Maple Field Camping

Straddling the Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire borders, Martin Down is a wild, chalky grassland that stretches for almost 1000 acres across Cranborne Chase AONB. Birds and butterflies of various song and shade can be found here, attracted to the profusion of wildflowers that pepper the sprawling meadows and scrub. It’s an ancient landscape, and while it might lack the dramatic contours and undulating slopes of the South Downs, the hand of history seems to touch the very air here, from its Bronze Age barrows to its Second World War firing range.

Set amidst this captivating backdrop lies Maple Field Camping, a three-and-a-half acre farm hosting camping for a few privileged pitches throughout the summer. Helmed by affable host Nick, this simple yet charming spot offers up to 40 informally laid-out camping pitches with scenic views towards the surrounding hills of Cranborne Chase. Children will love the spacious meadow to run themselves ragged in, while parents will be equally pleased at the safety of it all, with just one entrance it the bottom corner and therefore no secret escape routes for curious kids. Bushcraft courses are an exciting new addition for the 2020 season, including campfire cooking, whittling, animal tracking and spear-throwing. Rustic facilities are housed in the farm’s L-shaped barn with a basic washing-up facilities, hot shower and proper loo (supplemented by a couple of other portable varieties onsite). This cosy communal space also makes a decent refuge from the rain (enjoy a warming cuppa, a game of table tennis or hang up your wet clothes), but when the warm summer evenings draw in, most campers congregate around the central fire pit that serves the whole site, gazing upward in awe at the pristine star-studded night sky.