Efford Down Campsite

View prices & book 8.8 164 reviews
Visitor image of the site
Visitor image of the sunset over the site
Bell tent exterior
Both of the bell tents

  • Pick your own pitches at this back to basics camping field in Cornwall
  • A five-minute walk from Bude and the South West Coast Path
  • Spacious hillside pitches; barbecues and dogs permitted
No frills but in a splendid hillside setting on the north Cornwall coast… pitches at Efford Down Campsite are in a sloping farm field that's great for family breaks. Located five minutes' walk from Bude and its independent shops, cafés and pubs, it's also within easy strolling distance of supermarkets for picking up self-catering supplies. There’s plenty to do outdoors too: a five-minute walk will see you surfing off Summerleaze beach, or you can potter down to Bude Sea Pool for a swim in less than 10 minutes. There’s also direct access to the South West Coast Path from the campsite, for action-packed days hiking headlands, or gentler ambles along Bude Canal and around the fishing harbour. But that’s not all – there are canoe and mountain bike rentals, pony trekking and golf courses all within a few minutes' drive, and you can try your hand at coasteering, sea kayaking and surf kayaking from local activity centres too. There are no designated pitches here, so you'll be able to choose your own camping spot from what’s available when you arrive in the gently sloping field. Simple facilities at the site include running water, toilets, showers and plenty of space to park cars by your pitch.

Campground type

Tent sites 21
Rent a tent 2
RV & Motorhome sites 21
Open now
Opens 1 May
Please note

Occupancy

  • Bookings must not consist of more than 4 different households.
  • Group bookings of 4 or more units travelling together are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • Group bookings of 6 or more adults are not permitted (couples and immediate family members excepted).
  • No hen/stag parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • Single-sex bookings of 4 or more people (couples and immediate family members excepted) are not permitted via Pitchup.com.

Safety

  • If making a fire, the fuel, logs and coal have to be purchased on site.

Admission

  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • Toilet rolls are not provided, please bring your own. Please note: your booking confirmation email should be printed and displayed on the driver's side of your vehicle's dashboard.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri, 1 May to

No availability here for your search criteria

Site types & availability

Reviews

  • 51%
    10
  • 14%
    9
  • 17%
    8
  • 7%
    7
  • 5%
    6
  • 2%
    5
  • 0%
    4
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    3
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    2
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    1
Location
10
Value for money
9
Accommodation
9
Facilities / Activities
8
Customer service
8
Child friendliness
9
Cleanliness
9
Wifi
5

93% would recommend this campground to a friend

92% would stay here again

What customers say

Great spot near Bude town and beaches, with awesome views. Facilities are decent but showers can be a bit temperamental with temp/pressure when busy. Sites are sloped, so bring levellers. Chill vibe and ripper staff are big pluses.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews. Last updated 11/08/2026

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Reviews page 1 of 17
Arrival date (latest first)

Fab place to stay in Bude, will be back!

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

Unpowered grass campervan, tent or trailer tent site

Liked Excellent low-key site in perfect location, so close to beach yet felt like we were in the middle of nowhere!

Disliked Shower head wouldn't stay in higher position.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Good site close to the town

Overall

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

Unpowered grass campervan, tent or trailer tent site

Liked Nice big pitches just choose your place. Great location near the town.

Disliked I thought £5 per night for my tiny jack Russell dog that barely got out of the van was extremely over priced. Just 2 mens toilets for the amount of guests was a little short of requirements.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Well, thank’ee kindly for the review! 😂

Lovely to hear you enjoyed the big pitches and the location — can’t argue with that one. You can certainly pick your own spot, although I do sometimes wonder why Roderick keeps putting his tent up in the caravan!

Now then… the £5-a-night for the tiny Jack Russell. I’m afraid you’ve caught us out here. We do charge for dogs, yes — but I’ll be having a serious word with the pricing department about whether a Jack Russell that “barely got out of the van” should be paying the same as a Great Dane doing laps of the site! 🐕 Mind you, knowing Jack Russells, yours was probably running the campsite from inside the van anyway!

As for the two gents' toilets… well, they are perfectly capable of handling the numbers, provided everyone remembers they’re not auditioning for the Cornish Olympic Long-Distance Toilet Experience. We ave the alfresco loos as well you know....

We’re a fairly basic campsite, but we do our best to keep things clean and functional. We’re always looking at ways to improve the facilities as the site grows.

Anyway, glad you enjoyed the pitch and location — and please tell the little fella Rodderick says he owes him a fiver! 😂

All the best,

Farmer Rob

Would definitely recommend and would return!

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

Unpowered grass campervan, tent or trailer tent site

Liked Simple but perfect. Quiet and away from the road.

Recommend to friends Visit again

First and last visit for me at that price.

Overall

5 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
5
Facilities / Activities
5
Customer service
1
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
5
Wifi
1
Glenn E. 1 review

Powered grass campervan, tent or trailer tent site

Liked Closest to town centre you can find, literally 2 minutes walk.

Disliked All the site is on a very steep slope. Paid £40 per night (expensive for no waste water tip, no elsan point and no hot water in the showers for the 2 days we were there.)

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Well, thank’ee kindly for the review! 😄

Can’t argue with the location — 2 minutes from the town centre is pretty handy, especially when you’ve got a thirst on and the legs are weary!

As for the hill… well, I’m afraid that’s one thing even old Rodderick can’t flatten! We are indeed a Cornish campsite, and unfortunately Cornwall didn’t get the memo about making the land nice and level. 😂

On the facilities, we’re sorry the showers weren’t up to scratch during your stay. The hot water issue certainly isn’t what we aim for, and we’ll keep working on the facilities as we continue to improve the site. Tis better to let us know while'ee is there rather than 2 weeks later on the ole flaptop!

As for the £40 a night — we appreciate that’s not small change. We do try to offer a simple, peaceful camping experience right on the edge of town, but we understand that everyone has different expectations of what should be included.

Still, hopefully the short stroll into town softened the blow of the hill… and if nothing else, you’ll have gone home with calves like a Cornish ram! 🐏😂

All the best,

Rodders x

Ok but don't expect much care if anything goes wrong.

Overall

6 out of 10
Location
9
Value for money
6
Facilities / Activities
4
Customer service
1
Child friendliness
5
Cleanliness
6
Wifi
6
Anonymous

Unpowered grass campervan, tent or trailer tent site

Liked Great location. Clean and basic but nice

Disliked Freezing cold showers for whole three days with no explanation, apology or explanation from the keeper. Didn't come round once to check if everything was ok or if we had any issues. Pretty poor effort.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Well, thank’ee for the review! 😄

Glad the location suited’ee and that you found the place clean, simple and pleasant. That’s pretty much what we’re aiming for here — no fancy frills, just a good old-fashioned campsite in a cracking spot.

Now, the showers… freezing cold for three days certainly isn’t ideal! That said, if the hot water’s playing silly beggars, the best thing is to give us a shout while you’re here. We can’t fix what we don’t know about, and there’s nowt worse than finding out about a problem after everyone’s packed up and gone home!

As for Rodderick not coming round for a chinwag… well, I’ll hold me hands up to that one! We do try to give folk a bit of peace and quiet rather than constantly wandering round asking if they’re enjoying themselves. But if there’s a problem, come and find us — we’re not hiding in the hedge! 😂

Hopefully next time the showers will be more Cornish spa and less Arctic survival challenge! 🥶😂

All the best,
xx

Location…

Overall

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

Unpowered grass campervan, tent or trailer tent site

Liked Location

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely site with toilets and showers.…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
8
Facilities / Activities
9
Customer service
8
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
8
Wifi
7

Unpowered grass campervan, tent or trailer tent site

Liked Lovely site with toilets and showers. Close to the town and surrounding area. Nice and quiet site.

Disliked No hot water this time but normally fine.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great little basic site within the centre of Bude

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
8
Facilities / Activities
7
Customer service
9
Child friendliness
9
Cleanliness
9
Wifi
No rating

Unpowered grass campervan, tent or trailer tent site

Liked Location within central Bude, quiet site, clean site, friendly owner.

Disliked You had to time when you wanted a shower to ensure hot water. Once we established quieter periods we had no problem.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Surprising peaceful and budget site so close to the town centre

Overall

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

Powered grass campervan, tent or trailer tent site

Liked Ease of setting up a pitch, closeness to the town centre but really peaceful, very family orientated and respectful of nature & neighbours

Recommend to friends Visit again

Location was great, right in the…

Overall

6 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
5
Facilities / Activities
5
Customer service
5
Child friendliness
6
Cleanliness
6
Wifi
6
Anonymous

Unpowered grass campervan, tent or trailer tent site

Liked Location was great, right in the centre and walking distance to the beach. You don't need a car and easy to get a bus to other local places like Boscastle / Tintagel.

Disliked Quite crowded, we had very close neighbours who played constant music that was louder than it needed to be which did ruin our stay unfortunately. They did turn it off about 10.15/10.30pm but the quiet after 9pm rule wasnt really adherred to. I appreciate we were probably just unlucky and/ or others may not have minded the loud music but with young children it was quite annoying.

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

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 Walkers' paradise Wild camping

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 Nearby farmers' market Public transport nearby

Type

Farm Small (11-25 sites)

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 Mountain biking nearby Outdoor pool nearby Restaurant nearby Surf school nearby Tennis nearby Watersports nearby

Location

Efford Down Campsite

Vicarage Road

Bude

Cornwall

England

EX23 8LJ

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

50.82588°N
4.54941°W

Route directions

As you travel from Bude towards Widemouth Bay, you will pass the Brendon Pub on your right-hand side. Immediately after the row of houses that are to the left of the Bendon Pub, there is a secret entrance lane. While driving down the leafy entrance lane, please drive very carefully and slowly. Please do not drive through the stone pillar driveway next to the property.

Nearest transport

Coach
0.5 km The Strand
32.2 km Nelson Road
32.4 km Bideford Quay
Rail
40.4 km Okehampton Rail Station
41.6 km Gunnislake Rail Station
42.5 km Coombe Junction Halt (Rail Station)
Ferry
32.4 km Bideford Ferry Landing
35.8 km Appledore Ferry Landing
36 km Instow 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

Around Bude, there are plenty of things to keep you busy. This pleasant resort has half a dozen different beaches to explore, with sandy spots, secluded coves, rockpools and the saltwater Bude Sea Pool to try out. Just out of town, you can escape the hustle and bustle at Widemouth Bay (five minutes' drive), or for a peaceful few hours of sport you could make a day of it at Bude and North Cornwall Golf Club (five minutes), where visitors are welcome. The South West Coast Path (five minutes' walk from base) has ample hiking opportunities for serious walkers (and less serious ones who fancy a shorter jaunt to some of north Cornwall's less accessible beaches). Good public transport services run along much of the route, making it possible to loop back to base in Bude by bus rather than walking the long way home. For families, this part of Cornwall has Tintagel Castle (35 minutes) with its connections to King Arthur; the village of Tintagel also has caves and a toy museum to keep the kids occupied. Alternatively, take them for a go on the rides, slides and flumes at Camel Creek Family Theme Park (50 minutes).

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Summerleaze 0.6 km Sea N/AExcellentGoodGood
Crooklets 1.1 km Sea N/AExcellentGoodGood
Northcott Mouth 2.5 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentN/A
Widemouth Sand 3.7 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Sandymouth 3.9 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Tintagel Castle 23 km

RHS Garden Rosemoor 31.7 km

Rock Beach 40.6 km

Cornwall's Crealy Great Adventure Park 46 km

National Trust

Tintagel Old Post Office 23.1 km

Lawrence House 24.7 km

Lydford Gorge 37.1 km

Lundy 38.4 km

Cotehele 43.4 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

Bude - Canal and Nature Reserve 0.2 km

Bude - Canal and Coast 0.2 km

Bude to Sandymouth 0.7 km

Poughill - Bude - Northcott Mouth 2.4 km

Battle of Stratton, 1643 2.4 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 Cornwall?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Efford Down Campsite have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Efford Down Campsite dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Efford Down Campsite? Around Bude, there are plenty of things to keep you busy. This pleasant resort has half a dozen different beaches to explore, with sandy spots, secluded coves, rockpools and the saltwater Bude … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Efford Down Campsite?
    Camping and caravan
    Arrive:  2 p.m. –  9 p.m.
    Depart by:  noon
    On-site accommodation
    Arrive:  4 p.m. –  9 p.m.
    Depart by:  noon
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Efford Down Campsite? From $51.47 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.