Newhouse Farm

Newhouse Farm, situated in the hamlet of Norton Wood in rural Herefordshire, a half-hour drive from the book town of Hay-on-Wye, boasts a setting so serene that even the butterflies are falling over themselves to get here. The meadow opposite the campsite is a true wildflower spectacle, owned by a local nature trust and used to collect wild seed mixes to send around the country. Natural pollination, however, means the Newhouse camping meadow is a riot of lush grasses too and the perfect setting for child-free, back-to-nature camping.

With the peaceful setting put first, there’s really very little to the place. The camping meadow, just off of quirky named ‘Pig Street’, has portable-style toilets, hand sanitiser stations and mains water but there are no showers or clumsy concrete facilities. Instead, the farm is all about space and simple pleasures. Spotting red admirals and purple emperors, exploring the surrounding hills or setting out on a walk from the farm to return to nights beneath the clear, unpolluted skies.

There are several footpaths running from the campsite, which is located along the Black and White Property Trail, a local walking route that takes in a series of picturesque villages known for their black-and-white half-timbered style and buildings dating back to medieval times. There are plenty of good pub stops along the way, with the route running through a rich landscape of orchards and hopyards that supply the local eateries. The cathedral city of Hereford is a half-hour drive and has endless foodie options and there are plenty of good boltholes in Kington and Hay-on-Wye too. At the latter you can hire canoes for river adventures or pick them up by the old toll bridge across the Wye in Whitney.