Watergate Camping

View prices & book 9.7 124 reviews
Visitor image of the view of main camping area (added by manager 14 Sep 2022)

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Visitor image of the view of main camping area (added by manager 14 sep 2022)
1/8
1/344
Favourite
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
Open now
Opens 1 May
Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • Single-sex bookings of 6 or more people (couples and immediate family members excepted) are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • Dogs are not allowed if you are staying in the accommodation units.
  • No cars/motorbikes by the pitch/unit. All cars must be parked in the designated area.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Wed, 1 May to

Pitch types & availability

Accommodation

Tent pitchesTouring caravan pitchesMotorhome pitchesLodges, cabins, pods or hutsCaravans for hireRent a tent
Choose your dates
2 adults
0 children

Reviews

9.7

Overall rating based on 124 reviews View breakdown

Peaceful

Voted 90% of visitors View breakdown

98%

would recommend this site to a friend

98%

would stay here again

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Only showing reviews for the last 30 months.

Beautiful setting by the West Looe River. Basic but good facilities…

Overall 8/10
Location 8
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 8
Cleanliness 8
Wifi 2
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: Beautiful setting by the West Looe River. Basic but good facilities

Recommend to friends Visit again

Friendly , small site, clean facilities, perfect locations.

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

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: Second time staying here, great facilities, peaceful area. The river is a massive bonus. Great for paddlers

Recommend to friends Visit again

Super site, close to Looe amongst wonderfully relaxing nature…

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

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: Super site, close to Looe amongst wonderfully relaxing nature

Disliked: I think the only thing we'd ask to be changed is the bright toilet light to be reduced at night some how. So the stars can be fully appreciated without light pollution

Recommend to friends Visit again

Small premises, river running through, friendly owners and pleasant, clean facilities.…

Overall 8/10
Location 8
Value for money 8
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 8
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 2
Jasmine C. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: Small premises, river running through, friendly owners and pleasant, clean facilities.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely site by the river.... Clean washing up area, toilets and showers.…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 6
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 4
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Caron M. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: Lovely site by the river.... Clean washing up area, toilets and showers. Great location to Looe! 20 minutes walk along the river bank. We only stayed one night so we weren't there long enough to explore the area.....

Disliked: We thought it was on the expensive side for what other campsites offered.....

Recommend to friends Visit again

Good small site with clean facilities and level pitches.

Overall 10/10
Location 8
Value for money 8
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 8
Child friendliness 6
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 2
Lucy H. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: Campsite was small but had all the amenities you need to have a great stay - toilets were great, showers were nice and hot and there was a fridge-freezer free for anyone to use which was a lifesaver. Wood and kindling to buy from the house on site, check-in super easy and has everything we needed. It's around a 30min easy walk through the woods to the closest town, Looe, which is so lovely. Very peaceful visit, would recommend.

Disliked: Signal is pretty poor and river was very dirty - both not the fault of the owners.

Recommend to friends Visit again

A beautiful campsite, simple and picturesque

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
Megan H. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: Great loos, hot showers, communal fridge freezer and hot wated for washing up

Disliked: Had no signal in any form (not their fault)

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great location, pitch was lovely. Facilities were very clean. Had such an…

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
Chris W. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: Great location, pitch was lovely. Facilities were very clean. Had such an amazing time and will return.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Perfect camping stay

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

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: The campsite was in a great location right next to the river. The town of Looe was a 30min walk along a woodland path and very easy to get to. Amenities were clean and offered exactly what was needed. The hot showers were also great.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Idyllic site, a good location with great facilities

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

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: We had a great stay at Watergate Camping! We had booked last minute, about 3 hours before we arrived and this was not a problem. The drive down to the site is pretty good for single track Cornwall roads - there are lots of passing places and only a few potholes. We recieved a friendly welcome and were able to pick our own pitch by the river or up the hill. We took a lovely spot by the river and a major bonus of this site is the included fire pit for each pitch (logs can be purchased on site for a small charge). The facilities were great, two large dish washing sinks and a small fridge/freezer outside the toilet block. The mens and women's each have 2 toilets, two showers and two sinks which were always immaculate. The showers are also noteworthy, with great water pressure and temperature. We actually liked the lack of phone signal, but it is something to consider if this might upset you. This is an ideal location for accessing Looe, and we used it as a base to explore all of the south west. An easy drive to the main roads which makes visiting the big land marks like the Eden project and Land's end a breeze.

Disliked: Only thing I can think is that perhaps the loos would get busy in high season if the site was full.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

Dogs allowed

Campfires allowed

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 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)

Accessibility

Disabled facilities

Nearby leisure

Golf nearby Tennis nearby

Location

Watergate Camping

Lower Bracken

Watergate

West Looe

Looe

Cornwall

England

PL13 2NE

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London BST (GMT+01:00)

GPS

50.36687°N
-4.48592°W

Nearest transport

Coach
6.2 mi Post Office
6.2 mi Lloyds TSB Bank
6.3 mi Post Box
Rail
1.4 mi Looe Rail Station
1.7 mi Sandplace Rail Station
2.8 mi Causeland Rail Station
Ferry
6.6 mi Bodinnick Ferry Landing
6.8 mi Fowey Custom House Quay Ferry Landing
6.9 mi Fowey Town Quay Ferry Landing
Airport
23.6 mi 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 1.8 mi Estuary N/A Good N/A N/A
Millendreath 2.2 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Seaton (Cornwall) 4.4 mi Sea N/A Good Good Good
Downderry 5.1 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Readymoney Cove 7.5 mi Estuary N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Eden Project 12.3 mi

Lost Gardens of Heligan 15.5 mi

National Marine Aquarium 15.7 mi

Cornwall's Crealy Great Adventure Park 21.3 mi

Dartmoor Zoological Park 21.9 mi

National Trust

Cotehele 14.4 mi

Cotehele Mill 14.4 mi

Buckland Abbey 17.4 mi

Saltram 17.8 mi

Salcombe: Thurlestone to Torcross 17.8 mi

Cycle routes

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

Other

Looe - Woods and River 1.2 mi

Looe River and Woods 1.2 mi

Talland Bay - Polperro 2.1 mi

Looe - Polperro 2.1 mi

Polperro Coast 2.9 mi

Local events

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

    Newquay, Cornwall 24.7 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.

Nearest sites

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable sites.

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 £30 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.