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Hi all,

Just had 2 great weeks in Devon.

Stayed at the Riverdart camp site and all would say is the site let its self down for us. We stayed there 3 years ago and it was great. Have been to France for the last 2 years. The French sites are clean and well maintained and the staff so friendly, as Riverdart was.

The Riverdart site is now starting to look run down not very clean (no hot water in the shower blocks, warm at best) and the staff where useless. They are also cramming on as many caravan/tents as they can so the site felt a lot more crowded than before.  The café was the biggest let down, what a rip off. The plus side there is a vast amount of space for the kids to play and unfortunately even the play areas looked unloved.

Overall all we will not be going back there again unless we here some positive report in the next 12 months.

Anyone else stayed there and had the same thoughts or am I just too picky, after been to France for the last 2 years

That's interesting to hear, I was planning to book 10 days there for Easter 2007 but if yours is the typical opinion then I will certainly reconsider.

Does anyone else agree / disagree?

We camped there in 2004 and loved it. Visited as day visitors later that year too. Wonderful. Went back as day visitors a couple of weeks ago and in the main have to agree that it's looking rather run down. Considering the amount of revenue that must come in they've clearly not spent any of it on repairs etc. as the play equipment was looking tired and neglected and in need of some tlc.

Since our 2004 visits the big field that was used for day visitor parking (on your left as you enter the site - just over the bridge) is now another tenting field (presumably without EHU?) and they looked pretty crammed in so there's more cash than ever coming in. The cafe was pretty dire 2 years ago anyway and don't think it's changed.

Our friends stayed there this year. They wanted to camp but were told the site was full. Having more money than sense :) they asked about other forms of accommodation and booked for B&B. This is a new venture there I think (in fact they were the first people to use their rooms). They had 2 adjoining rooms in the big manor house and a bathroom. The kids room was tiny (bunk beds and not much else) whereas their room was very spacious and they said it was beautifully furnished and decorated. But they were charged £95 a night for B&B for the 4 of them (2 adults and 2 kids one of which is only 2 years old so doesn't really eat much breakfast) and had to take their breakfast in the grotty cafe.

Our friends said that the staff left a lot to be desired. Said they were mainly very young Aussies or Kiwis who didn't seem particularly interested. As for the BBQ near the beachy area - our friends saw them cook burgers on the BBQ, put them aside into water ( I guess to cool them or keep flies off or both or what?) then when someone wanted a burger they picked one out of the water, shook the water off and put it back on the BBQ to finish off. Hmmn, glad I took my picnic with me!   

I noticed, while there, that they're advertising the main house for weddings and wedding receptions so guess that's why the rooms have been done up for B&B - so that wedding guests can stay there?

The site is still great play value for the kids and it won't stop us from camping there again if we get the chance or going again as day visitors another year but I do agree that it could do with a facelift.  

Neil, will you put an up to date review on please?  (Was your title of River DRAT intentional???)

Hi all,

Thanks for the reply’s to my thoughts on River Dart.

The general consensus appears to agree with me, lots of space for the kids to play but the site is looking run down. I also agree with the point on the Aussie/Kiwi staff, just not interested at all. Also who would want to get married on a camp site? That would make such a special day, with lots of happy campers running around trying to get in the photos.  

Overall it appears we all only go there for the kids, is that such a bad thing, if they are happy we are happy.

I will however still be not going there again but I would recommended it the people as say a second or third chose.

Apparently they've "done up" a couple of of the ground floor rooms which appear to be function rooms. My guess (and it is a guess) is that wedding guests might get exclusive use of the lawn in front of the mansion house???? That would be quite easy to do as campers can access the play areas etc. etc. from the other side of the big house (by the cafe/shop etc.).

What I'd love to find is another camp site run along the River Dart lines. Anyone know of one anywhere????

I still think it's a great place to camp with kids, love the setting as it's so much nicer than a big field on top of a windy hill and although expensive on the face of it there's so much for the kids to do that it's a great site for a short break. Just a pity that it doesn't seem as well run as it could/used to be.

Also, my friends were told that there were no tent pitches available, even without hook-up so booked the expensive B&B rooms. While they were on site they bumped into someone they knew who told them that she was told this when she enquired but was also told that if she just turned up on the Saturday morning then she wouldn't be turned away but could pitch near the tennis courts as long as she was sensible about not pitching too close to anyone else. That made my mate really cross I can tell you!

Bump!

                      Sue

Just wanted to put my opinion across as i thought i was the only person who felt this way abouth River Dart. We stayed there for three years running with about five families, on August bank holiday weekend. To get a decent pitch we had to book in March. We also stayed there through out the year but this year none of us have gone back....

We would pay about £80 something pounds for a campervan to have hook up, but always felt that no money was being put back into the site.The toilets, yes cleaned regularly, were ok. But the showers are cladded out with pine panels are now looking mouldy and smell damp. Oh but they do put a brand new shower curtain up for the new season. Ar'nt we a lucky lot. On a busy weekend it is full to the brim and it feels very hemed in. It is a lovely site for the kids to let off steam, but even the play equipment is looking tired and in need of a lick of paint and TLC. Now the pool is my favourite!! The last time we were there my daughter hated me all weekend because i would not let her in the pool. It was covered in broken tiles, there was a wasps nest in behind these tiles which nothing was done about. And it basicly looked bloody awful!!!

It is such a shame as it used to be so nice, we wrote a letter of discust and have not been back since. If they put money back into the place it would be great, its not as though there is no money coming in. Its always busy.  Sorry guys x

Funnily enough I started a thread on this last week, before heading off to sunny Buxton with the 'van.

I'm glad we all have this forum to swap opinions, without it I think I could have made a lot of mistakes, one of which would have been to book at River Dart adventures next year.

I will keep looking around that area for my 'perfect' site.

Our caravan is at Holmans Wood in Chudleigh which is just 15 mins from River Dart country park.  Out of season a grass pitch with EHU is £10.80 and peak season £15.80.  Might be worth considering rather than staying at River Dart.

Ali