The Racecourse Retreat

View prices & book 9.4 239 reviews
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Views over derbyshire
Exterior
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The meadow pitches
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Pitches
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Views over derbyshire

  • Spacious, family‑run site set in scenic 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

Motorhome sites 48
Rent a tent 1
Tent sites 48
Open now
Opens 17 July
Please note

General

  • Discount cards and gift vouchers cannot be applied to bookings made via Pitchup.com.
  • Please note that the toilet/shower facilities are unisex.

Safety

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

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, 17 Jul 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

9.4

Overall rating from 239 Pitchup.com customers

  • 70%
    10
  • 10%
    9
  • 13%
    8
  • 2%
    7
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    6
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    5
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    1
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 7
Spectacular scenery

95% would recommend this site to a friend

93% would stay here again

What customers say

Awesome views, big pitches! Friendly staff, clean facilities. Bar & food a hit, entertainment on. Shower pressure and toilet numbers can be tight at peak times, but upgrades are coming.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews. Last updated 5/08/2026

Filter by topic

Reviews page 1 of 24
Arrival date (latest first)

Beautiful area really well kept campsite…

Overall

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

Unpowered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked Beautiful area really well kept campsite

Recommend to friends Visit again

The campsite was very spacious and…

Overall

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

Powered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked The campsite was very spacious and clean, and the facilities were always well maintained and kept spotless. When we arrived, there was a bar and live music on the Saturday evening, which was a lovely surprise. It's very family-friendly and family-run, which gave it a really welcoming atmosphere.us, clean an

Disliked There was a minor issue with the water supply running out, as some taps had been left on which drained the pumps. However, this was only a minor inconvenience and the issue was resolved very quickly. One member of staff did come across a little abrupt when asking us to stop washing our pots, although our bowl had already been filled with water. That said, it was clear she was under a lot of pressure trying to deal with and resolve the situation, so we completely understood the circumstances. Overall, it was a small issue that didn't detract from an otherwise excellent stay.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Views…

Overall

3 out of 10
Location
 5
Value for money
 2
Facilities / Activities
 1
Customer service
 1
Child friendliness
 4
Cleanliness
 1
Wifi
 No rating
Anonymous

Powered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked Views

Disliked Lack of water
Lack of toilet facilities
Lack of shower facilities
Lack of washing up facilities

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great site with beautiful views. Unexpected,…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Jaime F. 1 review

Unpowered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked Great site with beautiful views. Unexpected, but very welcome entertainment and food van.

Disliked Only issue was with the water. Tried to have a shower but no water coming out and at times couldn't flush the toilets. If the pressure could be sorted I would have given a 10 star review.

Recommend to friends Visit again

A lovely campsite, even provides evening entertainment. Great place x

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 6
Value for money
 8
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
 Carla H. 2 reviews

Unpowered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked The spacious pitch. The food.The borehole ran dry, because someone had left a tap on somewhere, but the owner worked hard to resolve this. So all good. Toilets and showers were are clean. Will definitely return. With e bikes 😂

Disliked The hill, back to the campsite ☺️ , there is a public footpath, but it took 45 minutes to get to workswith village, so I think we got lost some how.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Spectacular views and pop- up pub…

Overall

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

Unpowered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked Spectacular views and pop- up pub was great

Disliked Water pressure a problem throughout stay. No hot water (and only a trickle of cold water) for washing dishes.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely level pitch. Owners where great…

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
Anonymous

Powered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked Lovely level pitch. Owners where great from arriving to leaving always there to sort any problems that you might encounter. All facilities where clean. great place to stay would recommend a visit .

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Staff…

Overall

7 out of 10
Location
 7
Value for money
 6
Facilities / Activities
 5
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 8
Cleanliness
 6
Wifi
 No rating
Loyd B. 1 review

Powered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked Staff

Disliked Water pressure for showers

Recommend to friends Visit again

Super site. Lovely and friendly management.…

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
James W. 2 reviews

Unpowered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked Super site. Lovely and friendly management. Views are amazing. Felt relaxed. Evening was quiet. Veery large and spacious camping fields. Great toilets and bar with music at weekends sounded great.

Disliked Nothing. Perfect

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi James
Thank you for your lovely review.
We hope to see you back with us again ☺️

Kind regards
The racecourse retreat team

Fab views and facilities

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Katie M. 2 reviews

Unpowered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked Great facilities. Toilets kept clean, especially the womens only toilet, which was well stocked with sprays, and sanitary products. Also a sand pit for the kids to play in. Food and entertainment at the marquee at the weekend. Amazing views.

Disliked I liked everything about the site and will return again.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

Pop-up campground

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

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 Remote location Spectacular scenery Walkers' paradise

Utilities

Charging facilities Communal fridge 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 Medium (26-50 sites) Pop-up campground

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Climbing nearby Cycle hire nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Horse 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.

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?
    Camping and caravan
    Arrive:  2 p.m. –  7 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    On-site accommodation
    Arrive:  2 p.m. –  7 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at The Racecourse Retreat? From $57.32 (for 1 night, 4 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.