Rock Bottom Orchard

View prices & book 7 18 reviews
View of the valley
View of the valley
Shepherd's hut exterior
View

  • Peaceful glamping site with valley views four miles from St Ives
  • A 15-minute drive to St Michael's Mount and a handful of beaches
  • Adjacent to the St Michael's Way; charcoal and firepits for hire
Perhaps you're craving feel-good coastal walks or beaches with super surf and golden sand. Eves around a firepit or tucking into freshly-sizzled sausages over a barbecue? That’s the sort of stuff that Rock Bottom Orchard opens you up to – as well as splendid, relaxing views over sloping fields. You see, this well-maintained and excellently peaceful Cornwall glamping site is just four miles from St Ives, and if you fancy it, it’s possible to walk all the way down to the South West Coast Path and Hayle Sands in just under an hour. So, that’s very gorgeous coastal walks sorted. What else? It's adjacent to the St Michael's Way, a popular coast-to-coast walking trail. It's also in a great spot for cyclists: pedal out past the Hayle Estuary (25 minutes’ cycle), down to The Towans beaches (40 minutes) or into St Ives (25 minutes). As for treating the appetite you're likely to have built up from such adventures, the site also loans firepits and charcoal for barbecues. Grab supplies from the two big supermarkets in Hayle, 10 minutes’ drive away. Other facilities on site include toilets and hot showers.

Site type

Lodges, cabins, pods or huts 1
Tent pitches 25
Rent a tent 1
Open now
Opens 1 May
Please note
  • Guests under the age of 16 are not allowed on site.
  • No cars/motorbikes by the pitch/unit. All cars must be parked in the designated area.
  • At least one of the party members must be aged 18 or over.
  • There is no reception on-site: on arrival please contact the number provided on your booking confirmation.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Thu, 1 May to

AA 1 pennants

Pitch types & availability

Other options

Reviews

  • 50%
    10
  • 0%
    9
  • 11%
    8
  • 0%
    7
  • 5%
    6
  • 0%
    5
  • 11%
    4
  • 0%
    3
  • 11%
    2
  • 11%
    1
Location
9
Value for money
7
Accommodation
7
Facilities / Activities
6
Customer service
8
Child friendliness
6
Cleanliness
7
Wifi
3

67% would recommend this site to a friend

67% would stay here again

What customers say

This campsite offers spectacular views and a peaceful atmosphere, conveniently located for St Ives and local attractions. Guests frequently praise the friendly and welcoming owner, and the clean, well-maintained facilities, including hot showers, a microwave, and kettle. However, some reviews highlight the basic nature of the facilities, with a single toilet and shower shared across the site, and a small kitchenette area. A few guests also reported issues with tipi weatherproofing and a lack of advertised electricity.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 2
Arrival date (latest first)

'Camping' très cher et sale à éviter

Overall

1 out of 10
Location
3
Value for money
1
Accommodation
1
Facilities / Activities
1
Customer service
1
Child friendliness
1
Cleanliness
1
Wifi
1
Anonymous

Non-electric grass tent pitch (small)

Liked Vue sur des collines

Disliked Camping à éviter absolument !
- Accès très difficile, terrain en pente.
- Les sanitaires sont sales et ne sont pas entretenus. En 3 jours sur place, personne n'est passé nettoyer ou vider les poubelles.
- Un minuscule évier extérieur, pas abrité, qui fait à la fois fonction d'évier pour la.vaisselle et de lavabo pour se laver les mains en sortant des toilettes, ou pour la toilette.
Il n'y a qu'une minuscule tablette sale au dessus pour éventuellement poser quelques affaires. Il n'y a pas d'éclairage. De plus le robinet est très bas et ne permet pas de passer dessous un gourde de 75cl pour la remplir.
- Une seule douche mixte peu fonctionnelle alors que le site en annonce deux. (La deuxième est soit disant hors service mais vu son état elle l'est depuis très longtemps)
- Rien pour poser ses affaires à la sortie de la douche.
- Aucun éclairage dans les sanitaires ce qui les rend inutilisables dès que le soir tombe.
- Aucune prise électrique dans les sanitaires.
- L'eau qui s'écoule semble venir d'une cuve, incertitude sur sa potabilité.
- Aux toilettes il faut jeter le papier toilette usagé je dans une poubelle pour ne pas les boucher et cette poubelle à battant n'est pas changée.
- Le propriétaire a essayé de nous faire payer en cash 6 £ de + que le prix annoncé sur pitchup sous prétexte que nos amis dormaient aussi dans la roulotte du camping et que donc on allait sûrement utiliser leur frigo...
- Le prix est donc exorbitant au regard des services fournis.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Camping à éviter

Overall

1 out of 10
Location
6
Value for money
1
Accommodation
1
Facilities / Activities
1
Customer service
1
Child friendliness
1
Cleanliness
1
Wifi
1
Anonymous

Shepherd's hut

Liked La vue

Disliked Le manque d'hygiène et de confort.
Un lit double à environ un mètre du sol sans marches pour y monter ou en descendre. La barre qui borde le lit et pour en sortir il faut d'abord réussir à passer cette barre.
L'unique douche avec des toiles d'araignée. Un lavabo sans eau chaude en extérieur, pour la toilette et la vaisselle. Rien pour poser la vaisselle.
Les limaces viennent boire au lavabo .
1 seule douche pour hommes et femmes. Le ménage n'a pas était fait pendant notre séjour.Dans la cabine de douche, il y a un tapis en sortie de douche avec des mouches mortes.
Pas de lumière dans les sanitaires et les lampes extérieures ne fonctionnent pas.
Un micro-ondes et une minuscule bouilloire dans le réduit en extérieur, impossible de cuisiner ! Une minuscule lampe dans la roulotte et quand quelqu'un se douche elle n'éclaire presque pas.
La poubelle contre la cuvette des WC avec le papier toilette usagé à l'intérieur.
Les rideaux très sales.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great location & facilities

Overall

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

Roof tent non-electric grass pitch

Liked Excellent spot and wonderful views. Really friendly owner who came out to make sure we had everything we needed. Good, clean facilities! Really good location not too far from the St Ives coast. Definitely recommend.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Poor, basic

Overall

2 out of 10
Location
8
Value for money
2
Accommodation
2
Facilities / Activities
2
Customer service
6
Child friendliness
2
Cleanliness
2
Wifi
2
Anonymous

Non-electric grass tent pitch (medium)

Liked 1.5 miles to the beach

Disliked The facilities were very basic . No handwashing next to the toilet. Very little toilet roll in the morning. The 'kitchen' facility,which was a gap between the ladies toilet and gents shower, consisted of a sink with a cold tap, shelf with a microwave and kettle.
The gents toilet was a portaloo with no handwashing facility.
Having booked for 2 nights we left after the first night.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: On the site there is two hot showers two clean toilets, hand washing facilities between toilet and showers, plus microwave and kettle for campers to use, I think this on friendly couple were new to camping and suggest they book into an hotel if they come back to Cornwall for an holiday .

Beautiful spot, great host, good facilities and a short walk to St…

Overall

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

Non-electric grass tent pitch (motorcyclist, no cars)

Liked Beautiful spot, great host, good facilities and a short walk to St Earth train station or the holiday park bus stop. Highly recommend

Recommend to friends Visit again

Beautiful, quiet and peaceful.…

Overall

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

Non-electric grass tent pitch (medium)

Liked Beautiful, quiet and peaceful.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Perfect for what you need, would highly recommend.

Overall

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

Non-electric grass tent pitch (medium)

Liked We travelled from wiltshire (about 4 hours away) and booked last minute the night before! On arrival the host Sid welcomed us, showed us our camping pitch amd told us everything we needed to know about the area. We rented a firepit which we found great! We cooked on it and used it the whole time.
Waking up to a view of the valley was amazing and we felt very safe.
The sunsets are also beautiful!
The toilet/shower block was very clean and convinient-hot showers/microwave etc.
We couldnt of asked for more and will definetely be returning in the future!! Thank you to Sid for a lovely getaway😁

Recommend to friends Visit again

Location, near St Ives, Peaceful…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
8
Accommodation
8
Facilities / Activities
6
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
8
Wifi
No rating
Anonymous

Non-electric grass tent pitch (small)

Liked Location, near St Ives,
Peaceful

Recommend to friends Visit again

Beautiful views and warm welcome. Could do with some improvements!

Overall

6 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
6
Accommodation
6
Facilities / Activities
6
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
8
Wifi
No rating
Joely O.

Non-electric grass tent pitch (medium)

Liked We loved that the campsite was located in a really convenient place with absolutely spectacular views! It is near local landmarks which are great for walks and catching sunsets. You get a great sunset from the campsite as you’re looking down over hills & valleys!

The owner was friendly and did say he was looking at solely opening his site to campers with their own tents instead of the teepees. This is a great idea as the field with teepees in is the one with spectacular views.

Disliked The toilet and two showers plus small sink for washing up are really very basic. They could do with smartening up and some repair jobs doing. However, it does the job and water runs nice and hot even with both showers running at the same time.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Liked that the host met us to show us our pitch and…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
6
Anonymous

Non-electric grass tent pitch (small)

Liked Liked that the host met us to show us our pitch and the facilities. The facilities are clean as well, very clean toilet and shower, there were even microwave and kettle for the campers. So was surprised there were only two of us during our stay. The area is safe and close to shops too (10minute drive) to Asda and 15minutes drive to the beach. Well recommended campsite! Thank you to the host, for the safe and lovely stay!

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 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

Adults only Barbecue provided Barbecues allowed Campfires allowed Commercial vehicles allowed Dogs allowed No dogs allowed

Themes

Peaceful Spectacular scenery Walkers' paradise

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

Medium (26-50 pitches)

Nearby leisure

Fishing nearby Horse riding nearby

Location

Rock Bottom Orchard

Trencom Road

Lelant Downs

St Ives

Cornwall

England

TR27 6NX

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London BST (GMT+01:00)

GPS

50.17489°N
5.47064°W

Nearest transport

Coach
1.2 mi Railway Station
1.2 mi Railway Station
1.3 mi Longstone Cross
Rail
1.2 mi St Erth Rail Station
1.3 mi Lelant Saltings Rail Station
1.6 mi Carbis Bay Rail Station
Ferry
4.7 mi Penzance Ferry Terminal
15.9 mi Helford Village Ferry Landing
16.1 mi Helford Passage Ferry Landing
Airport
3.8 mi Penzance Airport
10.1 mi Land's End St Just Airport
27.9 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

Those of you who are looking here for the fine sand and salty sea air will quickly find that there are plenty of options for your beach days. Little Porthgwidden Beach (15 minutes’ drive) is just the place for peaceful paddles, followed by a drink on the beach café terrace. As for any surfing fanatics, The Towans (15 minutes) is a top spot for all that business. On the flip side, Carbis Bay Beach (10 minutes) has far calmer waters, making it a fine place for laps up and down the beach. To the south, Marazion (15 minutes) has yet another sandy beach. However, the big pull here is St Michael's Mount (15 minutes), a medieval castle that rests on an island just off shore. You’ll have to cross the causeway to get there when the tide’s right (this is all part of the adventure), so be sure to check ahead of time. St Ives has more opportunities for surfers, but while you’re there, don’t forget to pay a visit to the gallery at Tate St Ives (10 minutes). Hiring out paddleboards or taking a boat trip to Seal Island are other options here.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Carbis Bay 1.7 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Porthkidney Sands 1.9 mi Estuary N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Porthminster 2.3 mi Sea N/AGoodGoodGood
Mexico Towans 2.8 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentN/A
Porthmeor 2.8 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Tate St Ives 2.8 mi

St Michael's Mount 4 mi

Cornwall Industrial Discovery Centre 9.8 mi

National Seal Sanctuary 12.9 mi

Land's End 13.1 mi

National Trust

St Michael's Mount 3.9 mi

Godrevy 5.3 mi

Trengwainton Garden 5.5 mi

Godolphin 5.9 mi

Levant Mine and Beam Engine 9.6 mi

Cycle routes

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

Other

HAYLE ESTUARY (CURRENT BOUNDARY FROM 15/08/1996) 1.8 mi

THE DOWNES (ST MICHAEL'S CONVENT) 2 mi

BARBARA HEPWORTH SCULPTURE GARDEN 2.6 mi

St Ives - Bosigran - Penzance: Part 1 2.8 mi

MARAZION MARSH (CURRENT BOUNDARY FROM 30/08/2000) 3 mi

Local events

  • Boardmasters (Wednesday 6 August 2025 – Wednesday 6 August 2025)

    Newquay, Cornwall 26.2 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?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Rock Bottom Orchard have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Rock Bottom Orchard dog friendly? No View all features
  • What attractions are near Rock Bottom Orchard? Those of you who are looking here for the fine sand and salty sea air will quickly find that there are plenty of options for your beach days. Little Porthgwidden Beach (15 … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Rock Bottom Orchard?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  3 p.m. –  6 p.m.
    Depart by:  10 a.m.
    On-site accommodation
    Arrive:  3 p.m. –  6 p.m.
    Depart by:  10 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Rock Bottom Orchard? From £23 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.