Watergate Camping

No availability at present on Pitchup.com 9.6 97 reviews
Visitor image of the view of main camping area
Visitor image of the view of main camping area
Visitor image of the view
Visitor image of the sundown
This is an example photo of what we have available.
Visitor image of the great location
Visitor image of the campsite view
By the west looe river
Swans on the adjacent river
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Visitor image of the view
Visitor image of the sundown
This is an example photo of what we have available.

  • Small family-run site by the West Looe river, three miles from Looe
  • Half an hour's drive from the Eden Project
  • Direct access to the river for fishing, paddling and canoeing
Paddling and campfires and wildlife watching… what a fab collection of outdoorsy antics can be had at Watergate Camping, a small family-run site three miles from the beach and harbour of Looe. Settle in at this peaceful place and you’ll be right on the banks of Cornwall’s West Looe river, with direct access for walks, paddling and pottering about in canoes or small boats. Keep your eyes open for movement at the water’s edge: kingfishers and herons love this place, and all sorts of small mammals and pretty moths frequent the site too. Bring your rods along too, for you can also fish in the river; if you’re successful, you’re welcome to light up a barbecue or campfire to cook your catch, collecting firewood in the woods or gathering by the communal firepit. For an easier way to snag eats, there are plenty of shops, cafés and pubs in Looe, which can be reached with a 10-minute drive or a 45-minute amble along the lovely riverside path. To preserve the peaceful vibes, facilities have been kept to a minimum, but the site has been kitted out with a smart modern toilet and shower block, and there’s a washing-up area to deal with the remnants of your alfresco feasts. If you're staying here, it's a good idea to bring a torch and some insect repellent with you.

Campground type

Tent sites 10
Rent a tent 3
Open now
Opens May 1
Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • Single-sex bookings of 6 or more people (couples and immediate family members excepted) are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • Dogs are not allowed if you are staying in the accommodation units.
  • No cars/motorcycles at the site. All cars must be parked in the designated area.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Thu, May 1 to

Reviews

9.6

Overall rating from 97 Pitchup.com customers

  • 86%
    10
  • 1%
    9
  • 9%
    8
  • 0%
    7
  • 1%
    6
  • 0%
    5
  • 0%
    4
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    3
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    2
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    1
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 5
Peaceful

97% would recommend this campground to a friend

97% would stay here again

What customers say

Peaceful riverside retreat with stunning nature & wildlife. Clean facilities, great showers, friendly owners. Ideal for kayaking, paddleboarding, and Looe walks. Some note spotty cell service and occasional bugs, but reviews are very positive.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 10
Arrival date (latest first)

Very peaceful, quite and surrounding by nature. Beautiful scenery.…

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Very peaceful, quite and surrounding by nature. Beautiful scenery.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Perfect place for a quiet relaxing camp

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 8
Accommodation
 8
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 4
Annette P.

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Peaceful, beautiful riverside views

Recommend to friends Visit again

Everything. Quiet and secluded. Small. Beside a river teeming with wildlife. Simple,…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 8
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 5
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Stephen T.

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Everything. Quiet and secluded. Small. Beside a river teeming with wildlife. Simple, clean and more than adequate facilities. Lashings of hot water. Flat site, not crowded.

Disliked Nothing to dislike.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Beautiful surroundings, decent shower and toilet facilities…

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 8
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 9
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 7
Jon W.

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Beautiful surroundings, decent shower and toilet facilities

Recommend to friends Visit again

Beautiful & peaceful site, directly on the river, with lovely staff.

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
Georgina S.

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Beautiful, peaceful location by the river. So much gorgeous wildlife to see including kingfishers. The owners were so helpful and friendly. Max 14 pitches so will never feel ‘packed’ and all are river front pitches. It’s brilliant that you can have log fires. Hot showers and very tidy toilets and wash up area. A lovely walk to Looe through the woods direct from the campsite. The loveliest campsite we’ve stayed at!

Recommend to friends Visit again

not worth it

Overall

3 out of 10
Location
 4
Value for money
 1
Accommodation
 2
Facilities / Activities
 1
Customer service
 2
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 5
Wifi
 No rating
Anonymous

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked The campsite was empty - I wonder why???
There was cute graffiti written on the walls of the bathroom

Disliked First of all just as a heads up don't listen to the sat-nav! Drive to Looe first and then take on the treacherous country paths... I mean roads, to this campsite

It is a PROPER back to basics campsite, but I didn't realise that basic meant having to get naked in front of everyone! I've just walked the entire coast path and have stayed in at least 50 different campsites along the way, this one has been the worst, especially for £30 (an extra £10 than what we've been paying. For nice campsites. With somewhere to hang your clothes in the shower. So they don't get wet!)

Unless your desperate, I would go someplace else

Recommend to friends Visit again

Simple site with clean facilities and friendly owners.

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Lovely waterside woodland setting, ideal for kids who want some space. also great for those who want to access the water with kayaks and boards etc

Recommend to friends Visit again

This site is in a wonderfully secluded spot on the bank of…

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked This site is in a wonderfully secluded spot on the bank of a tidal estuary. There are very basic facilities, but otherwise it's pretty much wild camping. Lots of wildlife sounds at night, including owls, and a glorious dawn chorus. Great for walkers. Very welcoming and great for our mini dachshund, who had the time of her life.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Beautiful small secluded campsite, about an hours walk from Looe through lovely…

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
Jackie A.

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Beautiful small secluded campsite, about an hours walk from Looe through lovely woodland. Woke to the sound of a reed warbler and chiffchaff. Excellent toilet and shower facilities

Recommend to friends Visit again

Right next to the river, we are fisherman who needed somewhere to…

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Right next to the river, we are fisherman who needed somewhere to stay overnight on our trip don’t was the perfect spot, toilets and showers were brilliant, the owner was very kind and explained how she had fire pits and bbqs for us for free if we wanted, overall we will be staying again this summer.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

No 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 Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

Barbecue grills allowed Barbecue provided Campfires allowed Commercial vehicles allowed Dogs allowed Dogs allowed all year No dogs allowed

Themes

Hikers’ paradise Peaceful Remote location Spectacular scenery Wild camping Wildlife haven

Utilities

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

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby Public transportation nearby

Type

Tiny (1-10 sites)

Nearby leisure

Golf nearby Tennis nearby

Location

Watergate Camping

Lower Bracken

Watergate

West Looe

Looe

Cornwall

England

PL13 2NE

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

50.36687°N
4.48592°W

Nearest transport

Bus
6.2 mi Post Office
6.2 mi Lloyds TSB Bank
6.3 mi Post Box
Rail
1.4 mi Looe Rail Station
1.7 mi Sandplace Rail Station
2.8 mi Causeland Rail Station
Ferry
6.6 mi Bodinnick Ferry Landing
6.8 mi Fowey Custom House Quay Ferry Landing
6.9 mi Fowey Town Quay Ferry Landing
Airport
23.6 mi Newquay St Mawgan 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 your on-site fishing has you angling for more action, take the 10-minute drive to Looe harbour for sea fishing trips – pollack, cod, mackerel and plaice are among the swimmers you may snag. Prefer to leave them in the sea? Clamber onto a glass-bottom boat for a trip around Looe Island, with a window into what’s going on below. Back on shore, the kids can go crabbing along the harbour walls or poke about in the rockpools at the beach – the sandy beach here is also fab for sandcastle building and safe swims in shallow waters. If you’re up for a seaside stroll, pick a suitable stretch of the South West Coast Path, which runs through Looe. Beasts big and small can be seen on visits to the Porfell Wildlife Park & Sanctuary (15 minutes’ drive), the Wild Futures monkey sanctuary (20 minutes) and the Fowey Aquarium (40 minutes), where there’s a focus on local and native species. To take a look at nature from all around the globe, it’ll take you just over half an hour to drive to the famed domes of the Eden Project.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
East Looe 1.8 mi Estuary N/AGoodN/AN/A
Millendreath 2.2 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Seaton (Cornwall) 4.4 mi Sea N/AGoodGoodGood
Downderry 5.1 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Readymoney Cove 7.5 mi Estuary N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Eden Project 12.3 mi

Lost Gardens of Heligan 15.5 mi

National Marine Aquarium 15.7 mi

Cornwall's Crealy Great Adventure Park 21.3 mi

Dartmoor Zoological Park 21.9 mi

National Trust

Cotehele 14.4 mi

Cotehele Mill 14.4 mi

Buckland Abbey 17.4 mi

Saltram 17.8 mi

Salcombe: Thurlestone to Torcross 17.8 mi

Cycle routes

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

Other

Looe - Woods and River 1.2 mi

Looe River and Woods 1.2 mi

Talland Bay - Polperro 2.1 mi

Looe - Polperro 2.1 mi

Polperro Coast 2.9 mi

Local events

  • Boardmasters (Wednesday, August 6, 2025 – Wednesday, August 6, 2025)

    Newquay, England 24.7 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.

Nearest campgrounds

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable campgrounds.

Want to know more about camping in Cornwall?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Watergate Camping have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Watergate Camping dog friendly? No View all features
  • What attractions are near Watergate Camping? If your on-site fishing has you angling for more action, take the 10-minute drive to Looe harbour for sea fishing trips – pollack, cod, mackerel and plaice are among the swimmers you … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Watergate Camping?
    RV, travel trailer and tent sites
    Arrive:  11:30 a.m. –  9 p.m.
    Depart by:  10 a.m.
    On-park accommodation
    Arrive:  2 p.m. –  6 p.m.
    Depart by:  10:30 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Watergate Camping? From $94.05 (for 1 night, 4 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.