Secret Campsite

Owners Tim and Lisa call their Secret Campsite 'Real Camping with Nature', and when you get there you will see what they mean. The Secret Campsite is, of course, not really very secret, nor do Tim and Lisa want it to be. But it retains the feel of somewhere deep in the country that you may just have stumbled upon by accident. Arriving here is exciting, and a part of you will want to tell your friends. But another part of you will want to keep it to yourself.

Happily for us all, the word is out about the Secret Campsite. However, it definitely retains its 'secret' vibe, tucked away beyond an old railway cutting in a particularly picturesque part of East Sussex. After arriving and parking at the reception and amenities area, you just grab a wheelbarrow, load up your gear and follow the grassy path over the old brick railway bridge, and - hey presto! – you're there!

It feels isolated and secluded, with 18 very spacious and separate pitches for campers cut in to the long grass of a hidden meadow, interspersed with a scattering of recently planted saplings and encircled with a backdrop of ancient oak and hornbeam trees. Wild flowers show off their colours, and the woods beyond are ripe for exploration, with an increasing array of berries, edible shrubs and flowers growing freely for you to to pick fresh and add to the saucepan – Tim is a botanist and works hard to encourage a wide array of wildlife into the site for campers to enjoy, from snakes and great crested newts to dormice, hedgehogs and glow worms plus a huge array of butterflies and moths. There's lots of space, and good facilities on hand too, with hot solar-powered showers, both conventional and compost loos (with loo paper), washing-up sinks and fridge-freezers. There're even 3 EV car-charging points in the car park.

Tucked away in the orchard, behind the main meadow, the site’s glamping options include the ‘Okra’ – a super-snug wooden cabin with a mezzanine floor that can sleep 2 adults and a child; the Gridshell, a pod-like structure made of wood and canvas that can comfortably accommodate 5; and England’s first ever ‘Treet Tent’, featured back in the day as one of ‘George Clark’s Amazing Spaces’. Suspended between three sturdy oaks, sleeping up among the tree canopy is really something special, with views across the site and over the South Downs. 

Each of the glamping options has its own firepit and BBQ but in any case campfires are allowed on the site so there’s no excuse for not cooking up an an al fresco feast. You can buy firewood and campfire items at reception, and they also sell drinks and ice lollies, meat boxes and local cider, gin and beer, plus there’s a terrific farm shop a 5-minute walk away.