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Reviews of The Knockerdown Inn
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The Knockerdown Inn
Carsington Water
Ashbourne
Derbyshire (Browse area)
DE6 1NQ
Tel: 01629 540209
Visit their website Check Digital TV coverage See Weather Forecast
   
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Pitches: 10
Open: 01/01/2024 to 01/01/2024
01/03/2025 to 30/09/2025
Rating: 
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 Tent Pitches |
 Caravan Pitches |
 Motorhome Pitches |
 Small Campervans |
 Glamping Units |
 No Statics for Hire |
 No Statics for Sale |
 Seasonal Pitches |
 Electric Hookups |
 No Hardstandings |
 No Fully Serviced Pitches |
 Show Full Facilities |
| Who's it for |
 Families Welcome |
 Not Members Only |
 Rallies Welcome |
 Not Naturist Site |
 Dogs Welcome |
 No Dogs Allowed |
 Groups Welcome |
 Motorbikers Welcome |
| Facilities |
 Toilet Facilities |
 Hot Showers |
 Washing Up |
 No Bathroom |
 Baby Changing Facilities |
 No Laundry |
 Drinking Water |
 Disabled Friendly |
 Chemical Disposal |
 No Battery Charging |
 No Gas Exchange |
 Recycling Facilities |
 No Kitchen Facilities |
 No Freezer / Fridge |
 No Motorhome Point |
 Wifi Access |
 Shop <1 mile |
 Bar On Site |
 Restaurant or Cafe or Takeaway On Site |
| Activities |
 Kids Playground |
 No TV Room |
 No Games Room |
 No Evening Ents |
 No Fishing |
 No Wild Swimming |
 No Indoor Pool |
 No Outdoor Pool |
 No Horse Riding |
 Cycle Hire <1 mile |
 No Golf |
 No Tennis |
 No Beach |
 Watersports <1 mile |
 No Boat Launch |
| Other Features |
 No Sea Views |
 Not Working Farm |
 No Campfires Allowed |
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 No Waterside Pitches |
 Public Transport <1 mile |
 Offroad Dog Walk On Site or Direct Access |
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Reviews:
35 in total, now showing 21 to 30
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| Date of Visit: July 2010 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: 3narf |
9 reviews from this member |
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 I largely agree with what's been written already- this is a great site for families with small children. It has a very 'safe' feel despite being close to a busy road, and the atmosphere was very relaxed and friendly. Facilities are minimal but clean, and the pub and playground are fine. Goats, donkeys and an ostrich are an added bonus.
It is possible to walk safely to Carsington Water with three small kids and a pushchair, despite our initial thoughts that we would have to drive. Once the road was carefully crossed, and 100yds or so on the verge out of the way, a cycle path appears that goes all the way to the main entrance to Carsington.
My only complaint for the whole weekend concerns the cost. £15 per night for a tent + family is too expensive, considering the paucity of refinements.
There could be an argument that the premium is due to the site being so close to the pub, but this doesn't wash as the pub is overpriced too.
As well as the most expensive chili con carne in the Spanish speaking world (£8.50 - I was so hungry by half past 8 I just pointed to something) and an average fish 'n' chips for the same price, we were charged £8 for a large glass of rose and a pint of Fosters.
Another manifestation of the recession appeared as well: adding on 50p when paying with a debit card! As this also happened at Carsington Water Visitor Centre
At least the portions were generous and sitting outside while the kids played on the swings 'til nearly 10pm was lovely.
Despite any reservations I may have (and that reminds me- you have to make these, as it was fully booked!)concerning the prices, we'd certainly be happy to stay there again, and I'd probably order the chilli, too. 
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| Date of Visit: May 2010 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Sarahb123 |
1 review from this member |
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We have just returned from our first camping trip for a two day stay at knockerdown and overall we are very pleased.
We were left to pitch our tent pretty much anywhere we wanted and chose to do towards the top of the field close to the toilets and water tap.
The field is on a slope but this was only really a problem wilst hopping around in your sleeping bag in the dark !
There are no shower facilities but we knew this in advance and were only stopping the weekend.
The washing up facilities were brilliant with hot water all the time and spare washing up bowls to borrow. The toilet are small but kept clean.
We stayed on the bank holiday weekend so there were lots of others camping in big tents like ours but it never felt too overcrowded.
The park at the pub was fantastic and the beer garden lovely over all.
We took our three children aged six, two and ten months and they loved it. The animals scattered around made it extra fun for them and they thought the ducks waddling past our tent on a morning was funny.
Whilst there we visited Ashbourne and Matlock Bath and ended up staying on a extra night as we were having such a nice time. The walk down to carsington water was worth it for the kids to visit the park there and they also have bbq's for visitors to use on nice days.
The views from the camping field are beautiful and despite being on a busy road the traffic never bothered us.
The only complaint I would have about our entire stay would be that the breakfast we had in the pub was slightly over priced and there wasn't a children's breakfast on offer. However the fact that the pub was open for breakfast when your not in the mood for cooking was a plus in itself and the food was lovely.
I am sure we stay at knockerdown again in the future
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| Date of Visit: August 2009 |
Unit: Trailer Tent |
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| Reviewer: Tara |
4 reviews from this member |
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We have just come back from a weekend away at the Knockerdown Inn near Carsington Water, Ashbourne. We have 2 children, 2 years old and a 12 week old baby.
What a fabulous site for toddlers! There's a really good play area with a separate area for under 5's, animals (ostriches, donkeys, goats, hens etc.) and a 10 min walk to Carsington Water itself. Ashbourne and Matlock are only a short drive away.
There's no hook-ups or showers at this site but the toilets are adequate for a weekend away and the washing up facilities are great. Plenty of hot water at all times. There are 2 water stand-pipes for fresh water and an Elsan disposal point. The pub serves good food if you don't want to cook. The site does slope gently. The pitches are pretty much choose wherever you like! Great views especially if you pitch at the bottom of the field as you overlook Carsington Water.
I would definitely recommend this site for a family with younger children. As it is aimed at families only we found that there were lots of toddlers and babies around during the day and everyone was in bed by 10pm!
Luckily for us it's only 30 mins down the road so I guess we might be regulars!
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| Date of Visit: July 2009 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: SWenborne |
1 review from this member |
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When we arrived at this site we were only the second pitch on the field and we could chose where we wanted to pitch our tent. We took our dog, Harry, and the site suggested he should be on a lead at all times, which we did adhere to, however we did have a ground stake for him and a very long lunge line and he was very happy to wonder around out tent and car without upsetting anyone else.
The site is surrounded by different pens, containing various animals, including goats, donkeys and ostriches, which I found very appealing.
The views from the site were fantastic, including being able to see Carsington Water from our pitch.
The toilets were clean, no showers, but the site clearly advertises this.
We ate in the pub on the second evening and did find the food disappointing, especially as everything else had been so good, including the pub itself. The Steak and Ale Pudding was hard and the prawn cocktail was also disappointing.
Having said this, we will definitely visit again, the surroundings are so peaceful, with plenty of room between each pitch. The animals just made it for me.
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| Date of Visit: July 2009 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Angel1974 |
4 reviews from this member |
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We have just come back from a 1 night's stay at the Knockerdown for our son's 1st camping trip
Beautiful view of carsington water , lots of animals to see. Plenty of space in the middle of the campsite for kids to play. Facilities are basic, but expected that from reading other reviews on the site.
Weather was great, not so good this morning when trying to pack the tent away, but you cant have everything.
The under 5's area in the pub's playground, looks like its had new equipment, recently.
Pub does great food, and allows kids in the bar as long as they are eating. The pub does get busy at the weekend if yesterday was anything to go by
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| Date of Visit: May 2009 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Debbie2618 |
5 reviews from this member |
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We had a fantastic weekend at the Knockerdown. The field is lovely with lots of space and it is heaven for kids with the Play Area and all the animals. The owners are welcoming and the Pub serves basic pub food. They also serve excellent draft Beer and Cider which they happily let you take on the camping field if you use a plastic glass.
I found the washing-up and toilet facilities clean and well kept. Obviously the lack of showers is a problem but for a weekend it was not an issue.
There is a lovely walk down to Carsington Water without going on the road and there you can enjoy all the facilities including a great rspb hide.
Overall a great site with excellent facilities which we will visit again and again. Showers would be the icing on the cake.
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| Date of Visit: May 2008 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Miragetool13 |
2 reviews from this member |
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The other half and myself went to the knockerdown to have a trial run through putting up our Gelert Quebec tent, we only live 20 minutes away from here so it seemed to best option.
On arrival we pulled into the carpark round the back of the pub, there is a gate to the field that states you must sign in and pay before you go to select your pitch.
The lady that served us behind the bar was nice and polite, she gave us a small information leaflet about the site and pub etc.
The field itself is on quite a steep slope towards one corner and because we turned up in the middle of the afternoon that was all that was left. The ground was a little boggy due to recent rain, but not excessive and did not cause too many problems. The rest of the field was fine and dry.
There is no EHU on this site and there is a single small toilet block at the top of the field, not the most modern or the cleanest but not the worst I have seen by a long stretch.
There is a large play area for the children to use and also a small amount of farm animals next to the camping field.
The pub was very nice inside and had a big beer garden so parents could watch their children on the play area.
The food was good, typical pub grub which I don't mind and very big portion size too.
All in all I would use this site again for the odd night as it is close to home.
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| Date of Visit: August 2008 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Mini Mint |
1 review from this member |
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We stayed at the campsite in the middle of August on a Sunday and Monday night. Overall the campsite was brilliant and I thoroughly enjoyed my stay.
The campsite is basic it has;
A toilet block
Washing up facilities
Drinking water taps
And a big field
But no showers.
It was quiet and had a play area. It had great recycling facilities and interesting animals.
We all liked the goats and I loved the ostrich. 9.0 out of ten!
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| Date of Visit: July 2008 |
Unit: Tent |
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| Reviewer: Nikki T |
1 review from this member |
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Stayed at Knockerdown for two nights (Fri - Sun) after reading recommendations on this website. It really is a lovely base for a visit to the Peak District. After checking in at the pub we were told roughly where to pitch but was left to pick the exact spot ourselves, there were only two other tents on the field when we got there so plenty of room! Having two teenagers with us was abit worrying as I thought they may be 'BORED' as per usual but they absolutely loved the animals there and even commented on the beautiful views!
The site soon filled up and by Saturday morning it was full of families on weekend breaks the same as us; I must say though that it didn't feel cramped but then again we were camped in a perfect spot looking out over the field so I can't say what the families in the middle row of the field felt like!
There are no showers, which we already knew on booking but the toilets remained clean and full of loo roll the whole weekend and the sinks had hot water most of the day. There is a nice little shed for washing up in, the only down side is that it is right at the side of the loos and caravan waste disposal (hole in the floor), and by the end of the weekend the sewage smell was rather gassy to say the least!
Not to put anyone off though, you really can't go wrong with this site. The owners are lovely and keep themselves low key. The pub itself gets very busy, (food is good by the way), and it makes you feel quite smug to see people parking up in the pub car park and looking out over the field in envy at you in such beautiful surroundings.
Really, the cherry on the cake was the weather - scorching hot all weekend with the briefest of shower possible (lasting for about 2 minutes)on the Friday evening. We loved it at Knockerdown so much we are going back in a couple of weeks!
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| Date of Visit: July 2008 |
Unit: Touring Caravan |
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| Reviewer: Jel2006 |
5 reviews from this member |
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We'd been fancying this site since seeing their website and thinking how nice it looked so we arranged to try it out for a weekend.
We arrived in the late afternoon to find the pub was closed despite the open all day sign on the outside of the building.
There were a couple of tents and vans already set up at the top end of the field so we found a level-ish spot and set up the van and awning and paid later in the pub.
First impressions were quite good , the field slopes gently down from the pub and despite it being soaking wet when we arrived it had drained quite well by the next day, the animals (ostriches, chickens, donkeys and sheep.) around the edge of the site kept the kids entertained whilst we set up.
The toilet block was adequate as we had our own facilities but I wouldn't want to see them after a busy weekend.
The next day we explored the surrounding area and found carsington water to be a fantastic place for us all to cycle safely together as a family.
Returning to the site was where some of it's shortcomings were exposed, the top part of the field was absolutely packed with tents, the one set up next to us can't have been more than two feet away and some of the people who had pitched in the top corner would not have been able to drive off the site because they were completely surrounded.
They have a no dogs policy according to the brochure but there must have been at least half a dozen on site. They need to get some pitch markers sorted out or tell people where to pitch up rather than just point at the field and hope people use a bit of sense.
The menu in the pub is extensive and the children's menu is one of the most varied I've seen but we found the food quite disappointing.
The garden is very nice but the play area is a little run down(all the pedal cars were broken)
All in all it was a bit of a let down, when you consider that there is no electric hook up, and the facilities are pretty basic it can work out quite expensive when you are paying per person for what is in effect just a field with a pub nearby.
Will visit the area again but will try a different site.
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Management response: Please note we have been advised that this site is under new ownership from 2023. Older reviews refer to the previous management. |
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35 Reviews in total, now showing 21 to 30
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Common Questions
Is The Knockerdown Inn child friendly? YES, it accepts children & has a playground View all facilities
Where is the nearest shop to The Knockerdown Inn? There is a shop within 1 mile View all facilities
Is The Knockerdown Inn dog friendly? YES View all facilities
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