Camping in Dartmouth

Dartmouth's steep, densely built centre leaves little room for camping within the town itself, so most pitches are found a short drive away in the gentler farmland and coastal villages of the South Hams. This is no hardship: the countryside around Dartmouth rolls gently down to a string of sandy and shingle beaches, including the popular Blackpool Sands, and the campsites that serve the town range from large, well-equipped touring parks with pools and entertainment to small, quiet fields attached to working farms. Woodland and hedgerows shelter many of the pitches from the worst of the Channel weather, while elevated sites capture wide views over the estuary and out to sea.

Facilities vary considerably by size and style: the larger parks offer full hook-ups, shops, laundries and swimming pools alongside tent pitches, while smaller sites keep things simple with grass pitches, a shower block and a genuinely rural setting. Most are within a fifteen-minute drive of Dartmouth's centre, close enough for an evening at the harbour but far enough to offer proper stargazing and quiet nights. Dogs are welcome at many, though not all, sites, and it is worth checking individual policies before booking, particularly in high summer when the beaches and campsites of the South Hams fill up quickly.