Rainbow Retreat

View prices & book 9.5 16 reviews
Lovely view (added by manager 24 Aug 2023)
Lovely view
Comfy seating and firepit at the forest shelter
Woodland pitch on grass
Cosy safari tent nestled in the woodlands
Grassed forest camping pitch
Forest grasses pitch by night
View of the cows from a camping pitch in the neighbouring field surrounding the woodland
Perfect pitch under the canopy of the trees and stars
1/61
Favourite
Comfy seating and firepit at the forest shelter
Woodland pitch on grass
Cosy safari tent nestled in the woodlands

  • Eco-friendly nature-filled site among 7.5 acres of Devon woodland
  • A 10-minute drive to Exeter city centre; half an hour to the coast
  • Barbecue, firepit, hammocks and kitchen shelter provided for guests
The name and logo are particularly colourful at Rainbow Retreat, but really there's one colour that stands out above all others at this Devon site… and that colour is green. That goes for both the setting – within 7.5 acres of gorgeous woodland – and the supremely eco-conscious approach that aims to preserve that environment for years to come. In fact, if you stay here you’ll not only be helping to maintain the woodland but also contributing to expanding it, as there’s a policy of planting a tree for each booking made. That’s just one small part of the eco approach at this Greener Camping Club site – around the site you’ll also spot clearly marked recycling areas, compost toilets and off-grid showers with environmentally friendly toiletries provided. The reasons behind wanting to preserve this environment are sure to become clear during your time on site – you’ll be fully immersed in peaceful nature here, with the sound of birdsong and the scents of the forest to soak up as you wander through the woods (or hang out in one of the hammocks strung between the trees). Alfresco cooking is usually part of the plan for guests here – and that’s been made easy by the addition of a communal sheltered kitchen area (with space for eating, sitting and relaxing as well as cooking) and a firepit and barbecue (with logs available to buy on site). All of this sounds like it should be in the middle of nowhere, right? In fact, Rainbow Retreat is anything but – it’s actually only a 10-minute from the centre of Exeter, putting the mainline station within easy reach, along with a whole lot of shops, attractions and places to eat.

Site type

Tent sites 5
Open now
Opens 1 April
Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • No hen/stag parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • No cars/motorbikes by the pitch/unit. All cars must be parked in the designated area.
  • Minimum spacing of 15 metres between pitches.
  • Guests are advised to bring a good quality torch with them as parts of the campground/park are unlit.
  • Please note that the toilet/shower facilities are unisex.
  • There is no reception building on-site: on arrival please contact the number provided on your booking confirmation.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Mon, 1 Apr 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

9.5

Overall rating based on 16 reviews View breakdown

Peaceful

Voted 100% of visitors View breakdown

94%

would recommend this site to a friend

94%

would stay here again

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Only showing reviews for the last 30 months.

Nice setting…

Overall 4/10
Location 6
Value for money No rating
Accommodation No rating
Facilities / Activities No rating
Customer service No rating
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness No rating
Wifi No rating
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked: Nice setting

Disliked: However, when arrived we observed the track, we elected not to stay as the track was steep. My partner has issues with knees and would have found the track too steep to walk up and to cart the tent etc up and down . It appears to be a newish site so appreciate that there might be 'teething problems'. Great for a young family wishing to be out in nature ...

Recommend to friends Visit again

Peaceful and beautiful location, friendly hosts. Tent was roomy and well stocked…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness 8
Wifi No rating
Jim H. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

The Woodland Hideout safari tent

Liked: Peaceful and beautiful location, friendly hosts. Tent was roomy and well stocked with kitchen utensils and lights.

Recommend to friends Visit again

first guests to use the Glamping facility, comfortable, friendly!

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 8
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 10
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

The Woodland Hideout safari tent

Liked: Venue, our Glamping accommodation was comfortable and the host family are very friendly and kind. Our little man enjoyed the fire pit every night and he is missing it already. Peaceful environment for retreat.

Disliked: Pushing the wheel barrow from the car park to our accommodation as we cannot drive the car there due to unsuitable road.

Recommend to friends Visit again

It was very peaceful, the people were very helpful and friendly. Once…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 8
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked: It was very peaceful, the people were very helpful and friendly. Once the site has everything finished it will be an amazing place to stay.

Disliked: Having to carry all your camping gear up and down was tricky but there was a wheel barrell to use and the man helped which resolved the issue and was always on hand if you needed help.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great woodland camping close to Exeter.

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 8
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 6
Cleanliness 8
Wifi No rating
Simon P. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked: Location - really close to Exeter, yet very quiet rural site deep in the woods. Great open kitchen area. The access is tricky, but this is part of the adventure. You park your car up then use a wheel barrow to transport your kit to the site, down a slope, over a corrugated iron “bridge” up a slope, down a slope, you get the idea - about 150m. The campsite is in mixed deciduous woodland - oak, hazel, ash - and the pitches are cut into the slope to make level terraces. Lots of bird life in the woods. The compositing toilet works well and the shower provides plenty of hot water. Luke, who owns the site is really friendly and will help you transport your stuff from your car to the pitches. This is a small family-run campsite, with people who really care for the environment, and we were really happy to support their exciting woodland project. No Wi-Fi - did not expect that for this sort of site - but great mobile and 4G signal.

Recommend to friends Visit again

We received as very warm welcome from Luke, who very kindly went…

Overall 10/10
Location 8
Value for money 10
Accommodation 8
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 8
Cleanliness 8
Wifi 8
Hannah T. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked: We received as very warm welcome from Luke, who very kindly went the extra mile to make sure that our stay in the dreary rain was as comfortable as possible! The pitches are nestled in-between beautiful oak trees and each pitch has an awesome fire pit. Would recommend a cosy stay here and will no doubt return!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Level pitches, lovely clean hot showers, covered area for cooking/eating/washing up. Situation amongst…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness 8
Wifi 2
Angela M. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked: Level pitches, lovely clean hot showers, covered area for cooking/eating/washing up. Situation amongst the trees andcthe sheep next door. Very friendly, helpful owner

Disliked: The long uneven walk from the cart to the tent pitch area

Recommend to friends Visit again

Truly enjoyed my stay nice peaceful feeling

Overall 8/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 8
Facilities / Activities 6
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 8
Cleanliness 8
Wifi 10
Claire N. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked: Solo female camper, felt really safe.Stayed 3 nights on the camp and it honestly has a magical feeling to it. It almost feels like you leave the rest of the world and its stresses at the car park. it's simple, basic and rustic truly does have a feeling of sleeping wild. I was stood brushing my teeth watching 2 buzzards circle and hunt for food early in the morning. For me this was just wonderful and Luke was so helpful and welcoming thank you :)

Disliked: The trek down is a bit long and bumpy, (5 mins) but it is a working progress.but maybe a bigger deeper wheelbarrow would have been more useful and reduced trips...but I also think that's what made it's so special because you did feel so deep into the woodlands...please don't change it too much maybe just a flatter path..the plans for the place sounds great but I also think too many people at one time would also lose some of its magical feel as it would be nosier...

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent site in a beautiful setting

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 6
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 6
Jackie B. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked: Woodland site. Well spaced pitches. Good eco facilitied

Recommend to friends Visit again

Eco-camping site with friendly host and nice surroundings.

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked: -secluded pitches - good space between them -enviromental small business ethos - very eco minded -amazing kitchen space to sit and eat breakfast -very knowledge host -beautiful woodland setting -hammocks throughout the site. -price - £10 a night was great! -eco shower coconut shower gel if not have own -amazing host- helpful etc -able to have fire pits -informal secure bike storage -very close to exeter but still very secluded and rural (mind the hill if cycling!) -well cared for compost loo -information cards

Disliked: -Toilet - compost toilet was well build and didn't smell - i am sure evenually a tap be put in for hand washing, in the mean time a large water container with tap and soap. Hand santister is not enough -Disablity - not suitable for those with even slightly phyiscal disablity, be great if create a rubber path or similar, to be more accesible

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

No 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 Picnic table Portable toilet Pub toilets Public telephone Shower available Toilet block Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

Family friendly Motorcycle friendly Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

Barbecue provided Barbecues allowed Campfires allowed Commercial vehicles allowed Dogs allowed No dogs allowed No pets allowed

Camping 2.0

Jumbo tent sites

Themes

Bush Peaceful Spectacular scenery Walkers' paradise Wild camping Wildlife haven

Utilities

Charging facilities Dump point Electric car charging point(s) Gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby

Type

Tiny (1-10 sites)

Accessibility

Disabled facilities

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Climbing nearby Cycle hire nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Horse riding nearby Indoor pool nearby Leisure/theme park nearby Mountain biking nearby Outdoor pool nearby Restaurant nearby Sailing nearby Surf school nearby Tennis nearby Watersports nearby

Location

Rainbow Retreat

Unit 1 Rebecca Springs

Nadderwater

Exeter

Devon

England

EX4 2JH

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

50.72755°N
-3.57838°W

Nearest transport

Coach
3.8 km Bus Station
7.6 km The Barn Owl
7.6 km Honiton Road Park and Ride
Rail
2.5 km Exeter St Davids Rail Station
3 km Exeter St Thomas Rail Station
3.2 km Exeter Central Rail Station
Ferry
9.2 km Topsham Lock Ferry Landing
9.2 km Topsham Ferry Landing
9.4 km Topsham (Turf Lock Ferry) Ferry Landing
Airport
11.4 km Exeter International 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

If you're keen to see more of this stunning countryside, a good place to get out for a hike is Dartmoor National Park, a little way west of the site. Some of its top spots – including Canonteign Falls and Blackingstone Rock – are about 25 minutes’ drive away, with Haytor Rocks, Castle Drogo and Fingle Bridge not much further. Alternatively, go for real contrast and get some city time in – Exeter (10 minutes' drive) has all sorts, including the cathedral, the catacombs and the House That Moved. Adrenaline activities could be part of the plan too, with outings to Crealy Theme Park (20 minutes) or Wildwood Devon (half an hour), home to climbing walls and a 40-metre zipline as well as an excellent animal park. And of course this is Devon, so you're never far from the coast – options near to Rainbow Retreat include Dawlish Warren, Exmouth and Teignmouth, all within a half-hour drive.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020 2019 2018 2017
Dawlish Warren 17.3 km Estuary N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Exmouth 18 km Estuary N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Dawlish Town 18.2 km Sea N/A Good Good Excellent
Dawlish Coryton Cove 18.7 km Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Sandy Bay 19.8 km Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Exeter Cathedral - Church of Saint Peter 3.4 km

The National Trust Killerton House & Gardens 11.1 km

Crealy Great Adventure Park 11.7 km

Castle Drogo 16.8 km

Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site 24 km

National Trust

Killerton: Clyston Mill 10.1 km

Killerton: Marker's Cottage 10.6 km

Killerton: Budlake Old Post Office 11.2 km

Killerton 11.2 km

A la Ronde 15.4 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

ST BARTHOLOMEW'S CEMETERY, EXETER 3.1 km

NORTHERNHAY AND ROUGEMENT GARDENS 3.4 km

Brampford Speke Circular 6.6 km

SHOBROOKE PARK 8.7 km

EXE ESTUARY (CURRENT BOUNDARY FROM 16/01/2003) 9.4 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 Devon?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Rainbow Retreat have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Rainbow Retreat dog friendly? No View all features
  • What attractions are near Rainbow Retreat? If you're keen to see more of this stunning countryside, a good place to get out for a hike is Dartmoor National Park, a little way west of the site. Some of … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Rainbow Retreat?
    Camping and caravan
    Arrive:  1 p.m. –  5 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Rainbow Retreat? From $31.88 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.