Pitch up near a ferry port for a European adventure. Head across the seas with ease, with this selection of top campsites
❚ Words Claire Tupholme
ROAD TRIPS CAMPSITES
FOLKESTONE
LITTLE SATMAR HOLIDAY PARK
Winehouse Lane, Capel-le-Ferne, Kent CT18 7JF
T 01303 251188
W keatfarm.co.uk
OPEN 8 February – 31 October
Little Satmar Holiday Park is set within the Garden of England’s finest countryside, just 20 minutes’ drive from Folkestone, where you can catch a ferry to France or take your campervan to Calais in 35 minutes on a train with LeShuttle.
The campsite is tucked away behind the village of Capel-le-Ferne in a secluded spot, a short walk away from clifftop paths, including the North Downs Way, which makes for an interesting walk.
The campsite itself has 50 touring pitches, most with electric hookup, and three hardstanding pitches. Just four miles away are the white chalk cliffs at Samphire Hoe Country Park. Created during the construction of the Channel Tunnel, this 30-hectare site is full of wildlife and wildflowers.
HARWICH
STRANGERS HOLIDAY PARK
The St, Bradfield, Essex CO11 2US
T 01255 870304
W strangersholidaypark.co.uk
OPEN 1 March – 31 December
Strangers Holiday Park is an adults-only gated touring park located in Bradfield, near Manningtree in Essex. Having recently been redeveloped the site has just 20 touring pitches plus holiday lodges for sale. Pitches have electric hook-up and there are hardstandings available. Facilities on site include toilets and showers, along with a pub and restaurant (closed during 2023 for refurbishment). The site is dog friendly.
This campsite is the ideal choice for anyone travelling to Holland, with Harwich being only 20 minutes away. Ferry services from the Essex port sail to the Hook of Holland. Strangers Holiday Park is also only 20 minutes from Colchester, yet has a rural feel thanks to being set on the outskirts of pretty villages such as Dedham, Manningtree and East Bergholt. Local attractions include the beaches of Bradfield, Frinton, Walton and Clacton – all within half an hour’s drive.
POOLE
SOUTH LYTCHETT MANOR CARAVAN & CAMPING PARK
Dorchester Road, Lytchett Minster, Poole, Dorset BH16 6JB
T 01202 622577
W southlytchettmanor.co.uk
OPEN 1 March – 2 January
This award-winning campsite is set in over 20 acres of parkland, just three miles from Poole and 20 minutes f
