Tent campsites in Cornwall

Tent camping in Cornwall

Tent camping in Cornwall runs from backpacker pitches on the South West Coast Path to family fields above swimming coves, across 342 sites. The county's simple end is its strength: working farms with a mown field and a clean shower block, National Trust sites on the Lizard, and summer-only pop-up fields that appear each July. Big parks with pools take tents too, but canvas gets the best of Cornwall at its smaller sites.

Pitching on an Atlantic coast

Wind shapes tent camping in Cornwall more than rain does. North coast sites trade shelter for surf and sunsets, so pick pitches behind hedges, carry storm pegs and check the gust forecast, not just the rain. The south coast's wooded valleys around Looe, Fowey and the Roseland shelter big family tents far better. Inland, the fields around Bodmin Moor offer the county's darkest skies and quietest nights.

Campfires, costs and the tent season

Campfires survive at Cornish tent sites in a way they rarely do at big parks: the campfires filter lists sites that allow them, usually in raised firepits with logs sold on site. Tent pitches start from under £10 a night at simple farm sites in low season and rise steeply for peak-summer coastal pitches with hook-up. Most tent fields open from Easter to the end of September; year-round tent camping exists but stays a minority sport in Atlantic weather.

The rest of the county's canvas

Arriving without kit, glamping in Cornwall covers bell tents, safari tents and pods with real beds. Camping with children, the family-friendly filter ranks the sites with play areas and family wash rooms. The complete county picture across every style sits on campsites in Cornwall.