What happened to the campsite?

[Quixoticgeek]

I was pondering the idea of taking myself away camping for a couple of nights at the weekend, find a nice campsite, set up my tent, relax, and read my book. That was the idea.

I don't want to go to far, but also not too close, 30-60 minutes from home. Shouldn't be too hard should it? Pah!

Campsites seem to have changed somewhat in recent years, they seem to come into a few types:

• Certified Location - A field, maybe a tap, but no other facilities, Caravans only
• Caravan and Camping park - A field, allows tents and caravans and motorhomes and probably has statics caravans to hire. Will typically have a play area and maybe even a swimming pool. Likely to charge over £20 for a single person in a tent...
• Camping and caravan site - Like a Certified Location, only they allow tents, still no toilet or showers, but does have power hookups, seems to charge over £10 quid for the absence of facilities, £15+ quid if it's a weekend, the suns out, or it isn't winter...
• Campsite - A field, it has a tap, a clean toilet, and a shower that may even be warm, costs in the region of £5-10 a night - These are a mythical creature limited to rural areas far off the beaten track.

In the unlikely event that you find a proper Campsite, you will then find that the require you to book for a minimum of 3 nights on weekends...

What happened to the simple campsites? Is somewhere to pitch a tent with a tap, a clean loo and a shower too much to ask for?

J

 

[Toddy]

Somewhere there's a thread on Campsites we Recommend

Might be time to resurrect it

M

found it
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=94271

I don't know if there are any of them near you though.
We used to reckon a good campsite was one where the farmer offered the use of his outside tap, recommended a field where there were no cows or sheep, and whose missus sold eggs, bacon and tatties.

M

 

[Shewie]

We have a good number of little campsites in Yorkshire, places where you can turn up on foot or by bike and just chill out next to a river for a few days, basic supplies from the farm or even coin operated vending machines offering dairy goods and homemade baking

I used to visit them regularly in my youth, I should plan a summer revisiting them again

 

[ADz-1983]

We have a good number of little campsites in Yorkshire, places where you can turn up on foot or by bike and just chill out next to a river for a few days, basic supplies from the farm or even coin operated vending machines offering dairy goods and homemade baking

I used to visit them regularly in my youth, I should plan a summer revisiting them again

Is there any specific ones you would recommend Rich?

 

[birchwood]

There is one I use just outside of Ashford. It is run by a farmer.it is quiet, has hot showers,and cheap for tents.
I will ping you the details when I find them.

 

[crosslandkelly]

Have you looked here?
http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/sites/cal.asp?revid=12430

 

[Mesquite]

With your criteria of 30-60 minutes from home and a couple nights booking then Badgells Camping Wood sounds what you're after.

At the moment they're showing availability. The other bonus is it's in 30 acres corner of a 240 acre wood and they allow fires so it sounds like it's a perfect bushcrafters site

Just to say in way of disclaimer I've yet to camp there, I found it when searching for a Kent campsite that allowed fires and saved it

 

[oldtimer]

I know how you feel.

I had the same idea and took a walk along the Oxfordshire Way which runs past my house. I turned up at a site after a long days walk, just me and my rucksack and they wanted to charge me £15. They explained that this was the charge for a pitch and that I had to pay the same as the family of 5 with a car, caravan and awning. Apparently I had free use of the children's playground, laundry, TV room etc.

The two of us decided to take the campervan for a quiet night in another Thames Valley site. The facilities were a cold water tap and one WC between the 20 or so people on a site on a steep hillside. The charge? still £15. And the girls doing their DofE had to pay this each!

High in the French Pyrenees. Site with WCs cold water, woods and streams and a view of the mountains, peace and tranquility on the edge of National Park, price? £6. In the park itself, overnight bivouac absolutely free!

Nuff said!

 

[Zingmo]

I know a site that only charges £3 a night - even for a caravan. Riverside location well off the beaten track, tap but no toilet. Firewood provided. Am I going to tell anyone where it is? No chance! Strictly by invitation only!

Sometimes it is worth phoning a CS site as it is planning regs that limit them to five caravans, but very often they have a rougher corner of a field for tents & such.

Z

 

[Pete11]

One word.

Stealth .

Pete

 

[ashby001]

http://www.parkfarmcamping.co.uk/index.htm

East sussex only a 30 minute or so drive from faversham/canterbury way
It can get a bit busy during summer holidays but most of the year it's nice calm and relaxed!!
And if you're friendly your tent neighbour might bring you the spare spag bol over

 

[twyforge]

Scout sites are very cheap, and in my experience always have basic amenities and let you have fires etc. However they are often eerily quiet in the absence of a couple of thousand scouts!!

 

[Kerne]

Did the North Norfolk Coast path with two mates and bivvied in the dunes a couple of nights - no charge. Turned up at a campsite on the last night: £30 for us to sleep under a tarp! £10 each regardless of what you had: tent, camper van or caravan.

 

[backpacker]

Your right most campsites want you to stay the minimum of two to three nights! the best way around that is get your kit together and find a woodland with a river or stream nearby and 'Wild Camp' and there's nothing better than getting all set up and having a nice camp fire burning in the whilst reading your book and if you found the right spot to camp you won't get bothered by other people.....Bliss!

Backpacker

 

[Quixoticgeek]

Your right most campsites want you to stay the minimum of two to three nights! the best way around that is get your kit together and find a woodland with a river or stream nearby and 'Wild Camp' and there's nothing better than getting all set up and having a nice camp fire burning in the whilst reading your book and if you found the right spot to camp you won't get bothered by other people.....Bliss!

Backpacker

The problem with that is that it is technically still trespass. I don't really want my relaxing couple of days with my book to be marred by the constant worry that someone with a shotgun and a couple of boisterous hounds might come along and ask me to exit stage right with immediate effect.

My bivvi bag and tarp are both in camo, and I try to keep all my gear in restrained natural colours so that I can wild camp with a bit of creative trespass. But sometimes I want to just put up a bigger tent, and relax.

J