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We stayed here last Friday night - we have stayed on and off over the last 15 years in caravans and then motorhomes - this will be the last time. Too crowded and rowdy - people taking over adjacent pitches space with windbreaks creating fences and commercial tow vans parked all over the place.
Seems a rough crowd and an undercurrent and unease about the place - especially in the tented area - agree with many other comments here that are sadly generally negative.

couldn't agree more with these comments...

 Not too sure where to go with this one…. But here is my review.
3 nites here with her good self In the secret garden. Well laid out and spacious pitch with electric and water at each pitch. €99 for the stay. It was a HUGE site and really busy. Our area was lovely and the toilet and shower block was spotless. Showers were a euro paid via token. As mentioned before, the bin area was a huge let down with bins overflowing and not really much emphasis on recycling. 

now, the other areas of the site….. we went for a ramble around the site. It seems to be split into different sections. One section had statics and there was a great family buzz around the area with countless children playing. Others areas were tents, caravan/ campers or a mixture of both. Certain areas reminded me of electric picnic. And yes, there were a lot of howyas there. One camper described the secret garden area as bliss and the balance of the campsite as “Beirut”!  

 There is no end of activities for the kids and we did enjoy our quiet time in the SC. Nite time noise was minimal and we were aware of some noisy tenters near us who, it turns out, we’re asked to leave the next day following several complaints.

Micky Finns brewery have managed to adapt to the dining rules, that is to say if you are staying on site they treat you as if it was a hotel guest and you can avail of indoor dining. Which we did and it was class! 

things to do off site… plenty of scenery to enjoy, walks
around powerscourt waterfall, and we visited the Disney site at enniskerry. There is a car boot sale most Saturdays at jack whites pub if your into that thing.   The site runs a “camp out” Thursday to Sunday’s from 4pm to 10 pm with music, BBQ and bar facilities. Payment Is via Tolkens  ( token = €2) not my thing, too many adults taking advantage of the bar facilities while the little ones ran riot in the field area, not for us I’m afraid, but again plenty seemed to enjoy it .

so, all in all we enjoyed our couples stay in the SC section, and if you were to go with little ones it’ll keep you busy… but I’m unsure how comfortable you would feel..

oh, not too many covid regulations adhered to, all
facilities open and operational…. Masks were required In the reception area. I suppose with a large number of the population now fully or partially vaccinated it did feel
good to see some semblance of normality returning.

the test question so… will i
return? Perhaps, only for the secret garden and possibly only for a midweek visit… 
 

Great and fair review - thanks - but I am afraid I have paid my last visit there .... just not for us..... just not "right"....

I’m booked to stay here the Paddy’s weekend from Wednesday to Sunday, it will be my maiden camper van experience, I’m staying in the secret garden also as it’s adult only. I’ll post my review on here when I get back.

Hi, 
Hi Aaron and Chris, I only discovered your podcast 4 or 5 weeks ago and have loved every minute listening back through the 143 podcasts while driving along. I also love the campsite visits with Charlie and me with great info on the different campsites, well done and thanks guys.
MY wife and I arrived in River Valley with our caravan on St. Patricks day about 1pm. On arrival it was very busy but got on to our pitch fairly quickly. We were booked into the adults only section "The Secret  Garden" its pick your own pitch so on a long weekend you need to be early to get a good pitch. I don't think there was any unoccupied pitches left after 5pm Thursday. 
All the pitches in the Secret Garden are hard stand and fully serviced  which is great and gave me a chance to try out my new water barrel feed and waste water pipe system which was so handy.
Micky Finns pub in right next to the site with good food,  good Guinness and had music each night over the weekend which was a bonus.
The local shop right across the Rd hadn't opened for the weekend but from other visits to river valley it has all the basics.
The fabulous beach of Brittas Bay is a 10 or 15min drive away and Wicklow with lovely shopping and restaurants about 30min from the campsite.
The toilet block was warm and spotless clean with lots of loo roll, hot water and hand dryers.
I didn't use the showers this time but again from before its €1 for 5 or 6min shower with good space with seat to dress.
The family section was also full with lots of things for kids and adults to do including the animals etc.
Overall I'd recommend River Valley for every age group and for Campers, caravans, tents  glamping or static mobile homes.
Thanks again for the great podcasts and vlogs.