Maple Field Camping

Arriving on Maple field farm, I immediately felt away from the bustle and pressure of regular routine. This quiet spot offers private space, deep in Hampshire’s ancient country side. It is one of Hampshire undiscovered spots offering an escape from larger bustling sites too. We pitched and then played in the field before listening to the evening birdsong. There is plenty of drinking water available and Nick our host made us very welcome. The campsite is a stones throw from Fordingbridge and the new Forest and as such an ideal spot for those looking to enjoy access to nature. We camped and enjoyed a fire under the full moon.

With a quiet, tucked away feel and a beautiful vista of rolling landscape, this was a wonderful rural antidote to urban life. With a relaxed ‘pitch anywhere’ attitude this unfussy campsite also has several useful facilities in the old dairy building at bottom of the field. Evidence of the old dairy added to the charm. Nick was friendly, welcoming and armed with local knowledge. There’s plenty of wildlife to be seen and the beaches of the south coast can be easily reached within an hour. Highly recommended.

We stayed at Maple Field for a couple of days at the end of May. The host (Nick?) was at the site when we arrived and showed us around. He was also very keen knowledgeable of the area and explaining the surrounding area. On site there is an inside toilet and shower. There's a barn where you can seek shelter when it rains. There's a kettle and a shared fridge with fresh milk. There are sinks for your washing up and also a dishwasher. This is a new camping site and we were one of the first people to stay there but would quite happily stay there again. They have a couple of water stands and they are hoping to install some more in the near future. There is a fire pit and they will be also be bringing some more to the site shortly. They are also going to be building up a log pile for use on the site but I'm unsure if there will be any additional charge for them. Opposite the site is a social club which is only open on Tuesday Thursday and Saturday but if there is enough demand they could possibly open more. About 5 minutes drive is a community shop run by volunteers. I'm sure Nick can give you the times that it will be open. There is a pub about a 10 minute drive which we were told serves very good food. Fordingbridge is about 15 minutes drive and that's where you'll find quite a few shops, restaurants banks etc. If you want to go to the larger shopping centre then that's about 20 minutes away. Maple Field is well worth a visit and hopefully more and more people will give it a try. The more people use it will only help in new facilities and improvements implemented. This is only my opinion of our couple of days there but we will definitely be going back.

It was quiet and peaceful in a stunningly beautiful and fascinating landscape. The hosts were charming and helpful but unobtrusive.

I am looking forward to doing some COOL CAMPING here later on in the season. Nick, the owner, is a complete dictionary of the locality and has great personal knowledge of the local history, it’s workings, not to mention the all important flora and fauna. He has a full depth of recognition of gardens, landscaping and rearing the wonderful Dexter cattle. My experience is yet to come, but having visited the site, talked to the owners, I know the family are going to have a unique and fulfilling experience. Roll on the warm weather! Let’s hope it’s like last year! Happy ‘Cool Camping’ everyone!!!