One of the things we love most about camping is the incredible locations where you can stay, like Stoke Barton campsite on the Hartland Peninsular in North Devon.
After four nights at Stoke Barton Farm last summer, it’s been added to our list of favourite family campsites with sea views. Read on to find out more and why we rate it.
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Stoke Barton is a low key campsite on a working farm in a very rural part of North Devon. If you are looking for a quiet base for exploring the area then this site is for you.
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Pitches at Stoke Barton
Stoke Barton Farm campsite accepts tents, touring caravans, campers and motor homes. There are electric and non-electric pitches. All are grass and some slope slightly, so bring levelling blocks.
The site also has pre-pitched glamping tents and static caravans separate to the camping fields.
There’s no shortage of space. Pitches are marked out around the outer edge of each field with loads of room in the middle for kids to play.
There was a sign at the farm house saying the site was full but it certainly didn’t feel that way.
The result is a family-friendly site where no one feels on top of each other.
Facilities
In the main camping field there’s a toilet block and dish washing area. We were pleasantly surprised at how posh these were. There were fresh flowers in the ladies and Radio 2 was playing in the background.
The toilet block is small but it never felt too busy during our stay in August.
The showers are a decent walk away in a building close to the farm house.
These are also great facilities with spacious cubicles and warm, push button showers and a family shower room in the ladies. The men’s showers are individual rooms.
The laundry is with the shower block.
All facilities were cleaned regularly during our stay.
There’s a common room where you can find a microwave, kettle and local information. You can also use charging points for your devices.
The common room is down near the farm house.
Stoke Barton Farm Shop
The farm shop at Stoke Barton sells local produce and groceries as well as ice creams and take away coffees.
A dog-friendly campsite in North Devon
Dogs are welcome at Stoke Barton Farm but must be kept on a lead on site. They are not allowed in the toilet and shower facilities – standard stuff really.
If your dog enjoys walks then there are plenty to do straight from the site. More on those in a minute. Be aware that fields surrounding the site have live stock in them.
Here’s my guide to dog-friendly attractions in Devon including lots around North Devon.
How to book Stoke Barton Farm campsite
The campsite is open from April to October. You can make a booking request direct via the campsite’s website.
Location
Stoke Barton Farm is located in a rural area with narrow, single track roads. It is possible to reach it while towing a caravan but this would be more of a challenge.
You are right on the coast and very exposed, so make sure you bring guy ropes and wind breaks in case of bad weather.
Find Stoke Barton campsite at Hartland, Bideford, EX39 6DU. The entrance is on a corner opposite St Nectan’s Church in Stoke. Here’s where to find it on Google Maps:
Things to do close by
We’re regular visitors to this part of North Devon but still find new places to enjoy each time we go.
Here’s some we recommend for families:
Hartland Abbey
Hartland Abbey is a 15 minute walk from Stoke Barton Farm.
Your kids might recognise it from CBBC’s Malory Towers. It’s also been used as a location for countless other shows and films.
The house is a treasure trove of art by the likes of Gainsborough, Hudson and Kneller. There’s quizzes and nature trails for children, woodlands gardens and themed open days during the Spring and Summer months.
Dogs are welcome on a lead in the Abbey grounds.
Read more about visiting Hartland Abbey.
Speke’s Mill Waterfall
You can reach Speke’s Mill Waterfall from Stoke Barton Farm. It’s about a 25 minute walk across a few fields and on to the South West Coast Path between Hartland Point and Bude in North Devon.
There are a few live stock fields and steep drops along the way so keep dogs on leads and children in close check. There are uneven steps and rock paths down the valleys, so this isn’t a walk you could achieve easily with toddlers and is definitely not suitable for pushchairs.
But what a beautiful sight! The main waterfall drops from the fields down into a cascade of pools before trickling away through the dramatic rock formations on the shore line.
We can recommend climbing down to the beach. There’s a separate path that faces out to sea. It’s challenging underfoot with some small rock faces to scramble down.
Find out about more walks to waterfalls in Devon.
Hartland Quay
Hartland Quay is another place you can walk to from the campsite. It’s about 15 minutes away.
We combined a trot to Speke’s Mill with a walk along the coast path to the Quay where we had an ice cream and pint at the hotel.
Read more about the geology and history of Hartland Quay in my guide to unusual things to do in Devon.
Looking for other options for days by the sea? Check out my guide to beaches in North Devon.
Clovelly Village
One of Devon’s most unique villages has to be Clovelly where you’ll find more sleds and donkeys than cars.
This picturesque fishing village perched on the North Devon coast has narrow cobble streets that are unsuitable for vehicles. So villagers and businesses use sledges to move things up and down the hill.
Take a look at my full guide to visiting Clovelly Village with children.
Find more things to do in my round up of places to visit near Hartland.
Stoke Barton Farm campsite review
If you’re looking for a quiet campsite with a sea view in North Devon then we definitely recommend Stoke Barton Farm. This was our first stay but we’ll be back.
The site’s low key facilities and camping fields are well looked after and there’s no shortage of things to do close by. Of course, you could just hang out on site and let your kids tire themselves out with lungfuls of sea air.
Our stay at Stoke Barton Farm was the first part of a two part camping holiday in North Devon. Next we went to Lee Meadow Farm near Woolacombe.
More Devon campsite reviews
If you’d prefer a holiday park with family entertainment take a look at my review of Crealy Meadows near Exeter.
Water sports more your thing? Here’s my review of camping at Roadford Lake in West Devon.
If you enjoy low key campsites then take a look at Wilton Farm near Kingsbridge, which comes with compost loos.
And if you’re a member of the Camping & Caravanning Club I have also stayed at its Dartmouth and California Cross campsites in the South Hams area.
There’s more suggested holiday parks and campsites in my guide to camping in Devon.
Get a while to stay? Check out my full guide to family holidays in Devon.
Here’s the perfect companion for your adventures in Devon:
