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We have passed through this area many times on the way to the port. We had the opportunity of a few days on this wonderful site, in an area new to us.
We received an extremely warm welcome from the staff and management. This is a very secure site that has undergone a massive refurbishment. All pitches are being turned into super pitches that are generous in size with hard standing.
The showers are amazing all newly refurbished with under floor heating.
The bar complex is really smart and resonable price drinks.
This site is just over an hour from either the tunnel and port, it is good for an overnight stop or an extended holiday.
There is an abundance of place's to visit in Kent, or a day trip to France.
Thriftwood is a camp site off the A20 near Wrotham. Part of the site is static caravans, the rest tourers - although many of the touring plots are taken up by seasonal occupants (some of them appear to have been there for a long time - with grime-coated caravans and awnings to match!). When we were there there were several Dutch and German families staying seasonal. Their caravans are immaculate (probably because their wives have little to do while their husbands are at work other than endlessly clean them!
The plots have hard-standing pads large enough for the most substantial caravans and awnings. There are individuals taps to each one. The facilities block has showers that are smart and impressive, but toilets that are dated and less impressive. There was a workman on site fitting out a disabled shower, so it may be that the toilets are next for refurbishment. There is also a bar and games room. There is a small outdoor pool as well, though I suspect this may get very busy on hot, summer days.
The site has been extended over the last few months, with new plots installed. Hopefully, once the lawns have seeded and the leaves are back on the trees this should green the place up a bit. On balance, I would hesitate to say that Thriftwood is worth its £30 per night high season tariff. However, south-east England sites seem to command similar rates - which only serves to prove what good value-for-money many northern sites are. The owners are obliging and helpful.
There are small supermarkets in Borough Green, or a 24-hour Asda in Swanley for more substantial shops. The site reception has a small selection of emergency provisions if needed. The site is ideally placed for exploring the many National Trust properties in west Kent and Surrey. It is also about £13 return to take the train from Swanley into London.
When we visited for 2 nights in March the site could be best described as 'under construction', although most of the touring pitches were already occupied by permanent or semi-permanent European outfits. One even had a washing machine in their awning! The welcome was a positive experience and once a pitch had been cleared for us we were helpfully escorted to a level hard standing with EHU and water tap - all good except for the muddy site. At reception we were told they hope to have the site ready for Easter, which looks ambitious to us. The toilet block, whilst tired on the outside, was almost opulent inside with expensive shower tiles, but nowhere to put the soap and no curtain to stop splashing into the dry part of the cubicles. The showers were also plagued by those wretched buttons to keep the water going. The bluebell wood for dog walking was ideal for our spaniel.
The pitch fees are VERY EXPENSIVE at £25pn (£30 June-Aug)with even more charged for more than 2 adults or if you have a dog. We were pleased to be given a discount for the construction work. Good location, but some may not like the power lines passing through the site or the lack of wi-fi except in the bar area. There was little to justify their claim to be a family site, particularly as children are treated as extra costs. Once everything is sorted out at Thriftwood (and there is much evidence of money being poured into it) all may be well - but it will have to be exceptional to justify those charges! For now we can only rate the site as found.
Booked for a weekend and arrived just as it was getting dark on the Friday. As it was a reverse onto the pitch the lady booking me in kindly offered her husband to do that for me which he happily did, and most appreciated at the end of the day!
The site is beautifully clean and well laid out. I was on a hard standing pitch which allowed plenty of space for awning and car. I felt a little overlooked on each side but in all fairness it was not an issue. Along with the usual EHU there was a drinking water tap which I thought was an excellent placement. I did not wish to fill the water system for such a short visit and having the tap so close was great.
The facilities were outstanding. The ladies showers and toilets were in a spa style and kept beautifully clean. The pool was lovely although I did not use it. The site was peaceful of a night and not overly noisy in the day, and there were quite a few young families nearby.
The surrounding grounds are exceptional and it was clear to see they are well maintained.
While there my leisure battery deteriorated and as I was concerned I asked for one of the site people if they could take a look. Les advised it needed to be removed and he would dispose of it for me - nothing was too much trouble.
Locally there are some good shops going towards Meopham and I can highly recommend a cafe called Charlie's Cafe, next to the Fairseat Garden Centre, on the road leading to Vigo and Meopham. He even takes phone orders and will deliver! A must see curiosity opposite Charlie's is a French antiquities shop called the Shabby Shed.
If Les is reading this - the towing mirrors were fantastic! *Many thanks*
Great location for getting into London or the Kent countryside. A very friendly site, we camped in the field under the trees which was lovely. Facilities good, kids liked playground and there is a large woodland area which was full of bluebells and led out to further fields, which myself and the dog loved. Kids used the pool once which was a big hit, not crowded at all. I'm not a big fan of statics of which there were lots, and for a holiday park I was surprised that people lived there full time, but they were very friendly. One thing that could easily be rectified is the dog mess, such a shame that this let down a good site. The neighbours ended up with dog mess on the caravan carpets and were understandably upset. I'm not sure if this is a regular problem, but easily rectified as I said.
Just 15 minutes from Ashford and 25 minutes from fabulous beaches, you'll be ideally placed for exploring the Garden of England. The park is divided into a family area, that is close to the play parks, the sports field and the games room, and a peaceful adult-only area in The Meadows, that is ideal for couples. A range of grass and hardstanding pitches, fully serviced or non electric, catering for all sized of tents and caravans.
On both areas you will enjoy five-star, centrally-heated showers, and private cubicles with toilet, hand basin, dryers etc. Laundry and campers kitchens, a large childrens playground, sports field, games room and television lounge. The park has CCTV and WiFi is available for a small fee. A dog walking area is provided on site. Find out more here
What a welcoming homely site. We're new to touring but have been camping for years. We brought a caravan thus year and have plans to visit numerous sites on quick getaways and can truly say we would be looking to return to Thriftwood again. Upon arrival you get an immediate feel that the park is pleasant, well presented and very well managed. We chose to visit last minute on a Friday and the booking process was friendly, light hearted and most accommodating to our needs and questions asked were answered reassuringly, almost like talking to someone we knew.
We were directed straight to our hard standing pitch which was ample sized (room for our 6 birth plus car). Extremely tidy, well kept. Once settled, upon observation we were surrounded by happy tourers and campers from near and far afield. A busy camp is usually a great sign! Especially in late March!
On site there is a small shop, basically covers any necessities or must have items. Games room, park area, woodlands all great for the kids to play and meet others. Bar for adults, filled with staff that can't do enough for you. We really felt it was a home from home atmosphere and would happily highly recommend visiting thus park.
Site was nice and quiet at night, kept clean and tidy and has friendly staff. The small shop could be better stocked although this didn't affect us as we'd brought our food. Its a shame that the playground looks very tired and has seen better days and our grandchildren didn't want to play there. The pool is clean but a bit small but its fine for the children, its free and our grandchildren had loads of fun in there every day and made loads of friends. There are two lots of toilet blocks, the block with key access is superb but we avoided using the other toilet block, although kept clean, it was used mainly by all the children on the site. Overall a happy stay and would return.
I found this site to be expensive compared to others I've been to. I had friends arriving a little latter than myself with a tent
And told they could reserve a small area behind my van by reception and warden. This did not happen just kept cramming more
Tents in. I had a friend come and visit with his little boy and was
Charged £2'50 each. They ended up staying the night and charged another £10 so the gate could be opened to leave the site. I paid
£30 a night for 2 nights with electric. Yet my friend paid £42 with
2kids and a small dog with no electric. (This is a £25 site per vehicle per tent site). The £10 deposit on shower keys is so they know when you have departed e. G. More charges if you haven't left by 12 noon. On a positive note it was quite club house ok.
We Visited this site initially in April for 6 nights but didn't leave a review at the time because I was a little disappointed with the work going on around me, a large section of grass area in the middle of the park was being converted to hard standing.
We were keen to return to the site after the trucks and heavy vehicles had disappeared as I was happy with the site facilities and location so we returned in May for 5 nights.
This site is fantastic, my 12 year old son and 3 year old daughter love the site and want to return asap. It has a nice heated swimming pool, play area, woodland area's, Kids Games Room/Arcade, Clubhouse With Bar (which always seems to be open - this is handy if its raining and the children need somewhere to play), everything is here, the smaller ones also enjoy the ducks wandering round the site.
The owners are nice people (I was asked several times if everything was OK and if I had a nice time), the wardens are nice friendly people and are always working hard around the site to keep things clean and nice (they don't seem to stop).
On both occasions I have had a hard standing pitch with e-hook up and personal tap, these pitches are a great size, enough room for caravan, awning, car and still plenty of room to sit outside and bbq etc.
The woodland area is great for the kids to play and makes a very nice walk and somewhere to take the dog. There is also a great washing up area which is well lit, more than enough toilets plus separate modern showers for men and women which are very nice with a good amount of pressure and temperature.
All in all this is a great site, I would recommend it to anyone and have done several times already, I am glad I didn't let the first experience put me off and will be returning.
We booked Thriftwood because of the good reviews that others have written, and we wanted to revisit Kent. Unfortunately, having now stayed there I am very surprised at how many 10/10 reviews there are about Thriftwood as almost from the time of arrival, we were disappointed.
Where to start?
The pitches. We were on hard standing and whilst the gravel area was large enough for car, porch awning and caravan, there was very little grass area surrounding us bringing us close to our neighbours beside and behind us. In fairness, the tent areas, and hard standings in other parts of the park did look more generous.
The facilities. There are locked shower/toilets which we had to pay a £10. 00 deposit for a key. These were modern and recently refurbished. A notice on the door said cleaning takes place 10.30 - 12.00 but did not state how often, and I didn't feel it was often enough! The cleaning took place at random times, and on random days. I found the showers quite grubby and there was a brown mark (which I chose to believe was chocolate) smeared all over the wall in one shower cubicle the entire time we were there. On one morning all four showers in the ladies were in use together, and the water pressure was reduced to a dribble down the wall making it almost impossible to rinse the shampoo from my hair! There are other toilets which you do not need a key to enter, and these were quite dirty and smelly and frequently ran out of toilet paper, soap and hand towels. Stand back if you wash your hands in these sinks as I frequently came out soaking wet.
Washing up area. There are 6 sinks, some missing plugs. 2 of the sinks have a sign saying they were to be used for vegetable preparation only. However as this left only 4 sinks for washing up, this sign was frequently ignored. There is a laundry room but we didn't use it so I can't comment.
Clubhouse. We only used the clubhouse once as it had a very limited menu of pizza or sandwiches. Over the bank holiday weekend they had very loud music playing which blasted out till after midnight which surprised me as the campsite pamphlet given to us on arrival asked for quiet after 10. 00 pm. We were also woken by people walking loudly back to their pitches on a few occasions presumably at closing time.
Swimming pool. The pool was on the small side but nice and I did see this being cleaned regularly. There were quite a few sun loungers available too. I have to say the pool was a real attraction for us.
Reception/shop. The shop is VERY expensive so we went to the Co-op on Hever Road, West Kingsdown, about a 5-10 minute drive away. Some of the staff in the reception were helpful and friendly, but not all of them, so it depended who you got.
Grounds. The site is sloped particularly in the tent areas. Do book a hard standing if you have a caravan! At the bottom of the site is a caravan storage area which is rather unattractively fenced off, causing a bit of an eyesore. There are also quite a few caravans around the edges of the park that look like they have been there forever and are in need of a good wash. There is a wooded area which looked good for dog walking.
Location. Close to lots of main roads and motor ways making access to the whole of Kent very easy. We visited Chartwell, about 30 minutes drive, which was beautiful and Whitstable, about 40 minutes drive.
Despite being near main roads, we were not affected by traffic noise. However, despite being in the middle of the Kent countryside, there were so many buildings around our pitch which was located in the middle of the park, that we felt we had to leave the site to see any views. There did not appear to be any pubs or anywhere to go out to eat in walking distance and the nearby hotel informed us they were open to residents only.
Apart from some of the above the main reason we would not return is just 'the feel' of the place!? With a mixture of tents, tourers and quite a lot of static caravans, clubhouse, games rooms, walled pool, street lights, parked cars everywhere, storage areas, and roped off areas where building work seems to have come to a halt, the place felt over crowded and strange and I certainly did not have the countryside, holiday feeling I have had from the many other sites we have visited in the past.
Just 15 minutes from Ashford and 25 minutes from fabulous beaches, you'll be ideally placed for exploring the Garden of England. The park is divided into a family area, that is close to the play parks, the sports field and the games room, and a peaceful adult-only area in The Meadows, that is ideal for couples. A range of grass and hardstanding pitches, fully serviced or non electric, catering for all sized of tents and caravans.
On both areas you will enjoy five-star, centrally-heated showers, and private cubicles with toilet, hand basin, dryers etc. Laundry and campers kitchens, a large childrens playground, sports field, games room and television lounge. The park has CCTV and WiFi is available for a small fee. A dog walking area is provided on site. Find out more here
Returned last weekend from a short stay at Thriftwood test out our folding camper for the second time in better conditions.
What a brilliant site. Very friendly nicely looked after with fantastic showers.
We arrived little late but were warmly welcomed this site was quiet so given a choice of place to pitch. The site conditions compared to our previous weeks camping were great solid ground no overpriced muddy pitches.
After setting up I checked out the showers as we had to pay £10 dep for a key? But I soon saw why very nice shower room very well kept. The male toilets could do with the same refurbishment as the showers.
My children loved the park and games room the shop was well stocked with the basics you may need and the warden couple were very friendly and helpful very pleasant talking to them.
This site local enough for us to shoot off for a cheeky weekend away from home so looks like thriftwood may become our new short stay site.
One very slight Neg you may hear some traffic noise or my wife found aircraft noise? Didn’t bother us living in London. Might be worth a mention.
Top marks Thrifwood see you again soon next time I’ll bring the rest of the family.
Visited this small compact site the week before the bank holiday and it was very busy. It is a mix of static and touring pitches, but the layout doesn't feel too crowded. The welcome was friendly, but the hard standing pitch we had booked wasn't available and we were put on a grass pitch which was quite uneven. The location was ok though. Unusually all pitches are the same price whether they have facilities; electric, water, tv point etc. Or nothing at all. Our electric cable was only just long enough to reach the hook-up. Site was well maintained, showers and toilets very good. Showers were kept locked and reception wanted £10 deposit for a key. Small kids play area was well equipped. Older kids can have fun in the wooded area on the site. There were footpaths from the site, good for walking the dog. Nice club/bar open in the evenings, some entertainment weekends. There are several National Trust properties nearby for a good day out. The nearest pub, the Black Horse at Stanstead, was too far away for us to walk. It has a large garden and a nice eating area. The food was reasonably priced and very good.
Just returned from a wonderful weekend at Thriftwood. The park is immaculate and very well kept. The pool is warm and clean with lovely wooden loungers. The bar is modern and well furnished. The games room is well equipped to keep the kids entertained. We walked in the woods and found a rope swing, which was nice for the kids. Did not use the laundry but it was nice and clean and had everything needed. New showers and toilets are lovely, looked after by the lovely Joyce. Sam and Mark and Lee could not do enough for you. Wonderful place, very highly recommended, safe for the kids, we will be back!
Just got back from a wonderful weekend at Thriftwood, 4 tents / group of mums and children. The park is immaculate very well run and clean, quite small but has everything you need for a short weekend. There is a lovely woodland walk around the park, which the kids loved in the dark with the torches and the pool was great with the weather being so nice this weekend. Will definitely revisit. Only downside is they pack them on a bit too close, but we made friends with our neighbours so that was ok.
The three brothers that run it most of the time do a great job, do what ever they can to make your stay one to want to come back to for your next camping holiday. They have assured me that there will be a new disabled toilet and shower built by next year that will need a radar key. We plan on going back next June,
It is great for a photographer. If you have dogs they will love the woods, our two little bichons loved it. The family of ducks used to pay a visit now and then, they were a bit confused by the squirrel`s going up and down the trees. I would highly recommend thriftwood to any one.
(Barry)
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Common Questions
Is Thriftwood Country Park child friendly? YES, it accepts children View all facilities
Does Thriftwood Country Park have a swimming pool? YES, there is a pool on site View all facilities
Where is the nearest shop to Thriftwood Country Park? There is a shop within 1 mile View all facilities
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
All reviews and comments are the personal opinion of the review author only , and as such do not represent the view of the UK Camp Site.co.uk.
The facilities shown on this website are a guide only, and you should check with the campsite direct before making any booking. The UKCampsite.co.uk will not be held responsible for any errors or omissions
No Tents 
Caravan Pitches 
Motorhome Pitches 
Small Campervans 
No Glamping Units 
No Statics for Hire 
Holiday Homes for Sale 
Seasonal Pitches 
Electric Hookups 
Hardstanding Pitches 
Fully Serviced Pitches 
Families Welcome 
Not Members Only 
No Rallies 
Not Naturist Site 
Dogs Welcome 
No Dogs Allowed 
Groups Welcome 
Toilet Facilities 
Hot Showers 
Washing Up 
No Bathroom 
Baby Changing Facilities 
No Laundry 
Drinking Water 
Disabled Friendly 
Chemical Disposal 
No Battery Charging 
Gas Exchange 
No Recycling Facilities 
No Kitchen Facilities 
No Freezer / Fridge 
Motorhome Point 
No Wifi Access 
Shop <1 mile 
Bar On Site 
Restaurant or Cafe or Takeaway On Site 
No Playground 
No TV Room 
No Games Room 
Evening Entertainment 
Fishing <5 miles 
No Wild Swimming 
No Indoor Pool 
Outdoor Pool On Site 
Horse Riding <1 mile 
No Cycle Hire 
Golf <1 mile 
No Tennis 
No Beach 
No Watersports 
Boat Launch / Mooring <10 miles 
No Sea Views 
Not Working Farm 
No Campfires Allowed 
Open All Year 
No Waterside Pitches 
Public Transport <1 mile
Offroad Dog Walk On Site or Direct Access 
We have passed through this area many times on the way to the port. We had the opportunity of a few days on this wonderful site, in an area new to us. 
