Challaborough Bay Holiday Park
Challaborough Bay Holiday Park sits in a sheltered horseshoe cove on the South Devon coast, about 8 miles (13 km) from Kingsbridge and inside the South Hams Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Families come for a Blue Flag beach that's a few steps below the caravans, the view across to Burgh Island and its tidal sea tractor, and a small self-catering park with an indoor pool and evening entertainment for the days you're not on the sand.
On this page
Is it worth it?
The quick read before the detail: who this park suits, what you get for the money and the facts to skim first.
Challaborough Bay is a small Parkdean holiday park built around one thing above all, its beach. The caravans and lodges sit in a horseshoe cove with a Blue Flag beach a few steps below, so a morning on the sand needs no car and no road crossing, and Burgh Island with its tidal sea tractor sits out across the bay. It's self-catering: you cook in your own caravan or lodge, with a handful of on-park places to eat, an indoor heated pool and a full daily activity and entertainment programme for the days the weather turns.
It's smaller and quieter than the big Devon chain parks, and more scenic, which is the draw for a lot of families and not what others are after. The facilities list is shorter than a Haven-sized resort: one indoor pool rather than a water complex, no outdoor pool and no waterslides. There's no crèche or babysitting, so children are with you throughout. You'll get the most from it if a proper coastal cove and direct beach access matter more to you than a big pool and a packed resort.
Best for
You want direct access to a Blue Flag beach, you're happy to self-cater and a quieter, scenic cove matters more than a big pool complex or waterslides.
Maybe not for
You rely on a crèche or a big indoor water park, you want a large lively resort or you'd rather not carry a pushchair down steps and a slipway to the sand.
Best ages
Babies upwards, though there's no crèche for any age. Free Play Tots and Messy Play run for two-to-fives, and the pool, playground and soft play suit toddlers and young children.
What stands out
The Blue Flag beach a few steps from the caravan, the horseshoe cove setting and Burgh Island across the bay with its sea tractor.
What to check
Whether a caravan has what you need for a baby, since no cot or high-chair hire is listed, and the beach route if you're bringing a pushchair.
Where is it?
In a cove near Bigbury-on-Sea on the South Devon coast, about 8 miles (13 km) from Kingsbridge in the South Hams.
Quick facts for families
What the park is like
Where it sits, how the site is laid out and what a small, self-catering park means for a week with young children.
Challaborough Bay is a self-catering holiday park run by Parkdean Resorts, in a sheltered horseshoe cove on the South Devon coast about 8 miles (13 km) south-west of Kingsbridge and inside the South Hams Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a protected landscape of cliffs, coves and estuaries. It's a distinct park from Parkdean's other Devon sites, and its whole character comes from the setting: the cove faces roughly south-west, framed by rugged cliffs, and it's small enough to feel self-contained, with several caravans close enough to see the sea.
The trade for that smaller scale is a shorter on-park facilities list than you'd find at a Haven-sized resort. Bigbury-on-Sea village is an easy walk away, and Burgh Island sits across the bay, reachable on foot at low tide and by a sea tractor when the causeway floods.
Everything here is self-catering: you cook in your own caravan or lodge kitchen, with a handful of on-park places to eat covered below, and there's no water complex of the Center Parcs kind, just a single indoor heated pool. For the practical essentials the park has a convenience store, a launderette and a cash machine on site. Wi-Fi is free in the venue; in the caravan or lodge it's a paid extra, Parkdean's Park Connect+, priced from £5.95 (last checked June 2026) and only in selected accommodation, so don't count on free Wi-Fi at the unit itself.
Caravans and lodges
Every accommodation tier with its official minimum size, what comes as standard and which suit a family with a baby or toddler.
All the accommodation is self-catering, and it comes in nine named tiers: seven static caravans, from Bronze up to Superior, and two lodges, Deluxe and Prestige. Every unit has a fully equipped kitchen with a hob, oven, fridge and microwave, its own bathroom with a shower, heating and double glazing, with the beds made up before you arrive. Parkdean doesn't publish a bedroom count for each tier, so the table below gives the official minimum floor size for each rather than a room layout, along with the two things that change as you move up, whether towels are included and whether a hot tub can be added.
| Tier | Type | Minimum size | Towels | Hot tub |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | Static caravan | 240 sq ft | Not included | Not available |
| Bronze Premium | Static caravan | 240 sq ft | Not included | Not available |
| Silver | Static caravan | 384 sq ft | Not included | Not available |
| Silver Premium | Static caravan | 384 sq ft | Not included | Not available |
| Gold | Static caravan | 432 sq ft | Not included | Not available |
| Gold Premium | Static caravan | 432 sq ft | Not included | Not available |
| Superior | Static caravan | 456 sq ft | Included | Optional add-on |
| Deluxe | Lodge | 800 sq ft | Included | Optional add-on |
| Prestige | Lodge | 800 sq ft | Included | Optional add-on |
A few specifics are confirmed rather than left to the tier name. The three-bedroom caravans sleep up to eight, and the lodges are two-bedroom, with central heating and a veranda. Cottage and chalet holidays are also offered as a booking type here. Beyond that, Parkdean doesn't map bedroom numbers to individual tiers, so if a separate room for a napping baby matters, confirm the exact layout of the unit you're booking rather than reading it off the tier.
Some things are the same whatever tier you pick, and some are paid extras at every one. Standard across all nine are the heating and double glazing, the fitted kitchen, the shower room and the beds made up on arrival. Offered as optional paid extras at every tier are a dedicated parking space, decking with outdoor seating, a sea view and an ensuite, so none of those is guaranteed by the tier alone. Towels are included only from the Superior tier upward; below that, bring your own. A hot tub is never standard, but it can be added as a paid extra on the Superior tier and the two lodges. Pet-friendly and extra-wide units are available too, so if you're bringing a dog or want more room to move around, ask for one of those when you book.
For choosing with young children, the fitted kitchen is the practical win whatever tier you pick, useful for formula, purées and meals at a toddler's timings, and the beds are made up before you arrive. No travel cot, high chair or baby-equipment hire is listed on the official site, so plan to bring your own or ask Parkdean directly at booking rather than assuming one is provided. Parkdean lists accessible holidays and adapted accommodation across its parks but publishes no specific accessibility statement for Challaborough Bay, so confirm any adapted unit directly when you book.
Eating and food shopping
The on-park places to eat, how the all-inclusive add-on actually works and where to do a proper food shop.
Self-catering is the default, so most meals are cooked in the caravan or lodge kitchen, with a few places to eat on the park. The Waterfront Bar & Restaurant is the sit-down option, with sea views and a menu that runs from light bites to pub classics; it was refurbished in 2020. Parkdean doesn't publish its opening hours, so check them at booking or on arrival if you're planning to eat there. For something quicker there's the Fish and Chippery & Pizzeria, a takeaway doing fish and chips and pizza; like the Waterfront Bar, its opening hours aren't published either, so check them at booking or on arrival. The entertainment venue serves meals, snacks and drinks through the day and during the evening shows. There's also a Costa Coffee on the park, and a sweet shop, Tricks, Treats & Sweets, for pocket money.
Parkdean offers an all-inclusive add-on, but it's narrower than the name suggests and worth reading closely. It's available only on selected four-night Monday arrivals, and not during the school holidays. On it, children aged 12 and under get a free main meal at breakfast, lunch and dinner when an accompanying adult orders a main at the same sitting, up to three children's meals per paying adult and one per child. It doesn't apply at the on-park franchises such as Costa. Parkdean's own terms don't name which venue serves the offer, so check at booking or on arrival where it runs. There are children's menus, the Starland Krew Menu and a Pick & Mix for under-12s, though the full menu isn't published online.
For food shopping, the on-park convenience store covers basics and holiday essentials and there's a cash machine on site, but it isn't a full supermarket. The nearest of those is in Kingsbridge, about 8 miles (13 km) away, so it's worth a proper shop on the way in or an early run for the week's food.
The pool
The single indoor pool and how its sessions work, then the Blue Flag beach that sits right below the park.
The park has a single indoor heated pool, open from 13 March to 2 November 2026 and closed outside those dates. It's the one pool on the park: no separate toddler or baby pool is confirmed on the official site, and there's no outdoor pool. What is confirmed for the youngest swimmers is Aqua Paddlers, a splash-and-race session for three-to-sevens. Parkdean doesn't publish the pool's size or depth. There's a sauna alongside it; the facilities list reads "sauna or steam room", but only the sauna is named in the detail, so treat a steam room as possible rather than certain.
The pool runs its activity sessions by the half-hour through the day, most of them charged and all needing to be pre-booked through Parkdean's Manage My Booking, which the park recommends doing about ten weeks before you travel. The charged sessions are Aqua Paddlers for three-to-sevens, Pool Party for four-and-up, the Wiped Out inflatable obstacle course for four-and-up and Water Walkerz for five-and-up. Lane swimming, an adult-only swim and water fitness are free. Children under 8 must be with a responsible adult aged 16 or over during the club and pool sessions, so plan to be in the water with a younger child rather than dropping them off.
The beach
The beach is the reason most families pick this park. Challaborough Bay holds a Blue Flag and a Seaside Award for 2026, the two main marks of a clean, well-managed British beach, and its water quality carries a three-star Excellent rating on The Beach Guide. It's a sheltered horseshoe cove of sand and rock, with rock pools exposed at low tide, and RNLI lifeguards patrol through the summer.
It sits right below the park. You reach it down a sloping path and slipway, with a ramp at the northern end and concrete steps with a handrail at other points, so the sand is a short walk down from the caravan. That kind of access, with no road to cross and no shuttle needed, is unusual among Devon's big holiday parks; only Ruda at Croyde and Cofton at Dawlish Warren offer anything comparable. A word on the tide, though: the terrain changes with it, and the rockier stretches are more exposed at high water, so with young children or a pushchair it's worth timing a beach trip around low tide. There's no official statement on pushchair access, but the main slipway route is the manageable one and the concrete-steps points are not. The cove faces the open sea to the south-west, so the safety notice is worth heeding, strong undercurrents are possible, waves can break large and inflatables are a bad idea on a windy day.
Surfing and bodyboarding suit all levels here, and there's a surf school and beach shop in Bigbury-on-Sea village, a short walk or drive away. Across the bay is Burgh Island, which you can walk to over the sand at low tide, with a sea tractor running across when the tide's in. No other Devon holiday park has a landmark like it within a five-minute walk. In season the beach has public toilets, a café and a beach shop. Dogs aren't allowed on Challaborough beach from 1 May to 30 September; if you're bringing one in summer, Bigbury and Bantham beaches are dog-friendly year-round and both within about half an hour's drive.
Babies and toddlers
The childcare picture for young children, the baby-kit question and everything there is to do on the park.
For a family with a baby or toddler, the most important thing to know is that there's no crèche and no babysitting or childminding service, and children under 8 have to be with an adult aged 16 or over at every kids' activity. Nobody looks after your children for you here, so the day is one you spend together.
What there is for the youngest is a set of free daily sessions run by the entertainment team. Play Tots and Messy Play are both for two-to-fives and both free. There's a free Kids Disco open to all ages, and the flagship show, Starland Krazy, is free too. In the pool, Aqua Paddlers for three-to-sevens is the session aimed at the younger end, though that one is charged and pre-booked like the other pool activities.
Parkdean runs themed Tots Breaks at some of its parks, and Challaborough Bay is listed among its Devon parks, but there are no 2026 Tots Break dates set for it at the time of writing, with only Torquay holding Devon dates, so check directly if a themed toddler week is what you're after. The standard tots sessions above run through the season regardless.
The self-catering setup helps with a baby. A full kitchen makes formula, purées and meals at a toddler's timings straightforward, and the beds are made up before you arrive. One thing to sort in advance, though, is baby kit. No travel cot, high chair or baby-equipment hire is listed on the official site, so bring your own or ask Parkdean directly at booking rather than counting on one being there.
On the parkThings to do
Beyond the pool and the beach, the park runs a daily programme of activities and has a set of things that are always there to use. The daytime activity roster is below, with the minimum age and whether each one is free or charged.
| Activity | Age | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Play Tots | 2 to 5 | Free |
| Messy Play | 2 to 5 | Free |
| Aqua Paddlers | 3 to 7 | Charged, pre-book |
| Pool Party | 4 and up | Charged |
| Wiped Out (pool obstacle course) | 4 and up | Charged |
| Water Walkerz | 5 and up | Charged |
| Pottery painting | 4 and up | Charged |
| Sand art | 4 and up | Charged |
| Tie dye | 4 and up | Charged |
| Make a cuddly friend (craft) | 4 and up | Charged |
| Battle Blasters | 5 and up | Charged |
| Multi-sports court | 2 and up | Free |
| Jewellery making | Not stated | Charged |
| Mosaic art | Not stated | Free |
| Card crafts | Not stated | Free |
The charged activities run on Parkdean's Hub Pass system; the free ones carry a "Free" badge on the park's own listing, and Parkdean doesn't publish Hub Pass prices for Challaborough Bay. Alongside the crafts and the pool sessions there's a multi-sports court (free, from age 2), French boules for all ages, hover archery, Super Sports sessions, Battle Blasters for five-and-up and free guided local walks.
Then there are the facilities you can just use. There's a pirate-themed adventure playground, a soft play area, a wildlife nature trail for little ones and a recently refurbished amusement arcade with classic games, pool tables and darts. For adults there's a fuller programme too, from yoga and water fitness (both free) to gin and yoga, sip and paint, wine tasting, line dancing, board games and quizzes, and there's a sauna for winding down. There's no full spa, though, and no massage, treatment rooms or beauty services, and no gym, outdoor pool, waterslides, mini-golf or high-ropes course, so if a big activity resort is what you're picturing, this isn't that.
Evening entertainment
The free evening programme, then the days out the park's South Hams position puts within reach.
The evenings have a free programme at the entertainment venue, which serves meals, snacks and drinks while the shows are on. The park's own crew, the Starland Krew, run the Starland Krazy show for all ages, and Park Live brings live acts on most nights. Trouper Productions put on staged shows, including a 60s Calling live show, and there's a Kids Disco for all ages. For the grown-ups the week fills out with bingo in several forms (linked bingo, Bingo Gaga! and boombox bingo), adult karaoke, beginners' poker, a who-dunnit murder mystery, a country night, Quiz Nation and wine tasting. It's a proper nightly programme, if a smaller one than a big resort's.
Salcombe, Dartmouth and DartmoorThe area and days out
Beyond the beach, the park sits well for the wider South Devon coast and Dartmoor: Salcombe, Dartmouth, Kingsbridge and the edge of Dartmoor are all within about 30 to 40 minutes, which is the real strength of the South Hams position.
Closest to hand, Bigbury-on-Sea village is an easy walk, with its surf school, beach shop and coastal paths, and the South West Coast Path runs from the park in both directions. Across the bay, the Burgh Island Hotel is an art deco landmark with an Agatha Christie connection and a restaurant open to non-residents by reservation, reached on foot at low tide or by the sea tractor. Bantham Beach, a surfing and swimming beach about half an hour's drive away, and Bigbury Beach are both dog-friendly year-round.
For towns, Kingsbridge (about 8 miles / 13 km) is the nearest full-service one, a market town on the Salcombe estuary with supermarkets and pharmacies. Salcombe (about 10 miles / 16 km) is the sailing town, with boutique shops and beaches; Totnes (about 18 miles / 29 km) is a market town on the River Dart with independent shops and a castle; and Ivybridge (about 14 miles / 23 km) is the gateway to Dartmoor for walking, cycling and climbing. Dartmouth, with its castle and sailing heritage, makes another day out.
For family attractions there's plenty within reach. Dartmoor Zoo at Sparkwell and Woodlands Family Theme Park are each around 30 minutes; the National Marine Aquarium at Plymouth is about 18 miles (29 km) from Burgh Island; and Crealy Theme Park and Resort near Exeter is around 45 to 50 minutes. For a quieter day there's the South Devon Chilli Farm nearby, House of Marbles at Bovey Tracey (about 40 minutes), Pennywell Farm and Go Ape at Haldon Forest Park.
Loves and gripes
The themes that come through in the research, good and less good, and the trade-offs worth weighing before you book.
A note on how solid this is first: the big review platforms were closed to our research for this park, so what follows draws on a narrow set of family blogs and a round-up rather than a broad sample, and it's better read as a directional impression than a settled verdict. With that caveat, the clearest theme in what families say is the beach: the cove and the direct access to it are given as the main reason for choosing Challaborough Bay. No single gripe recurs strongly, and the smaller facilities list next to a bigger resort reads as a fact about the park rather than a common complaint.
What families love
- The beach and the direct access to it, the single most common reason families give for choosing the park.
- The quieter, more scenic character next to the bigger Devon chain parks.
- The indoor pool with its kids' sessions and the adventure playground, both noted as strong family draws.
- The self-contained cove setting inside the South Hams landscape.
What's worth weighing
- The shorter facilities list than a big resort: one indoor pool, no outdoor pool and no waterslides.
- No crèche or babysitting, so no daytime break from the children.
- The beach reached down a slipway and steps, which takes managing with a pushchair.
- The narrow South Devon lanes on the way in, slow going with a large caravan or a full car.
Getting there and when to go
Reaching a quiet corner of South Devon, when the pool and the season run and the gentlest weeks with little ones.
Most families drive, and the practical route is the A38 Devon Expressway to Exeter, then B-roads down through Modbury or the A379 towards Bigbury-on-Sea. The last stretch is on narrow South Devon lanes, so allow extra time with a large caravan or a fully loaded car. The park has its own private car park, and non-guests can pay to park for the beach.
There's no need to fly for a UK holiday, but for anyone coming a long way, Exeter is the nearest airport, roughly 40 to 45 miles (65 to 72 km) and about an hour by road, and Bristol is about 85 miles (137 km), around 1.5 to 2 hours by road. These are route-planning estimates rather than published transfer times. Plymouth is geographically closer, but its airport closed for good in 2011, so it isn't an option. By train, the nearest stations are Ivybridge (about 14 miles / 23 km) and Totnes (about 18 miles / 29 km), with a taxi or hire car needed for the final leg since there's no direct bus.
On when to go, the park is open for holidays across the year, but the indoor pool runs only from 13 March to 2 November 2026, and Parkdean features April to October as the main season. The cove is sheltered by the cliffs around it, which takes the edge off the wind, though the beach still faces the open sea to the south-west and the surf can build. The warm, drier weeks are the school summer holidays, which are also the busiest and priciest; late May, June and September are the gentler choice for young children, warm enough for the beach and the pool but short of the peak crowds.
One practical note for a family: the nearest A&E is at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, around 30 to 45 minutes' drive, and there's no first-aid room mentioned on the park, so it's worth packing a basic kit.
Month by monthWeather
South Devon is warm rather than hot, and the figures below are typical daytime highs across the park's main season. The peak is a modest 20°C in July and August, so this is a beach holiday where the indoor pool is the fallback on a cool or wet day. June is usually the sunniest month.
| Month | Daytime high | Overnight low | Rain | Wet days | Sea temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9.5° | 4° | 132 mm | 15 | 10° |
| February | 10° | 4° | 99 mm | 13 | 9° |
| March | 11° | 5° | 86 mm | 12 | 9° |
| April | 13.5° | 6° | 69 mm | 10 | 10° |
| May | 16° | 8.5° | 64 mm | 9 | 12° |
| June | 19° | 11° | 63 mm | 9 | 15° |
| July | 21° | 13° | 67 mm | 8 | 17° |
| August | 21° | 13° | 76 mm | 10 | 17° |
| September | 19° | 11.5° | 70 mm | 9 | 17° |
| October | 16° | 10° | 130 mm | 14 | 16° |
| November | 12.5° | 6.5° | 129 mm | 15 | 14° |
| December | 10.5° | 4.5° | 145 mm | 16 | 12° |
Typical monthly averages from weather-station records. Sea temperature is the open-water figure, so a sheltered bay can feel a degree or two warmer.
Ratings and reputation
The review scores we could confirm, and what each one is actually telling you.
On the review measures we could confirm, Challaborough Bay comes out well. Its own Parkdean page shows a TripAdvisor score of 4.6 out of 5, and it holds a TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Award for 2026, which marks it in the top 10% of listings worldwide, one of 24 Parkdean parks to hold the award this year. On TripAdvisor it's also listed as the specialty lodging in Bigbury-on-Sea, though that's a category with only itself in it rather than a win over rivals. On the niche community site UKCampsite.co.uk it scores 8 out of 10, from a small sample of 14 reviews. Parkdean Resorts as a group carries a "3x British Travel Award winner" designation, without the categories or years specified. Alongside the ratings, the beach's Blue Flag and Seaside Award for 2026 are the clearest independent marks in the park's favour.
Questions
The things families ask most, the official pages worth a bookmark and when this guide was last refreshed.
Is the all-inclusive worth adding?
It's offered only on selected four-night Monday arrivals outside the school holidays, and it covers a free main meal for children aged 12 and under at breakfast, lunch and dinner when a paying adult orders a main at the same sitting, up to three children's meals per adult and one per child. It doesn't apply at the on-park franchises like Costa. If your dates don't land on one of those arrivals, or you're travelling in the school holidays, it isn't available at all, so check before you build a budget around it.
Do we have to book the pool sessions in advance?
Yes for the activity sessions. Aqua Paddlers, Pool Party, Wiped Out and Water Walkerz are charged and pre-booked through Parkdean's Manage My Booking, which recommends booking about ten weeks ahead, so they can fill up. Lane swimming, the adult swim and water fitness are free and don't need booking. If a particular session matters to your child, book it as soon as your stay is confirmed rather than on arrival.
Is there any childcare so we can get a break?
No. There's no crèche, babysitting or childminding, and under-8s have to be with an adult at every activity, so there's no point in the day when the park takes the children off your hands. If a daytime or evening break is something you rely on, this isn't the park for it. A two-bedroom unit at least lets you settle young children and keep a room to yourselves once they're down.
Will there be a cot and high chair in the caravan?
Not that the official site confirms. No travel cot, high chair or baby-equipment hire is listed for this park, so ring Parkdean before you book to ask, and pack a travel cot and a clip-on high chair if they can't confirm one. The fitted kitchen handles bottles and baby food whatever you decide.
Can we bring the dog to the beach?
Not to Challaborough beach between 1 May and 30 September. Outside those dates it's allowed, and in summer Bigbury and Bantham beaches are dog-friendly all year and both within about half an hour's drive. So a summer stay with a dog means driving to one of those for a beach day rather than using the one below the park.
Do we need a car?
In practice, yes. There's no direct bus and the nearest train stations are a taxi ride away, and while the beach is on the doorstep, the supermarkets, the towns and the days out all need driving to. Allow extra time on the approach if you're towing a caravan or driving a full MPV, since the last stretch is on narrow lanes.
Where's the nearest supermarket?
Kingsbridge, about 8 miles (13 km) away. The on-park store covers essentials but isn't a weekly shop. It's easiest to do a big shop on the way in, since arriving late with young children and an empty fridge means a drive back out.
Where's the nearest A&E?
Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, around 30 to 45 minutes away by car. There's no first-aid room noted on the park, so pack a basic kit with the usual children's medicines and check a live route on the day if you ever need to go.
See more Challaborough Bay Holiday Park photos
Open the Challaborough Bay Holiday Park photo gallery →Useful links
- Challaborough Bay Holiday Park: the park's own site for caravans, the lodges, the pool and what's included.
- Blue Flag and Seaside Award: the current award status for Challaborough Bay and other UK beaches.
- Devon with little ones: our guide to the wider county, its coast and when to go.
Last updated 13 July 2026.
