Skern Lodge

View prices & book 9.6 58 reviews
Visitor image of the level camping field
Visitor image of the level camping field
Visitor image of the sunset over skern - from skern lodge campsite aug 22
Waterside views
Acres for space for outdoor hols
Discounted kayaking bookable at reception
Riding the waves at westward ho!
Westward ho! beach and the estuary
Campfire area
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Visitor image of the sunset over skern - from skern lodge campsite aug 22
Waterside views
Acres for space for outdoor hols

  • Calm site in the grounds of a north Devon outdoor activity centre
  • A 10-minute stroll from Appledore; five minutes' drive to Westward Ho!
  • Estuary views; 10 minutes' drive to the Lundy Island ferry
Rafting, river kayaking or surfing, followed by some quiet time surrounded by green fields? That’s the catch of the day at Skern Lodge, a popular outdoor activity centre on the edge of the quiet coastal village of Appledore. With 22 acres of land to its name and direct access to the tidal waters of the Taw and Torridge estuary, this site is a prime pick for relaxing north Devon break in a gorgeous natural setting. Skern Lodge has a lush, green countryside setting, and simple facilities such as toilets, showers and a washing-up point available. The site is keen to keep its impact on the environment to an absolute minimum – once you've seen these serene surrounds, there's a strong chance you'll be keen to do the same. Head to reception upon arrival or find your way to your chosen accommodation. If you're interested in booking any activities (which depend upon availability), you must arrange watersports sessions prior to your arrival – the aforementioned rafting, river kayaking and surfing can all be tried out with full supervision from expert instructors. Appledore village is a 10-minute stroll away – head here for a trip to the pub, to sample local grub at an independent deli or simply for a coastal stroll. Bideford (10 minutes' drive) is also close by – make tracks here to catch the ferry out to Lundy Island (crossing time about two hours).

Site type

Tent pitches 16
Lodges, cabins, pods or huts 7
Opens 24 October
Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • Single-sex bookings of 4 or more people (couples and immediate family members excepted) are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • Facilities/activities including Pool hire, Kayaking, High Ropes, Zipwire. are subject to extra charges payable on arrival.
  • The site caters for families (immediate members) and couples only - bookings from all other forms of groups are not accepted.
  • Reception is unmanned after 5:30 p.m.. Please inform the site while on your way there should you expect to arrive after this time, so that the team can provide information about your unit/pitch.
  • This is a quiet site: no music is allowed.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri, 24 Oct to

No availability here for your search criteria

Pitch types & availability

Accommodation

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

Reviews

9.6

Overall rating from 58 Pitchup.com customers

  • 81%
    10
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    9
  • 15%
    8
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    7
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    6
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    1
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 6
Peaceful

98% would recommend this site to a friend

98% would stay here again

What customers say

This site is praised for its beautiful location, offering great views and easy beach access. Pods are frequently highlighted as clean, comfortable, and well-equipped, with many appreciating the private toilets. Staff are consistently described as friendly and helpful. While the outdoor swimming pool and on-site activities are popular, some guests noted booking complexities and costs. Minor issues include a lack of parking near pods, limited space within pods for sitting, and occasional temperamental shower temperatures, though facilities are generally reported as clean.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 6
Arrival date (latest first)

Best view ever. Liked very much…

Overall

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

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked Best view ever. Liked very much 👌👍

Recommend to friends Visit again

The freedom and clean toilets well…

Overall

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

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked The freedom and clean toilets well kept site

Disliked There was an event in the town and site was used for parking and locals got rude

Recommend to friends Visit again

Beautiful location with great views and…

Overall

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

Bunkroom camping pod (eight person)

Liked Beautiful location with great views and easy access to the beach.
Staff are very friendly and there are great activities available.
The pods were comfortable, clean and tidy.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Clean. With great views.

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
 3
Gareth L.

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked Great stay again it's the 4th time me and my son have stayed here he absolutely loves it he 7. It quite and has a great toilet and shower block. Great location between west wood ho! And Appledore and the staff are really helpful. Highly recommend it.

Disliked None

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great campsite for those wishing to stay close to Appledore.

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 8
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 5
Customer service
 3
Child friendliness
 8
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 8
Kirsty B.

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked Lots of space, quiet, great estuary/sea views towards the top end of the campsite. Easy walk into Appledore along coastal path (10 mins) - if you aren't keen on heights though, you may prefer to walk along the road instead, as the coastal path follows the cliff edge.

Disliked There used to be a communal freezer from freezing ice-packs, which seems to have been removed. Also, whenever we went over to Reception, it seemed to closed, so we couldn't book activities/the swimming pool.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Very clean facilities Pitch ground nice and…

Overall

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

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked Very clean facilities
Pitch ground nice and flat
Good location and great views

Recommend to friends Visit again

All great. Thankyou

Overall

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

Camping pod (two person)

Liked Fabulous location, really friendly and helpful staff. Very clean and comfortable accomadation.

Disliked Nothing to dislike.

Recommend to friends Visit again

What a great experience!!! Even if we…

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
 10
Anonymous

Camping pod (two person)

Liked What a great experience!!!

Even if we booked with short notice, and arrived way over the check-in times, Alfie was very helpful and understanding.

We find our accommodation heated, very clean, and we received all the information needed in order to have a great time.

We will definitely return in the near future!

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thanks for your review, its greatly appreciated - glad you had a great stay!

Overall excellent

Overall

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

Camping pod (two person)

Liked Brilliant location, lovely pods, so chilled out amazing time

Disliked Not a complaint just maybe more info on the activities and time schedules available

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thanks for your review, we've looked into your suggestion and made it easier for guests to book our activities !

Camp site in a great location…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 6
Wifi
 2
Gareth L.

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked Camp site in a great location for westward ho and Appledore. My son loved the swimming pool

Disliked Outside washing up area was dirty and was not cleaned in the 2 days we stayed l.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

No dogs 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 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 No dogs allowed

Utilities

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

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby Public transport nearby Shop nearby

Type

Small (11-25 pitches)

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Climbing nearby Cycle hire nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Horse riding nearby Indoor pool nearby Leisure/theme park nearby Outdoor pool nearby Restaurant nearby Sailing nearby Surf school nearby Tennis nearby Watersports nearby

Location

Skern Lodge

Appledore

Bideford

Devon

England

EX39 1NG

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London BST (GMT+01:00)

GPS

51.05385°N
4.20348°W

Nearest transport

Coach
1 mi The Quay
1 mi The Quay
1 mi Square
Rail
6.3 mi Barnstaple Rail Station
8.2 mi Chapelton (Devon) Rail Station
10.4 mi Umberleigh Rail Station
Ferry
0.6 mi Appledore Ferry Landing
1 mi Instow Ferry Landing
2.4 mi Bideford Ferry Landing

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

Where will a short walk get you? Northam Burrows Country Park (10 minutes' walk) is one place – rare plants and animals hide out there – and the North Devon Maritime Museum (20 minutes) is another. A short drive will soon get you putting holes or trotting through fields: Royal North Devon Golf Club and Follyfoot Equestrian Centre are both five minutes’ drive away. When you’re feeling like a longer journey out in search of islands, coves and cliff railways, that’s absolutely fine too. Ferries to Lundy Island depart from Bideford (10 minutes’ drive) for dramatic cliff hikes (and sea puffins if you’re lucky). You might want to go climbing cobbles and coastal paths in Clovelly (25 minutes) too, or let the Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway (50 minutes) do most of the hard work for you. As for beach days, well, Westward Ho! (five minutes) is a fine destination for practising your wave-catching skills. Ilfracombe (40 minutes) has several more beaches with more good surf, tunnels and a Victorian bathing pool. Kids asking after theme park rides? The Big Sheep (10 minutes) is an adventure park aimed at the smaller ones in your family, with attractions including live shows, rollercoasters and farm animals.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Westward Ho! 1.6 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Saunton Sands 4.4 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Croyde Bay 5.6 mi Sea N/AGoodExcellentGood
Putsborough 6.4 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Woolacombe Village 8.1 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

RHS Garden Rosemoor 8.2 mi

National Trust

Arlington Court and the National Trust Carriage Museum 11.5 mi

Heddon Valley 16.4 mi

Watersmeet 21 mi

Lundy 21.3 mi

Finch Foundry 25.4 mi

Cycle routes

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

Other

Northam Burrows - Coast Path - Appledore - Diddywell - Northam Burrows 1.1 mi

TAPELEY PARK 1.6 mi

ISLEY MARSH (CURRENT BOUNDARY FROM 05/04/1990) 2.5 mi

Saunton - Croyde - Putsborough - Fruit and Nut Trail 4.4 mi

SAUNTON COURT 4.5 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 Devon?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Skern Lodge have a swimming pool? Yes View all features
  • Is Skern Lodge dog friendly? No View all features
  • What attractions are near Skern Lodge? Where will a short walk get you? Northam Burrows Country Park (10 minutes' walk) is one place – rare plants and animals hide out there – and the North Devon Maritime Museum … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Skern Lodge?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  12 p.m. –  10 p.m.
    Depart by:  10:30 a.m.
    On-site accommodation
    Arrive:  3 p.m. –  10 p.m.
    Depart by:  10:30 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Skern Lodge? From £20 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.