They don't call Kent 'The Garden of England' for nothing. Sweeping hop fields, idyllic apple orchards, glorious country estates – many counties may stake their claim to the title, but there will always be something eternally English about the Kentish countryside. So if you fancy coming over all Darling Buds of May then get yourself down to London's backyard to sample The Good Life at Broadhembury Caravan and Camping Park.
Nestled in the blink-and-you'll-miss-it-village of Kingsnorth just outside Ashford, Broadhembury was founded by its very own Pop and Ma Larkin, Keith and Jenny Taylor, way back in 1969. Having welcomed campers to this corner of Kent for over 40 years, the resident team here know what it takes to pull in the pitch-up punters.
Surrounded by acres of lush arable fields and wildflower meadows, the countryside round here is a walker's paradise and as such, a small public bridleway runs right through the grounds. "6 - 12 on the clock face" is given over to the camping fields. A selection of non-electric and hooked-up grass pitches of all shapes and sizes (the 'maxi pitches' are 14m x 10m!) are spread over two fields – one for families and an adults only field. The caravan contingent even have the option of a fully-serviced hard standing pitch. While the park does also boast an orderly scattering of holiday lets, these lie separated from the tent campers ("12 - 6 on the clock") by a hedge.
Though there's a emphasis on the 'park' aspect of Broadhembury, there's not a redcoat or costumed mascot in sight. There's a great little play area for kids and a proper games room with ping-pong and table-football and no blinking, buzzing arcade games. Most importantly, there's acres of space in the sports field for games of cricket, volleyball and 5-a-side – in the summer Chelsea even host a free soccer school here. And with the proximity to Dover, Broadhembury gets a lot of Euro tourists so your littl'uns could even make a few continental playmates before the holiday is out. In the immortal words of Pop Larkin, "perfick!"