Within striking distance of London, in the heart of the Surrey Hills, National Trust-owned Polseden Lacey was originally one of the finest Regency houses in the UK. It was remodelled in Edwardian times and played host to Queen Elizabeth and King George VI on their honeymoon in the 1920s. Today you can camp here with access to the house, gardens and the rest of the estate, which – apart from the house itself, with its collection of paintings and furniture and mementoes of the many famous folk who passed through during the first half of the 20th century – has beautiful rose gardens and, most importantly, some 1400 acres of ancient woodlands and rolling farmland, explorable by way of multiple footpaths and bridleways.
As for the camping, there has been a site here since the 1960s, when it was used by the Girl Guides, but it has recently been transformed by the folk at Embers Camping, an experienced group that have several, traditional campfire-friendly sites in the Southeast. There are 35 grass pitches and a new oak-framed modern washroom, with underfloor heating, washbasins and piping hot showers, plus a newly built wood-fired pizza oven by the campsite shop. It’s a tent-only site, but you don’t have to have your own tent to camp here: they hire out ready-pitched five-metre bell tents for families who are too posh to pitch, making it a popular spot for both camping and glamping devotees!