Britchcombe Countryside Holidays, Oxfordshire

£6 per person, per night
“I’m sleeping in Mummy and Daddy’s one. Mummy and Daddy can sleep in my Upsy Daisy bed.” - Lillie

Until Lillie came along I was very much a part of the Anti-Camping Crew. My only experiences under canvas were Duke of Edinburgh Expeditions (Pot Noodles, six girls in three man tent, no showers) and Festivals (Pot Noodles, cast out of tent to sleep on grass by over-indulged, passed out boy-size friend, no showers). Therefore between the ages of 16 and 26 I refused to even entertain the idea of sleeping under the stars, much less take camping holidays.

I’ll tell you what changed my mind (aside from The Happy Campers by Kat Heyes and Tess Carr which manages to make camping look like nothing less than sunsets, balmy days and eating fine outdoor cooked food). After padding in and out of NHS toilets in bare feet, going through the most embarrassing and yukky experience of my life surrounded by torn wallpaper and sticky plastic sofas (and this was a good birth centre), suddenly campsite showers didn’t seem so terrible. Plus Mike had got it in his head that music festivals were a good idea.

Of course one overnighter in a tent and we were converted. Move on three years and there we are speeding through the countryside, our friends Emma and Andy in their beautiful old MG, us in our grubby Ford Focus, complete with Spongebob window blinds, in search of the historic White Horse. And, nestled beneath it, Britchcombe Countryside Holidays, a well respected campsite in an ideal position for a short break from London, Birmingham or anywhere in between.

Far from an anodine Camping and Caravanning Club site, Britchcombe is nonetheless well equipped - several fields around the White Horse, spacious and without dedicated pitches, portaloos (not everyone’s cup of tea but very clean and convenient, just take a torch for evening visits) in easy reach of every tent and, very importantly, campfires allowed.

There are very few places which allow fires and the rules here are fairly strict - existing fireholes should be used, no wood from off site is allowed etc…however a man in a van pops round every hour or so offering generous bags of wood for a fiver. Additionally owner Marcella zooms around the sites in her 4×4 of an evening so you know there’s someone to speak to if you have questions or problems.

The kids rolled down hills, hid around the tents, picked daisies, played frisbee, made friends and generally made the most of a safe place to play which, even on a hot, busy weekend, had loads of space to enjoy and really made you feel like you were miles away from civilization.

Of course camping with kids isn’t easy, setting up tents with ‘helpful’ toddlers is a big job and they just don’t want to sleep when they can hear you just outside, still enjoying yourselves. But the combination of great company, a few beers, roaring fire, a laid back campsite and simply beautiful surroundings mean that Britchcombe gave us an opportunity, in the middle of a credit crunch and political scandals, to remember why Britain on a good day is just about the nicest place to live. And for Lillie to learn about rolling down hills.

mummy x

Find Britchcombe Farm at:
Uffington
Faringdon
Oxon
SN7 7QJ

The site is large but busy, make sure you call to book your pitch… 01367 820667

Check out Daddy’s top camping tips for happy camping here.