Brook Farm

There’s nothing fancy about Brook Farm campsite in the Staffordshire countryside. It’s a simple site which offers back to basics camping in a farmer’s field. For self-sufficient campers who want little more than a place to pitch near the Peak District, this place will do very nicely indeed. You can bring the dog, you can have a campfire and, not only are you surrounded by lovely rural scenery, but you’re within easy reach of a heck of a lot. The site is just a couple of miles from Ashbourne, the southern gateway to the national park, and Alton Towers is a mere eight miles away. There’s also a farm shop, a pub, and a river within walking distance. What more could you want than that?

If your answer is “an on-site bar” or even just “a shower”, you had better look elsewhere. Brook Farm has neither. It simply offers electric and non-electric pitches in a flat field. In the winter months it’s campervans, caravans and motorhomes (with their own on-board facilities) only. From April to October, portaloos are brought in and tents are welcome too. Drinking water is on tap but it’s a cold-water site so there are no dishwashing sinks here either. What you will find is fire pits for hire with logs for sale at the garage down the road. You’ll also find fantastic views of countryside and, perhaps, cows and goats grazing in the field next door. 

Brook Farm is in the rural village of Middle Mayfield, which boasts a village shop and a location just south of the market town of Ashbourne. It sits on the softer, southern side of the Peak District where Dovedale with its famous stepping stones is the big attraction. Seasoned walkers could hike there and back in a day but most people will opt for the 15-minute drive. Taking the car opens up other options too: Bakewell, Buxton, and Chatsworth to name a few places in the park. Carsington Water, Alton Towers, and Sudbury Hall on this side of its boundary.