Gidleigh Wood

View prices & book 9.6 86 reviews
View to the east
Gidleigh wood from higher murchington
Tent and campervan site
Looking north

  • Simple pitches in 150 acres of privately owned Devon woodland
  • A 20-minute drive to Okehampton; 40 minutes to Exeter
  • Direct access to Dartmoor and the Two Moors Way, plus walks on site
Get down to Devon and a gorgeous setting in Dartmoor National Park – the simple grass pitches at Gidleigh Wood are part of a 150-acre site that’s mainly filled with conifer and broadleaf trees in the north Teign river valley. It’s an extremely peaceful location – and a scenic one too, with views out over the surrounding hills and woodland. If you’ve come this way for a bit of walking or cycling, you’re in the right place. Such outings can start right there on site, as there are numerous tracks crisscrossing the woodland, including one that takes you up Princeps Tor (with an elevation of 333 metres). There’s a mile or so of river frontage too, so you can get a close look at the water (it’s an unusual colour thanks to the peaty moorland soil…) Beyond the woods, you can get out onto the moors via a footbridge over the river. Once you’ve crossed the water, there’s a generous 365 square miles of moorland to explore, with nearby walks taking you to places like Kestor Rock and some standing stones. Something even longer in mind? This is a popular spot with students on Duke of Edinburgh Award expeditions, and it’s also a handy stopover point for the Two Moors Way, as the Mariners Way (part of the longer trail) runs through the woods. Life on site is fairly simple, with just the essential facilities provided – guests will have access to showers, compost toilets and a washing-up area but are otherwise left to their own devices.

Site type

Tent sites 15
Motorhome sites 3
Open now
Opens 10 July
Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • Your dog must be tattooed or microchipped.
  • 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).
  • Continental touring caravans (caravans built with the passenger door on the right-hand side) are not permitted.
  • If making a fire, the fuel, logs and coal have to be purchased on site.
  • Guests are advised to bring a good quality torch with them as parts of the campground/park are unlit.
  • Swimming in the lake is not allowed.
  • Please note that the shower facilities are unisex.
  • If reception is closed on arrival: please contact the number provided on your booking confirmation.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Thu, 10 Jul to

Open from Thu, 17 Jul to

Open from Thu, 24 Jul to

Open from Thu, 31 Jul to

Open from Thu, 7 Aug to

Open from Thu, 14 Aug to

Open from Thu, 21 Aug to

Open from Thu, 28 Aug to

Open from Tue, 30 Dec 2025 to

Reviews

  • 84%
    10
  • 1%
    9
  • 11%
    8
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    6
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    5
  • 2%
    4
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    1
Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
9
Facilities / Activities
9
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
9
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
7

98% would recommend this site to a friend

97% would stay here again

Reviews page 1 of 9
Arrival date (latest first)

Lovely forest camping with friendly staff. Dogs running free!

Overall 10/10

Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
10
Gintare B.

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Spent a lovely weekend with my friends. Amazing place to stay and enjoy forest camping.

From the manager: Thank you Gintare for your 10/10! We are so glad you all enjoyed your stay at Gidleigh wood campsite, and look forward to seeing you all again next year.

Cheers

Mark

Wonderful campsite that really showcases the magic of dartmoor

Overall 10/10

Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
9
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
No rating
Edward H.

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Location. Facilities. People. Seclusion. Night sky. Nature. River walk. Chagford.

Disliked If I had to find one point, the site is on a hill but we all found a good pitch and had an absolute blast.

From the manager: Many thanks Ed for the 10/10 rating, we really appreciate it. So glad you and your family enjoyed your stay at Gidleigh wood campsite and look forward to seeing you all again next year.

Cheers

Mark

All great - just go.

Overall 10/10

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

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Fabulous off-grid campsite. Beautiful location. We loved the fire pit and the woods and the space. Great walks on Dartmoor from the tent. The owners were lovely and really helpful. Great weekend despite the absolute downpour on Saturday!

Disliked Nothing

From the manager: We are so glad you enjoyed your stay at Gidleigh wood campsite, and many thanks for giving us a 10! We really appreciate it.

Cheers

Mark

A beautiful tranquil location with great walks. Brilliant owners who went above and…

Overall 10/10

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

Unpowered grass motorhome site

Liked A beautiful tranquil location with great walks.
Brilliant owners who went above and beyond to accommodate us.
Facilities were clean and the fire pit was a great place to spend the evening.

Disliked Very narrow lanes to get to the site but manageable. Wouldn’t prevent going back as the owner kindly showed us an alternative way out as we were in big vehicles.

Excellent back to basics site

Overall 10/10

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

Unpowered grass motorhome site

Liked Welcoming and helpful owners
Husband really enjoyed the huge shared firepit
Quiet and very close to Dartmoor

From the manager: Many thanks for giving us a 10/10.
So glad you enjoyed the fire pit too.
We look forward to seeing you again soon.

Cheers

Mark

The camp site was very peaceful and secluded. All the amenities on…

Overall 9/10

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

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked The camp site was very peaceful and secluded. All the amenities on the site were well signed and laid out. It felt very welcoming. We will definitely be visiting again!

the space, the peace and the warmth of the camp host, martin.…

Overall 10/10

Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
No rating
Trevor t.

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked the space, the peace and the warmth of the camp host, martin.

From the manager: Trevor, many thanks for giving us a 10/10!
So glad you enjoyed your stay at Gidleigh wood campsite a we look forward to seeing you again soon

Cheers

Mark

Excellent site, quiet and calm. Very clean!

Overall 10/10

Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
No rating
Emily C.

Unpowered grass motorhome site

Liked Everything! We stopped for 1 night to break up travel down to new quay from Bournemouth. Excellent host! Toilets and showers were really clean. We had a lovely night testing out our new van! Thank you

Disliked I wouldn't say this is a dislike, the road to the campsite was a single lane for a few miles. Did make me nervous in case we come to pass someone, luckily we didn't but I can imagine reversing would be nerve wrecking!

Great remote location for a short getaway.

Overall 8/10

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

Unpowered grass motorhome site

Liked Stunning location, great communal fire pit, friendly helpful service, compost loo kept very clean. Nice hot shower.

Disliked Should be for 4w drive vehicles only

Delightful tranquil ,welcoming site in a fabulous area.

Overall 10/10

Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
No rating
Valerie K.

Unpowered grass motorhome site

Liked Absolutely loved this site. Tranquil location, very accessible to the moors , forest and river. Very clean compost toilet and good shower.
Mark and Karen,the owners are so delighrful, welcoming and knowledgeable of the area. Very welcoming to my collie too. She like me didn't want to leave. !

Disliked Nothing

From the manager: Many thanks for giving us a 10! We really appreciate it, and we are so glad you enjoyed your stay at Gidleigh wood campsite.
Hope to see you again soon.

Mark


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 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 Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

Barbecue provided Barbecues allowed Campfires allowed Commercial vehicles allowed Dogs allowed Dogs allowed all year

Utilities

Charging facilities Dump point Electric car charging point(s) Gas cylinders available No drinkable water point Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby

Type

Farm Pop-up campground Small (11-25 sites)

Location

Gidleigh Wood

Berrydown Road

Gidleigh

Chagford

Devon

England

TQ13 8HR

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

50.67838°N
3.88191°W

Nearest transport

Coach
10.9 km Thomas Cook
23.7 km Bus Station
25.8 km Bus Station
Rail
10.1 km Okehampton Rail Station
11.2 km Sampford Courtenay Rail Station
15.5 km Yeoford Rail Station
Ferry
29.1 km Topsham Lock Ferry Landing
29.3 km Topsham Ferry Landing
29.4 km Topsham (Turf Lock Ferry) Ferry Landing
Airport
33.4 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

Fancy a challenge once you’ve warmed up on the trails nearby? How about a hike up High Willhays, the highest point in southern England at 621 metres. Meldon Hill, just outside Chagford, is another that’s worth a climb for some excellent moorland views. Shilley Pool, a few miles north of the site, is a lovely spot to cool off with some wild swimming in the river. For a glimpse into times gone by, stop by at the National Trust’s Finch Foundry (15 minutes’ drive) to see an old water-powered forge, or head to the Museum of Dartmoor Life (20 minutes) to explore the themed exhibits. Castle Drogo (20 minutes) may look like a historic building thanks to its medieval styling but it was actually constructed in the 20th century by renowned architect Edwin Lutyens – that modern take on a traditional style makes it a fascinating place to visit. Other days out nearby might take you over to Exeter (40 minutes) to visit the cathedral and museums and delve into the underground passages, or down to the coast for a day on the beach in Dawlish (45 minutes).

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Shaldon 30.9 km Estuary N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Teignmouth Town 31.1 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Dawlish Coryton Cove 31.4 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Ness Cove 31.4 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Dawlish Town 31.4 km Sea N/AGoodGoodExcellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Castle Drogo 5.3 km

Buckfast Abbey 21.9 km

Exeter Cathedral - Church of Saint Peter 25.3 km

Dartmoor Zoological Park 30.9 km

The National Trust Killerton House & Gardens 32.4 km

National Trust

Castle Drogo 5.3 km

Finch Foundry 6.5 km

The Church House 12.4 km

Lydford Gorge 16.5 km

Buckland Abbey 28.2 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

Chagford - Castle Drogo - Fingle Bridge 3.5 km

CASTLE DROGO 5.9 km

Bennet's Cross - Huckney Tor - Vitifer Mine Complex - Bennet's Cross 6.7 km

WOOD HOUSE 7.8 km

Postbridge CP - Broad Down - Longaford Tor - Powder Mills 9.7 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 Gidleigh Wood have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Gidleigh Wood dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Gidleigh Wood? Fancy a challenge once you’ve warmed up on the trails nearby? How about a hike up High Willhays, the highest point in southern England at 621 metres. Meldon Hill, just outside Chagford, … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Gidleigh Wood?
    Camping and caravan
    Arrive:  noon –  8 p.m.
    Depart by:  noon
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Gidleigh Wood? From $54.09 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.