Campsites for hikers in Hainault Forest

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Once part of the Forest of Essex, this age-old 280-acre expanse sprawling northeast from London has been protected since back in the 12th century. Dive into its horse-riding, cycling and walking routes, keeping an eye out for some of the 130 bird species among the trickling streams, whispering oak trees and wide-open heathland. A ‘monster trail’ keeps kids busy, and the whole area is dog-friendly. Autumn is a delightful season to explore Hainault Forest, with foliage slipping into rust-red clothes, while spring is perfect for vibrant blooms. You’ll want to book nearby campsites well ahead, especially in July and August when things get busy.

98% (1.1K) 1,648 campsites

Top-rated campgrounds in Hainault Forest

The Barn KT9

1. The Barn KT9

97%
(271)
Chessington, England · 16 units · Tents, Glamping
A unique rural campsite in Surrey, a stone's throw from London's Zone 6
Pets
Campfires
Showers
Hook Farm Campsite

2. Hook Farm Campsite

98%
(203)
East Grinstead, England · 13 units
Blissfully back-to-basics camping in the heart of the West Sussex High Weald
Pets
Campfires
Showers
Tomkins Farm

3. Tomkins Farm

96%
(167)
North Chailey, England · 41 units · Tents, Motorhomes, Glamping
Relaxed camping beside a lake on an East Sussex farm, with alpacas, llamas, and camels
Pets
Campfires
Showers
Cherry Orchard Farm

4. Cherry Orchard Farm

100%
(1)
Leighton Buzzard, England · 5 units
Cherry Orchard is a 60 acre Conservation Farm surrounded by heathland and woodland with miles of beautiful walking. This is a tranquil get-away and chance to soak in nature and completely unwind. Contact and booking via our website is of preference to here if you can we would appreciate it. The farm is for people who want to embrace the great outdoors and we recommend that you try and turn your phone off and become one with nature during your stay. There are a few facilities in the farmhouse outbuilding, such as a flushable toilet (free), shower and washing machine, which have extra a charge, but the camping is wild camping in a field not on a mown pitch. There is a good selection of pubs and restaurants nearby in Woburn (4 miles away, next to Woburn Safari) if you want to see some sights. There’s also a good pub in Great Brickhill and 3 pubs in Heath and Reach, walking distance from the farm plus two cafes in the Country Park.
Showers
Potable water
Picnic table
Beech Estate Campsite

5. Beech Estate Campsite

97%
(188)
Battle, England · 52 units · Tents, Glamping
Tent pitch camping and wild glamping in a Sussex woodland hideaway
Campfires
Showers
Potable water
Otter Channel Campsite

6. Otter Channel Campsite

95%
(159)
East Sussex, England · 15 units
Spacious, nature-friendly camping with campfires on the banks of the River Rother
Pets
Campfires
Showers
Painters Farm Campsite

7. Painters Farm Campsite

99%
(44)
Whitstable, England · 46 units · Tents, Motorhomes
Nestled beside the village of Painters Forstal, Faversham, Kent. Our two acre orchard site with grass pitches. The campsite lies within seventeen acres on the slope of The Kent Downs, a designated area of natural beauty. The Alma ale house at the edge of the farm serves Shepherds Neame and hot meals all year round. Two acre quiet cherry orchard site based around a Tudor Manor house 1547 that gives its name to our village. Surrounded by orchards and open countryside but within easy reach of Faversham, Whitstable and Canterbury. Pitches for tents, campervans, motorhomes and touring caravans with or without electric hook up on a level grassy site. Pets are welcome and a crew member is always around the reception or farm to help out. The Campsite is open from 1st march until 31st October. The local area is awash with things to do. Faversham once the busiest port in 17th century England for its wool trade has the longest complete medieval street in the country. A wealth of little shops, cafes and pubs as well as the country’s oldest family owned brewery Shepherd Neame. Whitstable sitting just along the coast, famed for its Oysters and Sunsets is a fun beachside community bustling in the summer months and hauntingly bleak in the winter ones. The World Heritage sites of Canterbury are just a fifteen minute trip away with all its well documented history and plentiful shops and eateries.
Pets
Electrical hookup
Campfires
Hale Farm

8. Hale Farm

100%
(152)
Chiddingly, England · 38 units · Tents, Glamping
A family-run, working farm in East Sussex offering spacious, traditional camping with no set pitches
Campfires
Showers
Potable water
The Nut Plat Retreat

9. The Nut Plat Retreat

94%
(79)
Tonbridge, England · 3 units
Antique living wagons on the banks of the River Bourne, with a charming orchard setting, a pub down the lane and a history unlike anywhere else
Pets
Showers
Campfires
Earth Camp

10. Earth Camp

90%
(34)
Lewes, England · 32 units · Tents, Motorhomes, Glamping
We are a small, family run, eco-friendly campsite in Chailey, set in a peaceful pocket of Sussex countryside. Our uniqueness includes therapies offered on site, including massage, reiki and pellowah; our classes run on site, including yoga, and gong baths; the wide range of outdoor games we can provide; and our commitment to making your camping experience as pleasurable as possible. We also have a fantastic wood-fired sauna all day on Saturdays, a delicious pizza oven on Saturday evenings, and a coffee truck on weekend mornings! We allow campfires and dogs, and for those who seek a little luxury in camping, we have spacious hot showers. We also have a number of beautiful Bell Tents available to hire, which we will put up for you prior to your arrival (min 2 nights). Look our for our special weekends, including Star Parties, Yoga Retreats, Singing Circles and Wellness Weekends. We also have delicious wood-fired pizzas on Saturday evenings, and an artisan coffee trucks with superb pastries on weekend mornings 8-10am.
Pets
Campfires
Showers
Dernwood Farm Camping & Glamping

11. Dernwood Farm Camping & Glamping

95%
(65)
Waldron, England · 17 units · Tents, Glamping
Camping and glamping in Sussex meadows and woodlands
Pets
Campfires
Showers
The Secret Campsite

12. The Secret Campsite

99%
(91)
Lewes, England · 17 units · Tents, Glamping
A not so secret campsite in East Sussex with camping and glamping – and campfires encouraged
Campfires
Showers
Potable water
Downsview Vineyard

13. Downsview Vineyard

100%
(55)
Crowborough, England · 4 units
Simple but sophisticated, adults-only bell tent camping on a tiny vineyard with distant views of the South Downs
Pets
Showers
Campfires
Glassenbury Camping

14. Glassenbury Camping

99%
(65)
Cranbrook, England · 33 units · Tents, Motorhomes, Glamping
Eco camping in the heart of the High Weald and Kent's castle country
Pets
Campfires
Showers
Fontmills Farm Campsite

15. Fontmills Farm Campsite

100%
(122)
Hellingly, England · 38 units · Tents, Motorhomes, Glamping
Family-friendly camping near the Cuckoo Trail, where campfires are permitted and space is guaranteed
Campfires
Showers
Potable water
Ditchling Boutique Camping

16. Ditchling Boutique Camping

86%
(22)
Ditchling, England · 100 units
Hunker down in a historic village, surrounded by vineyards, hilly countryside and some rather spectacular views. With Ditchling Camping as your base, you’ll be on track for rural bike rides or visiting Brighton and its busy coast 25 minutes’ drive away. That’s because this dog-friendly site is in Ditchling – a village in the splendid South Downs National Park and a rather excellent location for all sorts of days out. Good news if the whole family is tagging along: there’s plenty to play with around the site, including an adventure trail through the woodlands, a swing tree and places for kids to fashion their own little dens. The site is only a five-minute drive (or a 30-minute walk) from the traditional Jack and Jill windmills and the neighbouring family-run pub, which serves both grub and good ales. A vineyard is 15 minutes’ walk away from the site if you'd like to include a wine-tasting tour on your break. Otherwise, simply pedal along country lanes on the surrounding cycling routes (it’s easy enough to hire a bike locally). On your route, you might want to stop by in characterful Ditchling, home to local craftspeople and winemakers. There’s a nice selection of independent shops here, plus cosy cafés and pubs that will serve you a good spread of Sussex food, all within a 5-minute walk. Back on site, end the day with a cosy evening beside the fire-pits. The site facilities are nicely straightforward otherwise and include warm showers and a separate dishwashing area and of course our newly installed Composting Toilets.
Pets
Campfires
Showers
Field of dreams

17. Field of dreams

100%
(3)
Duxford, England · 10 units · Tents, Motorhomes
The site is nearly an acre set in the corner of a five acre meadow we have a maximum of 10 pitches in our arable farm sitting on one of the highest spots in Essex on the Cambridgeshire border overlooking Duxford IWM . If it is a show weekend we are able to take more pitches . we have a pond in the middle of the meadow and nesting owls in a tree on the hedgerow Surrounded by fields but a short walk to a very good pub and short drive to nearest well stocked village shop If you want to relax and restore this is the place to come
Pets
Campfires
Showers
Pitchcott Farm

18. Pitchcott Farm

92%
(31)
Aylesbury, England · 11 units · Tents, Motorhomes, Glamping
Nearly wild, back-to-nature camping on a regenerative farm in Buckinghamshire
Pets
Campfires
Showers
The Sunnyfield Campsite

19. The Sunnyfield Campsite

94%
(99)
Canterbury, England · 24 units · Tents, Motorhomes, Glamping
Looking for a place where you can camp, glamp and campervan together with friends? The Sunnyfield is the place.
Pets
Campfires
Showers
Scallow Campsite Glamping Pods

20. Scallow Campsite Glamping Pods

93%
(14)
East Hoathly, Near Lewes, England · 3 units
The Glamping site offers three Glamping Pods. Glamping Pod 1 has twin beds while Glamping Pod 2 and 3 have double beds. The Pods are furnished with beds, side tables, table and chairs with hanging space for clothes and coats. The site is level and surrounded by a well managed copse adjoining the road with wild flowers and resplendent with bluebells in the Spring. We are proud to have been awarded Campsite of the Year East Sussex for 2021/22 by CorporateLiveWire Prestige Awards.
Showers
Campfires
Wifi

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Hainault Forest camping guide

Where to go

Lee Valley Country Park

Beyond Hainault Forest itself, campers can explore the nearby Lee Valley, which stretches along the River Lea northeast from London into Buckinghamshire and Essex. Some of it was transformed into London’s Olympic Park for the 2012 games, bringing a welcome green lung to the capital’s east. Its handful of campsites take in tent spots, caravan parks, cosy lodges and pre-pitched safari tents, while adventure activities swing from white-water rafting to rowing along the river to leisurely horse riding.

Epping Forest

Another favourite nature spot on London’s fringes, Epping Forest sits just north of Hainault on the Essex-Hertfordshire border. With endless hiking paths, cycling routes, horseback trails and everything from paintball to windsurfing, you’ll be spoilt for entertainment. And while you can’t pitch up in the forest itself, there are wild-camping and caravanning sites on its edges.

Kent Coast

Kent’s beach-strung northern coastline awaits within a two-hour drive of Hainault Forest, offering up lively, bohemian beach towns such as Whitstable and Margate alongside miles of seaside walks, plenty of watersports and tempting ocean-view camping spots.

Suffolk Coast

Trundle less than two hours east from Hainault Forest to reach the pretty villages, Tudor mansions and pastel-painted resorts dotted around Suffolk’s sleepy littoral, not to mention the unmissable Algo-Saxon burial mounds at Sutton Hoo. Rewarding hikes lead along the 96-km Suffolk Coast Path, with tempting stops including Aldeburgh. There’s also fabulous coastal cycling, along with sunset horse rides along the golden beaches.

Happy farmer sitting in a truck in a grassy field
Happy farmer sitting in a truck in a grassy field

Popular Hainault Forest holidays