Tomkins Farm

No availability at present on Pitchup.com 9.3 143 reviews
Plenty of space (added by manager 15 Aug 2022)
Grassy pitches
Sitting around the firepit
Guests on site

  • 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

Rent a tent 4
Tent sites 40
RV sites 38
Open now
Opens April 5
Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • The park does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Breed-specific legislation (i.e. Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro).
  • No bachelor/bachelorette parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • The park caters for families (immediate members) and couples only - bookings from all other forms of groups are not accepted.
  • This is a quiet park: no music is allowed.
  • If making a fire, the fuel, logs and coal have to be purchased on site.
  • Guests are advised to bring a good quality flashlight with them as parts of the park are unlit.
  • No naked flames are allowed inside the hired accommodation units.
  • Please note that the toilet/shower facilities are unisex.
  • Swimming in the lake is not allowed.
  • There are no garbage cans onsite: all garbage will need to be taken home with you.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri, Apr 5 to

Open from Fri, Apr 18 to

Pitch types & availability

No availability at present on Pitchup.com

Choose your dates and we'll email when available.

See nearby bookable sites

Reviews

94%

would recommend this site to a friend

92%

would stay here again

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Only showing reviews for the last 30 months.

Beautiful scenery

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness 8
Wifi No rating
ian n. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive grass tent, campervan or trailer tent campsite

Liked: Beautiful campsite. Nearly 360 degree views. Wonderful for nature lovers and those who like nice scenery. I was lucky enough to see an owl at dusk. Nice and friendly owner.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Just loved peace and quiet and the countryside and seeing camels in…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 10
ROD F. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive grass tent, campervan or trailer tent campsite

Liked: Just loved peace and quiet and the countryside and seeing camels in the Sussex countryside was a bonus.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great field with large pitches. Pizza night on Saturday was awesome.…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 2
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive grass tent, campervan or trailer tent campsite

Liked: Great field with large pitches. Pizza night on Saturday was awesome.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Wonderful Experience would certainly return.

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 4
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive grass tent, campervan or trailer tent campsite

Liked: The campsite was wonderful. I enjoyed the open space - which made sound silly when camping in a field, but it felt quite secluded, very spacious and not on top of other campers. We were given the choice of where we wanted to pitch up, more in the open field or nearer to the trees. We were provided with a fire pit and bbq grill and bought wood & kindle for a small fee when the owner came around on his quad with his little dog! The forest was accessible and we happened to be next to a secure forest tree swing for the children to play on, and even my 70yr old grandad enjoyed having a turn. The campsite was quiet, meaning we could really enjoy nature and it didn’t feel crowded and noisy. There were shower and toilet facilities, that always had toilet paper and a small mirror for me to do my make up in the morning. The llamas and alpaca were wonderful, it was beautiful to learn these creatures were here to live out the remainder of their days and were not used for meat, wool or milk. This meant you could enter the field via the gates and walk with the heard, this was a fantastic experience for all of the family and came at no additional costs. The owner was friendly and down to earth and my grandad enjoyed conversing with him on multiple occasions. On the weekends they even offer a tent service for drinks from the fridge, including wines, ales, etc which you may scan the QR code nearest your tent and get drinks delivered directly to you. I believe there were also some food options of pizza on Saturdays but as our stay commenced on a Sunday we didn’t take part in this so couldn’t comment. Overall a fantastic stay and we certainly will be returning.

Disliked: I wouldn’t say these two things were dislikes for myself personally but two important things to note. All music is banned due to licensing. This may be a dream come true for some, but for others who want to have some background noise, it’s worth noting this may not be the place for you. Secondly, all rubbish must be taken home with you. This is another thing that isn’t really a dislike but is something to consider for longer stays or larger families.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Fantastic site

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 8
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 6
Customer service 8
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 8
Mark R. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive grass tent, campervan or trailer tent campsite

Liked: Sceptical before arriving due to certain rules but in all honesty it makes sense once you’re there. Travelled with 3 other families so bigger group but enjoyed camp fires day trips out and gorgeous weather. Facilities on site are enough not luxurious, guy that ran the site cane Over for a chat and was more than helpful regarding leaving times. Would go back.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Really good spot for a get away and good clean facilities, friendly

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 8
Wifi 6
Lou S. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive grass tent, campervan or trailer tent campsite

Liked: we were welcomed at gate and told about the ice cream van, the pizza delivery and cofffee and pastries (nice touch) facilities were basic but all you need - all clean. The pitches are big giving lots of space and feeling of being not too close to other campers. Loved being so close to the alpacas.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Beautiful natural site, great facilities and amazing animals to see

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 2
Jade H. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive grass tent, campervan or trailer tent campsite

Liked: Such a beautiful camp with the alpacas right next to the camping site. We wandered down the lane, through the small woodlands and found the camels and stunning views across the fields. The facilities are some of the best we've experienced camping, never had to wait to use the toilet as there is so many, plus the washing up facilities are super helpful. The shower was so hot and there's plenty of space in both cubicles to get dressed with hooks provided and space so you don't get your clothes wet. Loved that the showers were open at the top so you could look at the sky during your shower. Fire pit was ready waiting for us to use all set up and ready to go on our camping pitch and then the wood was brought round in the early evening. There's also pizzas, drinks and ice creams available over the weekend and the pub is just down the road so you really have everything there. But we opted to stay and relax most of the time in our van / outdoor set up and have a bbq. Loved that we had so much space on our pitch so we could spread out and have privacy and put our rugs down for cosiness. Finished our day by watching the stars by the fire pit - totally magical.

Disliked: The only thing we struggled with during our stay was the amount of kids on site but can't be helped as it's a family friendly camp, just felt a bit hectic at times running around our pitch whilst we were trying to light the fire and cook. And the fact you can't listen to music even quietly as it would have helped to drown out some noise from people around us, but understand the rule is to limit noise.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Fairly basic site, in a good area for walking. Do pizza on a Saturday

Overall 8/10
Location 10
Value for money 8
Accommodation 8
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 8
Child friendliness 8
Cleanliness 6
Wifi 2
Allen W. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive grass tent, campervan or trailer tent campsite

Liked: Area, showers

Disliked: Noisy people behind us

Recommend to friends Visit again

Cheap and cheerful

Overall 4/10
Location 8
Value for money 6
Accommodation 4
Facilities / Activities 4
Customer service 8
Child friendliness 8
Cleanliness 4
Wifi 4
Adam C. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive grass tent, campervan or trailer tent campsite

Liked: Cheap

Disliked: Defo a family site and not one for a quiet stop. 8pm curfew went unnoticed by all. Facilities commensurate with cost of stay but rather crude (pallets and tin sheet ) shower and toilets inadequate for size of site imho. Owners seem to be genuinely keen to make it work though.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you for your rating. Sadly we can not be everything to everyone. We make no bones about the facilities being basic and clearly state that in the description. Basic they ma may be but they are clean, functional and where hot water is needed there is hot water.

Nice site location, good pitches. Basic facilities to be improved.

Overall 8/10
Location 8
Value for money 6
Accommodation 6
Facilities / Activities 6
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 6
Wifi 6
Tessa N. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive grass tent, campervan or trailer tent campsite

Liked: Welcoming team on arrival and gave information needed. Seeing the alpacas and camels was great.

Disliked: Facilities very basic and did not function perfectly. Also not regularly cleaned to a decent standard.

Recommend to friends Visit again


Features

Leisure on park

Bar or club house Cycle hire Evening entertainment Fishing Fitness centre Indoor swimming pool Kids' club On-site restaurant/cafe Outdoor swimming pool Playground Recreation room/arcade TV room Takeout Tennis Watersports

Amenities on park

Bath available Car parking by site/unit Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Free wifi Grocery store Ice pack freezing Internet access Laundromat Parent & baby washroom Payphone Pick-up from public transport Portable toilet Pub toilets Restrooms Shower available Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

Family friendly Motorcycle friendly Scouts welcome Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

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

Camping 2.0

Jumbo tent sites

Themes

Budget/backpacker Peaceful Remote location

Utilities

Charging facilities Dump station Electric car charging point(s) Propane/gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Convenience store nearby Dog walk nearby Public transportation nearby

Type

Farm Medium (26-50 sites)

Accessibility

Disabled facilities

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 +0100 (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
7.3 km Bus Station
9.5 km School Lane
9.5 km School Lane
Rail
4.8 km Plumpton Rail Station
6 km Cooksbridge Rail Station
7.5 km Uckfield Rail Station
Ferry
19.1 km Newhaven Harbour Ferry Terminal
Airport
24.2 km Shoreham Brighton City Airport
24.6 km London Gatwick Airport South Terminal
24.7 km 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 2020 2019 2018 2017
Brighton Kemptown 17.6 km Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Good
Saltdean 17.7 km Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Brighton Central 18 km Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Hove 18.6 km Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Southwick 21.4 km Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Sheffield Park Garden 4.8 km

Bluebell Railway 5.1 km

Wakehurst Place 13.5 km

Preston Manor 16.2 km

Standen 16.2 km

National Trust

Sheffield Park Garden 4.8 km

Wakehurst Place 13.3 km

Monk's House 13.4 km

Standen 16.2 km

Nymans 16.9 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

NEWICK PARK 2.4 km

SHEFFIELD PARK 4.7 km

North to South over the South Downs 4.9 km

Anchor Inn - Barcombe Mills - Anchor Inn 5.5 km

PLUMPTON PLACE 7.1 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 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?
    RV, travel trailer and tent sites
    Arrive:  3 p.m. –  8 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    On-park 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 $65.15 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.