The Racecourse Retreat

View prices & book 9.5 205 reviews
Views
Pitches
Views
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

Reviews

  • 74%
    10
  • 8%
    9
  • 11%
    8
  • 2%
    7
  • 2%
    6
  • 0%
    5
  • 0%
    4
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    3
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    2
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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

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

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Reviews page 1 of 21
Arrival date (latest first)

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

Nice friendly site with big pitches but toilets & showers let it down

Overall

7 out of 10
Location
9
Value for money
7
Facilities / Activities
5
Customer service
No rating
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
8
Wifi
No rating

Powered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked Family friendly
Large pitches
Nice staff on welcoming
Lovely views

Disliked Toilets and showers

Shower had no water pressure and was just trickling down the shower a guy who went in shower after me said it had been like that for a few days

Not many toilets available

There were only 6 toilets

The males have a urinals which is very handy but out of the 6 toilets 3 were showers so were taken up most the time with ppl showering and 1 was female only

Visited few times from 6:30am and 9pm and there wasn’t a time there wasn’t a queue

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Oilver

Thank you for your review.

We are sorry to hear you disliked our toilet and shower facilities.
Im afraid we are limited as to the quantity we can have on site due to being a 'pop up site'.
We unfortunately have to go around the site turning the taps off several times a day as they are left on, this massively effects our water pressure on site however we are looking at ways to relieve this.

Thanks
The Racecourse Retreat Team

Would come again and recommend to everyone

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
Pete B. 1 review

Unpowered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked Check-in is immaculate, very friendly, shop is nice, people are lovely. Site is well kept and has lovely views, has it's own bar and pizzas for sale on weekends. Lovely rural location. Toilets were extremely well cleaned.

Disliked Only 2 shower rooms however the ones they have are exceptional quality

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Pete

Thank you for your review.

What fantastic photos you took!!

We are really pleased you enjoyed your stay with us

Our shop has had a facelift for this season so we decided to stock it will all essentials, the toy shopping was especially fun deciding what to stock

We hope to see you back with us soon.
Thanks
The Racecourse Retreat Team

Relaxing

Overall

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

Powered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked The views are stunning. The kids can run around in the big open field

Disliked Slow water flow from the showers when it’s weekend and everybody’s using it

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Gerlie

Thank you for your review of our campsite.

We hope to see you back with us again.

Thanks
The Racecourse Retreat Team

Fantastic campsite! Friendly staff, stunning views,…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
9
Value for money
10
Facilities / Activities
8
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
9
Cleanliness
9
Wifi
No rating
CH T. 1 review

Powered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked Fantastic campsite! Friendly staff, stunning views, and clean bathrooms with hot water! Will definitely be back!

Recommend to friends Visit again

The views were amazing. Spacious pitches…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
10

Powered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked The views were amazing. Spacious pitches and great toilets, showers and washing up facilities. We went Monday - Friday and it was lovely and quiet. Lots of space to play games (cricket, rounders, badmington etc)

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Andrea

Thank you for your lovely review.

We love nothing more than to see people enjoying all the space the campsite provides :)

We hope to see you back with again soon.

Thanks
The Racecourse Retreat Team

Absolutely brilliant site Facilities are to…

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

Unpowered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked Absolutely brilliant site
Facilities are to top standards
Fair price
Good location
Spectacular views

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Matthew

Thank you for your review.
We are pleased to hear you enjoyed your stay with us:)

We hope to see you back again soon.
Thanks
The Racecourse Retreat Team

Great family site. Bar, food.

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

Powered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked We thoroughly enjoyed our stay so much so we rebooked for 2 weeks time.
Perfect for 1 or 2 nights.
Good food
Clean site
Clean showers
Clean toilets
Fantastic views
Family run and lovely people.

Disliked Some nets on the goals would be an advantage for the children

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Danny

Thank you for your lovely review :)

We are glad you enjoyed your stay with us and have decided to come back so soon!

Yes we do have a net for the goal posts and you will be happy to see it ready for your return :):)

See you in a couple of weeks.

Thanks
The Racecourse retreat team

Amazing place.

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
10

Powered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked Everything from start to finish.
Location,owners,staff,pitches,bar on site,life music evening.

Disliked Showers:)

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Agne

Thank you for your review.

Our live music nights seem to be a great hit :)

We hope to see you back again.

Thanks
The Racecourse Retreat Team

Lovely easy place.

Overall

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

Powered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked Lovely area. Lovely people running the place. Nice quiet place to pitch up for a few days. The view is spectacular! If I’m ever in the area again I would definitely return. Would love to see some of the additions they are making in the future.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Helena

Thank you for your review.

We agree the view definitely is a sight to behold!

Hope to see you back again.

Thanks
The Racecourse Retreat Team


Features

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 $57.64 (for 1 night, 4 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.