Croft Cottage Camping

A good campsite often comes down to good campsite owners, and Helen and Bill Waygood are no exception to this rule. Living in the 16th-century thatched cottage that overlooks their field, they can proudly claim to have one of the most unique little campsites around — and they seem just as thrilled about that as we are.

Only open 28 days of the year, it is a fleeting experience that doesn’t last long enough to lose its spontaneous feel and fall into the hum-drum regularity of a day-to-day outfit. Instead, Bill and Helen open up the gates as excited about the season as their visitors. First to pick up the volleyball? It's Bill. Singing “chick, chick, chickens” with the kids as they collect a basket of eggs? Yes, it’s Bill again. Rallying the troops for an evening around the campfire? Yes, you guessed it… Bill. The energy of the owners helps bring a liveliness to the site and creates a mini-community of happy Hampshire campers. It’s the same reason you’ll see them all again the next year — as Bill proudly notes, the grandchildren of those who first stayed at the site when it opened 23 years ago now pitch their tents here, too. 

Aside from the brilliant family atmosphere, Croft Cottage Camping is a small and humble spot. It is a campsite in keeping with its attachment to the oldest cottage in the village — simple yet beautiful. There is room for just 12 spacious pitches, each with an electric hook-up, and space in the centre of the field for the famous volleyball games and kid-friendly fun. Facilities are relatively basic — two units each housing a flushing toilet and hot shower, along with a sink and chemical waste disposal — but all are well looked after and immaculately clean. Together it creates a rustic, traditional campsite without many frills but with a captivating ambiance, providing a safe and welcoming environment for families and couples alike, where the kids can wake up and feed the alpacas or collect eggs from the chickens.

We kindly ask you to bring your own 20m lead with a camping connector.

The best part is, while you may bask in your discovery of a small-time, countryside gem, you don’t actually have to miss out on the guilty pleasures that a more commercial campsite can afford. Directly next door to the campsite, Sandy Balls Holiday Village (stop sniggering) has all the thrills and spills of a pre-organised holiday park but conveniently acts as a handy place to use the cash machine, dip in the swimming pool, or stock up on camping gas (it should be noted that it does get particularly busy around August and facilities are not always available for campers to use during these peak periods). Back at camp, its presence goes largely unnoticed, with just the odd infrequent bit of noise. You can also walk directly from the site into the beautiful New Forest and be surrounded by ponies and wildlife.

Down the road, the Fighting Cocks pub (now seriously, do grow up) provides a proper local where you can enjoy a pint — now competing with the pair of restaurants at Sandy Balls, also a decent spot to grab some food. It’s worth heading a little further though and delving into the wonders of the New Forest, a wooded landscape with openings of rugged heathland. Wild ponies and deer rule the roost around these parts and make it best explored by foot or bike, where you can stealthily amble through the trees keeping an eye out for the wildlife. The Fordingbridge Visitor Centre, a mile and a half from the campsite, has some maps and leaflets to help you discover local routes, as well as recommendations for pubs and eateries in the surrounding villages.