Safari tents near Folkestone

For a seaside holiday in Kent, how about camping in Folkestone? This coastal town, just an hour out of London by train, is a great place for a week or a weekend away. The beaches are the main draw in summer but there’s also a delightful cobbled old high street of independent shops and art galleries as well as a harbour arm that’s lined with quirky places to eat and drink. It’s got a Victorian promenade and bandstand and there are some fantastic tourist attractions in almost every direction from Canterbury Cathedral to Dover Castle and the closer-than-you-think shores of France. Stay on one of the campsites in Folkestone or the countryside around it and you’ll have easy access to all this as well as fine views and great walks. Every type of camper is catered for here. There are plenty of old-school caravan sites hugging or even hogging the coastline but look a little harder, or simply browse our collection, to find Folkestone camping and glamping sites with a little of the "je ne sais quoi" that makes a campsite cool.

Folkestone has a range of beaches to choose from if you’re in town for a paddle. For sand underfoot head to the hopefully-named Sunny Sands beach at low tide. But if the gently shelving sands of this popular beach are too busy, there’s a huge shingle expanse on the, perhaps ironically-named, Sandgate side of town. If you prefer the wilder side of the shore there’s always The Warren which hides in the shadow of the town’s East Cliff and looks towards Dover and the nature reserve at Samphire Hoe. An exploration of the town’s other highlights might include a wander along the Harbour Arm, a mosey up the Old High Street and in to the town museum and a stroll along The Leas cliff-top promenade. Families might like the Lower Leas Coastal Park and, further afield, the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway with its tiny trains. Dover with its mighty castle is just a few miles away and historic Canterbury is well within reach too.