Swallow Tail Farm

We thoroughly enjoyed our couple of nights on the farm. Comfortable tents and all kit supplied - didn't even have to pack the travel cot - they supplied one so for once we didn't have to pack the kitchen sink! We were lucky to have fabulous weather so we just enjoyed the beautiful surroundings with walks around the farm and land and relaxed in the deckchairs whilst (then) our 18 month old played. It was excellent to have our own fire pit for a proper camp fire - the building / tending of which kept my husband and son nicely absorbed for hours. And of course the animal feeding is a big attraction for little ones. Our 18 month old was fascinated with the pigs and loved (trying to chase) the sheep. The abudance of tractors kept him ingrossed and started off his obession for them. Really friendly farm owners too! Rye is the closest town - lots of nice cafes and restaurants and great for a wander around - particularly if like me you love mooching about old antique / vintage / junk shops for a really unusual find.

We had a great time at Swallowtail Hill with our two - aged 5 and 3 years. There were quite a lot of activities on offer for those that are interested - the farm is run for conservation, so we opted to do a nature walk and learn all about the work they do and this included doing some mini-beast collecting which my five year old son absolutely loved. The other half had a tractor driving lesson which kept him happy and everyone joined in with the animal feeding. The tents are very comfortable with proper beds - which was my main reason for booking! They come well equipped too - you don't need to lug any kitchen equipment with you it's all provided and we had a wonderful time sitting around the camp fire in the evening - listening to the peace and quiet. It was the perfect antidote to 'normal' life and we're thinking of booking again with some friends taking the other tent so we can have the place to ourselves and let the kids all enjoy the space together. There's loads to do in the area as well - we took the steam train to Bodiam Castle (loads for kids to do there!) and then Sarah suggested Camber Sands for some traditional sea-side fun. We had a really chilled time, the kids still talk about it now, and given that I was totally anti the idea of camping beforehand, I was very pleasantly surprised to find that I enjoyed it so much!

We stayed at Swallowtail farm for 1 night, royal wedding eve at that. After a beautiful drive through the Weald countryside (villages it seems that were made just for bunting) we were greeted by the lovely Sarah and Christopher.

To get to the pitch, we decamped our kit into their land rover and to the delight of our two kids they took us down the steep hill. I think my boys thought they'd were already fully-fledged farmers.

The pitch site is compact, but with two spacious tents and lots of space in between. The Bell tents easily sleep four and the airbeds are surprisingly comfortable. There's lots of spotless towels and blankets so you feel cosy, and we didn't have to worry about getting cold at night and the rechargeable lights really provided all the light you need.

The cookies supplied on arrival were fab, and it was so great having a little starter pack of food and washing up liquid ;(sad I know) but nothing annoys me more than having to pack all these things when setting off on a self-catering holiday.

We were a bit nervous about cooking on the fire thing (city types) so it was a great comfort also having a gas stove but I can proudly announce we managed dinner and breakfast using the fire pits. It felt lovely and authentic.

We all thought using eco toilets and the very aptly named willy wonker shower a big adventure. The shower's great It works, it's warm and very fun (although I'm not sure I was meant to get changed in the field)!

The surrounding fields and woods give a good couple of hours exploring time, and Sarah is wonderfully encouraging helping children to feed the chickens, pigs, ducks and goats even giving each helper a certificate for their efforts.

A great place to stay if you're new to camping like us.