Can I book out The Round Hill to celebrate a special event? Definitely, if you’re planning a peaceful couple of days hanging out with your mates and eating good food in nature. We are so lucky to be in this magical spot, right in the heart of the National Park and to hold on to our license we cannot have amplified music or loud, drunken behaviour and we ask for quiet voices after 10.30pm. If you know your celebration probably won’t suit the site, please don’t book it!
Do you have pre-pitched tents? Yes, we have ten pre-pitched tents already up and can arrange for more.
When are you open? The Round Hill opens from the beginning of April until the end of September.
Are there any rules? Yes – these come partly from conditions imposed on us by the South Downs National Park and partly from our own experiences of creating a brilliant place for you to stay – you can find them below. They are mostly about respect and responsibility, which we’re sure you would show anyway, but we still need to spell them out. Please be aware that if you, or anyone you are responsible for, behaves in a way that disturbs our neighbours (including the animals!) they will be asked to leave immediately. And no one wants that.
Can we bring dogs? Absolutely. As a working farm, there are many other animals around including sheep and cattle – so long as you’re confident your dog will be well-behaved around these and other campers, dogs are welcome but please keep them on a lead at all times while on the campsite, follow the SDNP’s Take the Lead guidance and clear up after them immediately. Dogs are the owner’s responsibility and you will be asked to leave if they cause any problems.
Can we have campfires? Definitely – we sell firewood (sustainably coppiced local wood) and we can pre-arrange a quantity for you to have onsite when you arrive. We can’t have fires on the ground, but we have plenty of firepits for you to borrow. Please don’t collect wood locally as deadwood is really important for wildlife habitats.
Is there cooking? Absolutely. Your reservation includes a hearty supper and breakfast for 40! If you want to eat both nights, or to create a really special dining experience with a live-fire chef, we can do that too – just ask 🙂
Can we have our own barbecues? Sure – you can use our big communal Kadai firebowl or bring your own – just make sure they’re raised off the ground.
Do you allow cars on the field? No, this site isn’t accessible by cars. Campers park in the car park, and then transport their gear up the farm track to the campsite in the huge wheelbarrows we provide and whenever possible we will have a 4×4 to assist you.
Can we bring a caravan, campervan or motor home? Unfortunately not, we’ve seen from experience that they wouldn’t make it up the farm track!
Can we play music? Yes! Everyone loves a campfire sing-song and a strum on the old guitar, and you’re welcome to bring a portable speaker. We can’t have any amplified music, however. Sound travels a long distance in this area and to respect our neighbours, we ask for quiet voices only round the campfire after 11pm.
- We need you to know where your children are, that they understand things like how to use the toilets and where they can and can’t explore, for their own safety as much as respect for other campers and our neighbours.
What if we need to bring more than one car?
This depends on numbers and will need to be pre-arranged with us as we have limited space in our car park. Please contact us if this is the case and we’ll see what we can do.
What time do we have to check out? We know packing up can take ages, so you don’t need to be off the field until 1pm.
How close is the pub? There are two within walking distance – The Ram Inn and The Barley Mow
What is there to do nearby? So much! We are walking distance to Charleston Farmhouse, which has a fantastic programme of events, courses and exhibitions throughout the summer as well as the beautiful house and garden which are both open to the public. We’re also just a couple of fields away from Hunter Gather Cook, if you want to combine your stay with one of their courses. The stately Firle House is also in walking distance and well worth a visit with its amazing art collection, exhibitions and gardens. Middle Farm is a short walk away and has a great Open Farm, a play area for kids, a tearoom, garden nursery and great farm shop selling local produce. We’re right on the South Downs Way, so perfect for walkers and cyclists. Slightly further afield, are stunning villages and towns; Lewes, Brighton and Eastbourne as well as the coast, of course, with cliff walks, beaches and amazing swimming spots like Cuckmere Haven by Seven Sisters cliffs, where the Cuckmere river meets the sea. For more ideas, check out the Things to Do section below.
Is there a shop nearby? Yes, Middle Farm is a five minute drive – a wonderful farm shop with local produce, a tea room and even a garden nursery and open farm! The nearest supermarkets are in Lewes.
Where is the nearest beautiful walk? There are so many! This spot is ideal for amblers and ramblers – you can explore the hillside of the Downs straight off the campsite and, as we are directly under Firle Beacon on the South Downs Way, we’re a perfect stop off.
Do you have phone charging points? This site is really off grid and it’s so nice to go off grid yourself! This year, however, we do plan to have means of charging your phone.
What do we do with our rubbish? We’ll take general waste, though try to make it easy for you to recycle and compost as much as possible onsite, with clearly-labelled bins. One thing – we’d really appreciate it if you didn’t leave us with broken larger items such as punctured airbeds, chairs and even tents – it just means we have to make a special trip to the tip instead of you.
Cancellation policy
30 days or more before your stay, we will refund 90% of your booking.
29-15 days before your stay, we’ll refund 50% of your booking.
No refunds are available if you cancel 14 days or less before your stay.
PLEASE NOTE THAT ASKING TO RESCHEDULE A WEEKEND WITHIN THE SAME TIME FRAMES IS ESSENTIALLY THE SAME AS A CANCELLATION.
Safety
To be legal about it, Woodfire Camping is used by all persons at their own risk. Camping at Woodfire entitles you to access the camping field and any public footpaths and rights to roam areas around it, which takes you across plenty of stunning fields and through gorgeous woodland. We must ask you though to respect any private property belonging to our neighbours and be mindful of the Countryside Code, keeping gates shut at all time as the campsite is surrounded by grazing land. The Firle Estate has a number of working farms and parents must ensure children are properly supervised at all times.
Whilst we make every effort to ensure a safe campsite we cannot accept responsibility for your possessions or personal injuries sustained whilst on the property or having campfires, but we firmly believe that spending time in this rural environment with its inherent ‘risks’ teaches children – and everyone! – valuable lessons about life, which let’s face it, is not a zero-risk venture!
Privacy
Standard GDPR notice: We collect your personal details, name, address, email, telephone number and credit card details when you place a booking, these details are used for the purposes of managing your booking and receiving your payment. Should you wish for your personal details to be removed from our booking database after your stay with us, or after cancelling your booking, you may instruct us to remove it by sending an email to team@woodfire.co.uk, please include your booking reference with this request.
If you opt in to our mailing list whilst placing your booking, we will add your name, address and email details to our marketing database and use these details in order to communicate with you in the future. We will not share this information with anyone else. All of our marketing emails will include the ability to have your data removed from our marketing database.
