Paddington Farm

You can feel good about pitching your tent at the foot of Glastonbury Tor if you choose to do so at Paddington Farm. This place is part farm, part campsite and part social enterprise. That means profits are ploughed back into the charitable aims of The Paddington Farm Trust; namely connecting young people with nature through activities and education. That’s one good reason to choose this Somerset campsite but another is what it’ll give you – a peaceful pitch in a field from where you can easily walk up Glastonbury Tor or into what must be the UK's most bohemian town.

There’s certainly plenty to do there. You can visit the peaceful gardens surrounding the Chalice Well, explore the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey and mooch about the high street where incense fills the air and crystals adorn almost every window. Walking up the tor is pretty much obligatory and there’s plenty more walking in the surrounding countryside if that’s what you like to do. The tiny city of Wells, is just six miles up the road on the edge of the Mendip Hills and the area's most dramatic sight, Cheddar Gorge, is a half-hour drive away.

Back on the farm, you should find just the place to relax after all the exploration. It’s a simple set up with little to distract you from nature. Pitches are all off grid and free form in one of the farm’s fields and a neighbouring orchard. It’s a laid-back place for tents and small campervans only and dogs on leads are welcome. Facilities include an open-air washing-up sink, a couple of flushing loos in a handbuilt timber shed and hot showers in a converted milking shed. It’s rustic, eco friendly and just right for the setting. If you’re interested in the goings on of the farm, you are welcome to meet the animals. There are goats, alpacas, sheep and ponies and there’s a productive, organic garden too.