The Racecourse Retreat

View prices & book 9.4 236 reviews
Pitches
Pitches
Views over derbyshire
Tent pitch
Top of the pitches
The meadow pitches
Views
Meadow area
Meadows on site
1/294
Views over derbyshire
Tent pitch
Top of the pitches

  • Spacious family-friendly pop-up site in the 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

Rent a tent 1
Tent sites 50
Open now
Opens 11 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.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri, 11 Jul to

Pitch types & availability

Accommodation

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

Reviews

9.4

Overall rating from 236 Pitchup.com customers

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Spectacular sceneryPeaceful

94% would recommend this site to a friend

93% would stay here again

What customers say

Stunning views, spacious pitches, friendly staff praised. Clean facilities, bar & food popular. Very family-friendly. More toilets/showers needed during peak times, occasional shower pressure issues. Many keen to return.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 24
Arrival date (latest first)

LOVED this camp site. The best faculties I've ever seen. Everything was…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
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Emma M.

Unpowered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked LOVED this camp site.
The best faculties I've ever seen. Everything was clean, and kept on top of. Plenty of space to choose and pitch up. We will be returning. On site bar just topped it off nicely.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent site with clean facilities, friendly staff and level pitches

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
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Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
Emma B.

Unpowered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked I loved everything about this camping site. I loved the onside bar and food. The toilets, showers and cleaning facilities was great. All the staff were amazingly friendly and helpful. Its absolutely stunning and definitely would come back! Thank you so much for such a lovely experience.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Really good location with stunning views. Watching the sunset was a highlight.…

Overall

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

Unpowered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked Really good location with stunning views. Watching the sunset was a highlight.
Nice clean toilets and good showers. Super friendly staff and very welcoming. We will certainly return

Recommend to friends Visit again

Disappointed in owner not so much the site.

Overall

1 out of 10
Location
 6
Value for money
 3
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 2
Customer service
 1
Child friendliness
 1
Cleanliness
 6
Wifi
 1
Anonymous

Powered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked Great views lots of room.

Disliked Was there with my partner and disabled son. I had a leaking car radiator from the bad roads. I was fixing my car with a few other campers only a hour fix. Owner come to us in morning woke me and my son up and kicked us of his site 2 days early no refund. We was stuck miles from home my son in tears. Lucky a farmer near by offered us to stay for free on his land. Needs more Toilets on site. Lots of fires on hot windy night what's a worry. Steep bumpy drive in if u like your car be careful

Recommend to friends Visit again

We had a really wonderful time at the Racecourse Retreat!

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 6
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
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Anonymous

Unpowered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked Amazing setting, really well maintained, clean toilets, friendly staff.

Disliked Not enough toilets/showers for the size of the site (I did overhear them saying this would be changing in the coming years)

There were a few large groups on site which were noisy (rectified when they were spoken to by site owners)

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great site on edge of peak district.

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
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Customer service
 10
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Michelle B.

Powered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked Lovely large site with stunning views. Very friendly and helpful family running it. Showers and toilets cleaned regularly throughout day and very good for pop up site.
Large dog exercise area also provided.
A real jem of a site.
Pleasant footpath walk down into Wirksworth itself.

Disliked Nothing.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Michelle
Thank you for your review.
We are really pleased you enjoyed your stay with us.
The dog exercise area is new for this year and it certainly seems to be a hit with out 4 legged visitors.
The walk down to Wirksworth is lovely isn't it, a stones throw from the site and lots of lovely little places to visit when you reach the bottom of the footpath.

A great place for a relaxing holiday

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
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Facilities / Activities
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Customer service
 10
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 10
Wifi
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Christine B.

Unpowered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked Friendly site with beautiful views

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great campsite, clean, pretty and spacious

Overall

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

Unpowered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked Beautiful site with plenty of space. We were the last to arrive on a fully booked night and still got a lovely spot.
Love that there is a bar and food on selected nights. Super clean facilities and staff were lovely

Disliked They could do with a few more toilets, there was quite a large queue in the morning (but to note, we were there on a fully booked night)

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great stay. Lovely family site.

Overall

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

Unpowered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked Lovely setting and great little reception area to get checked in etc. lovely clean site.

Disliked Could do with a couple more toilets and possibly another shower. Water pressure was a bit iffy on the second day.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi thank you for your review.
Were glad you like our little reception area which is a new build for this season.
We are constantly developing our little site so hope to see you again

Would definitely be happy to go back here again!

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 1
Anonymous

Unpowered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked There was a bar with a marquee tent to sit in, and they serve food on Friday and Saturday nights. The toilets were lovely and modern and clean in a little wooden shack. Plenty of space, we went when it was fully booked and there was plenty of space for everyone to spread out. There was a lovely view and it helped we had good weather.

Disliked Wish there was more toilets, there was only 4 cubicles, so in the morning there was a queue.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi thank you for your review of our site.

Having plenty of space is something we have in abundance!
We are sorry you found a que in the mornings, we have 4 cubicles with toilets, 3 showers rooms with toilets and 4 men's urinals in a separate block around the back so hopefully the ques didn't last for long.

Having toilets around the site is certainly something we are hoping to have in the future and we are constantly developing.
Hope to see you back soon so you can see our progress.

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 Car parking by site/unit 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 Public transport nearby

Type

Large (51-200 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.

Nearest sites

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable sites.

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:  1 p.m. –  7 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    On-site accommodation
    Arrive:  1 p.m. –  7 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at The Racecourse Retreat? From $45.67 (for 1 night, 4 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.