Dads Cave Camping

View prices & book 9.7 10 reviews
Well-tended camping field
New
Sunset over the site
Rural views
One of the llamas next to the camping field

  • Sustainable, off-grid pop-up site in quiet Leicestershire countryside
  • Direct access to Tropical Birdland and Mallory Park 10 minutes’ drive
  • Well-kept grass pitches; a café next door and a pub 10 minutes’ walk
A peaceful spot for soaking up the Leicestershire countryside, Dads Cave Camping sits on the edge of Desford village, right next door to Tropical Birdland and 25 minutes by car from Leicester. It has just a small number of spacious pitches in a field with calming rural views; you’ll have plenty of room to unwind, listen to the wildlife and simply enjoy being away from everyday cares. This back-to-basics pop-up is all about keeping things simple but comfortable for family stays. There are a couple of basic toilets, a washing-up sink and access to clean, fresh water for drinking and cooking. If you don’t fancy alfresco cuisine, there’s a quality café a few steps away from the field and a cosy pub within 10 minutes’ walk. Dads Cave Camping is surrounded by valleys and woodland crossed with walking routes. Dogs are welcome to share your camping adventure (and walkies), but to keep wildlife, livestock and other campers happy, always keep them on leads while on the pitches – and pick up after them too. The site has a strict leave-no-trace policy, so please respect the environment by minimising waste, sticking to designated paths, leaving natural features untouched and keeping noise levels low. You’re welcome to have a campfire, but raised off the ground so the grass doesn’t burn. When you leave, your pitch should look exactly as it did when you arrived: pristine and untouched.

Site type

Tent sites 6
RV sites 7
Open now
Opens July 28
Please note
  • This park has no on-site shower facilities.
  • 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).
  • No bachelor/bachelorette parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • At least one of the party members must be aged 21 or over.
  • Please note that the toilet facilities are unisex.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Tue, Jul 28 to

No availability here for your search criteria

Reviews

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    10
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    9
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Location
10
Value for money
9
Accommodation
No rating
Facilities / Activities
8
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
1

100% would recommend this site to a friend

100% would stay here again

What customers say

Dads Cave Camping offers a tranquil, back-to-basics escape. Guests rave about its spacious, tidy sites, proximity to Tropical Birdland and Desford village (with a pub & shop), and the owner's welcoming nature. Basic but clean facilities suit self-sufficient campers. Perfect for short getaways or longer, peaceful stays.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews. Last updated 2026-07-28

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Reviews page 1 of 1
Arrival date (latest first)

Peaceful location with good sized pitch’s…

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent or RV campsite

Liked Peaceful location with good sized pitch’s they have ample space between them. There were lovely walks and a pub a short walk away.
There was good communication and easy check in. As you arrive and drive through the gate you are welcomed by alpacas and donkeys. If you fancy a visit tropical birdland is on the doorstep.
The owner has planted many trees and in time this place will be a gem.

Disliked Not so much a dislike but there was only one toilet for the camp site.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Perfect for a one night stop…

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent or RV campsite

Liked Perfect for a one night stop over or longer for some peace and quiet with nice large pitches. Tropical birdland right next door. We will definitely be back

Disliked Nothing to dislike for us

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Glad you enjoyed it Paul, your welcome back anytime.

Great site if you have a…

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent or RV campsite

Liked Great site if you have a self contained van. 10min walk to the pub.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Morning Phyl. i will take your feed back onboard and look into making the pitch sizes a bit bigger. thanks again for choosing Dads Cave Camping.come again soon.

We are actually very local to…

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent or RV campsite

Liked We are actually very local to Dads Cave Camping, but we decided to book a stay so I could get a few jobs done on my van. It turned out to be the perfect little escape! My SEN son absolutely thrives when we go off-grid, and he loved the peaceful environment here. The biggest compliment I can give the site is that he has specifically asked to come back, telling me, 'this is the life!' The owner was also incredibly welcoming, making a point to come over, introduce himself, and have a friendly chat. A fantastic, back-to-basics spot we will definitely be returning!

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Morning Richard hope you got done what you needed to to the van lol. so glad you enjoyed your stay, you and your son are welcome back anytime.

Very basic but excellent location and well worth a visit

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
6
Facilities / Activities
4
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
1

Primitive grass tent or RV campsite

Liked The owner popped in to say hi and check everything ok. He was lovely so that is a big positive.
We were here for tropical bird land and this is right next door. You would think this would make it noisy but the trees cut this out.
Also village of Desford is gorgeous and in walking distance where there is a pub and a shop, also a nice heritage trail to follow.
Loads of trees have been planted so the site will look even better in a few years with lots of privacy.
This is a very small site, we were midweek so were fortunate to have it to ourselves, apart from the alpacas and donkeys of course.

Disliked No hot water and portaloo toilet but knew this before we came so didn't really affect us.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Good Morning Kerry thank you for your feed back, glad you enjoyed your stay. the Hot water is something we are looking into for the future. thanks again hope you come back soon.

Great little spot if you want…

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
Kyle D. 1 review

Primitive grass tent or RV campsite

Liked Great little spot if you want to come for a solo camp or a trip with the family, plenty of pitch space and enough room to set up small games..badminton/football etc

Customer service was fantastic, we had zero problems during our stay, we had to bring a second car and the owner was more than willing to accommodate our needs

Facilities were very clean and tidy and although basic, provided us with all the things we would need, fresh water, a place to wash up and most importantly, a toilet

With the camp being within the grounds of tropical birdland there’s plenty for kids to see and do and you’re only a 5 minute walk back to your pitch, you also have the benefit of a secure coded gate once birdland closes for the night, you’re free to come and go as you please so long as you ensure the gates are shut behind you

All in all we had a brilliant stay, will definitely be coming back for a solo camp in the near future and in my opinion, is great value for money in terms of location and pitch size

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Kyle your welcome back @ dads cave Camping anytime. thanks for the great review.

Easy to check in nice and…

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

Primitive grass tent or RV campsite

Liked Easy to check in nice and local but could be anywhere. Also nice to have to donkeys and alpacas on site and Birdland right next door for a nice activity in the morning. Thankyou for having us

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Edwina thank you so much for your great comments, lovely to meet you. hope to see you again soon

Highly recommend.

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent or RV campsite

Liked Fabulous site in the Leicestershire countryside.

Outstanding communication from the owner throughout my stay.

Short walk to the lovely village of Desford.

Peaceful setting.

Disliked Nothing at all.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thanks for your feedback, you're always welcome back

Spacious pitches. A peaceful back to…

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent or RV campsite

Liked Spacious pitches. A peaceful back to basics campsite with clean portable toilet, pot washing sink and water. There is a chemical waste point if needed. Good location on the edge of a village ( which has a Co-Op) and easy to get into Leicester. Tropical Birdland next to the site has a tearoom although we didn't have a chance to use it. Friendly and helpful owner. Good instructions for arrival.

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Jane, thank you so much for this fantastic 10/10 rating! We are thrilled you enjoyed Dads Cave Camping ,It was a pleasure hosting you, and we’d love to welcome you back again in the future!"

Perfect little campsite for that stripped…

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
No rating
Jack T. 1 review

Primitive grass tent or RV campsite

Liked Perfect little campsite for that stripped back feel, limited amenities but enough to keep you covered if your mostly self sufficient, really well kept pitches too, will definately be back in the future!

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: "Hi Jack, thank you for taking the time to leave us a perfect score! We’re so glad to hear you had a great time staying with us. We hope to see you again for another wonderful trip!"


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 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 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

Wild camping

Utilities

Charging facilities Dump station Electric car charging point(s) No hot water Propane/gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby

Type

Pop-up campground Small (11-25 sites)

Accessibility

Accessible parking at site

Nearby leisure

Golf nearby Restaurant nearby

Location

Dads Cave Camping

Lindridge Lane

Desford

Leicester

Leicestershire

England

LE99GN

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

52.63109°N
1.29674°W

Nearest transport

Coach
9.1 km Sturgess Showroom
9.2 km Rowley Fields Avenue
11 km St Margaret's Bus Station
Rail
9.2 km Narborough Rail Station
11.6 km Leicester Rail Station
11.8 km Hinckley Rail Station
Airport
21.9 km East Midlands Airport
31.7 km Coventry Airport
35.5 km Birmingham International Airport Terminal 1

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

All the family will surely love communing with the cheeky parrots and exotic flamingoes at Tropical Birdland (direct access); there are also colourful tropical birds in walk-through aviaries. Another great family day out can be had at Twycross Zoo (25 minutes’ drive), with hundreds of animals and conservation-focused exhibits. You can combine a family hike with a history lesson on Desford Heritage Trail (five minutes’ walk) through local villages, and learn all about 1485’s Battle of Bosworth Field at Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre (15 minutes’ drive) on guided tours of the battle site. Thornton Reservoir (five minutes) in the National Forest lends itself to gentle lakeside strolls, wildlife spotting and fly fishing for trout at the fishery. There’s also a golf course – and crazy golf for younger visitors – about five minutes away by car, and if you fancy more high-octane days out, Mallory Park (10 minutes) hosts motor racing and track events.

Must see

Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre 8.3 km

National Space Centre 11.3 km

Twycross Zoo 16 km

National Forest 20.3 km

Calke Abbey 20.8 km

National Trust

Staunton Harold Church 18.4 km

Calke Abbey 22.6 km

Letocetum Roman Baths and Museum 38 km

Kedleston Hall 39.8 km

Baddesley Clinton 42.1 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

Bagworth Heath Woods 3.4 km

Bagworth Centenary Wood and Royal Tigers Wood 3.4 km

Thornton Reservoir 3.5 km

Ratby Burroughs 3.8 km

Barlestone - Newbold Verdon - Cadeby 5.4 km

Local events

  • Bloodstock Open Air (Thursday, August 6, 2026 – Thursday, August 6, 2026)

    Swadlincote, England 29.3 km

  • Moseley Folk Festival (Friday, September 4, 2026 – Friday, September 4, 2026)

    Birmingham, England 44.9 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 Leicestershire?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Dads Cave Camping have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Dads Cave Camping dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Dads Cave Camping? All the family will surely love communing with the cheeky parrots and exotic flamingoes at Tropical Birdland (direct access); there are also colourful tropical birds in walk-through aviaries. Another great family day … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Dads Cave Camping?
    RV, travel trailer and tent sites
    Arrive:  noon –  Anytime
    Depart by:  10 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Dads Cave Camping? From $47.13 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.