Review: Fallow Field Camping, Dymchurch
Fancy a fun camping holiday with the family? Maybe you like the idea of a fully furnished bell tent – or at at the very least some decent wash facilities. Well, look no further than Fallow Field Camping on the Kent coast. Read on for our full review.
THE BRIEF
Every year we get together with the same four or five families and go camping at the end of August. It’s always the last hurrah of the summer holidays – and something that the kids (especially the big, husband ones) look forward to immensely.
This year we wanted to find somewhere local with good eateries near by – oh and on the beach.
THE LOCATION
So we booked Fallow Fields Camping which came highly recommended by a friend who had visited their Selson Farm campsite before. We booked their new Lathe Barne site, which only just opened this year, sitting down on the coast just a stone’s throw away from Dymchurch sea front.
Incidentally if you’re interested in the Selson Farm option the tents are nestled between splendid cherry, pear and apple trees up near Sandwich, so sitting in the middle of the cool coastal towns of Deal and Ramsgate.
THE LOWDOWN
These campsites are very much about the best of both worlds – offering all the fun of camping and the great outdoors but with no compromise on modern comforts.
Here, it’s all about choice. If you want to go fancy, there are 15 furnished bell tents for hire (and two unfurnished if you want to go glam, but with your own gear). Or if you’re a pure camper and want to pitch your own tent – then there’s that option too! And – if you give the team enough notice – it’s possible to mix and match all of the above in your group.
THE VIBE
In previous years we’ve stayed at campsites with very basic facilities – in the middle of an empty field with very little else. But at the Fallow Field Camping site you’ve got loads of facilities – including a well-stocked onsite shop (the one at the Lathe Barn site is pictured below). And I believe the Selson Farm site has a Gin and Fizz Bar too.
For little ones there’s swings and a soft-play barn. There was also some popular ‘tie-dye t-shirt’ making workshops for the kids which were totally sold out when we were there.
There’s loos – which are kept topped up with actual loo roll and hand wash (oh the luxury!) – and there’s decent washing up facilities (for some reason kids enjoy this chore when camping), there’s individual shower cubicles too (pictured above) which area really rather smart.
Plus, with a car-free policy and ‘quiet sites’ from 10.30pm, you can enjoy a peaceful, stress-free time together. Well-behaved dogs are welcome too for no extra charge, so long as they are kept on a lead when on site.
The fun is not just for the little people. If you’re someone that likes to take part in organised activities there’s stuff going on for the grown ups as well – like yoga sessions and wine tasting. At our Lathe Barne site there was a Friday Night Wine Tasting session in the early evening followed by Welly Wanging (throwing a Wellington boot as far as you can). Well, why not?
But everything is very low-key and relaxed – nothing naff. The wine tasting for example was just a selection of local drinks brought to the bottom of our field in a camping wagon (pictured above). We tried them all (for research purposes).
FOOD
At Lathe Barn, a fab pizza van visits on Friday nights from May to August and Wednesdays in the busy period of school holidays (27th July – 24th August). The Selson Farm site has food options too – in both cases orders need to be booked in advance (there’s details on the website).
You can cook your own food obviously – everyone is allowed a fire at the Fallow Field sites there’s just one rule that they must be raised off the ground on a fire pit. This is to protect the ground. And, no one wants to set up camp on scorched grass.
If you don’t have one they are available for hire (£6 per night for a fire pit) so you can keep the fire burning every night of your stay or just hire one when you need it. If you’re staying in one of the luxury furnished bell tents, then a fire pit will already be included amongst your equipment and furnishings.
KID-FRIENDLY
Of course, family fun is at the very heart of what Fallow Fields Camping is all about. There’s plenty of scope for those that want to get active – from a volley ball area to table tennis (you can hire bats by the day).
Or kids can grab some popcorn at the shop for a movie night at the little cinema. Plus there’s also loads of brilliant walks and day trips in the area.
As well as crafty classes, like the popular Tie-dye T-shirt workshop that was running on Saturday morning during our stay, I hear there are also bush craft sessions for kids, including fire lighting, archery and geocaching (suitable for children 6 years and over).
The campsite is very well suited to those with younger kids – a rare opportunity to give them a real taste of freedom in the great outdoors in a very safe setting where all the details have been thought through.
Older children and teens start to go off camping with parents unless they have a cohort of their own age group and you won’t find too many here. So bring friends for them would be my advice.
OUT & ABOUT
Dymchurch itself has very much an old school seaside vibe. Think that unique seaside charm of bucket and spade shops, but also think Amusement Park central, with some (rather over-priced) rides. Not to everyone’s taste – but you can guarantee the kids will love it.
Head along the coastline to Hythe and you’ll find hidden gem The Lazy Shack. An understated eatery right on the beach, it may look low-key, but you’ll find top notch seafood here – from lobster to oysters – and boasting some of the best good old fish and chips I’ve ever had.
For another brilliant family food option we loved Unit 1 Riverside, nestled next to the canal in West Hythe. This stylish shed-come-microbar is another fab little find. With homemade pizzas or street food served up by a series of local pop-up collabs (there’s a new menu each weekend, Friday to Sunday).
Worth noting, most of the nearby beaches are shingle rather than sand – and the seaside landscape changes dramatically throughout the day thanks to the tides, so look up tide timings and plan your beach time around them. If only sand will do head to Rye or, if you’re after a buzzy town, you’ve got Folkestone, an equal distance in the opposite direction.
MUDDY VERDICT:
You don’t have to be a hardened camper to enjoy Fallow Field Camping. It’s ideal in many ways for those new to the whole experience as you are so well supported with the facilities and activities here. Bring your own tent or small campervan – or sleep under the stars in style in your own fully furnished bell tent – all the options are possible here.
If you’re a camping purist that doesn’t like crowds and think it’s soft to have all the facilities on site – then this venue isn’t for you. But it’s the perfect place for young families who will love the free-range element and all the activities to keep the ankle-biters occupied. From big groups to single family overnighters – nothing ever beats conversation around the campfire – and this is the perfect place to reconnect.
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