Recommendations please: relaxed UK campsite with campfires

[skankingpiglet]

Can anyone recommend a good campsite please?

There will be 3 families in tents, 1 in a campervan, with children ranging between 2 and 6yo.
We are looking for somewhere where we can all camp together (not in rows!) and have a campfire/fire pit. We'd love somewhere near a beach. The site doesn't need bells and whistles. We're all reasonably experienced campers and as long as there are clean toilets/portaloos we don't need anything else.
Ideally there would be enough space that the older ones can ride their bikes a bit within sight of the tents, although this isn't essential.
It needs to be reasonably priced!
Location: within a 2hr (ish!) drive of the M25.

We have gone to a really relaxed old hippy site for the last few years, which has been great (not least because it's a 5 min walk to the beach!) but we all fancy a change of scenery this year.

Any ideas?

Stubcroft Farm in Sussex

White Horse farm in Dorset.

Nowhere near a beach but Britchcombe Farm in Oxfordshire.

Manor farm in west runton north Norfolk
Stiffkey, north Norfolk

There is one by Snowdon, but I can’t remember the name helpful

Where are you currently going? Sounds great!

Kingsdown international in Deal is lovely. Would also like to know where the campsite you currently stay at is? Sounds great

Another vote for Britchcombe Farm if you can do without a beach. Proper fire pits dug into the fields there.

We have just stayed at a lovely certificated site, Manor Farm in Dorset, just a field away from the beach and walkable to West Bay along the beach. However it only has 2 toilets but they were building a shower which looked good. Have to be a member of C&CC, £12/night. We were allowed a fire pit and put some bricks under it to save the grass.

Nethergong Nurseries near Herne Bay in Kent

Freshwinds near Pett Levels in E Sussex

Eweleaze, Dorset

Glottenham Castle just North of Battle E Sussex, so drivable to Hastings / Bexhill

Blackberry Wood E Sussex drivable to Brighton / Hove

Which site is the relaxed hippie place you have been to? Sounds right up our street

Does Stiffkey (High Sands Creek) allow campfires?

Is the Snowden on Nnantcol Falls?

Norfolk ‘campfire’ sites that I know of Camping by the Canal and Breck Farm

omg Break farm . we still call that place "chicken shit farm"
I think its been renovated since we stayed there as a big group.

Stiffkey will allow a fire on bricks I believe. please double check if you do manage to get in the campsite, its only small so gets booked up.

Breck

Stiffkey has set pitches though, and tents are closer together than on the ‘wild camping’ style sites of Kent and E Sussex.

Breck is way more busy than I like in a chilled back to basics campsite. I haven’t stayed there, just checked it out.

Depending on where you are in the M25 North Norfolk is significantly more than a 2 hour drive.

Thank you everyone! I will get researching on all of these recommendations!
Norfolk is too far sadly. That is where we've been the last few years and it's proving just a little too far for some of our group. We are scattered around the M25 so no area is ideal for all.

Where we camped previously: it's not somewhere you are supposed to advertise but I am happy to PM those who've asked specifically

Don't go to Nethergong in Kent. You'd hate it and the fewer people that know about it the better as it is getting harder to get booked in.

Id love to know where your hippy campsite is too please. I'll have a think for some suggestions and update in the morning. Thanks

Try the 'Toasted Marshmallows' FB group for good recommendations for rustic sites that allow fires.

Ooh yes please OP, re the hippie site!

Look at the Camping Unplugged sites.
And Pop Up By The River.
Palace Farm

I stayed at a lovely one in Cornwall last summer. They have a big long-grass meadow with mowed paths, and a variety of mowed pitches in various spots. So you can camp in your own mowed bit, surrounded by long grass so that the other tents are partially hidden from view. It was very nice. 20 minute walk to the beach - or 5 minute drive. And they had really nice fire pits. Hang on, let me find it...

Oh. Damn, sorry! Now I've found it, it's adults only.
www.themeadowspentewanvalley.co.uk/caravan-camping/
Sorry! I do highly recommend it though.

Merrylands is not far from Eastbourne.

Could look at Rushbanks farm on the River Stour. Lovely river for swimming, and pitches were very relaxed when I last stayed, but I've not been for a few years so I think you'd need to check. Looks like they've been doing some upgrades as there wasn't even any hot water when I last stayed.

rushbanksfarm.co.uk

Nethergong is awful :) (havent managed to get in the last few times I;ve tried!

town farm near ivinghoe beacon (not near beach but v easy from m25)

Stiffkey was a bit regimented pitces when we went but was very busy - the worst thing was they had those really noisy dyson hand dryers and they kept waking me up! (obviously hygenic campers at that site)

again no beach but Stowford manor from valley was great and swimming in the river...although a while since we've been ...

In cornwall - South Penquite farm - space/chickens/stone circles excellent loo block - its amazing though a bit further than 2hrs!

would say barefoot camping near oxford but campervans are seperated from tents.....

woudl love to know where you go as starting to plan our trip too!

Shell island in Wales. You can camp wherever you want on the site, fires and bbq have to be off the ground but they sell firewood and even fire baskets if you need one.

Glottenham Castle (Im biased!!) only open for a month. Huge field for camping (about 10 acres) another huge field for playing and woodland, only 10 pitches and you can all pitch together. Hot water outdoor showers and (honestly) non smelly compost toilets.