Alton The Star campsite is a peaceful and picturesque campsite  that belongs to The Camping and Caravaning Club. It is situated in Staffordshire and is the ideal location for those looking for alternative accommodation when visiting Alton Towers and Cbeebies Land. There are a few accommodation options available when booking your stay at Alton The Star including, pitching your own tent with or without an electric hook up, staying in a static caravan or, like we did, enjoying a break away in a ready camp safari tent.

The Ready Camp Safari Tents at Alton The Star

There are 9 Safari tents at Alton The Star, all pitched together in their own field away from the static caravans.

Each safari tent can sleep up to 6 people across three rooms. There are two bedroom, the first has a double bed and a hanging rail with some storage options.

The second has bunk beds made up of a double on the bottom and a single on top. In addition to these you will also find an extra bed under the bunk beds that can be pulled out and set up in the living area if required. 

The living area is a large space and contains a dining table that can easily seat 6, a two seater sofa and a kitchen area. 

In the kitchen area you will find a fridge/freezer, microwave, toaster, kettle, two ring hob and all the basic utensils as well as cutlery and crockery for 6. 

Outside the Safari tent there is also a patio area where you can sit and relax and you will find enough deck chairs for your whole party stored under the double bed. 

These safari tents really are a home away from and the team have thought of everything including both interior and exterior lighting, additional plugs (handy for the teenagers that can’t be parted from their phones) plus free wifi. The only thing you need to remember is your bedding. 

Alton The Star Campsite

Alton The Star campsite is split across a couple of different areas with the safari tents being on one side and the caravans on the other. There is a main shower block in the middle of the site that everyone can use, however, there is also a new wash block situated next to the safari tents that houses gender specific toilettes and showers as well as a washing up room for your dishes. These facilities are really handy, very modern and are cleaned on a regular basis. 

As well as all the space around the safari tents there is also an enclosed field next to them that has goal posts set up specifically for ball games (as these are not allowed by the tents), and a tice to say this is also the designated dog walking area, however dogs must remain on leads at all times so in theory it should work for both children and dogs simultaneously. 

For those staying with younger children there is also a park on site. This is only a 2 minute walk from the safari tents, and has a number of different pieces of equipment that cater for all ages. There is even a table tennis table and if you ask at reception you can borrow paddles and balls, perfect for the older kids and even the adults in your group. 

For those staying for a few days or more there is also an onsite laundrette which doubles up as an information centre full of leaflets and print outs of local attractions and walks to help you plan you week if you decide you don’t want to spend the whole time on site. 

Our review of Alton The Star Ready Camp Safari Tents and site

We stayed at Alton The Star for two nights and were really impressed with both the site and the safari tent. The first thing we noticed was how clean and spacious the tent was, considering it houses a lot of furniture and equipment to make your stay comfortable, it didn’t feel over packed at all. Even when myself, three children and lots of luggage were inside it still felt spacious. 

It has everything you need for a relaxed stay including a heater for when it gets a bit cooler in the evenings. One of the highlights for me was the bed, it was so comfy and definitely didn’t feel like camping, or even glamping for that matter as the mattress was comfier than some hotels I’ve stayed in.

In terms of the campsite, again we were impressed with how clean everything was. There was an abundance of staff around all day and they always looked busy cleaning and tidying, I don’t think I ever saw the showers or wash rooms looking like they were due a clean and there was never any litter anywhere, probably the cleanest site I have ever stayed at.

As well as working really hard the staff were also really friendly with several members stopping and checking we were okay and chatting to the kids about their holiday. They were also a great source of information for local hidden gems and thanks to them we spent a wonderful day in Dimmingsdale woods followed by ice cream and cake at the Ramblers Retreat, both are an absolute must if you are in the area. 

Overall, we had a fantastic time and we were really impressed with both the accommodation and the site and we would highly recommend to everyone, so much so we are already thinking of returning again later in the year and combining it with a trip to Alton Towers.

Top tip – One thing I would point out is that there is no on site shop and the nearest one is a car ride away, so make sure you bring everything you need with you, or stop on the way in, that way once you are unpacked you can sit back ad relax without needing to leave again.

If you do forget then there is a pub in walking distance so you can at least grab a meal and a drink but I would recommend you head across the fields and leave by the gate next to the caravans and walk down the country lane instead of walking down the main road as there is little or no pavement that way. If you can’t find the gate ask the staff, they will be more than happy to show you.