The Racecourse Retreat

No availability at present on Pitchup.com 9.3 285 reviews
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Pitches
Views
Views over derbyshire
Exterior
Tent pitch
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The meadow pitches
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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.

Campground type

RV sites 48
Rent a tent 1
Tent sites 48
Opens
Please note

Admission

  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.

Dogs

  • The park does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Breed-specific legislation (i.e. Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro).

General

  • Discount cards and gift vouchers cannot be applied to bookings made via Pitchup.com.
  • Please note that the toilet/shower facilities are unisex.

Safety

  • Fires, barbecues and/or firepits will not be permitted in dry, windy and/or hot weather conditions.

Languages spoken

English

No availability here for your search criteria

Reviews

9.3

Overall rating from 285 Pitchup.com customers

  • 70%
    10
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    9
  • 12%
    8
  • 2%
    7
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    6
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    5
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    1
Location
 10
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 7
Spectacular scenery

94% would recommend this campground to a friend

93% would stay here again

What customers say

Spectacular views, spacious sites, and friendly staff. Clean facilities, popular bar & food, especially for families. Occasional shower/toilet queues at peak times, narrow road access. Highly recommended, with many wanting to return.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews. Last updated 9/1/2026

Filter by topic

Reviews page 1 of 29
Arrival date (latest first)

Good pitch size…

Overall

6 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 6
Facilities / Activities
 3
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 7
Wifi
 No rating
Andrea T. 2 reviews

Powered grass tent or RV campsite

Liked Good pitch size

Disliked Not enough facilities

Recommend to friends Visit again

Big Pitches…

Overall

5 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 7
Facilities / Activities
 3
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 7
Wifi
 No rating
Andrea T. 2 reviews

Powered grass tent or RV campsite

Liked Big Pitches

Disliked Not enough facilities

Recommend to friends Visit again

A campsite with a difference.. Whats not to love.

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 10
 Mark H. 3 reviews

Powered grass tent or RV campsite

Liked The family friendly atmosphere, the entertainment and Amazing staff.
We had a great time, from checking in to leaving everything was fantastic. The staff couldn't do enough, the entertainment, quizzes, singers, bingo, food and drink were all spot on. Not even the rain could spoil it for us.. All amenities cleaned and restocked, everything you need from a campsite and more.. Looking like new buildings going up so can't wait to see what it will be like in 12 months. WILL BE BACK!!

Disliked Hmm. The rain but thats not the campsites problem and they showers were a tight squeeze but we managed lol.

Recommend to friends Visit again

I love this site, it’s the…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 9
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 No rating
Clare W. 4 reviews

Powered grass tent or RV campsite

Liked I love this site, it’s the second year I’ve stayed here and I’ll be back next year!
The pitches are spacious, and the views are just lovely. The people who run the site are friendly, and the facilities are clean.

Disliked When I came last year there were large containers for the rubbish, not ideal for recycling but great for the amount of rubbish generated by the campers. This year there were household size bins encouraging recycling but they were nowhere near adequate for the amount of rubbish resulting in bags piling up around the bins. They were regularly cleared by the site staff.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Good atmosphere, a lot to do…

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent or RV campsite

Liked Good atmosphere, a lot to do and entertainment but also plenty of room to get out of the way and quiet if you want.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Very friendly owners and staff, excellent…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Lucy S. 1 review

Primitive grass tent or RV campsite

Liked Very friendly owners and staff, excellent pop up food stalls and evening entertainment at weekend, great location to explore nearby attractions

Recommend to friends Visit again

Nice view from camping.…

Overall

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

Powered grass tent or RV campsite

Liked Nice view from camping.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely peaceful well maintained site, very…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 5
 Peter G. 6 reviews

Primitive grass tent or RV campsite

Liked Lovely peaceful well maintained site, very tidy.

Disliked N/A

Recommend to friends Visit again

Will be going again

Overall

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

Powered grass tent or RV campsite

Liked Stunning views. Well kept site. Clean toilets and showers. Level pitches with space
Bonus was the food, drink and live music in the marquee on Saturday night

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great site for adults, kids and dogs, lovely setting, top site.

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Jade C. 1 review

Primitive grass tent or RV campsite

Liked We absolutely love this site, been for the past 4 or maybe 5 years. Staff lovely, great for the kids with the sand pit and football area, good for dogs, the bar, the food trucks, the singer/entertainment they had this year. The facilities are always clean, and are building new shower blocks etc. The setting is also lovely, can see for miles. Love it.

Disliked Nothing to add here

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

Pop-up campground

Dogs allowed

Campfires allowed

Leisure on park

Bar or club house Cycle hire Evening entertainment Fishing Fitness centre Indoor swimming pool Kids' club On-site restaurant/cafe Outdoor swimming pool Playground Recreation room/arcade TV room Takeout Tennis Watersports

Amenities on park

Bath available Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Free wifi Grocery store Ice pack freezing Internet access Laundromat Parent & baby washroom Payphone Pick-up from public transport Portable toilet Pub toilets Restrooms Shower available Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

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

Rules

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

Themes

Budget/backpacker Hikers’ paradise Peaceful Remote location Spectacular scenery

Utilities

Charging facilities Communal fridge Dump station Electric car charging point(s) Propane/gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Convenience store nearby Dog walk nearby Nearby farmers' market Public transportation nearby

Type

Farm Medium (26-50 sites) Pop-up campground

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Climbing nearby Cycle hire nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Horseback 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

Bus
3.2 mi Fishpond Hotel
3.2 mi Fishpond Hotel
4.5 mi Railway Station
Rail
2.3 mi Whatstandwell Rail Station
2.8 mi Cromford Rail Station
3.3 mi Ambergate Rail Station
Airport
19.5 mi East Midlands Airport
23.4 mi 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.

Food and drink

  • Malt Shovel Pub 0.7 mi
  • The Wheatsheaf Pub 0.8 mi
  • The Dining Room Restaurant 0.9 mi
  • Gino's Restaurant 0.9 mi
  • Royal Oak Pub 0.9 mi
  • Hope and Anchor Pub 0.9 mi
  • Le Mistral Restaurant 0.9 mi
  • Don's Pan Asian Restaurant 0.9 mi
  • No. 5 Restaurant 0.9 mi
  • The Feather Star Pub 0.9 mi

Groceries

  • Bradmans Off-licence 4.4 mi
  • French Wine People Off-licence 4.4 mi
  • Co-op Food Supermarket 4.5 mi
  • Sainsbury's Supermarket 4.5 mi
  • M&S Foodhall Supermarket 4.6 mi
  • Aldi Supermarket 4.6 mi
  • Morrisons Supermarket 4.7 mi
  • The Co-operative Food Supermarket 4.7 mi
  • The Beer Trap Off-licence 4.7 mi

Parks and play

  • Kingsfield Play Area Playground 0.8 mi
  • Fanny Shaw's Park 1.1 mi
  • Stoney Wood park 1.1 mi
  • Cromford Play Park 2.4 mi
  • Play Mill Playground 2.9 mi
  • The Scotches Play Area Playground 4.1 mi
  • The Ship Loads park 4.3 mi
  • Hall Leys Park 4.4 mi
  • Allenhill Park 4.6 mi
  • Sparrow Park 4.7 mi

Family days out

  • Alport Height Visitor attraction 1 mi
  • Steeple Grange Light Railway Visitor attraction 1.7 mi
  • Middleton Top Winding Engine Visitor attraction 1.9 mi
  • Leawood Pump House Visitor attraction 2 mi
  • Aqueduct Cottage Visitor attraction 2 mi
  • Train Cars Visitor attraction 2.1 mi
  • Train Cars Visitor attraction 2.1 mi
  • Hall's Amusement arcade 3.2 mi
  • Temple Mine Visitor attraction 3.2 mi
  • Hall's Amusement arcade 3.2 mi

Public transport

  • Medical Centre 0.7 mi
  • Anthony Gell School 0.8 mi
  • Oat Hill 0.8 mi
  • The Kings Field 0.8 mi
  • Summer Lane 0.8 mi
  • Adam Bede Crescent 0.8 mi
  • St John's Street 0.8 mi
  • Cinder Lane 0.9 mi
  • Market Place 0.9 mi
  • Co-op 1 mi

What’s nearby

  • Pellegrina General shop 4.6 mi
  • Chevin Vale Golf Course 5.6 mi
  • Matlock Golf Club Golf course 5.8 mi

Local services

  • Hannage Brook Medical Centre Doctors 0.7 mi
  • B. Payne & Son Ltd Pharmacy 0.9 mi
  • The Co-operative Fuel station 1 mi
  • BP Pulse Charging station 1 mi
  • Murco Fuel station 2.3 mi
  • Holloway Surgery Doctors 2.7 mi
  • Crich Medical Practice Doctors 3.2 mi
  • Crich Pharmacy 3.2 mi
  • Essar Fuel station 3.3 mi
  • Matlock Green Service Station Fuel station 4.2 mi

© OpenStreetMap contributors

Must see

Arkwright's Cromford Mills 2.5 mi

Sir Richard Arkwright's Masson Mills 2.7 mi

Kedleston Hall 7.3 mi

Haddon Hall 9.5 mi

Chatsworth 10.4 mi

National Trust

Winster Market House 5.8 mi

Kedleston Hall 8 mi

Hardwick Hall 12.2 mi

Hardwick Estate: Stainsby Mill 12.2 mi

The Old Manor 12.7 mi

Cycle routes

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

Other

Alport Heights - Kirk Ireton Circular 0.9 mi

Wirksworth - Bolehill - Middleton Top - Wirksworth 0.9 mi

Cromford (Black Rocks) - Middleton Top - Kirk Ireton - Black Rocks 1.8 mi

Lea Bridge - Whatstandwell - Alderwasley - Lea Bridge 2.2 mi

Derwent Valley Mills Buffer Zone 2.6 mi

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?
    RV, travel trailer and tent sites
    Arrive:  2 p.m. –  7 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    On-park accommodation
    Arrive:  2 p.m. –  7 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    Read more