The Racecourse Retreat

View prices & book 9.5 220 reviews
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Views over derbyshire
Exterior
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Pitches
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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
Open now
Opens July 17
Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • 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).
  • 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, Jul 17 to

No availability here for your search criteria

Campsite types & availability

Accommodation

Tent sitesCamper sitesRV sitesLodges, cabins, pods or hutsMobile homes for rentRent a tent
Choose your dates
2 adults
0 children
0 dogs

Reviews

9.5

Overall rating from 220 Pitchup.com customers

  • 72%
    10
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    9
  • 12%
    8
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    7
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Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 7
Spectacular scenery

95% would recommend this campground to a friend

94% would stay here again

What customers say

Great views, roomy sites, and a welcoming crew. Enjoyed the bar & food truck. Plenty of open space and family-friendly vibes. Facilities are mostly clean, but more restrooms are needed (improvements planned for 2026). Roads can be narrow.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews. Last updated 8/4/2026

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Reviews page 1 of 22
Arrival date (latest first)

A brilliant site, we'll definitely be returning next year

Overall

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

Powered grass tent or RV campsite

Liked Stunning views
Lots of open space
Clean facilities
Saturday night entertainment

Disliked Water pressure in the showers wasn't great, but I believe that they are in the process of building new facilities.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Brilliant camp site, friendly greeting at check in and spacious plots

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent or RV campsite

Liked Spacious plots
On site bar and pizza van
Entertainment
Great views
Quiet and relaxed

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Would highly recommend! Clean and lots of amenities.

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
 Jo C. 2 reviews

Primitive grass tent or RV campsite

Liked Very friendly! Toilets and showers were very clean. Great atmosphere on the camp. Dog friendly. Easy access to places for walking and visiting

Recommend to friends Visit again

Fantastic gem of a site in beautiful Derbyshire. We will be back !

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 No rating
Value for money
 8
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Kate L. 7 reviews

Powered grass tent or RV campsite

Liked Friendly staff couldn’t have been more helpful .
Lovely views and lots of space .
Bar and pizzas were great and the live music was.

Disliked Bit more hot water but will be excellent when the new facilities are complete .

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely 2 night family camping trip.

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent or RV campsite

Liked Really enjoyed our first family camping session in years. Lovely site, lovely staff and lovely facilities. The kids loved it had so much space to play. The views all around were stunning, don’t think I’d ever get bored looking out over the fields. We live only a 40min drive from site, but it was so nice to be out in the open and so close to some of our favourite places (Carsington Water and Matlock Bath). Has certainly given us the camping buzz again and can’t wait to come back.

Disliked We wish we stayed longer!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Absolutely stunning!! It was a privilege…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
kerrie b. 2 reviews

Bell tent

Liked Absolutely stunning!! It was a privilege to be the 1st to stay in this pod, where do i start? The bed 10/10, amenities 10/10, staff 10/10!! The pods are beautiful and comfy, the mattress and quilt were lovely quality and no expense was spared on this pod, I was staying with husband who is blind and disabled and I couldn't have been helped more. Whilst no disabled facilities as yet the owner of the farm couldn't help me enough! I will definitely be rebooking asap

Recommend to friends Visit again

Overall brilliant

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent or RV campsite

Liked Such a beautiful site, wonderful views, plenty of space, good facilities, friendly staff.

Disliked Having to call for chemical waste

Recommend to friends Visit again

We would definitely come back to the this stunning, friendly site

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent or RV campsite

Liked Absolutely staggering views from this campsite on top of a hill. We had a warm welcome on arrival, with a map given out and clear guidance on what was going on.
The toilet and shower blocks were lovely and we really appreciated that washing up liquid, cloths and cleans tea towels were provided on site.
Our kids loved playing at the sandpit and met a few other children to play with there. It acts as a bit of a focal point for the children, which was brilliant.
Despite the elevation of the campsite the multitude of dry stone walls meant that wind was not a problem during our stay.

Disliked The bar marquee had quite loud, bassy music on Friday night continuously for hours. It didn’t go on too late at all but did spoil the peace of the location a bit for us in the evening. Might not be a problem for everybody but next time we would probably pitch further away from the toilets and bar area.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Stunning views, great pitches, food from…

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
kerrie b. 2 reviews

Powered grass tent or RV campsite

Liked Stunning views, great pitches, food from bar was absolutely gorgeous, homemade and great value for money! Friendly and very helpful owners, its our 2nd time staying here and cant fault anything? Showers can be temperamental but believe there is going to be an upgrade to facilities quite soon and I cant wait to book again

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great site with stunning views

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 8
 Sophie P. 9 reviews

Powered grass tent or RV campsite

Liked Stunning views
Big spacious pitches and the kids loves the big field( and football net) to play on
And showers were lovely and hot.
The people running it was friendly when we did speak to them.
The young lads cleaning the facilities were very lovely and polite and did a great job

Disliked Not many or big enough bins for the amount of guests
Not enough showers/toilets for the size of the place
Food ran out too quickly on the Saturday night and I get the weather was dry but was told we could have a BBQ (and I asked 3 times) to be told when we started it we couldn’t have it (when others did have one while we were there), needs to be a rule for everyone and communicate better

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.

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

Local events

  • Bloodstock Open Air (Thursday, August 6, 2026 – Thursday, August 6, 2026)

    Swadlincote, England 24.1 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
  • How much does it cost to stay at The Racecourse Retreat? From $33.57 (for 1 night, 4 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.