Camping in Matlock Bath

Matlock Bath's own gorge setting leaves little flat ground for a campsite, so the best options for tents, caravans and motorhomes lie a short drive out, in the gentler farmland and wooded valleys that surround the village on all sides. The landscape changes quickly once you climb out of the Derwent gorge, opening onto the heather and gritstone of Stanton Moor to the east, the rolling farmland around Tansley and Wirksworth, and the wooded stretch of the Derwent Valley running north towards Rowsley and Bakewell, all within easy striking distance of Matlock Bath itself.

Weather in this part of Derbyshire is changeable rather than extreme, with the Peak District's higher ground to the north catching more rain and wind than the sheltered valley floor around Matlock Bath; a well-pitched tent and warm layers are worth having even in summer, when evenings can turn cool quickly once the sun drops behind the hills. The camping season generally runs from Easter through to the end of September, with the school summer holidays the busiest period and the best time for swimming, boating and outdoor attractions, though several sites in the area stay open later into autumn for touring caravans and motorhomes.

None of the three campsites below sit inside Matlock Bath itself, since the village's steep valley sides leave no realistic space for one, but all lie within around seven miles, close enough for an easy day trip in and back, whether by car, bus or, in one case, a direct footpath and cycle route. Between them they cover a working farm site with an on-site shop, a long-established touring park recently taken over by the Caravan Club, and a well-regarded site bordering the gritstone edges and stone circles of Stanton Moor, giving a good spread of settings and facilities for anyone wanting to camp rather than book a room.