Gallery
The valley, in pictures
A sheltered river valley, eleven acres of it — a stream, woodland, hand-built decks, and a genuinely unusual mix of places to stay. Here’s a look around before you come.
The pictures are grouped the way the park is laid out: the valley and the river first, then the camping fields, then the rest of the ten ways to sleep — bell tents on decks, a shepherd’s hut, an Airstream, a 1970 school bus and the lodges with hot tubs — and finally the practical things you’ll actually use, like the washrooms and the launderette.
Nothing here is dressed up for the camera. The bus really is that yellow, the decks really were built by hand, and the frost on the entrance sign was there at eight o’clock one January morning.
01
The valley itself
Eleven acres of sheltered river valley at Bush, about two miles inland from Bude. The River Strat runs the length of it, the sides are wooded, and the shape of the valley takes the edge off the weather coming in off the Atlantic.
It looks different in November to how it looks in June, so there are pictures of both here rather than only the sunny ones.
02
The camping fields
Twenty-one pitches on the valley floor, grass and hardstanding, spread over two fields: Lower Willow at the bottom, Middle Willow up beside the facilities, with the River Strat running between them. The track down the middle is the spine of the site, and most of the photographs on this page were taken from somewhere along it.
- 21 camping and touring pitches
- Grass and hardstanding, spread over two fields
- Optional electric hook-ups on the Middle Willow pitches
- Arrive between noon and 6pm, away by 11am
- Dogs welcome, as they are in every stay
03
Bell tents on decks
Every bell tent stands on its own timber deck, with a chiminea outside, and sleeps up to four. They’re spread across three separate areas of the park rather than lined up in a row, so each one has its own patch of ground and its own outlook.
04
The unusual ones
A 1970 Bluebird school bus, fitted out by hand over a Cornish winter, a polished Airstream that is fully self-contained, with a shower, a toilet and a kitchen all on board, and a shepherd’s hut whose shower and toilet sit just outside it, kept for its guests and nobody else.
05
Lodges and hot tubs
Five lodges, each with its own hot tub. Helyk’s sits in a fenced garden, Bencoolen’s is out on the deck, Heath’s is on the patio by the veranda, and Mordros, the big one that sleeps up to twelve, carries a roof of solar panels.
06
The practical bits
Not photogenic, but the part people ask about. Two toilet and shower blocks, a covered cook deck for glampers with gas rings and sinks, a launderette, and a dog wash for the walk back from the beach.
Entry is on an automatic number-plate barrier and CCTV covers the park around the clock. There’s no security guard on site, but we walk round the park ourselves.
- Two toilet and shower blocks, open 24 hours
- Baby changing in both the male and the female toilets
- A dog wash station
- A covered cook deck
- A launderette
- A vending machine (soft drinks only) and a shop in reception
- ANPR barrier on the entrance and CCTV over the park
07
Two miles from the coast
Bude is a short run down the road — Summerleaze, the sea pool, the row of beach huts. The South West Coast Path picks up the cliffs either side of the town and carries on for as long as your legs hold out.
Every corner
The full run of pictures
Tap any picture to see it larger.
Questions & answers
Yes. Everything on this page apart from the beach and cliff pictures was taken at Willow Valley; those two were taken on the North Cornwall coast a couple of miles away.
Ten: camping and touring pitches, bell tents, Bluebird the school bus, Boskenna the Airstream, Millook the shepherd’s hut, and five lodges (Helyk, Bencoolen, Stamford, Heath and Mordros), each with a hot tub.
Yes, dogs are welcome in every stay. Keep them on a lead no longer than two metres, exercise them in the area provided, and don’t leave them unattended. We can’t accept Rottweilers, Dobermans, Bull Mastiffs, Pit Bull Terriers or crosses of those breeds.
Fancy it? Check dates, or just ask us.
Live availability for your dates is on the booking page. If you’d rather talk it through, ring Becky or John on 07973 513974 or email reservations@willowvalley.co.uk.