for all the posts, i have been to sherwood forest every year for the last 6 years and have always love it, lets hope eveden can match!!
  • vikingaero
    vikingaero Posts: 10,920 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Elvenden has had theft problems for a fair number of years. A lot of the blame can be laid at the door of CP - they check who enters the park religiously, but then they don't repair the holes in their fences.... There have been a large number of buggy/bike/villa content (laptops/ipods etc) thefts and they preferred to bury the news. The demographics of Elvenden are often well off families who can afford £1,000+ mountain bikes, laptops, ipods, ipads, bugaboo buggies etc. This attracts the lowlife from the surrounding cabbage counties to steal. If it's a bike or a buggy and you're leaving sight of it then use a lock.
    The man without a signature.
  • cherydee
    cherydee Posts: 752 Forumite
    moneypooh wrote: »
    That's not the easiest question, we go to all 4 because we like them for different reasons. As for being busy, if anything August does feel less crowded if the weather is good as everyone is enjoying all the outside activities and that spreads everyone out over the village.
    We prefer the rapids and swimming at Longleat, with Elveden & Sherwood tied 2nd. I like all 4 main areas again depends on the weather.
    Elveden's main village has everything close (except the aqua sana & country club), and Longleat is too spread out, but has the land train! Longleat & Whinfell are very hilly, the others flatter.
    The restaurants are all basically the same although we love the lakeside inn @ Whinfell, shame they lost Yang :(
    Prefer the Aqua Sana's 'world of spa' at Sherwood & Elveden, the others are too small.
    We love the new exec Lodges in seven pines @ Whinfell, & the town houses @ Longleat.
    As a family we all have different things we like about different sites, which is probably the reason we do travel between them. I'm hoping Woburn will have all our 'best bits' on one site as it's only 40 mins away :)
    The trick with being crowded is to time things right, and book tables at restaurants during busy periods.

    We have booked Seven Pines, New Style Woodland 4 bed Det for the Winter Wonderland (shame its only 2 nights,weekend) this year. I think the reason my husband and I are wondering whether to go or not with the family + grandchildren to Sherwood in August is because for the same money we could have a glorious week in the sun abroad. Decisions, decisions !!
  • moneypooh
    moneypooh Posts: 2,217 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    cherydee wrote: »
    We have booked Seven Pines, New Style Woodland 4 bed Det for the Winter Wonderland (shame its only 2 nights,weekend) this year. I think the reason my husband and I are wondering whether to go or not with the family + grandchildren to Sherwood in August is because for the same money we could have a glorious week in the sun abroad. Decisions, decisions !!

    Weather never guaranteed even abroad these days, friends went for a week in August last year and it rained every day - warm rain though :)

    I think CP thefts are very much like anywhere else, keep it locked and hidden from sight when out of your villa.

    Definitely swim on change over days, 10am or 3pm best times. My DS has been first down the rapids many times in the morning if there for opening on change over days. They pools get really busy after 11am. And 3pm is good as leavers are packing up to go home, and new arrivals are getting access to their villas.
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