Thorncombe Farm

If Thomas Hardy had a knack for conjuring up images of rural Dorset, then the Hughes family certainly have a way of creating a story-book farm campsite. In the heart of Hardy's countryside, and just a stone's throw from the great man's birthplace, Thorncombe Farm is a classic farm campsite through and through, with more sheep and goats than campers, beautiful views across to a rich green-brown wood and ample wildlife at every turn.

The camping area at Thorncombe Farm is a small, perfectly formed series of paddocks, with room for 10-or-so tents and campervans in one area and a clutch of pre-pitched bell tents in another (kitted out with beds, rugs, mini fridges and other essentials). Over the fence, the campsite is also home to pedigree Dorper sheep and Boer goats, not forgetting the wider residents of the farm – the family of horses, chickens and an abundance of Roe deer, buzzards and nesting ravens that ensure the local landscape buzzes with wildlife all year round. As for facilities, they are as modest as you might expect on a working farm but more than adequate and very well kept, with toilets and showers operated by a fancy pre-paid card system. Part of the draw here is the site's sheer simplicity – no playground, no shop, and no eight-foot purple dinosaur “entertaining” the kids; just good old fashioned space, peace and quiet. And campfires, which are, of course, allowed. What self respecting farm campsite wouldn't allow that?

If you wish to get reacquainted with Mother Nature, Thorncombe Farm is undeniably well placed. Adjacent to the campsite are the open woods of Puddletown and Thorncombe, with endless miles of traffic-free cycling, walking trails and horse riding paths. The Jurassic Coast, meanwhile is less than 10 miles away and it takes around 15 minutes by car to reach the beach. Weymouth, Lulworth Cove, Lulworth Castle and Chesil Beach are all eminently reachable, or you can take a hike up the chalky slopes to the Osmington White Horse – a figure etched into the hillside above the coast and a great spot from which to survey it all.