Ditchling Camp

Ditchling Camp sits in woodland on the edge of the South Downs National Park, close enough to Ditchling that you can walk up to the escarpment without a car. Conrad runs it with the kind of attentiveness you feel in the details: lanterns at the firepit, haybales for extra seating, eco-friendly loos that are routinely praised by reviewers. Every pitch gets its own fire pit and firewood, which is a promise, not an optional extra.

The pitch mix is broad: grass tent pitches in the trees, plus bell tents and yurts (the teepees come with Portuguese rugs and proper standing room, which matters after a night on a mat). The site can be booked as a whole for groups of up to 150, and it works well for that: the field layout is sensible, children can run loose safely, and Conrad will arrange firewood, firepits, and haybales at scale. This is one of the few sites where the group-hire experience is as well thought-through as the individual pitch.

Part of the small Yamp Camp network (five sites across East Sussex and Kent), Ditchling has its own host and its own character. The South Downs is close, there are walks from the gate, and an award-winning cafe sits next door for mornings when you want someone else to make the coffee.