An entire campsite to yourselves, in stunning surroundings.
The Round Hill, a magical, very private spot, has fast become a favourite for group camping. Selected for The Guardian’s round-up of ‘Great UK campsites with a difference’ , it makes the perfect spot for class camping, family get-togethers, birthday gatherings or your yearly camping trip that’s grown bigger over time as new families join.
Gathering with family and friends under the stars, sharing food cooked over fire and allowing life to slow down are life’s greatest pleasures – and The Round Hill is the perfect place to live them.
Nestled on the Firle Estate in the heart of the South Downs National Park, the campsite offers endless views, starry dark skies and easy access to the popular walking route, the South Downs Way and local treasures like Charleston Farmhouse, rivers, beaches, and charming pubs.
Our hearty, soul-satisfying meals cooked over fire use the best seasonal and local ingredients, and our facilities, built using locally-coppiced timber, have powerful hot showers and sinks piping crystal clear water from the Estate’s borehole.
Tell me more!
The Round Hill is available any time from Easter until the end of September for groups of up to 60 people. Included in your hire is:
Please be aware we have a two-night minimum stay at weekends and three over bank holidays. Our maximum stay is seven nights.
Larger groups – we can accommodate up to around 60 guests.
Want to jazz it up? No problem! For an additional cost, choose from our add-on bundles below and treat yourselves to comfortable pre-pitched tents; your own private live-fire chef; silent disco; yoga or pilates sessions; personal forager– you name it and we shall deliver!
One night
Adult price: £55 ; Child price: £30 ; £1,500 minimum spend. A short but unforgettable escape. Only available Monday to Thursday.
Two nights
Adult price: £80 ; Child price: £40 ; £2,400 minimum spend. Give yourself the gift of time.
Three nights
Adult price: £100 ; Child price: £50 ; £3,000 minimum spend. Immerse yourself fully in the Woodfire experience. With three nights, you’ll have time to explore the South Downs, savour every moment, and let the beauty of nature seep in.
Please note we have a two-night minimum stay at weekends and three over bank holiday. Maximum stay – seven nights – POA.
Enhance your stay with these add-on bundles (see table for prices):
Pre-pitched comfort – no stress, just settle in! Your pre-pitched tent sleeps four and comes complete with plush air mattresses, soft blankets, hot water bottles and cosy lighting.
Bedding – warm duvet, pillow and sheets if not bringing your own.
Wine and dine – avoid soggy cool-boxes and warm beer – let us take care of the cooking and drinks on additional nights with more delicious woodfire-cooked meals and delicious drinks and cocktails.
Yoga/pilates – greet the day with mindful movement led by experienced instructors.
Foraging / cookery school – connect with the land as you gather wild ingredients and learn to create something delicious.
Silent disco – dance under the stars without disturbing the peace.
Feast – celebrating a special occasion? Upgrade to a sit-down meal tailored to your requirements and prepared before you by our live-fire chefs.
If you’d like to add people or experiences to your stay, we can always arrange these at a later stage (subject to availability). Try to give us at least six weeks notice so we can help you make your stay exactly how you want it.
One thing to note: this is a space for people to enjoy each others’ company and nature without disturbing their environment or our neighbours. Amplified speakers won’t work and we ask for quiet voices (ie no shouting) around the campfire from 11pm.
Got questions?
Head to our Round Hill FAQs to find out more and use our contact form below to get in touch so we can help put together your ideal package.
Ready to book or want to know more?
Use our contact form below to find out availability of The Round Hill exclusively for your group – someone will get back to you pronto!
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 can arrange for these at an additional cost.
When are you open? The Round Hill is open every day from the beginning of April until the end of September.
Are there any rules? Yep – 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.
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.
WHETHER YOU WANT TO RELAX AROUND THE CAMPSITE, GO ON LOVELY WALKS AND BIKE RIDES NEARBY OR BE MORE ADVENTUROUS, THERE’S LOADS TO DO HERE, COME RAIN OR SHINE.
Countryside
Nestled on the South Downs National Park, 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.
This area is great for cyclists of all abilities, whether mountain biking along the South Downs Way or just pootling around the lanes – there’s a wealth of tracks and paths to explore.
Coast
When it’s hot and you want to be by water, we are close to the coast and beaches of Newhaven West (twenty minutes) and Saltdean – (a hidden gem and only 30 minutes away!) There is also the amazing swimming spot of Cuckmere Haven where the River Cuckmere meets the sea – check out the fantastic website Tideschart.com for super-local tide, weather and fishing info for Cuckmere and the surrounding beaches To be near water closer to the site (and one of our favourite spots) there’s also Pells Pool, an outdoor lido in Lewes fifteen minutes away.
Courses and on-site
We’re also just a couple of fields away from the lovely guys at Hunter Gather Cook, a foraging and cookery school that specialises in game butchery, wild cocktails and outdoor cookery, exclusively over live fire if you want to combine your stay with one of their courses.
Places to visit
Woodfire at Firle is lucky to be surrounded by fantastic cultural venues, historic houses and amazing gardens.
We are walking distance to Charleston Farmhouse, which has a fantastic programme of events, courses and exhibitions throughout the summer. The stately Firle House is also walkable and well worth a visit with its amazing art collection, exhibitions and gardens.
For an escape to the past, the beautiful Glynde Place is a ten minute drive and the grand Herstmonceux Castle is less than thirty minutes away.
For something a bit different, the magical Friston Forest and Arlington Reservoir make for great places to explore varied scenery and tire out little legs.
Towns nearby
As well as the pretty village of Firle, Woodfire is close to the historic town of Lewes with a beautiful castle and great coffee shops. The seaside cities of Brighton and Eastbourne are less than thirty minutes away if you fancy something a bit more high-octane…
Pubs
A walk to a proper country pub is one of best bits about camping. We are lucky enough to be within walking distance to two lovely locals. The wonderful Ram Inn in the village of Firle and the great Barley Mow are both about a 30 minute walk away – both do great food, as does the cafe at Charleston, Caccia and Tails.
Nearest shop
Middle Farm is a five minute drive – a wonderful farm shop with local produce, a tea room, garden nursery and open farm. There is a petrol station and well-stocked-for-essentials shop at the end of Bo Peep Lane and the nearest supermarkets are in Lewes.
The Round Hill is ONE OF TWO WOODFIRE CAMPSITES located on the Firle Estate near Lewes, between Brighton and East Sussex.
Please don’t follow Satnav/Waze/Google Maps as these will bring you along private roads on the Firle Estate and some sat navs get confused about our location. To avoid ending up somewhere unexpected, please refer to these directions: Heading east (ie from Brighton/Lewes), continue along the A27 past the signs for Firle Place on your right and Middle Farm on your left. Take the next turning on your right, signposted for Charleston Farmhouse. (Coming west (ie from Eastbourne), you’ll pass the Barley Mow pub on your left and then take the next left hand turning signposted for Charleston Farmhouse. Carry on along the track, past the drive up to Charleston and follow it around to the left. You should be driving up between two fields, probably with cows and the South Downs (hills) on your right. Continue as the track bends to the right, and go past a big open barn on your right and Tilton House on your left. The track becomes bumpier here so proceed slowly until you reach a T-junction. Turn right and follow the signs for Woodfire until you reach the opening to our chalk car park on your left.
By train – From London: there is a regular service from London Victoria to Lewes which is seven miles away. At Lewes there is a taxi rank and advance booking is not necessary unless arriving early in the morning or late at night. The closest station is Berwick, which is around four miles away. There are hourly trains from Brighton and Eastbourne to Berwick – note there is no taxi rank at Berwick.
By bus – There are no direct buses to the Round Hill, we recommend using Flexibus. You can book a FlexiBus ride as little as 30 minutes before you want to travel and up to 7 days in advance, bookings can be made using an app and by telephone on 01273 078203.
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