The Swan Inn

View prices & book 8.4 28 reviews
Car park
Car park
Play area
Grass pitches
Grass pitches
Children's play area
Beer garden
Pitching area
Dog friendly bar area
1/36
Play area
Grass pitches
Grass pitches

  • Peaceful, no-frills site behind a traditional country pub in Kent
  • In the village of Little Chart, with access to the Greensand Way
  • Beer garden and dog-friendly bar on site; Pluckley 20 minutes’ walk
What could be nicer than a quiet, simple break in a Kent village? Pulling up beside a traditional country pub with a spacious riverside beer garden, perhaps. The Swan Inn is a peaceful, no-frills site in the field behind a friendly pub serving freshly prepared meals with local ingredients and a nice selection of lagers and ales. The bar is also dog-friendly, which should be handy if you only like to travel with your faithful companion. The Swan Inn is a relaxed and basic site with toilet and shower facilities. The grass pitches are easy to access from the road and well-positioned for getting out to scenic walking and cycling routes, nearby villages and the wider Kent countryside. The pub is in the small, quiet village of Little Chart, which has direct access to the long-distance Greensand Way, and is a few minutes' drive from the edge of the Kent Downs National Landscape. From the pub, it’s a 20-minute walk to Pluckley, a ‘haunted village’ with church ruins, pubs and folklore. There’s a circular walking route between Little Chart and Pluckley, plus an additional ‘sheep pasture’ loop from Pluckley where you can keep your eyes peeled for local wildlife in the countryside. Other villages with pretty lanes, churches and tea rooms are a short drive away; try Charing, five minutes’ drive away, or Lenham, 10 minutes away. Dover is a 40-minute drive away if your next destination is over the English Channel in France.

Site type

Motorhome pitches 5
Touring caravan pitches 5
Open all year
Opens
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. XL Bully, Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro).
  • Group bookings of 4 or more adults are not permitted (couples and immediate family members excepted).
  • No hen/stag parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • Commercial vehicles (vehicles used for work-related purposes, carrying goods or fare-paying passengers) and sign-written vehicles are not permitted on site.
  • Discount cards and gift vouchers cannot be applied to bookings made via Pitchup.com.
  • At least one of the party members must be aged 25 or over.
  • Please note that the toilet/shower facilities are unisex.
  • No gas barbecues allowed.
  • No charcoal barbecues allowed.
  • No electric barbecues allowed.

Languages spoken

English

No availability here for your search criteria

Reviews

8.4

Overall rating from 28 Pitchup.com customers

  • 35%
    10
  • 14%
    9
  • 35%
    8
  • 3%
    7
  • 3%
    6
  • 3%
    5
  • 0%
    4
  • 0%
    3
  • 0%
    2
  • 3%
    1
Location
 9
Value for money
 8
Accommodation
 8
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 9
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 6

96% would recommend this site to a friend

86% would stay here again

What customers say

This campsite offers a lovely, quiet location adjacent to a traditional pub with excellent food and a welcoming atmosphere. Guests appreciated the friendly owners and staff, beautiful surroundings, and ample space. While some found the single shower/toilet facility could be an issue during busy periods, others noted it was clean and secure. Electric hook-ups would be a welcome addition for some.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 3
Arrival date (latest first)

Very pleasant indeed nice and quiet…

Overall

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

Non-electric grass and earth touring pitch

Liked Very pleasant indeed nice and quiet big field with trees very scenic and the shower was lovely very good. Several nice walks from the site and lovely lunch and pudding as well. Would recommend to others. We forgot to ask whether there was water available.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Good place

Overall

5 out of 10
Location
 5
Value for money
 5
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 5
Customer service
 4
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 7
Wifi
 No rating
Alan L.

Non-electric grass and earth touring pitch

Liked Yes

Recommend to friends Visit again

The pub had a great food The…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 6
Wifi
 No rating
Marianna H.

Non-electric grass and earth touring pitch

Liked The pub had a great food
The owner and staff were very friendly
Nice hot shower

Disliked Considering it was just us (end of season), they could have cleaned the shower/ toilet room.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Don’t go thete

Overall

1 out of 10
Location
 4
Value for money
 1
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 1
Customer service
 1
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 1
Wifi
 1
Anonymous

Non-electric grass and earth touring pitch

Liked The field which don’t have pitches

Disliked Dirty fascinaties
We stayed a short night, paid for three nights. Owner promised to repay. Didn’t see any money until now

Recommend to friends Visit again

We loved it! We chose the…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 6
Raimond r.

Non-electric grass and earth touring pitch

Liked We loved it! We chose the Swan Inn as our first stop on our England vacation. The initial reason was its proximity to Dover; we didn't want to spend so much time looking for a suitable campsite in the evening, and the reviews were promising. And they are!
We met a few pubs on our trip, stayed overnight and ate at several, but the Swan Inn was the nicest, coziest, and had the tastiest food. Andy and Lorna are such loving and kind people; in addition to the location itself, the two of them were a real personal enrichment to our vacation. It's clear to us that the Swan Inn will be our number one stop on our next trip to England! "Come as a stranger, leave as a friend" was absolutely true for us! I look forward to seeing you again!

Disliked Wi-Fi is available in the pub but not on the premises. It wasn't a problem for us, but it might be problematic for some.

Recommend to friends Visit again

close to Dover port, convenient and easy to access

Overall

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

Non-electric grass and earth touring pitch

Liked large field with flexibility as to where to park.
No time limits for arrival or departure
Very pleasant and welcoming staff

Disliked pub had stopped serving food by tge time we got there, approx 9pm

Recommend to friends Visit again

Nice quiet field at the back…

Overall

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

Non-electric grass and earth touring pitch

Liked Nice quiet field at the back of the pub

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely Quiet Site

Overall

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

Non-electric grass and earth touring pitch

Liked Lovely quiet location with very friendly and helpful staff, there was nothing not to like about this location. We had a meal in the pub which was also excellent. There was entertainment booked for the Saturday night which was another surprise bonus. Nice walks through the surrounding farm land and orchards were also very pleasant.

Disliked Electric hook ups would be a bonus but I can understand that this is a considerable cost to install

Recommend to friends Visit again

Very welcoming hosts Traditional pub, serving good…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 8
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 6
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
Steve H.

Non-electric grass and earth touring pitch

Liked Very welcoming hosts
Traditional pub, serving good food, a very quiet campsite

Disliked Only 1 toilet/shower room

Recommend to friends Visit again

The warm welcome to three very…

Overall

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

Non-electric grass and earth touring pitch

Liked The warm welcome to three very tired and delayed travellers!! Beautiful spec

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

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 On-site restaurant/cafe Outdoor swimming pool Play area TV room Take away Tennis Watersports

Amenities on site

Bath available 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

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

Utilities

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

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby

Type

Pub campsite Tiny (1-10 pitches)

Nearby leisure

Restaurant nearby

Location

The Swan Inn

Swan Ln

Little Chart

Kent

England

TN27 0QB

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London BST (GMT+01:00)

GPS

51.17937°N
0.77982°E

Nearest transport

Coach
4.6 mi Park Street
6.6 mi Tesco Crooksfoot
6.6 mi Tesco Crooksfoot
Rail
2 mi Charing (Kent) Rail Station
2.1 mi Pluckley Rail Station
4.9 mi Ashford International Rail Station
Ferry
15.8 mi Folkestone Eurotunnel Terminal
23.7 mi Dover Western Docks Ferry Terminal
24.1 mi Dover Eastern Docks Ferry Terminal
Airport
16.9 mi Lydd London Ashford Airport
27.1 mi London Southend Airport
27.6 mi Kent International 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

The Swan Inn is centrally set between Maidstone and Folkestone, half an hour’s drive from each if you fancy a wander around the shops of these cute Kent towns; for ambles in the countryside instead, the Stour Valley Walk takes you along the river through downland, woodland and orchards, and is accessible from Little Chart about a minute away on foot. The Greensand Way can also be joined from the village for longer strolls on the 108-mile ridge running from Haslemere in Surrey to Hamstreet in Kent, but if you’d rather have someone else do the legwork, cantering about on the horses is possible from the equestrian centre a minute’s drive down the road. For gentler trots on your own two feet, Ashford’s Victoria Park with its fountain and preserved gardens is 15 minutes’ drive; other market towns in the area include Hythe, 25 minutes, a coastal settlement on the outskirts of Romney Marsh with a beach, and you could also swing by the seaside at Whitstable (35 minutes) to sight the colourful shopfronts and have a go at catching crabs for supper.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Dymchurch 14.2 mi Sea N/AGoodGoodGood
St Mary'S Bay (Kent) 14.6 mi Sea GoodN/AGoodGood
Hythe 15.3 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
West Beach, Whitstable 15.7 mi Sea N/AGoodGoodGood
Littlestone 16.2 mi Sea N/AGoodGoodGood

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Ashford Designer Outlet 4.6 mi

Leeds Castle 8.1 mi

Kent & East Sussex Railway 8.6 mi

Sissinghurst Castle Garden 9.6 mi

Port Lympne Wild Animal Park 11.9 mi

National Trust

Stoneacre 10.1 mi

Sissinghurst Castle Garden 10.2 mi

Smallhythe Place 10.3 mi

Sprivers Garden 16 mi

Lamb House 16 mi

Cycle routes

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

Other

GODINTON PARK 2.9 mi

CHILSTON PARK 4 mi

Wye - Crundale - Eggarton Manor - Crundale Downs 6.8 mi

BELMONT PARK 7 mi

DODDINGTON PLACE 7.2 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.

Want to know more about camping in Kent?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does The Swan Inn have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is The Swan Inn dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near The Swan Inn? The Swan Inn is centrally set between Maidstone and Folkestone, half an hour’s drive from each if you fancy a wander around the shops of these cute Kent towns; for ambles in … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of The Swan Inn?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  Anytime –  Anytime
    Depart by:  Anytime
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at The Swan Inn? From £22 (for 1 night, 4 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.