Haydown Gardens

No availability at present on Pitchup.com 10 12 reviews
View from the hill (added by manager 22 Apr 2022)
View from the front garden (added by manager 22 apr 2022)
Small vineyard (added by manager 22 apr 2022)
Vineyard on site (added by manager 22 apr 2022)

  • Dog-friendly North Downs site with a vineyard, forest and orchard
  • On the North Downs Way; a 15-minute drive from St. Andrew's Lakes
  • Half an hour’s walk to a pub through vineyards; barbecues allowed
Pick a spot in the vineyard, forest or orchard - all are peaceful and in a prime location in a North Downs valley, part of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Perhaps the nicest bit about Haydown Gardens is that it’s on the North Downs Way, a 156-mile trail from Surrey to the Kent coast… although, some might argue that the views of the neighbouring vineyard and the peaceful atmosphere are fierce contestants. This dog-friendly getaway is an hour and 40 minutes’ drive from London and it’s certainly a hiking and cycling haven. There are plenty of other walking and cycling trails surrounding the site if you’re not set on tackling the North Downs Way. One local walk, half an hour’s stroll through the vineyards, ends at the local pub in Luddesdown, where there’s a big beer garden. Following the North Downs Way, it’s also under two hours’ walk to St. Andrew's Lakes (also a 15-minute drive) – wild swimming and watersports, anyone? Back at base, the mature garden setting is peaceful and the facilities include toilets and a washing-up area. The latter is very handy to have, considering that barbecues have the green light here (do your food shop in Hook Green, 10 minutes’ drive away).

Campground type

Tent sites 2
Please note
  • This park has no on-site shower facilities.
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • Group bookings of 5 or more adults are not permitted (couples and immediate family members excepted).
  • No bachelor/bachelorette parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • At least one of the party members must be aged 18 or over.
  • Guests are advised to bring a good quality flashlight with them as parts of the park are unlit.
  • If reception is closed on arrival: please contact the number provided on your booking confirmation.

Languages spoken

English

French

Reviews

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would recommend this campground to a friend

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would stay here again

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Only showing reviews for the last 30 months.

Beautiful gardens , quite and very unique. Highly recommended

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

Primitive earth tent campsite

Liked: Beautiful gardens , quite and very unique. Highly recommended

Disliked: Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Beautiful area, felt very welcomed and was in a very quiet area.…

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

Primitive earth tent campsite

Liked: Beautiful area, felt very welcomed and was in a very quiet area. No one else was staying there so it was very relaxing. Highly recommend of your looking for an out of the way space!

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: So glad to hear that you enjoyed a peaceful few nights with us and you benefited from the quiet surroundings. We would be happy to welcome you back for another stay whenever you like.

Fantastic site, very clean, beautiful setting, friendly hosts

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
Stuart A. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive earth tent campsite

Liked: Outstanding area Brilliant and friendly Hosts Very peaceful Amazing and well kept grounds Lovely walks Perfect view point for sunsets Quiet and secluded pitch

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you for such a positive review of our garden campsite. We were delighted to share it with you and glad that you were able to explore around it. We look forward to welcoming you back for a longer visit when you have the time.

Was a pleasure to stay there. The pitch was flat, it was friendly.

Overall 10/10
Location 8
Value for money 8
Accommodation 8
Facilities / Activities 6
Customer service 8
Child friendliness 6
Cleanliness 8
Wifi No rating
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive earth tent campsite

Liked: Quietness and environment. Also the hosts were great.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: We enjoyed hosting you and glad that you had the opportunity to visit the area whilst you were here. Also happy that you found our gardens a quiet and peaceful place to stay. If you are ever in the area again, we would certainly look forward to hosting you again.

Great hosts and garden. Kids loved picking some berries and exploring…

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

Primitive earth tent campsite

Liked: Great hosts and garden. Kids loved picking some berries and exploring

Disliked: Bathroom and washing up a bit of a walk from camp area

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: We enjoyed hosting you and your family. It was a great to see your children enjoying the garden (especially the red and black currants!).

Our perfect camping escape

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 4
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Maeve B. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive earth tent campsite

Liked: Beautiful, extensive grounds; quiet and peaceful location; owls at night; birdsong during the day; small number of pitches; walks through nearby vineyards; great fire-pit and BBQ area; meeting owners Jeff and Mark who were great - very friendly and helpful

Disliked: Having to leave Note: there is no Wi-Fi, but that’s not a problem as you’re busy enjoying the scenery! Child-friendliness: as this is all about peace and quiet I’d recommend this to child-free couples

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you for your positive comments. We are so glad that you found your stay peaceful and enjoyed your weekend. Looks like you had a lovely walk in the local vineyard. Thanks for adding your pictures to the review. We look forward to welcoming you back again anytime you like.

Beautiful site, great hosts, lovely and quiet

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
Caroline N. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive earth tent campsite

Liked: Gorgeous site with very friendly and helpful hosts. Loved that only two pitches made it feel like we were having a proper break away from other people. Also very much liked being able to choose where we wanted to pitch our tent, with grassland, orchards, or wooded areas all available. Had an idyllic stay and will definitely be returning, hopefully soon. Thank you very much for the faultless hospitality.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: We are delighted that you enjoyed your stay with us and excited to welcome you back again in the near future.

Really enjoyed the peace and tranquility.

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

Primitive earth tent campsite

Liked: Quiet and peaceful. Friendly host. Beautiful place.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Peaceful and beautiful

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
Lucy M. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive earth tent campsite

Liked: We had the most wonderful stay! The location is idyllic; incredibly picturesque and peaceful. Jeff and his partner were incredibly gracious and generous. We loved the local walks and pubs. We can't wait to visit again.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you for taking the time to leave such a positive review. We are so pleased that you enjoyed the solitude and peace of the gardens. We're also happy that your beautiful well-behaved husky also enjoyed it :) We look forward to welcoming you back to Haydown on your next visit.

Lovely and unique setting for a camping experience on a small vineyard…

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

Primitive earth tent campsite

Liked: Lovely and unique setting for a camping experience on a small vineyard and well kept gardens. We had a lovely stay, plenty of wood around the site to make a fire and have a bbq. No phone signal and not the easiest to find so check the location before travelling because we went to the wrong place initially :)

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: We are so glad that you enjoyed your stay and appreciated our unique setting. We look forward to welcoming you back at Haydown for another stay any time you like. Great advice about the phone signal.


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

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

Single-sex groups welcome

Student groups welcome

Rules

Barbecue grills allowed

Barbecue provided

Campfires allowed

Commercial vehicles allowed

Dogs allowed

Themes

Budget/backpacker

Hikers’ paradise

Peaceful

Remote location

Spectacular scenery

Utilities

Charging facilities

Dump station

Electric car charging point(s)

Propane/gas cylinders available

Recycling available

Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby

Dog walk nearby

Type

Pop-up campsite

Tiny (1-10 sites)

Location

Haydown Gardens

Buckland Road

Great Buckland

Meopham

Kent

England

DA13 0XF

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London GMT (GMT+00:00)

GPS

51.35465°N
0.39945°W

Nearest transport

Bus
7.6 mi Hempstead Valley Shopping Centre
7.8 mi King Street
7.9 mi King Street
Rail
2 mi Halling Rail Station
2.2 mi Sole Street Rail Station
2.7 mi Snodland Rail Station
Ferry
6.4 mi Gravesend Pier
6.8 mi Tilbury Ferry Terminal
17.2 mi Woolwich Arsenal Pier
Airport
15.9 mi Biggin Hill Airport
18.3 mi London City Airport
19.8 mi London Southend 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

Attractions and activities nearby include: - Camer Park Country Park (former estate with 40 acres of green space): 10 minutes’ drive - St. Andrew's Lakes (swimming lakes with watersports activities; reservation in advance): 15 minutes - Cobham Wood and Mausoleum (National Trust site): 15 minutes - Diggerland Kent (ride a digger): 15 minutes - Kent Life (open-air museum): 25 minutes - Leeds Castle (moated castle): 25 minutes - Planet Ice Gillingham (ice skating): 25 minutes.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020 2019 2018 2017
Sheerness 16.7 mi Estuary N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Leigh Bell Wharf 16.8 mi Estuary Good N/A Poor N/A
Southend Chalkwell 17.3 mi Estuary N/A Good N/A Good
Southend Westcliff Bay 17.6 mi Estuary N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Southend Three Shells 18.2 mi Estuary N/A Excellent Excellent Good

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Rochester Castle 5 mi

Rochester Cathedral 5.1 mi

The Historic Dockyard Chatham 6.1 mi

Dickens World 6.6 mi

Ightham Mote 8.8 mi

National Trust

Cobham Wood and Mausoleum 2.4 mi

Owletts 2.6 mi

Old Soar Manor 7.5 mi

St John's Jerusalem 7.9 mi

Ightham Mote 8.8 mi

Cycle routes

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

Other

Luddesdown Circular 2.2 mi

Golden Luddesdown 2.2 mi

COBHAM HALL 2.9 mi

Hodsell Street - Ash-cum-Ridley - Fairseat - Hodsell Street 2.9 mi

Trosley Country Park - Trottiscliffe - Ryarsh - North Downs 3.2 mi

Local events

  • All Points East (Saturday, August 17, 2024 – Saturday, August 17, 2024)

    London, England 22.7 mi

  • Mighty Hoopla (Saturday, June 1, 2024 – Saturday, June 1, 2024)

    London, England 22.7 mi

  • British Summer Time (Friday, July 5, 2024 – Friday, July 5, 2024)

    London, England 26.6 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.

Want to know more about camping in Kent?

  • Does Haydown Gardens have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Haydown Gardens dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Haydown Gardens? Attractions and activities nearby include: - Camer Park Country Park (former estate with 40 acres of green space): 10 minutes’ drive - St. Andrew's Lakes (swimming lakes with watersports activities; reservation in … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Haydown Gardens?
    RV, travel trailer and tent sites
    Arrive:  3 p.m. –  9 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    On-park accommodation
    Arrive:  3 p.m. –  9 p.m.
    Depart by:  10 a.m.
    Read more