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A large site set in the heart of the Peak District. Lots of choice, tents, caravans, motorhomes, camping pods, yurts.
Great, warm and clean shower and toilet facilities. I especially like the chairs in the shower area. Great space to put clothes / sit down to put on socks etc.
The site has a good well stocked shop. An excellent cafe, great breakfasts, afternoon tea. There is also a small pub on site which does good meals in the evening.
On site play area for the children.
The surrounding area is so beautiful with great walks, lovely villages. The site is right on the Tissington cycle trail. The Manifold trail is also nearby.
The local town of Ashbourne is only 10 mins away (or a couple of hours cycle down the Tissington trail) all the shops you would need and some lovely little cafés.
Ideal location if you enjoy walking or cycling. You could not ask for a better area, with the Tissington Trail right on your doorstep and plenty of different 'Dales' to walk through it's just right for folks who like being out in the countryside.
Confused us a bit when after pitching up we noticed an area right next to us which said strictly no dogs but we had a dog. This meant we were supposed to go the other way each time we left our unit to take the dog for a walk. Could not see any point in it and most people ignored the sign.
They do like signs at Rivendale - they are everywhere. The point is that there are so many that you give up reading them.
We were lucky enough to have some good weather which meant the road around the site dried out to a fine white dusty powder. This could be very annoying during a hot summer as it makes sitting outside a bit uncomfortable.
Very nice shower and toilet block but just a bit uncomfortable with CCTV being inside the toilet/shower area. Is that really necessary? I can understand it being on the outside looking at the entry door but inside just seems rather wrong.
Small well stocked shop and very nice cafe but watch out and be careful using your 30 min free wifi. It does not role over if you have unused minutes, you loose them once disconnected.
Would we visit again - yes but mainly due to its location
Stayed at Rivendale over the Easter Break. The staff where friendly and helpful, and showed me to my pitch. It was a good size, but there was no grass.
The facilities where nice, and kept clean but did get very busy at times.
It is in a easy to access location, close to the high peak trail, Buxton and Ashbourne. It is a nice part of the peak district.
Not very dog friendly however.
Management response: I would like to correct some misapprehensions about dogs at Rivendale.
Dogs that are under control and not dangerous are welcome at Rivendale THROUGHOUT THE PARK except for just 8 pitches at the end of one area - reserved for people who do not like pets.
There is an area for dog walking on the eastern hillside, on the southern field and on footpaths from the site.
Dogs are not allowed in toilet facilities or the children's play area for obvious reasons. They are allowed in the pub and in the café during the day.
We do have dog waste bins - but are installing more.
I'm going to bullet point my review cause it will be easier! We stayed in one of the yurts,
First the positives
. We were given a full refund!
. The main wash room had underfloor heating
. If you want to stay in a caravan (static) this site is aimed at you!
. Bag of logs supplied
Negatives
. Yurt dirty, shabby
. Access very bad to yurt, had to park along way off and carry heavy camping equipment up a hill on a unfinished area
. It rained in and wet our beds, clothes, shoes etc
. No kindling, fire lighters, paper, fire tools or ash emptying vessel
. Facilities too far away, we quickly decided not to use any pots because carrying a heavy bowl of dirty pots to the wash area would have been a nightmare! And fortunately we took our kamping kazi with us!
. No view
Even if the weather had been good, the position and shabbyness of our immediate area and yurt still made us want to leave early, the site owners seriously need to review the term ' Glamping'! :-(
Easy to find site, easy access and a pleasant welcome. We were directed to our pitch, and were instantly bombarded with 'dogs not permitted here' notices everywhere! We don't have a dog, but was off putting for our friends who do have a dog! Considering that they charge extra for dogs there was no designated dog area and no dog waste bins. Lovely walks off the site, but across a very fast road which you wouldn't want to cross at night!
Our pitch had no grass and was extremely dusty as the site is in a disused quarry. Every time anyone drove past we were engulfed in dust. Unfortunately it was very windy and dry during our stay and the dust made it very unpleasant to sit out. Some pitches were quite spacious, but ours was very narrow and despite the hedge between each pitch felt very close to our neighbours!
Overall the toilet/shower block was clean and warm. Only five showers in the ladies and unless you got there early queues quickly formed. The water temperature ranged from warm to luke warm.
The chemical disposal point closest to our pitch was disgusting. It was extremely difficult to use. There is a gate across the opening and an awkward step. The flush is right at the back and no one in there right mind is going to lean over this foul pit to reach the handle. This pit is also for the disposal of grey water and again it is extremely difficult to get your, often quite heavy, grey water carrier over the step without getting it covered in unmentionable 'waste'! I met up with several fellow campers who were all of the same mind.
We didn't use the bar or the restaurant but found the cafe very pleasant.
Would I go there again? No, which is a shame as it was a brilliant location for exploring the Peak District.
Management response: I would like to correct some misapprehensions about dogs at Rivendale.
Dogs that are under control and not dangerous are welcome at Rivendale THROUGHOUT THE PARK except for just 8 pitches at the end of one area - reserved for people who do not like pets.
There is an area for dog walking on the eastern hillside, on the southern field and on footpaths from the site.
Dogs are not allowed in toilet facilities or the children's play area for obvious reasons. They are allowed in the pub and in the café during the day.
We do have dog waste bins - but are installing more.
The park is very easy to find from Ashbourne with plenty of signs in advance. The check-in process was nice and slick, advised of our pitch on the map and sent off to find it.
The pitch was pretty much pan flat, long and thin so car was parked in front of caravan. Everything on the site is close to hand including plenty of waste water emptying points etc. The toilet block was kept very warm and very clean. Showers were push button and were very warm. The restaurant was not open so cannot comment on that. The shop was well stocked and sells the biodegradable toilet flush which is needed for the site.
The site is very convenient for the Tissington Trail, Ashbourne, Tissington Hall, Carsington Water.
We would definitely stay here again. It was the first weekend of the site being open this year when we went and it was very quiet.
If you come to this site, definitely try the Bluebell inn, its approx. 2 miles down the A515 towards Ashbourne. We ate here both nights and cannot fault it.
On arrival reception were pleasant and was given map of site and told where too pitch. As we drove around site saw lots of signs forbidding dogs access to areas around site. Not good we thought as we had dogs in the back of the motorhome ! On pitching reasonable size and well separated by others with a hedgerow and grass. Unfortunately there was rubbish of wine bottles on the bank in front of the pitch which seemed to have been there sometime ! There is no defined dog walk area around site but you could walk out off site but wouldn't suggest this at night. So at night we walked around the pitch areas where we think dogs were allowed!
Reception were helpful to print local walking maps and the location of the site makes up for the disappointment of what we think could be a super site with some more tender loving care.
Toilets were very good so too the play park seems nice for kids.
The chemical waste area is not the favourite task for anyone but this one has a swing door to it, no flushing mechanism and a brick sill where deposits had been left because the ability to wash it down by the limited length of hose hadn't been mastered by many.
The location of the site is fab but we wouldn't come again as we felt it didn't welcome dogs ;the site was unkempt though we did find out the site had only reopened three weeks ago but our expectations are it should have sorted the rubbish out; site signs repaired and clearer. Ie where waste water could go ! On leaving we tried to empty the motorhome water waste but found both drain tops locked !
Overall there was lots of missed opportunities to maximise the sites potential.
Stayed for 2 nights in November, very good campsite with lots of hardstandings, ideal for the motorhome. Facilities excellent, heated toilet/showerblock, hot water took a bit of time but everything spotlessly clean and tidy. At this time of the year and in midweek there were not that many tourers on site, so not sure how these facilities would cope if the site was full - very helpful staff, nice coffee bar/pub on site plus shop selling everything you could possibly need - great base for walking - right on the Tissington trail, you can walk to Ashbourne or Buxton - would def use again. Value for money because we use camping cheques
9 caravans with 17 people from The Practical Caravan Forum Woosie Round Table descended upon Rivendale. We were all met with a very warm welcome and given first class pitches close to the toilet block and one another.
The pitches all vary in size, some tapering, some longer than wider and some very big.
Sanitation is eco friendly so only use orgaic green toilet solution not blue.
Mostly hard standing with some grass areas. The site is barely a minutes walk onto the Tissington Trail. Get a bike!
This was The Woosie Round Table annual get together. Vicky the General Manager very kindly lent us her beautiful stone built cafe for our festivities. She even laid on a big burning log stove and underground heating. Plus of course we were able to use her bar for liquid refreshment whilst we enjoyed our food.
The site is very well kept, clean and the facilities warm.
A pretty reasonable dog walk on site. If you want more cross the road onto the Tissington Trail.
Plenty of good eating places around the area. In particular I can thoroughly recommend Carriages Pub and Italian Restaurant at Newhaven, two miles up the road towards Buxton.
We have just returned from a four night [ should of been 5] stay at rivendale. Which is set in a old quarry which is located with in easy driving to all the main towns/villages, The staff are friendly and helpful. Our pitch had hedges around which is nice but when booking you must fill in the form correctly as this determines which pitch you are given. The toilets and shower block are very clean and warm with hot water every time. There is a cafe open in the day which doubles as a restaurant at night this is closed on Tuesday and Thursday nights so we ate three nights at the blue bell at Tissington just down the road. The only criticism we had was that the bar was shut in the week only opening on Friday and Saturday nights and that barriers go up at 9pm in the week and 10pm on fridays and Saturdays and go down at 9am as we like to travel at night or early we left just before the barrier went up,
We like to stay at Rivendale due to it's close proximity to the Tissington Trail and this was our third visit.
As the site is not within walking distance of a village the on-site café, pub and shop are very welcome and well used. The toilet and shower block is clean, heated and in good condition. Unfortunately there were long queues for ladies showers (only 4 available) during the weekend period we were there.
The non-awning pitch we were allocated was wedge shaped with hedges on 2 sides. Unfortunately the hedges were so overgrown it considerably reduced the space left available. Our pitch was not alone with this problem and the grounds in general seemed to have been a little neglected.
The area we were in had a sign stating dogs were prohibited but the pitch alongside and the pitch opposite had 2 dogs each. Not a problem to us but it could be misleading if this is important to you.
This is a great site and we will definitely return but next time it will probably be out-of-season.
Excellent site, very good facilities. Lots of pitches with hook ups, good play area for the kids, a very nice bar and restaurant too. The is something for everyone, we had a Family get together to celebrate my brothers 40th and all members of the family were able to stay. I found the toilets and showers to be very clean with hot water every time I used them at all times of the day. The site was very busy but it didn't seem crowded with lots of space for your own enjoyment.
I would certainly return again and would recommend it with hesitation.
We arrived at the site and were welcomed by the staff who were very friendly and helpful. We pitched up on a large pitch. We were one of the first on the tent area of the site but as the day wore on more people came and pitched up. On the leaflet we were given it stated that no cars should be parked on the grass, so I parked in the car park which was no problem as it was only 2 mins walking, but near enough all the other campers ignored the rule and duly parked on the grass and the site ended up looking like a car park with cars parked everywhere. Surely if the park makes these rules they should enforce them. The toilets and showers were very dated and could really do with updating, they looked shabby and there was paint peeling from the ceiling, they didn't look like they were regularly cleaned either. The washing up area was tiny, probably the smallest I have seen. The play area had a nice grassy area to the side of it, but the play area was very basic with a small climbing frame and a couple of swings, again needs updating. The area where the caravans and campers were parked up was in my mind awful, it consisted of a maze of gravel roads and where a lot of the pitches were there was no grass at all just a dust bowl, I would not like to caravan here. The pub was very nice and the cafe and pub food looked good but we never ate there. The location is good with a lot of the attractions in the Peak District within driving distance, with the Tissington Trail just over the road. The staff were very friendly and helpful, but the owners don, t live on the site and so we were told seldom visit, which isn't a good sign. We had a good weekend here but we won, t be coming back.
Came for a 5 night stay on 21st July. High expectations on arrival as have looked extensively at the website only to be disapointed. The picture on the website is not the meadow. It appears to be the private land area behind the pub which is not for camping. It also states that wood can be purchased from the shop. They didn't have any, quite poor really as high season in the school holidays. The Meadow is quite nice but the grass is far too long (i have read a previous review reply that states it is protected and can't be mown which is fair enough) but it seems people have been having fires on the floor anyway and found that the wild camping is 2 small areas which are better situated than the meadow, not the longer walk as described on the website. The whole time we stayed we didn't see any staff come to check the meadow or see how people are doing and maybe they should if people are having fires on the floor on a supposedly protected site.
We rang repeatedly to arrange the hot tub and was told to keep ringing back as it was under repair. We eventually were told that we couldn't have it on the meadow which we didn't mind but when we walked to reception we spotted the hot tub in an area and it has clearly been stood with pipes and rubbish in for quite some time. Shouldn't be advertised if not available and should be made clear only available in certain areas. *Since I left this review, website has been changed **
We were not informed there was a water tap in the meadow and spent our 1st two days trekking up to the toilets. The tap isn't easy to see as its surrounded by long grass and flowers.
The meadow toilets themselves are an extremely unpleasant experience. Unisex toilets which neither us nor the children in our party liked. They are also far too small and situated right next to the very front gate. You have to walk right past the block to come back on yourself to get to the door (ill thought out) and there is a very strong smell of sewage coming from the tanks in front of the block all the time. I thought after reading lots of poor reviews the management would maybe sort out the lack of loo paper and dirt in the toilets but no, they were just as bad as previously described. The windows had been left open and the toilets were full of moths, bugs and flies. A shower at this time would have been dreadful as they would all have stuck to you. They were like this for far too long. An insectocutor or something would be a real improvement. Maybe another block and no unisex toilets, showers would help. It seems the meadow is an afterthought to the main site and feels a bit neglected, especially the toilet area. We did use the main block on the site and were not surprised to discover they were quite pleasant and clean. This is probably because people pay more to stay near there.
Shop is ok and pub is nice, the area around the shop and pub is very pretty.
We would not come again as the whole impression of the meadow is that they are after the money and wish to spend as little as possible maintaining or improving it.
This site came recommended by a neighbour with a caravan.
Will not be taking any further recommendations from this neighbour!
Rivendale is set in a lovely location, with the quarry as a backdrop, Jackdaws nesting in the cliffs behind the pitches. Stunning countryside and Ideal for access onto the Tissington trail, with beautiful Dovedale and Ilam a short drive away.
This site could be amazing, It isn't. Our Pitch was triangular hard loose stone surface, every time a vehicle passed by a cloud of limestone dust followed.
Apparently if you intend to use an awning you get a larger pitch with a small grassy area. The pitches are all quite private surrounded by privet hedges.
There is a nice children's play area, which is well kept, just a real shame they don't appear to take the same care of the pitches.
Our main complaint was lack of cleanliness. We arrived on a Saturday, the toilets and showers hadn't been cleaned, we left on the following Wednesday morning. And still no cleaning had been done. The dish washing area was really Grim, with food debris, litter and dirty sinks, the draining racks were just a breading ground for nasty bugs and disease.
Other campers were complaining about the lack of cleanliness. And stating they thought the owners were facing financial hardship, no excuse for dirty amenities'. I am afraid unless they turn things around here they will be losing a lot of customers.
The camping fields for tents looked well maintained.
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Common Questions
Is Rivendale Holiday Park child friendly? YES, it accepts children & has a playground View all facilities
Where is the nearest shop to Rivendale Holiday 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
No Tents 
No Caravans 
No Motorhomes 
No Campervans 
No Glamping Units 
Holiday Homes for Hire 
No Statics for Sale 
No Seasonal Pitches 
No Electric Hookups 
No Hardstandings 
No Fully Serviced Pitches 
Families Welcome 
Not Members Only 
No Rallies 
Not Naturist Site 
Dogs Welcome 
No Dogs Allowed 
Groups Welcome 
No Toilets 
No Showers 
No Washing Up Area 
No Bathroom 
Baby Changing Facilities 
No Laundry 
Drinking Water 
Disabled Friendly 
No Chemical Disposal 
No Battery Charging 
Gas Exchange 
Recycling Facilities 
No Kitchen Facilities 
No 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 
No Games Room 
No Evening Ents 
Fishing On Site 
No Wild Swimming 
No Indoor Pool 
No Outdoor Pool 
No Horse Riding 
Cycle Hire <1 mile 
No Golf 
No Tennis 
No Beach 
No Watersports 
No Boat Launch 
No Sea Views 
Not Working Farm 
No Campfires Allowed 
No Waterside Pitches 
Public Transport <5 miles
No Dog Walk 
A large site set in the heart of the Peak District. Lots of choice, tents, caravans, motorhomes, camping pods, yurts. 
