Skern Lodge

View prices & book 9.5 53 reviews
Visitor image of the level camping field
Visitor image of the sunset over skern - from skern lodge campsite aug 22
Waterside views
Acres for space for outdoor hols

  • Calm site in the grounds of a north Devon outdoor activity centre
  • A 10-minute stroll from Appledore; five minutes' drive to Westward Ho!
  • Estuary views; 10 minutes' drive to the Lundy Island ferry
Rafting, river kayaking or surfing, followed by some quiet time surrounded by green fields? That’s the catch of the day at Skern Lodge, a popular outdoor activity centre on the edge of the quiet coastal village of Appledore. With 22 acres of land to its name and direct access to the tidal waters of the Taw and Torridge estuary, this site is a prime pick for relaxing north Devon break in a gorgeous natural setting. Skern Lodge has a lush, green countryside setting, and simple facilities such as toilets, showers and a washing-up point available. The site is keen to keep its impact on the environment to an absolute minimum – once you've seen these serene surrounds, there's a strong chance you'll be keen to do the same. Head to reception upon arrival or find your way to your chosen accommodation. If you're interested in booking any activities (which depend upon availability), you must arrange watersports sessions prior to your arrival – the aforementioned rafting, river kayaking and surfing can all be tried out with full supervision from expert instructors. Appledore village is a 10-minute stroll away – head here for a trip to the pub, to sample local grub at an independent deli or simply for a coastal stroll. Bideford (10 minutes' drive) is also close by – make tracks here to catch the ferry out to Lundy Island (crossing time about two hours).

Campground type

Tent sites 16
Lodges, cabins, pods or huts 7
Opens July 27
Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • Single-sex bookings of 4 or more people (couples and immediate family members excepted) are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • Facilities/activities including Pool hire, Kayaking, High Ropes, Zipwire. are subject to extra charges payable on arrival.
  • No cars/motorcycles at the site. All cars must be parked in the designated area.
  • The park caters for families (immediate members) and couples only - bookings from all other forms of groups are not accepted.
  • Reception is unmanned after 5:30 p.m.. Please inform the park while on your way there should you expect to arrive after this time so that the team can provide information about your unit/site.
  • This is a quiet park: no music is allowed.
  • Guests are advised to bring a good quality flashlight with them as parts of the park are unlit.
  • No naked flames are allowed inside the hired accommodation units.
  • Fires, barbecues and/or firepits will not be permitted in dry, windy and/or hot weather conditions.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Sun, Jul 27 to

Campsite types & availability

Reviews

98%

would recommend this campground to a friend

98%

would stay here again

  • 81%
    10
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  • 15%
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    1

Only showing reviews for the last 30 months.

Very clean facilities Pitch ground nice and flat Good location and great views…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation No rating
Facilities / Activities No rating
Customer service No rating
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked: Very clean facilities
Pitch ground nice and flat
Good location and great views

Recommend to friends Visit again

All great. Thankyou

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness No rating
Wifi No rating
Jackie S. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Camping pod (two person)

Liked: Fabulous location, really friendly and helpful staff. Very clean and comfortable accomadation.

Disliked: Nothing to dislike.

Recommend to friends Visit again

What a great experience!!! Even if we booked with short notice, and arrived…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 10
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Camping pod (two person)

Liked: What a great experience!!!

Even if we booked with short notice, and arrived way over the check-in times, Alfie was very helpful and understanding.

We find our accommodation heated, very clean, and we received all the information needed in order to have a great time.

We will definitely return in the near future!

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thanks for your review, its greatly appreciated - glad you had a great stay!

Overall excellent

Overall 8/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 6
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 8
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Camping pod (two person)

Liked: Brilliant location, lovely pods, so chilled out amazing time

Disliked: Not a complaint just maybe more info on the activities and time schedules available

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thanks for your review, we've looked into your suggestion and made it easier for guests to book our activities !

Camp site in a great location for westward ho and Appledore. My…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 6
Wifi 2
Gareth L. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked: Camp site in a great location for westward ho and Appledore. My son loved the swimming pool

Disliked: Outside washing up area was dirty and was not cleaned in the 2 days we stayed l.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Fantastic site with spotless facilities and peaceful setting.

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Jess H. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked: The space and facilities.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely clean and comfortable accommodation in the pods at a really reasonable…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Bunkroom camping pod (eight person)

Liked: Lovely clean and comfortable accommodation in the pods at a really reasonable price for summer holidays - brilliant to have a loo and kettle with tea/coffee provided. Nice quiet location and plenty to do on site and nearby. Kids loved the pool. We didn’t book any of the on site activities this time but there was a lot going on. Showers were some of the best we have used whilst camping!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Perfect location, great value, high standard of cleanliness in pods.

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 6
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Bunkroom camping pod (eight person)

Liked: Great value for money. And could just book for the one night which was perfect and you can’t do that in many places.
Location was excellent.
Staff were very accommodating and friendly.
Lunch for for the HAF program was delicious.
Pods were really comfortable and spacious. Lovely and clean. Brilliant that They have toilets in each one, makes it so much easier with children.
Really quiet site.
Great space to play and for the child to run around.
Check in and check out was very easy and stress free.
The pods and beds were very comfortable and loved the touch of tea making facilities.
Didn’t ask whether they provide wifi but I found phone signal really good.
It had a everything I needed and would love to book the same again for next year.

Disliked: The pool was just a bit colder than expected for a outside heated pool. Young children struggled to get warm so could stay in the pool for long.

Recommend to friends Visit again

I throughly enjoyed my stay at Stern Lodge. We arrived on a…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 8
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked: I throughly enjoyed my stay at Stern Lodge. We arrived on a Friday and the staff were very friendly and welcoming; we had accidentally left our air pump at home however the staff were very helpful and helped us find a pump to use. The facility’s were all very clean and tidy, overall a lovely place will definitely be back!

Disliked: There was nothing we disliked about are stay

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great stay in a lovely location.

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 6
Customer service 8
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Bunkroom camping pod (eight person)

Liked: Pod was clean and beds made on arrival.
Great having a kettle and tea and coffee supplies.
Loved having own toilet in pod.
Staff were very friendly and cleaners asked everyday if we needed anything.

Disliked: Not being able to park car near pod.
Maybe one less set of bunk beds to make space for a sitting area or small table.
Small fridge would be great.
Need broom or dust pan and brush to help keep pod floor clean.

Recommend to friends Visit again


Features

Leisure on park

Bar or club house Cycle hire Evening entertainment Fishing Fitness centre Indoor swimming pool Kids' club On-site restaurant/cafe Outdoor swimming pool Playground Recreation room/arcade TV room Takeout Tennis Watersports

Amenities on park

Bath available Car parking by site/unit Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Free wifi Grocery store Ice pack freezing Internet access Laundromat Parent & baby washroom Payphone Pick-up from public transport Portable toilet Pub toilets Restrooms Shower available Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

Family friendly Motorcycle friendly Scouts welcome Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

Barbecue grills allowed Barbecue provided Campfires allowed Commercial vehicles allowed Dogs allowed No dogs allowed

Utilities

Charging facilities Dump station Electric car charging point(s) Propane/gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Convenience store nearby Dog walk nearby Public transportation nearby

Type

Small (11-25 sites)

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Climbing nearby Cycle hire nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Horseback riding nearby Indoor pool nearby Leisure/theme park nearby Outdoor pool nearby Restaurant nearby Sailing nearby Surf school nearby Tennis nearby Watersports nearby

Location

Skern Lodge

Appledore

Bideford

Devon

England

EX39 1NG

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London +0100 (GMT+01:00)

GPS

51.05385°N
-4.20348°W

Nearest transport

Bus
1 mi The Quay
1 mi The Quay
1 mi Square
Rail
6.3 mi Barnstaple Rail Station
8.2 mi Chapelton (Devon) Rail Station
10.4 mi Umberleigh Rail Station
Ferry
0.6 mi Appledore Ferry Landing
1 mi Instow Ferry Landing
2.4 mi Bideford Ferry Landing

Please note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.

Local attractions

Where will a short walk get you? Northam Burrows Country Park (10 minutes' walk) is one place – rare plants and animals hide out there – and the North Devon Maritime Museum (20 minutes) is another. A short drive will soon get you putting holes or trotting through fields: Royal North Devon Golf Club and Follyfoot Equestrian Centre are both five minutes’ drive away. When you’re feeling like a longer journey out in search of islands, coves and cliff railways, that’s absolutely fine too. Ferries to Lundy Island depart from Bideford (10 minutes’ drive) for dramatic cliff hikes (and sea puffins if you’re lucky). You might want to go climbing cobbles and coastal paths in Clovelly (25 minutes) too, or let the Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway (50 minutes) do most of the hard work for you. As for beach days, well, Westward Ho! (five minutes) is a fine destination for practising your wave-catching skills. Ilfracombe (40 minutes) has several more beaches with more good surf, tunnels and a Victorian bathing pool. Kids asking after theme park rides? The Big Sheep (10 minutes) is an adventure park aimed at the smaller ones in your family, with attractions including live shows, rollercoasters and farm animals.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Westward Ho! 1.6 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Saunton Sands 4.4 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Croyde Bay 5.6 mi Sea N/AGoodExcellentGood
Putsborough 6.4 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Woolacombe Village 8.1 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

RHS Garden Rosemoor 8.2 mi

National Trust

Arlington Court and the National Trust Carriage Museum 11.5 mi

Heddon Valley 16.4 mi

Watersmeet 21 mi

Lundy 21.3 mi

Finch Foundry 25.4 mi

Cycle routes

Find local routes on the National Cycle Network - over 12,000 miles of cycling routes.

Other

Northam Burrows - Coast Path - Appledore - Diddywell - Northam Burrows 1.1 mi

TAPELEY PARK 1.6 mi

ISLEY MARSH (CURRENT BOUNDARY FROM 05/04/1990) 2.5 mi

Saunton - Croyde - Putsborough - Fruit and Nut Trail 4.4 mi

SAUNTON COURT 4.5 mi

Please note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.

Offers

Conditions apply - see campsite type section for details

Nearest campgrounds

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable campgrounds.

Want to know more about camping in Devon?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Skern Lodge have a swimming pool? Yes View all features
  • Is Skern Lodge dog friendly? No View all features
  • What attractions are near Skern Lodge? Where will a short walk get you? Northam Burrows Country Park (10 minutes' walk) is one place – rare plants and animals hide out there – and the North Devon Maritime Museum … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Skern Lodge?
    RV, travel trailer and tent sites
    Arrive:  noon –  10 p.m.
    Depart by:  10:30 a.m.
    On-park accommodation
    Arrive:  3 p.m. –  10 p.m.
    Depart by:  10:30 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Skern Lodge? From $40.21 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.