Rivendale Lodge Retreat
Rivendale Lodge Retreat is a collection of 72 timber lodges and two treehouses set in a former limestone quarry inside the Peak District National Park, at Alsop en le Dale in Derbyshire, run by Verde Resorts. It's a self-catering base built for exploring on foot, by bike and by car, with the flat, traffic-free Tissington Trail starting 100 metres from the gate and a private hot tub on the doorstep of every Premier lodge.
On this page
Is it worth it?
Who Rivendale suits, what you get for the money and the facts to skim first.
Rivendale is a well-finished self-catering base for a family that wants to be out in the Peak District all day: walking and cycling the Tissington Trail from the gate, driving to Alton Towers, Chatsworth or the caverns, then coming back to a proper lodge with a private hot tub on the Premier ones. The setting does a lot of the appeal, an old limestone quarry ringed by cliffs, and it's a quiet, comfortable spot. What it isn't is a rainy-day resort. There's no swimming pool and no spa, no kids' club, crèche or organised activities, so you're relying on days out rather than on-site facilities to keep small children busy. Every lodge also has at least three steps up to the front door, with no step-free option anywhere, so a pushchair gets folded and carried up at each one. Reviews are strong on the whole, with a real mix of glowing and frustrated among them. It suits families with school-age children more easily than a family with a baby or toddler who needs level access or an indoor pool for a wet afternoon.
Best for
You want a comfortable self-catering base for active days out, you're happy to cook in or eat at the one restaurant and what matters to you is a hot tub and the Tissington Trail rather than a pool.
Maybe not for
You want a wet-weather pool, a kids' club or a playground on site, or you need step-free access with a pushchair.
Best ages
School-age children who'll walk and cycle. Workable with a baby or toddler if you're content carrying the buggy up steps and driving to everything.
What stands out
The old-quarry setting ringed by cliffs, the traffic-free trail 100 metres from the gate and hot tubs on the Premier lodges and both treehouses.
What to check
Which lodge is nearest its parking, and whether a travel cot will fit the bedroom of the type you're booking.
Where is it?
At Alsop en le Dale in the Peak District National Park, about 6 miles from Ashbourne in Derbyshire.
Quick facts for families
The setting and layout
Where it sits, how the lodges are grouped, and what the ground is like underfoot.
Rivendale sits inside a former limestone quarry, with steep cliffs standing around the site, which makes it look unlike the usual field of caravans. The 72 lodges are spread across two clusters joined by a single access road with a security barrier at the entrance, so there's no through traffic. A smaller group sits on higher ground to the west and a larger group spreads across the east and north, with the main building, holding reception, the shop and the Bistro, in the middle where the roads meet. The two treehouses are off on their own to the south-west, reached by a gated woodland walk past a couple of ponds, which keeps them private and firmly for couples.
Eight ponds are dotted through the site, there are wildflower meadows and the lighting is kept deliberately low to hold on to dark skies for stargazing. The roads have a 10mph speed limit, enforced as normal, and no motorbikes, quad bikes or motorised scooters are allowed. There are recreational areas set aside for ball games, away from the lodges.
Steps at every doorGetting around, steps and accessibility
Much of the site is flat with tarmac paths, though some lodges sit on the hillside with gravel underfoot. The point that matters most with a pushchair is that every one of the 72 lodges has a minimum of three steps up to its front door, and there's no step-free lodge anywhere on the resort. A buggy has to be folded and carried up those steps at whichever lodge you're in. If level access matters to you, call the team before booking, on 01335 310441 and choose option 1, and they'll help you pick the most suitable spot. The two treehouses have a flat wooden walkway to the door, so no steps to get inside, but there are steps down from the decking to the sunken hot tub.
The one fully step-free part of the resort is the main building: reception, the shop, the bar and the restaurant all have ramps at both entrances and level floors throughout. You may see the venue tagged as wheelchair accessible in the regional tourism directory. That describes the main building, its accessible toilet and the disabled parking by reception, not the lodges, which all have the steps. In winter, the decking and steps can ice over, so handrails and shoes with grip are worth it.
Parking is free. Some lodges have a space right outside, others use a car park a short walk away, so if a close spot matters, ask when you call. There are electric-car charging points on site, free to use, but you can't charge a car from the lodge itself, as the supply to each unit isn't built for it.
The lodges and treehouses
Every lodge type, which ones work for a family with young children, and what's in the kitchen.
The accommodation is one to four bedroom timber lodges, plus two studio treehouses. Every named lodge type except Buxton comes in two versions, a standard one and a Premier, and the Premier adds a private outdoor hot tub. The table below is the full line-up; the guidance after it is which suit a family with a baby or toddler.
| Lodge or treehouse | Beds | Sleeps | Bathrooms | Hot tub | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buxton | 1 | 2 | 1 en suite | No | The smallest, older-style lodge, with a reduced kitchen (no oven, washer dryer or fridge freezer). |
| Dovedale | 1 | 2 | 1 en suite | Premier only | Master en suite with a freestanding bath and a separate walk-in shower. Set up for couples. Premier adds a microwave alongside the hot tub. |
| Elkstone | 2 | 4 | 2 en suite | Premier only | Master en suite has a bath; second bedroom is a flexible twin or double, en suite shower. A practical two-bed family option, and the standard version is often listed as pet-friendly, though this varies by lodge so confirm at booking. |
| Castleton | 2 | 4 | 2 en suite | Premier only | Master with a shower, second bedroom a twin. A practical two-bed family option. |
| Bakewell | 3 | 6 | 2 (1 en suite) | Premier only | Two doubles and a twin, looking out over the quarry. |
| Hulme End | 4 | 8 | 3 (2 en suite) | Premier only | Two doubles and two twins, a family bathroom, plus a boot room by the door. |
| Tissington and Hartington treehouses | Studio | 2 | 1 en suite | Yes | King bed, private hot tub and a picnic area in a secluded woodland spot. For couples. |
For a family that needs a separate room to settle a baby or toddler, the realistic choices are the two-bedroom Elkstone or Castleton, which sleep four, the three-bedroom Bakewell, which sleeps six, or the four-bedroom Hulme End, which sleeps eight. In the two-bed lodges both bedrooms are en suite, which helps if you want to be near a sleeping child without sharing the main bathroom with everyone; the larger Bakewell and Hulme End mix en suite rooms with a family bathroom, and Hulme End also has a boot room by the door. The one-bedroom Buxton and Dovedale lodges and the two treehouses sleep two and are set up for couples, so they don't suit a family, even if nothing formally stops children staying.
Every lodge except Buxton has a full kitchen: microwave, dishwasher, fridge freezer, hob, oven and a washer dryer. Buxton, the smallest, is the exception, with a slimline dishwasher and a microwave only, no oven, no washer dryer and no fridge freezer, so it's worth confirming the kitchen suits you before you book that one. Some lodges also have a wine cooler, and both treehouses come with their own washer dryer and a wine cooler on top of the hot tub, which is useful to know if a couple in your group takes a treehouse alongside a family lodge.
Across the lodges, gas and electricity are included, along with bed linen, towels, duvets and a hairdryer, and the beds are made up for your arrival. All the lodges are non-smoking, double glazed and centrally heated. Check-in is from 4pm and check-out by 10am; if you'll arrive after 6pm, call ahead to arrange getting in. Most lodge types take up to three pets for a fee, but which specific lodges are pet-friendly varies rather than following a pattern, so choose a pet-friendly type when you book rather than assuming.
There's no pool, and what that means
Rivendale has no swimming pool and no spa, anywhere on site. That's the single biggest thing to weigh, because it's what several of the other Peak District lodge parks have and Rivendale doesn't, and it means there's no easy indoor fallback on a wet afternoon beyond the Bistro. The idea is that you're out most days rather than staying on site, so a rainy day usually means a day trip to an indoor attraction or one of the leisure-centre pools nearby (there's a list in the questions at the foot of the page). If a pool day on site is part of what you picture from a holiday park, this isn't the one.
Eating and food shopping
The one restaurant on site, the shop, and getting a supermarket delivery to the park.
Rivendale is self-catering, so most meals happen in the lodge. The one place to eat on site is the Bistro, in the main building, with floor-to-ceiling windows onto the Peak District and a living wall of greenery inside. It serves lunch and dinner, from lighter plates to a gourmet burger, with vegetarian and vegan choices, and the kitchen will cater to allergies and dietary needs if you say so when you book a table or order. There's a fully stocked bar with locally brewed drinks. It's closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, the daily hours are given at check-in rather than published, and it's worth booking a table ahead. Dogs are welcome on a lead in most of the building, with a pet-friendly seating area, a dog menu, dog-friendly drinks called Bark Beer and Paw-Star Martinis and even dog ice cream, though they're kept out of part of the restaurant. The Bistro won the Customer Choice Food Award in 2021, which is the booking partner's own award rather than a national one.
The main building also has a small shop for essentials and some local produce, including gin and cheese. If you'd rather stock the lodge from a supermarket, you can book a delivery: choose a slot after 4pm on your arrival day, use the booking name and the park postcode, DE6 1QU, and note that drivers can't come past the barrier, so deliveries are left at reception for you to collect.
Babies and toddlers
There's no crèche, no kids' club and no organised children's activities at Rivendale, so keeping young children busy is down to you, the trail, the wildlife and days out. Cots and highchairs can be hired and added to your booking, and bed guards can be arranged through reception, all for a charge. One thing to plan for: linen for a cot isn't provided, so if you hire a cot you bring its bedding, and if you bring your own travel cot you'll need its mattress and bedding too, and it's worth checking there's room for it in the bedroom of the lodge type you're booking, as not all have the space. Babies typically count in the total number of people on the booking, so it's safest to include them when you book.
The one activity aimed squarely at children is a wildlife hunt around the site, part of a wider rewilding effort that takes in bird boxes, a bat barn, hedgehog housing and wildlife cameras.
A few site rules matter with young children. There are no barbecues anywhere, including on lodge decking, and no outdoor cooking of any kind, because of the National Park setting. You can't put up gazebos, tents, paddling pools or inflatable hot tubs on or between the lodges either. Children on bikes or scooters need supervising at all times, and helmets and hi-vis are strongly advised for everyone. Anyone under 18 has to have a responsible adult with them throughout, so under-18s can't stay on their own. The current welcome information also flags blind cords as a strangulation risk, so keep the pulls and loops out of reach of little ones.
On the hot tubs: children under eight can't use them at all, and eight to sixteen year olds have to have an adult in with them, so on a Premier lodge or a treehouse the tub is something for the grown-ups once the children are asleep.
Things to do
What's on the doorstep, and the family days out within a short drive.
The big draw on the doorstep is the Tissington Trail, a flat, traffic-free former railway path good for walking and family cycling, which starts about 100 metres from the entrance; footpaths carry on from there towards Eaton, Alsop Dales and Dovedale. On site there's a dog wash and a bike wash for muddy days, plus the wildlife hunt for children. There's no golf at Rivendale, in case you've seen it mentioned: the Verde Resorts group has golf courses, but at its other parks.
Most of what fills a family day is a short drive away. Alton Towers, with CBeebies Land for younger children, is about 35 minutes. Gulliver's Kingdom, a family theme park with rides and a log flume, is about 30 minutes. Chatsworth House and its garden are around 30 minutes, with a Country Fair and fairground rides once a year. For something slower, Brackenfield Alpaca Walks (DE55 6AJ), about 35 minutes off, runs 90-minute guided treks twice daily, suitable for all ages, and Peak Cavern and Speedwell Cavern offer guided cave and boat tours around 40 minutes away. Older children who want to be active can try Acclimbatize, about 20 minutes away, which runs canoeing, kayaking, raft building, caving and gorge scrambling. Further out there's Poole's Cavern, Buxton Opera House, the Heights of Abraham cable car and caverns, Haddon Hall, Crich Tramway Village and Ilam Park, most of them roughly within half an hour, plus Waterworld water park in Stoke-on-Trent, Peak Wildlife Park and Matlock Farm Park a little further afield.
The nearest townAshbourne and the White Peak
Rivendale sits on a rural B-road between Ashbourne and Buxton, in the White Peak, entirely inside the National Park. The nearest town is Ashbourne, about 6 miles away and known as the gateway to the Peak District, with supermarkets (a Sainsbury's and an Aldi), independent shops, cafés and pubs, plus a GP, pharmacy and dentist. For a bigger shop there's a Morrisons over in Buxton and a Sainsbury's in Matlock. The villages around, like Alstonefield and Parwich a few miles off, have pubs and are the start of circular walks along the River Dove of anything from three and a half to nine miles.
Loves and gripes
What families rate, where it falls short, how it compares, the drive in, the weather and the practical bits.
What families love
- The old-quarry setting ringed by cliffs, singled out as unlike the usual holiday park.
- Spacious, well-finished modern lodges with proper kitchens, full-size beds and private decking.
- The Tissington Trail right by the gate for safe family walking and cycling.
- The Bistro's setting and views, and having somewhere to eat without driving out.
- Friendly, helpful staff.
- A quiet base for exploring, and pet-friendly, with a dog wash and bike wash.
Common gripes
- No swimming pool, so no wet-weather fallback on site.
- Some lodges sit close together, with limited privacy on the veranda.
- Noise from neighbouring hot tubs late in the evening.
- Cleanliness a minority found short of spotless, and some comments about unexpected charges.
- A real mix: some strongly negative reviews sit alongside the many positive ones.
How it compares
Set against the other lodge parks in the Peak District, Rivendale wins on setting, on having a proper restaurant on site and on how many of its lodges come with a hot tub. Where it loses, for young families in particular, is that several of the others have an indoor pool and Rivendale has none, some have a kids' club or a playground and Rivendale has neither, while every Rivendale lodge has those three-plus steps at the door. So it's a stronger pick for a family with school-age children who'll be out walking, cycling and doing days out, and a weaker one for a family with a baby or toddler who'd value a pool for a wet day or level access to the lodge.
Getting thereGetting there and around by car
A car is the only practical way to do Rivendale. It's on a rural B-road with no direct public transport, and the days out are all drives. As a rough guide, the booking partner puts it at about an hour from Manchester, an hour and a quarter from Birmingham and around three hours from London or Cardiff. Once you're there, parking is free, the on-site speed limit is 10mph, and motorbikes, quad bikes and motorised scooters aren't allowed. If a problem crops up after reception has closed, the main number, 01335 310441, diverts to an out-of-hours line open until 11pm.
When to goWeather and when to go
Rivendale is open all year, including Christmas and New Year, so there's no closed season to plan around. It sits inland and fairly high in the White Peak, so it's cooler and wetter than the coast, with rain possible in any month. Summers are mild rather than hot and winters are cold, with ice on the decking and steps to watch for. With no pool on site, the best stretch for a family is roughly May to September, when there's the best chance of dry days for the trail and outdoor days out; school holidays are the busiest and priciest weeks. Outside summer, plan for wet days with an indoor day out in mind.
| Month | Daytime high | Overnight low | Rain | Wet days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6.5° | 1.5° | 81 mm | 13 |
| February | 7.5° | 1.5° | 71 mm | 12 |
| March | 10° | 2.5° | 61 mm | 11 |
| April | 13° | 4° | 66 mm | 10 |
| May | 16° | 7° | 61 mm | 10 |
| June | 19° | 9.5° | 80 mm | 10 |
| July | 21° | 12° | 66 mm | 10 |
| August | 20.5° | 11.5° | 72 mm | 10 |
| September | 17.5° | 9.5° | 70 mm | 10 |
| October | 13.5° | 7° | 90 mm | 13 |
| November | 9.5° | 4° | 94 mm | 14 |
| December | 7° | 2° | 96 mm | 14 |
Typical monthly averages from weather-station records. The park is open all year, including Christmas and New Year.
Health and practicalities
The nearest full A&E is at Royal Derby Hospital, over 20 miles away. St Oswald's Hospital in Ashbourne, about 6 miles off, is a community hospital without an A&E, so it's the wrong place to head in an emergency. For the everyday, Ashbourne Medical Practice, Lloyds Pharmacy Ashbourne and Ashbourne Dental Practice are the nearest GP, pharmacy and dentist, roughly 6 miles from the park. In winter, the same care with icy decking and steps applies, so pack shoes with grip.
How it's ratedRatings
Rivendale rates well. Its booking partner Hoseasons shows around 4.8 out of 5 from a few hundred reviews, a figure mirrored on Feefo, the platform those reviews are collected through. On the wider review sites it's a little lower but still solid, around 4 out of 5 on TripAdvisor and around 9 out of 10 on Booking.com, each with a few hundred reviews. It carries the AA's top holiday-park tier, AA 5 Platinum Star, and a VisitEngland 5 Star Holiday Park rating, and it's a repeat winner of its booking partner's Diamond Awards. The regional tourism board tags it as family friendly and good for nature and the outdoors.
Questions
The things families ask most, the official page worth a bookmark and when this guide was last refreshed.
Where can the children swim?
There's no pool on site, so for an actual swim it's a leisure centre in Ashbourne, Matlock or Buxton, each a short drive. For a wet day, an indoor attraction fills the time better than staying at the Bistro. Heights of Abraham's caverns and Poole's Cavern are both a short, sub-30-minute drive and don't depend on the weather.
Can we get a pushchair into a lodge?
You can, but every lodge has at least three steps to the door and none is step-free, so the pushchair comes up folded wherever you're staying. It's worth asking at the same time whether your lodge's parking is right outside or a short walk to a car park, since with a buggy that's an extra carry before you even reach the steps.
Can young children use the hot tub?
It's not a house rule for its own sake: Rivendale's official hot tub safety guidance explains that young children struggle to regulate their body temperature and dehydrate faster than adults in hot water, which is the reasoning behind the under-eight ban, and why eight to sixteens still need an adult in the tub with them rather than being left to it. If your whole party is under eight, factor that into whether the extra cost of a Premier lodge or a treehouse is worth it, since the hot tub won't get used by the children at all, only by the adults once they're settled.
Can we have a barbecue at the lodge?
No, and it's a full ban rather than a curfew. Gas, electric and charcoal are all out, and so is any other form of outdoor cooking, anywhere on site, not just the lodge decking. Rivendale's own rules, tied to its National Park location, don't allow one at all, whatever a generic holiday-park rules document might say about a barbecue cut-off time. The Bistro or the lodge kitchen are the alternatives.
Can we bring the dog?
Yes, most types take up to three dogs for a fee. Beyond checking your chosen type is one of the pet-friendly ones, the thing to look at is the breed exclusion list, which includes XL Bully-type dogs, so match the current list against your dog before you book.
Do we need to bring a cot?
Not necessarily. A cot can be hired and added to the booking, or you can bring your own travel cot, which needs its own mattress; either way you supply the bedding. The point people miss is space, so check it'll fit before you decide, and in the two-bed Elkstone or Castleton it's the second bedroom, not the master, you'll be fitting it into.
Can we hire a highchair?
Yes, a highchair goes on the booking the same way a cot does, for a charge, so it's there when you arrive rather than something you ask for at reception on the day. Add it when you book the lodge, not after, since it's arranged in advance rather than kept as spare stock. It covers mealtimes in the lodge as much as a table at the Bistro, so there's no need to pack a travel highchair unless you'd rather use your own.
Where is the nearest supermarket and hospital?
For a proper shop rather than waiting on a delivery slot, Ashbourne has a Sainsbury's on King Edward Street and an Aldi on Carnation Way, both about 6 miles off. For anything urgent, Royal Derby Hospital's A&E is on Uttoxeter Road, a bit over 20 miles away; Ashbourne's own St Oswald's Hospital is far closer but is a community hospital with no emergency department, so it's not the one for an emergency. Worth putting the Royal Derby postcode into your phone before you're travelling there under pressure rather than searching for it on the day.
See more Rivendale photos
Open the Rivendale Lodge Retreat photo gallery →
Useful links
- Rivendale Lodge Retreat: the park's own site for the lodges, facilities and booking.
- Peak District with little ones: our guide to the wider area, its towns and days out.
Last updated 17 July 2026.
