Watergate Camping

View prices & book 9.7 141 reviews
Visitor image of the view of main camping area (added by manager 14 Sep 2022)
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
The view of the campsite from the 'beach' at watergate
River
1/353
Favourite
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 7
Rent a tent 2
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 Wed, May 1 to

Campsite types & availability

Accommodation

Tent sitesCamper sitesRV sitesLodges, cabins, pods or hutsCaravans for hireRent a tent
Choose your dates
2 adults
0 children

Reviews

9.7

Overall rating based on 141 reviews View breakdown

Peaceful

Voted 89% of visitors View breakdown

98%

would recommend this campground to a friend

98%

would stay here again

  • 87%
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    1

Only showing reviews for the last 30 months.

Small campsite with nice size pitches. Great view of river & able…

Overall 8/10
Location 8
Value for money 8
Accommodation 8
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 8
Wifi 2
Gemma P. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked: Small campsite with nice size pitches. Great view of river & able to have a fire. Friendly owners. The kids had an amazing time playing around campsite with the other kids. Rory (who lives on site) was really knowledgeable about the campsite .....he was a great advocate for the site despite him being really young No WiFi but we didn't want any anyway so that's not a bad thing

Disliked: Sorry but literally only one dislike which was the fridge was not very well maintained. Could do with a clean out.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Amazing riverside camping

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 8
Wifi 2
Toni T. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked: Amazing semi wild riverside camping with direct access to the water. Quiet, peaceful with beautiful scenery and plenty of wildlife.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Generally very good.

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

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked: Beautiful location, plenty of wildlife, large pitch size, quiet site, access to river.

Disliked: Toilets and showers require updating although water was always hot. Camp site could do with general tidy. No recycling available.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Everything about this campsite. I am a regular returning customer. The location,…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 2
Juss B. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked: Everything about this campsite. I am a regular returning customer. The location, staff, and setting is just lovely. Very relaxed regarding use of fire pits, bbqs and pretty much leave you to it unless you need anything. Always able to help! I only live half an hour down the road and come here at least once a year every year

Disliked: Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

The welcoming nature of the campsite, coupled with the great value for…

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

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked: The welcoming nature of the campsite, coupled with the great value for money and incredibly scenic location. Would deffo travel again

Recommend to friends Visit again

Clean, simple, peaceful and friendly

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
Abbie Q. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked: Lovely as usual, this was our 3rd year here. We both just love how peaceful it is and never over crowded! We will definitely be back again

Recommend to friends Visit again

Very friendly relaxed site

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
Danielle H. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked: Incredibly friendly site owners, my 8 year old daughter had lots of fun playing with their children alongside the river. Clean toilet facilities and lovely hot shower. Very handy having a fridge and freezer to use. We had a choice of pitches and decided to pitch right along the river. Very picturesque. Loved hearing the sound of the cows echoing from across the river. Very child friendly - my daughter loved paddling in the river and she found it was a hot spot for crabbing! They sell wood and kindling on site which was handy for a camp fire in the evening. Having read previous reviews, we were a bit dubious about getting bitten by insects however, we didn’t get bit once whilst using insect repellent. You can drive into Looe within about 10 mins, or as some other campers suggested, during high tide you can paddleboard/boat down to Looe for the day. Will definitely be back again!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Would definitely recommend.

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
Gareth D. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked: The site was beautiful, tucked away in a small valley really made it feel quiet and peaceful. The showers and toilet facility were clean. The fridge and chest freezer was a really nice touch and the staff were really friendly.

Disliked: Being so close to the river meant there were a good amount of insects, bring repellent!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent site and clean place. Clean toilets and shower. Owner was very…

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 The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Bell tent

Liked: Excellent site and clean place. Clean toilets and shower. Owner was very helpful.

Recommend to friends Visit again

the views, the toilets and showers, the location…

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

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked: the views, the toilets and showers, the location

Disliked: the fridge was smelly, the septic tank smelly

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

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 Car parking by site/unit 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

Themes

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

Utilities

Charging facilities Communal fridge 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)

Accessibility

Disabled facilities

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 2020 2019 2018 2017
East Looe 1.8 mi Estuary N/A Good N/A N/A
Millendreath 2.2 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Seaton (Cornwall) 4.4 mi Sea N/A Good Good Good
Downderry 5.1 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Readymoney Cove 7.5 mi Estuary N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent

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

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? Yes 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 $39.97 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.