Cerenety Camping

Cerenety is a nice enough camp site, back to basics and a little off the beaten track, while close enough to the town (30 min walk along the canal) and Widemouth beach (45 minute walk). Great that we can have camp fires and bring our dog. The girl who seemed to be running the place was really friendly and helpful. 

We were squished in, though, and didn't get the spacious feeling we thought we would. Most cars,  (some people ignored this) were parked in the car park, which makes sense - but the remaining space was filled with more campers. A lot of the campsite is sloping, so take your chocks. The toilets were compost toilets with a bucket under a chair and a big tub of sawdust. I've no problem with eco toilets but these ones (with arms on the chairs?!) were quite uncomfortable, particularly for a woman (I don't know how people with larger derrieres cope!) and with nowhere to put your toiletries. 

Me and my boyfriend stayed here for a couple of weeks during this summer. We loved the whole vibe of Cerenity; from the hands-on and fun approach to sustainability, to the freedom of camping wherever you like (no regimented pitches here!). The views from the campsite are lovely, its perfect situation overlooking the whole town makes for a stunning view at night. There are lots of areas to explore within the site itself, with farm animals, wildlife, plants and tasty veggies from the patch all waiting to be discovered. It is refreshing to stay in a place where you are camping with nature and not on top of it.
As we were traveling on a budget this place was perfect for us as there were no hidden extra charges. The solar showers (which are great unless there's no sun, in which case it's a little chilly!) and fun compost toilet facilities are free to use, there is an on site cafe/info area that works on a donation 'pay what you can' scheme, a play area for children and, for a very reasonable price, the volunteers provide chopped wood for evening fires (something which a lot campsites don't allow you to have, but definitely should do). We also were lucky enough to wake up in time for Raff's Cafes breakfast, nothing like delicious pancakes and a cuppa to start your day!
The volunteers here are very welcoming and friendly, they also have a great knowledge of the nearby town. This was very useful in helping us plan our days activities. There are some lovely walks right out of the gate of Cerenity, leading into the town of Bude, along the canal or towards the beach. If traveling with a dog this is a perfect getaway as both this campsite and the town itself has a wide range of doggie-friendly places to eat, drink,walk and play.
We had a lovely time here, and have recommended it to all our friends!
Thank you Cerenity, we will definitely be back!

We were really looking forward to staying here as the website made it look very appealing. We stayed for 5 days and never saw the owners once. We had paid in advance, which was fortunate as we wouldn't have known where to go or who to pay. No one was there to greet us or show us around. We therefore have no idea where the vegetable patch was, or some of the animals. The alpacas were by the toilets so we saw those. Very cute. The toilets weren't like any compost toilets we've come across before, (and we've used quite a few!) These were basically a wooden chair with a hole cut out and a bucket underneath. In saying that, they were emptied two or three times a day and were generally kept very clean. The solar showers were cold, but the weather wasn't great so that was to be expected, but again they were clean. The site was very busy as small sites go, (30-40 tents and camper vans) over the bank holiday weekend and some groups were very noisy until the early hours. There was no fire wood for the first couple of days and we had to go on the hunt around town for some. The last couple of days there was wood but not logs etc, just scrappy little off cuts that seemed to be leftovers from old jobs. It was nice to be able to have a campfire but we're sorry to say we probably won't return. We prefer smaller sites where you can engage with the owners. 

Comment from campsite owner:

Hello and thank you for taking the time to write us a review. I'm sorry that we managed to miss you during your stay, we usually really enjoy interacting with our campers. When you visited in August there would have been a small caravan café open daily up in the field, where I could have been found every morning. There are also signs down to reception where there are always owners and volunteers wondering around feeding animals, gardening and mucking out. I'm genuinely sad that we missed you as I feel like if I could have explained some details of Cerenety, you would have had a more enjoyable experience.  

We camped here for four nights. It was great to wake up in the morning and have a cup of tea and coffee made for you by the little caravan cafe!!! The toilets were an experience but not a problem and the showers were nice and hot. We had a lovely spot, weather was great and it was so easy to walk into the town. Would definately recommend this site and would go back there tomorrow if we could!!!

We stayed here for 1 night - 2 adults, 2 children and a dog in a Campervan. Really lovely relaxed site, with simple facilities. You can choose where to pitch up, with a choice of 3 small fields, all slightly slopped. The herb and vegetable garden is superb, with the opportunity to pull your fresh produce straight from the ground and cook up. Each evening there is a 'meet the animals' for the children which ours loved. You can milk the goats, collect the eggs and cuddle rabbits. As we were only there for one night we did not explore Bude, but it is very close by. Highly recommend.

We stayed here over the Easter weekend and I could quite happily still be there....this place is really special. Limited numbers means there's plenty of space, the caravan cafe is a wonderful idea (delicious breakfasts and cakes) and there are always staff about, but you are left unbothered. I loved walking to the loo in the morning and having a cuddle from the lambs on my way. Really great to have campfires allowed too...the crackle of fire and chatter in the evenings adds to the great atmosphere. Proper camping! I'll be back!

We have been to this site a number of times now and really enjoy staying there. You can choose where you pitch and there are different areas to explore including the vegetable patch and the animals. There are some great cycle routes from the site and we liked cycling into the centre of Bude. When you wake up in the morning you will probably smell fresh bacon and coffee coming from their caravan on the site - very reasonable prices. I had wondered before our first visit if the compost toilets would smell but they are fine! We will continue visiting this site in future. Definitely recommend if you're looking for peace and quiet in a good location!

We stayed for a lovely long weekend at Cerenety last summer. The campsite is very relaxed and in a great spot, close to town, the beach and a canal path is just down  the road. The solar showers worked great, although not always warm in the mornings, obviously,  and the compost toilets are no fuss at all. There was an on site, morning cafe to grab a hot cuppa or egg sandwich, prepared by their friendly volunteers, who were always up for a chat. Really enjoyed sitting around our campfire in the evenings with some marshmallows.  Great experience, will definitely be back.