Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
UK England South West England Cornwall Port Isaac
Tipis and tent pitches, masses of space, a fishing and swimming lake... and all within striking distance of North Cornwall's best beaches
Rural Cornwall doesn’t exactly strike you as ultra-modern, a place ahead of the curve. Take this campsite, for example, arranged around a stunning spring-fed lake in the old Tregildrans quarry it has an altogether more timeless quality. The thick, mature trees, the emerald waters and the fern covered escarpments that tumble down into the lake could well have been painted in a picture many centuries ago. There’s no onsite shop taking contactless payment cards, no Wi-Fi, no playground. It’s all a bit 1920s. Isn’t it?
In fact, few campsites are as ahead of the curve as Cornish Tipi Holidays. Back in 2005 when we first discovered the site in our first edition of Cool Camping: Kids, the campsite had already been running for ten years and was championing something innovative. Set up in 1996 by Elizabeth Tom, it was the first commercial tipi campsite in England and was offering nights beneath the stars in a tipi before the word ‘glamping’ had even been invented. Today the 19 North American-style abodes are still going strong, with two different sizes on offer, but are now joined by regular camping too.
While fashionistas are throwing up Alice Temperley-style tipis and yurts across the great British countryside, Cornish Tipi Holidays, ever ahead of the game, are part of the new back-to-basic counter culture. Bring your own tent, avoid the crowds and pick whatever pitch you want – an open meadow space with fellow campers, a private, secluded clearing among the trees, a grassy patch with views… there’s a full 20 acres of beautifully rural space to explore, so you’ll easily find a spot to suit.
All of these campers have the same facilities as the tipi dwellers – hot showers and loos – while the campsite environment lends itself wholeheartedly to anyone with an imagination. It’s easy to spend entire days by the lake, messing about in a boat or fishing for trout (bring your own rods and licence) and life-jackets can be borrowed from the warden. You can even bring your own canoe if you want to. Hide and seek along the winding paths edged by tumbling blackberries or bright-yellow gorse is a must, while there’s also the larger ‘village field’ for children to charge about in, and the ‘top village field’ has a spectacular totem pole. In this wilder-than-wild environment, kids can’t fail to flourish. No surprise, then, to hear that Alice Temperley herself spent her honeymoon here. Now what on earth would Hiawatha have thought about that?
Our Coronavirus Booking Guarantee
Book with complete confidence at Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping with the Cool Camping Coronavirus Booking Guarantee. We guarantee the following clear policy for your booking:
- A low deposit of 30% to secure your booking
- Balance not due until 30 days before your holiday, in case of late changes to Coronavirus guidance
- Complete flexibility to move bookings up to the end of 2021 in the event of Coronavirus restrictions
- In the event of a lack of 2021 availability, switch your dates to 2022
- Due to low deposit and late balance payment, no refunds are offered
Gallery
Details
Facilities
We have flushing lavatories (one with limited wheelchair access) and hot showers situated at either end of the site, with an additional showers-only block more centrally located near reception. Our mains water comes from standpipes for your cooking and washing up which you will need to heat up back at your tipi - our basins are plumbed for cold water and are intended for handwashing, brushing your teeth etc rather than washing your dishes. Every tipi has a lantern and box of utensils, along with rugs and a few simple furnishing (see website for details). Campers can re-freeze their own ice packs using the freezer in our reception. There are standpipes and water-containers throughout the site. The site’s proud to be off the National Grid, so you can really get back to nature here. There’s the lake, paths, streams and woodland to explore.
Fires
We know sitting by a crackling campfire with the scent of drifting woodsmoke is part of the camping experience. Few modern campsites allow any sort of fire. We positively encourage you to make a fire in your own firepit and enjoy a night under the stars. Our guidance notes on arrival give advice and safety tips such as using the special trivet provided to help make cooking easier. Also outside you’ll have a locally made table with bench seating for family meals.
The lake
Clear blue one minute and shifting greens the next, Tregildrans Quarry lake is a real Swallows & Amazons experience. You can swim and bathe in the water, fish for rainbow trout, use the boats and canoes to row and muck about, or just sit and watch the swallows and dragonflies dipping the water.
You’ll need to bring your own rods and fishing licences, but we do have life jackets if you don’t have your own. The lake is fenced off from the main path and secured by a gate with a childproof catch so no little ones should be able to wander in by themselves – but please remember that there is no lifeguard and children must be supervised at all times. If you fancy bringing your own kayak or Topper to use on the lake by all means do so.
Suitable For
Campers, tents, campervans, couples, families, kids, groups – yes. Caravans and dogs – no.Nearby
It’s a 5-minute drive to the some of the best sea kayaking, stand up paddle boarding and adrenaline-filled coasteering in the UK – all out of beautiful Port Quin. Try Cornish Coast Adventures (01209 880280) for routes and equipment. Head to Port Isaac (01208 880200), a great place for sea-kayaking, and buying scallops or crabs. Pick up the Camel Trail near Wadebridge (01460 221162) and explore the 16 miles John Betjeman described as ‘the best journey in England’. Lanhydrock House (01208 265950) is a Victorian mansion near Bodmin, with over 50 rooms to explore. On the south coast stop at Charlestown Shipwreck Centre (01726 69897) in the historic china-clay building. You can walk through underground tunnels and there’s an exciting collection of dive treasures.Food & Drink
The Gastropod our on-site cafe - great for a lovely breakfast and evening meals such as Woodfired pizza night, Thali night , Taco night etc– all delicious! Check seasonal opening times.
For groceries use the Spar in Delabole (01840 213897). You can buy excellent pasties from either Aunt Avice's (great egg-and-bacon pie) at St Kew or Cornish Maids in Camelford (01840 212749). We’ve got a spectacular local pub just inland, 5 mins drive away, St Kew Inn (01208 841259) . The Port Gaverne Restaurant & Hotel in nearby Port Isaac offers great food and is right beside the sea (01208 880244).
Open
Mid-March–early November.
Why book with Cool Camping?
- Coronavirus Booking Guarantee
- Best Price Guarantee, with no fees
- Instant booking confirmation
- Trusted for over 10 years
- A chance to win prizes in our regular competitions
The Owner Says
Wake up to the sound of birdsong, go swimming before breakfast in the clear water of a secluded lake. Cook your bacon and eggs over an open fire while you plan your day, or just laze it away in the peace and quiet of your own personal tipi. You can always go fishing tomorrow, and walk along the cliffs the day after that…
The site is unique. A woodland valley folded around a clear, spring-fed lake created from the old Tregildrans Quarry. Our tipis and tent pitches are dotted about this secret 20 acres clothed in ferns and bluebells, oak and meadowsweet. Left in peace for many years there's been no modern chemicals & poisons on the land, meaning we've got bluebells & dormice, Red Admirals & shy woodland Jays for you to spot. It’s a place a world apart from the rush and clutter of the modern holiday experience, with an atmosphere that makes you forget the world outside, and just lounge, ramble, or potter about in a boat. We're committed to giving you a genuinely individual service from first contact to your time staying with us.
We established CTH in 1996. This was the first and we believe still is the best tipi holiday site in the UK. We know our area inside out and can always help with a little local knowledge or contacts if you need them. We want to offer our guests a really sustainable holiday. A return to real camping means the lowest possible impact on the land and environment - our tipi poles don’t even break the surface of the earth. Your footprint while here could only be bettered by a survival expert. You don't have to fly! a major bonus, and we source all our wood, fish and canvas locally and work with local people wherever possible.
Social Distancing Measures
We are working hard to introduce new measures to refelect best practice in terms of socail distancing this summer. We are able to offer 10m + spacing between pitches and tipis for most of our camping, although in a few areas this may not be possible. We're still trying to work these last pitches out. We are going to be doing increased Covid-19 cleaning of loos and showers thoughout the day.
This site offers our Coronavirus Booking Guarantee
Accommodation
A small selection of beautifully secluded grass camping pitches, plus more sociable meadow camping and 19 pre-pitched tipis, all scattered around the 20-acre site. There is a large ‘village field’ with 11 of the tipis together for groups, while other tipis offer more seclusion.
Large Tipi 1 - Village Field
Tipi
Sleeps 6
This large tipi is in the community area known as the village field. It sleeps up to 5 or a maximum of 6 (small additional charge for 6th person)
Large Tipi 3 - Village Field
Tipi
Sleeps 6
This large tipi is in the community area known as the village field. It sleeps up to 5 or a maximum of 6 (small additional charge for 6th person)
Large Tipi 4 - Village Field
Tipi
Sleeps 6
This large tipi is in the community area known as the village field. It sleeps up to 5 or a maximum of 6 (small additional charge for 6th person)
Large Tipi 9 - Village Field
Tipi
Sleeps 6
This large tipi is in the community area known as the village field. It sleeps up to 5 or a maximum of 6 (small additional charge for 6th person)
Large Tipi 10 - Village Field
Tipi
Sleeps 6
This large tipi is in the community area known as the village field. It sleeps up to 5 or a maximum of 6 (small additional charge for 6th person)
Large Tipi 11 - Village Field
Tipi
Sleeps 6
This large tipi is in the community area known as the village field. It sleeps up to 5 or a maximum of 6 (small additional charge for 6th person)
Medium Tipi 2 - Village Field
Tipi
Sleeps 4
A medium-size 5m-diameter tipi in the community area known as the village field. Can sleep 3 people, or 4 if some are children (small additional charge for 4th person)
Medium Tipi 5 - Village Field
Tipi
Sleeps 4
A medium-size 5m-diameter tipi in the community area known as the village field. Can sleep 3 people, or 4 if some are children (small additional charge for 4th person)
Medium Tipi 6 - Village Field
Tipi
Sleeps 4
A medium-size 5m-diameter tipi in the community area known as the village field. Can sleep 3 people, or 4 if some are children (small additional charge for 4th person)
Medium Tipi 7- Village Field
Tipi
Sleeps 4
A medium-size 5m-diameter tipi in the community area known as the village field. Can sleep 3 people, or 4 if some are children (small additional charge for 4th person)
Medium Tipi 8 - Village Field
Tipi
Sleeps 4
A medium-size 5m-diameter tipi in the community area known as the village field. Can sleep 3 people, or 4 if some are children (small additional charge for 4th person)
Boys - Large Tipi - Private Site
Tipi
Sleeps 6
A lovely large tipi set on a secluded private clearing with own spacious lawn space & fire pit.
Composers - Large Tipi - Private Site
Tipi
Sleeps 6
This large tipi is on a private site known as 'Composers'. It sleeps up to 5 or a maximum of 6 (small additional charge for 6th person)
Doos - Medium Tipi - Private Site
Tipi
Sleeps 4
A lovely medium tipi set on a secluded private clearing, shares a footpath with a large tipi called 'Boys'
Jackies Large - Large Tipi - Private Site
Tipi
Sleeps 6
This large tipi is on a private site known as 'Jackies'. It sleeps up to 5 or a maximum of 6 (small additional charge for 6th person)
Jackies Medium - Medium Tipi - Private Site
Tipi
Sleeps 4
A lovely medium tipi set on a private clearing called 'Jackies Medium'
Lizzies - Large Tipi - Private Site
Tipi
Sleeps 6
A lovely large tipi set on a secluded private clearing with own spacious lawn space & fire pit.
Overlake - Medium Tipi - Private Site
Tipi
Sleeps 4
A lovely medium tipi set on a private clearing high above our lake with own lawn space & fire pit.
Willows - Medium Tipi - Private Site
Tipi
Sleeps 4
A medium-size 5m-diameter tipi on a private site known as 'Willows'. Can sleep 3 people, or 4 if some are children (small additional charge for 4th person.
Ashacre - Wild Camping - Private Pitch
Grass pitch
Sleeps 6
A secluded tent pitch along a short lane. Offers seclusion and character,has its own water standpipe & fire pit - 9 m long & 5 m wide, would suit smaller tents. No trailer tents allowed. Camping equipment can be dropped off near pitch then cars are parked in the car park a short walk away.
Bluebell Bank - Wild Camping - Private Pitch
Grass pitch
Sleeps 6
A lovey private wild camping tent pitch above but near a small stream. Offers seclusion and has its own water standpipe & fire pit - 10 m long & 10 m wide, would suit a large family tent or bell tent. It can be booked in conjunction with the private tent pitch 'Streambank' which is in close proximity.
Clearfell - Wild Camping - Private Pitch
Grass pitch
Sleeps 12
A large private tent pitch in a sunny position. A lovely sunny pitch opening off a little lane. Offers seclusion and character and has its own water standpipe & fire pit - 15 m long & 7.5 m wide, would suit one or two large family tents or several smaller ones. No trailer tents allowed.
Dykes - Wild Camping - Private Pitch
Grass pitch
Sleeps 8
A lovely sunny private pitch with own fire pit. A lovely sunny pitch opening off a little lane. Offers seclusion and character and has its own water standpipe & fire pit - 11 m long & 9 m wide, would suit a large family tent, bell tent or 2/3 smaller tents. No trailer tents allowed.
Foxgloves - Wild Camping - Private Pitch
Grass pitch
Sleeps 8
A lovely sunny private pitch with own fire pit. A lovely sunny pitch (withshade at the back) opening off a little lane. Offers seclusion and character and has its own water standpipe & fire pit - 12 m long & 6.5 m wide, would suit a large family tent or bell tent. No trailer tents allowed.
Gosels - Wild Camping - Private Pitch
Grass pitch
Sleeps 6
A private camping pitch with own fire pit & water standpipe. Offers seclusion and has its own water standpipe & fire pit -14m long &4.5m wide, would suit smaller tents. Please note, no trailer tents allowed. Cars are not allowed on the grass or to park next to tents on this private pitch.
Lake View 1 - Wild Camping - Private Pitch
Grass pitch
Sleeps 2
A small (4m x 4m) but perfectly formed private 2-man tent pitch with views of our lake, fire pit and water standpipe nearby. A small woodland tent pitch above our lake a short walk from the main track. Offers seclusion and has its own fire pit - 4m2, would suit a 2 man tent for one or 2 people.
Lake Woods 2 - Wild Camping - Private Pitch
Grass pitch
Sleeps 2
A small (4.5 x 3.5m) but perfectly formed private 2-man tent pitch with views of our lake, shared fire pit and water standpipe nearby. A small woodland 2-man tent pitch above our lake a short walk from the main track. Offers seclusion and shares a fire pit - 4.5m long & 3.5m wide, for 1 or 2 people.
Lake Woods 3 - Wild Camping - Private Pitch
Grass pitch
Sleeps 2
A small (5x3.5m) but perfectly formed private 2-man tent pitch above our lake, with shared fire pit and water standpipe nearby. A small woodland 2-man tent pitch above our lake a short walk from the main track. Offers seclusion and shares a fire pit - 5m long & 3.5m wide, would suit one or 2 people.
Nuttalls - Wild Camping - Private Pitch
Grass pitch
Sleeps 6
A large private pitch with own fire pit & water standpipe. A lovely sunny pitch with some shade opening off a little lane. Offers seclusion and character and has its own water standpipe & fire pit - 11 m long & 5 m wide, would suit a large family tent or bell tent.
Poppy's - Wild Camping - Private Pitch
Grass pitch
Sleeps 6
A secluded private tent pitch next to a little stream with its own fire pit and water standpipe nearby. 5.5m long & 6.5m wide and would suit a small family tent.
Railway 1 - Wild Camping - Private Pitch
Grass pitch
Sleeps 6
An open sunny camping pitch situated on the old Waterloo to Padstow train line! (Last train was 1966...) Offers seclusion and character and has its own water standpipe & fire pit - 16 m long & 7 m wide, would suit a large family tent or bell tent. (Please note, no trailer tents permitted.)
Railway 2 - Wild Camping - Private Pitch
Grass pitch
Sleeps 10
An open sunny camping pitch situated on the old Waterloo to Padstow train line! (Last train was 1966...) Offers seclusion and character and has its own water standpipe & fire pit - 23 m long & 7 m wide, would suit a large family tent or bell tent. (Please note, no trailer tents permitted.)
Railway 7 - Wild Camping - Private Pitch
Grass pitch
Sleeps 8
An open sunny camping pitch situated on the old Waterloo to Padstow train line! (Last train was 1966...) Offers seclusion and character and has its own fire pit - 14m x 7m long, would suit a large family tent or bell tent. (Please note, no trailer tents permitted.)
Railway 3 - Wild Camping - Private Pitch
Grass pitch
Sleeps 8
An open sunny camping pitch situated on the old Waterloo to Padstow train line! (Last train was 1966...) Offers seclusion and character and has its own water standpipe & fire pit - 16 m long & 7 m wide, would suit a large family tent or bell tent. (Please note, no trailer tents permitted.)
Railway 4 - Wild Camping - Private Pitch
Grass pitch
Sleeps 7
An open sunny camping pitch situated on the old Waterloo to Padstow train line! (Last train was 1966...) Offers seclusion and character and has its own water standpipe & fire pit - 12 m long & 7 m wide, would suit a large family tent or bell tent. (Please note, no trailer tents permitted.)
Railway 5 - Wild Camping - Private Pitch
Grass pitch
Sleeps 6
An open sunny camping pitch situated on the old Waterloo to Padstow train line! (Last train was 1966...) Offers seclusion and character and has its own water standpipe & fire pit - 16 m long & 5 m wide, would suit a large family tent or bell tent. (Please note, no trailer tents permitted.)
Railway 6 - Wild Camping - Private Pitch
Grass pitch
Sleeps 6
An open sunny camping pitch situated on the old Waterloo to Padstow train line! (Last train was 1966...) Offers seclusion and character and has its own water standpipe & fire pit - 13 m long & 7 m wide, would suit a large family tent or bell tent. (Please note, no trailer tents permitted.)
Streambank - Wild Camping - Private Pitch
Grass pitch
Sleeps 4
A smaller private tent pitch next to a stream. Please note that this pitch is next to running water - a small stream and as such we would not recommend it to families with very small children. If we have had particularly wet weather, we reserve the right to move anyone booked on this pitch to a more suitable drier pitch.
Valley View - Wild Camping - Private Pitch
Grass pitch
Sleeps 8
A lovely private tent pitch with own fire pit & water standpipe. A lovely private tent pitch with some shade opening off a little lane. Offers seclusion and character and has its own water standpipe & fire pit - 11m long & 8m wide, would suit a large family tent or bell tent.
Lower Village Field 1 - Wild Camping Pitch
Grass pitch
Sleeps 6
A great area for wild camping with only a few neighbours; there's a total of just 7 tent pitches in this field, all with their own fire pits. (Tent pitches only, please book 1 pitch per tent).
Lower Village Field 2 - Wild Camping Pitch,
Grass pitch
Sleeps 6
A great area for wild camping with only a few neighbours; there's a total of just 7 tent pitches in this field, all with their own fire pits. (Tent pitches only, please book 1 pitch per tent).
Lower Village Field 3 - Wild Camping Pitch
Grass pitch
Sleeps 6
A great area for wild camping with only a few neighbours; there's a total of just 7 tent pitches in this field, all with their own fire pits. (Tent pitches only, please book 1 pitch per tent).
Lower Village Field 4 - Wild Camping Pitch
Grass pitch
Sleeps 6
A great area for wild camping with only a few neighbours; there's a total of just 7 tent pitches in this field, all with their own fire pits. (Tent pitches only, please book 1 pitch per tent).
Lower Village Field 5 - Wild Camping Pitch
Grass pitch
Sleeps 6
A great area for wild camping with only a few neighbours; there's a total of just 7 tent pitches in this field, all with their own fire pits. (Tent pitches only, please book 1 pitch per tent).
Lower Village Field 6 - Wild Camping Pitch
Grass pitch
Sleeps 6
A great area for wild camping with only a few neighbours; there's a total of just 7 tent pitches in this field, all with their own fire pits. (Tent pitches only, please book 1 pitch per tent).
Lower Village Field 7 - Wild Camping Pitch
Grass pitch
Sleeps 6
A great area for wild camping with only a few neighbours; there's a total of just 7 tent pitches in this field, all with their own fire pits. (Tent pitches only, please book 1 pitch per tent).
Wild Camping - Meadow Tent Pitch
Grass pitch
Sleeps 6
25 Available
Plenty of room in our lovely meadow to pitch up with your friends for a festival-style camping trip. Please book one pitch per tent.
Meadow Campervan or Motorhome Pitch
Grass pitch
Sleeps 6
15 Available
Non-electric Campervan or Motorhome pitch on meadow grass in vehicle area.
Meadow Caravan Pitch - Wild Camping
Grass pitch
Sleeps 6
2 Available
Non-electric pitch on meadow grass in vehicle area.
Sky 1 - Wild Camping - Private Pitch
Grass pitch
Sleeps 6
A good sized secluded pitch nestled above the lake with 10 other sites, offers some shade. 7m long & 7m wide; perfect for a family or bell tent!
Sky 2 - Wild Camping - Private Pitch
Grass pitch
Sleeps 6
A sunny pitch nestled above the lake with 10 other private pitches. Ideal smaller family pitch.
Sky 3 - Wild Camping - Private Pitch
Grass pitch
Sleeps 6
A sunny pitch nestled above the lake with 10 other sites. Ideal smaller family pitch.
Sky 4 - Wild Camping - Private Pitch
Grass pitch
Sleeps 6
A sunny pitch nestled above the lake with 10 other sites. Ideal smaller family pitch.
Sky 5 - Wild Camping - Private Pitch
Grass pitch
Sleeps 6
A smaller sunny pitch nestled above the lake with 10 other sites. Due to positioning near clifftop not suitable for adventurous & agile children under 12 years old. Ideal for a couple or smaller family.
Sky 6 - Wild Camping - Private Pitch
Grass pitch
Sleeps 6
A sunny pitch nestled above the lake with 10 other sites. Due to positioning near clifftop not suitable for adventurous & agile children under 12 years old. Ideal for a couple or smaller family.
Berrys Bluff - Wild Camping - Private Site
Grass pitch
Sleeps 8
A private wild camping tent pitch set on a secluded private clearing with own spacious lawn, fire pit & picnic bench.
Sky 7 - Wild Camping Private Pitch
Grass pitch
Sleeps 6
A little pitch near the end of the Skies quiet footpath - high above the lake. Perfect for a couple or smaller family.
Sky 8 - Wild Camping Private Pitches
Grass pitch
Sleeps 6
A little pitch at the end of the Skies quiet footpath - high above the lake. Perfect for a couple or smaller family.
Sky 9 - Wild Camping Private Pitch
Grass pitch
Sleeps 6
An open sunny pitch overlooking fields - ideal for a narrower tent for a couple or smaller family. One of the 11 Sky pitches.
Sky 10 - Wild Camping Pitch
Grass pitch
Sleeps 8
The largest Sky pitch, with a mix of open grass and shady trees at the edges. One of the 11 Sky pitches.
Sky 11 - Wild Camping Private Pitch
Grass pitch
Sleeps 6
This pitch opens onto a mix of open grass and shady woodland with views down wooded slopes at one end. Suitable for a family or bell tent. One of the 11 Sky pitches.
Location
Contact Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping, Tregildrans Quarry, Trelill, St Kew, Cornwall PL30 3HZ
Getting There
Take the M5 to Exeter then the A30 to Okehampton and Launceston. Turn right onto the A395 to Camelford. Just before Camelford turn right at Collan’s Cross onto the B3314 to Delabole. Follow the road out of Delabole for a couple of miles, then turn left for St Teath at the Port Gaverne crossroads. Stay on the road curving around to the right, over an old railway bridge, then take first right before Normansland Cottage, and go down the track.
The nearest station is Bodmin Parkway, or fly to Newquay then take a taxi.
Reviews
Add Your ReviewRated ★★★★★ over 86 reviews
Fantastic stay
Had a wonderful, relaxing stay here - we were camping in Lake View 1 which has a fantastic fire pit spot overlooking the lake! Very romantic and peaceful, fantastic to be able to kayak/canoe/swim in the lake, lovely hot showers, great cafe on site too, and all the staff were friendly. Really recommend it. Only gave 4 stars instead of 5 as there was a dead fish floating in the lake, which ruined the romance slightly (!) and it didn’t look like the bin by our toilet/shower block was emptied at all in the three days there, but these are minor points - will happily return!
Amazing campsite
The campsite is lovely, amazing facilities, the lake is beautiful and the staff are really welcoming and friendly. Could not recommend it anymore, shame about the weather we had!
Magical, unique, meditative
We live in Cornwall and have camped all over, but Cornish Tipi Holidays is genuinely a world apart from the rest. The drive down steep tracks into the valley set the tone for adventure and our lovely partly wooded pitch complete with totem pole, fire pit and a kind of wooden mega lounger did not disappoint! The emerald lake is ideal for swimming and boating alike, and ourselves and children adored seeing rare birds and dragonflies abound. The woods are alive with squirrels and wildlife yet silent of any hint of noise pollution, ditto the sky absolutely spangled with stars. Toilets and showers were clean and even the compost ones smelt fresh. And they are abundant within the woodland which is ideal for kids! Completely fallen in love and recommend unreservedly. Possibly only improvement would be more paddles and oars as occasionally weren’t enough to go round, and do take a torch to the toilets and showers as they are not lit after dark! Aside from that utter camping perfection and a delight for water and woodland lovers. We stayed in the lower meadow right near the lake and loved it. The fact that cars aren’t allowed to be parked on pitches is excellent, the less reminders of modern life the better. Basically the ideal hybrid of glamping (hire a tipi with all stuff included easy peasy) and wild camping for those like us with all the gear and some idea 😂. We didn’t even venture to the cafe as preferred to cook over the campfire 🔥 but hear it’s great. Enjoy!!
Amazing place soon I need come back.
The place is amazing and cheap the lake is so beautiful I felt so relaxed and chill I’ll come back soon.Was a perfect weekend for me and for my lovely husband.
Very rowdy, facilities are not adapted
A disappointing stay in a very expensive campsite - tents are packed in small areas without any marking. I have not been so close to other tents since festival days - it's a very noisy campsite. The "no amplified music" policy is completely ignored by most campers, with no attempt whatsoever by the staff to enforce it - the facilities are too few, hot water only works if nobody else uses any other hot tap (ie never as they are so few facilities), and despite the high usage the staff admitted that the toilets are only cleaned twice a day - having a firepit is nice. It's not as nice when there are 50 firepits at the same time in such a small area. You cannot breathe... Conclusion: the lake makes nice pictures for the website. Reality is very different, you can get much better for that money. With a third of the people, that could make a great campsite, it's a shame. Warning: the tent area is next to the wedding marquee. Good luck when there's a wedding on...
Loved it
Wild camped in Railway. It was a lovely private space with plenty of room, table and fire pit, water. Loos and showers are pretty fine. We loved the lake, we swam and used the boats and had a great time. The Gastropod cafe was delicious and friendly. All the nights with different foods was awesome and breakfast was a huge hit. Defrost be back, kids loved it.
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
Thank you for your brilliant 5 star review and so pleased you had a good trip on one of the Old Railway pitches with a picnic bench and fire pit etc. Sounds like the family had fun at the lake and wonderful you tried lots of the different food nights at the Gastropod Cafe & enjoyed their breakfasts too! We'll pass on the compliments - "awesome" is a word they'll love to hear! It will be great to see you back!
Amazing holiday
The lake is beautiful, lovely to swim in, always a decent amount of boats, kayaks or canoes to share between everyone. Plenty of rainbow trout to catch. We stayed in one of the lake view spots, showers and toilets and the lake were very close. Toilets near us were flushing and showers were very nice and hot! However, the toilets up the top of the site are not flushing, which i think are more environmentally friendly but i prefer normal ones. Went to the café at the top for pizza night which was great! Car parking was quite a problem though. If we arrived after 6pm there was very minimal - no parking. Had to park in an unofficial spot with no choice :/ Site wasn't too noisy at all, lots of privacy at our pitch. Had a campfire nearly every night which was one of the best parts of the holiday, in a fire pit provided at our pitch.
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
Thanks so much for your 5 star review and lovely comments! We have been tight on car space recently - notably over the Bank Holiday weekend when you were here and we had our single busiest period in over 25 years of being open (since 1996)! Parking isn't normally an issue at all but it was phenomenally busy and some families bringing more cars than we would prefer...so pleased your loos and showers were all good and as you would expect. You're quite right than not everyone likes the composting ones - but then there's plenty of flushing units so no worries either way! Come and have campfires again soon...
This was our first camping trip
This was our first camping trip away in our campervan and I have to say other campsites have a lot to live up to after our visit to Cornish Tipi Holidays. We were based in the Campervan section of the campsite which was perfectly located to the hot showers and both the compost loos and flushable loos which was very welcome for any midnight trips to the toilet!!! We loved visiting the lake, we had a couple of outings in the rowing boats that the site supply (free to use) for a morning row and to take in the beautiful scenery. My partner also enjoys a spot of fishing so was able to make use of the lake in the morning and evening when the trout were about. We also visited the gastropod cafe for breakfast which had delicious meat and veggie options (we are vegetarian so really appreciated the amount of options). Overall, a beautiful campsite with plenty of facilities. Staff are friendly and really helpful. We never had any issues at our staff and wouldn’t hesitate to return.
Lake amazing but needs more facilities
This place is sold on Instagram photos. Lake is amazing but the rest is really basic. Camping in the “Skies” means a 200 yard walk to poor quality drop toilets with no light or running water. No hot water for washing up. Camping in the woods also means damp, slugs, wasps etc. Go for the lake, but the rest is disappointing.
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
Thank you for your feedback and we're sorry if you found our brand new composting loo block (x4 cubicles) poor quality - we had a customer the other day who thought it was so attractive that it was a wooden cabin for rent in the woods! It's correct it's about 150 yards from the Sky pitches to this new block - the old one was a little closer but because of the uphill terrain there was only enough space for 2 loos, so we have built a bigger one instead in a more level area. This facility does indeed have running water and hot water, both for the hand washing basin and washing up sinks designed as part of the build. We think you may have visited earlier in August when the loo cubicles were open, but we were still waiting for the boiler to arrive so the plumber could install the water correctly. We were made to wait 8 weeks for this, and were variously told by the supplier that it was Covid, Brexit, Suez...you know the sort of thing! Anyway we're sorry that you were visiting before there was lot's of lovely water to wash your hands & dishes in but it's all there now. Camping in the countryside, whether woods or meadow, is likely to mean encountering the wildlife - and it's not always bunnies & butterflies...slugs & snails & wasps etc are all part of the countryside vibe as well. We love Instagram and post our own pics and those of our customers too - it's kind of what it's for! As your review was anonymous it's been difficult to look into your booking in any detail because we don't know who you are, but do contact us in the office if you'd like to chat some more.
Abit of Scandinavia in Cornwall
We loved the lake and the swimming, and the boats were a bonus. Members of staff were friendly and helpful. It was just so peaceful and many days we did not have to venture out of the campsite as it was just lovely. Showers were warm. We pitched our tent on one of the Sky's and we liked the privacy , and it was good to have the fire pit and the picknic bench. It was a bit like going back to my family summer cottage situated in the middle of the woods near the bay, the only thing we missed was a basic wood burning sauna :)
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
Thank you so much for the fantastic top rated review and your lovely comments about the staff, the lake and the fact that you liked the campsite so much some days you didn't bother going out at all! The family summer cottage by the bay in Scandinavia sounds pretty good too...we feel we want to go there too!
Amazing staff
We loved staying here. The staff was amazing at all times, very friendly and super helpful. The lake is lovely and the kids enjoyed it so much! There's boats and life jackets available and even though the campsite was busy we didn't find the lake to be crowded at any point. The toilets were clean and the showers were always hot and at least one was always free.
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
We so appreciate the brilliant top star rating - thank you so much. We're so pleased you loved it here & found the staff so helpful. It's really helpful that you mention the loos & showers were always clean & hot - it helps counter any negative comments when a problem does arise! Look forward to seeing you and your family again!
Great camp site for young families
We stayed 2 nights (Ash Acre, private pitch) I loved the natural stone fire pit Awesome lake with free boats and canoes where you can swim Wood fired pizza every Friday night They also have a money box for the logs you can take anytime(I needed some at past 10 pm, what could've been a problem if I was on another camp site) Helpfull staff with nice smiling people Only thing I didn't like is the noise of their quad bikes you can hear all day long But I definitely will visit again
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
Thank you for the top 5 star rating and fantastic you loved the lake and boats & swimming. So pleased you liked the relaxed system for buying logs even late in the evening! Also that you were happy with our staff. We're sorry you didn't like the sound of the quad bikes but they are essential for servicing our large spread out campsite. One day we'd love to go electric - that would be quieter and more environmentally friendly all round!
Paradise
A very special place. We emigrated to the uk from australia, where you can pretty much pitch a tent wherever takes your fancy in the wild. Our wild camping pitch “foxgloves” felt about as close to that as I’ve ever felt camping in the uk. Private, quiet, wrapped in nature. With the lovely addition of a loo and a lovely hot running shower of course! Foxgloves is a shady pitch, so ideal for hot sunny days. On the flip side, a bit damp and difficult to dry out towels etc if rainy. We walked around the camp to check out other pitches for a return visit: I think the descriptions are all pretty accurate on the website… but up in the skies and the railway pitches all a bit sunnier. I think I’d return to foxgloves regardless. The lake…. Sigh…. Missing my morning swim every day since coming home. What a treat! The photos don’t do it justice. We didn’t visit the Gastropod but the menu sounded delicious. Next time definitely. Have recommended to all my friends and family. Just a lovely lovely place to pause
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
Wow - thank you so very much. Comments like "a very special place" and "as close to wild camping as I've ever felt in the UK" and "a lovely lovely place to pause..." feel like you really like the vibe we hope to create - we'll so look forward to seeing you (and your friends & family!) the next time you come :)
Great campsite in a fantastic location
We stayed for 5 nights and 6 days. Overall our stay was comfortable. The pitches in the fields are close together but we were next to lovely people, everyone was happy and friendly. Being able to have a fire is always a plus for us and they provide wood, fire pits etc. The on-site restaurant is outstanding we enjoyed some really tasty dinners and managed to always get booked in. The lake was fun to use but cold! Our only disappointment was the toilets, they do need to be cleaned more regularly and in need of upgrading or more love shown. We are regular campers and have experienced much higher standard compost and flushing toilets. We would stay here again for the positive points mentioned above. Lastly the location to beaches, pubs, activities and the exploring the local area from the campsite was great.
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
Thanks for the fantastic 5 star rating and so glad you enjoyed having a campfire, using the lake (although the lake may feel a bit cold it's warmer than the sea!) and had a wonderful time & meals at the Gastropod Cafe (we'll pass your kind remarks on to them). We are really sorry if you found the flushing and/or the composting loos wanting in terms of anything - they are cleaned regularly throughout the day and re-supplied with fresh loo paper, hand soap, paper towels and sanitizer etc. The campsite team are always on hand and happy to have any individual cubicle or problem pointed out to them so they can go and rectify any issue immediately. We are running at full tilt at the moment and with so many families on site it can take just a couple of children to leave cubicles in a less than an ideal state and suddenly things don't look so great...but staff are super keen to keep the facilities in good condition so please do speak to someone about anything that causes concern. We'll look forward to seeing you again!
Overall satisfied
The camp is nice , big area nice touch the boaring is included in the price . The only issue we had was because you have to take your own bed ding we took air beds that did not fit through httpsittle very low door way that is difficult to get in& out of I had to crawl on hands and knees to get in and out of witch was really awkward and when double air mattress was fully inflated would not fit through the door way so had to sleep on semi inflated bed witch made fora bad nights sleep so did not awake the next morning as refreshed as I could have. Also it was a bit cold and damp at night. Other than that was good. Booking and booking in on arrival satisfactory. We did have an issue finding car parking space on arrival was slightly stressful but was ok the next day. I Thought 11 am was a bit early for departure as couldn’t book in till 4pm on day of arrival so not full 48 hours that I paid for the 2 days bit disappointing. Tipi was not great smelling could do with more clean tbh.
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
Thanks for your review and glad that you enjoyed the boating (I think that was it!) . We think you're referring to the tipi doors being low and having to duck down or crawl in and out - tipi doors are quite low this is correct, our tipis are true to original design and this is how they were designed to keep the weather etc out and the occupants safe inside. Mattresses are much better inflated inside the tipi as a result - outside definitely doesn't work so well! The weather has been colder recently you're right - it does feel more like Autumn on some nights already! I think I should point out that 11am is quite a standard time to check out and is at the generous end of the spectrum - with Covid & staff shortages across the accommodation sector we know of many properties now stipulating a 9am departure! You're always welcome as departing campers to spend a little extra time on site, in the cafe, at the lake etc it's just the tipi or the pitch that needs to be vacated for cleaning and changeover purposes. You never receive a full 48 hours on any 2 night accommodation booking, or for example on a week booking you always arrive in the afternoon to check in, and leave in the morning on departure - so it is never a full week in terms of the last few hours. There has to be a window to make things ready for incoming guests so they can arrive to start their holiday on time.
Excellent campsite!
We camped for 2 weeks on Lake 2 site and our teenagers camped on Sky 8 and both pitches were superb. We had two weeks of pretty solid rain which was obviously unlucky but the campsite remained a joy to go back to after days out and we all cooked together on the Lake 3 shared fire pit overlooking the lake. Obviously this is out of The Cornish Tipi's control, but just a heads up that on beautiful warm days all there Lake pitches are beautiful, full of dappled light and much needed shade, BUT, if its raining and grey (as it was for 80% of our 2 weeks!) those pitches are very dark and damp. Although they offer initial shelter from the rain, the raindrops collect in the trees and come down as big old soakers for a good few hours after it has stopped raining. If we'd had good weather I think our Lake 2 pitch would have been pretty perfect, but whenever we went up to the children's pitch up on Sky 8 we couldn't believe how light and bright it was and how our pitch basically saw no light if it wasn't strong sun. Just a heads up for anyone wanting to book those pitches. Otherwise the site is superb. It's brilliantly run by really helpful staff and they would help[ out with anything and were always friendly. The gastropod is great for breakfasts and as a meeting up place. We loved it and will definitely be back. Thanks Cornish Tipi team, you've got a 5 Star site there!
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
Thanks so much for your lovely review and detailed comments which will definitely help other campers when deciding which pitches to book. You're absolutely right that in poor weather the woodland sites suffer as they cannot dry out so quickly and the tree canopy seems to go on dripping even when the rain is over! The Sky pitches are much more exposed with more light but not much shade in strong sunshine - so it's a decision that is worth thinking about when booking. "The site is superb, and a 5 star site" are wonderful comments and much appreciated! The Gastropod Cafe is pretty special we agree and so glad you enjoyed that too (text their number: 07399 887406 for evening food bookings) - we'll let them know. We'll also look forward to seeing you again and really hope you'll have much better weather next time :)
Magic - an idyllic retreat
This place was a joy. The Tipi all kitted out with what we needed plus a fire pit and ‘pub bench’ with enough space to socialise - or not, the private lake reminding us of exotic past holidays, the clean loos and hot showers - and enough free roaming bunnies and chickens to entertain our 7 year old. Even the onsite gastropod had tasty vegan/gluten free options as regulars and as part of the visiting food nights. The team has thought of everything and were there when we needed them. Nearby the site we went to some beaches, a ‘slipandslide’ and the Museum of Witchcraft. It felt like much more than a 3 night stay. Highly recommended.
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
Thanks so much for your 5 star rating and personal insights into what made your trip special - great your 7 year old liked the chickens & bunnies and you all enjoyed the Gastropod Cafe food!
What a week!!!
Week commencing 19th of July, and what a week it was. This little campsite was a breath of fresh air, it had everything you would need. Flushable toilets, showers, a cafe which served tasty food suitable for everyone but the thing that made the camping trip was the beautiful lake. We spent pretty much every day on the lake as the weather was scorching hot, the minute you jumped in the lake you felt refreshed instantly. They supplied boats and kayaks you could use all day. We spent many days fishing on the lake and finally caught a rainbow trout, which you can put straight into your bbq and that’s exactly what we did. Super fresh fish served for dinner. Best experience I have done and made you feel like a proper camper. This was my first camping experience and I could not have asked for a better camp site, the staff are so welcoming and everyone on the campsite were so friendly, it felt like you was part of a little community. The location was perfect, I would recommend driving around all the connecting towns and exploring Cornwall, especially Merlins Cave which was a 20 minute drive from camp. The bluest sea I have ever seen surrounding by caves and the village had so much character. It was beautiful. I would 100% recommend this campsite, they host weddings as well. I was told camping for a week will be boring and hard but I honestly could have stayed forever. I was sad to leave but I will definitely be returning I’m the future.
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
Thanks for the 5 stars and the comprehensive testimonial - we love that your caught your own supper and felt like a true camper - it's a great feeling! So pleased you enjoyed our lovely surrounding area as well, and that you "could have stayed forever..." - we're really touched! We'll look forward to seeing you again in the future.
Chilled Friendly and Unique
We arrived to a helpful kind young lady who showed us to our clean tidy tent! The lake was awesome! Help yourself to boats and other equipment. The food on the campsite was delicious and reasonable.
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
Awesome lake, clean tidy tipi, helpful staff and delicious/reasonable food - it feels like you've said it all! Thanks for the great review and 5 stars.
What an idyllic spot
We loved our stay here. It was idyllic! The lake was incredible, so serene and a lovely spot for people to gather. The staff were beyond helpful, giving me very comprehensive responses via email, it filled me with confidence before I even arrived. The facilities were great, excellent showers and even flushable loo’s if you don’t mind walking a little further. Fire wood available at reception with an honesty pot. The peace and quiet was exactly what we hoped for. Thank you for a wonderful stay, we will most definitely be repeat visitors!!
Tasty tasty tasty food at the Gastropod
A very well kept campsite with plenty of room, helpful staff and good facilities. We particularly enjoyed trying out the different boats in the lake, and also the food at the Gastropod kitchen was utterly phenomenal and a bargain-the food is what made our stay memorable 😊 Firewood was a very reasonable five pounds but we recommend also getting the bag of kindling (a further £2.50) as we had to sacrifice much cardboard we had lying around our van to start the fire. Good showers with nice hot water and the compost loos were great, however I do think signs telling people how to use them would be great. At times they were smelly from people not understanding to add sawdust to their toilet time, but we happily added some each time we used them and the smell improved! During our first night they were not available to use, and the flushing toilets were also very pleasant overall. A wedding took place during our stay but the noise was very minimal and did not keep us awake. We liked that there was plenty of bins (including recycling). Our stay in the van camping was nice and felt fairly private even though there were about ten vans there during our stay. This was a bit more expensive than we usually would pay to camp somewhere but was very accommodating, and we enjoyed out time with you. Thanks again and kudos to the chefs at the Gastropod! ❤️
The campsite exceeded my expectations.
The campsite exceeded my expectations. It was a very pleasant site in a nice quiet location where the staff are there to help when you need them but otherwise respect the privacy of your pitch which was really nice. The location was beautiful and as described. In a nice quiet locations. The facilities are superb and you're able to use the lake with the boats for free without any tolls. There is a cafe on site to cater for people too. I would definitely book another holiday here and return for a break. Highly recommended.
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
Thank you so much for the 5 star review and we much appreciate you taking the time to mention everything from the location to our friendly site team. We'll look forward to seeing you on your next trip!
Beautiful spot in the woods!
We decided to try out Cornish Tipi Holidays on the way down to our holiday let and to experience some of the North Cornish Coast. I love camping but we opted for a private Tipi site so that we didn't have to carry everything and set it all up ourselves as we only stayed 2 nights, in the end this was a good shout as we had quite a bit of rain on the weekend of our stay. We loved the site, its really well set up and the tipis are well made but its still a relatively rustic camping experience and by no means 'glamping' which was fine for us. The private sites all seemed really well spaces and we loved that we could have a fire which we enjoyed both nights and ate at the Gastropod in the evening and for breakfast which was a real bonus, lovely food and great staff. The woods and lake were truly beautiful and if you love being close to nature you will love this place! I have nothing really to critique only that I felt that it was pretty expensive and I was a bit disappointed with the amount of school aged children at the site - even outside of the school holidays!
We (lads family group dads brothers grandsons and nephews) thoroughly enjoyed our time here,
The staff were really friendly and helpful, and we were left to do our own thing, the facilities were great, totally different to any camping I have experienced in the past, the pitches are secluded enough for privacy but not so much that you feel abandoned, there was everything you needed for a rustic stay but with a touch of luxury (toilets and showers) everyone had a great time and we will most definitely be visiting again. A big thank you to all the staff for making us feel so welcome.x
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
Thanks so much for the 5 star rating and taking the time to explain what you enjoyed about your boys' family holiday! We'll look forward to seeing you all again., maybe with the girls too!
Poor experience -left early
This is an interesting campsite and no doubt appeals to some people HOWEVER - on our first night camped on the meadow we had to endure a group of women singing (badly) and squealing until 1am ALSO (and worse) in the meadow two vans arrived at 9-30pm - the occupants were joined by a female member of staff who seemed to know them . They talked very loudly with loud music until about 1-30am- at that point I heard someone (presumably anithet camper in field ) shout to turn music off - they did this for ten minutes and continued to talk loudly - and then music came back on - eventually staff member (I think) left about 2am- we were so fed up with them by then that we left the next morning a day early - we get it that some campsites can be loud - wouldn’t want to spoil anybodys fun but we felt this was too inconsiderate - we won’t be coming again as can see that this sort of problem is likely recurring given the geography and size of the site
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
Thanks for your feedback and glad you thought it was an interesting campsite. We're very sorry of course that you had a disturbed evening and had to endure some annoying singing and noise until after midnight. We do try to make it very clear to all our campers that we are a family and couples campsite first and foremost, and that we expect appropriate behaviour and respect for others later in the evening and especially after dark. This does not include loud singing, shouting or squealing! What we always hope in these kind of cases is that you will contact our Site Manager who's number is clearly displayed at Reception either by call or text, and if he is off duty, he will ensure a resident member of staff comes to investigate and hopefully solve any problems on the spot. The other method is to speak to the noisy neighbours yourself and explain that their actions are spoiling your enjoyment so could they tone it down. We hope the camping community will be self-policing most of the time although staff are of course completely ready to get involved once they know there is an issue. We are puzzled by the allegation that a female member of staff joined the campervans later in the evening and wonder what led you to believe it was a member of the team? We have been unable to find any evidence of this, so are guessing you may have seen a female member of staff who went over to these campers to ask them to be quieter - but she was not a friend of theirs and definitely didn't join them! We aim to be fun loving but with lots of tranquility too - we're very sorry you didn't experience this side of the campsite.
A magical holiday
We had an absolutely magical holiday at Cornish Tipi Holidays. The site is so beautiful - we had loads of fun exploring it (especially the lake by boat!) and all the facilities were lovely and clean. The staff were super friendly and really helpful. The pizza from the onsite cafe is delicious!! I cannot recommend Cornish Tipi Holidays enough - thank you very much for having us x
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
Thanks for the glowing testimonial and your fantastic words 'a magical holiday' says it all! Thanks too for mentioning the clean facilities and our hard working staff. The Gastropod Cafe team (text 07399 887406 to place evening food orders) will be delighted to hear you so enjoyed their pizza! See you again soon.
Fantastic break away with friends
Great facilities and adventures around the site. The lake is a great way to spend a hot summer day
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
Thanks so much for the 5 star review. A hot summer's day at the lake - it does sound perfect!
An immersive campsite set beside a lovely little lake.l
Friendly, helpful and laid back staff. Lovely firepits on each pitch. Great little showers in wooden huts and plentiful ventilation. Wonderful breakfast at the Gastropod. FULL of atmosphere.
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
Much appreciate the 5 star rating - we like the safari style showers too! Thank you also for your kind comments about the staff, the firepits, atmosphere and the wonderful breakfast at the Gastropod Cafe - the foccacia roll with avocado and mushrooms is a top favourite here at the moment!
Great site
We (2 adults) stayed in a private pitch which was great for what we wanted. The lake was awesome and the staff were all really friendly. There’s so much for any kind of group. Clean facilities and super close to amazing beaches.
Beautiful lake, great site
Really gorgeous campsite with heaps of room and a beautiful lake. Decent facilities with composting toilets and good showers. Great location, near all the Tintagel sites and the St Nectans waterfall. Definitely recommend!
Lovely stay and helpful staff
Fun swimming and pootling about in the boats and kayaks. Well set up. Even caught some fish! Great place
Definitely a cool camping 🏕
We (2 adults and a 10y old child) stayed in a medium tipi for 3 nights. The tipi is very spacious and everything for cooking is provided. I loved the picnic table, very practical! The loos were always clean and the shower hot. Our tipi was only a short walk away from the lake. The free access to boats and kayak is really nice and we enjoyed swimming in it too. Very peaceful and also fun. We appreciate the diversity of people camping here! The location of the campsite is ideal, beautiful places to visit near by and beaches!
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
Thanks for your top rated review and so pleased you loved your picnic table, tipi and the loos & showers. See you again soon!
A truly wonderful stay - can't fault it!
A group of 17 of us organised our trip to Cornwall to stay with Cornish Tipi Holidays and from start to finish, we felt looked after. The staff were super helpful when trying to make some late changes to our booking and on site, they were consistently friendly and attentive, often going out of their way to help. We had a combination of wild camp sites and tipis, which worked perfectly for our group where everyone wants something slightly different out of their trip. The convenience of the tipis with supplied cooking equipment and close-by clean, flushing loos with running water and drinking/washing up stations was second to none. They also had space outside the larger tipi for us to gather in the evening and sit around the campfire, hopefully without causing too much disturbance to other guests as we were tucked away - I would without a doubt book one of these again. Also having the bonus of hot, clean shower facilities was such a treat after a long day in the sun! The wild campsites were also secluded enough to feel very private, with lovely views to wake up to. Having the boating lake was also a real treat - every morning started with a dip in the water and for those who were less brave, the boats were a fantastic option. We ate from the cafe on a couple of occasions, with the wood fired pizza on the first night. The only downside was that some of the pizzas were slightly underdone and we didn't receive our food until 45 mins past our reservation time, but this was most likely down to our large group and having been fairly last minute to put our order through. Our group had a wonderful time at the site and we would not hesitate to recommend a stay to anyone else. Thanks so much!!!
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
Fantastic that your group all had a lovely time with all their different requirements and requests - it's always wonderful to hear that staff went out of their way to help, even with last minute changes of plan or things that were needed. Great you all enjoyed the lake, the views, the campfires, loos & showers were clean and hot etc. The Gastropod Cafe is a separate business to us, and run by another local family usually to very high standards. They have been exceptionally busy over the holiday period, and are trying to operate to new Covid rules about collection times for evening food to minimize contact etc. This has not been without it's challenges! I hope you mentioned something to them at the time as they would have been happy to have your feedback and really want all their customers to be delighted with their experience of dining in a Cornish meadow! Look forward to seeing you all again soon.
Peaceful and relaxed holiday!
Stayed in a tipi with my partner and we loved it! Tipi was clean, showers were nice and hot, toilets were kept in order too. Cleaning stuff in the shower and toilets which was good to have when some eople didn't keep them clean for others. Site itself was lovely too. The lake only a short walk from our tipi, the water was warm, boats were so fun to ride. Even have floats there for children too. Only wish is that they had an electric hook up. Would defo stay again.
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
So glad you found it peaceful and relaxing and enjoyed staying in your tipi. Thank you for mentioning things like the extra cleaning stuff in the loos etc.
Look forward to seeing you again soon!
Private, cosy, sun dappled woodland camping
1. Great communication, quick replies when we were having trouble with our time of arrival 2. Super easy check in, easy to find staff if you need anything 3. We stayed in one of the little woodland camps, which was secluded, and lovely and provided perfect dappled shade on a hot hot day! 4. Clean, flushing toilets! 5. Hot showers! 6. An icy cold lake to play in! 7. Watching wagtails on the lake was very relaxing 8. Walkable to the pub.!
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
Thank you so much for your lovely review and mentioning your communication with the office and staff and check in. Watching the wagtails on the lake is one of our favourite things to do too!
Amazing camping experience
The site is beautiful and well thought out, each pitch has a fire pit and fresh turf with soft grass and considering the time of year I stayed it was like having a private forest. The Lake is incredible. I will be visiting again!
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
Thanks so much for your comments and great you plan to come back to your private forest!
The perfect retreat
I was impressed with everything - from the pitches to the lake, even the showers exceeded my expectation and provided a very pleasant start to the day. Somehow the combination of having the facilities you need, along side feeling connected to the wild is all mixed perfectly. Highly recommended.
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
"The perfect retreat" - with that phrase, and your note of provided facilities mixed with nature, it shows us that what we're trying to do is really working - so a massive thank you for booking and then leaving your review.
Brilliant campsite
We loved staying here, the staff were really friendly and helpful and the whole site had a really relaxed feel to it. Great facilities - lovely hot showers, washing up facilities and toilets both flushing and composting. The site felt quite wild in places and the facilities had been sympathetically placed in the landscape to retain the feel. The Tipi field looked great although we only camped but each pitch had its own firepit with logs available from reception. The absolute hidden gem though is the private lake with a beautiful deck to dive straight off into the water and boats and canoes available to use at your leisure and free of charge, there were also life jackets available to grab if needed too. Really great location too, close to Port Isaac, Polzeath and Rock with Padstow only half an hour away by car (quicker to get the ferry from Rock across the estuary though)
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
Thank you so much! The North Coast of Cornwall really is at your feet when you stay here, and you're absolutely right about getting the ferry to Padstow from Rock - it's a lovely day trip and really good fun arriving by boat!
Lovely secluded stay
Pitches are fairly private and a good size. Lake in the middle is amazing with boats free of charge to use. Plenty of sites to see within 20 mins drive.
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
Thank you so much for your review and so pleased you enjoyed the lakes and boats.
Lovely campsite with great facilities
This campsite was wonderful, great showers and toilets, lots of space and lots to see around the campsite - lake, gastro pub, animals. also well located close by to beaches and coastline for walks, surfing, SUP etc. Will come back!
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
Thanks for your great review and hope to see you paddle boarding on the lake again soon!
Lovely secluded campsite with a great vibe
We had a great three night break at the campsite. The pitches in the wood are nicely secluded, the staff were really friendly and helpful, and the food on offer at the cafe was top-notch (particularly the amazing breakfast rolls). The only negative was the one-way system for driving around the campsite, which means you have to drive out of the campsite and around to the entrance again after you have dropped your stuff at the pitch site.
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
So glad you enjoyed the campsite vibe - our current favourite breakfast roll @thegastropodcafe is the rosemary foccacia with bsalmic mushrooms & avocado...sorry you didn't like our one way system, it's a H&S thing we do to prevent accidents and problems on some of our steeper woodland areas. It works pretty well, but does take a few moments more of everyone's time. But it is much safer!
Great spot with lovely lake!
We had a great night's stay on the Meadow Camping pitch. It was not busy (probably due to weather) so we had ample space and quiet. The lake was a beautiful spot for an evening/morning swim - definitely a huge plus! The Gastropod cafe serves delicious breakfast too! The only downside I would say is that it is a large site with not many shower/toilet blocks so you have to walk a bit, but the toilet and shower blocks were very clean and well maintained!
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
Thanks for your great review; so glad to hear you found the loo + shower blocks very clean & well maintained - we are working very hard to try & achieve this despite the unkind weather throughout most of August. The Gastropod Cafe breakfast specials have been a real treat this season - not to mention their delicious supper evenings, with something different on offer nearly every night! Sometimes there is a little walk, but never more than 3-5 minutes tops, and often only a matter of metres from your tipi or camping pitch. Look forward to seeing you again soon :)
Splendid location Poor Service
The lakes the highlight, with the rest failing to meet basic expectations. Bins regularly overflowing, cold showers, and often no hand towels. Pointed this out on a number of occasions, however with the owner was away, I was told there was no-one with an appropriate authority to remedy the issues. Cut our stay short.
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
We're so pleased you enjoyed the lake but very sorry you had problems with the showers - our showers can be temperamental when the water pressure drops too low, which it has been some of the time during this busiest August on record. We are doing our absoloute best in what I'm sure you're aware are quite challenging conditions at the moment - supplies of things like paper towels are extraordinarily difficult to get some of the time as you may also be aware (just like PPE) and we did have to wait a couple of days for a new delivery about 10 days ago - probably when you were staying with us. The bins are emptied repeatedly throughout the day by members of the team (anywhwere from 6-9 people on duty every day all day) and there is always a Manager on duty (every day, all day) so if the main Manager is off duty the Assistant Manager is on duty and has full authority to deal with any given situation, including very serious ones. We're sorry that you decided to cut your trip short, but are operating in an unusual environment, so hope customers may be a little understanding of things that are difficult for us to instantaneously remedy, and may be outside of our control. A little flexibility is really helpful at the moment!
No photo can do justice to this breathtakingly beautiful location
Location, Location, Location... Stunning lake with free use of rowing boats and life jackets. We stayed at the Willows tippee for three nights. Apart from one night, we had nice hot showers daily. Staff were prompt at unblocking one of the 4 loos. The Tippee itself is very sturdy and kept us cozy throughout storm Ellen. We enjoyed the privacy of the Willows, however it does slope quite a bit. However we found a way around this by propping up our inflatable bed with rolled up clothes and towels to get the bed flat. At night time, the snails made their appearance inside the tippee... However, we weren't put off by this too much. I would still give the whole experience a 5/5. Thank you all so much. Hope to see you next year again, God willing.
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
Thank you for the lovely 5 out of 5 rating - fantastic that Willows private site tipi kept you warm & dry during Storm Ellen - she was fierce! Tipis are definitely stronger & sturdier than modern tents - we've had so many campers with broken tent poles, damaged canvas and leaking tents - so good news all round! Yes it's true that snails love the wet conditions...sounds like you coped with these small invaders pretty well though...Thanks for mentioning that staff responded swiftly to a blocked loo - it happens more often than we would like but is just part of having public facilities. Our staff are pretty good at dealing with this kind of thing so thanks for noticing. We'll definitely look forward to seeing you next year - just get in touch when you'd like to book.
Lovely location, but site is currently over stretched
Setting is great, lake is lovely and concept is good - ‘private’ wild camping sites. But the site is over crowded. Sky sites are not private and not big enough, too close together and should be kept for small tents only - not suited to a family size tent. Bluebell bank much better size and a lovely spot, but very muddy - the weather can’t be helped, but you could supply more rubber mats, which helped. Agree with others that the toilets and showers were too few for the number of people, but see you are trying to address that. Paths an tracks treacherous in the mud - I slipped and fractured my wrist - again you can’t help the weather but could gravel more of the paths to alleviate this - especially around the water points. My advice? Don’t get any bigger and don’t get greedy - you have a lovely spot and a great concept, but are endangering your offer by squeezing too many people in, this isn’t cheap camping, so you need to offer more than other sites, if you expand and diversify you risk losing the uniqueness of the place - keep it small and maintain what you have better and you’ll get much more positive reviews.
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
Happy you like the concept of private pitches - we've always had these, and they've been super popular for obvious reasons this summer. The Sky sites are individual pitches, which campers usually love - it's a shame you didn't like this area as we think it's one of the most magical on site. As with all our private pitches, each one here is different, and some are much smaller than others. We do ask on the online booking system that you make sure your tent will fit - before you book, as some people have couple size or more modest family tents, while others have monster tents which need huge amounts of space. We clearly display the Sky pitch measurements online to prevent any misunderstanding about sizes. One of the biggest pitches on site is in this area, so not all are small by any means. We're very sorry to hear that you slipped over and do hope that your wrist is feeling better now. We do feel we need to respond a little more by also explaining that our site density (official speak for how many tents etc you put in a given area) is incredibly low compared to just about any other commercial UK campsite/holiday park you might come across. We have always aimed at quality not quantity since we started operations in 1996, but it's always good to get fresh eyes on things and get a little bit of extra business advice - thanks for the pointers!
Lovely setting but
Arrived for 7day holiday looking forward to going back to basics no electric no WiFi, tipi was ok we had visitors of a little nibbly kind but we are with nature so!! Excellent position for visiting Cornwall . But the first night our neighbours had a party loud music etc but was quite before 12.Staff friendly. Gastropod food was lovely .The only thing that was a disappointment was the cold water at sinks and state some toilets were left by people 🤢. There was 5 toilets to cater for Meadow field Tipis and the whole camping fields. Which I thought was bad every section of camping areas should have their own toilet/shower block, the cost to stay here is over priced by what we seen. We only visited the lake once not impressed was looking forward to swimming fishing etc here but no fish to noisey for that. Not enough space to sit or walk around . Kids running around on wet wood then untying boats and letting them float off. Needs a good clean up. It could be improved in areas which I hope happens. Not sure we would visit again.
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
We can only apologize for the inconsiderate neighbours who were noisy - we clearly ask for no amplified music of any sort (even if it was well before 12) anywhere on the campsite. Ditto the state of any loo cubicles - but please bear in mind how many children we have had here recently, and children do not necessarily leave a tidy cubicle like most adults would. Staff would definitely have picked up on this at the next clean. Every section does have it's own facilities - they are dotted around the campsite and show clearly on the individual maps/links given out at check-in, and are displayed on the larger map pinned up outside Reception. Yes we only have cold water for hand washing at some of the sinks, which we do state on the website, but more hot water is being installed for next season. There's lots of fish in the lake (we re-stocked for the second time this year on 17 August), so if it's busy at the lakeside & jetty end any keen fisherperson can take one of the boats to the quieter end of the lake to get a bite! There's around 20 metres of wooden boardwalk beside the lake as well as the little terraced areas above water level so we're very sorry if you didn't find space to sit or walk around. Staff do their best to keep the lake area tidy, but we do expect parents to keep their children under control when they're at the lake - letting the boats float off is a bit annoying but we guess they were just having fun and enjoying being outside in the open air! So glad you enjoyed the food at the cafe too!
Expensive campsite resting on hippy laurels
On the plus side this is a pretty campsite and the quarry lake is quite special. Showers were usually hot (we did tell reception once when they weren't and someone came to change the gas). The fire pits and standpipe on our pitch was useful - it was lovely sitting round the campfire toasting marshmallows each evening. Katie the cat was a welcome visitor. The Gastropod does the most delicious wood-fired pizzas. You can freeze your ice packs. But we paid a lot for this campsite (over £1000 for two families for a week, more than the 5* campsite we usually go to in France) and didn't feel that it was value for money. Yes it is near the sea (although a proper swimming beach is a drive away) and yes it has a relaxed hippy / festival vibe but we'd booked a private pitch for us and another family and it was perpetually muddy, a bit sloping, opposite the eco-toilets (we weren't advised on this when we booked) which got whiffy, and really difficult to unload and load our car (there is a one-way system down to the lower private pitches and you aren't allowed to drive on the pitch and when we were unloading we were asked to move (which involves driving off the campsite) four times to allow others past and my sister-in-law's car wheels starting churning in the mud). The pitch was for up to 8 people or a large tent and two small ones (our configuration) but felt rather tight. We might have been better off in the field but to move everything again would have been difficult. My daughter hated the eco loos and it was a bit of a walk to flushable ones. The way I got hot water to wash up was by filling our trug in the showers. Staff were pleasant but laid back and not rushing to help. When I asked if they had small change that I could swap a note for for the parking meters I was told they didn't do that sort of thing. We had a reasonable experience but I think the campsite has more to do to match the cost!
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
We're so pleased you thought the campsite was pretty and the lake special. Great to hear that the showers were hot - except when a gas bottle needed changing - which was obviously done quite promptly! It sounds like Katie the cat wasn't a nuisance either (she doesn't actually belong to us but adopted us some years ago as a seasonal resident...) and you enjoyed both marshmallow toasting and pizzas at the Gastropod Cafe (text them on 07399 887406 for a time slot to pick up takeaway evening food this summer). We're about 5 minutes from the nearest lovely swimming beach at Port Gaverne, or surfing at nearby Polzeath (less than 15 mins). We do make a point of not letting people drive onto their camping pitch as obviously it would turn into a mud bath in wet weather or hard earth rubbed bare in dry weather. We try to preserve our grass as much as possible for everybody to enjoy, and we don't feel we should apologize for that - it's a large part of what we do here. Your pitch was right beside the lane, so we're not sure why you had to move your car several times when unloading - other people should have waited for you as unloading doesn't take very long. We're sorry to hear you were asked to move it, but we do have the one way system for a reason as some of our access is unsuitable for 2 way traffic and we do have to always consider Health & Safety in terms of cars etc. We agree with you that up to 8 people on your particular pitch is too many (usually this includes several small children) and have now changed it to a maximum of 6, so we hope you can see how seriously we take your comments. We're not quite sure what you mean about parking meters (we don't think there are any in this area, and we certainly don't charge anyone to park here!) but as we don't run a shop staff don't have access to cash and of course in these Covid times most people are avoiding change anyway. The team will be sorry to hear you were unhappy about this, but they do try to please!
Quiet, peaceful, back to nature
Friendly staff. Very private pitches secluded from others. The main field looked lovely for more social camping. Good facilities. The lake is the absolute best part. Great fun for everyone.
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
Thanks so much for highlighting some of our best features in such a succinct way - we really hope you'll be back to have some more fun soon!
Lovely Setting but inadequate facilities and party groups very noisy
We had a precious 4 nights booked in what has been a very stressful few months running our own business. They market this site as family friendly and quiet. For 1 night there were a large group of youths partying on the top meadow and then for 2 nights a big group of about 20 people with 5 tents on the lower meadow. The lower meadow had loud music and yelling including regular swearing at full volume at the top of their voices until 2.30am. We complained to the management on 2 occasions and texted but the next night there was strobe lighting, music and screaming until 2am on the lower meadow. No respect for anyone else, I believe it was some organised birthday party by the group. The management did tell us 2 families left after the first night as they couldn't cope. Management are not available after a certain time to control incidents on the campsite as we tried to contact someone in the middle of the night and the text number left for complaints never replied to us. The toilets near us were out of order which left 5 toilets available for the entire top field and all camping areas around. They were a 8 minute walk from our pitch uphill. Not ideal in the middle of the night and certainly not adequate during Covid times. I find it amazing they did not build some extra composting toilets to compensate. Shame. We had been looking forward to a tranquil break in beautiful settings and instead came back very tired and a little upset at the behaviour of others.
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
We're so sorry you were disturbed by the bad behaviour of other campers who chose to be both disrespectful and inappropriate. We have had issues with a couple of bookings this year where people have been behaving quite differently to other years. These people all booked as separate couples or families, so we didn't know that they were trying to form a group - a booking that we wouldn't have taken this season. We also would have explained that any birthday fun would have had to include one crucial element - quiet! Unfortunately the night you mention was one where the Manager was not available due to family illness. We have staff on duty most of the time to deal with most things, including until later in the evening, but not in the middle of the night as we do not provide 24 hour cover like a security detail - our staff also have to go home and/or go to bed themselves. We do anticipate that the community of campers will be largely self-policing; according to the rules and ethos of the campsite as clearly laid out on our website. If people are going to behave in such an unpleasant and anti-social way, then we will ask them to leave the premises - although we do have to know who they are first. A visit to or note left at Reception the next morning is incredibly helpful if you haven't been able to get an answer overnight. We do have 4 separate loo blocks - not just the one you mention with 5 cubicles. We think you may not have realized there was a much closer block to you - about 3 mins walk from where (we think) you were camping. We weren't able to build a new composting block pre-opening as we had 10 days notice that we could do so! But a new one is nearly finished now - supplies and builders/plumbers have been very hard to access in the last 6 weeks as we're sure you understand. So glad you thought the setting was lovely and apologies once again we weren't quicker off the mark with the culprits. Despite being repeat customers they have now been permanently barred.
Wonderful location with a natural feel but needs more toilets.
We stayed 3 nights at this beautifully located campsite. Our pitch was gossels in the wild camping area and was private and shady with the benefit of its own tap. We loved the wild feel of the campsite and the bonus extra of being able to help ourselves to the boats on the beautiful lake. The Gastropod was a massive hit with lovely staff serving up delicious food and drinks! Due to the number of people visiting the campsite in high season, it would benefit from more toilets as many were out of use. The showers could also have benefitted from more regular cleaning.
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
Beautiful location sounds like us! Thanks for praising both the campsite and the lake & we'll tell the lovely cafe people that they were a massive hit too! We quite agree that more loos are needed - they are high on the agenda and had it not been for lockdown & closure of the campsite for months would have been built by now. However the newest block opens tomorrow! The little composting block you mention as being closed is the only one that has been out of use this season at all - this was for 6 days - and was due to a fatality on the A30 to Launcestion which prevented the contractors from attending in the normal way so we had to wait until the following week. We hope this addresses your point as we intend to provide more facilities going forward, ie next season.
A beautiful location but over priced and poorly managed
We spent a week here at the start of August 2020. I think it is a beautiful setting and the lake is stunning, also the pitches were well spaced. It was great to have cars parked away from the tents to make it safe for children to play. However, there are not enough toilet and shower facilities. Whilst I was more than happy to have simple facilities, I wasn't prepared for the fact that five basic toilets needed to be shared by the whole meadow field and upper tipi field. I had to complain to the management about the fact that these were rarely cleaned; bins were over flowing and there was only ever cold water for hand washing. On our first trip to the showers we found loads of discarded plastic bottles, items of clothing stuffed in shelves and orange grime on the tiles. The washing up sinks opposite our pitch had a variety of old used sponges on the shelves; they were there for the duration of our stay. After four days without hot water at these sinks, I had to go back down to Reception to inform them that there was no hot water. It turned out the gas needed changing! Maybe the person practising their guitar in the office could have done it or why didn't the person cleaning them notice? This is the first time I have ever written a review for anything.
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
Thanks so much for your feedback and we're delighted you think it is a beautiful campsite and that you thought our lake was stunning - it is pretty nice! We're also really pleased that you mention our well spaced camping pitches and the fact that we separate cars from the tents - thank you for this. We are of course really sorry that you were unhappy with the facilities; whilst we exceed the overall numbers required for loo cubicles (& showers) across the whole campsite, we also believe that we need more cubicles in this particular area of the site as it's where we have the biggest concentration of people. So we absolutely agree with you on this. We had planned to build a new block before opening in early Spring this year. Obviously what then happened was weeks of uncertainty, culminating in lockdown in March. We were then not allowed to open or start building work etc. When we were suddenly given permission to open - we had 10 days in which to find staff, kick start the whole campsite and bring it back to life with everything that needs to be done. There was no possibility of large renovations or new projects - we had campers arriving very soon! However, the good news is that (despite it being August, when we would normally never start any work of this sort) we have now nearly completed a brand new loo + shower block in the main camping meadow (where I think you may have been staying?) conveniently located just a few metres away from the Gastropod Cafe near the main tent and campervan areas. We're just waiting for the plumbers and a few other bits & pieces to complete the job. We're also planning this winter to completely renovate the oldest block on site, which is the 5 cubicle one situated in the Top Village Field that you mention. We also plan to install hot water at the hand washing basins. Staff are cleaning repeatedly every day, but occasionally something may get missed - please accept our apologies if this was the case during your stay.
Truly Relaxing Break
We had a great time at Cornish Tipi’s. We had a sky pitch which was secluded with great views and sheltered from the wind and rain. The showers were great, especially after a dip in the beautiful and idyllic lake! Which was highlight of our trip. The campsite is a great location for getting across Cornwall as we visited all the tourist spots, Padstow being the nearest and most beautiful! The food at the gastropod was great and the staff at the site were friendly and very helpful. All in all a fantastic break away from technology and let's you connect with nature.
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
Ahh - thanks - lovely review and so glad you liked your private camping pitch up on The Skies...it is lovely up there. Great you enjoyed your visits to the Gastropod Cafe (text 07399 887406 to book evening food pick up slots) they've got some great breakfast specials on at the moment!
Magical experience like no other
We had the most amazing time here. The lake is just incredible. We spent pretty much all our time there and my kids loved the freedom of being able to grab a kayak and go out to the pontoons. Will definitely be returning.
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
Thanks so much for your heartfelt words - and letting us know about your children's enjoyment and your pleasure in their freedom "magical experience like no other" - it's so what we want people to experience! We really look forward to your family's return!
Would take own tent next time
Lovely campsite, beautiful surroundings and friendly staff. Would think twice about staying in a tipi again as we were joined by a four legged furry creature during the night!....... not ideal! The tipi’s are big with all equipment needed but they are not sealed around the outside. The doorway is just a fold down piece of canvas leaving large gaps for mother nature & her creatures to get in. Would stay here again but in our own sealed & zipped tent.
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
Thanks so much for highlighting some of our best features!
Sorry you were disturbed by a nocturnal visitor - almost certainly a field mouse. They find our tipis and tents very cosy - and often with the chance of supper thrown in! We do try to explain how tipis operate on our website:
"Each tipi is fitted with an external hat or interior lining to keep out the rain - although in bad conditions (driving rain, severe winds etc) we cannot guarantee that any canvas structure will be completely weather or wildlife proof. Drips, leaks, muddy doorways etc are all part of camping in a typical British summer - it's why the Cornish countryside is so beautifully green! Please bear this in mind before booking with us - especially if you think a hotel or B&B might suit you better. Fair weather camping cannot be guaranteed.
All the tipis are equipped with the basics you might need for your visit - custom-made groundsheets (just so you know, these aren't attached to the main canvas as tipis aren't manufactured as sealed units like modern tents, so sometimes you get gaps!), warm Turkish rugs and candle lanterns".
Tipis are early design & technology, and whilst they have many advantages over modern tents they are not sealed units either above your head or below your feet. This means that either the elements or visitors from the natural world may appear - you're living in their world and they don't always realize they're not wanted...
Perfect rural camping holiday
We loves our stay at Cornish Tipi Holidays. We were camping in our own tent on a private pitch near the lake. We had a great spot in the middle of woodland. Very secluded and beautiful. The lake was great and we got to go kayaking in the mornings it was a bit muddy' but that's to be expected and parking was difficult at times as we stayed in peak season. But overall we loved our stay. We would like to mention that this is not a great place if you have any mobility issues as there are a few steep hills and the path near the railway (where our family were staying) was a bit dubious if you're not steady on your feet. However there is the main camping field that would solve that issue. We didn't get to go to the restaurant as we went out most night for food's but really wanted to as the menu.looks amazing . We'll defo be back again. Thank you for a lovely relaxing holiday. Just what we needed.
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
Lovely to hear all your comments and yes it has all got a bit muddy recently; with 2 named storms in the last week Ellen & Francis) plus a deluge of rain most nights it is impossible to keep a grass site in top condition at the moment. Some of our lanes & paths are muddy and some camping pitches - but the meadow is doing really well and quite a lot of the private pitches too. Mornings kayaking on the lake are not to be missed - plus of course breakfast at the Gastropod Cafe afterwards! Look forward to seeing you again.
Beautiful setting but sadly lacking in facilities & basic hygiene.
Lovely setting but the facilities for the prices charged are just not up to par. Dirty toilet facilities with no hot water. Lack of showers & no lights in the 3 available showers. The lake is good fun and you can use the boats etc. We booked a Tipi but it was not cleaned well, some of the utensils provided had mouldy food caked on and it was Big let down at nearly £900 for the week
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
Thanks for your comments on our setting; we are of course sorry you felt our prices were too expensive - they have remained stable for the last 4 years. You are of course not paying just for the tipi but for the whole experience of the campsite itself - complete with open fires, large contingent of staff, boating, swimming & fishing for rainbow trout to cook on your campfire for a family supper (a typical catch & take day ticket for x1 rod at a fishing lake is now £35-£40 for example) and so on. We have to refute the 'dirty' comment - perhaps you mean muddy? Or perhaps you mean that someone had just been in a cubicle before you and hadn't actually used the loo brush provided to tidy up after themselves? We quite understand that this is annoying, but on a busy campsite in August unfortunately not everyone has exactly the same standards of hygiene or respect for others that you have - or it could have been a child who didn't realize that they hadn't left a spotless lavatory bowl behind them. We agree that it's not the same as your own facilities at home - but realisically this is what happens when you are sharing public facilities with other people. We are cleaning all the shared facilities (which includes the 10 showers - not 3!) 5-6 times a day and our housekeeping team clean every tipi before you check in. We're sorry you had some poortly cleaned utensils or the tipi wasn't up to scratch - we just wish you had told us at the time. It's quite correct that we only have hot water in the basins at 1 of the flusing loo blocks (as all our camping is off Grid hot water is a tricky commodity to provide without downgrading the shower water) but we do try to make this clear from the outset on our website:
" Our mains water comes from standpipes for your cooking and washing up which you will need to heat up back at your tipi - our basins are plumbed for cold water and are intended for handwashing ... rather than washing your dishes."
Not quite as expected
We were met by a charming, knowledgable young man who showed us on the map where things were and led us to our pitch, “streambank” pitch was very slippy and muddy, but beautiful setting, we were covered in mud by the time we had pitched our tent, the walk to the sinks to wash our hands was a long one and no hot water when we got there ( not good during current coronavirus pandemic), this was also a very long walk alone in the night to go for a wee, my other option was to use a compost loo with no hand washing facilities!!! We were advised on arrival to message the Castro pub to request a time slot for dinner, which we did, but recieved no response. After speaking with reception again we were told “ just go there half an hour before opening, you will be fine”, we did this only to be told that they didn’t reply because they had no time to reply! They also informed us that as we had left it to now they had also no slots for dinner or take away pizzas to pre order, we were left on the site with no means of getting dinner!! Not the weekend I had hoped for for my partners birthday, what a shame !!
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
Thank you so much for such lovely words about the staff member who showed you to your pitch and remarking on Streambank's beautiful setting. You are absolutely right about it being muddy at the moment, the weather has been pretty merciless recently and this pitch, as it's name suggests, is immediately beside a little stream which then runs off through the woods to another part of the campsite. In really wet weather it is less free draining than lots of our pitches, so we're always happy to move anybody elsewhere if they like to mention this to us. This pitch is half way between 2 different sink areas - one does not have hot water for hand washing and one does. Everything we do is more complicated than most campsites as all our camping is off Grid! The composting loos always have hand sanitizer (& currently anti-viral sprays) even when in such remote locations of the site that piped water isn't available. But thanks for your feedback, and it just shows us that we have to be even more vigilant in explaining where all the different facilities are. When it comes to the Gastropod Cafe we're really sorry if you weren't able to get some of their wonderful wood fired pizza on the Friday night; the cafe team are beyond busy at the moment (they are an entirely separate business to us and run by another small family team) and are doing their absolute best to cope with running a phenomenally busy seasonal cafe in a Covid secure way - hence the need for texting to obtain a take away time slot, rather than the usual turning up at the cafe during the evening. Super annoying to miss out we do appreciate that - anyone reading this, please just make sure you text the cafe number to arrange take away suppers 6 nights a week in season (Tuesday-Sunday) 07399 887406. We'll hope to see you another time when it's less rainy and the cafe isn't quite so busy!
Perfect lakeside retreat
Beautiful environment for camping - all pitches are secluded amongst stunning woodland. The lake is a real highlight, especially the freedom to use boats as you please, and the rope swing to jump in. The staff were super friendly and helpful and the facilities were clean and reliably hot showers, and we never had to queue. The Gastropod on-site is an added bonus serving up delicious dinners and breakfasts which we really benefitted from!
Most luxury campsite experience I've had
The campsite was lovely, with excellent facilities (huge, very hot showers) and a beautiful lake to swim/kayak/fish in. There was a cafe on site serving delicious breakfast and dinner. The staff were very friendly and helpful. Only criticism is that toilets could have been a bit cleaner (in my opinion).
Response from Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping
Thanks so much for your lovely review - we are cleaning the loos & showers many times a day at the moment, but occasionally something happens (often children, lots of loo paper...you get the picture!) which needs additional sorting out. Members of staff are always happy to do an extra clean if a camper lets them know something needs their extra attention!
Beautiful camping site, lovely staff
We went here for my partner's birthday and this place is a gem. First time to stay in a tipi and it was a lovely experience. It comes with cooking gas stove, kitchen needs and matts. It feels like we had our own little forest too! We had the campfire right in front of our tipi which made it special. We did barbecues, s'mores and cinnamon rolls in the comfort of our private area (hence social distancing). The place is massive and you can have a beautiful walk around this picturesque nature. Not only that but they have their own lake, yes! inside the campsite. You can do boating and kayaks for free whenever. The lake can accommodate a large number of people as well so it didn't feel crowded at all. The staff were lovely, welcomed us with smiles. Our guide was Tom, he showed us around the place and was very accommodating. The bins were constantly changed and the loos/showers were clean too. The place is close to Port Isaac where you can have the best seafood. Will definitely comeback here. Kuddos to the staff :))
Lovely place, lovely staff, and will visit again
We came to celebrate my wife's 50th birthday, with friends and kids. We stayed on the sky pitches, and had a great time, relaxing round the fire, eating lots, swimming lots, and catching up with each other. Some campers had a different idea of camping in the woods to us, but the staff were great, and a good time was had by all. Definitely come again.
Fabulous getaway
This place is awesome. We have just returned home after 3 days of quiet and peace. The Tipis are large, well kitted out with everything you will need and quirky which suits this site perfectly. Staff are welcoming, pleasant and always happy to help. Hot showers and clean toilets. The tipis are a good distance from your neighbours which allows plenty of space to chill out on the picnic tables and around camp fires with a feeling of privacy. What absolutely makes this site complete though is the stunning natural water lake, simply breathtaking with the sun on it. Boats and kayaks are provided free and we also took our paddleboard with us to use and did fly fishing early morning and evening. There are great beaches nearby for surfing and the towns are lovely. Everyone was so pleasant. Cornish Tipis typify everything that is posh camping. Thank you for a perfect few days away the madness. We will definitely return.
Lovely stay with very friendly staff
The campsite was gorgeous and so relaxing. The staff were very helpful and friendly. The toilets were clean and well kept. The lake is beautiful with free use of the boats. My only issue was with the Gastropod which are separate from the campsite. Cannot wait to go back!
Excellent
We really loved this campsite - The setting and lake are beautiful and the staff were very friendly and helpful. There is a good restaurant on site, and it is easily accessible to Port Isaac and Padstow. Would highly recommend!
Relaxing break with great facilities
We rented a big Tipi in the village field for a family of four. Having the cooking facility, picnic table and tent already set up was great, and let us unwind more as we didn't have to pack so much. Swimming and boating in the clear lake was fantastic, and had to do this most days - plenty of boats and lifejackets provided and I was surprised I never had to wit for this even though the site was full. The kids loved running freely around the site, which is actually quite big, and boating/swimming. The showers and facilities were good. Also plenty of local things to do, but not too crowded. Think we'll come back.
Brilliant camping and watersports experience for my young boys
We loved the freedom on this site - picking a spot and having space for all the children to play freely. The free access to kayaks and boats was amazing and the lake was stunning and a real treat. Very relaxing and calm.
Relaxed,clean and natural
Loved the site,loved the cafe,pre ordered a birthday cake which was amazing,staff really welcoming, really natural and we'll respected area of ancient woodland, amazing lake ,good boats available and pontoons,fires what more could you want
Fantastic, welcoming and incredible value.
We went with a group of 10 of us between 2 large tipis which was more than ample space to spread out, we were a bit rowdy on the first night (sorry campers) and we were very gently asked to keep it down a bit, which we did! The fire pit and lake were such excellent facilities along with good showers and toilets, most of all the staff on site we truly brilliant and the whole vibe was fun, friendly and relaxed from everyone present. I would go back in a heartbeat as would every single one of our group.
Fantastic Tipi Weekend
The most amazing weekend spent camping in one of the tipis at Cornish Tipi Holidays. The site and tipi and whole experience exceeded our expectations in every way. On arrival the staff were super friendly and helpful. The tipis were perfectly kitted out and surprisingly quite warm. We shared a tipi with 4 people and it was very spacious - definitely room for more comfortably. The site was beautiful with the lake being a highlight - lots of boats and other activities free to use and enjoy. We had planned to grab pizzas from the Gastropod Cafe on site on the Friday eve but it was fully booked so I would recommend booking this in advance if you are wanting that. However we managed to try the food the following night and it did not disappoint. If looking for somewhere else to eat off the site the Cornish Arms Inn Pub was amazing, great food and atmosphere! All the facilities were super clean and stocked with resources - didn't feel worried about COVID. All in all, it was a great weekend and we will definitely be back!
Fantastic get away
We spent two nights wild camping, as a mini rest from hiking the South West Coast path. We had researched the campsite but the experience still surpassed our expectations! The highlight was using the water equipment (kayaks, canoes, rowing boats) on the lake, which are available first come first served, with no extra charge and no need to book. Also fishing is available, for you to eat whatever you can catch. Hot showers, hot water facilities for washing pots and pans and clean toilets. The staff are clearly trying to do everything they can to keep the site COVID-19 secure. Fire pits and a fairly smooth, flat place to pitch a tent. I couldn't recommend this place enough, just idyllic!! Thank you Cornish Tipi Holidays!
Excellent stay
Dreamy location, lots of space to pitch our tent! We had a great time.
Lovely, laid back campsite,
Best was the fire pits every evening and sense of community. Would definitely return for the lake.
Amazing holidays!
We loved the campsite and tge friendly staff Amazing place and beautiful surroundings.
Fun visit
I had a fun time here with my girlfriend. Highlight was swimming in the lake. Stayed I the Dos Tipi which didn't get any sunlight due to the surrounding trees, so would stay in a different pitch next time.
A wonderful stay!
My husband and I had a lovely time camping at one of the wild campsites. It was the perfect way to spend out wedding anniversary! The site itself is very nice, and the fact that you can swim and boat on the lake is an added bonus! The staff were all very friendly and helpful and the pizza from the Gastropod was delicious. All in all we had a fabulous time, and are hoping to come back soon! :)
Beautiful, peaceful break!
We had the most magical 2 days staying here. We chose the worst days for weather, but that didn't matter. We had a secluded wild camping spot overlooking the lake. Tree cover kept lots of the rain off and we loved sitting by our campfire in the evening and jumping into the lake for a morning swim.
Fantastic - Worth every penny!
Myself and my partner stayed here as a last minute booking for 2 nights. (Wish it was longer) This whole place and atmosphere was incredible. There's so much to do and all locals are very friendly. Lovely hot showers and well equipped site. It's great value for money and we are already looking to go back in a few weeks! Thank you.
Lovely woodland - close to Port Isaac
We stayed here for 3 nights in August. The site is lovely and our spot was nestled in the woodlands. The staff were super friendly and trusting - you can use the boats on the lake at your leisure and grab firewood to pay later. There’s a pretty relaxed vibe here. The only downside of our visit was a wedding which had music playing until midnight. We were told of this in advance however only via email after booking (no refunds given). Just something to be aware of if you’re booking particularly in the summer months.
Perfect swim spot
A really lovely site. The staff are so friendly and helpful. The Gastropod, very tasty and very welcoming. We had a great Wild Camping pitch and the lake was delightful for lazy evening swims. Very close to the beautiful Cornish coast and Port Gaverne where we enjoyed some great coasteering. Would definitely recommend staying here.
A perfect place to stay with a laid back atmosphere
The staff were always cheery and helpful; kids could run free and have fun whatever the weather; open fires for a bit of campfire cooking; what more could you want - will be going back again
What a peach!
It was sometime during our second evening at the site, sat around our own crackling fire, bellies full of freshly caught and cooked rainbow trout, that we all agreed: if you wrote a list of ‘my perfect campsite’ features, there wouldn’t be any entry without a tick in the Cornish Tipis column! Fabulous, good value, lovely staff. I will definitely be back.
Great site
Great site run by very friendly people. The lake was amazing and fishing a bonus.
Back to nature
Beautiful calm campsite. Clean and private camping . Beautiful lake , boats to use and swimming. Charming, helpful staff. Loos and showers clean and maintained regularly. Great cafe. Great coffee. Kids could run free and cycle.
Beautiful place to stay
This place is out of this world! Peaceful and quite. Very clean facilities. The staff are friendly too. There is a quarry lake that have boats you can row out on. Can't wait to visit again. It's a great place for families as there is wildlife and we had a daily visit from a resident cat. It was just wonderful.
The ‘magical, wild canyon’
The kids loved running off and pretending to hunt for gems in the jurassic park like woods. They loved the quarry (or ‘wild canyon’ as one of them described it!) It was so special to be able to swim in the lake. Fun for all ages! If the youngens dont like the wild swim then they love the boats. Great area for coast access and friendly and helpful staff on site, good food in the caff too.
Great camping site
I knew about this place previously, but only recently discovered that you can now bring your own tent and go camping here. They do it really well in that you can get your own private 'wild' camping pitch, but it's not really wild, as the showers are not that far away. Beaches are not far, but we spent quite a bit of time messing about on the lake at the campsite. Be warned - sat nav may not be that reliable to get you here!
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