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Reviews of Ruda Holiday Park ( Parkdean Resorts )
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Ruda Holiday Park ( Parkdean Resorts )
Croyde Bay
Croyde
North Devon (Browse area)
EX33 1NY
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Pitches: 593
Open: 04/03/2024 to 11/11/2024
04/03/2025 to 11/11/2025
Rating: 
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 Electric Hookups |
 No Hardstandings |
 Fully Serviced Pitches |
 Show Full Facilities |
| Who's it for |
 Families Welcome |
 Not Members Only |
 No Rallies |
 Not Naturist Site |
 Dogs Welcome |
 No Dogs Allowed |
 Groups Welcome |
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| Facilities |
 Toilet Facilities |
 Hot Showers |
 Washing Up |
 Bathroom |
 Baby Changing Facilities |
 Laundry On Site |
 Drinking Water |
 Disabled Friendly |
 Chemical Disposal |
 No Battery Charging |
 No Gas Exchange |
 Recycling Facilities |
 Kitchen Facilities |
 Freezer / Fridge |
 No Motorhome Point |
 Wifi Access |
 Shop On Site |
 Bar On Site |
 Restaurant or Cafe or Takeaway On Site |
| Activities |
 Kids Playground |
 No TV Room |
 Games Room |
 Evening Entertainment |
 Fishing On Site |
 No Wild Swimming |
 Indoor Pool On Site |
 No Outdoor Pool |
 No Horse Riding |
 Cycle Hire <5 miles |
 Golf <5 miles |
 Tennis <5 miles |
 Beach On Site |
 Watersports <1 mile |
 No Boat Launch |
| Other Features |
 Sea Views |
 Not Working Farm |
 No Campfires Allowed |
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 Coastside Pitches |
 Public Transport |
 No Dog Walk |
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Reviews:
91 in total, now showing 1 to 10
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| Date of Visit: May 2024 |
Unit: Other |
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| Nights stayed: 3 |
Travelling as: Family with older children |
| Reviewer: Helenmea |
1 review from this member |
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 I would just like to say a huge thank you to David from security at Ruda North Devon I had left something there, when we left. I had rang and it had not been handed in. I was told they would contact Housekeeping But I did not hear back. So I rang again, knowing that I had left it in the lodge. I was put through to Security. David went out of his way to walk down and retrieve it for me and post it. I was very grateful that he took the trouble to do this. So a great big thank you to you David for going out of your way 
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| Date of Visit: May 2024 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Nights stayed: 4 |
Travelling as: Group |
| Reviewer: DaveJFT |
1 review from this member |
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The Ruda site is in a fantastic location with Croyde village and its shopping outlets, pubs and restaurants a short walk away, the beach immediately over the road and beautiful coastal walks, and my family and some of our friends have been camping there as a group every year since 2017.
Sadly though, we have watched the site's touring and camping facilities slip further and further into neglect and disrepair. During our stay this year we found that the toilets and showers were left unattended from late afternoon until late morning the next day.
This meant that toilet stalls descended into quite awful (neigh, sickening) states and were without toilet roll for long periods during the busiest times. There were broken toilet seats, broken tiles, torn flooring and all the toilet doors had obviously been repaired numerous times over the many, many years they've been hanging - not one had a matching latch. One of the toilet stalls in the lower toilet block had obviously been out-of-order for quite some time.
Upon our arrival we found that none of the pitches had been marked out, yet we were expected to set our pitch within our pitch area and adjacent to other unmarked pitches in accordance with fire regulations. As we were the first to pitch up in our row I queried the extents of our pitches and was told by the chap running the camping and touring area that he'd been left to run the entire section of the site by himself and, with everything else that needed his attention, he'd not had the opportunity since the beginning of the season to mark out the pitches. He said to "stride out 10 paces" for the width of the pitch, so I did. I have fairly long legs so we, and then everyone else in our row, ended up with nice wide pitches for the week.
As we do every year, we booked over a year ago with site reception (not head office) as a small group with a few pitches together in the Lynn area but when we arrived we found that one of our party had been bumped to another pitch about as far away as they could put them in that area.
We complained and were told that that was head office (not true) and we should have booked with site reception - this stunned us as that is exactly what we had done more than a year previously. They insisted that there was nothing they could do as all other pitches were booked for varying nights so they couldn't move someone else who wasn't booked as a group.
Why they chose our group to split up remains beyond us and we are currently seeking some form of compensation as the couple who were bumped pitches were feeling quite isolated, were disgusted by the toilet block and weren't enjoying their stay so left early.
With regards to the facilities at the main complex, the shops are good, though do have quite the price markup, and the food outlets offer nice food but the service is desperately slow - especially the Thunderbird Chicken where they even give you a beeper for your takeaway order so you can go off and do something else if you care to.
We've never watched the entertainment so there's no comment from me on that, however the main bar offers lots of seating in two areas in front of TVs for sports and a quieter area behind the bar. All the seating is sit-up at a table type seating, none is of the relaxed, comfy type.
There is a nice and fairly sheltered outdoor seating area on the veranda outside the bar. During sports events and meal times, queues at the bar can get significant and service slow as the bar staff also get called away to serve food orders. Waits for meals can also be significant. We waited over an hour for breakfast one morning as it looked like there was only one chef on for peak time.
To their credit, the staff do their best and are helpful and cheerful with the guests. However, compared to how the site once used to be, it is shocking that there is no investment from year to year in it's upkeep and the staff levels are now so minimal that service is wanting.
The park management and Parkdean desperately need to refurbish the camping and touring facilities and increase staff levels across the site as the current situation really does impact enjoyment of the site and the holiday.
All this must also be considered alongside the high cost of the booking at £69. 50 per pitch per night, a 70% increase since 2017, yet the site and service have gone very, very downhill over that period.
We haven't booked and won't be booking for next year, sadly.
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| Date of Visit: August 2023 |
Unit: Touring Caravan |
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| Nights stayed: 7 |
Travelling as: Family with older children |
| Reviewer: Plombier |
6 reviews from this member |
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Terrible site,
Toilet / shower blocks stink.
Dogs left to shit on your pitches.
People don’t respect, you’re pitch and just walk through. ( had to purchase wind breaks to go around our pitch to stop that happening. )
Had stuff pinched from our pitch. Eventually found some of our stuff 3 pitches up. Woman didn’t care, oh our kids saw it there and thought they could borrow it as you weren’t around, ( WTF !. )
Still missing some stuff, never tracked it down.
Fishing lakes where advertised, ( there basically, overgrown, and left to nature to overtake to wildlife ponds ).
The people / clientel who stay there. Are rough and don’t care.
Staff just treat there work as just a job, ( no pride ).
Facilities swimming pool and shops and food halls / bar were the only good thing on site.
Croyde beach was nice. But the rip tide was vicious, if you entered the water outside the flags. And definitely not a safe beach once the RNLI lifegaurds went home.
Would NEVER recommend this site, and definitely won’t be staying there again.
Only nice thing was the grill restaraunt we went to at saunton sands beach.
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Date of Visit: September 2022  |
Unit: Campervan |
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| Nights stayed: 1 |
Travelling as: Young couple |
| Reviewer: Lorrai |
1 review from this member |
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Amazing campsite
Would highly recommend, will definitely go back in 2024,
Recommend to my friends and family
The area is amazing
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| Date of Visit: July 2022 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Nights stayed: 4 |
Travelling as: Family with older children |
| Reviewer: MarkTaylor |
1 review from this member |
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We've been going here for over 15 years, and it seems the only thing that's updated on this site is the price. The water drizzles out of the showers, they don't drain properly so you're stood in a puddle of tepid scummy water, the toilets regularly ran out of toilet paper and everything is just tired and badly in need of a refresh.
Waste and recycling areas are dirty and the bins overflowing as they're not emptied often enough.
Food and drink orders are all app driven, but the local phone signal isn't great (which isn't a bad thing, we go camping to get away from it) so you need to try and use their WiFi, which is intermittent and unreliable.
Having said all that, the staff are very friendly and helpful, the location is stunning and we had a great time in spite of all of the above.
For £65 a night you expect the facilities to be of a much better standard.
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| Date of Visit: September 2020 |
Unit: Touring Caravan |
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| Nights stayed: 7 |
Travelling as: Family with older children |
| Reviewer: Pickled Onion |
11 reviews from this member |
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We have been going to Ruda in Croyde bay for approximately 35 years. Firstly in a frame tent when the family were small, then a trailer tent, a folding camper, and until recently in one of their static caravans. This year as we weren't going to France we decided to take our touring van down there. I had a little trepidation regarding the narrow cliff road overlooking Saunton Sands and then getting through Croyde village to Moor Lane but as we seemed to hit a quiet time on arrival, all went without incident.
We were given pitch 89 which was pretty huge and grassy with fresh water and drain close bye. It was lightly sloping towards the dunes with a soft grassy pitch with holes and rutts from previous occupants' attempts to get off the pitch as the surface was soft due to rain and no drainage. 16 amp electrics completed the offering. None of the pitches are 'hard standing' or 'Super' pitches with grey water drainage.
The toilet block entry doors were wedged open with a lump of concrete as the coded locks can't be used with Covid-19. There are signs stating haw many people can be in the toilet (6) area of Showers (10) at any one time but no enforcement of these unlike the CMC or C&CC, which use a strict pass system. Copious use of striped tape was used on both the central wash hand basins as well as the urinals, (CMC & C&CC don't allow the use of urinals due to water particle contamination), no instructions regarding the tape, you had to work out it was for separation for yourself. All toilet cubicles were in use, no separation at all there, one toilet cubical had no lock all week and no attempt had been made to rectify it.
The showers only had a couple of hooks to hang your clothes on, no seat or shelf. It didn'r really matter, the force of the water meant the spray hit the door and wet your kit, in fact there was way too much water pressure at the basins as well, it almost came out on the floor. The water was a good temperature.
The site in general has looked like it is tired, kinda rundown and needs a great deal of money spent on it to return it to it's former glory. The pool needs a paint and tidy up, All the toilet areas need knocking down and starting again. This is not a cheap site and must make some money for Parkdean but from the beach to the 'Entertainment' it all needs to be revamped. It is living on former glory and the fabulous surroundings to keep people comming. With the rise in motorhome customers, it needs an area specifically for them to load fresh water and unload grey and black water.
If you are a fisherman, don't bother, the pools have been neglected like the rest of it and have weeded over.
In summary, it looks like any profits made are not being reinvested in this camp site. Covid-19 security is hit & miss, it is given lip-service unlike places like 'the Thatch' in the village which does it properly. I write this with sadness as I rememer it in the days when Harry Shapland and family-run it properly.
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| Date of Visit: August 2020 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Nights stayed: 14 |
Travelling as: Mature couple |
| Reviewer: Angelwings353 |
1 review from this member |
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I was really disappointed with Ruda holiday park it was very expensive campsite for a tent and this is what we thought. The shops price were really expensive Which meant we had to travel to find a Tesco.
The toilets were really dirty and never looked clean Which you ended up cleaning the floor before you had your shower. Always running out of toilet paper not enough hand wash only one by the first sink.
Chip shop wasn’t that great the fish looked over cooked and didn’t taste that great. And on a night time there is a lots of noise with music and other people not taking in to consideration of people or children trying to sleep. The good part is and there is one is the beach it’s very close and a beautiful place to go.
So if you don’t mind lots of noise until 11. 30pm at night And crappy toilets and expensive shop this is the place for you
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| Date of Visit: April 2016 |
Unit: Campervan |
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| Reviewer: Alex0076 |
3 reviews from this member |
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A really friendly reception and a seamless check in process. The pitches are level, well marked and large enough for the biggest units plus awning plus pup tents. The facilities were always clean and well lit. The site literally opens up onto the beach and dunes. Club, shop and Fish & Chip shop all reasonable. A must is a visit to the Thatch Pub in Croyde (only a 10 min walk along a footpath out the back of the site).
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| Date of Visit: August 2015 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Ballycfc |
5 reviews from this member |
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Fantastic location for an active beach holiday. Surfing, bodyboarding, coastal walks. We had a generous sized plot (approx. 15m x 10) with electric hook up. Superb view over Croyde Bay from our pitch. Bar/ Restaurant providing food of pub quality, not the usual microwave meals most big sites serve. Entertainment there if you want it, but not rammed down your throat. On site shop providing most that you need including fresh bread from their bakery. Swimming complex charging £1. 50 per person for an hour for residents, also available to non residents at a higher price. On site surf gear shop providing sales and hire. Two toilet blocks serving the camping site busy at times but if you timed it well you were fine. Cold water shower to clean down your beach gear.
Met all our needs and we will definitely be back.
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| Date of Visit: July 2015 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: MGL262 |
9 reviews from this member |
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I've been a regular visitor to Ruda for years. I have to say guys, you are letting things slip. I remember only a few years ago, Ruda was a premium campsite but now there is many examples of costs being cut.
We booked an EHU camping pitch for 4 nights in July. At first we were directed to a non EHU pitch but when I questioned this we were reallocated another pitch.
The toilets and showers were 'ok' nothing special, just basic facilities. We didn't use the pool but it looked popular by the large queues that formed outside. The site shop sold lovely fresh baked goods at a reasonable price, but the rest was quite expensive.
There was a nice atmosphere in the clubhouse/bar, but the service was soooooo slow. This was due to the lack of staff, at one point there was a queue out of the door! We liked to sit outside in the decking but it was quicker to buy drinks from the nightclub bar and bring them back. The food was 'ok' but again quite expensive so we chose to walk 10 mins into the village and use the pubs there most nights.
All the staff at Ruda were great though, whoever you spoke to, did everything they could for you, from the bar staff to the toilet cleaners. So 'GOLD' star for the staff, if only there was a few more of them!
One final comment. My 4 nights on an EHU camping pitch this year was £176, there was a £25 discount if I booked a holiday next year before I left so I spoke to reception about it and (including the discount) for 4 night the same week as this year, they wanted £210. I thought £52. 50 per night was very expensive - I didn't book, but will be looking at other sites in Croyde.
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Common Questions
Is Ruda Holiday Park ( Parkdean Resorts ) child friendly? YES, it accepts children & has a playground View all facilities
Does Ruda Holiday Park ( Parkdean Resorts ) have a swimming pool? YES, there is a pool on site View all facilities
Where is the nearest shop to Ruda Holiday Park ( Parkdean Resorts )? There is a shop on site View all facilities
Is Ruda Holiday Park ( Parkdean Resorts ) dog friendly? YES View all facilities
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