Ilex Farm Camping

View prices & book 9.2 64 reviews
Tent pitch
Tent pitch
Motorhome pitches
Spacious pitches
Grass pitches
Grassy pitches
Quiet site
Driveway
Plenty of space
1/54
Motorhome pitches
Spacious pitches
Grass pitches

  • Peaceful Derbyshire site a mile and a half from Clay Cross
  • Peak District National Park 15 minutes' drive; 25 mins to Chatsworth
  • Spacious dog-friendly pitches with lovely views; pub under a mile away
Prefer peace, space and scenery over lively places with loads of facilities? You'll be among like-minded folk when you stay at Ilex Farm Camping – not that many of them though, because this Derbyshire site always keeps guest numbers on the lower side to ensure everyone has a nice restful break with plenty of space to relax. These simple but spacious tree-lined grass pitches are spread across three level terraces, giving all of them privacy, shade and great views across the valley. There are plenty of easy and interesting walks to follow from the farm (with your dog by your side if you like), along with some longer cycling routes. Handily, the nearest pub is just under a mile away for a good meal or a refreshing pint at the end of your walk or ride. If you fancy more walks or bike rides, it's useful to know that the Peak District National Park is about 15 minutes' drive away. Golf, swimming, tennis and sailing are all nearby too for a change of activity, and you'll be well placed for outings to attractions like Chatsworth House, Hardwick Hall and the Heights of Abraham. The site is close to a bus route with services to Chesterfield and Matlock, also passing through nearby Clay Cross (five minutes' drive), which has a decent selection of pubs, cafés, takeaways and supermarkets. Simple facilities on site include ice pack freezing, toilets, showers and a chemical disposal point.

Site type

Tent sites 9
Motorhome sites 3
Open now
Opens 1 May
Please note

Pitches

  • A cable measuring at least 25 metres is needed for the electric hook-ups.

Vehicles

  • Commercial vehicles (vehicles used for work-related purposes, carrying goods or fare-paying passengers) and sign-written vehicles are not permitted on site.

Safety

  • Fires, barbecues and/or firepits will not be permitted in dry, windy and/or hot weather conditions.

Occupancy

  • Group bookings of 4 or more adults are not permitted (couples and immediate family members excepted).
  • Group bookings of 4 or more units travelling together are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • 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.

General

  • Please note that the toilet/shower facilities are unisex.
  • There are no bins onsite: all rubbish will need to be taken home with you.

Dogs

  • 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).

Admission

  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri, 1 May to

No availability here for your search criteria

Pitch types & availability

Accommodation

Tent sitesCaravan sitesMotorhome sitesLodges, cabins, pods or hutsCaravans for hireRent a tent
Choose your dates
2 adults
0 children
0 dogs

Reviews

9.2

Overall rating from 64 Pitchup.com customers

  • 59%
    10
  • 20%
    9
  • 15%
    8
  • 0%
    7
  • 0%
    6
  • 1%
    5
  • 3%
    4
  • 0%
    3
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    2
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    1
Location
 9
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 9
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 5
Peaceful

94% would recommend this site to a friend

92% would stay here again

What customers say

A lovely, peaceful rural spot with friendly owners. Pitches are private and spacious, boasting great views and walks. Horses are a hit! Some minor early teething issues have been ironed out.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews. Last updated 18/08/2026

Filter by topic

Reviews page 1 of 7
Arrival date (latest first)

Friendly, welcoming, showed us to our pitch quickly.

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
 Melissa B. 5 reviews

Power optional grass motorhome site

Liked Great campsite, lovely showers and toilet set up. We were able to empty motorhome of waste and fill up with water.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Friendly owner but not a peaceful site as claimed

Overall

4 out of 10
Location
 6
Value for money
 7
Facilities / Activities
 3
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 7
Wifi
 No rating
Anonymous

Power optional grass tent site

Liked Toilets were clean, friendly owners.

Disliked The noise, as it was at a working stables we were woken up at 6am both mornings with loud continuous bangs. The pitches are so close together so no privacy. No fridge/ freezer to refreeze ice blocks. Had to use a code to get into each toilet which is weird. Bins over flowing. It seemed like campsite is secondary and just an add on to make money.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Would stay again. Beautiful pitch surrounded by trees

Overall

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

Power optional grass motorhome site

Liked Fantastic host, friendly and kind, greeted us and personally showed us to our pitch.
Beautiful small, rural site surrounded by trees and lovely views.
Clean toilets and showers

Disliked Unfortunately it there were several other pitches being quite noisy late into the night. Nothing wrong or do to with the site/ owners but could maybe introduce a quiet period.
Not a dislike or problem for us but to be noted the site is based on a farm with lots of horses so expect noise from them during the night/ early hours.

Recommend to friends Visit again

The rural location was lovely and…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 7
Value for money
 9
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 No rating
Child friendliness
 4
Cleanliness
 No rating
Wifi
 No rating
anya m. 1 review

Power optional grass tent site

Liked The rural location was lovely and there weren't too many pitches. They were arranged in 3 tiers with big trees in between the tiers (about 6 pitches in each tier), so you weren't looking out on large numbers of other campers. Carolyn was really welcoming and helpful. The toilet/showers were always spotlessly clean and although there were only 3 unisex toilets (2 had showers) we didn't experience any queuing issues. There was also a pot washing facility (though it wasn't undercover) and rubbish bins and waste disposal (not listed on the website list of facilities). You could park next to your tent, so long as it was within your allotted space. My daughter loved seeing the horses. It was a really quiet site, although 2 pitches at the far end of our tier were playing music for a time that could be heard at our end.

Disliked The pitches weren't large and they were very close together indeed. Larger tents went pretty much right up to the next-door neighbours if they pitched sideways to put the car in front. Having said that, pretty much all campers were quiet and respectful, so there wasn't really any disturbance. We did take a windbreak to offer a bit of privacy between the pitches. There's no big open space for the kids to play - only what space is left on your own pitch.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Simple but perfect!!!! Exactly what I wanted!!

Overall

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

Power optional grass tent site

Liked Quiet and simple. Perfect. Close to town with supermarket etc but beautiful peaceful rural location. Toilets and shower spotless.

Disliked No washing up facilities but no real issue for me.
Nothing else to dislike

Recommend to friends Visit again

Small dog friendly campsite with Horses in surrounding fields

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
Ayesha C. 3 reviews

Power optional grass tent site

Liked A lovely small campsite with only 17 pitches split across three rows. The owner was thoughtful and had created an adults row vs a row where children were allowed. We had 3 dogs with us, The campsite has horses roaming round the fields surrounding the pitches. The facilities were spotless. The owner recommended the White Horse to us, a pub about a mile down the road, and the food here was spectacular.

Disliked Nothing to dislike.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Me and my friend had a…

Overall

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

Unpowered grass tent or trailer tent site

Liked Me and my friend had a wonderful stay at Ilex farm camping! The toilet and shower facilities were always kept clean and stocked of toilet roll. The site was well looked after and had a lovely view of the fields. Caroline was ever so kind to offer us jump leads as we had issues starting one of the cars too! Definitely would come again!

Recommend to friends Visit again

An ok site that will please some but not all.

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 6
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 6
 Rich G. 10 reviews

Power optional grass motorhome site

Liked A friendly campsite. Very quiet and relaxed. Lovely owner.

Disliked Pitches were a little close together for me. Luckily the site wasn’t full whilst we were there. However if it was full it may feel a little cramp for some. Just my opinion. The loo’s and showers had codes to get in which was odd and mildly inconvenient on a self contained site. The tiered camping set up is nice but doesn’t offer much in the way of views unless you get a plot at the edge of the site.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Everyone was welcoming and helpful for…

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
Dawn B. 1 review

Unpowered grass tent or trailer tent site

Liked Everyone was welcoming and helpful for us novices. Very clean toilets showers and site. Peaceful and relaxing, will definitely visit again

Recommend to friends Visit again

Beautiful setting

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Catherine H. 5 reviews

Power optional grass motorhome site

Liked Such a lovely site, beautiful and peaceful. Extremely clean toilet and showers.
Good to have a little chat with the friendly owners and then relax in the countryside.

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

Pop-up campground

Dogs 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 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

Peaceful

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

Type

Farm Pop-up campground Small (11-25 sites)

Nearby leisure

Climbing nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Horse riding nearby Indoor pool nearby Leisure/theme park nearby Restaurant nearby Tennis nearby

Location

Ilex Farm Camping

Ilex Farm

Handley

Clay Cross

Chesterfield

Derbyshire

England

S45 9AT

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

53.15362°N
1.43827°W

Route directions

As the road starts to steepen, look for a stone farmhouse with tarmac drive and wooden gate on the right, signposted as Ilex Farm Camping. Do not believe sat nav telling you the site is on the left. Any problems please call for directions.

Nearest transport

Coach
8.2 km Railway Station
9 km Coach Station
9.2 km Fishpond Hotel
Rail
7.5 km Alfreton Rail Station
8.2 km Matlock Rail Station
8.7 km Matlock Bath Rail Station
Airport
27.2 km Sheffield City Airport
37.1 km East Midlands Airport
46.2 km Robin Hood Doncaster Sheffield 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

Attractions and activities nearby include: - Ogston Reservoir (sailing): five minutes' drive - Clay Cross Active leisure centre (swimming and tennis): five minutes - Hardwick Hall: 15 minutes - Heights of Abraham: 20 minutes - Haddon Hall: 20 minutes - Bolsover Castle: 20 minutes - Chatsworth House: 25 minutes - Bakewell: 25 minutes - Alton Towers: 55 minutes.

Food and drink

  • White Horse 1.1 km
  • Kathmandu Gurkha 1.8 km
  • Oriental Pearl 2 km
  • The Crown Inn 3.3 km
  • Figaro 5.4 km
  • Colombo by Ayubowan 6 km
  • The White Hart Inn 6.1 km
  • Coco Bar Bistro at the Shoulder 6.3 km
  • Anaarkali 6.8 km
  • Lakeside Garden 7.1 km

Parks and play

  • Morton Recreation Ground Play Park 3.7 km
  • Stonebroom Recreation Ground Play Park 4 km
  • Sampsonfield Play Area 4.8 km
  • Kirby Close Play Area 7.3 km
  • Alderman Park Play Area 7.6 km
  • Heather Vale Road Play Area 7.8 km
  • Little Monkeys Play Centre 8.1 km
  • Riverside Junior Park 9.3 km
  • Chester Street Playground 9.5 km
  • Inkerman Playground 9.5 km

Public transport

  • St Marks 0.7 km
  • Ogston Reservoir 1.2 km
  • Pear Tree Farm 1.2 km
  • Clay Fields View 1.3 km
  • Clay Fields View 1.3 km
  • Windermere Road 1.5 km
  • Windermere Road 1.5 km
  • Highstairs Lane 1.7 km
  • Highstairs Lane 1.7 km
  • St Clare's Convent 1.7 km

Groceries

  • Aldi 2.2 km
  • Tesco Extra 2.5 km
  • The Co-operative Food 4.8 km
  • Maisy Moo Fabrics 7.2 km
  • Lidl 7.2 km
  • Tesco 7.3 km
  • The Co-operative Food 7.6 km
  • Coop 7.7 km
  • Co-op Food 7.9 km
  • M&S Foodhall 8.1 km

Family days out

  • Morton Recreation Ground Play Park 3.7 km
  • Stonebroom Recreation Ground Play Park 4 km
  • Sampsonfield Play Area 4.8 km
  • Kirby Close Play Area 7.3 km
  • Alderman Park Play Area 7.6 km
  • Heather Vale Road Play Area 7.8 km
  • Little Monkeys Play Centre 8.1 km
  • Riverside Junior Park 9.3 km
  • Chester Street Playground 9.5 km
  • Inkerman Playground 9.5 km

© OpenStreetMap contributors

Must see

Hardwick Old Hall 8.8 km

Arkwright's Cromford Mills 9.2 km

Hardwick Hall 9.4 km

Sir Richard Arkwright's Masson Mills 9.5 km

Bolsover Castle 12.8 km

National Trust

Hardwick Estate: Stainsby Mill 8.8 km

Hardwick Hall 8.8 km

Winster Market House 13.6 km

Kedleston Hall 22.7 km

Clumber Park 27.8 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

Woolley Moor - Handley - Ashover - Ravensnest - Woolley 0.9 km

Woolley Moor (Ogston Reservoir) - Brackenfield - Mathersgrave - Ogston Reservoir 0.9 km

Woolley - Highoredish - Ashover - Ashoverhay - Woolley 1.6 km

Highoredish - Ravensnest - Ashover - Ashoverhay Loop 3.4 km

Eddlestow - Uppertown - Spitewinter - Kelstedge 5.5 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 Derbyshire?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Ilex Farm Camping have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Ilex Farm Camping dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Ilex Farm Camping? Attractions and activities nearby include: - Ogston Reservoir (sailing): five minutes' drive - Clay Cross Active leisure centre (swimming and tennis): five minutes - Hardwick Hall: 15 minutes - Heights of Abraham: … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Ilex Farm Camping?
    Camping and caravan
    Arrive:  9:30 a.m. –  7:30 p.m.
    Depart by:  12:30 p.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Ilex Farm Camping? From $52.47 (for 1 night, 4 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.