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We joined family here for New Year celebrations. The site was jointly chosen on account of the reviews left by others, and because we have stayed on 5* sites before, so we felt assured of a comfortable stay.
The access on and off the main road is very good.
On arrival, we were rushed through, we don't know why, we were the only ones on reception. Felt as if we were interrupting. No advice was given on the surrounding area, and we were not asked if there was anything we needed. We were on Otters Creak pitches.
No one came to see if we had pitched ok!
The roads on site are not the smoothest.
We had asked for hardstanding, it was, but the definition between hard and grass is being eroded and not maintained. The pitch was small and parking of our relatively small car was not easy. The car had to be parked about face to avoid stepping on the mud. Pitches are reasonably level. The power point was not in great condition (but yes it works), one of the lids that hold the plug in was broken, and they were sloppy fits. The aerial box was falling apart (but worked), these had obviously been like this for years. To get our water or empty the grey waste involved manoeuvring in mud, and like some other sites, are not aqua roll friendly. Why there aren't a couple of slabs down is beyond us (we have photo). Our pitch was close to the main road, but the traffic noise wasn't too bad and did not bother us.
The toilet block is basic, and has had a budget face lift, not 5* standard (I am in the building trade). They were not warm and inviting, but were adequate and clean with plenty of hot water.
Rubbish and waste disposal facilities, rubbish is well sorted for recycling. The elsan point is a toilet, which makes disposal easy, but the environment it is set in leaves a little to be desired.
The site seems to be maintained with minimal outlay.
We had a walk around the site, which we could see will look lovely in the spring and summer.
We walked to The Crown Inn where we had a really good meal, we would highly recommend a visit, taxi back £5! Ilfracombe is looking tired these days compared to our last visit being about 4 years ago when we had our caravan stored at Stowford.
Would we come back, no. Why, well 5* to us is something a little more than average, we have had very different experiences of 5* sites. We would question 'Visit England's' rating system.
Would we recommend this site? Not if you want 5*.
The cynics out there may think we are being picky, well, we didn't want to be constantly avoiding mud and chose a site that suggested it was adequately suited to winter camping. The pitches we were given, weren't, yet there were other pitches available (discovered on our walk about) which were.
We did not complain to the wardens themselves during our visit, as we felt after our less than warm welcome, any observations would have fallen on deaf ears.
Helloooo, we are from New Zealand and just finished travelling around England and Wales (over 2 months). This site is a good little spot, nice playground, river running through the site. Great value. The bathroom facilities were good, however quite a walk from the pitches. Pitch got muddy with the rain but that's was to be expected camping in winter. Had free running showers which is always a bonus. Lots of wildlife around this site.
Excellent site, very friendly and helpful staff. Would highly recommend this site for the peace and quiet, except for the running water and the owls at night, but oh so soothing after a long drive. Very reasonably priced. Ideal for first time campers like us. Ideal for visits to either Ilfracombe / Braunton / Barnstaple or Exmoor and Dartmoor. With a pub just down the road, not far to walk after an enjoyable night.
Although a newcomer to owning a campervan, I am a regular visitor to the Hidden Valley, as my son and daughter-in-law and grandchildren live in nearby Braunton in North Devon. The Hidden Valley is aptly named for although it is situated conveniently close to the A361 Braunton to Ilfracombe road, it is shielded by trees which minimises any traffic noise. In fact, from most of the site, you would not realise you were a five minute walk from a main road, and the bus stop to Ilfracombe and to Barnstaple. These services run every 20 minutes.
The site itself, which is open all the year, has 50 generously spaced all weather pitches; essential for winter camping, also grass pitches and a 5 acre grassed area for tented camping. All are connected by paved lanes.
The river Caen flows through part of the site, and this together with the surrounding woods give the site a delightful rural feeling.
In my experience, you can tell the quality or a pub or restaurant or a campsite by the state of the toilets. At the Hidden Valley, these facilities are always immaculate. The Legg family who own and run the site obviously have a personal interesting in maintaining high standards, and they are always most helpful and welcoming to campers of all ages and pets. I would give the Hidden Valley full marks under every heading.
Stayed here for a week taking advantage of the special offer which meant that we paid around £12.50 per night. We were located in the 'Oakes' area which meant we were near the toilet block.
Overall the showers are amongst the most practical we have come across in many years of touring both here and abroad, There is plenty of room in the cubicles and plenty of hooks for clothing. The floor tiles are non-slip and heated. The shower controls actually work in terms of flow and temperature.
The taps on the washbasins are of the Prestex type and only actually work when held down which was a bit inconvenient.
The toilet block was kept clean and tidy.
Some parts of the park are a little 'tired' if you are being picky especially some of the garden areas.
An excellent point on this site is that if you fancy leaving the car for a day there is a very good bus service stopping outside the entrance with buses to Ilfracome, Barnstaple and beyond running at three an hour during the day and two an hour in the evening until late.
The shop on site is OK but obviously not particularly well stocked given the time of year, all the basics can be had however.
All in all a pleasant site in a lovely part of the world.
We stayed in a log cabin (one of only three), this was excellent and spacious. Has a nice shower room with WC. Main bedroom has a double bed, second bedroom has 2 singles. Freesat Tv in the lounge and a well fitted kitchen.
It did seem to get hot in the cabin despite this being the end of September.
Easy driving to all the local points of interest, Ilfracombe, Woolacombe, Clovelly, Westward Ho! Barnstable.
Bus stop right outside the campsite, which is very reasonable and there are weekly savers that make it worth leaving your car on the site.
Just returned from a week at Hidden Valley in North Devon and we were very impressed with the site and its cleanliness and facilities. I particularly liked the Nature trail and dog exercise area being a dog owner.
The staff were extremely helpful and friendly and their recommendations for eating out were also excellent.
The shower/toilet blocks were clean and well kept and the disposal facilities were plentiful and handy for each area.
Having looked at several other sites in this area whilst we were there, we would certainly return here in the future and would recommend it to anyone we meet.
All in all, though pleasantly rural, the natural ambience of the site appealed to us most.
Probably the best thing about this campsite is its location. Firstly it is in North Devon which is a beautiful part of England, Secondly it is in a valley surrounded by trees and walks and lastly there are bus stops at the campsite entrance. No doubt some people would disagree as it is adjacent to a main road and there is some road noise, but without the road you wouldn’t have bus stops and the ease of travelling to the coast or nearby towns so quickly.
The campsite is situated on the site of a disused railway line in a wooded valley and the area around reception is very pretty with lawns, trees, flowering bushes and a lake. You can walk round the site and through the trees which are quite high up on an embankment. There is a very good playarea. The reception building houses a small shop, coffee lounge, restaurant (seasonal opening) and of course a reception desk.
There is a choice of pitches – small, medium, large and premier both on grass or hardstanding – large and premier being serviced pitches in the hardstanding area. As the site layout is linear there are more than one chemical waste, grey waste and rubbish points.
I only went into the top facilities block which comprised: Laundry room with 3 washing machines, 3 tumble dryers, 2 handwashing sinks and ironing facilities; Dishwashing room with 3 sinks and a private bathroom which takes £1 tokens for 15 minutes of water; disabled facility and a ladies and gents. The ladies provides 5 toilets – one with small handbasin, 3 showers, 4 washbasins, a hand-dryer and a hair dryer. The showers were very good with 2 shelves, 3 hooks and a curtain – a temperature control and no dreaded percussion valve. Unfortunately the taps on the washbasins were abysmal and you have to hold the tap down with one hand to get any water at all.
The lighting around the park in the hardstanding area was non-existent apart from around the stream on the way to the facilities block and that wasn’t very bright.
All in all we enjoyed our stay on what is potentially a very good site. However one or two small issues stops me giving it a total thumbs up.
When buying some goods in the shop I mentioned to the man serving me that the lightbulb outside the dishwashing area had blown and it was pitch dark – it was obvious from his body language that he wasn’t interested even though he said he would sort it. We left five days later and the bulb hadn’t been replaced.
We had a drink in the coffee lounge which was very pleasant but unfortunately the carpet looked as if it hadn’t seen a vacuum cleaner for some time.
It would appear that electric heaters are not permitted in tents or awnings. I find this very unfair for people with tents and also wonder about the wisdom of this in awnings. We have a small caravan and tend to live in the awning (also small) and therefore need heat in the cooler evenings. We use a 400/800watt halogen heater with safety cut-out, but due to the ruling had to put on our 2KW caravan heater and open the caravan window to let the heat permeate into the awning. What a waste of electricity! No doubt the owners will say it’s because of health & safety – but if that were the case, why only ban electric heaters when by and large they are safer than gas. It would appear they want to save on electricity but in our case they forced us to use more.
Been here now for at least 2 separate weeks camping each year for the past 3 years, as we have family in Ilfracombe. Love the site, it is run by a great family who are really helpful. We are due back in April for a week and cannot wait.
I am sure we will be back also later in the year. Love the size of the pitches and the fact that it is so peaceful.
We have a VW camper and booked late availability, First night was spent in the basic camping Buttercup meadow in the bus, then we had a large serviced pitch from tuesday through saturday, we were worried about the size of our tent being too big, but it fitted the pitch with no problems at all, still lots of space, even with our bus parked on it too, the people complaining that they just about fitted on one must have brought their whole house and garden with them.
Electric hookup, water taps and a TV point if you wanted on each (serviced) pitch.
Toilets were fine as were the showers, always hot water available, and very clean toilets.
Staff were very friendly, road is a little bit bumpy on the way in/out, but it was fun, and it stops people speeding.
Ideal location for North Devon, shop has all you would need for basics, papers, bread, milk, and then some, also camping parts too, if you need more then you're not prepared or have missed all the shops in the villages & towns nearby.
The midweek BBQ is good value too.
The road noise is fine. It's camping, and unless you live in a very deep cave in the middle of nowhere it's nothing out of the ordinary.
Visited Clovelly, Ilfracombe, Barnstaple, Croyde and Woolacombe whilst we stayed here. All within easy driving distance, all very hilly as North Devon is, but our bus coped fine.
Will be back without question.
Really didn't want to leave.
A bit of advice, Braunton junction is very busy at rush hour times, so if you want to go somewhere, leave to pass it earlier rather than later.
Same on the day we left, the main road from Barnstaple to the M5 took around 2 hours to cover, rather than the 30-40 minutes it did on the way in, All due to everyone leaving at the same time, (10ish) next time I'm leaving earlier, (or much later)
Just spent fours days and was very impressed with the campsite. Everywhere clean, nothing out if place. The staff were friendly and made us feel very welcome. The only downside is a car is needed to get anywhere. Spent a lot on car park fees. It would of been lovely to have a drink in the bar which was there when we visited some years back.
Croyde bay beautiful. If you want a meal in local seaside resorts prebook as we struggled to get a table.
We camped in our tent for 6 nights, the pitches are quite large on premier sites and tidy, the location is beautiful however the road that runs adjacent kept us awake most nights. It is extremely loud and quite busy throughout the night. The showers desperately need updating as the shower temperature went from hot to scolding hot to freezing cold, the family room shower didn't work at all, and there were dead spiders, cobwebs and daddy long legs throughout the camping shower rooms. The staff were friendly there are some nice walks, the parks for the children also need updating, as on the large park by the caravans, the was a large sharp stone embedded under a swing which a little boy hurt his head on got off the swing and fell. The shop isn't open after 5. 00pm at night which is awkward. Tesco is 5 miles away in one direction and 3 in the other. Beautifully located but with in need of updating on showers and children's park. Good location for exploring Devon
My wife and I have just spent a week at hidden valley, and overall we were very disappointed with it. We arrived approx at 4pm on a Saturday, we were handed a site map and informed that we were on pitch 6 on oak, no one showed us where to go or anything about the facilities. We found the pitch but the road was so narrow I had to use my motor mover to access the pitch (I would have been in trouble without one)the pitch was low down below a high bank with twenty steps that lead up to the toilet block which was clean and warm. Every time you tried to leave or enter the park, using the barrier code it did not work without entering it two or three times or having to either go to the office or get out of the car and enter the code on the opposite fob. The site overall was pleasant and well maintained apart from the roads which were all patched and bumpy. On the day of departure I was ready to leave at 7am but was unable to get past the car and caravan next to mine due to the narrow road and I had to leave the site by driving against the one way system. Taking everything into account we did not enjoy our stay and will not be returning, which is unfortunate as it is a beautiful part of the country
My wife and I stayed at this site for 5 days in June and was very impressed by the camp site and its facilities. Lovely showers with underfloor heating and plenty of hot water, staff were friendly and helpful. Bus service to ilfracombe stops right outside the camp so easy to get bus to locations along the coast. Croyde bay is beautiful and well worth a visit. The site has a well stocked shop and small cafe for food and drinks. Lovely walks around campsite. Main road outside site is slightly noisy if you are on that side of site.
Family of 4: 2 adults and 2 children in touring caravan
I use the UKCampsite.co.uk reviews a lot to decide where to go and so having just returned from a fabulous week away at hidden valley I thought I really must let others know that not only is this a beautifully scenic and exceptionally clean site it's in such a great location for exploring the immediate and surrounding area in north Devon.
The site positives ; friendly, helpful staff and owners. We had a hard standing large pitch overlooking the park which was ideal to watch our 2 children playing. The kids loved the stream, bridge and zip wire. Obviously smaller children would need greater supervision (ours are aged 10 and 7). Showers and loos always clean and not overly busy even though this was spring bank holiday week. Lovely green site.
Excellent location to explore surrounding area.
Site negatives; I didn't have any as such and didn't notice any particular road noise as detailed in some of the other reviews. As we were on the hard standing side of the park (where we asked to be) not a lot of room for football and ball games but there was a large field near the kingfisher meadow area- we just went to the beach instead. Maybe the shop could have been better stocked but not a deal breaker.
Surrounding area plus points:
Absolutely amazing large sandy beaches at woollacombe and saunton. Lots of space and good body boarding- hire a wet suit. Ilfracombe harbour and tunnel beach. Exmoor zoo was surprisingly well stocked for its size including some big cats but don't expect lions and elephants etc- certainly worth a visit though. Cooks island pub on the a371 to woollacombe do a great daily carvery and family friendly. Braunton town quaint but busy for traffic: good co-op for provisions but we discovered a couple of petrol station shops that were much closer : spar on the woollacombe rd and a londis on the main a371 on the way to braunton. Also some excellent coastal path walks.
We've had a fab holiday would defo recommend this site: hope this review helps and you do too.
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Common Questions
Is Hidden Valley Park child friendly? YES, it accepts children & has a playground View all facilities
Where is the nearest shop to Hidden Valley Park? There is a shop on site View all facilities
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
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 
Holiday Homes for Hire 
Holiday Homes for Sale 
Seasonal Pitches 
Electric Hookups 
Hardstanding Pitches 
Fully Serviced Pitches 
Families Welcome 
Not Members Only 
Rallies Welcome 
Not Naturist Site 
Dogs Welcome 
No Dogs Allowed 
Groups Welcome 
Motorbikers 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 
No Freezer / Fridge 
Motorhome Point 
Wifi Access 
Shop On Site 
Bar On Site 
Restaurant or Cafe or Takeaway On Site 
Kids Playground 
TV Room 
No Games Room 
No Evening Ents 
Fishing <5 miles 
No Wild Swimming 
Indoor Pool <5 miles 
Outdoor Pool <5 miles 
Horse Riding <1 mile 
Cycle Hire <5 miles 
Golf <5 miles 
Tennis <5 miles 
Beach <5 miles 
Watersports <5 miles 
Boat Launch / Mooring <5 miles 
No Sea Views 
Not Working Farm 
No Campfires Allowed 
Open All Year 
No Waterside Pitches 
Public Transport On Site
Offroad Dog Walk On Site or Direct Access 
We joined family here for New Year celebrations. The site was jointly chosen on account of the reviews left by others, and because we have stayed on 5* sites before, so we felt assured of a comfortable stay. 
