Bilsington Priory Estate Camping

View prices & book 9.3 79 reviews
View of the site
View of the site
Grass pitches
Plenty of space
Bikers welcome
Colourful tents
Grass pitches
Grass pitches
Grass pitches
1/118
Grass pitches
Plenty of space
Bikers welcome

  • Basic wild camping site in a grass field overlooking Romney Marsh
  • Port Lympne Safari Park 10 minutes’ drive; Camber Sands half an hour
  • In the grounds of an old priory; afternoon teas on request
All set for a back-to-nature break in the county known as the Garden of England? Surrounded by the spectacular Kent countryside, on the edge of Romney Marsh, Bilsington Priory Estate Camping welcomes family groups (and their dogs) on its large peaceful field. This rural spot (with horses in a nearby field and easy access to forest trails) is a basic, wild camping site with just two portable toilets serviced weekly. It sits in the grounds of St Augustine’s Priory, which dates back all the way to the 13th century. Afternoon teas can be arranged if you fancy an indulgent treat, while supermarkets are a 10-minute drive for everyday supplies and barbecue provisions. The nearest pub (which also serves traditional and modern British meals) is in the centre of the village of Bilsington, a five-minute walk away. To work up an appetite for whatever meal you choose, you can stroll through the 300 acres of woodlands adjoining the site, take a spin down to the coast for family bucket-and-spade days by the sea, or go walking and cycling in the High Weald or Kent Downs areas of outstanding natural beauty (20 minutes). Rainy day? No problem: there’s lots of indoor exploration to be done at historic sites like Leeds Castle (half an hour) and Canterbury (40 minutes).

Campground type

Tent sites 30
RV & Motorhome sites 30
Open now
Opens 10 May
Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Sat, 10 May to

Reviews

9.3

Overall rating from 79 Pitchup.com customers

  • 79%
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Location
 10
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 9
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 6
Peaceful

96% would recommend this campground to a friend

96% would stay here again

What customers say

Spacious, peaceful back-to-basics spot, plenty of room & great scenery. Basic, clean portaloos/shower. Local pub nearby. Good value for money, though some found facilities limited or shower issues. Many keen to return.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 8
Arrival date (latest first)

So much space

Overall

10 out of 10
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Natalie B.

Unpowered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked What a superb location. Brilliant large field and so peaceful.
Definitely going to go back.

Disliked Nothing to dislike

Recommend to friends Visit again

Highly Recommend

Overall

10 out of 10
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 10
Value for money
 10
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Facilities / Activities
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Customer service
 10
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Anonymous

Unpowered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked Very peaceful, loads of space. So tranquil. Very short walk to the village Facilities Much better than advertised.

Disliked Nothing.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Fantastic location, great hosts, bargain price. Plus afternoon tea! 😊

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 8
Robert T.

Unpowered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked Fantastic. So peaceful and relaxing, and only a handful of others here. Lovely views of the 'tree lined, rolling hill' field campsite.

If you're looking for somewhere to camp / van, etc, without all the frills then for £10 you can't beat this. 3 portaloos, 1 shower and a washing up sink. All very clean. I didn't use the shower but had a look inside. I also noticed taps around the field.

You can pitch anywhere you like and you'll have privacy. Arrive from midday and no pressure to leave early - when you're ready. Your money will be collected at the site.

If you pitch / park at the bottom of the hill your mobile signal may vary, but I'm on EE and generally had a good connection. Phone calls were a little tricky, but just walking up the field to a hight point sorted that.

I also treated myself to afternoon tea at Bilsington Priory itself . I'd really recommend this, as Libby and her team do a fantastic tea in a lovely setting, and no rushing.

100% recommended, and I'll be going again for both camping and afternoon tea. 😊😊

Disliked Nothing to dislike

Recommend to friends Visit again

Large pitches, peaceful site, great afternoon tea, friendly staff!

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 9
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
Lisa C.

Unpowered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked Lovely large field with freedom to choose where we parked our camper. Short walk to local pub and plenty of walks for the dog. Highly recommend afternoon tea and we had this delivered by Chris, everything is home cooked and tasted amazing! Peaceful place to stay if you’re looking to just unwind then this is perfect. We will definitely be back.

Disliked Although not a major issue the port a loo’s were not my favourite, they were clean and tidy and serviced regularly, I just don’t like the smell of them, they served a purpose and we were able to park as close to the them as we wanted. Another shower area perhaps over the other side of the field eventually would be good,

Recommend to friends Visit again

beautiful well kept site.

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10 out of 10
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Value for money
 10
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Alex T.

Unpowered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked beautiful site well maintained 2 toilets 1 shower and washup sink so basic but really nice. Chris and his wife were very friendly even checked up on me to make sure i was ok. very cheap but great if your self sufficent and just want to relax. nice pub a 10min walk away.

Disliked nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Friendly, helpful owner. Portaloos cleaned weekly. Plenty of space.

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
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Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
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Anonymous

Unpowered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked Peace and space.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent setting beaiti surrounding and very chilled atmosphere

Overall

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

Unpowered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked The space! The setting was so beautiful, we had so much space ad the fact that a pub was just a few minutes walk.

Disliked The shower and the portaloos. They were operational and adequate for one night stay.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Absolutely the best camping pitch!

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
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Jowita G.

Unpowered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked Absolutely amazing camping field! Surrounded by fields and horses, secluded, fantastic! Back to basics, but with super functional shower with warm water, and clean toilets. Nothing more needed for a perfect reset.

Disliked Nothing!

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Dear Jowita, Thank you so much for your wonderful review of camping at Bilsington Priory Estate!
We are delighted you enjoyed your stay and we're looking forward to welcoming you back again soon.

I had the lovely big field to myself - it was lovely…

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
Anonymous

Unpowered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked I had the lovely big field to myself - it was lovely and peaceful. 3 clean portaloos and a shower. A few minutes walk across the fields to the pub for supper. A lovely place for a proper break ...

Recommend to friends Visit again

Easy to access, had more than enough space, could only see the…

Overall

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

Unpowered grass tent or motorhome site

Liked Easy to access, had more than enough space, could only see the next set of campers in the distance. Facilities basic but as advertised. Shower worked well and was hot.
Took the short walk to the white horse pub for a lovely pint, which has a nice garden.
Enjoyed our stay.

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 site/unit Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Food shop Free wifi Ice pack freezing Internet access Laundry 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

Themes

Peaceful Remote location Walkers' paradise Wildlife haven

Utilities

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

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby

Type

Farm Medium (26-50 sites)

Location

Bilsington Priory Estate Camping

Priory Road

Bilsington

Ashford

Kent

England

TN25 7AU

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London +0100 (GMT+01:00)

GPS

51.08029°N
0.91294°E

Route directions

What3words: lighten.splints.outfit

Nearest transport

Coach
6.3 km Tesco Crooksfoot
6.3 km Tesco Crooksfoot
6.9 km Swan Lane
Rail
4.3 km Ham Street Rail Station
7.5 km Ashford International Rail Station
8.6 km Appledore (Kent) Rail Station
Ferry
14.5 km Folkestone Eurotunnel Terminal
28.5 km Dover Western Docks Ferry Terminal
29.5 km Dover Eastern Docks Ferry Terminal
Airport
14.1 km Lydd London Ashford Airport
42.9 km 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

Part of the Aspinall Foundation, Port Lympne Safari Park (10 minutes’ drive) spreads over 600 acres and is home to African and Asian mammals, including big cats, giraffes and gorillas, which you can admire from the comfort of a safari truck through the site. There's also a Dinosaur Forest with lifesize stegosaurus and other prehistoric creatures. Spend a day exploring the dunes, building sandcastles or paddling in the shallow waters at Camber Sands (half an hour), then head to the nearby town of Rye (25 minutes), with its pretty cobbled streets lined with half-timbered buildings. Climb to the top of the Church of Saint Mary for far-reaching views of the area. More seaside adventures await at Margate (one hour), where kids (and grownups) can ride a Ferris wheel and other vintage attractions at Dreamland amusement park. Other highlights in town include rotating exhibitions at Turner Contemporary, the mysterious subterranean Shell Grotto and a lively centre with independent shops and restaurants.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Dymchurch 8.5 km Sea N/AGoodGoodGood
St Mary'S Bay (Kent) 9.1 km Sea GoodN/AGoodGood
Hythe 11.9 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Littlestone 12.1 km Sea N/AGoodGoodGood
Sandgate 14.6 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Port Lympne Wild Animal Park 6.1 km

Ashford Designer Outlet 8.6 km

Romney Hythe & Dymchurch Railway 11.1 km

Kent & East Sussex Railway 16 km

Camber Sands 18.2 km

National Trust

Smallhythe Place 15.7 km

Lamb House 19.2 km

Sissinghurst Castle Garden 23.9 km

Bodiam Castle 27.3 km

Stoneacre 30.2 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

HATCH PARK 5.7 km

PORT LYMPNE 6.2 km

SANDLING PARK 10 km

GODINTON PARK 10.1 km

Hythe - Lympne - Royal Military Canal - Hythe 11.2 km

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 campgrounds

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable campgrounds.

Want to know more about camping in Kent?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Bilsington Priory Estate Camping have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Bilsington Priory Estate Camping dog friendly? No View all features
  • What attractions are near Bilsington Priory Estate Camping? Part of the Aspinall Foundation, Port Lympne Safari Park (10 minutes’ drive) spreads over 600 acres and is home to African and Asian mammals, including big cats, giraffes and gorillas, which you … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Bilsington Priory Estate Camping?
    Camping and caravan
    Arrive:  noon –  10 p.m.
    Depart by:  Anytime
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Bilsington Priory Estate Camping? From $40.93 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.