Cloud Farm Camping on Exmoor

I have gone slightly further afield from The Cotswolds for this review but as it is one of our favourite, simple, sites I am going to allow it!

Cloud Farm campsite occupies a riverside setting alongside Badgworthy Water in the Doone Valley on Exmoor. The site is on the Devon/Somerset border in a truly magical setting. There is a public footpath on the other side of the river to the site that climbs up the valley and onto the moor making walks from the site very easy.

Bookings are not taken (unless you are a very large group) so turn up early to try and secure a riverside pitch as this is a very popular site. They take tents, campervans, motor homes and caravans. If you have an enormous American-style RV I would think it would be a good idea to phone first (mind you, I wouldn't want to take anything that big around some of the lanes in this area of the country anyway!).

While you sit around the campfire (not just permitted but positively encouraged) the kids will spend hours in the river, spotting fish, skimming stones and  swimming in the deeper pools. The site is situated in a valley, the sides of which are flecked with gold and green and the beautiful purple of Exmoor heather. When we stayed I woke early each morning to take the rotund brown spaniel on a wonderful walk. We followed the river all the way along the valley, past the stone monument dedicated to Lorna Doone author RD Blackmore, through some woodland and on to the ruins of a medieval village on the moor. If you are lucky (and not hampered by the antics of the previously mentioned dog) you may well see both kingfishers and otters. There are many varied walks directly from the campsite but this one was my favourite. Ask in the shop for information on others.

A little further upstream from the site are some lovely deep pools that are wonderful to swim in if you don't mind the cold. Most people didn't seem to bother to leave the site so we had them to ourselves when we went. Pack up a picnic and a flask of something hot and you will feel as though you have stepped into the pages of an Enid Blyton story!

The site essentially consists of a narrow grass field running alongside the river, as well as a couple of other fields set on higher ground. Most areas are fairly level. I think it is fair to say that the facilities are basic. There are 4 water taps, mostly located around the  buildings that make up the facilities blocks, shop and café. The washing-up room has 4 sinks as well as a washing machine and dryer. At the time of visiting there were 10 showers and 9 loos, with a further 2 of each in the pipeline. The showers are powered by a generator and so are only accessible in the mornings and evenings. We found them to be adequate for a weekend but I don't think I would stay longer until the showers are upgraded. Campers can charge phones in the onsite café, which serves hot drinks, cream teas and has breakfast, lunch and dinner menus if you fancy a break from the washing-up. The shop sells a variety of food and camping accessories but it is on the expensive side.

There are many wonderful places to visit within a short drive of Cloud Farm, both deeper into Exmoor and along the North Somerset/Devon coast, but we found that our children were reluctant to leave the site, enjoying instead the simple pleasures of paddling, swimming, water fights and den-building before an evening around the campfire toasting marshmallows, drinking hot chocolate and telling ghost stories.

It can only be a matter of time before the BBC do a re-make of Lorna Doone and the whole area is swarming with tourists (just as Broadchurch has done for West Bay in Dorset and Poldark for Cornwall) so I would urge you to visit now and enjoy the stunning scenery without the crowds.