Tomkins Farm

View prices & book 9.2 80 reviews
Plenty of space
Plenty of space
Luxury bell tents
Grassy pitches
Picnic tables may be available for group bookings
Ariel view of the campsite looking west
Ariel view of the campsite looking east
Relaxing in the sun
Sunset
1/139
Luxury bell tents
Grassy pitches
Picnic tables may be available for group bookings

  • Dog-friendly East Sussex farm site with alpacas, sheep and camels
  • A 15-minute drive from Barcombe Mills and half an hour from Brighton
  • Firepits provided; several pubs within walking distance; trails nearby
From wild swimming, hiking and mountain biking to touring castles and museums, Tomkins Farm is well situated for a pretty chirpy rural break in East Sussex. Your headquarters will be a farm site with grasslands (occupied by alpacas, sheep, Jeffrey and Batu the camels) and spacious pitches that are nicely set up for families, large groups or whoever else you’re bringing along, including dogs. There’s a lot of scope for blood-pumping activities from here, whether that’s following miles of footpaths, mountain biking down the South Downs Way (the national park is 10 minutes’ drive away) or swimming and paddleboarding at Barcombe Mills (15 minutes). You can also hire a rowing boat from the Anchor Inn pub (15 minutes) and go looking for herons and cormorants on the River Ouse. On site, relaxation comes in the form of fresh air, open spaces and regular starry skies, thanks to the low light pollution. Each pitch has its own firepit and space enough for on-pitch parking. Although basic, the facilities are functional, with full flushing toilets, hot showers and a washing-up area with hot water. Craving something to eat from a classic country pub? The closest pub is just 10 minutes’ walk away, with several others in Newick (40 minutes’ walk or a five-minute drive). As for local produce, you’ll be able to sniff that out at a farm shop five minutes’ drive away.

Site type

Tent pitches 44
Motorhome pitches 44
Rent a tent 5
Open now
Opens 18 April
Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • The site does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Dangerous Dogs Act (i.e. Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro).
  • No hen/stag parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • The site caters for families (immediate members) and couples only - bookings from all other forms of groups are not accepted.
  • This is a quiet site: no music is allowed.
  • If making a fire, the fuel, logs and coal have to be purchased on site.
  • Please note that the toilet/shower facilities are unisex.
  • Swimming in the lake is not allowed.
  • There are no bins onsite: all rubbish will need to be taken home with you.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri, 18 Apr to

Reviews

9.2

Overall rating from 80 Pitchup.com customers

  • 71%
    10
  • 5%
    9
  • 15%
    8
  • 0%
    7
  • 5%
    6
  • 0%
    5
  • 3%
    4
  • 0%
    3
  • 0%
    2
  • 0%
    1
Location
 10
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 6
Peaceful

93% would recommend this site to a friend

90% would stay here again

What customers say

This is a peaceful, back-to-basics campsite with spacious pitches and friendly, helpful staff. Visitors praise the clean facilities, particularly the showers. The farm animals, including llamas and camels, are a highlight. Weekend offerings like pizzas and drinks are popular. Some reviewers noted it can be busy with families and mentioned music is not permitted. Basic facilities are noted, with some minor feedback on cleanliness and accessibility.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 8
Arrival date (latest first)

Brilliant stay

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
James B.

Non-electric grass campervan, tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked Had a great stay. It's a lovely quiet place and we loved having a fire pit which they put put for every pitch. Very friendly team, would highly recommend.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Very nice quiet and pleasant site

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Dave L.

Non-electric grass campervan, tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked Lovely peaceful site. Nice facilities considering it’s a farm site. Good vibe about the place. I thought we’d dislike it for the rules around music but it made it better. Pub down the road was just a short walk. They do breakfasts and pizzas and provide logs for around £8 for the fire. Enjoyed our stay and would go again.

Disliked Nothing to dislike. Some pitches are on a bit of a slope so you may need chocs if you are in a van.

Recommend to friends Visit again

The facilities were fantastic - washing up area with plenty of sinks,…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 5
Halle P.

Non-electric grass campervan, tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked The facilities were fantastic - washing up area with plenty of sinks, 4 lovely hot showers and plenty of toilets that were always stocked with toilet roll and soap. We arrived on Saturday so there was a bar with cold beers, wine, soft drinks and water and a pizza kitchen on site - pizzas were around £12, were really good and delivered to your pitch with plenty of options (i’m not sure if this is only on Saturday). On Sunday mornings they provide coffees, teas, breakfast baps and pastries on site and have benches to sit on in the sun. Every pitch has plenty of room for a large tent and a car and at 5:30 a truck comes round to offer each pitch fire wood for £8.50. The staff were lovely, very friendly and relaxed. There’s the option for a ‘morning shade’ pitch so the tent doesn’t get too warm in the morning which we found helpful. Though there is no wifi, you get great phone reception and 4g, there’s also a pub just down the farm track (about 10-15min walk).
Overall a lovely campsite, and we would definitely return!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Fantastic campsite if you are looking for a calm, relaxed break.

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 1
Kirstin W.

Non-electric grass campervan, tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked We were really impressed with the organisation of the site, from the QR code delivery service to the spacious pitches. We were greeted warmly and given a choice of location. Loved the option to buy breakfast and dinner onsite at really good prices. Stunning location with lots of wildlife (not to mention the camels and llamas!) it was a really quiet, friendly, and safe site. We loved it there and hope to return. Lovely pub a 15 minute walk away, through the fields. I feel like Tomkins Farm campsite is a secret treasure that I’m really happy we found!

Disliked My only minor whinge was that the toilets could have done with either a late night or early morning clean and restock of loo paper.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great off grid space to get away from it all!

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 8
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 No rating
Anonymous

Non-electric grass campervan, tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked Lovely location, well laid out pitches, slight slope but we had risers.
Showers good, open air so worked well in the dry!
The 'firepits' were a nice touch along with wood provided, (at a cost)

Recommend to friends Visit again

Beautiful, quiet, friendly, simple but great facilities.

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Daniel H.

Non-electric grass campervan, tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked Everything! This was my first time camping with my 4yo and this was absolutely the perfect site. Very large pitches with plenty of space between. Great loos, showers and washing up sinks and no queues. Lovely pizzas on Saturday night (cold alcoholic drinks available too) and pastries on Sunday morning. 10 min walk to great local pub. Highlight for us were the lamas (just the other side of a fence from our pitch) and the camels. It was lovely to chat to Farmer Philip and his son. I am so pleased we chose this site.

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent site with local walks, clean facilities, family friendly.

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 No rating
Elizabeth S.

Non-electric grass campervan, tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked A lovely site, very friendly manager and staff. All facilities you need, warm outside showers, washing up sinks, clean toilets.
We had the pizzas Saturday night which were yummy and delivered straight to our pitch.
In the mornings you can order coffee and breakfasts if you wish.
Ice cream van visits site too!
Spacious pitches with views of the camels and Alpacas. We snoozed a fire pit each evening.
A lovely relaxing site local to us so we look forward to coming back. Thank you. 🤩

Recommend to friends Visit again

Peace and quiet.…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 8
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 7
Wifi
 No rating
Timothy P.

Non-electric grass campervan, tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked Peace and quiet.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great campsite with everything you need.

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 9
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 No rating
Anonymous

Non-electric grass campervan, tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked This campsite had everything we needed. We were a large group of 5 x families. Tasty pizzas on one night. Good facilities, never had to queue. We liked having a football pitch close by.
The resident camels were charming. Good location, easy walk to closest pub. Woodland play area for the kids.
Friendly farmer/host.

Disliked Nothing.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Peaceful location. Relaxed and engaged owner. The tables in the pitches is…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 9
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 No rating
Ian A.

Non-electric grass campervan, tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked Peaceful location. Relaxed and engaged owner. The tables in the pitches is a great touch.

Disliked Would prefer fire pits to the washing machine drums. But it's still a cool idea.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

Portable toilet

Dogs allowed

Leisure on site

Bar or club house Cycle hire Evening entertainment Fishing Fitness centre Games room Indoor swimming pool Kids' club On-site restaurant/cafe Outdoor swimming pool Play area TV room Take away Tennis Watersports

Amenities on site

Bath available Car parking by pitch/unit Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Food shop Free wifi Ice pack freezing Internet access Launderette Parent & baby washroom Pick-up from public transport Portable toilet Pub toilets Public telephone Shower available Toilet block Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

D. of E. welcome Family friendly Motorcycle friendly Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

Barbecue provided Barbecues allowed Campfires allowed Commercial vehicles allowed Dogs allowed Dogs allowed all year

Camping 2.0

Jumbo tent pitches

Themes

Budget/backpacker Peaceful Remote location

Utilities

Charging facilities Chemical disposal Electric car charging point(s) Gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby Public transport nearby Shop nearby

Type

Farm Medium (26-50 pitches)

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Mountain biking nearby Restaurant nearby Sailing nearby Watersports nearby

Location

Tomkins Farm

Cinder Hill

North Chailey

East Sussex

England

BN8 4HP

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London BST (GMT+01:00)

GPS

50.95755°N
0.00851°W

Route directions

The What3Words code for the entrance is lawfully.shorthand.alas

Nearest transport

Coach
4.6 mi Bus Station
5.9 mi School Lane
5.9 mi School Lane
Rail
3 mi Plumpton Rail Station
3.7 mi Cooksbridge Rail Station
4.6 mi Uckfield Rail Station
Ferry
11.9 mi Newhaven Harbour Ferry Terminal
Airport
15 mi Shoreham Brighton City Airport
15.3 mi London Gatwick Airport South Terminal
15.3 mi London Gatwick Airport

Please note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.

Local attractions

Run by the National Trust, Sheffield Park and Garden (10 minutes’ drive) has a large landscaped area spreading around four lakes, plus swathes of parkland. The kids might want to spend some time exploring the woodland play trail, with den-building materials, wood carvings and, of course, a bunch of trees to climb. Speaking of the kids: if they’re into Winnie the Pooh, they might feel right in their element at Ashdown Forest (15 minutes), where children’s author A.A. Milne set his stories. They can go hunting for favourite places like Pooh Sticks Bridge and the Heffalump Trap, while the adults take in the glorious High Weald landscape. Whatever the weather, the seaside city of Brighton (half an hour) has plenty to keep you busy. On sunny days, you can unfurl a towel on the pebbly beach or check out the rides and arcades at Brighton Palace Pier. If you’d rather be indoors, you can visit the spectacular Royal Pavilion or the SEA LIFE Brighton aquarium.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Brighton Kemptown 11 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentGood
Saltdean 11 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Brighton Central 11.2 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Hove 11.6 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Southwick 13.3 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Sheffield Park Garden 3 mi

Bluebell Railway 3.1 mi

Wakehurst Place 8.4 mi

Preston Manor 10.1 mi

Standen 10.1 mi

National Trust

Sheffield Park Garden 3 mi

Wakehurst Place 8.3 mi

Monk's House 8.3 mi

Standen 10 mi

Nymans 10.5 mi

Cycle routes

Find local routes on the National Cycle Network - over 12,000 miles of cycling routes.

Other

NEWICK PARK 1.5 mi

SHEFFIELD PARK 2.9 mi

North to South over the South Downs 3 mi

Anchor Inn - Barcombe Mills - Anchor Inn 3.4 mi

PLUMPTON PLACE 4.4 mi

Local events

  • Arundel Festival (Saturday 16 August 2025 – Saturday 16 August 2025)

    Arundel, West Sussex 24.9 mi

Please note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.

Nearest sites

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable sites.

Want to know more about camping in East Sussex?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Tomkins Farm have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Tomkins Farm dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Tomkins Farm? Run by the National Trust, Sheffield Park and Garden (10 minutes’ drive) has a large landscaped area spreading around four lakes, plus swathes of parkland. The kids might want to spend some … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Tomkins Farm?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  3 p.m. –  8 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    On-site accommodation
    Arrive:  3 p.m. –  8 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Tomkins Farm? From £34 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.