Idyllic Campsites (& Glampsites) Near London For A Weekend Escape
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1 month ago
Our favourite spots two hours from London or less
Only got a few days or a long weekend to spare? These beautiful campsites near London are a real escape into nature. So pack your tent, your mallet and your wellies: we’re going camping.
Looking for something a less off-grid? Try these glamping spots instead – or here are our favourite countryside hotels near London.
Best Campsites Near London 2025
Wild Boar Wood Campsite, Haywards Heath
This off-grid campsite is set in a beautiful five-acre wood near Haywards Heath, with a philosophy of living lightly on the land in harmony with nature. There are just nine bell tents pitched in natural glades in the wood, each with its own fire pit. While there’s no electricity, there are solar lamps and candles, and water for the eco-bucket showers are heated by wood-fired stoves or campfire heat.
Address: Treemans Road, Haywards Heath RH17 7EA
Fox Wood Camping, Worthing
A beautiful woodland camping site nestled within the South Downs National Park, Fox Wood is a sprawling campsite offering self-pitch woodland camping, glamping and meadow pitches for camper vans, with composting loos and campfires to boot. Family camping is at the heart of Fox Wood: this is the ideal place to introduce budding explorers to hiking and biking trails, fireside stories and stargazing. Fox Wood is ideally located for accessing the South Downs Way, too, as well as exploring Worthing and Brighton. It’s one of our favourite campsites near the sea; find more of the UK’s best coastal campsites here.
Address:Â Fox Wood, Selden Lane, Patching BN13 3UL
Home Farm Glamping, Borehamwood
Only four miles from a tube stop, Home Farm in Hertfordshire is one of London’s closest campsites, offering the perfect countryside retreat for citydwellers. Its yurts and bell tents all have outdoor seating areas with fire pits and barbecues, and on-site activities include yoga, forest bathing and concerts. It’s one of our favourite glamping sites in the whole of the UK; find 20+ more here.
Address:Â Aldenham Rd, Elstree, Borehamwood WD6 3AZ
Badgells Wood Campsite, Gravesend
Set in beautiful ancient woodlands, this off-grid campsite is perfect for a low-key planet-friendly weekend escape in the countryside. The 250-acre site is crafted to feel as much like wild camping as possible, with pitches dotted among the trees – but hot showers and composting loos are available, too. Sit back and relax in front of your fire, explore the local wildlife, or take part in one of the on-site bushcraft, forest bathing and photography workshops.
Address:Â White Horse Rd, Harvel, Meopham DA13 0UF
Cedar Valley, Petersfield
Hidden within the South Downs, Cedar Valley is home to two relaxed and spacious campsites aptly called ‘Meadow’ and ‘Paddock’. Pitch up without fear: the immaculate amenity cabins please all our creature comforts, with showers, basins, toilets and a covered washing up station too. If you don’t fancy cooking your own grub, head to bustling restaurant-bar-cafe The Dell for tasty pizzas and snacks. Perfectly family-friendly, little ones can run wild on site, or exhaust them during the day with scenic walks and cycles across Hampshire and the South Downs. Elsewhere in Cedar Valley, find a Safari Tent, converted horsebox Betty the Bedford and some luxurious cabins if you decide camping is a bit too close to nature after all.
Address:Â East Meon, Petersfield GU32 1PH
MORE:Â The Summer School Holidays Activities Guide 2025
Downsview Vineyard, Crowborough
English wine has come on leaps and bounds in recent years, and Downsview Vineyard is a perfect example of this. It’s a beautiful little vineyard situated in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the Weald of Sussex, making sparkling white and red wine in a winery powered by renewable energy. As well as the vines, it has four luxury bell tents with proper beds and a welcome basket upon arrival with a bottle of wine and delicious snacks.
Address:Â Hadlow Down Rd, Crowborough TN6 3RG
Knepp Wildland Safaris, Horsham
Surrounded by 3,500 acres of the Knepp rewilding project, this is a real treat for nature lovers. Campers get a choice of yurts, bell tents or bringing their own tents. Each pitch has its own upcycled fire-pit and barbeque grill on which to cook up Knepp Wild Range longhorn and venison sausages, steaks and burgers, and organic wine, beer and cider from on-site shop the Go-Down.
Address:Â New Barn Farm, Swallows Ln, Dial Post, Horsham RH13 8NN
Elmley Nature Reserve, Isle Of Sheppey
A vast unspoilt wilderness in the Thames estuary, just 40 miles from London, Elmley Nature Reserve has 3,300 acres bursting with wildlife to explore. There are plenty of accommodation options but Elmley’s woodland bell tents – surrounded by trees, butterflies, owls and more – are the perfect spot for a bit of meditation and rejuvenation while surrounded by nature.
Address:Â Kingshill Farm, Elmley, Minster on Sea, Sheerness ME12 3RW
