Charisworth Farm

Kids love camping. And some campsites, like Charisworth Farm, seem ready made for them. Not because of any fancy facilities or organised fun but simply because of the space and freedom on offer. This expanse of parkland meadow, broken up by great oak and beech trees, is the perfect example, with a rope swing in the wooded area at one end, and animals, like Libby and Zed the horses, to meet. A chalkboard near the washing up sinks, meanwhile, is occasionally scrawled with interesting activities – ‘farm tour at 10am’ – and, at night, marshmallows around the campfire seal the deal. It’s good old fashioned camping and the result is good old fashioned fun.

The campsite is a pop-up, summer-only affair, with facilities in portable cabin blocks and no motorhomes or caravans allowed. It all lends the place a well-run but homespun charm. A marquee at the top of the field has a fridge-freezer and boiling water on tap for making tea and coffee – a very welcome touch – and, on Friday’s, there’s a barn that houses a bar and serves barbecued food, ideal after a long drive. They’re all touches that show the proprietors of the place really understand their campers and listen to their needs, including the offer of pre-pitched bell tents for those who don't really want to do much heavy lifting at all.

Charisworth is very much a working farm. Farmer Richard is happy to show campers around, with pigs, sheep, cows and chickens to meet, and the campsite also has excellent access on to the farm’s trails and wider public footpaths. South, over the fields, it’s a three-mile walk to the village of Winterbourne Kingston, where there’s a good pub with a Mediterranean-style, statue-dotted garden (around an hour’s walk each way), while, north, a footpath along a track leads to Gorcombe Activity Centre, if quad biking or archery take your fancy. Further afield, it’s four miles to the market town of Blandford Forum – a good place to eat on night’s the barn bar isn’t operating – and 10 miles to Kingston Lacey, one of the National Trust’s flagship country estates. Or of course, you can simply stay put at the campsite, as many do; enjoying the space and the setting and the fact that the kids are having fun.