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I chose this site partly for nostalgic reasons, camped there some 35/40 years ago, and partly because it was handy for a couple of walks I wanted to do.
This site is expensive for the solo traveller, but I can see its attraction for families. The price included entrance to the adventure park, though plenty of additional money spinners seemed to be in place, equipment hire, tree climbing etc.
The on site shop was poor, sugar filled sweets, a bit of tinned food and plenty of cheap booze. There was a bar on site but most tables appeared booked out and the site was not even half full.
Toilets etc were OK, I didn't really use them, though the chemical waste area was dire. Pitches were quite large.
Customer service was very good on phone. Because of bad weather I rang 3 days before arrival to request a booking change to include electric, no problem. Then the day before I was due to arrive the site rang and asked if I minded being upgraded, because of weather, to hardstanding from grass at no extra charge.
On the plus side I managed to do a couple of good walks from the site, Newbridge and Buckfast. The Abbey at Buckast is worth a visit (free) and there's a good shop in the village with lots of local produce, food and homewares.
Overall I had a good stay, it's a great place for families, and although a lot has changed over the years the site holds some happy memories. 🤗 via mobile
The site is big and busy but because there are lots of different areas and camping fields, it never felt too crowded.
It was our first trip with our new 8 berth tent and I was worried about the tent size but the pitches are massive and it was no problem.
The surrounding area is great for walking the dog and there is a wier a short walk away where lots of kids went in with wetsuits and inflatables.
The pirate ship area was a bit 'young' for our teens but we did the high ropes which were surprisingly scary. We took bikes and I'm glad we did because being so big, it would have been a drag walking to the shop every day. And the kids loved being able to cycle off and have their independence.
We didn't try the takeaway service but there is one available and the little shop sold the basics (and quite a lot of tat!).
We also went mountain biking at nearby Haldon Forest which we thoroughly recommend. The trails are different levels of difficulty and all well marked.
Overall, we really enjoyed River Dart country park. Perfect if you want an 'easy' camping experience.
We were only there four days so didn't want to work too hard but if you were after a more adventurous experience you might find it a bit tame.
I would say it is perfect for families with young children as everything is on hand.
Excellent facilities incl shower, laundry and dry room, driers, etc. They even have a bath in the family room in some facility areas.
Great for kids with adventurous hearts. There is a lake with a pirate ship in it that is straight out of Goonies so bring your kid's beach shoes and wetsuit shorties with you.
We are definitely going back which is saying something since this is in Dartmoor and a bit of a trek to get to, but there is something there for all ages and will be worth returning with the kids as they get older.
We booked as a family of four, (3yrs and 7 yrs). We also met up with friends and their 7 yr old.
We had a great pitch near the facilities and opposite the toddler playground. Kids absolutely loved it. We had plenty to do and the facilities available despite covid restrictions were great. Very pleased and will definitely be booking again.
Only note was that there is quite a narrow stretch of road to access the park, but hair raising at times but we got through fine. You just need to be confident in the width of your vehicle and and extras you might be towing! 😂 via mobile
We had three day with our two grandson. The pitches are big but some can be on a bit of a slope. The facilities can be a bit busy in the mornings, but that's the popularity of the place.
Plenty for the kids to do. They were never bored, on the go all the time.
From swimming and playing in the lake, the adventure park, the high wires, cycle riding I don't know who enjoyed it the most Granddad or the grand kids. I left feeling fitter and I'm sure I lost a few pounds too.
Would recommend for active kids, or to get the kids active.
We booked for 3 nights with some friends. They were in a campervan and we were originally going to be in a tent but upgraded to a caravan between booking the pitch and staying. We had originally been allocated a grass pitch and a hard standing across the field from each other. When I rang to ask if we could take a caravan instead of a tent we were told it was fine but we'd be better swapping pitches so that the caravan had the hard standing, and it worked out well. However the ground was very muddy and slippery in places due to the weather, and when we took up the awning carpet it was very wet and muddy underneath. (however the hard standing areas had gravel 'driveways' big enough to lay the awning on to pack it up avoiding the wet grass. The pitches weren't cheap as you pay for park entry as well as your pitch. Our friends in the campervan were told they could pack up and park in the car park and spend their last day in the park, but with our caravan in tow we weren't offered that option.
We had an email a few days before we were due to arrive reminding us that we needed a 25m hook up lead (definitely needed as the electric posts were well spread out)and reminding us not to follow the Sat Nav but use the signs.
We came off the A38 following the signs (easy to find) but got a bit worried when we ended up on a very narrow road on a hill for just over half a mile - a bit of a nightmare as cars passing our outfit had very little room, and hubby was not impressed to have to do a hill start on the narrow hill with the caravan on the back. We did check and that is the only access road. There are passing places once in the boundary of the park, but it would be really awkward for 2 wide vehicles to pass each other on the approach road. With this in mind, I would advise people to not arrive early for their pitch, and to leave by the 11am check out (or even before 10am when the park opens to the public) to avoid meeting another outfit on that road - I don't know what we would have done had that happened!
The site was huge, and there didn't seem to be enough toilet blocks for the number of pitches, however although they were busy they were mostly clean, and I only had to wait once over our 3 nights to use the facilities. As well as soap and water anti bac hand gel was provided for hand washing. The family room was spacious and had a bath, toilet and sink in but no shower. There were plenty of dishwashing sinks. Water taps were dotted around (not easy to spot) and the toilet waste was at the amenity block, however the grey waste water disposal was a long walk away - as we were on the riverside pitches and hubby couldn't find a disposal point and was told he had to go to the amenity block on the meadows pitches past the shop. This might explain why some of the fresh water tap drains were blocked and overflowing.
The pitches were large, we easily fitted our car, caravan and awning on ours, with the car beside the van, but they seemed very close together - the outfit next to us had a bedroom annex which was no more than an arm's length from the back of our caravan which was sited on our hard standing area. The tent pitches seemed very close together too.
The shop had some camping gear in it, lots of gifts/toys and a small selection of groceries which were really expensive, e. G. £3 for a pack of ham, £2. 20 for an individual bottle of coke, £3. 50 for a pack of sandwiches. I'd definitely recommend stocking up before you go (the site doesn't accept grocery deliveries) as supermarkets are a bit of a drive away. The food in the Sawmill again was really pricey - £12 for a burger. We had a drink in the bar one evening, and our puppy had 'doggy ice cream' for a treat! We were able to sit outside with her.
The activities available on site were brilliant. Our children thoroughly enjoyed the 'free' activities - the water activities, the play parks, the low ropes and the pump track, climbing trees and scooting/cycling/exploring the grounds. We also paid for the canoeing for which they bought a card £8 for a canoe that seated 3 for 1/2 hour - which was refundable if they didn't end up using it which we thought was a really good touch. We packed up early enough on the Sunday for the children to have a short time playing in the lake, and they had it to themselves - whether it was because it was early, and day visitors hadn't arrived, or whether it was changeover day, or because the sun wasn't out I don't know but it was great! The children had a quick look in the games room, there were a couple of pool tables and some arcade machines including a 2p 'penny falls' type machine, some 30p grab machines and others that were £1 a go.
It was a very dog friendly place although dogs needed to be kept on a lead. There were lots of lovely walks, and many dog litter bins around the site.
There was so much to do for the children we'd definitely return, but maybe out of peak season when it wasn't so busy.
Great site very spacious so no one really close took some great photo's it is a photographer's heaven loads of chances.
Lovely river running right through the site
Only downside the bar was very expensive hence we only had one dinner time drink there
Also disabled toilets locked no notice I only found out after our stay the keys were at the reception I did tell them I was disabled when I booked they didn't mention the toilet key then,
All in all, will visit again we did enjoy the peace and quiet although the kids were off school
Easy to get to from A38 but after this tye road to the park is very narrow and will only fit a caravan with no passing place so be aware as this can cause some issues with people not understanding that caravans need extra room to manuevre.
You are checked at the payment booth so you don't have to pay to enter the park and then move to check-in. Check-in is fine butyou have to park in a lay-by which if any more than 2 caravans it will be full.
We were given pitch 119 but once we had found it was awful, the slope on it was herrendous, in fact about 90% of the pitches are on slopes varying from slight to steep. I went back to reception and the young lady gave me a choice of another 4 or 5 and we plumped for 152 even though on a slope we could live with it and the pitch was really big. However, after 2 hours someone came and asked us to move back to our original pitch - I refused and we stayed with it. On the friday night hordes of people descended on the site (didn't mind as been on busier sites), it was the amount of groups which was slightly off putting as if they weren't together they would be a couple of pitches and were still being a group.
Toilets - spotless
Laundry - reasonably priced
Adventure playground - brilliant
There are extra activities but these can be a little expensive dependant on which ones you choose.
Good location for the south coast area but would probably not go back due to the pitch level and the amount of groups on site.
River Dart Country Park campsite is by far the best campsite we have visited in the UK. It's set in an ideal location settled in the River Dart valley amongst the most beautiful scenery. It's a children's paradise with adventure playground built along the river with every conceivable rope, zip wire, slide, log, swing and tunnel you could wish for. All facilities are immaculate, staff are friendly and welcoming. Big spacious sites so no feeling of living in each other pockets. Somewhere to eat if you are fed up cooking. Beautiful woodland walks and tranquillity if wanted. We have not found anything to beat this yet!
We stayed in the village green field on pitch 106.
First the good stuff, the Water feature/Boat in the lake is brilliant. My little girl loved it, although it was very busy with boisterous boys squirting everyone in the face (Which was a theme on all 4 days we visited the lake, as they sell the water pumps at the ice cream kiosk) So brace yourself for that. It is also extremely cold even in the height of summer - It is a lake in the UK after all! Most people wear wetsuits. Sadly the loos (portaloos) in the area behind the ice cream kiosk are disgusting.
We also enjoyed the Water Zorbing, well my 5 year old did. Worth noting that most of the activities require you're over the age of 8. Zorbing over 5 years old. All the activities are extra, and you buy tokens for them.
The large play areas in the woods and the climbing course are great, and we also enjoyed walking along the river in the woods.
Now the main camping area. Pitch numbers, they had put them in the grass flat on the ground (so you can't see them as you drive around the field) at the back of the pitch, furthest from the road. I lost count how many people looking lost asked us about pitch numbers.
The loos were passable. They only seem to clean them twice a day. I had to wait for a basin to wash my hands a few times (All bar one basin is in a cubicle) I also had to wait for the showers once. We did have no hot water one morning, but on the whole water was always hot. The Washing up area was at the front of the toilets, and looked very pretty with lots of hanging baskets.
We visited the Saw Mill Cafe/Bar. The food was nice, huge portions, almost too big. In fact we ordered a child's meal of fish and chips with beans, 4 Fish fingers and huge portion of chips and most of a tin of beans. I would say you could have fed 2 kids with that, so maybe just ask for an extra plate and save a few pennies. It also had a play area outside for the kids with swings and a slide which was nice. It gets VERY busy in the evening, and was full a few times when we came in, so best to book if you want to eat.
The camp shop has a selection of the most basic bits, like milk, bread etc, some camp essentials, but mostly its novelty tat, which was pretty expensive. Best stock up from the nearest supermarkets in Newton Abbot.
The down side for us, was sadly the pitch we had been allocated. It was opposite the loos and a small play park. Great we though on arrival our 5 year old will enjoy that - Ugh how differently we felt come 10pm as it was still busy LOUD full of kids. We hardly saw any parents in this little area, the shrieking and screaming was over whelming. Add to this the constant sound of the loo doors banging the sound of the hand driers and the constant squeak of the swing in the playground. Just after 10 - 10. 15 parents arrived and tell the children its time for bed - Hooray peace I think - NO! Then the teenagers all sat perched on fences around the park telling stories and making a racket. We had booked for 2 weeks, but after 6 nights we could stand it no more. I counted 40 children in this tiny park at its peak.
Maybe things would have been different had we been tucked away in a corner away from the loos. I know you can't change the fact that its a busy site, but for anyone else looking at this site, make sure you are aware that at peek time it is a very loud busy site, and I would avoid being this close to the amenities, unless you're looking for that festival party all night kind of camping experience.
I had very high hopes for this camping trip and of the various camps we have planned for this year, this is the one most eagerly anticipated by my kids (15, 10, 8). I would normally disregard this type of site as too expensive but we decided to take a risk on a low/mid season deal as it's exactly the sort of adventure we love.
Whether you deem this place to be good value for money, depends on how willing you are to use all that is on offer, and to an extent that depends on the weather. It was very windy and fairly drizzly for most of our trip so we only had one day of donning the wetsuits and playing in the river / lake. Nor did we see anyone else taking advantage of the facility. The bonus for us was that we had the whole pirate ship to ourselves.
We got more use of the fantastic dry adventure play areas though so for what was included we got our money's worth. My only disappointment with this was that the site was so vast you couldn't let the kids play while you're making dinner for example, and the nearby playgrounds were a bit rubbish by comparison.
Similarly the games room, which I hoped could be a sanctuary for indoor play, was full of coin operated machines. Something free such as giant garden games, or board games (even if kept behind the bar and available on request) would have improved this apparently permanently empty facility.
The campsite itself is beautiful and spacious with gaps between the rows of pitches. Unfortunately ours was accessible only by driving on grass between other pitches. The west country had clearly been on the receiving end of more rain than we had back home as the ground was very soft, such that any manoeuvring got the car stuck and attempting to drive up the slope was futile. I developed a sort of 'roll on, roll off' style one way (downhill) system.
The site also offers no shelter from the wind. I naively thought being on the leeward side of Dartmoor would shelter us from the wind but it blasted us with 50mph gusts from all directions. There were a few awning casualties one night and I would suggest it's not the place to take a cheap tent. Saying that, the day we went up Dartmoor it was evident that the weather was increasingly bad the further up you go and we left a drizzly, misty Princetown to return to a drier brighter campsite so it could've been much worse.
We visited the cafebar on our final evening. It's a lovely cosy bar and a great place to make yourself comfortable with a couple of drinks and card games. All the staff we encountered in the bar and on the site were lovely and helpful and the location is stunning so all in all this was definitely a trip to remember.
Every time we go camping we conclude that we would love to return but probably never will because there are so many new places to explore. RDCP is one site we probably will return to, for the simple reason that it has so much to offer and there are so few places like it. Next time though, we'll save up and either visit in better weather to make the most of the free activities, or pay for some 'DareDevils' activities.
Essentially, if you have older kids that love adventure and you're keen to get stuck in and play yourselves, you'll love and get good value from it.
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Common Questions
Is River Dart Country Park child friendly? YES, it accepts children & has a playground View all facilities
Where is the nearest shop to River Dart Country Park? There is a shop on site View all facilities
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
All reviews and comments are the personal opinion of the review author only , and as such do not represent the view of the UK Camp Site.co.uk.
The facilities shown on this website are a guide only, and you should check with the campsite direct before making any booking. The UKCampsite.co.uk will not be held responsible for any errors or omissions
Tent Pitches 
Caravan Pitches 
Motorhome Pitches 
Small Campervans 
No Glamping Units 
No Statics for Hire 
No Statics for Sale 
No Seasonal Pitches 
Electric Hookups 
Hardstanding Pitches 
No Fully Serviced Pitches 
Families Welcome 
Not Members Only 
Rallies Welcome 
Not Naturist Site 
Dogs Welcome 
No Dogs Allowed 
Groups Welcome 
Toilet Facilities 
Hot Showers 
Washing Up 
Bathroom 
Baby Changing Facilities 
Laundry On Site 
Drinking Water 
Disabled Friendly 
Chemical Disposal 
No Battery Charging 
Gas Exchange 
Recycling Facilities 
No Kitchen Facilities 
Freezer / Fridge 
No Motorhome Point 
Wifi Access 
Shop On Site 
Bar On Site 
Restaurant or Cafe or Takeaway On Site 
Kids Playground 
No TV Room 
Games Room 
Evening Entertainment 
Fishing On Site 
No Wild Swimming 
No Indoor Pool 
No Outdoor Pool 
Horse Riding <5 miles 
Cycle Hire On Site 
No Golf 
Tennis On Site 
Beach <10 miles 
Watersports On Site 
No Boat Launch 
No Sea Views 
Not Working Farm 
Campfires Allowed 
Open All Year 
Riverside Pitches 
Public Transport <1 mile
Offroad Dog Walk On Site or Direct Access 
Electric Car Charging Point
I chose this site partly for nostalgic reasons, camped there some 35/40 years ago, and partly because it was handy for a couple of walks I wanted to do. 
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