Campsite in Sussex for Easter weekend

[oranges123]

Hi - a request for all you experienced South East campers please. We are hoping to go camping over the Easter weekend with a group of other families. We want reasonable loos/showers if possible as lots of small children and DEFINITELY want to be able to have a big fire. Otherwise, no facilities needed - just running around space for the children and for an Easter Egg hunt.

We have found a lovely site but at nearly £100 for 3 nights for 2 adults and a toddler, it is a bit pricey.

Does anyone know of a reasonably priced campsite in the West Sussex area that allows fires?

[Eternally grateful emoticon]

Or East Sussex?

There's Blackberry Farm near Brighton. Not stayed there myself but it sounds like the kind of thing you describe. And I'm pretty sure you can have a fire.

Look on the UK Campsite site and there is a special search list for sites, by area, that allow fires.

Forgewood? I think that is in Kent.

Which was the expensive one you tried?

Thanks Quenelle and CarrieAnn for your replies. I had looked on UK campsite but was a bit daunted by the options and thought I would be lazy and see if anyone here had been anywhere they liked.

Carrie, the expensive one was Kitts Cottage Campsite. It looks lovely, to be honest, but charges for children over 1 and with the number of children in our group, that makes for an expensive weekend.

Quenelle, I have actually stayed at Blackberry Wood - I forgot it is in the same area. It tends to get very booked up very quickly but also you have to cart your stuff from the car park to the site and we tend to take ridiculous amounts of crap vital equipment.

Carrie, I just checked out Forgewood and, although it is in Kent as you point out, it actually looks great. I think that may be our site!

Thanks again both

Sussex is expensive - especially those sites where you can have campfires. I've not been to Blackberry Farm myself but know it's very popular - not sure they'll have a availability for Easter now.

Forgewood is great but pricey at £12.50 per adult per night plus £5 for over 3s.

Blacklands Farm near Henfield is a lovely little site. You can't have on the ground campfires but you can have chiminea/notebook BBQ/ big BBQ etc and they've got a fab play area in the middle of the field. Lots of space and ideal for easter egg hunts! Without electric and with a toddler (under 4s are free, £3 for over 4s) you're looking at £15 a night. There's also no deposit so if the weather's terrible or your plans change you can cancel.

at Forgewood prices! We went when it was not yet up and coming.
Wowo is very costly too.
I wonder if it is it because these new campfire-friendly sites appeal to a rather middle class market.

Hidden Spring? Dernwood? Springhill? Palace Farm?

These have all caught our eye in the past, but we haven''t visited.

Forgewood is pricey I agree, although it appears to be £10 per adult for families which brings it down a bit, although the children are £5 in addition as you say. Still works out cheaper than Kitts Cottage though, so I think we are going to go for it.

I will report back after Easter.

I love the look of Blacklands Farm. I'm adding it to my list.

CarrieAnnRegardless I'm sure you're right about the clientele at this type of site determining the higher prices. Unless they have massive insurance costs due to allowing fires?

I think CarrieAnn is right and the sites being listed in books like Cool Camping/Time Out etc and papers like the Guardian has made them very popular and allowed them to whack up their charges.

But also I think camping generally has got very expensive - its current trendiness, cheap camping kit and the recession have all contricuted. Some pretty grim sites I have visited have been pretty expensive once you add in all the extras they charge for.

Dernwood farm is lovely but no showers and you have to wheelbarrow everything from the car around 400yrds through the woods. We go once a year but for at least 3 nights to make the lugging worthwhile.

Forgewood has a discounted rate for adults if you are a family. It's £10. Still not cheap but it's our fave site in the south East.

Palace Farm is good - v nice shower/loo block.

Welsummer Camping also good.

Manor Court Farm.

All these allow campfires.

Can't remember if these are Kent or Sussex but all fairly close together.

Don't remember Wowo being super expensive.

I think Kitts Cottage is the most expensive of all them, for sure.