Start Bay Club Campsite

Rated 4 of 5

Rated 5 of 5

Peace and quiet

Rated 5 of 5

Facilities and cleanliness

Rated 4 of 5

Location

Rated 4 of 5

Good for families

Lovely site friendly wardens

after our hairy approach to the site from kingsbridge we arrived at the reception to be greeted by very friendly faces these being Tina and Chris who made us feel extremely welcome. ( during our stay they gave us nicknames 'Toni & Guy' which we found most amusing ) they explained everything to us and went through the site map as we had never been before. There were various pitch options available so we chose ours set up and then our break began. The site had a fish and chip van come round on a Tuesday evening and freshly made pizzas on a Thursday evening. The site itself is extremely well kept and very clean and tidy, there is a small play area for children. 10 minutes walk to local farm shop and cafe (stokleys farm) ideal for fresh bread pastries and all your fruit veg and BBQ meats. 20 minutes walk to Slapton ley there is a small shop 3 eateries highly recommend the fish and chips at the Start Bay Inn trust us when we at the medium is plentiful. The beach here is vast but pebbley. On the opposite side of the site 10 minute walk away is the Tradesmans Arms excellent food well worth a visit but it's worth booking as it gets very busy. Number 3 bus takes you into Dartmouth £8 per adult for a day rider ticket the bus journey is approx 40 mins and the busses are every hour. We would highly recommend this as its well worth a visit. we are looking forward to our next visit here and are hoping that Tina and Chris are still the wardens if so we are ready for round 2 of the banter so they best get ready .......

0 replies

Chantelleb

Reviewed on 20/08/2017 20:21

1 review

0 Helpful notes

Report this reviewer

Rated 4 of 5

Rated 3 of 5

Peace and quiet

Rated 5 of 5

Facilities and cleanliness

Rated 5 of 5

Location

Rated 2 of 5

Good for families

Not for kids

Not for children! The site is small, open to the public with a play park to keep kids entertained for up to 2 mins. For everyone else it is lovely. 3 pubs in walking distance. Beach is mile away, walk is via an unlit roadside. Small village at beach has a shop, cafe and pub. Steep pebble beach, dog friendly. Lovely relaxing location. Dartmouth and Kingsbridge are pretty towns, with great kayaking estuaries. This site is worth a weeks stay.

0 replies

Nicklincs

Caravanner

Reviewed on 19/08/2017 09:17

4 reviews

0 Helpful notes

Report this reviewer

Rated 4 of 5

Rated 5 of 5

Peace and quiet

Rated 4 of 5

Facilities and cleanliness

Rated 5 of 5

Location

Rated 4 of 5

Good for families

A lovely site in a great location

Great site & location. What a great location , we only live in Paignton but chose this site having previously stayed on the C&C site at Slapton. Despite the initial torrential rain & a tree coming down on a van on a nearby pitch! we really enjoyed our trip. Nice well kept site which has good facilities (although could do with more showers in the men's toilet block) In one direction you can walk to stokenham off road and access two dog friendly pubs the tradesmans & the church house only a 10 minute walk & the other way you can walk on a path to Torcross in about 20 minutes. We also walked to beesands along the coast path which was lovely. Also a farm shop / brewery called Stokeleys was 10 minutes walk from the site which also hosts themed evenings in the summer which were great. The dog area is tiny & just an area for your dog to toilet and not exercise and is not fenced off from the main site . The site staff were very friendly & the shop provided a small range of basics and newspapers can be ordered for a 10p delivery charge. Mobile reception is poor as is TV reception but the hook ups had TV aeriel boosters . We had an amazing time & would recommend this site and return. I would say that the directions in the site handbook need improving as the lanes to the site might not be to everyone's taste, especially new towers. And the previous comment about pitch size yes it is first come first served unfortunately, however no complaints about our lovely pitch size.

0 replies

Steveissy

Motorhomer

Reviewed on 08/08/2017 23:25

10 reviews

0 Helpful notes

Report this reviewer

Rated 4 of 5

Rated 5 of 5

Peace and quiet

Rated 4 of 5

Facilities and cleanliness

Rated 3 of 5

Location

Rated 1 of 5

Good for families

Pleasant well kept site

The approach road from Kingsbridge to the site is off putting and we recommend a Sunday arrival when there are only two buses and if not leaving on a Sunday we recommend leaving site by 7.30 am during the week. Having said that once you are there we really recommend the No 3 bus which passes the site to go to Dartmouth and Kingsbridge (where you can take a boat or the local tally ho bus to Salcombe too) - in both directions it is a scenic stress free way to travel with great views from the upper-deck. The site is attractive and well run. The Travellers Rest in the village (Stockenham) serves great food by very friendly owner and staff. This area is great for walkers and sailing activities but not buzzing with life for teenagers (we are passed having to consider them) and find this area of Devon meets all our needs for a very pleasant holiday on a peaceful but popular site.

0 replies

retiredjohn

Caravanner

Reviewed on 27/07/2017 14:43

5 reviews

0 Helpful notes

Report this reviewer

Rated 4 of 5

Rated 5 of 5

Peace and quiet

Rated 4 of 5

Facilities and cleanliness

Rated 3 of 5

Location

Rated 1 of 5

Good for families

Pleasant well kept site

The approach road from Kingsbridge to the site is off putting and we recommend a Sunday arrival when there are only two buses and if not leaving on a Sunday we recommend leaving site by 7.30 am during the week. Having said that once you are there we really recommend the No 3 bus which passes the site to go to Dartmouth and Kingsbridge (where you can take a boat or the local tally ho bus to Salcombe too) - in both directions it is a scenic stress free way to travel with great views from the upper-deck. The site is attractive and well run. The Travellers Rest in the village (Stockenham) serves great food by very friendly owner and staff. This area is great for walkers and sailing activities but not buzzing with life for teenagers (we are passed having to consider them) and find this area of Devon meets all our needs for a very pleasant holiday on a peaceful but popular site.

0 replies

retiredjohn

Caravanner

Reviewed on 27/07/2017 14:43

5 reviews

0 Helpful notes

Report this reviewer

Rated 4 of 5

Rated 5 of 5

Peace and quiet

Rated 5 of 5

Facilities and cleanliness

Rated 5 of 5

Location

Rated 5 of 5

Good for families

Beautiful site

Before I start my review I would like to point out to the previous reviewer that not all dogs that are not on leads have bad owners ! This is a very narrow minded comment ! Start bay is a lovely site, very well tended by very friendly wardens who work tirelessly to keep this site looking immaculate. There are plenty of pitches to choose from, hardstanding and grass. There is a footpath at the back of the site to the village of Stokenham, 10 min walk, 2 pubs. Take a torch if returning after dark as there is no lighting whatsoever.There is a farm shop next to the site 10 min walk that does lovely breakfasts, it also has a garden centre. The 20 min walk to Torcross is mostly by path a small section is on the road but this wasn't a problem. The road from Kingsbridge is very tight in places ( 5 miles) ,we printed the bus time table so we managed to avoid an oncoming bus. We left on a Saturday morning at 7:00 am to avoid any weekend traffic and we had no problem at all. Oh and going back to the subject of dogs, apart from the Start Bay Inn everywhere else is dog friendly, Would we go back to Start Bay club site ? ........ not sure as the road is single lane in many places and was a bit challenging.

0 replies

mottleycrew

Caravanner

Reviewed on 12/07/2017 21:56

19 reviews

1 Helpful note

Report this reviewer

Rated 4 of 5

Peace and quiet

Rated 5 of 5

Facilities and cleanliness

Rated 4 of 5

Location

Rated 2 of 5

Good for families

Nice Location and Pretty Site

Start Bay Caravan & Motorhome The site is located about 20 minutes drive from Kingsbridge through some very very narrow lanes which makes it a little stressful to negotiate, but the club book does goive clear instruction on this. A typical C&M site. The staff were very friendly and welcoming, we had a good choice of pitches, all within just a few mins walk of the facilities block. The toilets and showers were immaculate as indeed were the grounds. The handbook ays the site is near a bus stop but in fact it is a 10 minute walk (via path) which might be too far for some and misleading. From this bus stop you can take buses to Kingsbridge, (£5.10 return) Dartmouth (£7.30 return) and Plymouth (didn't do this). The bus journey is quite interesting in itself especially the Dartmouyh route where you will enjiy some spectacular views. From the site it is a 20 minute walk to the beach area at Torcross, down hill, and mostly with a path along the quite busy road. At Torcross is a very long shingle beach, very clean and beautiful water and views over the bay. The beach is "dog friendkly" and as such you see a lot if dogs, nost onleads but some are not. Three places to eat, tea shop, pub and restaurant, all with sea views. The site staff are very keen to keep the grass cut and seem to do this as soon as a member has left, so that could be quite early, and is a little distracting.

0 replies

LegsHS

Reviewed on 11/07/2017 18:26

12 reviews

0 Helpful notes

Report this reviewer

Rated 4 of 5

Peace and quiet

Rated 5 of 5

Facilities and cleanliness

Rated 5 of 5

Location

Rated 5 of 5

Good for families

Tight Squeeze

The site was lovely and very well maintained. The wardens were very helpfull . What was noticeable was that quite a lot of pitches were so small that cars had to be parked across the hitch of the caravan. Quite a few motohomes were sited on very large pitches with lots of wasted space either side where a van car and awning would go. First come first served I suppose but some allocating should be applied. The area is beautiful but the narrow roads are dreadfully. Now about to polish out the scratches on the car from the high hedges.

0 replies

Merrittsman

Reviewed on 08/07/2017 09:08

15 reviews

0 Helpful notes

Report this reviewer

Rated 4 of 5

Rated 5 of 5

Peace and quiet

Rated 5 of 5

Facilities and cleanliness

Rated 5 of 5

Location

Rated 5 of 5

Good for families

Amazing site, well worth a visit

I could waffle on for pages but will try & be concise with the following: Journey down to the site from Kingsbridge is a little 'interesting' to say the least, do follow the Caravan Club directions under 'map' as sat-nav will send you through the middle of Kingsbridge which you don't want, trust me! The six miles from Kingsbridge to the site is a bit hairy, just be careful & steady & you'll be fine. Some 'drivers' obviously frown on caravans as some didn't even acknowledge a cheery 'thanks', hey ho! When leaving, remember the No 3 bus from Kingsbridge to Dartmouth passes the site every half hour on the hour [8.30-9.30 etc], when it's gone you'll be fine! The site is just past Stokenham village & comes up a little quicker than you think. Great site, 90 odd pitches which is lovely. The wardens, the site, the showers, everything is absolutely first class. Spotlessly clean, oodles of hot water in the clean shower block, love it! Every time a pitch is vacated the grass is cut, ignore grumpy knickers who posted about grass cutting at 9am, the wardens have job[s] to do so cut them some slack. Some of the grass pitches need levelling blocks & the hardstanding areas are of different sizes so take your time looking around. Speaking of the wardens, never met a more friendly bunch than these, a total credit to the site! Torcross is a 15 minute walk to the sea, lovely seaside village, pub, coffee house & that's about it. Stokenham, a 10 minute walk via a path, is where you've got 2 pubs, The Tradesmans Arms & The Church House Inn [try their crispy fish, unbelievable], both lovely pubs serving wonderful food, perhaps a tad more expensive than 'home' but hey! you're on holiday in Devon so get over it [we ate twice in each pub]. The Start Bay Inn on the seafront is a typical seafront, busy, pub grub type of place, perfectly good food & very busy. The Seabreeze cafe is just along from the pub, great coffee & tasty morsels! Visit Kingsbridge if you can, lovely small town with numerous coffee shops, good car parking & Morrisons & Tesco's for all your shopping needs. While you're here,if you like cream tea's, drive a couple miles further to Loddiswell Avon Mill [http://www.avonmill.com/cafe/] for what must be the best cream tea I've ever had. Quaint garden centre with a lovely cafe, two warm large scones, enough clotted cream to drown a cow in & loads of quality strawberry jam. Don't blame me if you can't finish it, remarkable cream tea.......went twice! Dartmouth is well worth a day visit, a little tricky to park but worth it when you have. Loads of coffee/eating places, decent shops, lovely little place. Then hop over to Paignton & Torquay via the cute ferry [under a tenner return] Paignton wasn't much to be honest nor was Torquay. That's it, review over. Would I go again, yep sure would. Negatives, apart from the weather, no. Positives, many!

1 reply

fox889

Reviewed on 07/07/2017 16:23

12 reviews

1 Helpful note

Report this reviewer

Rated 4 of 5

Peace and quiet

Rated 5 of 5

Facilities and cleanliness

Rated 5 of 5

Location

Rated 5 of 5

Good for families

Start Bay

Lets see: Negatives first.....For some the roads to the site will be rather traumatic - very tight and if you get an inpatient opposing driver you will have to be on the ball. Consider entering the site with extra caution - it's a tight left hander......that's unless you have a death wish and have approached from the other direction. The site is well signposted Very Very Clean. Good shop on site. All Facilities very good and very clean. Excellent touring location. Now the wardens....absolutely excellent......no such thing as a silly problem, when you speak to them - no face pulling-no ridicule-just help from them. Oh and as a bonus they may even do a rain dance for you [or should I say 'a go away' rain dance]

0 replies

festerbestertester

Caravanner

Reviewed on 07/07/2017 11:39

1 review

0 Helpful notes

Report this reviewer