RUTHERN VALLEY HOLIDAYS Bodmin

Ruthern Valley Holidays Bodmin

Ruthern Valley is a small, quiet holiday park tucked into wooded countryside at Ruthernbridge, a few miles outside Bodmin in North Cornwall. There is no live entertainment and no clubhouse — just trees, space and quiet — and it has held the Gold David Bellamy Conservation Award for twenty years running.

It suits families and couples who want the countryside rather than the resort, and it is well placed for both coasts: the Camel Trail starts a short distance away, Bodmin Moor is minutes off, and a dozen of Cornwall’s best beaches are within twenty minutes by car.

There are four kinds of glamping here, from a fully equipped pod with its own loo down to a simple camping hut you bring your own kit to — so you can pitch the comfort level where you want it.

THE ACCOMMODATION

MEGA PODS sleep four, and are the most comfortable option. Underfloor heating, a full double bed and a sofa bed, a fridge, kitchen sink, kettle and microwave, free WiFi and Freeview TV — and, unusually for a pod, an en-suite loo and sink, so no walk to the block in the night.

GLAMPING PODS sleep up to five. Beds with memory foam mattresses that convert to seating during the day, a fridge, kettle, microwave and electric heater, free WiFi, and your own deck and picnic table outside. You bring bedding, linen, towels and cooking gear.

STANDARD CAMPING PODS sleep two to four, though four is cosy — the inside measures roughly 8ft by 9ft. There is a deck outside. Bring everything you would take camping, apart from the tent.

ELECTRIC CAMPING PODS are the same again, with a double electric socket for a light or to charge a phone, plus a deck and picnic table.

SITE FACILITIES

• A toilet and shower block, kept in immaculate condition
• An on-site shop for daily essentials
• A children’s play area, and a small pitch with goalposts
• Pop-up takeaways and guest food suppliers on the park through the season, with locally sourced food
• Free WiFi
• Adult bikes for hire from £10 a day — useful, since the Camel Trail is on the doorstep and fitting everyone’s bikes in the car rarely works
• Electric car charging nearby
• Gold David Bellamy Conservation Award winners, twenty years running

Please note: no dogs or pets are accepted anywhere on the park.

CAMPERVAN HIRE

Ruthern Valley also hire out their own VW campervan, which is worth knowing if you fancy touring Cornwall rather than staying put — or want to do both.

It is a short wheelbase VW T6 Trendline, converted in Cornwall by Ecowagon, with a pop-top roof that sleeps up to four — two adults and two children. Inside there is a two-ring gas cooker, a sink with running water, a fridge with a freezer compartment, a fold-up table, and memory foam mattresses on both beds. A diesel heater and a solar panel mean you can go off grid.

The hire includes fully comprehensive insurance and breakdown cover, a wind-out awning, an electrical hook-up cable, pots, pans, crockery, cutlery and utensils, blackout blinds and flyscreens, and a camping table and two chairs. Secure parking for your own car while you are away is free, as is a second camping table and two more chairs. A guaranteed pitch back at Ruthern Valley can be arranged, and linen hire is available.

Drivers must be 25 or over with no more than two sets of three points. They will also hire the van out for festivals.

THINGS TO DO IN THE LOCAL AREA

• THE CAMEL TRAIL is the big one, and it starts a short distance away. Eighteen miles, largely traffic-free and mostly flat, running from Wenfordbridge through Bodmin and Wadebridge to Padstow along a disused railway line. It follows the Camel Estuary for much of its length, and otters and kingfishers are both regularly seen on the wetlands.
• Stops along the trail are half the point. The Borough Arms sits directly above it at Bodmin; the Camel Trail Tea Garden is halfway between Bodmin and Wadebridge, next door to Camel Valley Vineyard; the Molesworth Arms is Wadebridge’s oldest pub; and the Atlantic Coast Express, between Wadebridge and Padstow, is a vintage railway carriage converted into an open-air café.
• BODMIN MOOR is minutes away for walking and bigger skies.
• THE BEACHES are close and varied. Rock (14 miles) and Daymer Bay (14.2) sit on the Camel Estuary with sand dunes behind. Polzeath (15) is the surfing one, with shops, cafés and pubs. Constantine Bay (15.5) and Tregirls (15.5) are quieter stretches of pale sand, and Harlyn Bay (15.7) is a wide family beach with rock pools. Towan Beach (17) puts you in the middle of Newquay.
• Padstow, Wadebridge and Bodmin are all easy runs, and the rest of Cornwall’s attractions are within a day trip in either direction.

PRICES
From £30 per night per glamping pod

There are four glamping options at four price points. As a guide, a two-night low-season midweek stay for two works out at around £30 a night for an electric camping pod, £40 for a wigwam glamping pod and £55 for a mega pod. Prices rise in high season, which runs from mid-July to the end of August.

Extra people over the age of three are charged per night, and an extra car or pup tent can be arranged in advance.

Please note: no dogs or pets.