Campgrounds for backpackers in South East England

Little Leigh’s Campsite

• Simple but well-maintained Essex pitches in Little Leighs
• A 20-minute drive to Chelmsford or Stansted Airport
• Barbecue area on site; village shop and pub five minutes' drive

Ashcroft Coast Holiday Park

Holly Farm

• Peaceful site in West Sussex on the edge of a small village
• In the South Downs National Park; Chichester 35 minutes' drive
• A mile from two local pubs and a village shop

Yamp Camp Bluebell

• Sheltered back to basics pitches near the village of Horsted Keynes
• Ashdown Forest and Ouse Valley Viaduct 10 minutes' drive away
• A short walk from the Bluebell Railway station and village pubs

Wishwood Glamping

• Family-friendly glamping accommodation in a 16-acre woodland
• A 10-minute drive to Canterbury and Herne Bay; Whitstable, 20 minutes
• Private garden areas with sheltered outdoor kitchen and dining areas

Cobbs Hill Farm Caravan & Camping Park

Spring Hill Wild Camping

• Family-friendly wild camping field in the village of St Mary Bourne
• On the Test Way footpath and a 35-minute drive from Stonehenge
• Firepits welcome; walk to the village shop, pubs and a PYO fruit farm

Column Wood Campsite

• Wild pop-up site in the High Weald National Landscape
• Seven acres of scenic woodland half an hour's drive from Hastings
• Half an hour’s walk from Robertsbridge village shops and pub

Park Farm Camping

• Pop-up campsite on a family farm near Calbourne on the Isle of Wight
• A 20-minute drive to The Needles, and 15 minutes to Carisbrooke Castle
• Grass pitches close to walking routes; beaches, pubs and shops nearby

High Barn Retreats

• Dog-friendly wild camping site in the South Downs National Park
• A 25-minute drive from Lewes and half an hour’s drive from Brighton
• A five-minute drive to pubs, local shops and the beach in Rottingdean

Orchard Camping

• Pop-up campsite in a Kent orchard five minutes’ drive from Higham
• Rochester, Historic Dockyard Chatham and Diggerland 15 minutes’ drive
• Quiet off-grid pitches shaded by trees; pubs within 15 minutes’ drive

New Forest Youth Hostel

4 Acre Farm

• Back-to-basics campsite between Hastings and Battle in East Sussex
• Battle Abbey 10 minutes’ drive; Hastings and Bexhill-on-Sea 15 minutes
• Grass pitches on a family smallholding with horses, hens and wildfowl

The Moon Pod

• A couples’ sleeping pod up-cycled from an observatory in East Sussex
• Battle Abbey and Bodiam Castle 15 minutes’ drive; Rye 20 minutes
• Private shower hut plus garden and wildlife pond overlooking farmland

The Hare and Hounds

• Family-centric camping paddock at a country pub near Colchester, Essex
• Five minutes’ drive to Colchester Zoo; 20 minutes to West Mersea beach
• Bar and restaurant adjoining the site; shops 10 minutes’ drive

Teybrook Orchard

• Glamping site on a farm in Essex, an hour on the train from London
• Luxury accommodation between an orchard and 20 acres of woodland
• Five miles to Colchester and Colchester Zoo