Stream Valley Camping

Travel as far west as you can on the Great Western Railway and you disembark in Penzance. From there, it’s less than two mile’s walk, cycle or bus ride to Stream Valley Camping. Come by car or campervan and it’s less than a mile off the fastest route to the South West. This compact little campsite may not have the edge in terms of pitch size, views or loos – but it’s surely one of Cornwall’s best connected. It opens up classic Cornish camping holidays to those with and without a car. Come here and sandy beaches, secret coves, harbour towns and exotic gardens are suddenly within your reach.

Stream Valley Camping is situated on the edge of the village of Heamoor (pronounced Hay-more, by the way) which itself is on the outskirts of Penzance. You can walk into countryside and woods or follow the better-trodden paths to the beach. If the 25-minute wander to Penzance’s promenade-backed shingle shore is too far, just hop on the bus or in the car to reach more scenic spots. Marazion beach, with views of St Michael’s Mount, is five miles east and surf-friendly Sennen Cove is ten miles to the west. Newlyn and the cute harbour town of Mousehole lie in between and Land’s End, the Minnack Theatre and St Ives are all easy to get to from here. Easier still is the National Trust’s Trengwainton Gardens, just a walk away.

As a handy base in the South West, Stream Valley Camping has it covered, but in a way that’s about the size of this place. It’s a tiny, 19-pitch site with a couple of static caravans too. It’s full and rather grand title is Stream Valley Holiday & Caravan Park and, while on the small side, it bears all the hallmarks the name suggests. It offers electric hook up, a chemical disposal point, hard-standing pitches, manicured hedges and an immaculate little facilities block. There’s no shop here, but you don’t need one as there’s a bakers and a Costco just five minutes’ walk down the road.

This small and friendly campsite has welcoming wardens who keep everything running smoothly but it’s not the kind of place you’d hang around all day. There are no gimmicks here, no extras and no add ons; it’s camping plain and simple. When there’s so much to explore, in such easy reach, why would you need anything more?