When can I check in and check out of Hawthorne Trench Campsite?

RV, travel trailer and tent sites Arrive: 2 p.m. – 8 p.m. Depart by: noon Read more

How much does it cost to stay at Hawthorne Trench Campsite?

From $25.24 (for 1 night, 4 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.

Hawthorne Trench Campsite

From £20 For 1 night, 4 adults Last booked 6 days ago 9.7 93 reviews

Visitor image of the campsite (added by manager 07 Feb 2023)

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Lots of space (added by visitor 26 aug 2023)

Huge distances between tents (added by visitor 26 aug 2023)

Pick-your-own pitches at a spacious farm site half a mile from Elham
Canterbury, Hythe beach and two animal parks within a half-hour drive
Simple facilities; tours available of World War I trenches on site

When it comes to rural bases in south-east England, Hawthorne Trench Campsite is a prime pick. Plenty of space and Kent Down views pair up nicely with a handy location half a mile from the village of Elham, where there's a café, playground, village store and a total of three pubs. This is a peaceful site where you can pick your own pitch from the heaps of space around the 20-acre grass field, and with simple facilities stretching just to toilets, showers and a washing-up area. Families and groups of friends are welcome, but dogs aren’t allowed because of the resident sheep and horses. You may well be able to spot wild bats, badgers and owls popping by as well… Intrigued by the site name? That's a reference to the 250-metre World War I trench system, with a British section and a German section separated by a no man’s land in between. Guests can book tours on arrival to take a closer look at this little patch of history. There are plenty of opportunities to get out and about in the countryside here, as public footpaths run right from the site out to local woods and forest. After some quiet time, it's also easy to get out to various day trips and attractions like Leeds Castle, Howletts Wild Animal Park and Canterbury. Some of these are accessible by buses that stop in the village centre.

Campground type

Opens June 28

Please note

Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
No bachelor/bachelorette parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
Bookings must not be for more than 14 consecutive nights.
No cars/motorcycles at the site. All cars must be parked in the designated area.
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.
Please note that the toilet/shower facilities are unisex.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri, Jun 28 to Sun, Sep 15 2024

Campsite types & availability

Primitive grass and earth tent campsite

4 people maximum No dogs allowed

Ground type: Grass and earth

Site size: unlimited

4 people maximum No dogs allowed

One Tent allowed per site

Additional units require additional sites - quick book via 'Make another booking like this' after making your booking.

Site size

unlimited

Ground type

Grass and earth

Suitable for

Tent, (Trailer tent not allowed)

Features

Bring a gazebo 1 included, 2 max.
Bring a shelter tent 2 included, 2 max.
Car 1 included, 1 max.

Other restrictions

No dogs allowed
Awnings not allowed

Extras

Bring a gazebo (1 max) £5 (£5) per night

You will be able to choose extras on the booking page.

Arrival days

From £20 (£20) 1 night, 2 adults

View prices & book

Reviews

would recommend this campground to a friend

would stay here again

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Only showing reviews for the last 30 months.

LOADS of space between pitches

Overall	10/10
Location	10
Value for money	8
Accommodation	8
Facilities / Activities	6
Customer service	10
Child friendliness	10
Cleanliness	8
Wifi	No rating

Fred C. Sep 2023

Primitive grass and earth tent campsite

Liked: Loads of space between pitches, very quiet area. Nice place to explore the coast

Disliked: none of the pitches were completely flat, there was a slight slope on all of them (minor)

Recommend to friends Visit again

A nice place to pich tent in the heart of kent…

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

Anonymous Sep 2023

Primitive grass and earth tent campsite

Liked: A nice place to pich tent in the heart of kent

Recommend to friends Visit again

Pitches were mown and well spaced out. Lovely location and the owner…

Overall	10/10
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 Sep 2023

Primitive grass and earth tent campsite

Liked: Pitches were mown and well spaced out. Lovely location and the owner could not have been more helpful and friendly. Facilities were basic but clean and functional.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Would highly recommend. 5*

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

Hasan M. Sep 2023

Primitive grass and earth tent campsite

Liked: Very scenic location, clean toilets and shower, communal fridge, tea and coffee making facilities, very nice and helpful owner, quiet, large plots, not too far from pub/eatery

Recommend to friends Visit again

Beautiful, spacious and clean site, basic but fine facilities

Overall	8/10
Location	10
Value for money	10
Accommodation	10
Facilities / Activities	6
Customer service	8
Child friendliness	No rating
Cleanliness	8
Wifi	2

Hannah A. Sep 2023

Primitive grass and earth tent campsite

Liked: Really spacious camping area, lots of privacy, lots of greenery. We loved the owners dogs and wildlife in the area. The owner was really friendly and chatty.

Disliked: Quite basic facilities - toilets and showers were fine but basic.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Peace and quiet!

Overall	10/10
Location	10
Value for money	10
Accommodation	10
Facilities / Activities	8
Customer service	10
Child friendliness	8
Cleanliness	10
Wifi	2

James A. Sep 2023

Primitive grass and earth tent campsite

Liked: It's a lovely, quiet location and I would definitely recommend it. I'm sure we'll be back next year!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Very friendly quiet campsite with clean facilities and very spacious world war…

Overall	10/10
Location	10
Value for money	10
Accommodation	10
Facilities / Activities	10
Customer service	10
Child friendliness	10
Cleanliness	10
Wifi	10

Anonymous Aug 2023

Primitive grass and earth tent campsite

Liked: Very friendly quiet campsite with clean facilities and very spacious world war trench site was very informative and well worth doing

Disliked: Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Fantastic small site with great facilities, including a fridge and kettle for…

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

Gareth C. Sep 2023

Primitive grass and earth tent campsite

Liked: Fantastic small site with great facilities, including a fridge and kettle for everyone's use

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely quiet site with many pitches cut into the grass of the…

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

Anne H. Sep 2023

Primitive grass and earth tent campsite

Liked: Lovely quiet site with many pitches cut into the grass of the huge field and very few campers sharing the space. Richard the owner was really friendly and kept the basic facilities clean and well supplied. It was really helpful to have use of kettle, fridge and somewhere to charge phones when the teens had drained the power bank. The trench tour was really interesting and the site is very well located for trips out across Kent for beaches, places of interest and shopping. The nearby village has a handy shop and nice pubs. We all had a great stay and will consider returning next year.

Recommend to friends Visit again

The trench tour is interesting.

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

Anna S. Aug 2023

Primitive grass and earth tent campsite

Liked: The space and quiet. The area is beautiful and close to so many places to visit.

Disliked: The toilets and shower...it is a basic campsite, which is what we wanted for the space and quiet, but as a bank holiday weekend it was at capacity so the toilets and shower were well used and perhaps not cleaned as often as they should have. It didn't put us off though, we'll definitely go back.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

No dogs allowed

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

Disabled facilities

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

Rallies welcome

Scouts welcome

Single-sex groups welcome

Student groups welcome

Rules

Barbecue grills allowed

Barbecue provided

Campfires allowed

Commercial vehicles allowed

Dogs allowed

No dogs allowed

Themes

Hikers’ paradise

Peaceful

Remote location

Spectacular scenery

Wild camping

Wildlife haven

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

Nearby farmers' market

Public transportation nearby

Type

Farm

Small (11-25 sites)

Nearby leisure

Cycling nearby

Golf nearby

Restaurant nearby

Location

Hawthorne Trench Campsite

Roundhill Farm

Cullens Hill

Elham

Kent

England

CT4 6UJ

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

51.15251°N
1.09954°W

Route directions

The satnav will bring you to within half a mile of Kennel Cottages. Carry on for another half a mile until you reach the sign for Roundhill Farm/Hawthorne Trench. Alternatively, the Google Maps location will bring you to the door. What3words: buzzing.camps.reactions.

Nearest transport

Bus

5.3 mi Swan Lane

5.4 mi Holiday Extras

Rail

4.5 mi Sandling Rail Station

4.8 mi Westenhanger Rail Station

5.3 mi Folkestone West Rail Station

Ferry

3.9 mi Folkestone Eurotunnel Terminal

9.7 mi Dover Western Docks Ferry Terminal

10.1 mi Dover Eastern Docks Ferry Terminal

Airport

15.5 mi Lydd London Ashford Airport

17.5 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

You're never too far from sand or shingle days here: Hythe beach (20 minutes' drive) and Folkestone's harbour (20 minutes) are popular spots for pottering about by the coast, plus there's easy access to Dover (25 minutes) with its cross-channel ferries and impressive castle. If you're interested in some of modern history that took place around the area's well-known White Cliffs, the Battle of Britain Museum (10 minutes) is also worth a stop. Animal action is available here too, with family-friendly attractions like Howletts Wild Animal Park (20 minutes) and Port Lympne Safari Park (20 minutes) for younger ones who are keen on exotic creatures. The excellent Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Light Railway (35 minutes) is another kid-pleasing option that you might want to keep up your sleeve to ensure extra-good behaviour. If grand architecture's your thing, then Canterbury (25 minutes) is pretty sure to satisfy – the gorgeous cathedral is the focal point of the town, but there's also a museum showcasing its Roman heritage and all medieval jollity of the Canterbury Tales exhibit.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name	Distance	Type	2020	2019	2018	2017
Sandgate	5.7 mi	Sea	N/A	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent
Hythe	6.1 mi	Sea	N/A	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent
Folkestone	6.3 mi	Sea	N/A	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent
Dymchurch	9.9 mi	Sea	N/A	Good	Good	Good
St Mary'S Bay (Kent)	11 mi	Sea	Good	N/A	Good	Good

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Romney Hythe & Dymchurch Railway 5.7 mi

Port Lympne Wild Animal Park 6.7 mi

Howletts Wild Animal Park 8.2 mi

St Augustine's Abbey 8.7 mi

Canterbury Tales 8.7 mi

National Trust

The White Cliffs of Dover 10.5 mi

South Foreland Lighthouse 11.8 mi

Smallhythe Place 19.1 mi

Lamb House 21.2 mi

Sissinghurst Castle Garden 23 mi

Cycle routes

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

Other

Cheriton Hill 3.9 mi

BROOME PARK 4.2 mi

SANDLING PARK 5 mi

Hythe - Lympne - Royal Military Canal - Hythe 5.7 mi

HATCH PARK 6.9 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.

Policies

Booking terms and conditions

Changes to your holiday

Changes cannot be made once you have booked.

Admission

Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.

Arrivals and departures

Late arrivals must notify the park as soon as possible. Your booking will be held for 24 hours. After this period the management reserves the right to relet your unit.
No refunds/discounts for inclement weather, late arrivals or early departures.
Please pick any available site on arrival.
There is no reception at this park. Please check-in at the car park instead.

General

Bookings are nominative and non-transferable.
Bookings must not be for more than 14 consecutive nights.
Discount cards and gift vouchers cannot be applied to bookings made via Pitchup.com.
In the event of a complaint, please speak to reception immediately. Complaints which are not brought to the management's attention during your stay cannot be dealt with once you have left the site.
Please note that the toilet/shower facilities are unisex.
Public areas are non-smoking.
Quiet hours must be respected between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m..
Radio, music and TV players must be kept at a low volume. Car doors and trunks must be closed quietly.
Refunds within the indicated cancelation period are only possible if the park is able to relet your unit/site.
The management reserves the right to deny access or terminate the stay of those guests whose behavior is deemed unsuitable. No refunds will be offered.
The park is not liable for any refund in the event of force majeure.

Occupancy

No bachelor/bachelorette parties permitted via Pitchup.com.

Safety

Barbecues are permitted but must be raised off the ground and attended by an adult at all times.
Firearms are not permitted.
Open fires are prohibited.

Vehicles

Commercial vehicles (vehicles used for work-related purposes, carrying goods or fare-paying passengers) and sign-written vehicles are not permitted on site.
No cars/motorcycles at the site. All cars must be parked in the designated area.
No vehicle movement between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m..

Visitors

Visitors are not permitted on site.

Payment terms

Does Hawthorne Trench Campsite have a swimming pool? No View all features
Is Hawthorne Trench Campsite dog friendly? No View all features
What attractions are near Hawthorne Trench Campsite? You're never too far from sand or shingle days here: Hythe beach (20 minutes' drive) and Folkestone's harbour (20 minutes) are popular spots for pottering about by the coast, plus there's easy … Read more
When can I check in and check out of Hawthorne Trench Campsite?

RV, travel trailer and tent sites

Arrive: 2 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Depart by: noon

Read more
How much does it cost to stay at Hawthorne Trench Campsite? From $25.24 (for 1 night, 4 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.