Eastnor Castle

You know you’re in the heart of the country when you can crawl from your tent in the morning and find yourself gazing into the eyes of a young stag – not the bleary-eyed groom-to-be variety, but a real red deer. Camp at the top of Eastnor Castle’s 23- acre camping field – right next to their deer park – and there’s every chance it could happen to you.

An arboretum, a lake, and a road away from the impressive castle lies the deer park where you’ll be pitching your tent for the night. A designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Special Scientific Interest, it’s a sweeping vista of rolling hills and hidden pockets of woodland nooks and crannies.

The whole vibe about the place is pretty chilled. You just pitch up, literally, and settle in. The park warden will wander by to collect your money and he serves as a security measure, too, as the park is open to the public during the day and several footpaths criss-cross the park.

If you time your arrival right, there are some pretty fantastic places to pitch at the foot of the field. Veiled in trees on the slopes opposite, Eastnor Castle itself is a fairy-tale confection built in the early 19th century.There’s a maze and a great playground for kids with a mock wooden castle and suspension bridge and tractor.The absolutely unmissable experience, though, is climbing the hill through the deer park to the obelisk at the summit. It offers an even better view of the Malvern Hills than that afforded at the campsite, so take a camera along.

The absence of toilets and showers at Eastnor explains why there are more caravanners than campers here. So, why not even out the numbers and bring a tent, your own portable chemical toilet and, if you can cope with alfresco ablutions, a solar- powered shower? Not many showers boast a castle view – reason enough to visit!