Campsite recommendations near the South West Coast Path

[tiffanyachingsfryingpan]

We've just bought a campervan and want to explore more of the South West Coast Path. I'm looking for recommendations for campsites that would make a good base.

We have two children, who are good walkers but it needs to be fun for them. We have a dog too.

As an example, I've been looking at Cherry Tree Farm near Croyde as we can stay there for a few days and walk for a few hours in each direction on different days as well as having some relaxing time. I've found somewhere similar in Porlock Weir too.

Any suggestions or advice would be great. Thank you in advance!

Have you joined any clubs?

We are lifelong members of the CAMC and love the club sites due to the facilities they provide but these are far outnumbered by the CL's which may well be just what you are looking for.

Upper Lynstone near Bude, Trevellas Manor Farm near St Agnes and Gwithian Farm near Halle.

Henry's on the Lizard- such fun and so pretty. Treen car park for a bargain night (£10 with a sea view).

Start Bay Caravan Site, it’s got a footpath direct to Torcross and the SW Coastal Path. And is next to a farm shop and cafe, and walking distance to several pubs.

Polly Joke

durdledoor.co.uk

Mount folly farm is lovely, right on the path, overlooking the sea

Thank you so much! What a great list. I am going to spend my lunch hour working through them all.

@LogicalImpossibility my family used to have a holiday home in Stokenham, so I have walked through Start Bay caravan park on the way to the beach and back many times!

Agree with lots of suggestions here. Love Treen Farm but you can't book so it's a risk to go at busy times.

We love Gwithian Farm too - worth noting their post of last week about access to the beach changing (won't cause problems to get on the SWCP though)

We've had great times at Cherry Tree in Croyde but wouldn't want to do more than a night or 1 as they don't have any electric hook up.

Ladram Bay is a bigger more commercial site but great for the kids with the pools and their own beach and really nice walking to Sidmouth, Budleigh etc.

There are lots of camp sites along the exe estuary trail and at Dawlish/Dawlish Warren and there's the option there of walking and mixing in the train or a boat to get back.

Sorry @HappyHedgehog247 just seen you meant the car park next door! Views to die for!

How are you planning on doing it? Are you planning on splitting the entire walk into sections or just to walk bits of it? Some of the walks are very challenging with young children.

Agreeing with Henry's, Treen and Polly Joke, and adding:
Steeple Leaze Farm (Isle of Purbeck)
Teneriffe Farm (Lizard)
Porthkerris Beach (Lizard)
Beare's Den (between Porthleven and Rinsey)
Cloud Farm (Doone Valley, Exmoor- there are another couple of nice campsites along that valley too)
Lansallos (between Fowey and Looe)
Keveral Farm (nr Looe)
Maker Heights (Rame Peninsula)
Morvah Camping (possibly the cheapest and most basic campsite you will ever encounter. If you go, let me know whether the toilet block has finally collapsed).

Oh, re Treen Farm: there's a kind of overflow field that you can stay in in a van if it's full.

The bits of coast path that are served by regular Coaster buses could be particularly useful, as you can catch the bus one way and walk back (beware of doing it the other way round, that's all I'm saying 😬). To my knowledge, these are: Exmoor, the Dorset coast between I think Swanage and Weymouth, and the North Cornwall coast between Bude and Newquay. I'm not sure about the Land's End coaster at the moment- we went to catch it in Zennor a few weeks ago and there were no buses at all! 😢 Hopefully there will still be a summer service.

Trewethett Farm, between Tintagel and Boscastle. Absolutely right on the coastal path. It is wonderful and one of my favourite places.
It's a Caravan Club site.

It's me that is the biggest issue 😂

We did Combe Martin to Lynmouth over two days, stopping at the National trust hotel overnight (which was amazing, Derek the peacock was a huge hit with all of us). The kids managed it with only minor mumbling but we were lucky with the weather. I think it'd be different with worse weather and then having to camp.

There will be bits we can do like that, but I think other bits will be better if we base ourselves at a campsite and then do a bit in each direction on different days. My husband loves off road running so is always happy to leave us with a drink somewhere while he runs back to get the car.

Thanks everyone. I have bookmarked all of your suggestions and can settle down to plan some quite amazing trips!

South dean campsite is right on the path
It's fantastic !

Came back to say that Cherry Tree now does have some ehu apparently!

Watergate Bay Touring Park just north of Newquay is a 10/15 minute walk from the coast path- spotlessly clean, large and flat pitches - great for kids in season as there's a swimming pool on site or glorious beach a short walk away and a clubhouse with entertainment. Also cafe/takeaway and shop.. There's also a Camping and Caravanning club site and another site called The View all within 1/4 of a mile not as commercial but with shop and cafe/takeaway.

Its a 3-4 mile walk to the other side of Newquay heading south, 2 miles to Mawgan Porth then another couple to Bedruthan Steps northbound. If you want to explore the north coast, there is a coast hopper bus service so you could get the drive to a spot, walk a distance then get the bus back. Or vice versa.

I discovered a new one this weekend. Lower Pennycrocker Farm, above Boscastle. It's quite a way above Boscastle, as it's near High Cliff, the imaginatively named highest point on the Cornish coast path. This means amazing views- and a lot of wind! It's about half a mile from the path itself. The Cornish Coaster bus got me back reliably from Crackington Haven on a bank holiday- after my final leg completing the North Coast.

North Morte Caravan and Camping Park.