River Dart Country Park
River Dart Country Park
4.5
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
About
Set in 90 acres of parkland within Dartmoor National Park, the River Dart Country Park is one of Devon’s best-loved family tourist attractions and campsites. The park is packed with activities, so get here early for a great day out, or stay longer, and explore Devon, from our award-winning campsite and holiday park!
Duration: More than 3 hours
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See what travellers are saying
- Willow C18 contributionsAwesome tree top trail!River Dart Country Park was amazing! There are lots of wonderful adventures you can have there. The best part personally for me were the high ropes. At first they seemed very scary, but after a while it began to feel incredible! As well as the high ropes there are loads of awesome adventure playgrounds which all kids will love! Only thing was that sadly the gift shop wasn’t open… but other than that the trip was spectacular!Good morning, What a fantastic review! Thanks for sharing your brilliant feedback. Wonderful to hear how much you enjoyed our High Ropes too! We look forward to seeing you again soon. Best wishes, GarethWritten 21 August 2024This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited October 2023Travelled with familyWritten 23 October 2023
- Marcus S1 contributionAmazing place for all ages. Would recommend for any family.We had an amazing time at the River Dart over the Easter weekend even with some rain showers. The staff on the park are really welcoming, helpful and friendly. The Park is immaculate and the adventure activities are awesome. Our 15 year old daughter and 11 year old son loved the zip wire and high ropes, especially the zip wires across the river! The kids even got in the pirate ship lake despite the not yet summer temperatures! The playground by the river is fantastic with another zip wire and some amazing slides. The low ropes is great for the younger ones. We ate in the on site restaurant for breakfast and main meals and thought the meals were good value and very nice. The buffet breakfast was really good. We had a carvery on Sunday with a choice of meats which was really good. We will definitely return and would recommend the park to anybody and everybody.Good morning, Thank you for sharing this fantastic and thorough review. It is wonderful to hear that you enjoyed your visit so much that you’ll be returning again and highly recommend us. We appreciate that very much! Best wishes, GarethWritten 21 August 2024This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited March 2024Travelled with familyWritten 6 April 2024
- Thomas derrickSomerset, United Kingdom1 contributionRiver dart country parkFantastic!, lovely surroundings and flowing water every thing is well maintained. liam, Colin and other staff have been very friendly & accommodating ,the quality and presentation of the food is perfect wich is locally sourced. Our camping has been lovely in untouched stunning surroundingsGood morning, Thank you very much for sharing your brilliant review with us. Our staff will be very happy with your kind comments and we look forward to welcoming you back again soon! Best wishes, GarethWritten 21 August 2024This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited April 2024Travelled with familyWritten 7 April 2024
- WimborneAnnette149 contributionsGreat experience even in so-so weather16 of us, all family aged between 8 and 70, booked 6 rooms (b+b) and one campervan pitch. Every single one of us had a great time despite the weather ranging between sunny, heavy showers and a day of constant drizzle. There is lots to do, some free activities and some activities that have to be paid for. We were able to book all activities we wanted on the day - not sure if it’s busier in summer whether you’d have to book the day before. The buffet breakfasts were excellent and the meals we ate were very good too - the chips we rated 10/10! There is a small shop which has essentials plus toys etc. All staff on site were helpful. The rooms were clean and had tea/coffee making facilities. The rooms in the main house overlooking the lawns were fabulous! The ones in the Coach House were less spectacular but perfectly comfortable. For a day out (on constant drizzle day) we went to Trago Mills which is only a 10 minute drive and kept us entertained!! We also went to a pizza restaurant in Buckfastleigh which was very good. We would be happy to return here and recommend it especially for families.Good morning, Thank you for your great review and for taking the time to share your feedback with us, we really appreciate it. Fantastic to learn that you all had a great time with us and we hope to see you again soon. Best wishes, GarethWritten 21 August 2024This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited May 2024Travelled with familyWritten 30 May 2024
- Kees Jan MDalfsen, The Netherlands2 contributionsWonderful place in DartmoorCamped for two weeks in July 2024 with our family. Beautiful campsite on an old estate with many activities for children. Spacious pitches and all amenities in the vicinity. Worth repeating, but the cleaning of the sanitary facilities really needs to be improved. Cleaning took place while the toilets and showers were in use. The girls who had to do the cleaning often spent more time looking at their phones than cleaning.Good morning, Thanks you for taking the time to share your experience with us. It’s fantastic to hear that your enjoyed our beautiful campsite and activities this summer. Your feedback is very important to us and has been shared with the rest of the team. We hope to see you again soon. Best wishes, GarethWritten 21 August 2024This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited July 2024Travelled with familyWritten 6 August 2024
- angiematthew26Truro, United Kingdom13 contributionsRecommend for a few days relaxation and outdoor fun.Such a beautiful spot for quiet family camping . All the staff have been very helpful , it is such a rarity to find . The Old Sawmill offers very good food options , which are beautifully presented and good quality . The staff here are so attentive. The ordering system is by QR code , but very easy once you have placed your first order. The outdoor adventure is fun , plenty free and more exhilarating if you wish to pay.Good morning, Thanks for sharing your great review with us. We’re very happy to hear that you’d recommend us after your recent experience. Your feedback is very helpful to both us and our visitors. We look forward to welcoming you back for more outdoor adventures soon. Best wishes, GarethWritten 21 August 2024This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited August 2024Travelled with familyWritten 7 August 2024
- J K2 contributionsBrilliant day out overallSo much to do here it’s really worth the visit. Went as a day visitor and didn’t leave until gone 5pm. The whole park was very clean and staff helpful and welcoming. Took a picnic and treated to an icecream. Highlight for child was swimming in the lake and the pirate ship. Tip would be to remember swim stuff for whole family including swim / beach shoes. Some activities are paid for but there really is enough to do without doing any of those. We did the canoeing which was £12.50 for 30 mins, slightly high price but pretty much expected and matches what other places charge for same sort of thing. The only points I would highlight is some bits need a little TLC as wear is starting to show like the larger slides and spider web. The charge for a dog is excessive and so that would be my only real negative.Visited August 2024Travelled with familyWritten 28 August 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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4.5
670 reviews
Excellent
420
Very good
159
Average
49
Poor
22
Terrible
20
068man
England, UK210 contributions
Aug 2020
Been two years, same pitch this year was quite boggy and a week to dry out even after dry weekend. Site covid measures sensible but common with many sites, noise and unsupervised children problematic at times. Curfew on noise roundly ignored widely and certainly not enforced.
Cafe/bar good app based ordering, feral children in adjacent play area at times. Activities entertaining but poor enforcement of regs, children clearly broke permitted age terrified and huge hold ups on high ropes. Low ropes for little ones ace though. Main play area superb especially outside main park opening times.
Facilities reasonable, cleaned frequently and occasional inconsiderate mess left behind by some. Staff helpful, access easy enough, prices fair, choose pitch with care. Good for cycling for kids, incl pump track. Overall ok.
Cafe/bar good app based ordering, feral children in adjacent play area at times. Activities entertaining but poor enforcement of regs, children clearly broke permitted age terrified and huge hold ups on high ropes. Low ropes for little ones ace though. Main play area superb especially outside main park opening times.
Facilities reasonable, cleaned frequently and occasional inconsiderate mess left behind by some. Staff helpful, access easy enough, prices fair, choose pitch with care. Good for cycling for kids, incl pump track. Overall ok.
Written 14 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Good afternoon,
Thank you very much for your valued comments. We appreciate your feedback and are happy to hear that you enjoyed your recent visit to the Park. We hope to welcome you back again soon.
Best wishes,
Gareth
Written 15 September 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Kate
14 contributions
May 2022 • Family
We had a lovely break at River Dart, the site is great and our kids loved it.
The lake was the highlight of course and they loved the open spaces to play.
If you are after a relaxing site however I would not recommend it here! Very noisy, big groups with little regard for curfew. It didn't bother us too much, we tend to stay up fairly late anyway and we had nice neighbours but be prepared if you stay here, its loud til 11.30 and starts again at 7am..earlier sometimes!
The restaurant/bar was nice but we didn't eat here only had a drink and game of pool.
I can recommend the Red Mullet 10 minutes away in Ashburton for fish and chips..fantastic, but phone your order through first as it gets really busy.
The high ropes were pricey at £21 for a circuit. My kids did it in about 40 mins and compared to Go Ape down the road it's not great value. Climbing wall was good as was the adventure play and low ropes.
The main thing that really does let this site down is the filthy toilet/shower block in Woodlands where we stayed...it was appalling and needs to be addressed. Rarely any soap and checked/cleaned far too seldomly for the volume of people using it. The standard of cleaning is also totally inadequate. I used the Meadows amenities slightly further on as they were marginally better. Due to this my review is one less than it otherwise would have been.
Overall, shower block aside, this is a good site a lovely setting and we had a great time here.
The lake was the highlight of course and they loved the open spaces to play.
If you are after a relaxing site however I would not recommend it here! Very noisy, big groups with little regard for curfew. It didn't bother us too much, we tend to stay up fairly late anyway and we had nice neighbours but be prepared if you stay here, its loud til 11.30 and starts again at 7am..earlier sometimes!
The restaurant/bar was nice but we didn't eat here only had a drink and game of pool.
I can recommend the Red Mullet 10 minutes away in Ashburton for fish and chips..fantastic, but phone your order through first as it gets really busy.
The high ropes were pricey at £21 for a circuit. My kids did it in about 40 mins and compared to Go Ape down the road it's not great value. Climbing wall was good as was the adventure play and low ropes.
The main thing that really does let this site down is the filthy toilet/shower block in Woodlands where we stayed...it was appalling and needs to be addressed. Rarely any soap and checked/cleaned far too seldomly for the volume of people using it. The standard of cleaning is also totally inadequate. I used the Meadows amenities slightly further on as they were marginally better. Due to this my review is one less than it otherwise would have been.
Overall, shower block aside, this is a good site a lovely setting and we had a great time here.
Written 1 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Good morning,
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us. We're pleased to hear that you had an enjoyable stay at the park and really appreciate your feedback.
As part of our terms and conditions, we ask that visitors keep noise to a level that will not disturb other visitors at all times. With no noise after 11pm. Our campsite security team are always on hand to help out with any issues including noise.
We also ask visitors to please notify a staff member if any facilities are found untidy. We can then ensure it is attended to as swiftly as possible. The team takes great pride in cleanliness standards and are continuously checking facilities to make sure they are clean and suitable for use.
Thank you for your comments and we look forward to welcoming you back again very soon!
Best wishes,
Gareth
Written 22 June 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
westonsupermud
187 contributions
Aug 2021 • Family
After hearing about this place from many of my friends we stayed here over the Bank Holiday, well what can I say, what an amazing place to bring your kids. Plenty to occupy them throughout the day with the river water park, massive play area and cycle paths. The activities are a little on the dear side at £19 per person for the high ropes, but why not when you're on holiday. We did find the Sawmill Pub a little frustrating, no notices of where or how to order, got told very rudely to get out when we walked in and told to order from a table, which was all well and good if there was one free, so hung around for 15 mind until one became free, once ordered with the table app, we then waited another 50 mins for the food to arrive, extremely average and the pizza was literally dripping with so much sauce all the topping slid off when you picked it up, not great. But overall, we were really happy with the place and will be back, bar a visit to the Sawmill.
Written 30 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Good morning,
Thank you very much for taking the time to share your River Dart experience with us. It's excellent to hear that you had a fantastic time during your recent visit. Thank you also for your feedback on the Old Sawmill, we value your comments and will look at this going forward. We hope to see you again in the near future!
Best wishes,
Gareth
Written 31 August 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Filiz Y
Taunton, UK35 contributions
Jun 2021
Firstly I wrote this complaint to River Dart management more than 2 weeks ago and have been ignored by them.
We visited River Dart Country Park on 26th June. When we arrived, it seemed like a very nice place so we thought we would have a great day. As we were heading towards the play area, my friend, my husband and I decided to take away tea and coffee from Sawmills Cafe. As we were placing our order, my husband decided to get some crisps which were placed on a table at an easy reach for customers. We always read the packaging before we eat anything, also as the table was low, even reading the flavours of the crisps were not very easy and my husband handled 1 or 2 packages only to be told off by one of the staff not in a very pleasant manner. The staff asked him only to touch what he was going to buy otherwise they would have to sanitise the crisps. I don’t understand how he was supposed to buy what he was going eat without reading what it was first. Imagine supermarkets say the same thing to all of us?? Also why would the snacks be right where customers can touch? We were shocked by this treatment and my husband left the crisp corner without buying any crisps.
We were given oat milk to add to our tea so my husband went to one of the tables inside the café and started to add the milk to his tea on it. The same staff asked him not to use the table but use the other table right next to that one, again in an unpleasant way. At this time my friend and I were still at the till and felt quite disturbed by the unreasonable rules and attitude.
The staff was giving me my tea and I said to her, “You just touched our tea, should we feel the need to sanitise our cups?”. While we were expected to find sense in the rules of the Park Cafe, the staff didn’t want to find sense in what I said. Yes it was not sensible, nor were the rules of the café and the attitude. My friend joined the conversation and pointed out the whole thing was a bit over the top. She said to the staff, “All the children are playing in the play area and they are all touching everything.” Although this should have made sense to the staff, it possibly did, she said, “Other customers are fine with the rules.” And I said to her, “Maybe they just don’t say anything.”.
After this, my friend’s cup’s lid was broken so she asked for a replacement lid and she went on to hand the broken lid to the staff and the staff replied again with attitude, “No, I can’t touch it.”. At this point, we were really taken aback and decided to leave before we were told off for anything else.
In all the places we go these days, we have never seen anything like this especially where people are playing on top of each other. We left River Dart after 5pm and were quite hungry. We didn’t even dare to go near their café. Instead we went to another restaurant in Newton Abbot. We had a pleasant evening meal and no one was told off by the staff for anything.
We visited River Dart Country Park on 26th June. When we arrived, it seemed like a very nice place so we thought we would have a great day. As we were heading towards the play area, my friend, my husband and I decided to take away tea and coffee from Sawmills Cafe. As we were placing our order, my husband decided to get some crisps which were placed on a table at an easy reach for customers. We always read the packaging before we eat anything, also as the table was low, even reading the flavours of the crisps were not very easy and my husband handled 1 or 2 packages only to be told off by one of the staff not in a very pleasant manner. The staff asked him only to touch what he was going to buy otherwise they would have to sanitise the crisps. I don’t understand how he was supposed to buy what he was going eat without reading what it was first. Imagine supermarkets say the same thing to all of us?? Also why would the snacks be right where customers can touch? We were shocked by this treatment and my husband left the crisp corner without buying any crisps.
We were given oat milk to add to our tea so my husband went to one of the tables inside the café and started to add the milk to his tea on it. The same staff asked him not to use the table but use the other table right next to that one, again in an unpleasant way. At this time my friend and I were still at the till and felt quite disturbed by the unreasonable rules and attitude.
The staff was giving me my tea and I said to her, “You just touched our tea, should we feel the need to sanitise our cups?”. While we were expected to find sense in the rules of the Park Cafe, the staff didn’t want to find sense in what I said. Yes it was not sensible, nor were the rules of the café and the attitude. My friend joined the conversation and pointed out the whole thing was a bit over the top. She said to the staff, “All the children are playing in the play area and they are all touching everything.” Although this should have made sense to the staff, it possibly did, she said, “Other customers are fine with the rules.” And I said to her, “Maybe they just don’t say anything.”.
After this, my friend’s cup’s lid was broken so she asked for a replacement lid and she went on to hand the broken lid to the staff and the staff replied again with attitude, “No, I can’t touch it.”. At this point, we were really taken aback and decided to leave before we were told off for anything else.
In all the places we go these days, we have never seen anything like this especially where people are playing on top of each other. We left River Dart after 5pm and were quite hungry. We didn’t even dare to go near their café. Instead we went to another restaurant in Newton Abbot. We had a pleasant evening meal and no one was told off by the staff for anything.
Written 13 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Good afternoon,
We are sorry to hear that you feel you had an unpleasant experience while visiting the Park. We take customer service, visitor and staff safety, very seriously indeed. Your feedback is very important to us and has now been passed on to the management team.
Best wishes,
Gareth
Written 19 July 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
WestCountry
London, UK53 contributions
Jul 2020
Excellent 4 day camping trip to the River Dart Country Park. The activities on offer were enjoyable and the kids had a great time.
We did kayaking on the lake (could be more challenging with bridges to go under?), high ropes (minimum age 8), low ropes, spider's web, mega zip wire and the kids loved playing in the main swimming area with the pirate ship and the hanging tyres to jump between. The dampool with the hanging rope looked cool but it was too busy to get on to. Was fun to watch the kids playing on it though.
The campsite was great, it had all the facilities we needed (we paid for electricity). The children's play area was quite noisy until about 11pm at night and was unsupervised but this isn't near anyone's pitch. We camped in the 'Riverside' section.
There wasn't much social distancing in the toilets/showers area, can this be one way in and another way out? With the washing up area I would cordon off the sinks so they are more spaced out and have it one way in, another way out etc.
We did kayaking on the lake (could be more challenging with bridges to go under?), high ropes (minimum age 8), low ropes, spider's web, mega zip wire and the kids loved playing in the main swimming area with the pirate ship and the hanging tyres to jump between. The dampool with the hanging rope looked cool but it was too busy to get on to. Was fun to watch the kids playing on it though.
The campsite was great, it had all the facilities we needed (we paid for electricity). The children's play area was quite noisy until about 11pm at night and was unsupervised but this isn't near anyone's pitch. We camped in the 'Riverside' section.
There wasn't much social distancing in the toilets/showers area, can this be one way in and another way out? With the washing up area I would cordon off the sinks so they are more spaced out and have it one way in, another way out etc.
Written 30 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Good afternoon,
Thank you for such a thorough review. It is fantastic to hear that you had an excellent camping trip with us. It certainly sounds full of fun!
We do ask all visitors to observe social distancing and to respect their fellow guests at the Park. Your feedback has been very helpful, thank you once again. We hope to welcome you back very soon.
Best wishes,
Gareth
Written 4 August 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
roppaloo
Horsham, UK21 contributions
Aug 2022 • Family
Fantastic campsite. We stayed on an electric pitch with friends next to us and we had plenty of space as the pitch alongside looks to be kept free so we didn’t feel cramped or crowded. We were next to the water station and pretty close to the toilets and showers. Plenty of toilets and showers so no queues and showers had good space and allowed for clothes to be hung without getting wet, weirdly there are small holes in some showers which was a bit weird if someone wanted to peek through but must be there for a reason. Toilets and showers cleaned 3 times a day which was needed as with the damp mornings lots of grass came in.
Lots of activities for free and also paid activities. Zip wire was great but feel 2 goes would have been better value for money. The high ropes was best value for money and climbing and caving least value. Canoeing and kayaking was fun but the lake isn’t a lake and they have too many bookings making it pretty busy.
Splash area is great and free and a good cafe for drinks and snacks (expensive but most places were). Shop useful for essentials but way too overpriced and restaurant again overpriced for the quality of food although the free salad bowl was a bonus. Takeaway options is a nice touch and handy if you don’t want to cook but the takeaway area was huge and like someone said maybe make a bigger shop with better value.
It’s great you can get to the river from the campsite and we enjoyed being able to use the river for the paddle board.
Fantastic stay and would come again!
Lots of activities for free and also paid activities. Zip wire was great but feel 2 goes would have been better value for money. The high ropes was best value for money and climbing and caving least value. Canoeing and kayaking was fun but the lake isn’t a lake and they have too many bookings making it pretty busy.
Splash area is great and free and a good cafe for drinks and snacks (expensive but most places were). Shop useful for essentials but way too overpriced and restaurant again overpriced for the quality of food although the free salad bowl was a bonus. Takeaway options is a nice touch and handy if you don’t want to cook but the takeaway area was huge and like someone said maybe make a bigger shop with better value.
It’s great you can get to the river from the campsite and we enjoyed being able to use the river for the paddle board.
Fantastic stay and would come again!
Written 31 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Good morning,
A wonderful review, thank you for sharing this with us! Excellent to hear how much you enjoyed your time at River Dart Country Park. Your feedback is very much appreciated, thank you for taking the time. Great to hear that you would return again for another stay. We hope to see you soon!
Best wishes,
Gareth
Written 12 January 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
AlexinMunich
Bristol, UK65 contributions
Apr 2021 • Family
We have 2 young children and have been here twice as day visitors. I have to say it's an absolutely excellent family day out! There are so many activities for the kids to do, including the lake with pirate ship and obstacle course, the toddler beach, the adventure playground with obstacle course, play fort and zip wires, and low ropes. I think there is also a biking trail, though we've never used it. There are other paid activities, such as high ropes, boating and climbing, but you need to book early to get these slots on popular days and they can be a bit pricey/overpriced. Food is a little limited, so worth planning ahead. Indoor areas currently closed due to COVID. However, I would definitely recommend as a family day out! What's more, it's in beautiful, well maintained and landscaped surroundings, even if you just fancied a walk around the estate and to sit somewhere away from the crowds.
Written 6 June 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Good morning,
Thank you very much for taking the time to share your feedback. We take great pride in ensuring our visitors have the best time, and to hear that you enjoyed your visit is fantastic. We hope to see you again very soon!
Best wishes,
Gareth
Written 29 June 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
sarah t
Exeter, UK1 contribution
Jul 2020
My son asked me to take him to the bike park and that it was £4.00 entry. I purchased the ticket and arrived with said son and his bike. The info page said that as he is 14 yrs old, that I would have to stay to supervise, so I booked out the afternoon . When we got there I presented the ticket and was told that to use the ticket I would have to buy a full pass for him at £11.50 and as I had to stay to supervise another £11.50 for me. I have re read the ticket info and nowhere this was pointed out. One very disappointed son. Next time I will take him to JLC in Exeter which is free, along with Cafeside at Haldon and cheap day pass at Scaddson in Paignton. I will never go there again for anything , disgusted. Don`t get misled like we were.
Written 1 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Good afternoon,
Thank you for your feedback regarding our ticketing system. I'm sorry to hear that you found the information misleading. All visitors are currently required to pre-book Day Admission tickets and those looking to use Dartmoor Bike Park, are required to purchase an additional Bike Park Pass. Your comments are very important to us and will be passed to the wider team to review.
Best wishes,
Gareth
Written 4 August 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Kevin N
1 contribution
Jun 2023 • Family
Campsite is fine, facilities are fine, parks are great for the kids. The one thing that spoiled our weekend was not being able to buy anything with cash money. Everything is card only. You lost at least £40 from the shop at the lake as you didn’t take cash, much to the disgust of the children as they wanted an ice creams, we needed some swim shoes too which one of the kids had to go without. Same in the shop, which if I remember last year took cash, but again go to get an ice cream and some camping bits, oh look card only again & 4 very upset children, you lost another £25 and just got a shrug of the shoulders from the young lad behind the till. We were only camping for 2 nights so didn’t bring many supplies with us as we knew the shop stocked a decent supply. But no, got a pocket full of cash but can’t spend it. It’s ok we thought we’re go to the old sawmill for dinner as we couldn’t get anything from the shop, nope, card only again. 4 adults & 4 kids having dinner, drinks, ice creams. Say £120 minimum. That’s £185 from just 2 families in JUST 2 days!. Can you afford to be losing this much from every visitor you have over the summer? Not a very sustainable business model from somewhere that has such a diverse range of people and ages visiting and staying with you. We couldn’t even order anything to take away. The older generation (not all) are not going to sit out in a tent and scan a QR code to look at a menu and be expected to order and pay on a phone. They just won’t do it and your lose out. I cannot find anything on your website to say it’s a cashless site and it has made our stay very frustrating and to be totally honest, I doubt we will come back because of it. 3 years running we have brought our young kids here and they have grown up loving this place and the parks. You have not made it easy and that’s a shame when camping with young demanding children. What does make me chuckle though is you guys are happy for cash to be used in the games room and the kids to pester there parents to go and spend a small fortune to win tat toys from the arcade machines.
Written 3 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Good afternoon,
Thank you very much for your review. We're sorry to hear that our cash-free payment options around the site were frustrating for you during your visit.
We started the cash-free payment system during the pandemic and have had lots of positive feedback from visitors since it was introduced, especially with the recent additions of both Apple and Google Pay. Giving visitors additional ways of paying using their smart devices. The Games Room is operated by an external company and we will work with them to try and bring this in line with our own policy.
We appreciate that a cash-free site isn't for everyone and would like to thank you for your feedback and comments. We hope to welcome you again in the future.
Best wishes,
Gareth
Written 1 August 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Sally H
Bristol, UK23 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
We have been meaning to revisit River Dart as last time we came our daughters (7) were toddlers. We came with friends this time and really enjoyed the impressive adventure playgrounds and lake. The site is very easy, the showers are reliably hot, didn’t have to queue.
They seemed to be cleaned regularly.
We would like to come again and try the bike trails which look great and some of the paid activities like the climbing wall which are for over 8s.
Things which could be improved would be the service. It did feel a bit impersonal really.
It seemed like the site was run by teams of rather young workers perhaps on break from school, often seemed a bit bored and not very engaged. A proper welcome at the barrier with some directions to your pitch would have been good.
The sawmill pub offers pizza or mainly pub food with chips. The food although not particularly cheap was average and rather bland, some more choice and higher quality ingredients would have been good. The ordering system was annoying, no option to just order at the bar. Had to use QR codes at the tables with our phones not working well. On the third night we drove to ashburton and brought back a takeaway which was a welcome change.
The shop doesn’t stock much food, perhaps to encourage more trade at the Sawmill, it’s mainly toys and sweets.
My friend and I felt that some of the workers drove their vehicles much too quickly round the site. Didn’t seem any need to be in such a hurry and it seemed dangerous in an area with lots of children and dogs.
They seemed to be cleaned regularly.
We would like to come again and try the bike trails which look great and some of the paid activities like the climbing wall which are for over 8s.
Things which could be improved would be the service. It did feel a bit impersonal really.
It seemed like the site was run by teams of rather young workers perhaps on break from school, often seemed a bit bored and not very engaged. A proper welcome at the barrier with some directions to your pitch would have been good.
The sawmill pub offers pizza or mainly pub food with chips. The food although not particularly cheap was average and rather bland, some more choice and higher quality ingredients would have been good. The ordering system was annoying, no option to just order at the bar. Had to use QR codes at the tables with our phones not working well. On the third night we drove to ashburton and brought back a takeaway which was a welcome change.
The shop doesn’t stock much food, perhaps to encourage more trade at the Sawmill, it’s mainly toys and sweets.
My friend and I felt that some of the workers drove their vehicles much too quickly round the site. Didn’t seem any need to be in such a hurry and it seemed dangerous in an area with lots of children and dogs.
Written 20 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Good morning,
Thank you for sharing your great review with us. It certainly sounds as though you all had a fantastic visit!
We take great pride in our level of customer service and your feedback is very much appreciated. We introduced the QR code and touchscreen ordering systems to improve the overall customer experience at the Old Sawmill. Since introducing them, we have seen both reduced wait times and efficiency during busy periods.
Thank you once again for your comments and we hope to welcome you all back again soon!
Best wishes,
Gareth
Written 21 August 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Craig B
Swindon, United Kingdom
Hi, we want to use one of the car chargers on our visit. Do we have to book or is it first come first served?
Thanks
Written 25 July 2022
Hi, just wondering if anyone can recommend any dog friendly beaches and pubs nearby please? Also pony trekking. Thanks very much
Written 22 May 2022
I'm afraid I don't know - the website mentions not being able to smoke in the accommodation but I'm not sure about the park as a whole. I'd be surprised if not, given its size/outdoor nature, but they are helpful on the phone so I'd get in touch.
Written 30 August 2021
What do you think is the best field for camping please (electric pitch)? We have two boys age 5 and 9. On our first stay last year we were in Picnic Meadow, our tent backed onto a small stream. I think this year we’d enjoy being on the other side of Picnic Meadow (next to the river, under the trees) so we can have a swim in the river and net fish for tiddlers before breakfast, without having to cross other peoples pitches.
However as there are several camping fields I wondered which ones other people would recommend? We prefer peaceful over busy and don’t mind being further from the activities as long as we’re close to the river. Thanks so much.
Written 12 July 2020
Hello we are visiting at the end of August for the first time with similar aged children, we’d be interested in which field you’d recommend, due to the popularity and demand we have non electric pitch (sadly!), many thanks
Written 10 August 2020
Hello,
Im reading a lot of reviews about people being disappointed as they are on slopes. Can anyone recommend a pitch that isnt ?? Thanks
Written 27 June 2020
Are there seasonal pitches here? Ones when you can leave your caravan all season and stay whenever you like?
Written 18 August 2019
As far as I know the answer is no but ring the dart and ask to confirm
Written 18 August 2019
We are arriving next Saturday and just wondering what the WIFI reception is like.......teenagers will need it!!!
Written 15 August 2019
We didn’t use the WiFi but the reception seemed to be good. My phone kept trying to connect to it in the tent, restaurant and around the park. I’m sure if you call reception they’ll try to get you a pitch where you can get it. It was good value at £2 for 24 hours (up to 3 devices). I didn’t think my son would survive without it but there is so much to do he just about managed.
Written 15 August 2019
How much do the additional prices range from thinking of visiting for the day
Written 12 August 2019
£5 for 5 minutes on the zorb. Doesn't sound much but it's probably about enough time. I think it was 17 pounds for the high ropes and 3 pounds for the donkey ride
Written 13 August 2019
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