Watergate Camping

View prices & book 9.6 104 reviews
Visitor image of the view of main camping area
Visitor image of the view of main camping area
Visitor image of the view
Visitor image of the sundown
This is an example photo of what we have available.
Visitor image of the great location
Visitor image of the campsite view
Riverside pitch
Riverside pitches
1/132
Visitor image of the view
Visitor image of the sundown
This is an example photo of what we have available.

  • Small family-run site by the West Looe river, three miles from Looe
  • Half an hour's drive from the Eden Project
  • Direct access to the river for fishing, paddling and canoeing
Paddling and campfires and wildlife watching… what a fab collection of outdoorsy antics can be had at Watergate Camping, a small family-run site three miles from the beach and harbour of Looe. Settle in at this peaceful place and you’ll be right on the banks of Cornwall’s West Looe river, with direct access for walks, paddling and pottering about in canoes or small boats. Keep your eyes open for movement at the water’s edge: kingfishers and herons love this place, and all sorts of small mammals and pretty moths frequent the site too. Bring your rods along too, for you can also fish in the river; if you’re successful, you’re welcome to light up a barbecue or campfire to cook your catch, collecting firewood in the woods or gathering by the communal firepit. For an easier way to snag eats, there are plenty of shops, cafés and pubs in Looe, which can be reached with a 10-minute drive or a 45-minute amble along the lovely riverside path. To preserve the peaceful vibes, facilities have been kept to a minimum, but the site has been kitted out with a smart modern toilet and shower block, and there’s a washing-up area to deal with the remnants of your alfresco feasts. If you're staying here, it's a good idea to bring a torch and some insect repellent with you.

Campground type

Tent sites 10
Rent a tent 2
Open now
Opens 1 May
Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • Single-sex bookings of 6 or more people (couples and immediate family members excepted) are not permitted via Pitchup.com.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Thu, 1 May to

No availability here for your search criteria

Site types & availability

Accommodation

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

Reviews

9.6

Overall rating from 104 Pitchup.com customers

  • 82%
    10
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    8
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Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 4
Peaceful

97% would recommend this campground to a friend

97% would stay here again

What customers say

A peaceful, pretty riverside campsite. Guests love the friendly owners, clean facilities (hot showers!), and prime river spots. Great for families with space for kids and kayaking. Easy woodland walk to Looe. Some mention basic facilities & bugs, but most can't wait to come back.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 11
Arrival date (latest first)

Great simple campsite

Overall

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

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Basic, relaxed, riverside camping. Fires

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Would definitely recommend

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 1
James M.

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Excellent place.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Will be going again. The nature retreat we needed. Amazing days out.

Overall

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

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked If you’re looking for a cosy hideaway next to the water, this is definitely the place. A spar was around 7 minutes drive, Looe around 10 and surrounding beaches 15. I highly recommend Polperro but take cash for the car park. My friend and I were in Kingfisher corner, better for couples or quieter folk as the main area had a lot of families which is great if you’re up for that. If you’re wanting quieter then I recommend going round the corner or hiring their teepees. Showers were amazing and don’t require change! There’s also a couple walks around the campsite and lots of public footpaths around! You’ll see lots of kingfishers.

Disliked Lots of mosquitoes so take bug spray and tiger balm! Might be worth taking a trolley if you want to be up out the way as you can’t drive up but we used their wheelbarrow!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Long weekend camping

Overall

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

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Absolute fantastic campsite in an idyllic location. We had pitch no 8 and the views up the river were amazing. Facilities were perfect. The walks to Looe through forest or along river are beautiful.
We had a total relaxing long weekend.

Disliked None

Recommend to friends Visit again

Brilliant little find near Looe!

Overall

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

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Helpful owners.
Clean site.
Peaceful.

Disliked (Not sites fault) Country roads haven’t been maintained, very narrow, some over grown.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Very quiet, small site out of…

Overall

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

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Very quiet, small site out of the way, but local to Looe and surrounding area. No wifi is a blessing and a curse.
Great to have the freedom of a small fire in the evening.

Disliked I need to be more organised to keep up with the tech world, bring a back up charger for items you need.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Another lovely stay at Watergate! Great…

Overall

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

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Another lovely stay at Watergate! Great to have access to the river directly from the campsite and the walk in to Looe is lovely too. The toilets and showers are very basic but always clean and tidy. It’s good that the freezer now specifically says for ice blocks only, so there’s plenty of space. Although I didn’t use one this time, it’s great that there are a small number of fire pits you can take to your pitch.

Disliked Not a dislike but a warning for others- there are a lot of flies, but that’s to be expected given its location on the river bank! I just kept my fly screens zipped at all times and didn’t have any problems, but this may put others off. Taking a fly swat is a good idea, and plenty of bug spray too. It didn’t affect my stay at all.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Very peaceful, quite and surrounding by…

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

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Very peaceful, quite and surrounding by nature. Beautiful scenery.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Perfect place for a quiet relaxing camp

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 8
Accommodation
 8
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 4
Annette P.

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Peaceful, beautiful riverside views

Recommend to friends Visit again

Everything. Quiet and secluded. Small. Beside…

Overall

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

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Everything. Quiet and secluded. Small. Beside a river teeming with wildlife. Simple, clean and more than adequate facilities. Lashings of hot water. Flat site, not crowded.

Disliked Nothing to dislike.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

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 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 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 Remote location Spectacular scenery Walkers' paradise Wild camping Wildlife haven

Utilities

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

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby Public transport nearby

Type

Tiny (1-10 sites)

Nearby leisure

Golf nearby Tennis nearby

Location

Watergate Camping

Lower Bracken

Watergate

West Looe

Looe

Cornwall

England

PL13 2NE

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

50.36687°N
4.48592°W

Nearest transport

Coach
9.9 km Post Office
9.9 km Lloyds TSB Bank
10.1 km Post Box
Rail
2.3 km Looe Rail Station
2.7 km Sandplace Rail Station
4.5 km Causeland Rail Station
Ferry
10.7 km Bodinnick Ferry Landing
10.9 km Fowey Custom House Quay Ferry Landing
11.1 km Fowey Town Quay Ferry Landing
Airport
38 km 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

If your on-site fishing has you angling for more action, take the 10-minute drive to Looe harbour for sea fishing trips – pollack, cod, mackerel and plaice are among the swimmers you may snag. Prefer to leave them in the sea? Clamber onto a glass-bottom boat for a trip around Looe Island, with a window into what’s going on below. Back on shore, the kids can go crabbing along the harbour walls or poke about in the rockpools at the beach – the sandy beach here is also fab for sandcastle building and safe swims in shallow waters. If you’re up for a seaside stroll, pick a suitable stretch of the South West Coast Path, which runs through Looe. Beasts big and small can be seen on visits to the Porfell Wildlife Park & Sanctuary (15 minutes’ drive), the Wild Futures monkey sanctuary (20 minutes) and the Fowey Aquarium (40 minutes), where there’s a focus on local and native species. To take a look at nature from all around the globe, it’ll take you just over half an hour to drive to the famed domes of the Eden Project.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
East Looe 2.9 km Estuary N/AGoodN/AN/A
Millendreath 3.6 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Seaton (Cornwall) 7.1 km Sea N/AGoodGoodGood
Downderry 8.2 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Readymoney Cove 12 km Estuary N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Eden Project 19.8 km

Lost Gardens of Heligan 24.9 km

National Marine Aquarium 25.2 km

Cornwall's Crealy Great Adventure Park 34.3 km

Dartmoor Zoological Park 35.3 km

National Trust

Cotehele 23.2 km

Cotehele Mill 23.2 km

Buckland Abbey 28.1 km

Saltram 28.7 km

Salcombe: Thurlestone to Torcross 28.7 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

Looe - Woods and River 1.9 km

Looe River and Woods 2 km

Talland Bay - Polperro 3.3 km

Looe - Polperro 3.4 km

Polperro Coast 4.6 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 Watergate Camping have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Watergate Camping dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Watergate Camping? If your on-site fishing has you angling for more action, take the 10-minute drive to Looe harbour for sea fishing trips – pollack, cod, mackerel and plaice are among the swimmers you … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Watergate Camping?
    Camping and caravan
    Arrive:  2:30 p.m. –  8 p.m.
    Depart by:  10 a.m.
    On-site accommodation
    Arrive:  2 p.m. –  8 p.m.
    Depart by:  10 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Watergate Camping? From $62.31 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.