The Racecourse Retreat

No availability at present on Pitchup.com 9.3 286 reviews
Pitches (added by manager 23 Aug 2022)
View of the site
Views over derbyshire
Tent pitch

  • 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.

Site type

Tent sites 120
Opens
Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • The park does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Breed-specific legislation (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.
  • Guests are advised to bring a good quality flashlight with them as parts of the park are unlit.
  • Please note that the toilet/shower facilities are unisex.
  • If reception is closed on arrival: please contact the number provided on your booking confirmation.
  • Fires, barbecues and/or firepits will not be permitted in dry, windy and/or hot weather conditions.

Languages spoken

English

Pitch types & availability

No availability at present on Pitchup.com

Choose your dates and we'll email when available.

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Reviews

93%

would recommend this site to a friend

92%

would stay here again

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Only showing reviews for the last 30 months.

Excellent campsite with friendly people.!

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Ruth H. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked: Excellent communication and very well organised and friendly on arrival. Well signposted on the approach roads. Spacious pitch and lots of room available, even though it was on the August Bank Holiday. Toilets were clean, with hot water at wash basins with good lighting. Didn't try the showers but they looked popular. There was a food van and entertainment on but we didn't partake and therefore can't comment, but great to have the options. Views were exceptional, when no clouds. No WiFi, but very good 4G for those that might want/need it.

Disliked: The approach roads were very narrow with limited passing places, especially from the south side. Definitely would be stressful with a larger vehicle and/or towing a caravan. There were often queues at the washing up stations and at the limited number of toilets and on our second day some had ran out of toilet paper.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent site, would definitely recommend.

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Steven S. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked: Great site, loads of tents but still plenty of room to not be too close to other campers. Loads of room for ball games, football ect. too. Great reception area and friendly staff. Bar and food area with benches both inside and out. Toilets and showers very clean despite a lot of use. The views are fantastic from the pitch up area. Fire pits available with bricks to raise them off the ground. Only booked 1 night for me and my son but will definitely book a couple more next summer 👍🏼

Disliked: Nothing.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great site!

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 2
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked: The staff are so lovely and helpful, they also went out of their way to make everyone’s stay amazing. The toilets and showers are nice and kept clean.

Disliked: Could do with a few more toilets but we were there over a busy bank holiday weekend.

Recommend to friends Visit again

The site could have real potential as the views are stunning.

Overall 8/10
Location 8
Value for money 8
Accommodation 4
Facilities / Activities 6
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 8
Cleanliness 8
Wifi No rating
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Powered grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked: I liked the location of the site it made visiting local sights assessable. It is a spacious site and the owners make you feel welcome. they provide entertainment such as move night for kids and adults. They provided a live band in one of the barns on site. Cleaning facilities are ok but very basic. A good toilet and shower block but again very basic. I believe the camp site is a new site possibly 3 years old?

Disliked: The wind was terrible due to the nature of how high we were and how exposed the site is. The road accessing the site can be a single track road in areas and can be tricky. The electric hock up Kept tripping out but was never off for long.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely site with great views and staff, needs more toilets & showers

Overall 8/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 6
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Luke P. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked: Staff, the amount of space, the shed with bar and music, the incredible view.

Disliked: The amount of toilets and showers. The ones they have are lovely, but the need double the amount - a toilet and shower block for each field is desperately needed.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great site beautiful views, friendly staff

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 10
Donna J. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Powered grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked: The views, friendly staff, good facilities around nice site

Recommend to friends Visit again

It’s a beautiful campsite. Lovely views. Very kid friendly. The pitches are…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Powered grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked: It’s a beautiful campsite. Lovely views. Very kid friendly. The pitches are really well set up and level, even though we’re high up on the hill. The staff are super friendly and helpful. It felt like a lovely safe place to let my child play with his friends. The entertainment on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon was thoroughly enjoyed by myself and the kids. 😁🥰

Disliked: Slightly difficult to find. Could do with your own brown sign indicating your campsite is there. Not a bad issue managed to find the campsite 🏕️

Recommend to friends Visit again

Spacious pitches allowed for ‘family group camping’, lovely owners working really hard…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 8
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 6
Alison E. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked: Spacious pitches allowed for ‘family group camping’, lovely owners working really hard to give us a lovely stay despite having been up at 4am on the Friday morning as the storm trashed the marquee and holiday bar area. They organised all the entertainments to the barn and were really involved and friendly. A lovely family run site in gorgeous countryside. (We have already booked for next year)

Disliked: Tail end of the storm and very windy but that was not the owners fault. Site is a little exposed though and be warned it is a bit of a climb up the road to the fields if you are ‘less fit’ (I made it down and back to the food vans and entertainment several times though 😉)

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great location with stunning views…

Overall 6/10
Location 10
Value for money 6
Accommodation 8
Facilities / Activities 2
Customer service 8
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 2
Wifi 8
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked: Great location with stunning views

Disliked: The facilities did not meet the need of the amount of people using them. Last 24 hrs of our stay had no toilet roll or hand towels nor were the facilities cleaned in the same time frame. Sadly it was so busy which is to be expected for bank holiday the showers and toilets didnt match the number of guests, had to queue almost every time we used them and showers had no pressure and just dribbled at you. Such a shame as hosts were lovely considering the terrible weather, hope they invest in more facilities or limit the number of guests

Recommend to friends Visit again

Loved it!

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation No rating
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Linda S. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked: Staff lovely. Toilets clean. Fantastic views! Grass well kept n cut. Pitch where you want. Allowed campfires. Would definatly return! Good 2 mile walk to town. Had a drink in pub before we braved it back up the hill. Drinks were reasonable. Take away is brilliant and delivered to the site! Food good and hot! Bar on site, food vans and there was a quiz nite in but we missed it as we was running late.

Disliked: Weather was raining but that's not sites fault.

Recommend to friends Visit again


Features

Leisure on park

Bar or club house Cycle hire Evening entertainment Fishing Fitness centre Indoor swimming pool Kids' club On-site restaurant/cafe Outdoor swimming pool Playground Recreation room/arcade TV room Takeout Tennis Watersports

Amenities on park

Bath available Car parking by site/unit Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Free wifi Grocery store Ice pack freezing Internet access Laundromat Parent & baby washroom Payphone Pick-up from public transport Portable toilet Pub toilets Restrooms Shower available Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

Family friendly Motorcycle friendly Rallies welcome Scouts welcome Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

Barbecue grills allowed Barbecue provided Campfires allowed Commercial vehicles allowed Dogs allowed Dogs allowed all year

Themes

Budget/backpacker Hikers’ paradise Peaceful Remote location Spectacular scenery

Utilities

Charging facilities Communal fridge Dump station Electric car charging point(s) Propane/gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Convenience store nearby Dog walk nearby Public transportation nearby

Type

Large (51-200 sites) Pop-up campground

Accessibility

Disabled facilities

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Climbing nearby Cycle hire nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Horseback 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 sites

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable sites.

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?
    RV, travel trailer and tent sites
    Arrive:  2 p.m. –  7 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    On-park accommodation
    Arrive:  Anytime –  Anytime
    Depart by:  Anytime
    Read more