Campsite details:
Cedar Gables Campsite
Hastings Road
Flimwell
TN5 7QA
Pitch costs:
- £35 per night for grass pitch with EHU (August School Holidays 2022)
Site facilities:
- Toilet & shower blocks
- Chemical loo disposal point
- Grass and electric tent pitches
- Kids play park
- Picnic Tables
- Campers fridges, freezers and charging point
- Electric kettles
- Campers lounge seating area
- On site reception
- On site food van open at weekends
What we were looking for:
As with our previous camping trips, we were looking for a family friendly campsite which wasn't too far from home. 6 and 4 year olds do not make great long distance travel companions and that is without even thinking about the small fluffball dog as well! This campsite was perfect for us being only about an hours drive, based in Flimwell East Sussex.
The campsite was easy to find as it is located right off the A21. This was something that we had slight concerns over but to be honest, it was not an issue. You could hear some traffic noise when sat outside but it was not overly intrusive and we didn't have any problems sleeping at night. The owner has planted large hedges to help with any noise / light and this seems to have worked very well. They have a note on their website saying that if you are a light sleeper you may find earplugs handy. We aren't in a position to use these with the kids being so young, so I was very pleased that any noise concerns turned out to be a non-issue. The plus side of being so close to a major road is that the transport links are great and there is no horrendous country lane driving with the trailer!
As you enter the campsite, you drive up a small driveway and the reception is based in front of the field. The owner was there and we were checked in within 5 minutes of arrival. A lovely positive with a smaller campsite is that the owner came out and personally showed us to our pitch and explained the facilities. He also popped out a few times whilst we were setting up to make sure we had everything we needed and were getting on ok.
The pitches were a really good size. We always go for the large pitches as our tent is 8 x 5m. The condition of me agreeing to camp was a palace of a tent, but it does mean we need the extra space. Cedar Gables had 2 large pitches as the bottom of a small slope right by the kids playground. The pitch was a generous size and we could easily fit the tent, car, kitchen etc and have plenty of room to boot. The pitch was so generous that when our friends arrived a couple of days after us, we pitched their tent on our pitch too!
The site is divided into 2 halves with a fence running down the middle, handy for hanging wet towels! The pitches are around the edge which left a large green space in the middle of the site. This was filled with kids playing frisbee, riding bikes or playing football. There was a very friendly atmosphere and our boys enjoyed plenty of football matches with other campers children. The site is secure with the entrance and exit at the bottom of the field, so the children were nicely contained and within eyesight at all times. Perfect for being able to sit down with a nice cold cider!
The site is on a slope but this didn't cause us any issues. Just make sure you know which way you want your head facing at night! Midway through our trip we faced the hugest storm with mega rain. As we had been so dry all summer the ground was rock hard (which explains the less than green grass in our pics...) and as such water was remaining on the surface. In these sort of conditions you really see the benefits of a slope! The rain water was able to do as it was meant to and rolled down the hill to drain. So when the rain stopped there were no big boggy puddles to deal with. As I said we were at the bottom of the hill where the rain water was heading. We could feel it under our feet as if we were walking on a water bed! Luckily the tent held firm with no leaks and when the sun came back out the campsite dried really quickly without any standing water to deal with. Phew!
Camp Facilities:
As a relatively new and not the best camper, the toilet facilities can make or break a trip for me. If I turn up somewhere with port-a-loos again I will write off the money and leave straight away. I swear I have PTSD from the one experience we had of that nonsense! At Cedar Gables though there were proper toilet blocks with showers. The facilities are relatively small compared to other campsites we have been to, but this is reflected in the size of the campsite and the number of pitches. There were 2 ladies toilets and 2 showers. I understand the mens had 3 toilets though obviously I cannot confirm nor deny this!
One thing I really liked was the size of the ladies loos. They could have fitted 3 smaller cubicles in there but decided instead to have 2 larger cubicles. The reason I assume was to help us mums out that always have to fit a small person in with us (to be fair to the hubby, he has to deal with his share of this fun too!) Each cubicle had its own sink in and plenty of room for multiple people. There was also a sink in the main area for people to do their teeth without holding up a toilet cubicle, which is great for smaller facilities. The toilets were always clean and had plenty of toilet paper and soap. I have no complaints!
Something to remember is that the showers are chargeable here, so make sure you take some 50ps! Although if you forget, I'm sure the manager could help you out. The price is 50p for 5 minutes but after worrying I wouldn't have enough time and speeding through my normal routine, I found I had plenty of time to spare. After a bit of testing the 5 minutes is actually more like 10! They had advised that you can put more money in if you needed more time but I can honestly say you won't need it. There was plenty of hot water and the shower was an actual cubicle with a door so no risk of your stuff getting wet. The showers were really clean and we never had any problems with there only being 2. The 5 minute system is great for keeping people honest!
In-between the 2 shower blocks you will find your recycling and general bins. These were emptied regularly and very conveniently placed so you could drop stuff in the bin or recycling when you popped to the loo. Great for keeping the camp set up tidy.
So as I have said, we always opt for an electric hook up - I need my luxuries!! But there is a hidden gem here which I hadn't seen in any other campsite we have stayed at. There is a campers lounge at the bottom of the campsite. This lounge has a couple of sofas and then 2 big fridge freezers. These are for all the campers to use. This was a really great addition to the campsite and meant that we had much less food waste than usual and always a cold drink ready to go! There are also plug sockets in the campers lounge for people to able to charge their phones, some books and a couple of sofas to chill out on. So if you don't go for an electric pitch, the ability to keep stuff cool and charge your phone would be a real bonus.
There were 2 outside huts with sinks for washing up. The drinking water taps are positioned right beside these and they also both had a handy electric kettle which we took advantage of to make a fair few cups of tea! Again we never had to queue to use anything. Although there are fewer facilities than other camps they are in proportion to the size and number of campers there.
As I said, we have two tiger cubs to consider when camping and this site had a big green space to play on as well as a wooden play castle with a swing and slide. The park had set opening and closing times to make sure that kids weren't making too much noise at anti social times. It was opened around 9am and closed about 8pm. The owner comes out and flips a cute little open and closed sign but I think that if it isn't too noisy or crowded then he isn't too strict on the exact time it closes.
Up until now we have always been Mon-Fri campers due to the kids being so young and the hubby not sure I could handle anymore days in the wilderness! Sadly this meant that we didn't get to try for ourselves the weekend food van at Cedar Gables. There was a super cute little van that was parked at the bottom of the campsite by the park. It was open on the Saturday evening for dinner and the Sunday morning for a nice bacon or sausage bap. A delicious break from cooking for yourself.
The boys always get excited at the idea of a campfire and were looking forward to using the communal fire pit in the adjacent field. Unfortunately the summer of 2022 was incredible dry and as such the site made the correct decision to not allow fires or we might all have gone up like a tinder box! We made the best of it though and got our popcorn pan out on our stove and it worked just as well. Good to know for future trips!
Local Area:
At the entrance to Cedar Gables there is a pathway which will lead you by foot to Bewl Waters. We actually chose to drive to Bewl Water as the weather was looking a bit iffy and we thought we may need to drive elsewhere for the day. My husband did walk our dog down this path though and be warned, you will pass some barking dogs! They are behind a fence and you are completely safe but they may give you a bit of a fright!
Bewl Water itself is lovely. Unfortunately the day we went they were preparing for horrendous storms in a summer of drought. So sadly the water was too shallow for pedalos and they were not really letting people out on paddleboards due to the incoming weather. With the dry, cracked lake bed and dark storm clouds gathering, it did look a bit apocalyptic! However they did still have a giant inflatable assault course out which looked amazing. Our ones are too little for this but we have mentally bookmarked it for coming years.
Even without all the water sports open, this was still a nice trip. We had a lovely walk and played in the park there. The cafe, toilet facilities and laser quest were all open as well. Definitely worth a visit.
On our way back from Bewl Water, we needed to get some lunch and found a great pub / restaurant called The Vineyard. Although they were busy we were able to get a table in the bar area, which with small children and a dog works quite well for us as it's not so quiet or formal. The interior was really stylish and rustic. The kids loved the boars head on the wall! There were bookshelves, leather sofas and lovely fireplaces. I could happily sit here with a drink for the afternoon.
The staff were really helpful and the food was delicious. Alongside stuff the kids would like such as woodfire pizzas, they had a lot more options for adults. I went for the Piri Piri Chicken Kebab and not only was it delicious, but the effort in the presentation was something to behold! This is definitely somewhere we would visit again when we go to Bewl Water or Cedar Gables in the future.
During our stay we thought we would get a bit of culture and drive to Bodiam Castle. It's about a 15/20 minute drive and well worth the visit. The kids loved exploring the castle battlements and the views from the turrets. Mummy did not like the heights quite so much. Dogs are allowed in the surrounding grounds but not in the castle itself so I was very happy to swap with my husband and let him explore the castle with the boys whilst I had a walk and enjoyed the grounds with the fluffball. There were also medieval games going on outside of the castle which the kids enjoyed and extended the visit to a good day trip.
Our third day at camp we took advantage of the weather to drive to Camber Sands, about 45 minutes from the campsite. Camber Sands is a stretch of about 3 miles of gorgeous sandy beach. We live by the seaside in Brighton but it is nothing like this! When we arrived the tide was out and the beach seemed to stretch for miles in the distance. The kids absolutely loved digging holes and swimming in the sea. As the sand dunes are flat they could venture quite far out too. There are designated dog friendly beaches so Gerty also loved running around and digging her own holes! My one piece of advice would be to bring your own buckets and spades. What with the car being full of camping stuff we forgot ours and ending up being stung for £35 for 2 plastic buckets and 3 spades. Ouch!
Pros:
- Large pitches and not overcrowded
- Good facilities on site including fridge freezers
- Lovely play park for kids on site
- Lots of open green space
- Very friendly staff
- Pet and kid friendly
- Driving distance of the beach and multiple attractions
- Easily accessible off a main road
Cons:
- Right next to a main road if you are a light sleeper (we didn't have an issue)
Final Thoughts:
So this seems to be a bit of a hidden gem. As we went in the summer holidays, I expected it to be rammed but although there were lots of people this campsite still had plenty of space. This may well be by design and it really added to the peaceful campsite feel.
I was a bit worried by some trip advisor reviews about the manager being over bearing. All I can say is that these reviews seem to have been left by people who wanted a party campsite. The owner was friendly but completely unassuming. We had friends arriving part way through our stay and he went out of his way to accommodate us being next to each other. Other than that we barely saw him and happily sat out till about 11pm chatting respectfully each night as were other people.
Being near a main road made it great for getting out and about for the day and we had no issues with any noise. So for us, being near the A21 was actually a positive.
So in all, a lovely small campsite with great clean facilities. We would definitely come back for another stay here.
Find out more about Cedar Gables here.
DISCLOSURE | This camping trip was booked and paid for independently. We were not paid to write this review.