Campgrounds for backpackers in England

Swift Farm

• Small and simple campsite deep in the Kent countryside
• Deal 15 minutes' drive; Broadstairs 25 minutes
• On an eco-friendly smallholding; families/solo travellers welcome

Clayford Field

• Rural six-acre site 10 minutes' drive from Wimborne
• Just off the 17-mile Castleman Trailway and 10 miles from Bournemouth
• A 10-minute forest walk from a country pub

Quarry Side Barn

• Well-maintained, level site with easy access from the A34
• A five-minute drive from Congleton; 15 minutes from the Peak District
• Two pubs within a one-mile radius; close to public footpaths

Rookery Farm Camping

• Cornish pop-up campsite with sea views 10 minutes’ drive from Redruth
• Porthtowan Beach and the South West Coast Path five minutes’ drive
• Quiet grass pitches five minutes’ walk from a cider mill; dogs welcome

Holiday Lashbrook

• Small, peaceful back to basics site 10 minutes' drive from Holsworthy
• Dartmoor National Park and Bude beaches half an hour's drive
• Dog-friendly site with vehicle-free camping field

Furze Park Camping

• Back to basics pitches on a 130-acre farm on the edge of Exmoor
• A 10-minute drive from Combe Martin beach; 20 minutes from Woolacombe
• Communal firepit and barbecue area; pub five minutes' drive away

Treyarnon Bay Youth Hostel

Freshwinds Camping

• 'Camping as it used to be' on a 200-acre farm
• Wildlife haven with badgers, foxes, barn owls and more
• Spacious pitches surrounded by stream, woodland and fields

Meldon Lake and Woods

• Wild camping site on a Devon farm with direct access to Dartmoor
• A five-minute drive to Okehampton; 50 minutes to Teignmouth beach
• Rural site with wild swimming, close to the Granite Way cycle route

YHA Eden Project

• Scenic site in the grounds of Cornwall’s famed Eden Project
• A 10-minute drive from St Austell and 15 from Polkerris beach
• Café, fully licensed bar, self-catering kitchen and small shop

Gypsy Wagon Devon

• Dog-friendly, off-grid site in rural Devon surrounded by native woods
• A 20-minute drive from Bude’s beaches and half an hour to Dartmoor
• Communal space for cooking on a gas stove; walk into Holsworthy

Throop Hollow Farm

• Rural, family-run site with fantastic views of the Piddle Valley
• A 10-minute drive to Monkey World; 20 minutes to Lulworth Cove
• Pick your own pitch on arrival; 500 metres from the river Piddle

Salisbury Youth Hostel

Sunset View Camping

• Relaxed family campsite on the western edge of Exmoor National Park
• Five minutes' drive to Ilfracombe; Woolacombe 10 minutes
• Kids' play area and small-on site shop for essentials

Sandy Meadow Farm

• Peaceful working farm in the South Downs National Park
• Within 10 minutes’ drive of woodlands, stately homes and vineyards
• Haven for stargazers: in a Dark Sky Reserve

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

The Whole Hogg Caravan Park

• Dog-friendly working farm site in Yorkshire three miles from Malton
• A 10-minute drive from the North York Moors; 40 minutes from the coast
• On-site tearoom and farm shop and a private riverbank for fishing