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On reading the reviews on here after having booked a 5 night bank holiday stay for 2 families and the in-laws, I was worried to see what we would find. However, I am delighted to say that we all had a brilliant time and would definitely recommend!
As previous reviews have said, there are quiet and louder areas to this site. We were put as a group of 2 vans and a tent on the upper field which was away from the playgrounds and clubhouse. The police helicopter was out and about a lot over the weekend but not so in the week. Caravans are on chippings as others have said, but using a mallet and some rock pegs ensured that all remained upright. It did make for a lumpy awning groundsheet but then we did take shoes! Tents were on the lushest green and tidy grass I have ever seen - cars are not allowed there so it does mean unloading from and parking on the road. Plenty of space even with the full capacity of the bank holiday weekend.
The playgrounds and facilities for kids were fantastic - definitely bring buckets and spades for the undercover huge sandpit whilst the parks are clean and well appointed. We didn't get to use the disco on an evening but the kids were delighted with the bouncy castle and log flume style ride around the campsite (all free) There was even someone water walking on the lake.
The main toilet blocks were incredible - like a home bathroom! Toilet paper, usually handsoap, free hairdryer, large sink areas and showers which are in my top 3 campsite showers of all time - delighted to find high pressure hot water and a removable hose! Also a lovely family bathroom in the block by reception.
Café was good and well priced whilst the staff were excellent, especially on the Friday night when they were so busy. The breakfast baps were yummy too!
I believe there are a number of walks around the area - ask at reception, A 5 min drive up the road is a Tesco express and a large Sainsburys (including clothes for those items you forget) is within a 10 minutes.
I had read the first few pages of reviews and can imagine that, in the wrong place at the wrong time you could have a miserable time. But then that could be said for any site. Golden Valley displays plaques from Alan Rogers, Caravan and Camping Club and David Bellamy to name a few and we all thoroughly enjoyed our stay :)
Having read a number of negative reviews after booking, we were a little nervous about our stay. However, wow, it was a great campsite, immaculate toilet and shower facilities with hot, not luke warm water. The pot wash area also always had hot water any time of day or night. We stayed Monday to Friday, which perhaps meant it was naturally quieter than the weekend/ bank holidays.
We chose the bottom field near the reception, and mid week it was very quiet, only downside was the road noise late at night, so next time we might go in the top field. Electric hookup points were plentiful, with water on tap adjacent.
Play areas great for the kids, we have 3 aged 11, 6 and 18 months, all found something they loved. All the kids on site at the time were well behaved.
My husband and eldest son, whiled away the evenings fishing the pond successfully.
My family (Wife, Husband and 15 year old boy) have just returned from 4 nights. We have had a terrific time despite the British summer RAIN.
I've read other reviews of people that have stayed at the same time as us and I was wondering if we stayed at the same place as we had a much better experience. Good location, 5 mins into Ripley where there was plenty of supermarkets, shops, pubs, takeaways and other eating places. Good area for exploring the Peak district and other places.
The site showers/toilets were clean and the showers were to die for. Lashings of hot water at a strong power. Always loo roll. Even the chemical loo was ok. The chemical loo was out of action for a day, but they advised us of this and when it would be fixed, and it was fixed on that day.
We were asked what type of area that we would like to pitch in (electrical hook up) and then offered a number of different areas.
Even though my 15 year old did not use any of the play areas, land trains, zip wire, pool tables, sand pit, nature trails and more I would recommend this site to all ages and all parties. We did use the fishing area, the cafe/shop -very good and the lady very chatty and helpful about the area.
This was our first camping trip without friends and family and would return again knowing that our son would not be bored. We ran out of time to use the Jacuzzi, gym and pool table.
I would give this site 10 out of 10 if it charged a little less for an electrical pitch during the week.
All said, we would definitely return and recommend to others.
Definitely the campsite to go if you are looking for entertainment and a holiday vibe, club house open late playing loud music and karaoke. If you have small children try and find a quiet spot well out of the way of amenities.
Toilets and showers are great, there are 3 parks which the kids love. Very much a Blackpool feel campsite to enjoy.
Never got to try the bar as I have 3 small children but there were plenty of children attending the bar till late x cafe smelt rather tempting upon passing x
Not much locally to do you need a car to visit places. There was a McDonald's and supermarket a 5 minute drive away if you like this.
The site is large and despite appearing quite busy ther is plenty of room.
Toilets and showers were immaculate.
Excellent location fr visiting various tourist 'hot-spots' in the peak district such as Matlock Bath.
Bad points.
Only two. Firstly the price I cannot see how £27. 50 a night is justified for what is to me a basic campsite. As far as we could tell there is nothing on the site to warrant these fees.
We would only comtemplate visiting again if the fees were reduced by at least 1/3.
Secondly, grey water disposal is into a sink that is approx. , 3 feet off the ground. A full waste water container could weigh 90lbs. , lifting one to empty it puts a great strain on a persons back.
These sinks are also for people to wash their boots in hence the very inconvenient height, especially for an older person with a permanently bad back.
What a disappointment, the site wasn't too bad. Horrible surface for caravans to erect awnings, toilets have no soap. But this are things you can cope with unlike the attitude of the people that run this site. This was my second visit and my last. When we visited before (may time) it was a Bank Holiday, so we put the way they 'handled you' down to the fact that it was very busy and stressful. But it has been the same this time. Poor language and arguing and full on fighting with staff/family members. The attitude and the way they speak to you is dreadful.
Stayed for the August bank holiday weekend as we have family local to this site. The site was very overcrowded with caravans and motor homes in the tents field. We were told that under no circumstances would we be allowed to drive on the grass but after we had struggled to manoeuvre our trailer tent into position and started to put up our tent the next arrivals were told to drive on the grass! As we weren't allowed to drive / park on the grass and the hard-standing areas were taken up with motor homes and caravans, cars were abandoned on the edge of the roadway making it tricky to walk anywhere when others were going off-site or coming back on as the roads were now narrow. The main toilet block was clean and tidy but the additional mobile toilet block was poor and filthy and the local Portaloo to our pitch was disgusting. Pitches weren't clearly marked which led to confusion when we arrived with the staff being unsure where we should pitch. A member of staff was asked by our neighbours for the weekend where the nearest water point was to get the reply 'It might be over there behind that van'! The children's play areas looked OK but were very busy throughout the day. Very disappointed in the site as we seemed to be charged at the most expensive rate for a total of £129 for 3 nights for a family of 4, and yes their rate of £30 per night per tent with electric is more than the £27. 50 per night for a caravan with electric.
Area - beautiful ok some scruffy towns and closed pubs nearby, but that means everything is cheap :D the tractor ride to Indietracks was so much fun!
Food - reasonably priced, we are camping not visiting michelin restaurants so frozen chips and black bacon is kind of the norm. Cups of tea £1 bang on and there's a lovely bakery up the hill
I think they are a no frills family campsite they look after the grounds and washroom facilities very well, could use a little tlc outside. Just a lick of varnish and sweeping wouldn't go amiss - head to toe cobwebs over the tractor, log flume ???? two broken carriages unused more like and buildings doesn't give off a good impression.
We had a great time and loved the site but but would only pay that price to go at the weekends as midweek the activities are none existent even though its the kids 6 week hols, some of the staff were a bit grumpy according to my daughter.
I have camped here within a group for the past 4 years and always have a great time on this site. I am really surprised to read negative reviews. We live in the Lake District and are experienced campers, but find the facilities on this site second to none! Toilets and showers always clean. Playgrounds for kids fantastic, fabulous sandpit for them. They are never bored. There is not loads to do in the immediate surrounding area, but we generally just enjoy relaxing on the site knowing the kids are happy. The staff are nice. (Although the owner was a bit short with me over the phone) there is a young girl who works there who can't do enough for you. Overall, if you love camping I think you would love Golden Valley!
Good points - easy route from Leicester, close to M1, security gates, 3 playgrounds, heated toilets/shower block, both kept relatively clean. Half an hour from Matlock, worth a visit, lovely!
Bad points - expensive to stay, cost us £70 for 2 nights on a hard standing pitch with electric. My brother was next to us in a tent and had to pay an extra £10 a night to erect a small gazeebo, so it cost him almost £70 with no electric. The site generally needed some TLC, and the grounds needed maintaining, there were lots of weeds, making it look a bit tatty (we were in the top field). There were quite a few scruffy caravans near us, they looked like they were there permanently, with very little in the way of up keep. I expected it to be more scenic than it was. The games room smelt very damp, and just had a pool table in it and 2 arcade games. We did not like the dusty gravel roads and pitches. Everything got absolutely filthy. And the ground was too hard to peg down our awning. We have 2 small children (5 and 18 months), directly behind us was a steep drop and directly in front of us a road leading to other pitches, so we couldn't take our eyes of our kids for one minute.
Advice - there are some nicer pitches than the one we had, so have a good look around before you pitch up. There are some super pitches near the park and shower block in the top field - these are horrible, lots of through traffic, very dusty, no view, looks like you have pitched up in a lay by. No need to pay the extra for a super pitch really, taps are situated at every hook up point, as far as I'm aware.
An ok site for a long weekend, if you get a nice pitch.
We also had mixed views about this site. We were in the Woodland area which is hard standing but the surface is grey shale so you felt like you were pitched in a car park. I felt the area may have been a former colliery spoil tip area from a long closed mine whch had in turn become wooded and developed into this camp site. The shale surface was dangerous for playing /running children a fall producing lots of grazed knees and hands. There were however very good play areas for children sadly some parents were not supervising their 9/10 yr old obnoxious little boys who were spitting down the slides and pouring pop down them spoiling it for the younger kids. All in all a lot of parents were not supervising children and we got the impression that the some of the clientèle were a bit 'Chavvy' we are not snobs but some parents seemed to spend a lot of time drinking and BBQing and getting more and more raucous whilst their kids were elsewhere causing havoc and running riot till late even though rules dais quiet after 10. 30. Pm. Not the campsites fault I accept.
The campsite also seemed to charged if you coughed! My daughter in law brought over my 4 yr old grandchild to stay the night we paid for her £3 but also had to pay another £5 just for my daughter in law to come on site - she stayed about 20 minutes! There were also charges for late stays after 12 noon £3 and £5 up till 6pm. There was a cafe and bar on site which lacked style or ambiance. The cafe was like 'Jacks Snacks' bar not much better.
The campsite as a whole was well kept and pretty but the toilets were not cleaned often enough and needed a good fettle and re-vamp. You also have to consider that the immediate surrounding area in not 'good' the Police helicopter spent both nights we were there hovering above for quite long periods.
If you want to visit South Derbyshire then you are probably better camping nearer Ashbourne or Matlock. WE sound terrible snobs but we are quite ordinary but this campsite was not for us and we wont be going again although I accept some will really love it.
It is a lovely site in a great location. The facilities are all top notch with the toilets/showers always being clean. There is a good little play area for children.
I went during a busy period (Indietracks festival) but I never had to wait for more than 5 minutes to have shower.
The staff can be a little abrupt and are not always the friendliest but they were never overly rude.
I will definitely be there again for Indietracks next year.
Have just come back from. A 1 night stay here and will not go back. We were placed on the top field next to drunken idiots music went on till gone 12 kept our child awake no contact details for reception then low and behold 6 am they're up and outside making a racket 7. 30 am music on again no sign of. Any staff. Toilets and showers very dirty rusty fittings every were random rubbish dumped in big piles around the site not pleasant at all, drunks all over the place having brought. Alcohol from the bar wandering around the site In the midde of the day Beirut is a safer place to take your children and all of this. At the price of £36 per night do your self a favour and don't bother !
Disappointing second time around. Its overpriced to be honest for what it is. Pitches are ok although the top field I found better. It was a little boggy in areas but we managed to pitch ok. There is nothing to do locally due to the poor surrounding area. If your idea of camping is pitching and spending the entire time here getting drunk with everyone else and shouting loudly until 2 am in the morning then come on down. There didn't seem to be any wardens dealing with the noise.
Showers and toilets were nice.
1st time around in 2012 it was better but the weather was poor so maybe dampened all the spirits of the big drinkers if you pardon the pun.
Not the best and not the worst site we have ever used but well expensive for what it is.
Mixed views on this campsite. We were shown to a pitch on arrival which was at the top end of the site, it was difficult to get to with a caravan as there were so many cars and vans parked along the roadside. When we got to the pitch it was clearly not big enough for our caravan and certainly wouldn't have taken our porch awning as well (we don't have a particularly large van) We went back to the bottom end of the site and were put down there. We were pitched end to end with 3 other caravans and there was very little room between us which would be a problem if a fire broke out. Whilst the hard standing pitches are practical they are tarmac chippings so it feels a bit like pitching up in a car park. A motorhome was pitched up the day after we arrived and the view from their pitch was the back of our caravans.
The facilities at the site were good, toilets and showers clean, a bathroom which was FOC. Excellent play grounds and activities for the children. The cafe offered a good selection of food and breakfast at £4 inc drink and toast. The wildlife pond is a nice little place to go and watch the tadpoles and the fishing lake seemed well stocked and very popular.
I'm not sure if we would return because of the pitch situation. I think it would be easier for the staff if they asked the size of your caravan when booking to save them having to run around trying to find a pitch. The units are parked way too close together for safety and as the pitches are not marked out it feels a bit disorganised and crowded
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Common Questions
Is Golden Valley Caravan Park child friendly? YES, it accepts children & has a playground View all facilities
Where is the nearest shop to Golden Valley Caravan 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 
Glamping Units 
No Statics 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 
Toilet Facilities 
Hot Showers 
Washing Up 
Bathroom 
No Baby Changing 
Laundry On Site 
Drinking Water 
Disabled Friendly 
Chemical Disposal 
No Battery Charging 
Gas Exchange 
No 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 
TV Room 
Games Room 
Evening Entertainment 
Fishing On Site 
No Wild Swimming 
Indoor Pool <1 mile 
No Outdoor Pool 
Horse Riding <5 miles 
No Cycle Hire 
Golf <1 mile 
No Tennis 
No Beach 
No Watersports 
No Boat Launch 
No Sea Views 
Not Working Farm 
No Campfires Allowed 
Open All Year 
No Waterside Pitches 
Public Transport <1 mile
No Dog Walk 
On reading the reviews on here after having booked a 5 night bank holiday stay for 2 families and the in-laws, I was worried to see what we would find. However, I am delighted to say that we all had a brilliant time and would definitely recommend!
