Campsites near Ashdown Forest
97% (2.5K) • 2,996 campsites
Top-rated campgrounds near Ashdown Forest
Sunnyside Pop Up Camping
1. Sunnyside Pop Up Camping
96%
(12)
8km from Ashdown Forest · 1 unit · Tent, Motorhome
We are a pop-up campsite, which means we are open most weekends during the summer with some longer stints at the beginning and at the end of our season. We offer different activities each weekend, varying from damper bread making to wild food walks and bush craft skills. We also celebrate Midsummer (Juhannus) in Finnish style!
22nd May - 31st May - Opening: Sauna hot all Week 😃🙌🏻
19th - 21st June Summer Solstice/Juhannus ☀️☀️☀️
26th - 28th June - Fairy Garden Making 🧚🏻🧚🏻♀️🧚🏻♂️
3rd -5th July - Damper Bread 🥨
10th-12th July - DJ BBQ 🎶🍗
17th -19th July -Whittling 🥄🔪
24th - 26th July - Wellness weekend 🧘🧘♂️🧘♀️
31st July - 3rd August - Wand Making and 🪄🧚♂️
7th - 9th August - Communal Curry Night 🥘
14th - 16th August - Fire Making for Kids 🔥
20th - 23rd August - Wild Food Walk 🍄🟫🫐
27th - 31st August - Closing Week ☀️🔥🥂🍾
FINNISH SAUNA
We light our authentic Finnish sauna on Friday and Saturday. you can buy a £5 Sauna Pass onsite that gives you access during your stay, If its not currently hot don't worry its less than an hour to get it hot!
CAMPFIRES
We love campfires and see them as an integral part of the camping experience. Campfires bring people together at the end of the day, to cook, socialise and relax. The smell of the wood smoke at twilight and the excitement on the kids faces when the marshmallows come out are bound to set you up for a perfect night away from the city lights! We sell crates of firewood, and hire fire pits for you to use during your stay.
MUSIC
The Lower Fields are for quiet camping. We would like it to be the perfect place for children to sleep and adults to chitchat around the campfires.
On the Upper Field and near the Centre Camp we do allow you to listen and enjoy any music. But please respect your fellow campers! We want everybody to be able to enjoy their weekend without being disturbed. We ask for quiet across the whole site from 11.30pm.
Overall we are quite a sociable site, with things happening at center camp every weekend. and a public campfire to sit around for a few mins after your sauna. We have a great area for large family groups. We pride ourselves on helping new campers get the most out of the experience come and hay hello at center camp.
Pets
Showers
Potable water
Downsview Vineyard
2. Downsview Vineyard
100%
(55)
8.4km from Ashdown Forest · 4 units
Simple but sophisticated, adults-only bell tent camping on a tiny vineyard with distant views of the South Downs
Pets
Showers
Campfires
Wild Boar Wood Campsite
3. Wild Boar Wood Campsite
97%
(70)
8.4km from Ashdown Forest · 9 units
Wild woodland glamping in the heart of Sussex with fires
Showers
Campfires
Potable water
Hook Farm Campsite
4. Hook Farm Campsite
98%
(217)
8.6km from Ashdown Forest · 13 units
Blissfully back-to-basics camping in the heart of the West Sussex High Weald
Pets
Campfires
Showers
Camping at Tomkins Farm
5. Camping at Tomkins Farm
96%
(183)
12km from Ashdown Forest · 41 units · Tents, Motorhomes, Glamping
Relaxed camping beside a lake on an East Sussex farm, with alpacas, llamas, and camels
Pets
Campfires
Showers
Scallow Campsite Glamping Pods
6. Scallow Campsite Glamping Pods
93%
(14)
16km from Ashdown Forest · 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
Graywood Canvas Cottages & Hot Tubs
7. Graywood Canvas Cottages & Hot Tubs
100%
(15)
16km from Ashdown Forest · 3 units
These super-sized, double-decker yurts on a charming East Sussex farm take glamping to another level.
Showers
Campfires
Hot Tub
Dernwood Farm Camping & Glamping
8. Dernwood Farm Camping & Glamping
95%
(66)
17km from Ashdown Forest · 17 units · Tents, Glamping
Camping and glamping in Sussex meadows and woodlands
Pets
Campfires
Showers
The Oaks Poultry Farm
9. The Oaks Poultry Farm
100%
(10)
18km from Ashdown Forest · 10 units · Tents, Motorhomes
Family-friendly summer camping on an East Sussex farm
Campfires
Showers
Potable water
The Sunset Tree
10. The Sunset Tree
96%
(34)
18km from Ashdown Forest · 29 units · Tents, Motorhomes, Glamping
A sociable, tents-only, pop-up campsite, with a good village pub and playground on the doorstep
Pets
Campfires
Showers
Hale Farm
11. Hale Farm
100%
(157)
20km from Ashdown Forest · 38 units · Tents, Glamping
A family-run, working farm in East Sussex offering spacious, traditional camping with no set pitches
Campfires
Showers
Potable water
Fontmills Farm Campsite
12. Fontmills Farm Campsite
100%
(124)
21km from Ashdown Forest · 38 units · Tents, Motorhomes, Glamping
Family-friendly camping near the Cuckoo Trail, where campfires are permitted and space is guaranteed
Campfires
Showers
Potable water
Housedean Farm Campsite
13. Housedean Farm Campsite
98%
(111)
23km from Ashdown Forest · 4 units
Epic views of the South Downs, and a walker’s paradise, hidden sweetly on the South Downs Way
Pets
Campfires
Showers
Alciston Court Farm
14. Alciston Court Farm
95%
(49)
26km from Ashdown Forest · 5 units
A back-to-basics campsite that’s well located at the foot of the South Downs
Pets
Chalky Downs
15. Chalky Downs
96%
(622)
26km from Ashdown Forest · 10 units · Tents, Motorhomes
Traditional tent camping in a stunningly-located South Downs farm, just down the road from buzzing Brighton
Pets
Campfires
Showers
Chanctonbury Corner
16. Chanctonbury Corner
91%
(11)
27km from Ashdown Forest · 1 unit · Tent, Motorhome
🌿 Exclusive Use. Wild Camping with Stunning South Downs Views
Escape to nature on our peaceful 9-acre smallholding, set at the end of a private drive with breathtaking views of the South Downs and the iconic Chanctonbury Ring. Just a short walk to the South Downs Way and the local pub, The Bull, famous for its homemade pizzas to eat in or take away. It is dog and family friendly with a large garden.
This is the perfect spot for walkers, cyclists, and anyone craving space and seclusion.
Enjoy exclusive use of the land for the night – it’s just you, the big skies, and the freedom to relax undisturbed.
What’s included:
• 🌄 Exclusive access to 9 acres of open meadow and wild areas
• 🔥 Fire pit with logs provided
• 🚰 Fresh water from outside taps
• 🚶♀️ Walking distance to the South Downs Way
• 🚲 Excellent cycling straight from the gate
• 🍺 Walking distance, 10 mins, to a family and dog friendly country pub
• 🌌 Dark skies for stargazing (watch out for the barn owl at dusk)
• 🐾 Dog-friendly (well-behaved pets welcome)
No crowds, no neighbours – just space to roam, unwind and soak up the views.
Ideal for couples, solo adventurers, small families or anyone seeking peace, nature and total privacy.
Pets
Campfires
Potable water
The Nut Plat Retreat
17. The Nut Plat Retreat
94%
(85)
27km from Ashdown Forest · 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
The Slips
18. The Slips
91%
(85)
29km from Ashdown Forest · 38 units · Tents, Motorhomes
A relaxed, back-to-basics campsite in the West Sussex countryside
Pets
Electrical hookup
Campfires
Plum Camping in May Tree Orchard
19. Plum Camping in May Tree Orchard
100%
(33)
30km from Ashdown Forest · 8 units · Tents, Glamping
Simple camping and comfortable glamping amongst organic fruit trees, wild flowers and woodland, bordering an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, with some of the darkest night skies in Europe. In the beautiful High Weald of Kent, Tash and Nick have been running May Tree Orchard's low-impact, nature-friendly, seasonal campsite, Plum Camping, for the last 5 years.
The Soil Association certified organic land is full of wild flowers and surrounded by woodland and other orchards. Electricity and hot water for showers and washing up is solar generated. So you can charge your phone if necessary, but we'd recommend stargazing and enjoying the quiet warmth of friends and family around an evening fire instead.
Bring your own tent, stay in the delightful hand-made shepherd’s hut or stylish caravan, or hire the whole May Tree Orchard space. Numbers are kept low here so that there is always plenty of room for everyone, as well as peace and quiet.
The campsite is an hour and a half drive from London and a 20 min walk to the sleepy and pretty village of Goudhurst, with pubs selling great food and two local shops for self-catering. There are also two excellent farm shops within walking distance.
Close to May Tree Orchard, there are walks via Sissinghurst, Scotney and Bodiam Castle, and water activities on the River Rother and at Bewl Water. Bedgebury National Pinetum and Forest is a ten-minute drive from the campsite and the coast around Hastings and Rye is just over 30 minutes.
An amazing independent food business, Growing Communities, sells pears, apples and plums grown at the orchard in their box scheme serving North and South London, and you can also buy them from the Pear Necessities stall at Stoke Newington Farmers Market. Delicious apple juice and tasty chutney made from the organic apples grown in the orchard are available to purchase on site, as well as plum preserve and orchard plums.
Pets
Campfires
Showers
Beech Estate Campsite
20. Beech Estate Campsite
97%
(193)
30km from Ashdown Forest · 52 units · Tents, Glamping
Tent pitch camping and wild glamping in a Sussex woodland hideaway
Campfires
Showers
Potable water
Recent reviews from the Hipcamp community
S
Sophie
1 week ago
Tent
With pets
It felt like a complete oasis away from the world at the moment. The owners were so welcoming, they had clearly put their heart and soul into the site. From a beautiful family friendly festival vibe of a communal area, to a stunning hot shower, a hot sauna and shady areas to hang out. The pitches were spacious, we loved the food and cocktails van! There was great walking all around the site. Could you ask for more?! We really had a sense of community and connection. Speaking to people we hadn’t met either around the fire, in the sauna or even sharing some cake with strangers at our camp. I feel so full and rebalanced now I’m home. Thank you so much for all the hard work you have put in so we all have a chance to be humans not robots xxx
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J
Julie
2 weeks ago
Tent
With kids
Lovely weekend at Chalk Farm, we had a medium and small tent together on a large pitch.
The camping is in a large field, with pitches organised in a row at the top of the field. You are close to your neighbours but have a lovely view across the hills.
Nice clean toilets and showers (water temp a bit temperamental) good washing up facilities. Cars are not on site so feels really safe.
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S
Sian
2 weeks ago
5 m car
With pets
Beautiful tranquil site. Just be careful at the entrance to the lane if your car's chassis is low.
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M
Mina
3 weeks ago
2 nights at The Nut Plat Retreat
literally a hidden gem, so beautiful - everything was perfect. the hot tub was easy to work and heat up (takes an hour or two to heat up). the beds and pillows are so comfy. kitchen is fully equipped with everything you need.
See moreK
Kate
3 weeks ago
Tent
With kids
Absolutely beautiful campsite and Philip is so very nice. We had a wonderful time - plenty of safe places for kids to play and lovely walks nearby. Loved the open air showers and lots of our group enjoyed the weekend sourdough pizzas and morning coffees. Will definitely go back.
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A
Avash
3 weeks ago
Tent
Group trip
We had a lovely stay here. The hosts were incredibly kind, friendly and welcoming. The campsite is very peaceful, quiet and private, which made it a perfect place to relax and enjoy nature. We really enjoyed our time here and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a calm and cosy camping experience. We would happily come back again!
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E
Emma-Jane
3 weeks ago
Tent
Lovely stay! Peaceful, beautiful stars at night and Tash and her partner are so welcoming! The plums were delicious
See moreK
Kelly
3 weeks ago
Tent
This is a lovely campsite and we will definitely come back, it was so peaceful waking up in the orchard. It was very kind of Natasha to lend us her OS map so we could do a walk from the site. Make sure you try the pear and apple juices available to buy on the day!
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Cristina
3 weeks ago
7 m pop-up camper
With pets
Beautiful spot, good showers and toilets and even a tarped area with picnic tables. Pitches were nice and ample. The only drawback is there’s nowhere to leave rubbish and you have to take it home yourself, fine for a day or two, but slightly more complicated for longer stays.
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Gavin
August 2026
Tent
With pets
Had a great weekend stay Plum Camping. Natasha and Nick were great hosts. We were fortunate to have the whole campsite to ourselves and it was lovely and quiet albeit with lots of birdsong all around. The weather was fantastic and we enjoyed lots of great walks around the area. We hope to be back soon.
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D
David
August 2026
3 nights at Plum Camping in May Tree Orchard
The Shepherds hut was perfect. I spent 3 nights surrounded by nature in the most peaceful Orchard imaginable. One of the nicest spots on mother earth
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A
Antonia
July 2026
Tent
With kids
This was a lovely peaceful spot, plenty of space between pitches. Good facilities, in great condition and kept spotless. Scott came to book us in and give us all the info we needed; very helpful with any questions and freezing ice packs was much appreciated! They have fresh produce (eggs, sausages, etc) available to buy every day. An extra treat to be able to meet the animals when they open the farm each morning. Thanks for having us!
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J
John
July 2026
Tent
Well accommodated camp. With Imke who was very helpful.
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Mireille
July 2026
4 m campervan
Beautiful spot with great views and walks out directly from the site. Walk or bus into city/beach v easy.
Basic but clean facilities as described, certainly everything I needed.
Run in a responsive friendly way, easy to book and get settled in.
I’m staying again!
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Emma
July 2026
Tent
Fantastic location for access to Brighton and Lewes and other local areas. The campsite is well kept, with exceptionally clean toilets and showers. Assigned pitches, designated parking area and easy to access location. We had a lovely stay, and will definitely stay again!
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D
Dan
July 2026
Tent
Group trip
Lots of space, great views, lovely part of Sussex. What’s not to like…
See moreB
Billie
July 2026
Tent
The most beautiful place! We had a lovely weekend camping here with friends. Thanks Tash and Nick!
See moreN
Nicole
July 2026
Tent
Brilliant campsite. Facilities are top notch. Only small thing is A road is a little loud... but get used to it. Wonderful views and the shop has some helpful bits for camping in it
See moreS
Sam
July 2026
Tent
Amazing campsite with amazing facilities, Sharen is amazing and always there to lend a hand or be an all round fantastic host, easy transport links into Brighton, would recommend to anyone
See moreB
Beth
July 2026
Tent
Chalky downs is a lovely peaceful site to watch the stars and the mist across the valley from!
See moreAshdown Forest camping guide
Where to go
Wych Cross & West Ashdown Forest
Whether you fancy cycling over the hills, tracking down Roman ruins, or a long hike with a country pub at the end, Ashdown Forest is a back-to-nature delight. The villages of Wych Cross and Crowborough mark its western and eastern flanks. The perfect place to start your explorations is the official Forest Centre near Wych Cross, which has the lowdown on the best woodland walking and archaeology routes, as well as paths weaving straight out into the heath with its dazzling North Downs views.
North Ashdown Forest
Renowned English author AA Milne once lived on the northern fringes of Ashdown Forest, near Hartfield and Forest Row, and campers will love following in his footsteps through its eerie wooded expanses. Some of Milne’s most popular “Winnie the Pooh” locations dot the area, including a bridge across the River Medway and the misty 500 Acre Wood, with walking trails meandering between them. In addition, local operators also offer horse rides, cycling routes run through beech forests, and delicious farm shops sit ready for stocking up on local treats.
South Ashdown Forest
Some of Ashdown Forest’s most thrilling hiking trails sprawl around the villages of Duddleswell and Nutley, on the southern fringes. History lovers will want to tackle the route to a World War II memorial, while photographers should take in the fabulous panoramas across the South Downs to the chalk-cliff coastline. The camping and glamping sites sprinkled near here are among the area’s best—set up camp on an organic farm or a cider orchard, or book into an off-grid yurt.
High Weald AONB
Beyond Ashdown Forest, the High Weald AONB sprawls from Winchester in Hampshire to Hastings on the East Sussex coast. It’s packed with adventure activities, whether you’re keen to hike around the heathlands, kayak across a lake, or try some SUP yoga.
