Welsummer Camping, Lenham

I'm going to try really hard not to bias this review, but it was the first camping trip of the season, we had glorious weather and pretty good company. We also had an entire woodland campsite to ourselves.

We arrived to the sound of birds singing, bees buzzing and a warm welcome from the owners. Perfect so far. The wood for the campfire was delivered to the edge of the woodland for us. As we were the only ones there we had the choice of camping anywhere we liked. We found a fire pit which are scattered through the campsite with room for 3 or 4 small tents around. To camp in the woodland you need a small tent but there are places for larger tents too in the meadow.

 

See all those bluebells just waiting to spring into life? The floor will be entirely blue in a couple of weeks.

Then the kids disappeared into the wood and we relaxed. Cider may have been consumed. And the campfire was lit. This was also a trip for testing the new tripod and grill and it worked perfectly. More friends turned up for the evening (this is allowed but ask before they come) and it was spent cooking and eating and roaming the woods and chatting and generally having a very, very relaxing time. Apart from when Pete disappeared into the wood and got lost. That was a bit nerve wracking. We did find him again.

The next morning brought more campfire building and a huge cooked breakfast.

That's the new tripod and grill holding a kettle, pan of beans, a cast iron frying pan and two slices of toast. It holds a lot of food.

With breakfast cooking I took a stroll around the site. The toilet and shower facilities are lovely and clean. There are only two ladies toilets and one is in with the shower so I can see a queue for the ladies happening when the site is full. There's also a washing up spot with plenty of hot water. 

There's a place to sit and have a coffee and cake next to the little shop although we didn't taste any this time. A new shelter is just being built around the big oak tree for the more inclement camping days, or maybe to shelter from the sun. 

Breakfast eaten, more sitting and chatting and relaxing done, it was time to pack up and go home. Welsummer camping did everything we needed. We wanted to relax around the campfire and let the children off the leash after the winter. Even if the weather hadn't have been quite so perfect, the campsite would still have made it a wonderful weekend. We're already planning the next trip.

Where: Welsummer Camping, Harrietsham, Kent, ME17 1NQ

Contact: 01622 843 051 email

How much: Small tent + 4 people £20, Large tent + 6 £30 per night 

Fires: Yes, in the brick fire pits found all over the site

Wood: On sale at reception. All wood is from the coppiced trees on site.

Facilities: Clean and tidy toilets and shower but not many. Shelter under construction.

Dogs: allowed on leads and waste must be cleared up.