Glamping Pods at Long Acres Campsite, Lingfield, Surrey

Price: £79 per night

Sleeps: Up to 5

Location: Lingfield, Surrey

Long Acres Caravan and Camping Park is a well established, family run caravan and camping site. The campsite lies just off the A22 in Lingfield with easy access from both the M23 and M25. Despite being so accessible Long Acres is surrounded by glorious Surrey countryside…bridleways, fields of corn and green pastures surround the site on all sides.

Last year the site added a range of Glamping facilities to offer their guests…including three gorgeous Glamping Pods and a set of bell tents. I took my daughter (7) and son (not quite 2) to experience a night of Glamping in the Higgledy Piggledy Pod during the first week of the Summer holidays…and they loved it (as did I)!

We arrived at Long Acres after a visit to the British Wildlife Centre which is a mile down the road and a great family day out. We were warmly greeted at reception and given our keys to the pod. We were given the low down on the layout of the site and details of the code to get us through the security gate before heading off to find our home for the night.

We were able to park just behind the Glamping area. This meant that even on my own with the children unpacking the car was hassle free and just a short distance from our accommodation.

The Pods are located at the rear of the site meaning they look out onto countryside and fields giving a feeling of back to nature seclusion. There are three Pods in total, all gathered around a small paved area where Glampers are able to set up their fire pit for the evening.

The location of the Pods is ideal as the children have a huge open space to explore. There’s a lovely bridleway walk alongside the field which takes you along little streams, wooden bridges and gorgeous corn fields. I was initially concerned that as the park doesn’t have any specific play areas for children I might struggle to entertain them…but they loved the freedom of the open space..it was as simple as that.

Inside the Pod there is a double bed, a large single bed and a small top bunk. You are required to bring your own sleeping equipment but a sleeping bag will more than suffice as these pods are well insulated and super cosy. There’s a generous cupboard space, a counter fridge and a small kettle. The interior is basic enough to still feel like ‘roughing it’ whilst providing all the basic creature comforts that could otherwise challenge an unseasoned camper. Out front there’s a lovely covered porch area which is a great spot to sit with a cuppa and watch the sunset.

You can hire a fire pit for the night at an additional cost of £25 / night. You will be provided with the fire pit, kindling, lighter blocks and plenty of fire wood. I found the fire pit incredibly easy to get going and provided an exciting focus for the children who both enjoyed helping with the fire wood and keeping an eye on the sausages.

The facilities at Long Acre are some of the best I have ever seen on a campsite. The washroom block is a very smart and modern building. Inside there are a number of well equipped and spacious cubicles each containing a toilet, sink, mirror and power shower. There are also baby change and accessible facilities within one of these cubicles. The whole block is clean and well presented. There’s even relaxing music being played so you can enjoy a real moment of escapism as you freshen up!

We really enjoyed our stay at Long Acres. The site is fairly small and very friendly and the Glamping Pods are a unique yet simple way of getting back to nature. I’d recommend trying these if you’ve got young children and are nervous about committing to full on camping. One thing to be aware of before visiting Long Acres is that there is heavy air traffic due to the campsites proximity to Gatwick…my toddler was thrilled to see all the planes so it was a plus for us! Long Acre have just added a tee pee to their range of Glamping options and there are luxury packages available for all types of accommodation which includes Egyptian cotton sheets, duvets and towels. Please check the Long Acres website to explore the full range of options…but I highly recommend the Pods for novelty, comfort and child friendly escapism!

We received a complementary night’s stay in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own. I’d like to thank Rebecca for organising our stay and the stay at Long Acres for looking after us so well.