Beautiful little campsites beside the British seaside
When it comes to choosing a place to camp – whether it’s on a farm, by the sea, beneath the boughs of apple trees, beside a river, or even on a tiny island – a small campsite will always triumph over a large one, just as a cosy boutique will prevail over a warehouse-like chain store.
To mark the publication of the latest edition of my book Tiny Campsites: 80 Perfect Little Places to Pitch, here is a selection of some of my favourite little British sites, all close to or beside the sea.
1. Broad Meadow House, Charlestown, Cornwall
Walk past Charlestown’s museum and along the short cul-de-sac behind it. Just beyond the final house, gates open up to a tiny field that commands fabulous views out to sea and along the south Cornish coast towards Black Head, the headland with a golden flash of a wheat field on its back.
Because the owners keep the maximum number of guests on site very low, you get the distinct feeling of being one of an incredibly privileged few. This is especially true if you order a delicious breakfast basket (including freshly made smoothie) to be brought to your tent in the morning.
For those without tents, there’s a furnished and flashy Karsten multi-dome affair available and a self-catering “Posh Shed”. Basking sharks and grey seals are sometimes spotted in the bay (ask to borrow the telescope), while peregrine falcons, sparrowhawks and buzzards contest the air space above. In Charlestown there’s some easy coasteering, and the Eden Project is four miles away.
Open: Easter-Oct, though it’s weather dependent
Contact: 01726 76636; broadmeadowhouse.com
2. Dennis Farm Foreshore, Padstow, Cornwall
The diminutive Dennis Farm site – an isolated strip of coastal loveliness, free from crowds, is not to be confused with the much larger Dennis Cove site on the other side of the headland.
The view across the Camel Estuary, with its bobbing flotsam of yachts, canoes, powerboats, windsurfers and waterskiers, is as eye-pleasing and summery in season as a vista can be. The very best vantage points are at the far end of the site on a tiny plateau reserved for backpackers and cyclists.
The Camel Trail runs through the site – you cross it to get to the smart loo block – taking cyclists, walkers and the occasional rider to Padstow (half a mile) or, in the other direction, to Bodmin (10.5 miles). All manner of bicycles, including tandems, can be hired very reasonably at Padstow Cycle Hire. The campsite possesses four moorings and a slipway, so campers can sail here if the mood takes them (and they have a boat).
Open: Whitsun Bank Holiday-mid-Sept
Contact: 01841 534925; dennisfarm.wixsite.com
3. High House Fruit Farm, Sudbourne, Woodbridge, Suffolk
Too often campsites on farms give the impression of having been an afterthought. The opposite appears to have taken place here, where the very best spots for camping have been selected: a flat paddock protected from winds by attractive trees all around, yet open to the sun; and a tiny patch of green across the road with views to the river, sea and a lighthouse. The place is resplendent with apple orchards, which somehow give it a summery feel whatever the weather.
The 110-acre farm is primarily one on which cattle graze, but there’s still plenty of room for the apple trees as well as for the rhubarb, gooseberries, currants, loganberries, blackberries, cherries and plums (it’s a pick-your-own farm, and in the tiny shop there’s also a small selection of veg).
Peace and tranquillity are the order of the day. The maximum number of people allowed on the site is 25, so there’s always plenty of room to spread out. Orford, with great pubs and a 12th-century castle keep, is two miles away; Snape Maltings (Aldeburgh Festival) is four miles. Advance booking at High House is mandatory.
Open: April-Oct
Contact: 01394 450263; high-house.co.uk
4. Scaldbeck Cottage, Morston, Norfolk
Travel along the main north Norfolk coast road between Sheringham and Hunstanton and, just west of the village of Morston, turn right at a sign bearing the legend “Bluejacket Showroom”. Here you find Scaldbeck Cottage, a fine-looking Norfolk flint dwelling with a petite camping field and its own artisan workshop selling handmade furniture, textiles, art and antiques (bluejacketworkshop.co.uk).
The site is an informal tents-only affair. Access is around the back of the cottage, under trees and upturned rowing boats, while a path through the garden leads to the loo/shower. Do bring a mallet, because although the grass looks soft enough, the ground beneath it is really quite hard after the first inch.
Just a five-minute stroll from bustling Morston Quay, the site is ideal for hikers who want a base from which to tackle sections of the Norfolk Coast Path. Simply take the excellent Coasthopper bus to your starting point, then let it bring your weary legs back in the evening. Boat trips to see the resident seal colony at Blakeney Point leave from the Quay. There’s a cooked breakfast available (£8) if booked the night before. The cottage also has a couple of b&b rooms.
Open: Easter-Oct
Contact: 01263 740188; tinyurl.com/j43cxtg
5. Piel Island, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria
Accessible only via a small ferry or a 1.5-mile low-tide walk over the sands from Walney Island, Piel Island’s 52 acres comprise one medieval castle, one pub (whose landlord is recognised as the King of Piel), one brief terrace of Victorian houses, some grassland, a population of “four, sometimes five”, and a beach. Oh, and in 1487 it was the scene of one of the last invasions of Great Britain.
While camping is allowed almost anywhere on the island, there are two “official” campsites – a field behind the pub and a patch ironically named “The Crescent”. The latter is in a slight dip and protected by shrubs which help divert the sea winds. The view from either is astonishing, stretching all the way from the Lake District hills across Morecambe Bay, and along the Fylde Coast to Blackpool Tower. Campers propping up the bar of an evening in the Ship Inn can expect to be joined by sundry kayakers and yachters. King Steve is a trained chef who produces an array of delicious dishes.
The castle is permanently open and free. It started life as a wool store, which, when constructed by monks in the 12th century, was the second largest building in Britain after the Tower of London. Do consult Steve before attempting the crossing from Walney (possible for about four hours every day).
Open: all year
Contact: 07516 453784; pielisland.co.uk
Getting there: the Piel Island Ferry runs from Roa Island from 11am-5.30pm; contact John Cleasby (07798 794550) or Steve Chattaway for more details
6. Eastern Slade Farm, Oxwich, Gower, Swansea
There’s been a campsite in this field on the Gower Peninsula for 60 years, and no prizes for guessing why. High above Port Eynon Bay (the climb up from Oxwich is not for the faint of leg), Eastern Slade Farm commands tremendous views across the Bristol Channel to Ilfracombe and Hartland Point in Devon. Even far-off Lundy can be seen on a clear day: just look along Port Eynon Point to the Helwick marker, whose bell rings out dolefully in misty weather, and the island is beyond it on the horizon.
However, it’s not just the views that make this a great campsite. The owners are extraordinarily sociable and are often to be found around a fire of an evening, offering an open invitation for campers to join them for a beer or a glass of wine. Their conviviality tends to rub off on all who visit.
The rocky shoreline at Slade Bay is a 10-minute stroll away down grassy paths and, most unusually for the Gower, the beach is gratifyingly underpopulated. The field is quite sloped, so be prepared to Velcro your sleeping mat to your groundsheet, and four portable toilets are the sum total of the facilities, but everyone seems to like it that way.
Open: Easter-Oct
Contact: 01792 391374 or 07970 969814; easternsladecampsite.freeservers.com
7. Badrallach Dundonnell, Ross-shire
In a satisfyingly remote spot on the Scoraig Peninsula west of Ullapool, with a most spectacular view – the ridge of An Teallach on the far side of Little Loch Broom dwarfing the few white houses beneath it – Badrallach offers campers the choice of a pitch in a small open field sloping towards the loch or one of a handful hidden away in the gorse. Your neighbours may include pine martens, red deer, golden eagles, white-tailed sea eagles and red squirrels, so keep your eyes peeled.
If you fancy an active stay, there’s a fantastic range of equipment for hire from the site at very reasonable rates, including mountain bikes, a three-wheeled sail board, even a wooden clinker-built sailboat. The nearest shop is a hilly 14 miles away, but milk, bread, eggs and organic fruit and veg (in season) can be bought on site.
Furthermore, the owners run a collection service “for the cost of the fuel and a tip” from Ullapool, Garve or Inverness. Throw into the mix a well-turned-out gaslit bothy for when the weather turns and you have a truly exceptional campsite.
Open: all year
Contact: 01854 613240; badrallach.com
8. Point of Ness, Stromness, Orkney
There are some campsites that were just meant to be. Not only is this narrow plot of land at the far southern edge of Stromness as flat as an ironing board, it’s also right on the water’s edge, giving campers on one side of the site the delicious feeling of having one toe in the sea.
Face north and there’s a view across the bay to Stromness; look south to the little isle of Graemsay; south-west across the golf course to the far hills of Hoy; or almost anywhere to take in the sea and the many small boats that ply these waters. The walk from the ferry terminal to the campsite at Stromness is one of almost unadulterated pleasure. Turn left and, charting a course parallel to the shore, stroll through the small town along its flagstoned main street until the houses finally run out and the camping begins.
Unusually, this is a campsite run by the local council, and its immaculate upkeep is a credit to them and the site’s hard-working warden. The facilities – all in one block on the landward side of the site – include a bijou campers’ lounge with large windows, behind which you can watch whatever weather has rolled in off the North Atlantic.
Open: April-Sept
Contact: 01856 850907; tinyurl.com/guxdpbk
Tiny Campsites by Dixe Wills (AA Publishing, £11.99) will be published on April 6. To order your copy for £10.99 plus p&p call 0844 871 1514 or visit books.telegraph.co.uk.
