The Racecourse Retreat

View prices & book 9.5 231 reviews
Pitches
Pitches
Views over derbyshire
Tent pitch
Top of the pitches
The meadow pitches
Views
Meadow area
Meadows on site
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Views over derbyshire
Tent pitch
Top of the pitches

  • Spacious family-friendly pop-up site in the Derbyshire countryside
  • Four miles from the Peak District; a 15-minute drive from Matlock
  • Back to basics pitches with firepits; close to walks and bike routes
Planning on moseying on down to the Peak District for trails, historic estates and rural landscapes? From the Racecourse Retreat four miles from the edge of the national park, you’ll be in for a restful retreat with delicious views and green surroundings. This quiet, rural and family-friendly smallholding is just 15 minutes’ drive away from buzzy towns such as Matlock and 35 minutes from royal sites like Chatsworth House. It is a fairly simple setup here, with spacious pitches that have access to showers and toilets, plus firepit areas for a feelgood gathering, waste and recycling points, a dishwashing station and drinking water. This area is walking and biking trails galore, beginning with the High Peak Trail around five minutes’ drive away. At the same time, tourist hotspots such as Carsington Water, Cromford Mills and Matlock Bath are within 15 minutes’ drive of the site. Just above the town of Wirksworth and the small village of Cromford, there are shops, pubs, restaurants, cafes and takeaways a short walk away so that guests can grab all the goods they desire for an easy off-grid stay. And in the opposite direction, Belper (15 minutes’ drive) and then Ashbourne (20 minutes’ drive) are some more lively calls with eateries and the likes – or there's a bigger city break to Derby 35 minutes’ drive away in case that’s your next plan of action.

Campground type

Rent a tent 1
Tent sites 50
Open now
Opens 11 July
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).
  • Discount cards and gift vouchers cannot be applied to bookings made via Pitchup.com.
  • Please note that the toilet/shower facilities are unisex.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri, 11 July to

Site types & availability

Accommodation

Tent sitesCaravan sitesRV & Motorhome sitesLodges, cabins, pods or hutsCaravans for hireRent a tent
Choose your dates
2 adults
0 children

Reviews

9.5

Overall rating from 231 Pitchup.com customers

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Spectacular scenery

94% would recommend this campground to a friend

94% would stay here again

What customers say

Great campsite, loved the views, big sites & friendly staff. Toilets & showers are spotless, bar & food are a win. Super family-friendly, kids have heaps of room. Could do with more loos/showers when busy, and water pressure sometimes iffy. Still, many keen to come back!

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 24
Arrival date (latest first)

We had a really wonderful time at the Racecourse Retreat!

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 6
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 No rating
Anonymous

Unpowered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked Amazing setting, really well maintained, clean toilets, friendly staff.

Disliked Not enough toilets/showers for the size of the site (I did overhear them saying this would be changing in the coming years)

There were a few large groups on site which were noisy (rectified when they were spoken to by site owners)

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great site on edge of peak district.

Overall

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

Powered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked Lovely large site with stunning views. Very friendly and helpful family running it. Showers and toilets cleaned regularly throughout day and very good for pop up site.
Large dog exercise area also provided.
A real jem of a site.
Pleasant footpath walk down into Wirksworth itself.

Disliked Nothing.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Michelle
Thank you for your review.
We are really pleased you enjoyed your stay with us.
The dog exercise area is new for this year and it certainly seems to be a hit with out 4 legged visitors.
The walk down to Wirksworth is lovely isn't it, a stones throw from the site and lots of lovely little places to visit when you reach the bottom of the footpath.

Great campsite, clean, pretty and spacious

Overall

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

Unpowered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked Beautiful site with plenty of space. We were the last to arrive on a fully booked night and still got a lovely spot.
Love that there is a bar and food on selected nights. Super clean facilities and staff were lovely

Disliked They could do with a few more toilets, there was quite a large queue in the morning (but to note, we were there on a fully booked night)

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great stay. Lovely family site.

Overall

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

Unpowered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked Lovely setting and great little reception area to get checked in etc. lovely clean site.

Disliked Could do with a couple more toilets and possibly another shower. Water pressure was a bit iffy on the second day.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi thank you for your review.
Were glad you like our little reception area which is a new build for this season.
We are constantly developing our little site so hope to see you again

Would definitely be happy to go back here again!

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 1
Anonymous

Unpowered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked There was a bar with a marquee tent to sit in, and they serve food on Friday and Saturday nights. The toilets were lovely and modern and clean in a little wooden shack. Plenty of space, we went when it was fully booked and there was plenty of space for everyone to spread out. There was a lovely view and it helped we had good weather.

Disliked Wish there was more toilets, there was only 4 cubicles, so in the morning there was a queue.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi thank you for your review of our site.

Having plenty of space is something we have in abundance!
We are sorry you found a que in the mornings, we have 4 cubicles with toilets, 3 showers rooms with toilets and 4 men's urinals in a separate block around the back so hopefully the ques didn't last for long.

Having toilets around the site is certainly something we are hoping to have in the future and we are constantly developing.
Hope to see you back soon so you can see our progress.

Highly recommend,

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
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Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 7
Anonymous

Unpowered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked The whole set up, from the moment we arrived booked in by the owners, the bar area , the Caribbean food, local ciders,the toilets and showers all excellent, we will be back .

Disliked None

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi, thank you for your review.

We are really pleased you enjoyed your stay with us.
The local Derbyshire cider is certainly proving a hit this season!
No problem for the sugar.......sugar is definitely a MUST for a morning brew.

We look forwards to welcoming you back.

Lovely and uncomfortable site

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 7
Zubairullah Z.

Unpowered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked I would like to start by thanking the lovely lady at reception for the warm welcome and clear explanation about the site when we arrived — she was fantastic and made us feel right at home.

The Racecourse Retreat is simply amazing! We had a wonderful break here — the whole site is very clean, tidy, and beautifully maintained. The staff are all so friendly and helpful. The toilets and showers were spotless, and the kids absolutely loved the sand play area.

The views here are stunning, especially the sunsets and the moonlight — truly unforgettable. We stayed for 7 nights and every moment was perfect. My children enjoyed it so much they begged me to extend our stay, but unfortunately we couldn’t this time. I’ve promised them that next time we will stay for 2 weeks!

Thank you again to everyone who works so hard to make this place special. We will miss it until we return, and I will happily recommend The Racecourse Retreat to all my friends.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Location is amazing…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 7
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 3
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 5
Wifi
 5
Dennis F.

Powered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked Location is amazing

Disliked Toilets and showers, there are not enough for the amount of people. We queued a lot. The dirty mop buckets in the showers were a concern.

Recommend to friends Visit again

visited in a large group with lots of children had the best time

Overall

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

Powered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked Lovely site with great facilities, toilets and showers always clean !
Lovely friendly staff can’t do enough to help

Recommend to friends Visit again

A great site, lovely location, friendly on site bar with good food,…

Overall

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

Unpowered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked A great site, lovely location, friendly on site bar with good food, toilets and showers kept clean all weekend

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

Pop-up campground

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 site/unit 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

D. of E. 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

Budget/backpacker Peaceful Remote location Spectacular scenery Walkers' paradise

Utilities

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

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Convenience store nearby Dog walk nearby Public transport nearby

Type

Large (51-200 sites) Pop-up campground

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Climbing nearby Cycle hire nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Horse riding nearby Indoor pool nearby Mountain biking nearby Restaurant nearby Sailing nearby Watersports nearby

Location

The Racecourse Retreat

Hay Lane

Wirksworth

Derbyshire

England

DE4 4AF

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

53.07337°N
1.55707°W

Nearest transport

Coach
5.1 km Fishpond Hotel
5.1 km Fishpond Hotel
7.2 km Railway Station
Rail
3.7 km Whatstandwell Rail Station
4.4 km Cromford Rail Station
5.3 km Ambergate Rail Station
Airport
31.4 km East Midlands Airport
37.7 km Sheffield City 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

Where to wander first? A climb to the Black Rocks (five minutes’ drive) for views over the countryside? A little stroll around Bakewell (half an hour), over its medieval bridge, perhaps to pick up a Bakewell pudding for the riverbank? The mills and canal at Cromford Mills (10 minutes)? Or onto the Tissington Trail (20 minutes) for the Derbyshire Dales, a limestone ravine and stepping stones? In Matlock (10 minutes), you’ll have the choice of spas and shopping and further out, the Matlock Farm Park (25 minutes) for an afternoon of full-on animal activities such as horse riding. There’s a farmyard with animals at Chatsworth House (35 minutes) too, but this grand place is packed full with much more to do, from playgrounds to house tours and pretty picnics in the gardens. The same kind of vibe goes at Haddon Hall (35 minutes), a medieval hall and park with tours. After some water-based action too? Carsington Water (15 minutes) is your guy, thanks to its watersports centre running rowing, canoeing, windsurfing and kayaking. And on dry land, there's cycling, walking and fishing to get your senses tingling.

Must see

Arkwright's Cromford Mills 4.1 km

Sir Richard Arkwright's Masson Mills 4.4 km

Kedleston Hall 11.8 km

Haddon Hall 15.3 km

Chatsworth 16.7 km

National Trust

Winster Market House 9.4 km

Kedleston Hall 12.9 km

Hardwick Hall 19.6 km

Hardwick Estate: Stainsby Mill 19.6 km

The Old Manor 20.5 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

Alport Heights - Kirk Ireton Circular 1.4 km

Wirksworth - Bolehill - Middleton Top - Wirksworth 1.5 km

Cromford (Black Rocks) - Middleton Top - Kirk Ireton - Black Rocks 2.8 km

Lea Bridge - Whatstandwell - Alderwasley - Lea Bridge 3.6 km

Derwent Valley Mills Buffer Zone 4.2 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.

Nearest campgrounds

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable campgrounds.

Want to know more about camping in Derbyshire?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does The Racecourse Retreat have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is The Racecourse Retreat dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near The Racecourse Retreat? Where to wander first? A climb to the Black Rocks (five minutes’ drive) for views over the countryside? A little stroll around Bakewell (half an hour), over its medieval bridge, perhaps to … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of The Racecourse Retreat?
    Camping and caravan
    Arrive:  1 p.m. –  7 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    On-site accommodation
    Arrive:  1 p.m. –  7 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at The Racecourse Retreat? From $41.68 (for 1 night, 4 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.