The Racecourse Retreat

View prices & book 9.5 216 reviews
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Views over derbyshire
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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
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • 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).
  • Discount cards and gift vouchers cannot be applied to bookings made via Pitchup.com.
  • Please note that the toilet/shower facilities are unisex.
  • Fires, barbecues and/or firepits will not be permitted in dry, windy and/or hot weather conditions.

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

9.5

Overall rating from 216 Pitchup.com customers

  • 73%
    10
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    9
  • 12%
    8
  • 2%
    7
  • 2%
    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

94% would stay here again

What customers say

Stunning views, spacious sites, and great staff. Bar/food popular. Toilets/showers mostly clean, but busy times can be a squeeze. Manager's on to water pressure issues. Loads of room for kids to run around.

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

Filter by topic

Reviews page 1 of 22
Arrival date (latest first)

Brilliant camp site, friendly greeting at check in and spacious plots

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 9
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Brad L. 1 review

Unpowered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked Spacious plots
On site bar and pizza van
Entertainment
Great views
Quiet and relaxed

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Fantastic gem of a site in beautiful Derbyshire. We will be back !

Overall

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

Powered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked Friendly staff couldn’t have been more helpful .
Lovely views and lots of space .
Bar and pizzas were great and the live music was.

Disliked Bit more hot water but will be excellent when the new facilities are complete .

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely 2 night family camping trip.

Overall

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

Unpowered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked Really enjoyed our first family camping session in years. Lovely site, lovely staff and lovely facilities. The kids loved it had so much space to play. The views all around were stunning, don’t think I’d ever get bored looking out over the fields. We live only a 40min drive from site, but it was so nice to be out in the open and so close to some of our favourite places (Carsington Water and Matlock Bath). Has certainly given us the camping buzz again and can’t wait to come back.

Disliked We wish we stayed longer!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Absolutely stunning!! It was a privilege…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
kerrie b. 2 reviews

Bell tent

Liked Absolutely stunning!! It was a privilege to be the 1st to stay in this pod, where do i start? The bed 10/10, amenities 10/10, staff 10/10!! The pods are beautiful and comfy, the mattress and quilt were lovely quality and no expense was spared on this pod, I was staying with husband who is blind and disabled and I couldn't have been helped more. Whilst no disabled facilities as yet the owner of the farm couldn't help me enough! I will definitely be rebooking asap

Recommend to friends Visit again

We would definitely come back to the this stunning, friendly site

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 9
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Matthew P. 1 review

Unpowered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked Absolutely staggering views from this campsite on top of a hill. We had a warm welcome on arrival, with a map given out and clear guidance on what was going on.
The toilet and shower blocks were lovely and we really appreciated that washing up liquid, cloths and cleans tea towels were provided on site.
Our kids loved playing at the sandpit and met a few other children to play with there. It acts as a bit of a focal point for the children, which was brilliant.
Despite the elevation of the campsite the multitude of dry stone walls meant that wind was not a problem during our stay.

Disliked The bar marquee had quite loud, bassy music on Friday night continuously for hours. It didn’t go on too late at all but did spoil the peace of the location a bit for us in the evening. Might not be a problem for everybody but next time we would probably pitch further away from the toilets and bar area.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Stunning views, great pitches, food from…

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
kerrie b. 2 reviews

Powered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked Stunning views, great pitches, food from bar was absolutely gorgeous, homemade and great value for money! Friendly and very helpful owners, its our 2nd time staying here and cant fault anything? Showers can be temperamental but believe there is going to be an upgrade to facilities quite soon and I cant wait to book again

Recommend to friends Visit again

Ideal family hot-spot

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
 Sinéad S. 11 reviews

Unpowered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked Massive open fields with great space between tents, lots of room for children to play and run around as children should.

Disliked Nothing to say here

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely place with beautiful views and…

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
sophie w. 1 review

Powered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked Lovely place with beautiful views and friendly staff.
Are children had a great time and so did we.
Showers and toilets were clean and camp was quiet after dark.
Bar and freshly baked pizza on the Friday and Saturday was a lovely addition to our stay.
We hope to visit again.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great value and facilities and would use again and would recommend.

Overall

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

Powered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked Great location and facilities for the price.

Tidy and clean with basic toilet and wash facilities but they are actively progressing a new modern toilet and shower block which is currently being built.

Affordable pricing for the area which includes access to onsite bar and pizza service. Onsite entertainment also included which was a good atmosphere on several nights of the week.

Disliked Not a dislike but appreciate more toilet and shower facilities are on the way which will help with the overcrowding of the ones currently in use.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Highly recommend and we will be back!

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 9
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Kay W. 2 reviews

Unpowered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked Wonderful hosts, gorgeous views, super clean and lovely toilets (especially the ladies which we made a bee line for!), the bar - yes a bar onsite (not open every day).

Disliked The high winds - not normal though, and no fault of the site.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Kay

Thank you for your review.

We are glad to hear you had a lovely stay with us and especially appreciated our toilets. We like to add these little extras in the ladies toilets :)

We hope to see you back with us soon.

Thanks
The Racecourse Retreat Team

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

Local events

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

    Swadlincote, England 38.8 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 $57.27 (for 1 night, 4 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.