Riverside Valley Camping

View prices & book 9.5 61 reviews
Riverside remote pitch
Swing
The adults-only riverside field
Large field with shelter and safely fenced off from the river

  • Peaceful riverside pop-up site in the Derbyshire Peak District
  • Peak District National Park 15 minutes’ drive; Chatsworth 25 minutes
  • Dog walks straight from the pitches; Barlow pubs 10 minutes’ drive
Overlooking Barlow Brook in gorgeous Derbyshire countryside, Riverside Valley Camping is a peaceful family-run pop-up site on a smallholding that’s home to a herd of dairy cows. The ethos here is simplicity: the owners have kept things basic with minimal facilities to preserve the calm of the surrounding woodland. This means no showers, no electricity and lights off at 10pm please. There are two camping areas: the field designated for adults has riverside pitches, while the family camping meadow is safely fenced off from the water. Chargeable extras include firepits available for hire, while you can cuddle gentle calves and take them for a (supervised) walk for an extra fee, and there’s the option to bottle-feed lambs in late spring. The whole site is dog-friendly, and there are lots of easily accessed footpaths around for exercising them. They might also like to have a dip in the river, but please just remember to clean up after them and keep them on leads around the pitches. If you’re a keen hiker, you can look forward to long moorland and valley rambles in the Peak District National Park (15 minutes’ drive), and Derbyshire heritage landmarks are easily accessed too – Chatsworth House, its grounds and opulent state rooms are 25 minutes’ away by car.

Site type

Tent pitches 25
Touring caravan pitches 25
Motorhome pitches 25
Rent a tent 4
Open now
Opens 1 April
Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • At least one of the party members must be aged 21 or over.
  • Facilities/activities including Cow cuddling/calf leading are subject to extra charges payable on arrival.
  • Please note that the toilet facilities are unisex.
  • Entertainment and activities are available between 01/05 and 31/10.
  • Group bookings of 4 or more adults are not permitted (couples and immediate family members excepted).
  • No hen/stag parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • There is no reception on-site: on arrival please contact the number provided on your booking confirmation.
  • No gas barbecues allowed.
  • If making a fire, the fuel, logs and coal have to be purchased on site.
  • No electric barbecues allowed.
  • Commercial vehicles (vehicles used for work-related purposes, carrying goods or fare-paying passengers) and sign-written vehicles are not permitted on site.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Wed 1 Apr to

No availability here for your search criteria

Pitch types & availability

Reviews

  • 72%
    10
  • 11%
    9
  • 14%
    8
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    7
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    6
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    5
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    1
Location
10
Value for money
9
Accommodation
9
Facilities / Activities
8
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
9
Wifi
7

98% would recommend this site to a friend

98% would stay here again

What customers say

Guests consistently praise the exceptionally friendly and helpful owners, the peaceful atmosphere, and the spacious pitches. Activities like calf cuddling are a highlight for children. While the site is described as basic, many appreciate this charm. Some reviews mention that the two portaloos became unmanageable when the site was busy, and that rubbish disposal could be an issue. Some guests would welcome showers.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 7
Arrival date (latest first)

Great location, friendly people, working on facilities.

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
9
Accommodation
No rating
Facilities / Activities
No rating
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
8
Wifi
No rating
liesbeth c.

Non-electric grass tent or motorhome pitch (adults only)

Liked Friendly place, great woods with a stream straight from the site to walk your dog. Sheltered as a lot of sites in the Peaks are exposed, so that was nice.

Disliked Site still developing, so facilities not so great yet. I don't understand campers that think it is ok to dump your gazebo in and next to the bin.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely wide open space within the…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
No rating
Katie H.

Non-electric grass touring pitch

Liked Lovely wide open space within the peaceful Derbyshire countryside. Beautiful rustic site with very friendly and helpful site owners 👍🏼

Disliked We didn’t dislike anything!

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you Katie! We look forward to seeing you again soon!

Super friendly back to basics almost wild spot

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
No rating
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
10
Natalie M.

Non-electric grass tent or motorhome pitch (adults only)

Liked If you want luxury this isnt for you. However if what you need is space, peace and quiet and to forget the world exists then this is the place. Super communication over the phone from Mrs Alistair (didnt catch her name, sorry!) and Alistair (the owner) and his daughter even popped round to speak to everyone in the evening and drop off fire pits which was a lovely touch.
Portaloo in the field which was clean and fully stocked with loo roll.
We stayed in the adult field which was peaceful and calm. The owners do their absolute best to police the site and keep it that way which is amazing if what youre looking for is a quiet escape. It feels like you are in the middle of nowhere.
We are booking again and will be staying here as our local spot whenever we have time off work!
Cant thank the site enough, it was our first camping trip to test equipment before a big getaway and we've managed to find somewhere we will keep returning to!
Thankyou for having us 💖

Disliked Nothing!

Recommend to friends Visit again

All…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
No rating
Constantin S.

Non-electric grass touring pitch

Liked All

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Deffo nice set be back

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
7
Value for money
9
Facilities / Activities
5
Customer service
5
Child friendliness
8
Cleanliness
6
Wifi
No rating
Thomas C.

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked Plenty of room nice fishing sites near buy and good price kids park to

Disliked No showers but getting worked on

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Thomas, thanks for your review. We re sorry you thought the showers were not working - did you see the option to book them on pitchup as an extra? Once booked customers contact us once on site and we give them a key - this is to ensure that the showers are kept clean and private for those who want to use them. We look forward to seeing you again! Katie and Alistair

Pitches have lots of space. The…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Facilities / Activities
No rating
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
No rating
Wifi
No rating
Anonymous

Non-electric grass touring pitch

Liked Pitches have lots of space. The river and fishing lakes make a lovely walk. Alistair and Katie are very welcoming and checked if we needed anything.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you for your lovely comments 🫶🏻

Proper back to basics camping in…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
8
Facilities / Activities
5
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
1
Sam H.

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked Proper back to basics camping in nature

Recommend to friends Visit again

I found this campsite perfect for…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
No rating
Value for money
No rating
Facilities / Activities
No rating
Customer service
No rating
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
No rating
Wifi
No rating
ADAM W.

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked I found this campsite perfect for my needs, I had a very quiet pitch by the river and Alastair was very helpful and great to chat to.

Disliked None

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you Adam! Look forward to seeing you again soon!

Lovely friendly staff, the campfires that…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
8
Value for money
9
Accommodation
No rating
Facilities / Activities
8
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
7
Wifi
No rating
Megan T.

Non-electric grass tent or motorhome pitch (adults only)

Liked Lovely friendly staff, the campfires that can be purchased on site was great!! Nice pubs nearby and not too far from local shops

Recommend to friends Visit again

Highly recommend

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
No rating
Facilities / Activities
No rating
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
No rating
Wifi
No rating
Sam M.

Non-electric grass tent or motorhome pitch (adults only)

Liked Very friendly hosts. Generous pitch by the river, very peaceful. Loved the back to basics feel of the site. We have our own amenities so no problem for us. Surrounded by beautiful walks. Highly recommend the lakeside cafe for breakfast

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thanks Sam! Look forward to your next visit!


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 Wild swimming

Amenities on site

Bath available Composting toilet 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

D. of E. 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

Budget/backpacker Forest Lake and/or mountain Luxury Peaceful Remote location Spectacular scenery Walkers' paradise Wild camping Wildlife haven

Utilities

Charging facilities Chemical disposal Electric car charging point(s) Gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby Nearby farmers' market Public transport nearby Shop nearby

Type

Farm Large (51-200 pitches) Pop-up campsite

Accessibility

Accessible parking at pitch Level site, no steep slopes Pitch close to accessible bathrooms Step-free or level access

Nearby leisure

Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Horse riding nearby Indoor pool nearby Leisure/theme park nearby Mountain biking nearby Outdoor pool nearby Restaurant nearby Tennis nearby

Touring and motorhomes

Seasonal pitches

Location

Riverside Valley Camping

Riverside Farm

Furnace Lane

Monkwood

Barlow

Dronfield

Derbyshire

England

S18 7SY

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London BST (GMT+01:00)

GPS

53.27597°N
1.46891°W

Nearest transport

Coach
3.3 mi Coach Station
3.6 mi Hunstone Avenue
3.6 mi Hunstone Avenue
Rail
1.8 mi Dronfield Rail Station
3.3 mi Chesterfield Rail Station
4.1 mi Dore & Totley Rail Station
Airport
9 mi Sheffield City Airport
23.6 mi Robin Hood Doncaster Sheffield Airport
23.9 mi Robin Hood Doncaster Sheffield 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

The cute village of Barlow (10 minutes’ drive) is home to two award-winning gastro pubs, two breweries and plenty of scenic hiking and biking trails. During August, you’ll witness intricate floral displays known as well dressings decorating the streets, and summertime also brings Barlow Carnival, featuring a parade, delicious local food and beer, live entertainment and a funfair for families. The market town of ​Chesterfield (also 10 minutes) has half-timbered, galleried shopping arcades and the landmark Crooked Spire church. Bakewell (half an hour) is another lively town with upscale shops, bakeries selling the speciality jam and almond sponge Bakewell tarts, and strolls alongside the River Wye. If you’re trying to sneak some culture into your Derbyshire camping holiday, handsome Chatsworth House (25 minutes) is a good place to start; it has ornate suites of rooms filled with priceless antiques, but there’s also a petting zoo and parkland walks for any bored kids. You have other options for family days out too, including waterslides and a dinosaur trail for younger children at Gulliver’s Kingdom, or cable-car rides and cavern tours at the Heights of Abraham (both 40 minutes).

Must see

Chatsworth 7.3 mi

Bolsover Castle 7.9 mi

Haddon Hall 9.6 mi

Hardwick Hall 9.7 mi

Hardwick Old Hall 9.9 mi

National Trust

Hardwick Estate: Stainsby Mill 10 mi

Hardwick Hall 10 mi

Winster Market House 11.7 mi

Mr Straw's House 14.9 mi

Clumber Park 16.7 mi

Cycle routes

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

Other

Linacre Reservoir - Millthorpe - Oxton Rakes - Linacre 2.1 mi

QUEEN'S PARK, CHESTERFIELD 3.3 mi

Wadshelf - Linacre - Barlow - Cutthorpe - Wadshelf 3.6 mi

BEAUCHIEF HALL 4 mi

OAKES PARK 4.1 mi

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 Derbyshire?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Riverside Valley Camping have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Riverside Valley Camping dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Riverside Valley Camping? The cute village of Barlow (10 minutes’ drive) is home to two award-winning gastro pubs, two breweries and plenty of scenic hiking and biking trails. During August, you’ll witness intricate floral displays … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Riverside Valley Camping?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  2 p.m. –  7 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Riverside Valley Camping? From £25 (for 1 night, 6 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.