Clarefield Copse Wild Camping

A aimé : Wow what can I say amazing views Spent an evening in front of a fire, a lovely meal and a few drinks gazing up at the stars what more does one want A big shout out to this wonderful wild camping experience

N'a pas aimé: One more night would have been great

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A aimé : Based on a stay from 10th to 12th March 2024. Weather was fantastic, sunny and hot each day. * Wonderful location set in beautiful countryside in the South Downs. * Pitch sizes are very generous and allow for large tents and more per pitch. The pitches were generally well mowed with good areas of taller grass to separate them. The pitch area ground was not at all muddy or boggy, even though we could easily put pegs in by hand. Even with the morning dew, at no point did the pitch become muddy or churned. * Pitches are well spaced out, feel nice and level, and even in the quiet evenings, we didn't hear other campers. Many of which had children. * Great firepit provided at each pitch. Firewood can be purchased in sacks onsite. Our experience was that each afternoon, the host wheeled around a barrow to your pitch with the sacks of wood. I believe there is also an honesty box to obtain more wood at other times. * Friendly and accomodating hosts. * Loved the outdoor shower. It's an almost instantaneous, thermostatic controlled, gas powered hot shower, that's been pre-set with a decent water temperature and great pressure. It was always clean and accessible. * Clean flushing, toilets and there was always plenty of loo roll available. * Decent washing up area with large sinks and fresh running water. Great for topping up your own supply too. * Amazing walks nearby, and for those willing, the 1.3mile meander is both beautiful and extremely rewarding when you find the pub. * Via pitchup, you can pay your deposit and the balance is due around 7 days before your stay. This really helps when you have no idea what the weather will be like. * No issues with parking at the time.

N'a pas aimé: Based on a stay from 10th to 12th March 2024. Weather was fantastic, sunny and hot each day. These points are only mentioned to help advise others of our experience. They wouldn't deter us from returning as we loved it. * If you don't own a 4x4 and/or have big chunky tyres, watch out for huge potholes en-route. Thankfully we went in my friend's pickup. My car could have well sustained some damage from some of the local surrounding roads and possibly the entrance. * Access to your pitch maybe not be available with a vehicle depending on how much stuff you've got. They do provide a couple of wheel barrows though which most groups or families opted for. This is because at the time we went, the ground was too soft for vehicles. We ended up helping a family to push their vehicle out of a muddy section. My friend's pickup was able to manage it, but even in 4 wheel drive mode, there were some hairy moments. This probably isn't an issue when the ground is harder, but in 2024, there had been a lot of wet weather. NOTE: The pitches themselves were fine, and are generally kept fairly well mowed and weren't at all muddy or boggy. * In order to walk from our pitch to the facilities, we need to contend with a lot of tall, wet grass and a small but soft, squishy irrigation bed. This can make it a bit of a challenge if you need to do your business when nature calls, particularly in the relatively early hours. This could be easily remedied if a pathway was mowed from the main area of pitches up toward the facilites. Maybe a plank or two to cross the irrigation bed would be great. Even on the hot days we had, the morning dew made it wet and mushy.

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A aimé : Location and owner were amazing. The most beautiful location and although easy to access its far enough away that you don't hear any traffic, just the wind in the trees, the birds and the running stream. Gas shower was lovely and all facilities were clean and well maintained. Pitches were all cut back and each pitch had its own firepit which was a nice treat. The owner also drives around every evening to check everyone is OK and even has logs available for purchase if you want them.

N'a pas aimé: Ground was very boggy in some locations and the site could really benefit from some paths/cut grass pathways between the pitches and the facilities.

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A aimé : Rural site, lovely views, very quiet. Lots of birds to listen to! Fire pits were great, and there's logs for sale with an honesty box. Although would have been helpful to have some kindling too.

N'a pas aimé: Not owners fault but the field was extremely waterlogged, so was very squelchy around the tent as the ground was extremely soft and wet. Ended up spending most of our time in our tent porch. Waterlogged field also meant it was inaccessible by car, but wheelbarrows made it easier to carry kit so not the worst thing. Not a negative review but just a warning that its not great after heavy rain. Maybe more of a July/August site than a May one!

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A aimé : Could be a nice place in the summer time we arrived in May

N'a pas aimé: Unfortunately we arrived and the field was water logged and we couldn't stay, the owner agreed to refund our money.

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Réponse du gestionnaire : Hello Im sorry i missed your calls on Saturday. Its been an extremely busy few days with wife and new born in the hospital but this is not your concern. The front of site was pretty wet but the pitches were actually dry. I wish I had not missed your calls and maybe we could have smoothed everything out and you would have had an enjoyable weekend. I had someone on site to help out with this but its a big site and he would not have seen you and i missed your calls to let me know you had arrived. Anyway everything should be much smoother soon and the sun should be drying everything out as we speak. It truly is a beautiful site and perfect for nature lovers and people looking for some peace and quiet. Maybe you would consider coming again in the summer once everything has dried up. All the best Angus

A aimé : Good view

N'a pas aimé: There was no reception or even any instructions on where to pitch tents facilities etc.. the field was water logged. The toilets were disgusting really dirty and no toilet roll. The single shower was poor and cold. Overall a really bad experience

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Réponse du gestionnaire : Im sorry you had a bad experience and I understand your complaints. A bunch of factors have piled up that have led to a tricky opening. I dont want to make excuses as I don't think it helps, but an extremely wet spring and my wife having a premature baby this week in the hospital have made things difficult. Though I understand this is not your concern or problem. I wish you could have called me during your stay and I could have worked to fix the problems you mentioned. As though I don't have a front reception this being a small business, I did have two people on call who could have helped. I would hope this is not the normal experience and will pick up in a few weeks with some sun. Anyway I apologise that you had a bad time and wish you the best. Thanks Angus

A aimé : Back to basics camp site. Pitches are generous and spaces between pitches also good. Firepits provided and honesty box for wood. Toilets were better than expected for wild camping as more used to compost type. Site itself was amazing overnight - stars visible and also owls / pheasants sounded like they were in abundance!

N'a pas aimé: Personally not a dislike but to be aware at this time of year that the path from the main car park to the pitches was boggy. You have to tread carefully and carry kit a bit of a way which we would normally do anyway for a wild campsite.

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A aimé : Beautifully situated site, well spaced pitches, lots of wildlife.

N'a pas aimé: Given all the unseasonable rain, the site was pretty soggy in places. We had boots, so didn’t cause a major issue.

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A aimé : Great communication with the campsite owner resulting in relaxed campsite with lots of space. Basic facilities but all that's needed to spend some time outside. Field is situated in a natural dip so despite forecast encountered limited wind. Straightforward walk across field to/from the nearest pub (1.5miles). Enjoyed watching variety of birds over the site.

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A aimé : This place was really easy to find, called the number I received via text confirmation when I arrived and the gentleman came straight to me and showed me where the pitch site was, toilets, shower etc. Super friendly and welcoming! The site was dry and very spacious, loads of room to choose from. I was on a 3-day hike totalling 100 miles and so I pitched close to the toilets/shower! The shower itself was relatively basic, but there was enough water pressure and warmth to get clean comfortably. Would highly recommend if looking for a stopover or multi-night stay.

N'a pas aimé: The pain in my feet when I woke up!

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