Watergate Camping

From £30 For 1 night, 4 adults 9.7 110 reviews
Visitor image of the view of main camping area (added by manager 14 Sep 2022)
Visitor image of the view (added by manager 14 sep 2022)
Visitor image of the sundown (added by manager 14 sep 2022)
This is an example photo of what we have available. (added by manager 23 jan 2023)

  • Small family-run site by the West Looe river, three miles from Looe
  • Half an hour's drive from the Eden Project
  • Direct access to the river for fishing, paddling and canoeing
Paddling and campfires and wildlife watching… what a fab collection of outdoorsy antics can be had at Watergate Camping, a small family-run site three miles from the beach and harbour of Looe. Settle in at this peaceful place and you’ll be right on the banks of Cornwall’s West Looe river, with direct access for walks, paddling and pottering about in canoes or small boats. Keep your eyes open for movement at the water’s edge: kingfishers and herons love this place, and all sorts of small mammals and pretty moths frequent the site too. Bring your rods along too, for you can also fish in the river; if you’re successful, you’re welcome to light up a barbecue or campfire to cook your catch, collecting firewood in the woods or gathering by the communal firepit. For an easier way to snag eats, there are plenty of shops, cafés and pubs in Looe, which can be reached with a 10-minute drive or a 45-minute amble along the lovely riverside path. To preserve the peaceful vibes, facilities have been kept to a minimum, but the site has been kitted out with a smart modern toilet and shower block, and there’s a washing-up area to deal with the remnants of your alfresco feasts. If you're staying here, it's a good idea to bring a torch and some insect repellent with you.

Site type

Tent pitches 7
Rent a tent 2
Opens 1 May
Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • Single-sex bookings of 6 or more people (excluding couples) are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • Dogs are not allowed if you are staying in the accommodation units.
  • No cars/motorcycles at the site. All cars must be parked in the designated area.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Wed, 01 May to

Reviews

97%

would recommend this site to a friend

98%

would stay here again

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Only showing reviews for the last 30 months.

Perfectly placed and ideal slice of Cornish tranquillity.

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Aiden C. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: I have stayed here before and liked the friendly nature of the site and the scenic setting. The owners are very welcoming and make you feel relaxed straight from arrival. The site itself is quiet and peaceful and a real place to escape for peace and relaxation. In the mornings I enjoyed sitting out looking over the river and watching all of the wildlife go by. I Couldn't think of a better place to relax with my morning coffee and a book. When we wanted to go out and explore it was the perfect base. It is no more than 30 30-minute walk along the river to the centre of Looe. The amenities provided us with just what we needed. I personally liked all of it and would not fault it.

Disliked: there is nothing to dislike here.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent family friendly site with all you need facilities

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Heidi S. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: Location is perfect for those wanting to switch off and escape the chaos of life. Back to basics, watching the stars, kids swimming in the river and building camp fires.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Absolutely perfect, idyllic and peaceful camping spot!

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 2
Ronan M. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: The beautiful views, the friendly owner, the river, the tranquility. It was like wild camping but with a shower and toilets as a bonus. Totally wonderful

Disliked: Nothing, it was perfect

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great site to switch off.

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 8
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 6
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: The peaceful location next to the river was great and the camp site is well spaced out.

Disliked: The weather!

Recommend to friends Visit again

So friendly, lovely shower block that seemed to be cleaned regularly. Never…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Abbie Q. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: So friendly, lovely shower block that seemed to be cleaned regularly. Never over crowded. The wildlife and sky at night was breathtaking. Easy walk into looe or paddle down the river.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Exceeded my expectations!

Overall 8/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 8
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 8
Wifi 4
Tia A. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: We are very happy with the experience that we had, the owner was really friendly, it had a lovely bit of land to set up pitch on with a lovely view to wake up too, only a ten minute drive into the main town, we had good tent neighbours too! My parents came to pick us up and said they will definitely stay here the next time around, we can't wait to come back! They also provide free brick slabs to help when you are having a bbq

Recommend to friends Visit again

Amazing place .friendly and very quiet.…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 2
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: Amazing place .friendly and very quiet.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent facilities very peaceful Great location all round good.

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 10
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: Everything was great!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Exqusitely located riverside campsite with warm, clean facilities.

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 2
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: Nestled in the bottom of a forrested valley, with a river flowing gently through. We sat by our tent watching kingfishers fly over the river and owls hooted at night. The stargazing was superb and we saw a shooting star! The first pitches by the water have their own small slipways to launch kayaks and sup, which we made full use of! You can walk the footpath to the nearest town of Looe from the campsite, or (noting the tides!) float into Looe and back! Lovely warm water in showers and wash sinks, basic shower block building but it is heated and very very clean. Two modern washing up sinks with large double draining boards, also very clean always. Very welcoming hosts and our children made many friends and had a wonderful holiday. They played football almost constantly with newly made friends and toasted marshmallows over the bbq. So many lovely memories, thank you!

Disliked: The site could be better sign posted. It was a rather steep descent into the valley, but typical of the cornwall roads we have discovered, and it is very worth it to find this campsite! No nearby shops or pubs without a walk or taking the car but the campsite owners took in a delivery for us when our kayak needed repair. A covered space to use when it rained would be fab, and a shelved unit for storing sup or kayaks in the place of the older shed would be wonderful. A shower area to wash your dog would be amazing too, although we did find a self service dog wash in Looe, next to the doggy daycare. There are no clothes washing facilities but there is an excellent laundrette in nearby Liskeard. More fridge freezers would have been welcome.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Beautiful, quiet riverside campsite

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Joanne V. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Bell tent

Liked: A really beautiful spot, isolated and by a river. Well-maintained and spotless facilities. Very friendly owners and campers. Beautiful bell tent, everything in good condition.

Disliked: The single bed frames in the bell tent were very creaky!

Recommend to friends Visit again


Features

Leisure on site

Bar or club house

Cycle hire

Evening entertainment

Fishing

Fitness centre

Games room

Indoor swimming pool

Kids' club

On-site restaurant/cafe

Outdoor swimming pool

Play area

TV room

Take away

Tennis

Watersports

Amenities on site

Bath available

Car parking by pitch/unit

Composting toilet

Disabled facilities

Dog park

Drying room

Food shop

Free wifi

Ice pack freezing

Internet access

Launderette

Parent & baby washroom

Pick-up from public transport

Portable toilet

Pub toilets

Public telephone

Shower available

Toilet block

Washing-up area

Wifi

Groups welcome

Family friendly

Motorcycle friendly

Single-sex groups welcome

Student groups welcome

Rules

Barbecue provided

Barbecues allowed

Campfires allowed

Commercial vehicles allowed

Dogs allowed

Dogs allowed all year

Themes

Peaceful

Remote location

Spectacular scenery

Walkers' paradise

Wild camping

Wildlife haven

Utilities

Charging facilities

Chemical disposal

Communal fridge

Electric car charging point(s)

Gas cylinders available

Recycling available

Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby

Dog walk nearby

Public transport nearby

Type

Tiny (1-10 pitches)

Nearby leisure

Golf nearby

Tennis nearby

Location

Watergate Camping

Lower Bracken

Watergate

West Looe

Looe

Cornwall

England

PL13 2NE

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London GMT (GMT+00:00)

GPS

50.36687°N
-4.48592°W

Nearest transport

Coach
9.9 km Post Office
9.9 km Lloyds TSB Bank
10.1 km Post Box
Rail
2.3 km Looe Rail Station
2.7 km Sandplace Rail Station
4.5 km Causeland Rail Station
Ferry
10.7 km Bodinnick Ferry Landing
10.9 km Fowey Custom House Quay Ferry Landing
11.1 km Fowey Town Quay Ferry Landing
Airport
38 km Newquay St Mawgan Airport

Please note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.

Local attractions

If your on-site fishing has you angling for more action, take the 10-minute drive to Looe harbour for sea fishing trips – pollack, cod, mackerel and plaice are among the swimmers you may snag. Prefer to leave them in the sea? Clamber onto a glass-bottom boat for a trip around Looe Island, with a window into what’s going on below. Back on shore, the kids can go crabbing along the harbour walls or poke about in the rockpools at the beach – the sandy beach here is also fab for sandcastle building and safe swims in shallow waters. If you’re up for a seaside stroll, pick a suitable stretch of the South West Coast Path, which runs through Looe. Beasts big and small can be seen on visits to the Porfell Wildlife Park & Sanctuary (15 minutes’ drive), the Wild Futures monkey sanctuary (20 minutes) and the Fowey Aquarium (40 minutes), where there’s a focus on local and native species. To take a look at nature from all around the globe, it’ll take you just over half an hour to drive to the famed domes of the Eden Project.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020 2019 2018 2017
East Looe 2.9 km Estuary N/A Good N/A N/A
Millendreath 3.6 km Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Seaton (Cornwall) 7.1 km Sea N/A Good Good Good
Downderry 8.2 km Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Readymoney Cove 12 km Estuary N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Eden Project 19.8 km

Lost Gardens of Heligan 24.9 km

National Marine Aquarium 25.2 km

Cornwall's Crealy Great Adventure Park 34.3 km

Dartmoor Zoological Park 35.3 km

National Trust

Cotehele 23.2 km

Cotehele Mill 23.2 km

Buckland Abbey 28.1 km

Saltram 28.7 km

Salcombe: Thurlestone to Torcross 28.7 km

Cycle routes

Find local routes on the National Cycle Network - over 12,000 miles of cycling routes.

Other

Looe - Woods and River 1.9 km

Looe River and Woods 2 km

Talland Bay - Polperro 3.3 km

Looe - Polperro 3.4 km

Polperro Coast 4.6 km

Local events

  • Eden Sessions (Wednesday, 12 June 2024 – Wednesday, 12 June 2024)

    Par, England 18.3 km

  • Boardmasters (Wednesday, 7 August 2024 – Wednesday, 7 August 2024)

    Newquay, England 39.8 km

Please note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.

Want to know more about camping in Cornwall?

  • Does Watergate Camping have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Watergate Camping dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Watergate Camping? If your on-site fishing has you angling for more action, take the 10-minute drive to Looe harbour for sea fishing trips – pollack, cod, mackerel and plaice are among the swimmers you … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Watergate Camping?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  11:30 a.m. –  9 p.m.
    Depart by:  10 a.m.
    On-site accommodation
    Arrive:  2 p.m. –  6 p.m.
    Depart by:  10:30 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Watergate Camping? From R715,57 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.