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22 of the best campsites in Cornwall
Camping is a time-honoured way of saving money on holiday — but spending a few nights under canvas doesn't have to mean roughing it. There are lots of fantastic campsites to choose from in Cornwall, with styles to suit all tastes. Some are charmingly rustic with nothing much more to offer than the joys of nature, an empty field and a loo block. Others have a full range of family-friendly facilities as well as organised activities and often a restaurant. Plenty stay open all year, too, making a spring or autumn camping trip perfectly possible: April, September or October can be good months if the weather's kind.
If you don't fancy bringing your own camping gear, you could rent a bell tent from Ysella or BellaKernow, or upgrade to a camper van courtesy of companies such as Quirky Campers or Camperbug. Here's our pick of the best campsites in Cornwall.
£ | PET-FRIENDLY | Best for quirky character
This endearing, eccentric campsite out on the wild Lizard Peninsula is an old favourite, popular for its pretty setting, friendly welcome and slightly freewheeling vibe. All the pitches are different, with some out in the fields with open sea views and others sheltered behind dry-stone walls or exotic plants. There are music nights in the summer, and a shop stocked with local goodies. It often gets booked up months in advance, but is open year-round, making this a stalwart for shoulder-season camping. While dogs aren't allowed in the summer holidays, they are welcomed during the rest of the year (but must be kept on a lead while on site).
££ | PET-FRIENDLY | Best for sailors
Not a campsite for seclusion, but if you're a sailor, you'll be in seventh heaven here. It's just outside the yachtie village of Mylor next to the busy boatyard (there's space for you to park your own vessel if you wish). This is one of the best spots in Cornwall for sailing, with organised lessons and boat hire as well as kayak and paddleboard rental, so if you want to get out on the water, you're in luck. The marina also has a café and restaurant so you can dodge the cooking duties.
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£ | PET-FRIENDLY | Best for eco-friendly camping
This community venue up in the fields above Porthtowan is a popular hangout for local folk, with regular gigs, workshops and events, and an excellent plant-based café, Canteen. It also has a lovely wild camping field, with lots of space to pitch your own tent as well as six shepherd's huts and six timber''eco-pods'. Everything is run along green lines, with compost loos, solar-powered showers and rainwater harvesting in the garden. The cliff walks are spectacular and there are bikes for hire — although it's worth noting that the long hill down into Porthtowan is brutally steep.
£ | PET-FRIENDLY | Best for the Lost Gardens of Heligan
There are several big campsites near the Lost Gardens, but If you're looking for something a little more earthy and that looks less like a caravan park, we recommend Higher Kestle Farm. This is a small, low-key campsite tucked among hedges on a working 300-acre farm, accessed by a narrow track off a typically narrow Cornish lane. Open from April until October, it has a separate meadow for tents, with caravans and campers in an adjacent field. You can take a wander through woodland direct to the Lost Gardens of Heligan entrance. Lobbs Farm Shop, also next to the gardens, has produce from Higher Kestle Farm, including grass-fed pork and beef.
£ | PET-FRIENDLY | Best for supporting the National Trust
This is relaxed countryside camping in Cornwall at its best, without the formalities of check-in desks or allocated pitches. Put your tent where you like on the cosy camping meadow surrounded by mature hedgerows for shade and shelter; one of the National Trust rangers (the Trust owns this farm campsite) will be along to check all is well once they've finished looking after the surrounding coastline around Lansallos for the day. Small motorhomes and caravans no more than 6m long may stay here (the approach lanes are narrow) in addition to camper vans and tents.
£ | PET-FRIENDLY | Best for family-friendly facilities
This is a full-scale Haven holiday park — so if that doesn't appeal, then look elsewhere — but the setting is impressive: it's above the grand, golden, three-mile sweep of Perranporth, at the beach's quieter northern end, amid a sprawling (and ecologically important) dune system. Most of the site is dedicated to static caravans and chalets, with separate areas for campers and motorhomes, and for pre-pitched glamping options (safari tents, geodomes, yurts). The facilities are extensive: several restaurants, a supermarket, two swimming pools and lots of activities for kids and adults. There are minimum stay periods of three nights and upwards, depending on the accommodation you choose.
£ | Best for direct beach access
Award-winning Pentewan Sands provides what few Cornish campsites can: the use of a private sandy beach. This lovely site, within five miles of charming Mevagissey, has a large, flat pitching area, and static holiday caravans for rent. There's a holiday-park feel to the site, with a restaurant, a fish-and-chip takeaway and a well-stocked shop and bakery. There are also two indoor pools, tennis courts, bike hire and a water sports centre on the beach, with opportunities for paddleboarding, kayaking, windsurfing and boat hire. Children will love the adventure playground, also on the beach.
£ | PET-FRIENDLY | Best for exploring Bodmin Moor
Not everywhere in Cornwall is by the sea: Siblyback Lake has the incredible, wild landscape of Bodmin Moor for a backdrop. The lakeside campsite is wonderful for active families because it's part of an activity centre that offers kayaking, canoeing, paddleboarding, sailing and angling for all ages. There are activity sessions with water sports instructors and equipment hire for those looking to try something new, or you can use your own kit. The ecampsite and activity centre are run by South West Lakes Trust — which runs four other activity centres with campsites attached across the southwest.
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£ | ACCESSIBLE | PET-FRIENDLY | Best for coast walks
Plan to stay here in spring or summer if you can — the flowers are flawless, including the daffodils that sit atop a fine Cornish wall at the farmhouse entrance. Also flawless are the striking views of the St Agnes Heritage Coast and Wheal Coates, a former mine and Unesco world heritage site. Stay in late summer and the colours of the coast, smothered in heather and wild broom, will drag you from your pitch for a respectably long stomp along the headland footpaths. Prices are reduced for backpackers and there's a minimum seven-night stay during August.
££ | PET-FRIENDLY | Best for riding the surf
The north coast village of Polzeath was once a quiet surfers' hangout, but these days it's gentrified almost beyond recognition. The village has sprawled substantially over the surrounding fields, which makes the presence of a decent campsite rather surprising. Southwinds is up on the grassy hills above the village, with panoramic views of the coast. There are four main fields: Lundy is exclusively for tents, while Trenant, Southwinds and Stepper accommodate motorhomes and camper vans (with the option to pitch tents alongside). It's about a ten-minute walk down to the village. Even closer to the sand, sister site Tristram is exclusively for campers and caravans.
£ | PET-FRIENDLY | Best for golf breaks
As locations go, Trevornick is right up there for incredible views of the north Cornwall coast and Holywell Bay from many pitches. Although it's a large site covering 200 acres, Trevornick is broken up into fields, each with its own character; many pitches are terraced, some have privacy hedges between. There is a two-night minimum stay and six different pitch types, from basic grass to the extra-large Super Plus option on hardstandings with water and waste connections, electricity hook-up and TV aerial connection. Families will remain entertained for a fortnight without the need to head off-site, with facilities that include an 18-hole golf course. Holywell Bay, though, is only a 15-minute walk away.
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£ | PET-FRIENDLY | Best for rural location
There's always a great vibe at Treloan on the Roseland Peninsula, within a short walk of Gerrans Bay and Portscatho. The campsite has incredible ocean views and it's only a two-minute walk from the main fields to a pebbly beach for rockpooling fun. Personal fires in braziers are permitted and there's a weekly, communal campfire with singing and storytelling. There are creative family workshops during the day; children can help the campsite owners feed the sheep and chickens, and collect the eggs.
£ | PET-FRIENDLY | Best for clifftop views
One of the most spectacular coastal views from any campsite in Cornwall is that from Trewethett Farm, a clifftop site overlooking Bossiney Cove on the north Cornish coast. Motorhomes, camper vans, touring caravans and tents can pitch here, with non-members welcome. The site and amenities are always immaculately clean and tidy. The South West Coast Path runs past the site and the clifftop walks to nearby Boscastle and Tintagel are not to be missed.
£ | PET-FRIENDLY | Best for England's most western point
You'll be hard pressed to find many campsites further west than this one; it's only three miles from Land's End. Despite the rather misleading name, this large site is actually a couple of miles inland from its eponymous cove: the nearest beach, Gwynver, is a 35-minute walk, while the beach at Sennen is a 35-minute walk from the campsite. There's a relaxed family feel to the site, run by the Camping and Caravanning Club, with non-members welcome. There are sea views from many of the 72 pitches for tents, motorhomes and touring caravans. Attractions such as the Minack Theatre and Geevor Tin Mine Museum are close by.
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££ | PET-FRIENDLY | Best for a range of facilities
Hendra Holiday Park covers 80 acres with more than 500 touring pitches and a large area of static caravans — although it's anything but impersonal. Hendra has exceptional facilities, including a vast leisure pool complex and activities for both children and adults. However, if you wish to stay away from the bustle, select a pitch in one of the quiet touring paddocks with sweeping south-facing views of hills and valleys; there's a three-night minimum stay. The park prides itself on its green credentials: solar power supplies more than 90 per cent of its electricity requirements, while a fuel-efficient biomass boiler heats the water for the swimming pools.
££ | PET-FRIENDLY | Best for access to St Ives
It's easy to visit ever-popular St Ives when you stay at Polmanter; there's a regular shuttle bus into town or campers can take a short walk through the neighbouring Steeple Woodland Nature Reserve. The touring park has been run by the Osborne family for more than 50 years, and has bagged multiple awards. You'll want to give one of your own to the amazing view over the Atlantic coast — the perfect accompaniment to your morning croissants and coffee.
££ | NO ELECTRICITY | PET-FRIENDLY | Best for proper Cornish pasties
At Gear Farm, you can have your pasty and eat it . . . while sat in your camping chair. The campsite is basic — a field off a single-track lane with no electricity and unmarked pitches for tents, camper vans, motorhomes less than 8m long, and touring caravans. There are no electric hook-ups, and the toilets and showers are in purpose-built wooden sheds. About that pasty, though. Gear Farm, on the Lizard, regularly ranks top for making the best pasty in Cornwall. They are made and sold at the farm shop. And, if you wish to run a taste test for comparison, you can buy the very reputable Ann's Pasties only six miles away. Out of respect to Gear Farm, we suggest you eat that one off-site.
£££ | NO ELECTRICITY | PET-FRIENDLY | Best for hidden Cornwall
High on a hill in a tiny and often overlooked corner of Cornwall is Sea Forts with its collection of luxury bell tents sited within a Napoleonic fort. By camping here you're helping to preserve and bring the historic barracks back to life as part of a restoration programme. Each bell tent has a cosy double bed and, in the larger family-sized ones, single beds for the kids too: the biggest sleep up to four. All come with a picnic table, fire pit, skillet, Dutch oven and grill — and, of course, a candelabra. The top ones also have a private viewing deck. On no-cook days, the Guardhouse offers tasty fare from breakfast to evening tapas. Be sure to take a walk or cycle in the neighbouring Mount Edgcumbe House and Country Park. You can also hop on the ferry from either Cawsand or Cremyll to Plymouth, crossing the county boundary to Devon.
£ | PET-FRIENDLY | Best for home cooking
Treveague already has plenty going for it thanks to its stirring sea views. What stands out is the back-to-basics, no-frills approach to camping and the opportunity to appreciate the views and location without a host of on-site entertainments. There are three gorgeous beaches within a 30-minute walk and the South West Coast Path passes by the campsite. Enjoy freshly prepared food from the on-site takeaway which serves breakfasts at weekends and excellent home-cooked food alongside beers from the nearby St Austell Brewery. The menu includes delicious Indian cuisine and pizzas.
£ | PET-FRIENDLY | Best for breakfast with a sea view
Surfers are likely to be familiar with Watergate Bay. Just two miles north of Newquay, it is one of Cornwall's finest beaches on the north coast, and a go-to for those wishing to ride the waves. On the cliffs above the bay is the View at Watergate Bay. There's no need to explain why the campsite is named so. For a hearty brunch, take a morning stroll down to the Beach Hut,a laid-back restaurant at the Watergate Hotel with giant picture windows at sea level. The menu has local, seasonal produce that's 50 per cent plant-based. If you really can't be fussed to move a muscle from your pitch-with-a-view, there's Sunshine at the View, an on-site café, bar and off-licence.
££ | PET-FRIENDLY | Best for a Padstow fish supper
Dennis Cove Campsite is a few minutes from Padstow town centre and among its many amenities is a shower block that includes a family shower room with oodles of hot water. The 100 pitches for tents, camper vans and small touring caravans are spread out across five fields. Padstow's maritime micro-climate means that frost is rare even in spring and autumn, so you can enjoy a camping holiday in the low season when the town is less busy with day-trippers. With the short walk into town from your pitch, there's no need to fight for a hard-to-find car parking space.
£££ | PET-FRIENDLY | Best for peace and quiet
This is the place to choose for creature comforts: there's no camping here, just posh lodges. Below the entrance and reception area to the site is a collection of smart-looking static holiday homes within immaculately kept grounds. The shepherds' huts, which sleep four (no dogs allowed here), are on level ground adjacent to a pretty, bubbling stream. Each is screened by fencing so you have total privacy with your own patio and hot-tub. The site is in a coastal valley with woodland opposite and surrounding hills. There's a very pleasant 15-minute woodland walk to the lovely cove-like beach at Mawgan Porth, with its handful of restaurants and shops.
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Additional reporting by Richard Mellor
