Sitting pretty in its own self-contained hamlet surrounded by the purple haze of the famed Doone
Valley, Cloud Farm’s campsite occupies a prize riverside setting alongside Badgworthy Water.
Since our last visit, a couple more fields have been opened, expanding the narrow strip of campsite along the greenery by the water to allow more space for all who visit this popular site.
Further work has been done to level some of the fields for flatter pitching, and there are plans to
open more showers, too. James is an attentive host and can be seen in the wood-smoke-filled evenings (yes, you can have real campfires here) wandering among the campers to check that all’s well.
Unsurprisingly, he has few complaints. Kids spend hours in the river, spotting fish, skimming
stones and even managing a little doggy-paddle in the deeper pools. Parents are happy to just lounge about on the banks in the summer sunshine and marvel at the valley’s walls of gold and green flecked with unmistakeable Exmoor heather. It’s a little like sitting in a kaleidoscopic colour cocoon and, as there’s no mobile signal here, you really can feel like you’ve escaped modern urban life.
Meanwhile, the walking opportunities are fabulous; one rambler’s treat is to follow the river all
the way along the valley, past the stone monument dedicated to Lorna Doone author RD Blackmore, and on to the ruins of a medieval village, which lie resplendent in the afternoon sun.