Tummel Valley Holiday Park
Tummel Valley Holiday Park sits in woodland beside the River Tummel in Tay Forest, a small, quiet Parkdean park in Highland Perthshire, about 13 miles (21 km) west of Pitlochry. It's a self-catering park of caravans and lodges, with an indoor pool and a daily entertainment programme, and families come for the forest and river on the doorstep, the walking and cycling, and Loch Tummel, Queen's View and the castles of Perthshire a short drive away rather than for a long list of on-park facilities.
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.
Tummel Valley is one of Parkdean's smaller, quieter parks, and its setting is the reason to come. The caravans and lodges sit in woodland beside the River Tummel, within the Loch Tummel National Scenic Area in Highland Perthshire, with Loch Tummel and the much-photographed Queen's View a 15-minute drive away. You cook in your own caravan or lodge, there's an indoor pool, a bar and restaurant and a daily entertainment programme, and most of what fills a day is the walking, the river and the days out around Pitlochry rather than a long list of on-park facilities.
Set against Parkdean's big coastal parks, the facilities here are modest. There's one indoor pool rather than a water park with flumes, four places to eat and no soft play, bowling or high ropes, so a family after an all-weather, activity-packed week would find more at a larger park. The park's own reputation splits more than most, with warm praise for the scenery, the staff and the newer lodges set against a small, basic pool, some tired caravans and a remote, winding approach. You'll get the most from Tummel Valley if you plan to be out among the lochs, forests and castles of Highland Perthshire, and treat the park as a scenic, self-catering base rather than the holiday in itself.
Best for
You want Highland scenery, walking and river woodland on the doorstep, you're happy to self-cater and be out exploring, and a big pool isn't the point.
Maybe not for
You want a water park and lots of indoor activities for wet days, a drop-off kids' club or a short, easy drive to the door.
Best ages
Babies upwards, though there's no crèche for any age. The splash pool, playground and toddler sessions suit little ones, and there's space to roam.
What stands out
The woodland and River Tummel setting inside a National Scenic Area, with Loch Tummel, Queen's View and Pitlochry close by.
What to check
Whether your caravan or lodge has the space and baby kit you need, and that you're happy with the long, winding final stretch of road.
Where is it?
At Tummel Bridge in Highland Perthshire, beside the River Tummel in Tay Forest, about 13 miles (21 km) west of Pitlochry.
Quick facts for families
What the park is like
Where it sits, how big it is, the lie of the land and what a small, quiet park means for a week with little ones.
Tummel Valley is a self-catering park run by Parkdean Resorts, set in woodland beside the River Tummel within Tay Forest, in the Loch Tummel National Scenic Area in Highland Perthshire. It's one of Parkdean's smaller Scottish parks. The touring and camping side has around 118 pitches, and the static caravans and lodges most families book add to that, though Parkdean doesn't publish a total, so this reads as a quiet, low-key park rather than a big-site operation. Parkdean describes it as a retreat for families and couples, and the peace and the scenery are what reviewers single out most.
The park sits in a river glen, so some gradient around the site is likely, though Parkdean doesn't call it either flat or hilly. It isn't one of the three Scottish parks the company names as flat, so if a level pitch matters for a wheelchair or a pram, it's worth asking the park directly before you book. There's no shuttle or buggy service around the park, but its small scale means shorter walks between the accommodation and the central pool and bar than you'd face at a big coastal park.
Dogs are welcome in pet-friendly caravans and lodges, for the usual per-pet cleaning charge added at booking and waived for assistance dogs, and there's a lot of walking from the door along the river and into the forest. The Boathouse Bar & Restaurant is the hub of the park in the evenings, with a Showbar alongside for the entertainment.
The caravans and lodges
Every grade 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, in two types: static caravans in three sizes, Bronze, Silver and Gold, and lodges in three grades, Superior, Deluxe and Prestige. The park offers two and three-bedroom units, with the larger three-bedroom caravans sleeping up to eight, and there are no four-bedroom units here. Every grade comes with heating and double glazing, a fully equipped kitchen, a bathroom with a shower and beds made up before you arrive, plus passes for the park's facilities. Dedicated parking, decking, an ensuite and a view are optional extras on some units, and a hot tub can be added on the lodge grades. The table below gives each grade with its official minimum floor size and whether towels are included and a hot tub can be added.
| Grade | Type | Minimum size | Towels | Hot tub |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | Static caravan | 240 sq ft (~22 m²) | Not included | Not available |
| Bronze Premium | Static caravan | 240 sq ft (~22 m²) | Not included | Not available |
| Silver | Static caravan | 384 sq ft (~36 m²) | Not included | Not available |
| Silver Premium | Static caravan | 384 sq ft (~36 m²) | Not included | Not available |
| Gold | Static caravan | 432 sq ft (~40 m²) | Not included | Not available |
| Gold Premium | Static caravan | 432 sq ft (~40 m²) | Not included | Not available |
| Superior | Lodge | 456 sq ft (~42 m²) | Not included | Optional add-on |
| Deluxe | Lodge | 800 sq ft (~74 m²) | Included | Optional add-on |
| Prestige | Lodge | 800 sq ft (~74 m²) | Included | Optional add-on |
A few things are worth knowing across the range. The grade sets the size, not the age or condition, so a Bronze caravan isn't necessarily older than a Gold, just smaller, and the Premium version of a caravan grade is the same size as the standard, with a better position or added features rather than more room. Towels are the dividing line: they're included in the Deluxe and Prestige lodges but not in the caravans or the Superior lodge, so with those you bring your own. A hot tub is a lodge-only extra, and since it isn't for young children it counts for less with a toddler along.
For a family with a baby or toddler, the entry-level Bronze caravan at 240 square feet (about 22 m²) is tight once a cot, a pushchair and the baby things are in, so a Silver at about 36 m² or a lodge gives materially more room. Where a napping baby needs a door to close, the size question matters: Parkdean's own guidance is that a travel cot typically only fits in the living area of its caravans, while many lodges have space for it in the bedroom, so a lodge is the safer choice if daytime naps in a separate room matter to you. Cots and high chairs are available to hire at £15 an item (last checked July 2026), though a hired cot comes with no mattress or bedding, so pack your own. Wheelchair-accessible caravans with ramps, widened doorways and lowered surfaces are offered here; there are no hoists or profiling beds at this park, so check the exact adaptations with the park if someone needs them.
Alongside the caravans and lodges, the park takes tents, touring caravans and motorhomes on around 118 pitches, open roughly mid-March to early November, which is unusual among Parkdean's Scottish parks and worth knowing if you camp or tour rather than book a static holiday home.
The indoor pool
The park's one pool and its splash area, how swimming sessions work, and the river and loch beyond the gate.
The park has one indoor heated swimming pool, with a splash pool for younger children and a sauna for the adults in the same building. That's the full extent of the swimming here: there's no outdoor pool, no waterslide or flume and no separate adults-only pool, so it's a straightforward indoor swim rather than a water-park day. Reviewers describe the pool as fine but basic and small by Parkdean's standards, which is a fair way to picture it: it suits a family who wants an easy splash close to the caravan, not a big all-day water complex.
A few practical points shape a pool trip. Parkdean asks you to pre-book swimming sessions online, up to ten weeks ahead through its Manage My Booking system, and reviewers describe strict, limited-length sessions, so it's worth booking your slots early rather than turning up. Under-eights must be supervised by someone aged 16 or over, and one adult can't supervise more than two under-eights, which is the thing to plan around if you have a baby and a toddler, or two little ones between two grown-ups. The pool is open from 6 February to 9 November, so it's closed for a roughly three-month winter window.
The loch, the river and the water setting
Tummel Valley has no beach; it's an inland, wooded park, and the water it sits on is the River Tummel, which runs right alongside it. There's a patio overlooking the river and riverside walks from the door, and the river is part of the setting rather than a swimming spot. One older account, from 2012, described a caravan near the park's duck pond, with ducks turning up at the door for bread, a small period detail rather than something to expect today. Despite some of Parkdean's own wording, the park is beside the river, not on Loch Tummel itself. The loch, and the famous Queen's View panorama over it, are about a 15-minute drive away, and they make one of the best short outings from the park, with red kites and, in season, ospreys at a reserve nearby, and watersports and walking at Kenmore on Loch Tay further west. Neither the river nor the loch is a supervised swimming spot, with no lifeguard, so treat any loch or river swimming as open water rather than a resort amenity, and keep a close eye on young children near the fast-flowing river.
Food and drink
The handful of places to eat and drink on the park, the all-inclusive option and where to do a food shop.
Self-catering is the default here, so most meals are cooked in your own kitchen, and the on-park line-up is small and focused, in keeping with the park's size. The main place is the Boathouse Bar & Restaurant, the park's main sit-down restaurant and recently refurbished, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. There's a Fish and Chippery for a takeaway, an entertainment venue serving meals, snacks and drinks through the day and evening, and Costa Coffee, served there and on the riverside patio. There's no branded fast-food chain here, unlike Parkdean's biggest parks, so that's the full list.
All the Parkdean restaurants run a children's menu, branded the Starland Krew Menu. To eat in at the Boathouse you enquire at reception when you check in or with the restaurant on the park, and in busy periods it may run a booking system. The Order & Pay app lets you order food and drink to your table or collect it to take back to the caravan, paid by card in the app.
If you'd rather not cook, Tummel Valley is one of the parks offering an all-inclusive package, bookable as a four-night midweek break with Monday arrivals outside the school holidays. It covers breakfast, lunch and dinner mains plus unlimited hot drinks, soft drinks and children's squash, but only in the main restaurant and bar, so it doesn't take in the shop, the takeaway or the Order & Pay app. It's priced as an add-on from £100 an adult and £40 a child for under-twelves (last checked July 2026), so whether it pays off comes down to how many of your meals you'd actually eat in the Boathouse.
For the everyday there's a convenience store on the park for top-ups and a cash machine on site. It isn't a full supermarket, though, and there isn't one at Tummel Bridge: the nearest larger shops are the Co-ops at Aberfeldy, about 8.6 miles (14 km) away, and Pitlochry, about 11 miles (18 km), with a bigger supermarket a trip towards Perth. A fuller shop before you arrive, or in Pitlochry or Aberfeldy on the way, saves a long drive back out. The on-park store is for top-ups, so bring the formula and baby food your baby needs rather than relying on finding it there.
Babies and toddlers
The childcare picture for young children, the sessions for tots and the baby-kit question.
The first thing to know with a baby or toddler is that Tummel Valley is an unsupervised, self-catering park. There's no crèche, no drop-off childcare and no babysitting, and Parkdean's own terms are clear that its children's clubs aren't childcare: children stay the responsibility of their parents throughout. The Starland Krew programme, the park's five mascot characters, is a round of parent-attended shows and meet-and-greets, not somewhere to leave your child. If a break from the children during the day is something you rely on, this isn't the park for it.
There's plenty aimed at little ones through the day, all parent-attended. Toddler sessions include Play Tots, Messy Play and Tots & Tunes singing for two to fives, a Pipsqueak's Mouse House show for all ages from newborn up and Aqua paddlers in the pool for three to sevens, with Krew meet-and-greets and a kids' disco open to all ages. For slightly older toddlers, the arts and crafts den runs Professor Slime, Squishies, pottery painting, sand art and tie dye, mostly aimed at four and up with some free, alongside an adventure playground and adventure golf. Some sessions are marked free on the park's activity list and some aren't, so it's worth checking which carry a small charge and booking ahead through Manage My Booking rather than assuming they're all free.
Tummel Valley's own activities carousel groups its listings under headings including a dedicated Tots' activities category, alongside indoor, outdoor, swimming, evening and arts and crafts den groupings. The park also sits within Parkdean's wider Tots' Break offer, a four-night midweek break priced from £99 (last checked July 2026) where children eat free from the Starland Krew Menu, though the dates rotate, so check whether one falls when you want to travel. On kit, cots and high chairs are hired extras, with no mattress or bedding on a hired cot, so bring your own cot bedding. For nappy changes, there's baby-changing on the park, though Parkdean doesn't publish where, so ask at reception if you can't find it.
On the parkThings to do
Beyond the pool and the toddler sessions, the outdoor activities run to adventure golf, a free adventure playground, a multi-sports court for ages two and up and free football and cricket for the same ages, plus a wildlife nature trail through the woods to spot birds and animals. Indoors there's an amusement arcade from age two. Older children have hover archery from age eight and battle blasters, an outdoor gel-blaster game, from age five.
The evenings run a daily entertainment programme in the main venue: stage shows from Trouper Productions, bingo in several forms (Linked Bingo, Boombox Bingo and Bingo Gaga!), Quiz Nation, the 60s Calling Live Show and a Who Dunnit murder-mystery night, alongside grown-up sessions once the children are down, including karaoke, wine tasting, line dancing, beginners' poker, daytime trivia, board games, French boules and local walks. There's a sauna for the adults in the pool building too.
For the practical basics there's a launderette, Wi-Fi in the main venue and Park Connect+ Wi-Fi in some accommodation, plus the convenience store and cash machine. What the park doesn't have is worth being clear on: no soft play, no ten-pin bowling, no high ropes, no VR and no go-karting, which is in keeping with its smaller scale rather than an oversight, so a family wanting an all-weather activity park would find more at a bigger site.
The area and days out
The local days out around the park, and the bigger trips further afield.
Tummel Valley's real draw is the countryside around it. Queen's View, the panorama over Loch Tummel, is about 15 minutes away. Pitlochry, 13 miles (21 km) east, is a Victorian town with shops and pubs, the Pitlochry Festival Theatre and the salmon ladder at its dam. Blair Atholl has Blair Castle, seven centuries old and open to visitors, and Dunkeld has its cathedral ruins and riverside walks at the Hermitage. Aberfeldy has the Birks of Aberfeldy waterfall walk and the Dewar's Aberfeldy Distillery, and Kenmore sits on Loch Tay with watersports and walking.
For a day with a bit more to it, Killiecrankie is a wooded river gorge with a place in Scottish history at the Battle of Killiecrankie and, for the brave, a Highland Fling bungee jump from the bridge. Highland Safaris near Dull runs 4x4 wildlife safaris in search of red deer, and has a children's play area, a nature trail, a gold and gem panning centre and a café, which makes a good rainy-day standby. Nae Limits, around Aberfeldy, runs white-water rafting and canyoning for older children and adults, with a Parkdean discount. The southern edge of the Cairngorms National Park, with cycling and canoeing, is a short drive too.
Further out, and better treated as bigger one-off trips than local runs, Go Ape Aberfoyle and the Landmark Forest Adventure Park near Aviemore are about an hour or more away, and Edinburgh, Inverness and Loch Lomond are all substantial drives of 80-odd miles and well over an hour. Closer to home, families have also mentioned smaller stops like the Scottish Crannog Centre and the Aberfeldy Watermill for a quieter afternoon.
Loves and gripes
The themes that come through in the research, good and less good, and the mixed picture on ratings.
Pulled together from TripAdvisor, UKCampsite reviews and older family accounts, the picture is a mixed one, more so than most parks. The ratings don't agree: Parkdean's own on-page badge sits high, around 4.4, and the same page's own review-score data shows 7.9 out of 10 from 493 ratings, while TripAdvisor shows around 3 out of 5 and UKCampsite's own reviews average about 7 out of 10. The figures come from different places and different years and pull in different directions, so there's no single honest score to quote. What is consistent is the split in what families say, so both sides are below.
What families love
- The scenery and the woodland-and-river setting, by far the most common praise, and the reason many choose it.
- The friendly, helpful staff.
- The children's entertainment, with the arcade, sports court and crazy golf named often.
- The newer, higher-grade lodges, called clean, spacious and modern, several reviews mentioning dishwashers and washing machines.
- The peace and quiet next to Parkdean's bigger, busier coastal parks.
What's worth weighing
- A small, basic pool by Parkdean's standards, with reviewers describing strict, limited-length sessions.
- Accommodation that varies, with some caravans clean and modern and others dated.
- The genuine remoteness, and a narrow, winding approach road that means stocking up before the final stretch.
- The cost of food, drink and activities on top of the accommodation, flagged as high.
- An unusually wide spread of reviews, strongly positive and strongly negative, so read recent ones for yourself.
How it compares
Set against Parkdean's and Haven's big coastal parks, like Trecco Bay in Wales or Craig Tara in Ayrshire, Tummel Valley is a smaller, quieter, less activity-dense place. Those parks have large pool complexes with flumes and toddler slides, soft play, bowling and long lists of venues; Tummel Valley has one indoor pool, four places to eat and no soft play, bowling or high ropes. Its edge is the Highland setting and the calmer pace, not the breadth of facilities, so a family after a big, all-weather activity week would be better served at a larger park, and a family after scenery, walking and a quiet base is better served here.
A step up in price, resorts like Crieff Hydro and Auchrannie on Arran are a different proposition again: Crieff Hydro includes registered drop-off childcare that no Parkdean park offers. Within Parkdean's own Scottish parks, the company points families who want the fullest entertainment towards Southerness and Grannie's Heilan' Hame rather than Tummel Valley, which is fair enough. Tummel Valley's own draw is the Highland Perthshire scenery and a quieter, smaller stay, not the biggest activity list.
Getting there and when to go
Reaching a remote Highland park, and the quieter, lighter months for a trip with little ones.
Tummel Valley is a self-drive park with no transfers, so nearly everyone arrives by car. The two routes in are the B8019 past Loch Tummel and Queen's View, or the A9 and B846 from Pitlochry. Either way the last stretch is a scenic but slow, narrow and winding country road, so allow extra time and do any shopping before those final miles rather than planning to nip back out.
By train, Pitlochry is the practical station, 13 miles (21 km) away on the main line with good connections south to Perth and Edinburgh; Rannoch station, further off on a remote branch line, is a scenic day out rather than a way to arrive, whatever Parkdean's own copy suggests. There's no airport close by: Edinburgh is the realistic one for anyone flying in, about 75 to 85 miles (120 to 137 km) and at least an hour and three-quarters by road, with Inverness further still at about 95 to 105 miles (153 to 169 km). Dundee is nominally nearer as the crow flies, but its scheduled flight network is too limited to be a practical alternative for most families. Buses 82 and 895 stop near the park, at the Caravan Park stop at Tummel Bridge.
Check-in is from 4pm and check-out is 10am. Parkdean doesn't publish a single set of park open dates, but the indoor pool runs from 6 February to 9 November and the touring side roughly mid-March to early November, which is a fair guide to when the park is in full swing. For a trip with a baby or toddler, outside the Scottish school holidays is quieter, and May and June bring long, building daylight, up to 18 hours in June. April is the driest month of the year here; May is milder but still sees rain often, so it isn't a dry month as such.
Month by monthWeather
This is an inland Highland glen, and it's wet: the nearest weather station, at Pitlochry, records rain on 10 to 16 days in every month of the year, so you plan for wet weather whatever the season, which is exactly why the indoor pool and the entertainment venue matter here. The figures below are typical monthly averages for Pitlochry. One thing the table doesn't show is midges: the forests, river and loch are classic Highland midge country from roughly June to September, worst at dawn and dusk near the water, so pack repellent for a high-summer trip.
| Month | Daytime high | Overnight low | Rain | Wet days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5.5° | -0.5° | 106 mm | 15 |
| February | 7° | -0.5° | 93 mm | 14 |
| March | 9.5° | 1° | 65 mm | 12 |
| April | 12° | 2.5° | 49 mm | 10 |
| May | 15° | 5° | 64 mm | 11 |
| June | 17.5° | 8.5° | 63 mm | 12 |
| July | 19.5° | 10° | 78 mm | 13 |
| August | 19° | 10° | 85 mm | 12 |
| September | 16° | 8° | 72 mm | 12 |
| October | 12° | 4.5° | 113 mm | 16 |
| November | 8.5° | 2° | 100 mm | 15 |
| December | 5.5° | -1° | 113 mm | 16 |
Typical monthly averages from weather-station records.
Access and practical notes
Getting around the site, the nearest healthcare and a few practical points before you go.
Wheelchair-accessible caravans with ramps, widened doorways and lowered kitchen surfaces are offered at the park, though there are no hoists or profiling beds here, so check the exact adaptations with the park before you book. Tummel Valley isn't among the Scottish parks Parkdean names as flat, and it sits in a glen, so if a level pitch matters for a wheelchair or a pram it's worth asking the park about specific pitches directly on +44 344 335 2273; there's no shuttle or buggy service, but the park's small size keeps the walks short.
For healthcare, Pitlochry Community Hospital, 13 miles (21 km) away, has a minor injury and illness unit, though it's appointment-only through NHS 24, so you call 111 first rather than dropping in. The nearest full A&E is Perth Royal Infirmary, roughly 35 to 40 miles (56 to 64 km) away and 35 to 45 minutes by road. In an emergency it's 999, and it's worth packing a basic kit of the usual children's medicines given how far out the park is.
Questions
The things families ask most, the official pages worth a bookmark and when this guide was last refreshed.
Is there any childcare so we can get a break?
No. There's no crèche, babysitting or drop-off childcare, and Parkdean's own terms are clear that its children's clubs aren't childcare, so the children stay with you the whole time. If a daytime or evening breather is something you count on, a hotel with registered childcare like Crieff Hydro further south is a different sort of holiday to weigh up.
Will a travel cot fit in the bedroom?
In a caravan, expect the travel cot in the living area rather than the bedroom, since Parkdean says a cot typically only fits the caravan lounge; many lodges have room for it in the bedroom, so pick a lodge if daytime naps behind a closed door matter. Cots and high chairs are hired at £15 an item (last checked July 2026) and come with no mattress or bedding, so bring your own.
Can we just turn up at the pool?
Better to pre-book your swimming sessions online through Manage My Booking, up to ten weeks ahead, because reviewers describe strict, limited-length sessions. Remember too that under-eights need a supervisor aged 16 or over and one adult can't watch more than two under-eights, which is the thing to plan around with a baby and a toddler between two of you.
Is the all-inclusive package worth adding?
It only covers meals and drinks in the main restaurant and bar, not the takeaway, the shop or the Order & Pay app, so it pays off only if you'd eat most of your meals in the Boathouse. On a park where the setting pulls you out to the lochs and castles for the day, many families won't, so weigh it against how much you'd actually use it.
Can non-guests use the pool for the day?
Sometimes. Parkdean may sell day passes to the pool and facilities, but they depend on how busy the park is and staying guests come first, so it's not something to rely on. If you're nearby and want a swim, call the park to check before you drive over.
Is the park actually on Loch Tummel?
No. The park sits along the River Tummel, and the loch is a short drive upstream, so the water outside your pitch is the river, not the loch. If a loch view is the picture in your head, you'll find it on the short drive to Queen's View rather than from the park.
Can we get there by train?
You can get as far as Pitlochry, 13 miles (21 km) away on the main line, but nothing runs from the station to the park door, so plan on a taxi or a prearranged lift for the last stretch. With a pushchair and a week's luggage in tow, most families find it easier to come by car.
Where do we do a big food shop?
Do it before you arrive, or stop in Pitlochry or Aberfeldy on the way in. Tummel Bridge itself has only a small village shop, and the on-park convenience store covers top-ups rather than a weekly shop, so arriving with the car already loaded saves a mid-week drive back out along the slow, winding road.
See more Tummel Valley photos
Open the Tummel Valley photo gallery →Useful links
- Tummel Valley Holiday Park: the park's own site for caravans, lodges, the pool and what's included.
- Highland Safaris: the 4x4 safaris, play area, panning centre and café near Aberfeldy, one of the better rainy-day days out.
- Scotland with little ones: our guide to the wider country, its regions and when to go.
Last updated 17 July 2026.
