Campsite near Rye

[lavendersun]

Can anyone recommend a small quiet site near Rye, basic facilities are fine, fires a bonus.

I have found the Hare and Hounds and Dogwood Cottage so far that I like the look of - anyone stayed there?

Thanks.

[DreadfulSpiller]

Thanks for the tip cordelia!

[Callmecordelia]

Dreadful, we went to the pub there (it is the White Hart you're thinking of isn't it?) a couple of Sundays ago. Very family friendly, but I'd book. It was rammed.

[lavendersun]

Mine includes 'rent freshly laundered towels for your stay' , can you imagine it, I will be spending any profit on replacement towels.

DH really likes the idea but is slightly worried that it will cramp our style. We have plenty of room at home but still like to camp as often as we can because if we are not here we are not looking after the garden, horses, fencing, hedging etc., etc., and I think that when DD grows up she will look back and remember camping more than us hedge trimming.

We think that we want to move house so wouldn't do anything until we had decided on a long term place.

Could be great, or could mean that we travel a lot less unless we had some reliable help.

You could pay my DH to do your dish washing Blu .... I never touch the dishes when camping.

[Blu]

I spend quite a bit of time planning my fantasy campsite, but I don't think the business plan will fund my retirement.

The closest model will be Nethergong Nurseries. Lots of space, but not one big open field - it will have a variety of habitats, pitches shielded by clumps of bushes and mini rough half crescents of hedge (rustic, not privet), some light trees like birches to camp beneath, and some woodland pitches. A pond or small lake.

Good but basic facilities: a wooden shed with showers, (with space and hooks out of reach of the water), family toilet block, toilets, a couple of sinks. A freezer for ice packs, possibly a washing machine, and in my wildest dreams a PAYG dishwasher

Fires allowed - possibly like the ones on Canadian sites where you get an iron firebox and an attached brick BBQ / grill.

No EHU, no amplified music, no big party groups.

Possibly rental of big items like cookers, coolbox, etc to make it more possible for people to come on the train or bus, but without 'glamping'.

[lavendersun]

I will - two years before we will have time we reckon, I have lots of ideas , not sure it will make any money for a long time after the splurge of my initial investment.

[Blu]

That place looks great!

And let me know when you open your own campsite!

[DreadfulSpiller]

That's a shame lavender, make sure you let us all know when you set up yr own site!
Fingers crossed for bodiam, we're pretty local so are treating it a a test for our new tent before France in the summer hols. Some friends have been before and enjoyed it, we'll be with friends and between us 6 kids between 2 and 8, so a pub, bodiam castle and canoeing have tempted all ages- something for everyone!

[lavendersun]

Thanks Blu, that looks lovely. Yep, add ons for everything. We have got our own firebox that collapses that we take in our canoe so didn't subscribe at all.

We found a new place near home (in Norfolk), that is really lovely and simple without add ons (or many facilities mind you).

www.wardleyhillcampsite.com

Our new weekend retreat - absolutely tons of room, fires - drums free if you need one and you can collect wood. I can be home within 40 mins of starting to take the tent down and can drive there, pitch it and drive back while my daughter is at music school.

[Blu]

lavendersun, I think you would like Freshwinds if you are in that area again.

No question of being hemmed in, very loosely defined pitches and you can go where you like, they only take 15 in a big field, you can take your car into the field but are asked to park it in the corner once you have unloaded and not keep it by your tent or drive across the field. 2 compost toilets (and a compos urinal) 2 hot showers, one washing up hut with hot and cold water, fires allowed in firepits supplied (not hired!! another creeping add-on) by them, and massive sacks of wood available on an honesty basis.

[lavendersun]

Yes, such a shame Random. The last time we felt like that was about six years ago at Stiffkey on the Norfolk coast - packed in like sardines, we actually went to a camping shop and bought a windbreak on the Stiffkey trip , unused ever since, but cars were driving within a foot of the front of our tent and we had a two year old.

I know it is a much more densely populated part of the country than where we usually go (Peak District and north), but still.

We have plans to create our own campsite when we are less busy with life - six pitches in an acre of land with three loos, three showers and washing up sinks with a permanent fire pit outside each pitch - just room and simplicity.

I just don't get the pack them in thing at all and having a bit of room at home makes it seem worse.

[RandomHouseRules]

What a shame - better off peak I suspect. I can't imagine 60 people in that space!

[lavendersun]

We had a cup of tea at the cafe at Bodium Dreadful, it is just a field next to the road and little steam railway. I reckon it could be quite exposed as it was really flat.

We were quite underwhelmed by Dogwood Random, lovely lovely fellow campers but just too many people for the size of the field and two loos, one shower and one washing up sink. There were loads of us there - at least 60 people and it just felt really penned in. It would have been fine with half the number of campers. When we pitched we were almost on top of a little walking tent, we couldn't fit our vario canopy on the pitch (had booked and paid for a big one).

We had to be really careful driving through one of the gaps as there was only just a car's width between the guy lines of two tents pitched either side.

We still had a lovely week but the campsite definitely wasn't what we expected.

[DreadfulSpiller]

Off to bodium boating station at the end of June hopefully so will report back ... Have just been to rye by the marshes, lovely day, but, the wind ... Never stops!

[RandomHouseRules]

We have been to Dogwood twice now and really enjoyed both trips. Friendly people (owners and fellow campers) and good facilities. Lots to do locally too.

[chocolatelife]

www.ukcampsite.co.uk/sites/reviews.asp?revid=9635

this looks nice, I think it might have already been mentioned

[chocolatelife]

there arent a lot on the coast, as mentioned upthread, sadly

[lavendersun]

Thank you chocolate, sorry I didn't say but we are tent campers, both of those are caravans only.

[chocolatelife]

www.ukcampsite.co.uk/sites/townlisting.asp?town=Winchelsea%20Beach

winchelsea is lovely

[lavendersun]

Thanks all - we are going to Dogwood Cottage, I left the choice to DH and he has booked it. Didn't like the fact that we couldn't cycle/walk from the H&H which is a shame because it looks great otherwise and the owners were really helpful in answering questions. Just a shame about the road.

I will look at the others so thanks for the recommendations.

It will be our first camp in our big tent of the year - DD wasn't at school last year and we had been for three weeks by then .... feeling very hemmed in by the school hols this year.

[Suttonmum1]

Brakes Coppice Park near Crowhurst. 3 smallish camping areas, surrounded by woodland, very quiet. Small fishing lake too. Google aerial view gives a good impression of it.

[Blu]

Have a look at Freshwinds Caming, near Hastings but not far from Rye.

[mybabywakesupsinging]

Romney farm is not too far from Rye and is quiet. look on ukcampsite

[lavendersun]

Thanks, we need to decide re the road. I think I could cope with it if it was quiet at night. DH will probably veto it, I am waiting for him to contact me - he is away.

[fatbottomgirl67]

Sorry wifi went down. The road is reasonably busy for round here as it's the main one into Rye, but busy depends on what you're used to. The boating station looks really nice . Building only just finished . Good pub on the door step, boats to Bodium and the steam railway 2min walk away but it is 6 miles from Rye.

[Callmecordelia]

Yay! I really didn't think it would. FWIW, I wouldn't want to be right down on the coast near Rye, particularly on the Marsh side. The wind is never ending.