Proper Camping

No availability at present on Pitchup.com 9.3 6 reviews

Back to basics Cornwall family campsite just off the A39
A quarter of an hour's drive from Port Isaac and Tintagel
Friendly dogs welcome; open campfires allowed

Anyone after a bit of outdoor relaxing should give Proper Camping's photos a proper inspection – this secluded rural site looks out over the kind of hilly Cornish countryside that inspires hours of drowsy daydreaming as you kick back in your camping chair… Even by Cornish standards, the location of Proper Camping is impressive – set just off the A39 road and half a mile from the village of Helstone, it's a quarter of an hour's drive from stunning coastal spots like Port Isaac and Tintagel. Trundling along the Camel Trail by bike from Wadebridge (15 minutes), wandering over the wilds of Bodmin Moor (from 10 minutes) and catching waves in the surfers’ paradise that is Newquay (35 minutes) are all equally easily arranged. On the facilities front, this family-friendly site keeps it simple with four eco toilets, a water point and two hot showers. Friendly dogs are allowed at Proper Camping, but please keep them on leads and under control at all times – the site's free-range chickens and ducks will thank you for it. Open campfires are allowed, but please follow instructions from site staff if you're planning on this option.

Site type

Please note

Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
The site does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Dangerous Dogs Act (i.e. XL Bully, Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro).
Group bookings of 2 or more units (e.g. tent, touring caravan, motorhome or accommodation hire) travelling together are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
No hen/stag parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
Dogs are not allowed if you are staying in the accommodation units.
Discount cards and gift vouchers cannot be applied to bookings made via Pitchup.com.
Guests are advised to bring a good quality torch with them as parts of the site are unlit.
Bookings must not consist of more than 2 different households.
No naked flames are allowed inside the hired accommodation units.
Please note that the toilet/shower facilities are unisex.
No electric barbecues allowed.

Languages spoken

English

Pitch types & availability

No availability at present on Pitchup.com

Choose your dates and we'll email when available.

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Reviews

would recommend this site to a friend

would stay here again

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Only showing reviews for the last 30 months.

Lovely people, peaceful place ,despite being close to the main road would visit…

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

Leonidas v. Sept 2023

Bell tent

Liked: Lovely people, peaceful place ,despite being close to the main road
would visit again .

Recommend to friends Visit again

Basic but lovely, would definitely go back

Overall	10/10
Location	6
Value for money	10
Accommodation	10
Facilities / Activities	10
Customer service	10
Child friendliness	10
Cleanliness	10
Wifi	10

Jennie R. Aug 2023

Non-electric grass and sand campervan pitch

Liked: Lovely site and the chickens were great to watch!!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Before we arrived the owners sent instructions to get to the campsite,…

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

Megan D. Aug 2022

Bell tent

Liked: Before we arrived the owners sent instructions to get to the campsite, good clean bell tent, hot showers and drinking water, places to charge devices and campsite rules in a communal area. A fire bin outside to have your own fire and a picnic bench so you have somewhere to sit. Our first family camping trip as a family of 2 adults a 6 year old and 1 year old. Very hot weekend but such a brilliant experience and the children loved watching the chickens roam around!
Very happy with our experience and would definitely recommend and will be back!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely small site. Owners very friendly

Overall	8/10
Location	6
Value for money	8
Accommodation	8
Facilities / Activities	8
Customer service	8
Child friendliness	6
Cleanliness	10
Wifi	No rating

Neil A. Aug 2022

Bell tent

Liked: Very clean bell tent
Very quiet
Facilities very clean

Recommend to friends Visit again

Views from the car park were amazing, not so great from where…

Overall	8/10
Location	8
Value for money	6
Accommodation	8
Facilities / Activities	8
Customer service	10
Child friendliness	No rating
Cleanliness	10
Wifi	No rating

Helen T. Aug 2022

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: Views from the car park were amazing, not so great from where the tent was but the site itself was clean and had everything we needed for one nights stay.

Disliked: Freezing cold showers, which weren’t bad on such a hot day but if you’re not lucky with the weather it wouldn’t be great. We were also the only people staying which was a bit odd for august, it’s right next to the A38 but the traffic noise didn’t bother us that much

Recommend to friends Visit again

What isn’t there to like! One of the cleanest sites I’ve ever…

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

mitchell r. Aug 2022

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: What isn’t there to like! One of the cleanest sites I’ve ever stayed at, the owners are very welcoming and clearly have a passion for this!

The owner took our children around to collect eggs and look at the bee hives. Location is perfect for venturing out to the main attractions. Local shops within a few minutes drive.

With a few pitches it keeps the site very enjoyable, no cramped camping, no loud pitches etc

Disliked: Not being able to have enough annual leave to stay longer

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

Pop-up campground

Dogs allowed

Campfires allowed

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 pitch/unit Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Food shop Free wifi Ice pack freezing Internet access Launderette Parent & baby washroom Pick-up from public transport Portable toilet Pub toilets Public telephone Shower available Toilet block Washing-up area Wifi

Groups 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

Themes

Budget/backpacker Spectacular scenery Wild camping

Utilities

Charging facilities Chemical disposal Communal freezer Electric car charging point(s) Gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby Shop nearby

Type

Pop-up campground Small (11-25 pitches)

Accessibility

Disabled facilities

Nearby leisure

Cycle hire nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Horse riding nearby Indoor pool nearby Restaurant nearby Surf school nearby Watersports nearby

Location

Proper Camping

Pool Cottage

Helstone

Camelford

Cornwall

England

PL32 9RW

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

50.59785°N
-4.70985°W

Nearest transport

Coach

12.7 km Lidl Superstore

12.8 km Lidl Superstore

14 km Car Park

Rail

17.2 km Bodmin Parkway Rail Station

21.4 km Lostwithiel Rail Station

21.7 km Roche Rail Station

Ferry

16.4 km Rock Padstow Ferry Landing

17.2 km Padstow Ferry Landing

29.1 km Fowey Custom House Quay Ferry Landing

Airport

26.8 km 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

Assemble your bikes, helmets and assorted cycling gear before setting off to Proper Camping – the site's within 10 minutes' drive of the cracking coastal and inland scenery that lines the Camel Trail, a car-free bike path that runs from Wadebridge in the north (15 minutes' drive) down to Bodmin in the middle of the moor (20 minutes). Surf's up at several locations along the north Cornwall coast, with Trebarwith Strand (10 minutes), Polzeath (20 minutes) and Newquay (35 minutes) high up on the bucket list of most board sport fans travelling through these parts. Other seaside locations like Port Isaac (15 minutes) and Tintagel (15 minutes) are renowned for their heritage and history – the former is a traditional fishing village with the architecture and harbour to prove it, while the latter is home to towering Tintagel Castle where the legendary King Arthur is said to have held his court. For something to keep the small sorts smiling, get locked up at Bodmin Jail (20 minutes), take a trip to see the animals at Newquay Zoo (35 minutes) or get them involved in go-karting, zipwires and other high-speed attractions at Adrenalin Quarry (50 minutes).

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name	Distance	Type	2020	2019	2018	2017
Trebarwith Strand	6.4 km	Sea	N/A	Excellent	Good	Good
Polzeath	14.8 km	Estuary	N/A	Excellent	Good	Excellent
Daymer Bay	15.8 km	Estuary	N/A	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent
Crackington Haven	16.9 km	Sea	N/A	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent
Trevone Bay	19.8 km	Sea	N/A	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Tintagel Castle 8.7 km

Rock Beach 16.3 km

Cornwall's Crealy Great Adventure Park 19.6 km

Eden Project 25.6 km

Newquay Zoo 32.8 km

National Trust

Tintagel Old Post Office 7.8 km

Lawrence House 24.9 km

Carnewas and Bedruthan Steps 26 km

Trerice 33.2 km

Cotehele Mill 36.1 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

Camelford Town and River 3.5 km

Camelford and Countryside 3.6 km

Camelford Country 3.6 km

LAMELLEN 4.8 km

Trebarwith Strand 6.2 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.

Policies

Booking terms and conditions

Safety

Barbecues are permitted but must be raised off the ground and attended by an adult at all times.

Changes to your holiday

Bookings cannot be amended within 7 day(s) of arrival.

Occupancy

Bookings must not consist of more than 2 different households.

General

Discount cards and gift vouchers cannot be applied to bookings made via Pitchup.com.

Dogs

Dogs are not allowed if you are staying in the accommodation units.
Dogs must be kept on leads and supervised at all times.

Safety

Firearms are not permitted.

Occupancy

Group bookings of 2 or more units (e.g. tent, touring caravan, motorhome or accommodation hire) travelling together are not permitted via Pitchup.com.

Safety

Guests are advised to bring a good quality torch with them as parts of the site are unlit.

Hired accommodation

Hired accommodation: £100.00 (R2,314.14) damage/cleanliness/bracelet deposit is required on arrival and will be refunded on departure after inspection of your unit should no damage/losses be found.

General

In the event of a complaint, please speak to reception immediately. Complaints which are not brought to the management's attention during your stay cannot be dealt with once you have left the site.

Arrivals and departures

Late arrivals must notify the park as soon as possible. Your booking will be held for 24 hours. After this period the management reserves the right to relet your unit.

Extras

Motorbike(s) can be brought instead of the car(s) included.

Safety

No electric barbecues allowed.

Occupancy

No hen/stag parties permitted via Pitchup.com.

Hired accommodation

No naked flames are allowed inside the hired accommodation units.

Arrivals and departures

No refunds/discounts for inclement weather, late arrivals or early departures.

Safety

Please do not touch or feed the animals.

Pitches

Please note, pup tents are to be used for storage purposes only. Guests may not use them for sleeping.

General

Please note that the toilet/shower facilities are unisex.
Quiet hours must be respected between 10 p.m. and 8:30 a.m..
Radio, music and TV players must be kept at a low volume. Car doors and boots must be closed quietly.

Hired accommodation

The damage/cleanliness/bracelet deposit required on arrival can only be paid for in cash.

General

The management reserves the right to deny access or terminate the stay of those guests whose behaviour is deemed unsuitable. No refunds will be offered.

Dogs

The site does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Dangerous Dogs Act (i.e. XL Bully, Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro).

General

The site is not liable for any refund in the event of force majeure.

Arrivals and departures

The site will send you further check-in information 7 day(s) before your arrival.

Admission

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

Arrivals and departures

Units will be allocated on arrival.

Visitors

Visitors’ cars are not permitted on site.

Pitches

You must follow the management directives when pitching your tent/unit and related equipment.

Hired accommodation

Your unit must be left clean and tidy, a fine of £25.00 (R578.54) will be charged for unclean units upon departure.

Payment terms

Nearest sites

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable sites.

Frequently asked questions

Does Proper Camping have a swimming pool? No View all features
Is Proper Camping dog friendly? Yes View all features
What attractions are near Proper Camping? Assemble your bikes, helmets and assorted cycling gear before setting off to Proper Camping – the site's within 10 minutes' drive of the cracking coastal and inland scenery that lines the Camel … Read more