Devon/Cornwall sites with good road access
Hi Guys
I’m relatively new to towing but have a fairly large rig, a big Range Rover tow car and 8ft wide 27ft long Bailey Alicanto caravan on the back.
I’m spent my childhood in Devon on holidays and want to go there, or Cornwall, but am very wary about the narrow roads and there is no way I feel comfortable taking my outfit down there I did it with a small caravan 20 years ago but that was tiny!
Has anyone been to sites which are located just off major roads with easy access ?
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You are right to be wary. In terms of club sites, Carnon Downs near Truro has good access right off the main road and Godrevy Park at Hayle is doable - check Google Earth. In Devon, Stover non facility site is similarly positioned just off a good road.
That's off the top of my head and there will be others.
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Hi SPR, Yes, seen lots!
What I don’t know however, is how you define a major road or what your requirements are for the site itself??If you look along the A30 corridor there are quite a few sites that may suit you.
I suggest thinking where you’ll like to be based then have a look on Google maps and, if not clear, Streetview to see if the access is acceptable to you.
Then it’s a question of will any shortlisted sites be willing to take a van of your size and that raises the question of when as peak season will likely come with much less choice.
Goog luck, and maybe comeback with more info which will help people make suggestions.
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Carnon Downs as mentioned is probably one of the best for access both on and off site, the access roads on site are level and spacious. Hillhead is good on approach but the site is up hill and down dale! I think if you can pinpoint an area and find a site a call in advance might help. Some A roads are quite narrow. Exeter race course site would offer a good stop over.
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Inland sites in Devon accessible from the A 30 dual carriageway are easy enough to get to.
Woodland Springs is close to the A30 from Whiddon Down on the northern edge of Dartmoor - adults only and well recommended - a smart and well presented site
Lydford Camping is a short drive down the A386 from the A 30 near Okehampton -handily placed in the village with two two pubs, a National Trust site and access to the western side of the moor. An affiliated campsite but it didn’t strike me as nice a site as the one before.
But an old favourite of ours, a few miles further down the A386 is Harford Bridge on the northern edge of Tavistock - perhaps the nicest market town in Devon - though Totnes runs it close. A pitch on the river bank itself might be possible
Coastal sites are harder. And Cornwall gets tricky !
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Don’t dismiss Exeter Racecourse, it’s a smashing site with two very different pitching areas, and takes the largest of outfits. The heathland pitching area is lovely, grass, but very firm even after rain. It’s ideally placed to see some very interesting places, 10 minutes up onto Dartmoor and all that wonderful place can offer, half an hour round to Exe Estuary and then all down the Devon Riviera Coast, Exeter itself for history and some nice shopping, gorgeous towns like Tavistock, Totnes, NT properties like Buckland Abbey, Killerton, Cotehele, not far away. Stover is similar, a bit further South with Trago Mills on your doorstep. Both sites are good places just to chill out as well. OK, you get a bit of road noise, but choose your pitch wisely and it’s no worse than many other Sites. It’s an easy, interesting hour to Cornwall from there, so again day out territory. If the weather is good, wild swimming spots abound on Dartmoor, some very well known such as Spitchwick, Dartmeet, Bellever.
We used to overnight at Exeter, then onwards as many do. But we realised just what a fantastic location it is in its own right, and have thoroughly enjoyed much longer holiday stays there and never got bored.
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We are in the same situation as you - with a VW Touareg and 8' wide Knaus Starclass - and I'm careful where we go. I'm not complaining - we absolutely love the van and it suits us to the extent that, at the moment, I would be reluctant to have anything smaller. We were supposed to be going to the C&CC site at Dartmouth, this year but although I know the road into Dartmouth very well, just thought it was a step too far with our van.
Instead we went to the Charmouth C&CC site which is just off the A35 and on the Devon / Dorset border and other than a single tight bit coming around Axminster, is OK to get to. Bit out on a limb, though - but the site itself is beautiful.
We have also been to Carnon Downs and that is another one with easy access.
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Hillhead, Brixham. Looe, Merrose Farm.
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Frank, I really wouldn’t recommend Looe or Merrose to the OP given the comments he made. I know it’s not an issue for you with your experience🙂
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How about Ross Park? However we drive past Merrose every year on our way to Tretham Mill and I am struggling to work out what the problem is. I can accept that getting into Tretham might not be for the faint hearted but plenty do go with their 8’0” outfits. However for the OP one of the best pieces of advice I had when I started was from an HGV driver trainer. He said ‘own the road’, don’t rush but be confident and be careful.
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We have a car and caravan similar size to you SPR, just not the extra 6” on the caravan width. As mentioned Carnon Downs would be easier for you but we have been to Merrose quite a few times with our big outfit and apart from a couple of short, narrower places (easily seen) the road is fine and the site quieter than Carnon Downs. Good luck and enjoy the holiday.
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There are a few reasonable roads in North Cornwall. The A39 , grandly called the Atlantic Highway, is not dual carriageway but is not life threatening.
Adjacent to that road, with easy access from north or south, there is the attractive WillowValley Holiday Park at Bude - small and select with about two dozen pitches, nicely landscaped, privately owned, and sheltered from the storms which afflict cliff top sites like Trewethett and Damage Barton. It’s only just out of Devon into Cornwall so will suit those who don’t want the long haul down to the far west, but it’s a couple of miles from the sea so better for those who can drive to the beaches with a car rather than those with a big motorhome.
Reviews and photos on line for anyone interested .
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SPR, in your shoes, I'd use Googie Earth Street View to check out entrances and approach roads.
Look to R&R for experience of an 8 footer. He, too, asked for advice before towing in this area and he wasn't new to towing.
Enjoy your trip.
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Beechcroft C.L., near Kingsbridge, is situated directly off the A38 (it says A381 but it's basically the same little bit of road joining two parts of the A38)
The C.L. is plenty big enough to accept your outfit. If going the only difficulty is maybe the entrance which is a slight cut back if travelling west but I suggest turning at the roundabout about 100 yards further on and coming back east. Much easier. Not sure if C.L.s are your thing though.
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There are a lot of CLs close to the A30 when travelling between Devon and Cornwall, might be worth a look.
Also as Euro says the Atlantic highway A39 has plenty of sites, especially around Newquay and there are sites near Padstow that aren't difficult to reach via Wadebridge and the A389. Padstow Touring Park is a good one.
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Yes, good choice, Brue. But those with large vehicles should approach Padstow from the roundabout on the A39 at Winnards Perch and not through St Issey village.
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Euro. It's the way we used to approach with our long caravan outfit but it all requires a bit of patience. The other routes are very narrow. We used to take our van to Trevitha Farm CL. (Definitely not for nervous drivers but worth the effort!)
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Stover campsite, no road issues, near Newton Abbott country park next door beautiful site with bus stop outside gates to Exeter, Torquay, Painton and Brixham and anywhere else you fancy.
Across the road opposite the entrance is Stover golf club where you can use the bar and restaurant with a 10% discount.
Site is very reasonably priced too half the price of the sites with toilet blocks.
The only issue but not an issue for us is there isn’t a toilet block.
check it out.
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Yep, that was one of the first I mentioned.👍🏻
Handy for Torbay and Dartmoor and with Trago Mills shopping complex and eateries nearby.
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That's exactly what I do, Tinny. And now that I've got the new Tom Tom working - I transcribe that route I have checked on Street View to MyDrive (https://mydrive.tomtom.com/) and download that EXACT route to the TT device. That way, I know I'm not in for any nasty surprises if it suddenly wants to do it's own thing.
And I agree with flatcoat about 'claiming the road' - something I was taught on my motorcycle course - most decent people will let you through when they see the size of the rig (but not all and that's where 'being careful' comes in!)
I still remain cautious, however, and err on the side of caution and am not swayed by the argument that if a bus or HGV can get through - then so can you. A scratch (or worse) might not matter on a bus but I would be more than a bit upset if it happened to my pride and joy
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Good post, R&R.
You know the way boulders lurk in our hedges and branches love to whip at your windows.
By doing it your way, you make up your own mind based on what you see and not by anecdotes of others which sometimes have little relevance.
The OP has admitted to being wary and that’s all the more reason not to push his luck on a first visit.
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All I would suggest is that if relying on a sat nav you check the route very carefully. This applies equally to sites with seemingly good access. I was taken down some very narrow roads the other day. Entirely my own fault for not paying attention when setting up the route!
David
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... I was taken down some very narrow roads the other day. Entirely my own fault for not paying attention when setting up the route!
Likewise .... my fault though for just following the sat-nav .. ended up on a single track lane with a large drainage ditch on one side.
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I did get a bit worried when I saw grass growing in the middle of the road and both mirrors hitting against the bushes either side
I was in a situation I couldn't get out but thanked my lucky stars that we didn't meet someone coming the other way!!! Strangely we did pass a property with both a caravan and motorhome in the front garden so how they get on I have no idea!David
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