The team behind Fallow Fields in Kent certainly have an eye for what’s cool in the world of camping. Having previously run a sucessful campervan hire company, renting out über-retro campers from the 60s and 70s, it was with genuine excitement that we discovered they were opening a small campsite with a similarly classic vibe. If you like the old-school image of camping – campfires, starry nights and not a caravan in sight – then this is the place to go.
Set a couple of miles back from the coast, in a five-acre field on the bucolic Selson Farm, Fallow Fields caters well to family campers, with a newly built washroom, rainy day spaces and a small shop selling essentials (along with some of the farm’s own produce). For those less pushed to pitch, they have a dozen ready-furnished bell tents too.
Food is often on the mind here. The camping meadow is nestled between pear, apple and cherry orchards, while spring campers can try the freshest homegrown asparagus. On weekends, pizzas, pulled pork and roast chicken are rustled up for those hungry after the days activities – bushcraft during school holidays and yoga most weekends. Not that activities need be organised. Kids have space to run wild, gradually tiring themselves silly before a very good night’s sleep.
On the eastern edge of the North Downs, it’s a 15-minute drive to Richborough Roman Fort or seafront Walmer Castle and a pleasant half-hour walk to Sandwich, a narrow-laned medieval town situated along the banks of the River Stour. The latter is well worth visiting, not least for its sweeping pebble beach a little further east. But it probably won’t help you stop thinking about food.
Walk through the campsite gate and along public footpaths that disappear across the fields in the direction of Woodnesborough or Ash. You don’t need to travel much further afield to take in the best of what the local area has to offer. 11th century Dover Castle (01304 211067) – for both big and little kids – is one of the most iconic of all English fortresses and Sandwich is a perfect place to mooch; A beautiful medieval town on the River Stour it really did make ‘the sandwich’ popular and also boasts a fantastic bay – five miles of unspoiled sand flats, salt marshes and sand dunes for you to explore.
A short drive away are some of the best beaches in the South East, including Botany and Joss bay, or if you want some serious entertainment for the kids, Margate's Dreamland is a 25-minute drive away.
There's a shop onsite selling camping basics and local food, including meat and bread cooked daily (from the local bakery), farm produce and fresh coffee. On Friday nights Fallow Fields serve stone-baked pizza and Saturday nights pulled pork and roast chicken with a variety of sides and veggie options, as well as breakfast on Saturday and Sunday mornings.
Locally, try The Five Bells (01304 611188) at Eastry, offering a warm welcome and traditional pub grub, or there's a few more worth checking out a short drive (or cycle) away – the famous Griffin’s Head (01304 840325) at Chillenden (10 mins) or The Black Pig (01304 813723) at Staple (5 mins or a 25 min walk).