Lepe Beach Campsite

There’s no doubt the canniest campers come to the Hampshire coast. While those with a stripy windbreak under one arm and a copy of The Lonely Planet under the other flock to the South West counties, this quieter stretch of coastline – often overshadowed by the neighbouring New Forest – is an ideal spot to avoid the crowds. Not only can you stroll along wide beaches and board-walk your way through marshy nature reserves but, if the British weather does make a turn for the worst, there’s the added insurance of the national park’s genteel villages, museums and country homes, just a stone’s throw away.

Only yards from the beach (seriously, how many campsites can say that?), Lepe Beach Campsite is a traditional camping field that offers nothing flashy but, instead, focuses on doing the basics well – in fact, very well. Facilities are immaculately kept, pitches are flat, well-maintained and campfires are permitted with pits available to hire and wood for purchase. Campervans and caravans are not permitted, giving the whole campsite a more peaceful, informal ambience – you can pitch where you like with enough space that you needn’t tread on others’ toes – and if you really can’t bear roughing it, there are pre-furnished tents which include camp beds, camping chairs and plenty of cooking utensils.

Though the campsite doesn’t have a playground of its own, it backs onto Lepe Country Park where there’s a large picnic area, climbing frame and swings for little 'uns to roam. Really, the country park and the campsite seem to roll into one, making it a thoroughly family-friendly location, with the added bonus of Lepe Beach Café & Shop down on the waterfront, which serves afternoon tea and delicious hand-made cakes.

The views from Lepe Beach Campsite's enviably vantage point are ridiculously picturesque, taking in the Isle of Wight and, to the east, the marsh and sand flats of the Solent National Nature Reserve. But if you do venture inland, the charming lost-in-time village of Beaulieu or rhododendron covered Exbury Gardens, are both less than 15 minutes by car. But in truth, the New Forest is a paradise for non-motorised transportation and anyone renting a horse, bike or packing just a pair of walking boots will probably end up forgetting about the car altogether.