Cottington Lakes

View prices & book 8.6 216 reviews
View over the main site pitches
View over the main site pitches
Aerial view over the caravan pitches
Hardstanding and grass pitches with electric hook-ups
Main site with electric hook-ups
Drone shot of the café, washrooms, parking and check-in point
Aerial view of site
Aerial shot of the main site
Aerial view over the site's non-electric pitches
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Aerial view over the caravan pitches
Hardstanding and grass pitches with electric hook-ups
Main site with electric hook-ups

  • Countryside site 10 minutes’ drive from Deal, in the Kent countryside
  • Sandwich 10 minutes’ drive; Howletts Wild Animal Park 25 minutes
  • On-site café; fishing (additional fee); designated footpaths
Set in the Kent countryside, Cottington Lakes is a peaceful spot that should suit anglers, nature lovers and families. The pitches are a couple of minutes’ walk from the on-site fishing lakes (available for an additional fee with a valid fishing permit), making it easy to head out for an early-morning cast. It’s important to note that access to the lakes themselves is strictly limited to those with a valid fishing permit. However, all guests are welcome to soak in the surrounding scenery on the designated footpaths that run around the outside of the lakes. When you’re ready for a bite to eat or a hot drink, the Castaway Café is also just a short walk away, serving hot meals, light snacks and refreshments (seasonal opening hours apply). Whether you're after lazy afternoons in nature or quiet evenings under the stars, this is a lovely place to slow down and appreciate the outdoors. The spacious grass pitches are supported by clean and simple on-site facilities designed to be practical rather than luxurious, including a small toilet and shower block. This consists of two women's toilets, one men's toilet with two urinals and a separate accessible toilet. There is one shower in the women’s area and one in the men’s, along with sinks inside the bathrooms and an additional wash basin outside. There’s a small shop on site covering everyday essentials, and the site is also close to historic Deal and the medieval Cinque Port of Sandwich (both around 10 minutes’ drive) if you need bigger shops or fancy eating out in pubs and restaurants.

Site type

Touring caravan pitches 25
Motorhome pitches 20
Tent pitches 20
Open all year
Opens
Please note

Extras

  • Facilities/activities including fishing are subject to extra charges payable on arrival.

Reception

  • Reception is unmanned after 5 p.m.. Please inform the site while on your way there should you expect to arrive after this time, so that the team can provide information about your unit/pitch.

Safety

  • Swimming in the lake is not allowed.

General

  • The bar and/or restaurant is open between 02/01 et 30/12.

Dogs

  • The site does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Dangerous Dogs Act (i.e. XL Bully, Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro).

Admission

  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • The café is open 01 October to 31 March on Friday, Saturday, Sunday from 8am to 4pm; and from 01 April to 30 September it is open Thursday and Friday from 8am to 2pm and Saturday and Sunday from 8am to 4pm.

Languages spoken

English

No availability here for your search criteria

Pitch types & availability

Accommodation

Tent pitchesTouring caravan pitchesMotorhome pitchesLodges, cabins, pods or hutsCaravans for hireRent a tent
Choose your dates
2 adults
0 children
0 dogs

Reviews

8.6

Overall rating from 216 Pitchup.com customers

  • 47%
    10
  • 16%
    9
  • 17%
    8
  • 6%
    7
  • 4%
    6
  • 2%
    5
  • 1%
    4
  • 2%
    3
  • 0%
    2
  • 0%
    1
Location
 9
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 8
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 6
Peaceful

86% would recommend this site to a friend

86% would stay here again

What customers say

A tranquil, roomy spot with great facilities & staff. Anglers love the relaxed vibe. Peak times can be busy for loos/showers. Signage could be clearer on pitches/lake. Waste & dishwashing improved.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews. Last updated 2026/09/08

Filter by topic

Reviews page 1 of 22
Arrival date (latest first)

Ideal quiet location for local amenities

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Anonymous

South field non-electric grass pitch

Liked Fantastic site for the money
Everything kept spotless
Great place to walk dog around the perimeter of the lakes(not allowed to walk round lakes themselves)
Close to Deal-which is worth a visit

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Very well looked after campground, highly recommend

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
 Sophie C. 2 reviews

North field non-electric grass pitch

Liked The site was very well maintained and the staff were lovely. The toilet and washing up facilities were very clean, and regularly checked by the staff too! Plenty of space to pitch up away from other campers. The cafe is also so handy and the food is good!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Apart from the cafe not opening on time, it was a good place to stay.

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 2
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
 carrington m. 1 review

North field non-electric grass pitch

Liked Great place to stay. Field was well maintained. Staff were good.

Disliked Was told cafe opened at 07:30, but did not open and had to leave around d 8am for meeting. So no time for breakfast.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent place

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
 Stacey B. 1 review

North field non-electric grass pitch

Liked Lovely site lovely people
Very clean and tidy
Staff accommodating and friendly
Would deffo recommend

Disliked Need more toilets around the lakes
More bins located around the lakes

Recommend to friends Visit again

Easy contact about late arrival. Were…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 8
Facilities / Activities
 No rating
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 No rating
Oksana M. 1 review

North field non-electric grass pitch

Liked Easy contact about late arrival. Were given the gate code and easy access at night time.

Disliked Waiting 40 minutes for ordered coffee.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Très calme, sanitaires propre, personne serviable,…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
 Amélie A. 3 reviews

North field electric hardstanding and grass pitch

Liked Très calme, sanitaires propre, personne serviable, le petit restaurant bien, parc à 5 min à pied hors du camping, les enfants peuvent faire du vélo joué sa s soucis.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent stay and would highly recommend

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
 Lisa F. 1 review

North field electric hardstanding and grass pitch

Liked Really friendly and helpful staff. We needed to extend our stay and they were very helpful especially Sam. The staff in the castaway cafe were also great and the food and drinks were lovely and good value for money, even delivered to the tent!

Disliked Only one shower in the women's block so sometimes had a bit of a wait.

Recommend to friends Visit again

The staff are amazing, the site…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
 Hayley S. 1 review

South field electric grass pitch

Liked The staff are amazing, the site was amazing. Toilets and showers were cleaned all the time. Always someone on hand to ask advise or questions. Cafe was clean and tidy even better they now deliver lake side or to your pitch.

Disliked The bins were a bit smelly. That all I cannot fault anything else, we had a great time

Recommend to friends Visit again

Very friendly staff Great having a cafe…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
 Lorraine C. 1 review

North field electric hardstanding and grass pitch

Liked Very friendly staff
Great having a cafe om site

Disliked Showers were slightly tepid but nice clean Showers & toilets

Recommend to friends Visit again

Nice place in nature but poor entrance

Overall

7 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 7
Facilities / Activities
 4
Customer service
 6
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 2
Wifi
 No rating
Elza v. 2 reviews

South field electric grass pitch

Liked Friendly staff, lots of space

Disliked Only one shower to be found, outdated and not so clean

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

Dogs allowed

Leisure on site

Bar or club house Cycle hire Evening entertainment Fishing Fitness centre Games room Indoor swimming pool Kids' club On-site restaurant/cafe Outdoor swimming pool Play area TV room Take away Tennis Watersports

Amenities on site

Bath available Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Food shop Free wifi Ice pack freezing Internet access Launderette Parent & baby washroom Pick-up from public transport Portable toilet Pub toilets Public telephone Shower available Toilet block Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

D. of E. welcome Family friendly Motorcycle friendly Rallies welcome Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

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

Camping 2.0

Jumbo tent pitches

Themes

Forest Lake and/or mountain Peaceful Remote location Spectacular scenery Walkers' paradise

Utilities

Charging facilities Chemical disposal Electric car charging point(s) Gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby Nearby farmers' market Public transport nearby Shop nearby

Type

Small (11-25 pitches)

Accessibility

Accessible parking at pitch Bathrooms: Step-free access Bathrooms: Wheelchair accessible toilet Pitch close to accessible bathrooms

Nearby leisure

Cycle hire nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Horse riding nearby Leisure/theme park nearby Mountain biking nearby Restaurant nearby

Location

Cottington Lakes

Sandwich Road

Sholden

Deal

Kent

England

CT14 0AR

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

51,22804°N
1,37374°E

Nearest transport

Coach
2,2 km South Street
3,2 km Thompsons Bell
3,3 km Thompsons Bell
Rail
1,8 km Deal Rail Station
2,8 km Walmer Rail Station
5,1 km Sandwich Rail Station
Ferry
11,4 km Ramsgate Ferry Terminal
11,8 km Dover Eastern Docks Ferry Terminal
13 km Dover Western Docks Ferry Terminal
Airport
13,2 km Kent International Airport
43,3 km Lydd London Ashford 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

For a day at the seaside, head to Deal (10 minutes’ drive), but be aware that there will be no castle building here, since the beach is a seemingly infinite expanse of pebbles. As the clock strikes the hour, turn your gaze to the Timeball Tower to see the ball drop, as it used to do back in the 19th century. Get lost among the medieval streets and alleyways of Sandwich (10 minutes), then head to the River Stour, the banks of which are often the site of lively festivals and re-enactments. From there, you can walk to the sandy beach at Sandwich Bay, via trails and dunes where you might spot stoats, partridges and warblers. Wingham Wildlife Park (15 minutes) has big cats (lions and tigers) as well as smaller animals like meerkats and penguins, plus a Dinosaur Zoo with replicas of prehistoric beasts. Howletts Wild Animal Park (25 minutes) also has an Animals of the Ice Age section, and it runs special encounters with lemurs, anteaters and baboons.
(within 10 km)
Castle, Aquarium, Theme park and Zoo (within 16,1 km)

Food and drink

  • The Sportsman Pub 0,6 km
  • Lamp Room Restaurant 1,1 km
  • The Leather Bottle Pub 1,3 km
  • The Farrier Pub 1,3 km
  • Three Horseshoes Pub 1,4 km
  • The Coach Pub 1,7 km
  • The Smugglers Pub 1,8 km
  • The Alma Pub 1,9 km
  • The Deal Hoy Pub 1,9 km
  • Eagle Tavern Pub 1,9 km

Groceries

  • Sainsbury's Supermarket 1,8 km
  • Aldi Supermarket 2 km
  • The Merchant Of Relish Off-licence 2 km
  • The Strand Wine Company Off-licence 2,6 km
  • Spar Supermarket 5,8 km
  • Co-op Food Supermarket 5,8 km
  • Lidl Supermarket 9,7 km
  • Tesco Extra Supermarket 9,8 km

Parks and play

  • Victoria Park 1,9 km
  • Worth Memorial Park 4,2 km
  • Eastry Picnic Site park 4,8 km
  • Sandwich Quay Playground 5,5 km
  • Poulders Park Playground 5,7 km
  • Junior Playground 7,9 km
  • Infant Playground 8 km
  • Eythorne Playing Field park 8,1 km
  • Arable Drive Play Area Playground 9 km

Family days out

  • Deal Castle 2,3 km
  • Deal Pier Visitor attraction 2,4 km
  • Walmer Memorial Bandstand Visitor attraction 2,6 km
  • Ham Sandwich sign Visitor attraction 3 km
  • Walmer Castle 3,6 km
  • Sandwich Wildlife Park Zoo 4,9 km
  • The Barbican Gate Visitor attraction 5,8 km
  • Watermills Wake and Aqua Park Visitor attraction 6,8 km
  • Richborough Fort Visitor attraction 7,8 km
  • Eythorne Visitor attraction 8,3 km
  • The Spur, Dover Castle 11,4 km
  • Spur Caponier Castle 11,5 km
  • The Great Tower Castle 11,6 km
  • Dover Castle 11,7 km
  • Wingham Wildlife Park Zoo 11,7 km

Public transport

  • Paddock Close 0,5 km
  • Sholden New Road 0,6 km
  • Sholden Village 0,6 km
  • The Sportsman 0,7 km
  • Sholden School 0,8 km
  • Church 1 km
  • St Leonard's Church 1,2 km
  • Leather Bottle 1,2 km
  • St Nicholas Close 1,2 km
  • Abbey Close 1,3 km

Beaches

  • St Margaret's Bay 8,7 km

Other nearby

  • Ocean Rooms Nightclub 2 km
  • Your Little Green Shop General shop 2,2 km
  • Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club Golf course 2,6 km
  • The Royal St. George's Golf Club Golf course 5,2 km
  • Sandwich Marina 5,8 km
  • Highway Marina 6,1 km
  • Walmer and Kingsdown Golf Links Golf course 6,5 km
  • Princes Golf Club Golf course 7,2 km

Local services

  • Victoria Hospital 1,5 km
  • Esso Fuel station 1,6 km
  • Golf Road Surgery Doctors 1,8 km
  • St Richards Road Surgery Doctors 1,8 km
  • Paydens Pharmacy 1,8 km
  • Sainsbury's ATM Cashpoint 1,8 km
  • Paydens Pharmacy 2 km
  • HSBC UK Cashpoint 2 km
  • Halifax Cashpoint 2,1 km
  • NatWest Cashpoint 2,1 km

© OpenStreetMap contributors

Must see

Deal Castle 2,1 km

Walmer Castle and Gardens 3,6 km

South Foreland Lighthouse 9,8 km

White Cliffs of Dover 10,9 km

Dover Castle 11,7 km

National Trust

South Foreland Lighthouse 9,8 km

The White Cliffs of Dover 11 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

NORTHBOURNE COURT 1,9 km

WALMER CASTLE 3,6 km

Sandwich - White Cliff Country Trail - Sandwich 5,1 km

THE SALUTATION 5,4 km

WALDERSHARE PARK 8,6 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.

Want to know more about camping in Kent?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Cottington Lakes have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Cottington Lakes dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Cottington Lakes? For a day at the seaside, head to Deal (10 minutes’ drive), but be aware that there will be no castle building here, since the beach is a seemingly infinite expanse of … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Cottington Lakes?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  noon –  5 p.m.
    Depart by:  11:30 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Cottington Lakes? From R436,11 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.