The Dark Skies
No light pollution for miles. The Milky Way, shooting stars and, on the right night, the Northern Lights overhead.
Tamar Valley · West Devon
Where two rivers meet, two tents wait.
An off-grid wild glamping retreat on a hidden peninsula. Only ever two bell tents, and the whole field is yours.
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Wild in the real sense. Off-grid, quiet, and open to the sky.
Two tents. A whole field. No-one across the grass but you.
Tucked above the meeting of the Tavy and the Tamar, Damson Keep is a small, private escape on a peninsula almost nobody knows. You'll wake to birdsong, cook over fire, and fall asleep under some of the darkest skies in Devon.
It's a working smallholding with rare-breed sheep, foxgloves and buzzards overhead, set up for two bell tents and no more. Come to reset, to potter, to do gloriously little.
Come for whatever you need
Find your own corner
On the Water
Five slipways within five minutes. Bring the boat, the paddleboard, the canoe. Few sites let you launch like this.
The Wild & Quiet
Buzzards by day, owls after dark, pheasants through the grass. A whole field to yourself and nothing you must do.
The Animals
A smallholding with rare-breed Dartmoor sheep, and two tame pet lambs the children won't want to leave.
The Stay
Two tents available, either or both can be yours!
The Large Tent sleeps 4 · 2-night minimum
A roomy bell tent with a proper double, a sofa bed and pull-outs, plus a Simba bed that guests don't expect to find under canvas.
The Bell Tent sleeps 4 · one night welcome
A cosy five-metre bell with a double and a sofa bed. Just right for a couple, or a small family who want to keep it simple.
- Real beds & cotton linen
- Wood burner
- Wood-fired pizza oven
- Gas hob & BBQ
- Fire pit under the stars
- Compost loo
- Hot outdoor shower
- Lockable canvas, your own code
Off-grid by design. There's no mains here. Drinking water, logs and kindling are on site to buy, or bring your own. Dates and prices live on Airbnb.
Check availability
Under canvas, under stars
The stars are yours to explore.
Presented in grandiose splendour.
Out here the night actually goes dark, with no streetlights and no glow on the horizon. Lie back by the fire and the sky fills in: planets, satellites, the slow wheel of the Milky Way.
Last autumn the Northern Lights came out over the top field. We have the photographs to prove it.
The Place
A hidden corner of the Tamar Valley
- Where two rivers meetViews over the Tavy and the Tamar as they run down to the sea.
- On the waterFive slipways within five minutes, with Weir Quay and its boatyard café down the lane.
- On foot & by railThe Tamar Trail five minutes away, and the Tamar Valley Line, which creeps over the 120-foot Calstock viaduct on its way through the prettiest stations in Devon.
- The villageButcher, post office and the essentials, two miles up the road.
Days out
Worth leaving the field for
Buckland Abbey
about 20 min
A medieval abbey turned Tudor house, once home to Sir Francis Drake, with gardens and woodland walks above the Tavy.
Cotehele
about 25 min
A Tudor manor and terraced gardens high above the Tamar, with its own quay and riverside paths.
Morwellham Quay
about 25 min
A restored Victorian copper port and open-air museum, with a little train that rattles down into the mine.
Lydford Gorge
about 40 min
The deepest gorge in the South West, with the Whitelady waterfall and a path through wooded ravine on the edge of Dartmoor.
Dartmoor
15 to 20 min
Open moor, granite tors and wild swimming, with the western edge just up the road.
Most are within about half an hour, with Lydford a little further. The slipways and the Tamar Valley Line are closer still.
Finding us
We're tucked on the Bere peninsula near Lopwell, where the Tavy runs down to meet the Tamar. We'll send exact directions when you book.
I allow myself to slow down, breathe deeply, and feel at peace in nature.
Good to know
Dogs welcome
On leads, please. It's a working farm with livestock and close neighbours.
Off-grid
No mains water or power. Bring or buy drinking water; logs and kindling are on site.
Parking
Hard standing for a few cars, so you'll drive in and out whatever the weather.
Getting here
A level driveway at the top of the field; broadly accessible in dry conditions.
Weather
It's Devon. The tents are large and fully waterproof, with plenty to do rain or shine.
A peaceful camp
No loud music, no parties.
Families welcome
Children are very welcome.
The field, all season
Damson Keep · in pictures
Opening 1st June 2026
Come and stay
Bookings are handled on Airbnb. Or join the list and we'll tell you the moment each season opens.
Be first to know when we open