‘Isolated strip of coastal loveliness’, Cornwall
Until 2016, the first thing visitors learned when staying at Dennis Farm was that it was not the campsite called Dennis Cove. The two were once one but then split, with the much larger Dennis Cove on one side of the headland, and the diminutive Dennis Farm site – an isolated strip of coastal loveliness, free from crowds, madding or otherwise – on the other. Now, to help avoid confusion, Dennis Farm has added “The Foreshore” to its name, which has the bonus of giving a clue as to where it is. However, since the campsites are run by members of the same family, they’ve decided to book in all campers at the same neat reception hut …
The view across the Camel estuary, with its bobbing flotsam of yachts, canoes, powerboats, windsurfers and waterskiers, is as eye-pleasing and summery in season as a vista can be (and perhaps justifies the pricey tariff). The very best vantage points are at the far end of the site, on a tiny plateau reserved for backpackers and cyclists.
The Camel Trail runs right through the site – you cross it to get to the smart loo block – taking cyclists, walkers and the occasional horse rider to Padstow (half a mile) in one direction, or Bodmin (10½ miles) via Wadebridge (4½ miles) in the other. It’s a disused railway line, so very flat and a hit with young families. All sorts of bicycles, including tandems, can be hired very reasonably at Padstow Cycle Hire.
Unusually (perhaps even uniquely), the campsite has four moorings, and a slipway that can handle anything from small dinghies to 14-footers, so campers can even sail here (if they have a boat).
• 24 pitches; pitch from £24 for two people, extra adult from £7, child (3-16) from £3.50, dennisfarm.wixsite.com/foreshore. Open May-Sept. Nearest railway station: Bodmin Parkway (19 miles). From the railway station take the No 11A bus to Padstow
Camp in a vineyard, Devon
The neat rows of vines that slide gracefully down the gentle slopes of this farm make an unusual and rather pleasing adjunct to a campsite. Peace and quiet is assured by the half-mile track from the road to Ten Acres Vineyard Camping, which is a largely sheltered field, with another beyond in which children can play. Head through a tree arch to find the poshest compost loo in the land, and a shower in another little shelter next door. After dark, the path to both is lit by fairy lights.
The vineyard is more than 150 metres above sea level, which means that, from the top of the camping field, there’s a cracking view over the vines to Dartmoor. At night, the dearth of major settlements in this part of Devon also makes for excellent stargazing.
To stroll into Winkleigh, take the footpath that runs along the top of the vineyard. Look out for the rotund and furry kune kune pigs, whose job it is to graze the grass in between the vines (work that literally saves their bacon, which is rather heartwarming). A track and then a lane lead into the attractive little village, whose centre looks to have been plucked straight from a Thomas Hardy novel.
• 10 pitches; adult £7, child £3.50, under-5 free; tenacresvineyardcamping.co.uk. Open May–Sept. Nearest railway station: Eggesford (6 miles). From Exeter, take the 5B Stagecoach South West bus from Paris Street to Winkleigh. It’s a mile walk to the campsite
Fabulous views of the Wye valley, Herefordshire
There are views from campsites and then there’s the view from Walkers Cottage Camping. From anywhere on this little sloping patch of Herefordshire near Hay-on-Wye there’s a 180-degree panorama of the Wye valley with its green fields, compact woods and picturesque cottages dotted about in ones and twos, apparently for artistic effect alone. Be warned, though: those who gaze upon it for too long may start to imagine that they’ve fallen into a Rupert Bear annual.
But the view is by no means the only remarkable feature of this campsite. The organic farm on which it sits is a thing of beauty, too. There’s a little field of sheep here, an orchard there, bee hives hidden in a jungle of wildflowers – who knew self-sufficiency could be so aesthetically pleasing? Furthermore, for a cup of tea and a slice of homemade cake, head for the owners’ garden cafe and enjoy their colourful flowerbeds and the Grand Designs-style reworking of their venerable cottage.
The campsite is on the edge of the Brecon Beacons dark sky reserve and, since there’s no external lighting at all on the site (do bring a torch), a clear sky will reward with a display of thousands of stars. Should it rain, there’s a campers’ shelter to repair to, with a little kitchen, dining table, sofa and a wall of windows facing that vista.
• 15 pitches; adult £7.50, child £4, hay-on-wye-camping.co.uk. Open Mar–Oct. Nearest railway station: Hereford (19 miles). From the railway station, take the No 39 bus to Hay-on-Wye, 3 miles from the campsite
Old station house, North Yorkshire
For more than 100 years, passengers alighted at lonely Husthwaite Gate station, rubbing the smuts from their eyes and preparing themselves for the 10-minute walk up the country lane to well-to-do Husthwaite village, snoozing contentedly on the rise above. That all came to an end in 1963, with the whole Thirsk and Malton line closing the following year. Now, however, it’s possible to spend the night not only in the back garden of what was the former stationmaster’s house at Husthwaite Gate, but actually where the line and its siding were once to be found.
The lawn has more than enough room for two large tents and has its own very fancy loo and shower in a shed made of reused materials. Meanwhile, a tall wind turbine at one corner of the lawn adds its pink noise to the trilling of birds. (The owners are happy to turn the turbine off, if campers find the noise disturbing, but apparently no one has ever asked.)
The site also boasts a swish serve-yourself, honesty-box cafe with tables inside and out, and a good range of hot and cold drinks and snacks that sometimes include freshly baked cake. Plans are also afoot to convert a long former chicken shed into a cosy place for campers to relax with a kitchen, sofas and a wood-burning stove. It’s a pricey option for solo campers, though more affordable for families and groups of up to six.
• Three pitches; £20 a pitch; husthwaitegate.co.uk. Open Apr–Oct. Nearest railway station: Thirsk (9 miles). From Sowerby Terrace, take the No 30 bus to Easingwold, then the No 31X to Husthwaite
Fantastic farmhouse, Conwy
It cannot be denied that there are very few campsites wholly set within the high walls of the farmyard of a grade II-listed Victorian model farm, created to service a mansion that has since been demolished and whose estate now belongs to the NHS. Thankfully, Platt’s Farm, on the edge of the village of Llanfairfechan, is at least ensuring that no such lack exists on the north Wales coast.
The Platt in question was a fabulously wealthy textile machinery manufcturer, said to have employed 40% of the population of Oldham by the mid-19th century. His grand house may be gone but his legacy is the imposing farmhouse – part of which has now been converted into a bunkhouse – and the extensive farmyard behind it. Within it are two tiny fields: the Afon (it means river in Welsh) field has the Afon Ddu (black river) running heard but unseen on the other side of the wall, while the larger Coed (wood) field is more central and includes a large concrete area for cars. The last farmers left in the 1990s but their barns remain. These are two large, open-sided affairs, one for each field, fitted out with picnic tables where campers can relax over a meal whatever the weather.
The vast walled kitchen garden is the crowning glory of this site. The space is divided into large lawns – one of which is perfect for ball games or frisbee flinging – and wild, impenetrable areas left to nature (butterflies and rabbits abound). And those who yearn for the seaside can walks under the railway line and A55 to reach Llanfairfechan’s sandy beach in 10 minutes.
• 11 pitches; adult £8, child £5; plattsfarm.com. Open Mar–Oct. Nearest railway station: Llanfairfechan (¾ mile). The campsite is within easy walking distance
Perfect 10, Dumfries and Galloway
Sitting amid modest hills on the Rhins (with one “n”) of Galloway – that curious club of land that reaches out into the Irish Sea beyond Stranraer – is the peaceful little North Rhinns (two “n”s) site that pulls off a very neat trick. Despite its diminutive size – there are just 10 pitches – it is able to cater for those who like company and shiny facilities close to hand, as well as those who thirst after a bit of solitude (the high-numbered pitches are best for this). If the weather’s set fair, opt for one of the more exposed spots with a cracking view and the prospect of sublime sunsets but if the forecast bodes ill, there are pitches with kindly trees to shelter campers from the elements.
Owners Kath and Rob bought Glengyre Cottage with its overgrown and largely impenetrable three-acre grove a few years ago, charged with a desire to create the sort of campsite they themselves would like to visit. So began the Herculean task of opening up the wood, planting new trees and fashioning the little coves and glades that serve as pitches. They’ve also carved pathways around and through the woodland to enable campers to go on their very own mini nature trail. Look up into the trees to spot Britain’s tiniest bird, the goldcrest, and out into the fields for hares.
At the top of the site, the hills of Northern Ireland are visible, less than 25 miles away. Peer out at night and spot a mysterious flashing light. In an ideal world, this would spark the beginning of a Enid Blyton-esque adventure. In the real one, it’s a lighthouse at Belfast.
• 10 pitches; adult £9, child 5-15 £4.50, child 2-4 £2; northrhinnscamping.co.uk. Open Mar–Oct (camping outside this period by arrangement). Nearest station: Stranraer (7 miles). From Harbour Street, take the 408 bus to Leswalt, just over 2 miles from the campsite
Wild wood, Staffordshire
There is, in a corner of Staffordshire, a brand new 12-acre wood with five bijou pitches carved out of it, each a private little domain, just large enough for a couple of good-sized tents. The Farm on the Hill is part of a much larger, mostly arable, farm that is itself a tiny enclave in a huge swath of organic farmland.
The wood was established in 2011 by Alethea and Ben (in partnership with the Woodland Trust), with, again, the idea of creating the sort of campsite they like going to. They planted a stonking 5,400 saplings and sowed countless wildflower seeds, all by hand. Bring a tree guide and try to identify the sessile oaks, alders, downy birches, guelder roses and wild cherries, among others. The flora includes meadowsweet, coltsfoot and purple orchids, with each new year bringing fresh species to the party.
Ben has hand-built the twin composting toilets (the long-drop toilet offers a magnificent view over the Churnet valley) as well as the rather extraordinary little pagoda that abuts one of the pitches. Through one door, there’s a solar-heated shower and a few shelves of books to read (though perhaps not in the shower); enter another and there’s a tiny wood-fired sauna. The stove is made from the casing of a fire extinguisher and, apparently, takes about 15 minutes to heat the sauna to optimum temperatures.
The dark skies in these parts are a treat for both fans of the nocturnal firmament and old-fashioned romantics and, from 2017, there will be a telescope available through which to observe the sparkling welkin.
• Five pitches; £7.50 a person; farmonthehill.co.uk. Open all year. Nearest railway station: Uttoxeter (7 miles). From the bus station in Uttoxeter, take the Swift Bus to Denstone
This is an edited extract from the third edition of Dixe Wills’ Tiny Campsites, AA Publishing, £11.99
