We have always enjoyed our visits to Bluebell Dairy in Derbyshire, so as soon as we found out they were running family camping weekends through the summer 2021, we jumped at the chance.

What are the Ice Cream Getaways?

Bluebell Dairy have launched one- or two-night camping weekends throughout the summer, called the Ice Cream Getaways, offering you a camping pitch in a field on the Bluebell Dairy farm as well as access to the farm itself for your stay.

As well as your pitch, you also get your dinner, breakfast, ice cream, and evening entertainment, as well as extended access to the farm play areas once the day visitors had left.

Bluebell Dairy is a family-run dairy farm, just a few miles from Derby city centre, surrounded by stunning countryside, offering over 26 variations of delicious ice cream, milk and a whole beautiful farm park for all the family to enjoy.

The camping

We were able to check in from 1pm on the day of arrival and were greeted by the very lovely Angela, who gave us our welcome pack, with wristbands an our vouchers, as well as our pitch number.

There was a portacabin for male and female toilets in the campsite, and space for around 30 tents. Each pitch was very spacious and friendship groups were camping together. There must have only been around 12 tents on the weekend we were visiting and it was beautifully quiet, with views across the countryside.

Once the farm had closed, you also had a side gate unlocked to be able to access the farm park, however during the daytime this was locked, so you would access via the main entrance through the car park.

The toilets were clean with hot water at the sinks, and although there was no suitable running water for teeth brushing, the team gave us bottled water at each of our tents.

The camping is only suitable for families, with a beautiful atmosphere all weekend long – even at night time is was so quiet, with only the sound of distant sheep!

Checkout is at 3pm, so you have all the final day to enjoy everything on the farm too.

The food & drink

Not only do you get access to the campsite, but you also get fed, meaning you don’t need to worry about food for the whole weekend. What’s more, this is Bluebell Dairy food, making it even more special!

For breakfast you’re given a full cooked brekkie (including veggie options) from their café, which you can eat in the indoor seating in the indoor play barn (play section currently closed – June 2021) or take back to the tent with you. You also get tea, coffee or juice options too.

For dinner, you’re given a delicious meal cooked by the chefs – as a veggie, I had a beautiful grilled halloumi flatbread with salad, and Lily had a fresh sausage with chips as the kids option. Tables are set out in the marquee for you to be able to enjoy your dinner on alongside the bar.

You’re also given vouchers for an ice cream sundae, however we just used them for ice cream! Bluebell Dairy’s ice cream is just out of this world, so it really was a special addition for the weekend – my favourite were the rhubarb and the honeycomb flavours, whereas Lily loves the vanilla!

The final voucher is for some fresh Bluebell Dairy milk, which you can either take home with you or enjoy on the farm.

For those staying for two nights, you can also order a BBQ pack for the Friday night to enjoy at your tent.

The team set up a beautiful licensed bar in the marquee, which was open until 10pm, serving alcoholic and soft drinks.

What’s more, each tent pitch had its own QR code, so you could even order drinks to your tent – a whole new level of room service I’d never heard of before, but could definitely get used to 🙂

The entertainment

You have access to the farm park for the duration of your stay, with plenty for all ages to enjoy.

We were slightly disappointed we couldn’t visit before 1pm on the first day, as we were hoping to spend a bit more time on the farm before checking in for the tent – mainly because Lily wanted to do the calf cuddling, which was fully booked by the time we arrived!

However, we had a fantastic weekend on the farm and there really is so much to do. From sheep walking and alpaca walking (alpacas must be booked on arrival alongside calf cuddling), small animal petting and feeding all the animals on the farm, there really is a fun-packed timetable of events while you’re there.

On top of this, there are so many amazing spots to play in at Bluebell Dairy, including jumping pillows, ride-on tractors, a huge sandpit, and two play areas as well as Go Karts for the bigger kids – I didn’t think I was going to get Lily home.

These areas are also open until 10pm for those on the camping weekends, which is fantastic – don’t tell anyone I may have snuck onto the jumping pillow for a pre-bedtime jump with Lily 🙂

In the evening, the lovely Bluebell Dairy team are also on hand with a family pub quiz from 7pm – we didn’t join in as I try and get Lily to bed at a normal-ish time, however it sounded great fun.

The weekend review

The weekend was really lovely and we would recommend it to anyone, whether you’re looking for something different to do with the kids in the school holidays or a unique family staycation.

It was so well organised with great facilities, and it was lovely to head off on a camping weekend with everything from food and drink to entertainment taken care of – did I mention the room service to your tent?!

It was also fantastically safe, which I find even more important when camping solo with a small child – it means I can sleep at night without having to worry. Lily was happy all weekend and loved making new friends, safely playing in the play areas and meeting the animals too. As cheesy as it sounds, we made some great memories together.

The staff were so lovely and always around to make sure we were OK and to have a chat – they clearly work so hard to keep all their visitors (and animals!) happy 🙂

Thank you to the Bluebell Dairy team for a lovely weekend and we can’t wait to see you again soon.

Helpful links & further information

For further information on the Bluebell Dairy Ice Cream Getaways, click here

For our full review on Bluebell Dairy, click here

For our review on Bluebell Dairy’s Santa’s Sleigh School, click here

For other ideas for farm & wildlife park camping, click here

For our checklist for camping with the family, click here.