Ilex Farm Camping

View prices & book 9.2 35 reviews
Tent pitch
Motorhome pitches
Spacious pitches
Grass pitches

  • Peaceful Derbyshire site a mile and a half from Clay Cross
  • Peak District National Park 15 minutes' drive; 25 mins to Chatsworth
  • Spacious dog-friendly pitches with lovely views; pub under a mile away
Prefer peace, space and scenery over lively places with loads of facilities? You'll be among like-minded folk when you stay at Ilex Farm Camping – not that many of them though, because this Derbyshire site always keeps guest numbers on the lower side to ensure everyone has a nice restful break with plenty of space to relax. These simple but spacious tree-lined grass pitches are spread across three level terraces, giving all of them privacy, shade and great views across the valley. There are plenty of easy and interesting walks to follow from the farm (with your dog by your side if you like), along with some longer cycling routes. Handily, the nearest pub is just under a mile away for a good meal or a refreshing pint at the end of your walk or ride. If you fancy more walks or bike rides, it's useful to know that the Peak District National Park is about 15 minutes' drive away. Golf, swimming, tennis and sailing are all nearby too for a change of activity, and you'll be well placed for outings to attractions like Chatsworth House, Hardwick Hall and the Heights of Abraham. The site is close to a bus route with services to Chesterfield and Matlock, also passing through nearby Clay Cross (five minutes' drive), which has a decent selection of pubs, cafés, takeaways and supermarkets. Simple facilities on site include ice pack freezing, toilets, showers and a chemical disposal point.

Campground type

Tent sites 9
RV & Motorhome sites 3
Open now
Opens 1 May
Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • The campground/park does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Dangerous Dog Act (i.e. Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro).
  • Group bookings of 4 or more units (e.g. tent, caravan, motorhome or accommodation hire) travelling together are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • Group bookings of 4 or more adults are not permitted (couples and immediate family members excepted).
  • Single-sex bookings of 4 or more people (couples and immediate family members excepted) are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • No hen/stag parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • Commercial vehicles (vehicles used for work-related purposes, carrying goods or fare-paying passengers) and sign-written vehicles are not permitted on site.
  • A cable measuring at least 25 metres is needed for the electric hook-ups.
  • Please note that the toilet/shower facilities are unisex.
  • There are no bins onsite: all rubbish will need to be taken home with you.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri, 1 May to

No availability here for your search criteria

Site types & availability

Reviews

  • 57%
    10
  • 25%
    9
  • 11%
    8
  • 0%
    7
  • 0%
    6
  • 2%
    5
  • 2%
    4
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    3
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    2
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    1
Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
9
Facilities / Activities
9
Customer service
9
Child friendliness
9
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
5

94% would recommend this campground to a friend

91% would stay here again

What customers say

Ilex Farm: peaceful country escape, friendly hosts, lovely views. Spacious, quiet, dog-friendly pitches. Modern, spotless loos & showers. Resolving early issues. Basic but tranquil, great for walks & Chatsworth. Washing-up station coming soon.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews. Last updated 09/06/2026

Reviews page 1 of 4
Arrival date (latest first)

Очень приятные и гостеприимны хозяева. Тихое…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Facilities / Activities
9
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
1
Anonymous

Power optional grass motorhome site

Liked Очень приятные и гостеприимны хозяева. Тихое спокойное место для отдыха. На территории есть туалеты и душевые кабины в очень чистом состоянии. Приятно было провести время здесь.

Recommend to friends Visit again

we would definitely stay here again, lovely hosts and nice scenery

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
9
Value for money
9
Facilities / Activities
8
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
1
max j. 1 review

Unpowered grass tent or trailer tent site

Liked we loved the scenery. there was also a really nice porsche there in the evening!
we were well spaced from other campers. on our row of 10 there there was only us an one other group and they were opposite end to us. really easy to find and get settled in.
bonus there was drinking water as we forgot ours!

our little red fox lab loved it too!

Owners said we could stay as long as we liked the next day as our pitch was not booked again so it was nice to have the option but we were planning on getting up early and cracking on!

Disliked campers below us were rather noisy at 4AM but not a lot can be done about that.

a nice extra feature would be some
toilet facilities:)

Recommend to friends Visit again

Good set up and pitches and…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
1
Luke C. 1 review

Unpowered grass tent or trailer tent site

Liked Good set up and pitches and the facilities were great too

Disliked Nothing to dislike

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great little quiet camping site, fairly private, good for quiet breaks

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

Power optional grass motorhome site

Liked Carolyn and Steve very welcoming, showed us around the site, gave suggestions for walks with the Dogs. Facilities very clean, nice and quiet area and dog friendly (just have to be kept on lead due to the horses)

Disliked Farm itself is fantastic - just some of the public footpaths/bridleways in the surrounding areas are overgrown and need cutting back

Recommend to friends Visit again

Fantastic quiet site

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

Power optional grass motorhome site

Liked Loved our maiden motorhome voyage to Ilex farm. Owners are very helpful and very friendly. 2 showers with wc in them, and a single wc on its own. All were clean and spotless. Washing up facilities behind the shower blocks. Loved having the horses around the area. Very peaceful when you want to get away from a busy working week. We will be back for a longer stay. Thank you Carolyn and Stephen

Disliked Nothing to dislike.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Ideal location for exploring the peak district

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
Evan R. 21 reviews

Power optional grass motorhome site

Liked Lovely quiet site, close to chats worth house and the peak district. The lady running the site was so friendly and helpful, would definitely recommend.

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

A nice site, really friendly owners and clean 🙂

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Facilities / Activities
No rating
Customer service
No rating
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
1
Ella M. 6 reviews

Power optional grass motorhome site

Liked Lovely site, the optional electric hookup is a nice bonus and the showers/toilets were so clean. The only minor complaint is that the shower only seemed to run warm for a few seconds at a time, but I might have just timed it wrong so maybe there wasn't much hot water.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent site with clean facilities

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
Helen T. 4 reviews

Power optional grass tent site

Liked Beautiful location, plenty of space per pitch. Facilities were immaculate and enjoyed the sign asking guests to take good care of the space with provision of the tools needed to keep the space clear. Tap was conveniently close. Hookup worked a treat. Was greeted by the lovely friendly owner who showed us to our pitch and gave us instructions on how best to be oriented to maximise the space for all campers. Was not bothered by any insects - probably the least midgies we’ve ever encountered. Also really enjoyed being surrounded by horses in the nearby fields. Would definitely stay here again

Disliked Nothing would absolutely camp here again. Thank you for a lovely stay

Recommend to friends Visit again

Owners are very friendly and helpful.…

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

Power optional grass tent site

Liked Owners are very friendly and helpful. Toilets and showers absolutely spotless. Great location, quiet.

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely new site

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Facilities / Activities
9
Customer service
No rating
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
10
Anonymous

Power optional grass tent site

Liked Beautiful peaceful campsite with stunning views. Clean warm facilities. Walking distance to Clay Cross and drive under 20mins to Matlock. Will deffo visit again. Even had WiFi all over the site.

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 Laundry 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 Rallies welcome 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

Utilities

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

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Convenience store nearby Dog walk nearby

Type

Farm Pop-up campground Small (11-25 sites)

Nearby leisure

Climbing nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Horse riding nearby Indoor pool nearby Leisure/theme park nearby Restaurant nearby Tennis nearby

Location

Ilex Farm Camping

Ilex Farm

Handley

Clay Cross

Chesterfield

Derbyshire

England

S45 9AT

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London +0100 (GMT+01:00)

GPS

53.15362°N
1.43827°W

Route directions

As the road starts to steepen, look for a stone farmhouse with tarmac drive and wooden gate on the right, signposted as Ilex Farm Camping. Do not believe sat nav telling you the site is on the left. Any problems please call for directions.

Nearest transport

Coach
8.2 km Railway Station
9 km Coach Station
9.2 km Fishpond Hotel
Rail
7.5 km Alfreton Rail Station
8.2 km Matlock Rail Station
8.7 km Matlock Bath Rail Station
Airport
27.2 km Sheffield City Airport
37.1 km East Midlands Airport
46.2 km 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

Attractions and activities nearby include: - Ogston Reservoir (sailing): five minutes' drive - Clay Cross Active leisure centre (swimming and tennis): five minutes - Hardwick Hall: 15 minutes - Heights of Abraham: 20 minutes - Haddon Hall: 20 minutes - Bolsover Castle: 20 minutes - Chatsworth House: 25 minutes - Bakewell: 25 minutes - Alton Towers: 55 minutes.

Must see

Hardwick Old Hall 8.8 km

Arkwright's Cromford Mills 9.2 km

Hardwick Hall 9.4 km

Sir Richard Arkwright's Masson Mills 9.5 km

Bolsover Castle 12.8 km

National Trust

Hardwick Estate: Stainsby Mill 8.8 km

Hardwick Hall 8.8 km

Winster Market House 13.6 km

Kedleston Hall 22.7 km

Clumber Park 27.8 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

Woolley Moor - Handley - Ashover - Ravensnest - Woolley 0.9 km

Woolley Moor (Ogston Reservoir) - Brackenfield - Mathersgrave - Ogston Reservoir 0.9 km

Woolley - Highoredish - Ashover - Ashoverhay - Woolley 1.6 km

Highoredish - Ravensnest - Ashover - Ashoverhay Loop 3.4 km

Eddlestow - Uppertown - Spitewinter - Kelstedge 5.5 km

Local events

  • Download Festival (Wednesday 10 June 2026 – Wednesday 10 June 2026)

    Derby, England 36.5 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 Derbyshire?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Ilex Farm Camping have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Ilex Farm Camping dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Ilex Farm Camping? Attractions and activities nearby include: - Ogston Reservoir (sailing): five minutes' drive - Clay Cross Active leisure centre (swimming and tennis): five minutes - Hardwick Hall: 15 minutes - Heights of Abraham: … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Ilex Farm Camping?
    Camping and caravan
    Arrive:  9:30 a.m. –  7:30 p.m.
    Depart by:  12:30 p.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Ilex Farm Camping? From $43.78 (for 1 night, 4 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.