Ebborways Farm

Ebborways Camping in the Somerset village of Priddy is a simple year-round campsite which keeps its campers happy. And how does a place with no showers, no WiFi, and no electricity do that? It’s simple; it’s upfront about what’s here and what’s not. And everything it does, it does well. It also doesn’t hurt that Chris, the host at this dog-friendly site, is simply lovely and that the site is well located in the Mendip Hills within five minutes' walk of a pub.

Camping at Ebborways definitely takes you back to basics but that’s one of the reasons people love it. Your phone will run out of charge, leaving more time to focus on the important things like keeping the campfire going, gazing at the view and, perhaps, striking out into the surrounding hills. You’ll have gathered by now that facilities are rather simple but, importantly, they are kept clean. It’s just compost loos and plenty of drinking water taps. Most of these are operated by a foot pedal. It’s an innovation we love and haven’t spotted elsewhere. For washing up, bring your own bowl or bucket. For a fire; use an off-ground fire pit. There are a few to borrow on site and logs are for sale—and that’s about the size of the place.

All types of campers are welcome: tents, campervans, and caravans. There’s no hard and fast rule on where to pitch but sensible guidance from Chris will point you to where you’ll fit in. In the summer, when the campsite extends over three fields, couples and solo campers occupy Field One, families are most at home in Field Two and groups are best off in Field Three. This, and a few sensible rules (like no music after 11pm), tends to keep everyone happy.

From here, you can walk straight into the surrounding Mendip Hills, which are full of ancient sites. There are the Bronze Age burial mounds of Priddy Nine Barrows and the wooded Ebbor Gorge, where Stone Age man once lived. Beyond it is the vastly more developed Wookey Hole with its underground limestone caverns. That’s less than three miles from site with other Somerset highlights: Cheddar Gorge, Wells and Glastonbury no more than 10 miles away.