Escape to These Idyllic Campsites Near London

3 years ago

Camping spots two hours from London or less

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Escape to These Idyllic Campsites Near London

Hertfordshire, UK, Photo by Nick Page on Unsplash

Only got a few days or a long weekend to spare? These beautiful campsites near London are a real escape into nature. So pack your tent, your mallet and your wellies – we’re going camping.

Best Campsites Near London

Badgells Wood Campsite

Set in beautiful ancient woodlands, this off-grid campsite is perfect for a low-key, planet-friendly weekend escape in the countryside. The 250-acre site is crafted to feel as much like wild camping as possible, with pitches dotted among the trees – but hot showers and composting loos are available, too. Sit back and relax in front of your fire, explore the local wildlife, or take part in one of the on-site bushcraft, forest bathing and photography workshops.

Best for: Forest bathing

badgellswoodcamping.co.uk

Fox Wood Camping

A beautiful woodland camping site nestled within the South Downs National Park, Fox Wood is a self-pitch campsite with composting loos and campfires. It’s ideally located for accessing the South Downs Way, and for exploring Worthing and Brighton.

Best for: Keen walkers

foxwoodcamping.co.uk

Home Farm Glamping

Only four miles from a tube stop, Home Farm in Hertfordshire is one of London’s closest campsites. Its yurts and bell tents all have outdoor seating areas with fire pits and barbecues, and on-site activities include yoga, forest bathing and concerts.

Best for: A mini festival atmosphere

homefarmglamping.com

Downsview Vineyard

English wine has come on leaps and bounds in the last few years, and Downsview is a perfect example of this. It’s a beautiful little vineyard situated in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, in the Weald of Sussex, making sparkling white and red wine in a winery powered by renewable energy. As well as the vines, it has four luxury bell tents with proper beds and a welcome basket upon arrival with a bottle of wine and delicious snacks.

Best for: Wine lovers

downsviewvineyard.co.uk

Knepp Safaris

Surrounded by 3,500 acres of the Knepp rewilding project, this is a real treat for nature lovers. Campers get a choice of yurts, bell tents or bringing their own tents. Each pitch has its own upcycled fire-pit and barbeque grill on which to cook up Knepp Wild Range longhorn and venison sausages, steaks and burgers, and organic wine, beer and cider from on-site shop the Go-Down.

Best for: A really wild adventure

kneppsafaris.co.uk

Wild Boar Wood

This off-grid campsite is set in a beautiful five-acre wood near Haywards Heath, with a philosophy of living lightly on the land in harmony with nature. There are just nine bell tents pitched in natural glades in the wood, each with its own fire pit. While there’s no electricity, there are solar lamps and candles, and water for the eco-bucket showers are heated by wood-fired stoves or campfire heat.

Best for: Getting back to nature

pegsandpitches.co.uk

Wilderlands

Den-building, wood carving and live music: just some of the activities on offer at Wild Weekends, a series of events from Wilderlands, which is a new initiative aiming to support nature in the UK. The campsite is set just 30 miles from London in the beautiful Chiddinglye estate, surrounded by ancient forests, summer meadows and wildlife. You can either bring your own tent or hire one, and showers, parking and food are available on-site – plus a craft brewery and woodland spa.

Best for: A wild weekend in nature

wilderlands.co.uk

Elmley Nature Reserve

A vast, unspoilt wilderness in the Thames estuary, just 40 miles from London, Elmley Nature Reserve has 3,300 acres bursting with wildlife to explore.

There’s plenty of accommodation options but Elmley’s woodland bell tents, surrounded by trees, butterflies, owls and more, are the perfect spot for a bit of meditation and rejuvenation while surrounded by nature.

Best for: Conservation

elmleynaturereserve.co.uk