Military Pod Camping

View prices & book 8.8 71 reviews
Visitor image of the sunset over camp (added by manager 29 Sep 2022)
Military pod for 2.. the double seemed wider here, my bed for the night ..
Pod 1 exterior
Pod 1 exterior

  • Quiet Cornwall campsite on the site of a WW2 anti-aircraft battery
  • Five minutes' drive from Lizard; 15 minutes from Helston
  • Fishing shop and café within half a mile of base
Grassy green grounds with a helping of military history await at this rural site on the south coast of Cornwall, where you can pitch up on the site of a former Second World War anti-aircraft battery. The guns at Military Pod Camping once guarded the skies above the Lizard Peninsula, formerly a key strategic point along the Cornwall coast. Today, the Lizard has become a top destination for walkers, cyclists and beachgoers, and this site – in Ruan Minor, positioned between the village of Lizard (five minutes' drive) and Helston (15 minutes) – is in an excellent location to explore it all. This peaceful site borders a nature reserve and is within easy reach of natural beauty spots such as Kynance Cove, Cadgwith Cove and Kennack Sands – as well as the South West Coast Path which connects them all together. The amenities at Military Pod Camping include well-maintained toilet and shower facilities, as well as fresh water and a chemical toilet disposal point. Barbecues and firepits can be supplied by site staff on arrival. Wandering away from base, you can buy fishing equipment from the local rod and tackle shop or stop for drinks and snacks at an independent café, both of which are under half a mile away from site.

Site type

Tent pitches 8
Lodges, cabins, pods or huts 2
Motorhome pitches 6
Touring caravan pitches 6
Open now
Opens 26 April
Please note
  • The site does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Dangerous Dogs Act (i.e. Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro).
  • At least one of the party members must be aged 18 or over.
  • Guests are advised to bring a good quality torch with them as parts of the site are unlit.
  • Please note that the toilet/shower facilities are unisex.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri, 26 Apr to

Pitch types & availability

Reviews

82%

would recommend this site to a friend

80%

would stay here again

  • 71%
    10
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    9
  • 14%
    8
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    7
  • 1%
    6
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    5
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    1

Only showing reviews for the last 30 months.

Excellent

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

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked: Great location!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Highly recommend site!Great location peaceful & lots of lovely beaches

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

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked: Great place to stay! Ian the owner was lovely and had a very fast response and turned up within a few minutes to show us about etc! we loved all the old military equipment and was lucky enough to stay over a weekend when Ian had an open weekend for his museum there, he even fired some of the old rifles and cannons with blanks which was amazing to see and hear and had a little catering trailer open there for you to buy refreshments etc during the museum opening weekend the site is in a great location and level ground and well looked after, also very remote and quiet, we have an autistic toddler who is often a bit wild and loud etc, we had no problems here at all in the 17 nights we stayed in the end, nice clean toilet and a hot shower to and fresh drinking water from a tap. And I certainly wouldn’t let the odd negative review put you off!! You need to read all the information Ian has provided before booking, as if for his amazing price he charges per night, you expect a clubhouse/bar and all day children’s entertainment and evening entertainment and big children’s play areas etc like the big very exspensive corporate sites, then that’s the only reason I could see anyone be disappointed. We will certainly be going back in the near future when kids school holidays again as a perfect site for us and very happy with our stay!

Disliked: That we had to leave and couldn’t live there permanently in a static caravan as such a lovely site

Recommend to friends Visit again

Not happy

Overall 2/10
Location 10
Value for money 2
Accommodation 2
Facilities / Activities 2
Customer service 2
Child friendliness 2
Cleanliness 4
Wifi No rating
Julie H. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked: The army memorabilia was unique and took us 2 minutes to look at.

Disliked: This place confused us. You can't call it a campsite. We didn't stay here. It's a tiny field/green pop-up with a porta loo and a shower in a portaloo that looked like a hazard. More than 3 campers and its going to feel crowded. No one about to tell us where to go or if we were even in the right place. We cut our losses and went to an actual site.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: I'm sorry you were disappointed and I missed you on site, I did send you a welcome message with directions when you booked, I'm on site at least 3 times a day and am always available by phone, the toilet and shower are cleaned at least once a day and the shower cubicle although plastic is 3 years old and not a portaloo as you stated. we are a small site with only one toilet and shower and really don't understand your crowded comment as there was less than 3 pitches occupied while you were there. I hope you found another site that was more to your liking but expect you payed far more than the £16/night that we charge. What we offer at our site is clearly stated in our description and photos, many of which were posted by guests.

Clean friendly and the pods are basic but different.

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

Military camping pod (two person)

Liked: Location was perfect. Nice and quiet Easy to get to Lizard point and walking paths.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thanks for your booking, glad you enjoyed your stay

Well worth a stay for sure !

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

Military camping pod (two person)

Liked: Quirky site loved the history behind it well worth a visit if you’re in to WW2 history very helpful any small issues sorted right away definitely recommend.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: pleased you enjoyed your stay, was a pleasure to host you and your daughter

2nd visit; very basic but perfect; clean toilet and shower, what else…

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

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked: 2nd visit; very basic but perfect; clean toilet and shower, what else do you need. Just up the road from the Lizard, on the edge of a nature reserve. Good walking territory! A couple of good beaches nearby, National Trust car park but expensive for a day unless you're a member. Fascinating museum of WW2 stuff run by enthusiasts,,, the best sort of museum. Hope to return again

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thanks for your booking, pleased to hear you enjoyed your return visit, hopefully see you again.

The grass was mown and the field was flat…

Overall 4/10
Location No rating
Value for money No rating
Accommodation No rating
Facilities / Activities No rating
Customer service No rating
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness No rating
Wifi No rating
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked: The grass was mown and the field was flat

Disliked: No sign; no one on site; very limited facilities; owner texted to say he would be on site the next day to show us how the shower worked, but never showed up.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: sorry I missed you but I gave clear directions about where to pitchup, I popped onto site 3 times specifically to see you but you weren't there and texted you the gate code after my 9pm lock up when you were out, the facilties are 1 shower and 1 toilet and rubbish disposal as shown on my advert, both cleaned daily, sorry you found the facilties limited but we are a small rural off grid site and don't pretend to be anything else.

basic site with basic but clean toilets etc

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

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked: location

Disliked: weather !

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: unfortunately we can control the site cleanliness but sadly not the weather, wish we could!

Not a campsite! Be aware and do your research.

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

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked: Shower was hot but that's all the positives I have.

Disliked: WARNING - This is NOT a site for solo female travellers! This is NOT a campsite and should not be on pitchup. This is wild camping with a porta loo and porta shower that you're paying over the odds for. My friend & I both turned up in our campervans being very confused if we were at the correct place as there were no signs and nobody around. I found a junk yard where some guys were working & they said it was the field and laughed about me having to piss in the bush. The owner Ian messaged saying he would be straight with us after he saw us arrive on the field through his camera. 1hr 15mins later he rocks up with no apology. We were desperate for showers but had no idea where they were, only the porta loo dumped by the gate was obvious. The shower was warm but the changing area is shocking with a curtain that doesn't pull across properly so you're exposed. Nowhere to hang or put anything. Fence surrounding shower looks like it's about to collapse. It's a dumping ground for all his war memorabilia, machinery, rubbish, barbed wire. Walking to the shower there was a piece of wood with 3 nails sticking out just laying on the grass which is seriously dangerous and there's no light at night so there's an accident waiting to happen. Ian didn't appear to know what the junk yard next door was which we found shocking considering the staff drive through the campsite to access the road and know the gate combination. Ian locked the gate and told us the code but someone from the yard turned up late evening which made us feel uneasy. We almost left at one point as we didn't feel comfortable. Whilst Ian was on site, a large sprinter van with a couple turned up. We asked if anyone else was booked in, praying we'd have others, but they quickly turned round and left. Weirdly the next morning at the Kynance carpark we bumped in to the van couple as they recognised our vans. They said they didn't get a good vibe from the site so left. I find the good reviews on here absolutely hard to believe, were they staying somewhere else!?! I have kids, the thought of letting them go and play on this dumped scares me. This site is a field by a busy road, one porta loo, one converted porta loo shower, drinking water. This review is based on two women staying here alone. This site in my eyes is only useful for motorhomes that have all their own facilities and using it for a quick stop over. We paid the same price elsewhere for a gorgeous site with excellent facilities and by the coast. They think they can get away with £16pn because its the Lizard. We both felt unsafe and jumped straight in the vans and locked the doors once it got dark. This is by far the worst "campsite" I've ever stayed at. If you could choose no stars then I would.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: I'm sorry you didn't enjoy your stay, I'm not sure what you expect for £16/night? Just to park at Kynance car park is £5/day, As for feeling unsafe because you were the only ones on site that night, most of our guests appreciate not being surrounded by lots of other people. In the site description we tell guests that the site is a growing museum and reccomend that guest bring torches as it gets dark at night, most guests are happy with this and aren't scared of the dark. We limit visitors to 8 pitches plus the 2 pods, cut the grass once a week and clean the toilet and shower at least once a day. I couldn't make it to greet you when you arrived as I was dealing with a serious family matter, but wish you had communicated your displeasure when I greeted you and I would have refunded your £16 giving you the opertunity to find an alternative site instead of leaving a scathing and frankly malicious review

Was a perfect spot for us, easy access and toilet facilities.…

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

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked: Was a perfect spot for us, easy access and toilet facilities.

Recommend to friends Visit again


Features

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

D. of E. 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

Peaceful Walkers' paradise

Utilities

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

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby Public transport nearby

Type

Small (11-25 pitches)

Accessibility

Disabled facilities

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Horse riding nearby Leisure/theme park nearby Restaurant nearby Sailing nearby Surf school nearby Watersports nearby

Location

Military Pod Camping

Predannack Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery and Museum

St. Helena

Mullion

Cornwall

England

TR12 7LH

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

49.9989°N
-5.21423°W

Nearest transport

Coach
12.1 km Bus Shelter
12.2 km Blue Anchor
12.2 km Seven Stars
Rail
19.3 km Penmere Rail Station
19.8 km Falmouth Town Rail Station
20.3 km Falmouth Docks Rail Station
Ferry
12.1 km Helford Village Ferry Landing
12.8 km Helford Passage Ferry Landing
20.2 km Falmouth Custom House Quay
Airport
26.1 km Penzance Airport
34.4 km Land's End St Just 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

Around the miles to the south, the Lizard Point (five minutes' drive) is the southernmost point in mainland Britain. Come for the far-reaching views, then head west along the coast to see the dramatic rocks at Kynance Cove (15 minutes), or make your way towards Cadgwith (10 minutes) in the opposite directions and experience the Devil's Frying Pan, a sea cave that collapsed in on itself. Inland, you could try your luck at angling at Countybridge Fishery (10 minutes) or head to Helston (15 minutes), the home of Flambards Theme Park and the Helston Railway, a restored Victorian steam line. Also inland (although on the edge of the pretty Helford river) is Gweek (15 minutes), where you can learn about marine conservation at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary. Another nice thing about the Lizard is that, while it feels distinct from the rest of the county, it's actually very well connected to the rest of Cornwall. Getting out to popular seaside towns like Falmouth (40 minutes), St Ives (40 minutes) or even Newquay (an hour) is easy if you fancy a change of scene, and must-see attractions like the Eden Project (an hour and 15 minutes) are close enough to be on your itinerary too.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020 2019 2018 2017
Kennack Sands 3.7 km Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Polurrian Cove 4 km Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Poldhu Cove 5.1 km Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Church Cove 5.8 km Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Coverack 8.8 km Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

National Seal Sanctuary 10.7 km

Flambards 10.8 km

Trebah Garden 13.7 km

National Maritime Museum Cornwall 20.1 km

Pendennis Castle 20.3 km

National Trust

Penrose Estate: Gunwalloe and Loe Pool 11.1 km

Glendurgan Garden 13.6 km

Godolphin 18.1 km

St Anthony Head 23 km

St Michael's Mount 23 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

Rill Cove 3.2 km

Church Cove and Lizard Point 4.3 km

Royal Anne Galley 4.6 km

Schiedam 6.2 km

St Anthony 8 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.

Nearest sites

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable sites.

Want to know more about camping in Cornwall?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Military Pod Camping have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Military Pod Camping dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Military Pod Camping? Around the miles to the south, the Lizard Point (five minutes' drive) is the southernmost point in mainland Britain. Come for the far-reaching views, then head west along the coast to see … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Military Pod Camping?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  Anytime –  9 p.m.
    Depart by:  11:30 a.m.
    On-site accommodation
    Arrive:  3 p.m. –  9 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Military Pod Camping? From R186.16 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.