Padstow/Rock camping suggestions??

[Crunchie]

OK last year I got tTHE BEST recommendation of a campsite called Carlyon Bay Campsie form Melsey (I think) and it was brilliant. My dilemma now is that we want to go nearer the beaches of North Cornwall - Rock, Padstow, Daymer bay etc and we want a great campsite near there. Criteria being - swimming pool, playround, not TOO big, no 'clubhouse' and nightly entertainment please Is it too much to ask??

this is a caravan park in the area Mother Ivey's
Bay . i can vouch for the area generally, and another mumsnetter recommended it recently... i will try and find the thread for you.

here it is .

we used to stay at mother iveys bay as children. I took dd there a couple of years ago and the campsite is really clean and well kept. Beach is nice but I wouldnt personally bathe in the water on mother iveys bay. I would walk to the beach nearer trevose head, called boobys bay (!) The bay at mother iveys has got a sewer pipe going into the sea, just round the corner. I only found out after swimming in the sea there and catching a nasty infection, which later turned out to be caused by raw sewerage, this was some years ago mind - so it may not be going into the sea anymore.

Also I found the people staying on the site quite snobby, didnt seem to like the kids playing by the caravan. Someone complained about our dog, the bbq, someone car alarm, people drinking outside their caravans - you name it people complained about it. There was also 3 men on the gate at 11pm to make sure everyone was in for 11 and then they locked the gate. It all made me feel really uncomfortable and we came home a few days early.

I like a holiday where you can relax and have fun. Kids like to play outside the caravan, what is wrong with that?

I used to love going there as a kid, but the holiday with my daughter there has put me right off

Yeah Bossykate I know the area, DH always went there are kids and we went last year. It's just the campsite we found wasn't as good as Carlyon Bay.

Flo2 I have seen stuff about Mother Iveys and had it recommended, and also not recommended IYKWIM therefore the jury is out on this one. ALso it doesn't have a pool. I have phoned and asked for a brochure anyway. When you say the people were snobby and didn't like kids playing outside the caravan, what do you mean? We have a tent and the kids will be outside all the time, I do prefer it quiet after 11 though, so that isn't really an issue. I also checked the sewage thing and that pipe isn't used now.

It is so hard as DD1 really wants to go back to Carlyon Bay and unless I can find something as good she'll be upset

Hello Crunchie We were in a static caravan opposite one of the camping greens. I have to say there were no children at all on this field. I dont know whether they put families in a different field, if so this would explain why maybe they didnt seem to like our dd out and and about. When we stayed there were complaints made about us and another young family who were staying in a caravan a few away. They didnt like us having BBQ's outside aour caravan (that was 1 of the points) They complained the dog had barked at them when she was in the car, the kids were nmaking too much noise outside the caravan. They didnt like a ball being kicked about outside the caravan. We most probably farted too loud also. The other families car alarm went off one day whilst they were at the beach and the warden had to come to have a long chat with them about it, as if they had done it on purpose! I just got the impression they diodnt want kids round there, but then again it may have been because most a the caravan round that bit were privately owned and people tended to use them as retirement pads iykwim. It may have been different on the other field, if they tended to group all the families together.

It is a lovely clean site though and is quiet. There is no noisy clubhouse, the site next door more than caters for that! There is no swimming pool but we used to swim in the sea as kids - but you have to watch out for the current. I am glad the sewer pipe isnt used anymore - yuk! If you do go the beach the other side of the golf course is lovely, boobys bay it is called - but it is so nice and only a short walk. St Merryn has a nice pub and Padstow has plenty of nice pubs and restraunts and it is very pretty round there.

I suppose it is better that they lock up after 11 and I know other sites do. We went to Criccieth last year (wales) and they had the same policy. People just used to park outside the gates though so you still get the freedom I suppose to stay out later if you wish. Know what you mean though, we hardly get to stay out late nowadays!!

I hope this has made sense and I hope you find somewhere lovely to stay. It certainly is a nice part of the country

I see what you mean, I got the impression that on the 'meadows' area which is near the kids ply area it would be OK. I would have been pissed off if neighbours complained like that it ruins everyones time. Oh well it is still a possible, but I am trying to be even more precise and find somewhere nearer Rock so we can get to Daymer bay without going around near Wadebrige. Ho Humm it is hard as I know I shouldn't be ruled by a 5 yr old who wants to go back to Carlyon Bay. If we go there we are at least 1/2 - 45 mins from our favourite beaches, but we are close to Fowey and other places. I am tempted to go to the one we know as it is great, and then drive a couple of times across to Polzeth etc. the campsites there are just too basic with such little ones, in a few years time we will camp ontop of the cliffs there