Peel House Farm and Garden

Peel House Farm and Garden is a good old-fashioned, family-run camping and caravan site in rural East Sussex. Situated just outside the South Downs National Park, it’s a 10-minute drive from the closest beach and edged by The Cuckoo Trail, which provides a traffic-free route to the nearest towns. Those are Hailsham and Polegate, if you want to know. The site is well positioned for walking, cycling, and trips to the seaside at Pevensey Bay. It offers country camping that seemingly hasn’t changed for 30 years. And host Julie Ann should know. That’s how long it’s been since she bought the place after spending her own holidays here and falling in love with the place!

Peel House Farm and Garden still has plenty of charm but there’s no razzle-dazzle to speak of. It's a simple site with no club house, no pizza oven, and certainly no glamping. Unless, of course, you count the handful of static caravans that are available to hire. They make staying here incredibly easy but are not dressed up to be cute, charming or cool—although, you might argue, that in their authenticity, they edge towards being all three. Perhaps what’s more important, is that they are clean, comfy and well furnished; taken care of by capable hands. It's the same story across the rest of this pretty and well-kept site.

There are 20 grassy electric hook-up pitches and there’s meadow camping beyond. This two-acre field is our favourite part of the site. It’s the latest addition; offering camping to anyone who’s happy to go electricity free. You can pitch where you like, parking alongside—as long as it’s not too muddy. It’s a flat, hedgerowed field with neighbouring countryside and only a stile separating you from The Cuckoo Trail. All pitches share the same facilities, which include no nonsense flushing loos, hot water showers, and indoor washing-up sinks, as well as a little shop. It’s a welcoming site which shows its maturity in the relaxed smiles of its host and the smooth operation she oversees. Plus it’s in a winning location: in Sussex countryside that’s not far from the sea and just a cycle away from the South Downs.