Mattiscombe Farm Camping

Pitch your tent or park your campervan in one of the two camping fields at Mattiscombe Farm and you’ll have views of countryside all the way to the sea. This is the South Hams area of Devon and the farm is situated just a mile from the nearest beach, between the peaceful estuary towns of Kingsbridge and Dartmouth. Peaceful is a fair way to describe this campsite too. It’s a family-friendly place that’s set up on a working farm with only basic facilities for those who like to keep it simple.

Pitches are all off grid and positioned around the hedgerows of two fields. Summerpark is best for tents and small campervans – and is closest to loos and showers. Waypark is better for bigger vehicles and tents. Motorhomes, caravans and campervans are all welcome to its level pitches and there's a chemical disposal point nearby. The centre of Summerpark is probably where your kids will be hanging out as it’s kept tent free for ball games and general larking about. This is old-school camping in a farmer’s field and it’s designed to be low impact so the cows can return when the campers go home. That means a couple of compost loos, a couple of showers and washing-up sinks are all you should expect – along with a water supply. The only other extras are fire pits for hire and logs for sale – enabling that other old-school pleasure: an evening around the campfire.

Before you get there though, you’ll probably be wanting a day on or by the water. You can walk to the beach at Torcross or Slapton Sands in about half an hour or drive there in a couple of minutes. It’s perfect for a swim and, on a calm day, ideal for launching a paddleboard. They come in handy round here as the peaceful waterways around Kingsbridge and Dartmouth are also good for a paddle. If you don’t have one, there are plenty of places to hire them or book in for a lesson. And if you don’t fancy that, there are other things to do too: Dartmouth Castle, Dartmouth Steam Railway, boat rides and countryside walks.