We made our way to Hawthorn Farm Campsite and Holiday Park, pumped for our first caravan trip to Kent! The drive from Central Bedfordshire took just a little over three hours. When we reached Martin's Mill, a quaint village with its own train station, I was a bit concerned the lanes might be too narrow for our 8ft caravan if we ran into any oncoming traffic. Luckily, we managed to navigate to and from the caravan site without too much hassle.
This was the first place in a while where we could pick our pitch when we arrived. It actually left us a bit stumped as we drove around several fields before making our choice. I think the reception staff could have been a bit more helpful since we were first-time visitors, but I guess we showed up at the end of a really busy season. The number plate recognition at the entry barrier didn’t work the whole time we were there, but it wasn’t too much of a hassle for our short stay since we just had to get out of the car to enter a code to get in.
We were visiting friends in Kent and wanted to check out the White Cliffs of Dover, so this spot at Martins Mill was just right for us. It's only a few minutes from St Margarets at Cliffe and a short drive from Deal, which we really enjoyed. We had a great time strolling along the sea front and pier while we were there. Plus, it's pretty close to Dover too!
This site is huge, covering 28 acres of beautifully landscaped gardens with thousands of fruit and ornamental trees. We imagine during peak season it’s packed with families enjoying the caravan and camping fields, as well as the holiday homes.
The facilities are pretty extensive. One block was closed when we visited since it was off-peak season, but the open block had plenty of washing up spots, laundry facilities, and showers with toilets.
We’ve noticed a trend across the family sites we’ve checked out: the facilities aren’t usually as nice (or clean) as those in adult-only sites. This is probably due to the higher foot traffic, but here they also seem a bit outdated, having not been modernised in a while. Still, they were generally clean and well-kept.
Oh, and there’s an on-site café and a small shop for essentials, which is super convenient!
Many of the grass pitches for caravans here are on a slope, so it's a good idea to bring some extra blocks for your steadies. On the bright side, the hard standing pitches are mostly nice and flat, so you can pick what you prefer and pay accordingly. Our pitch was quite spacious and came with EHU (just like the hard standing ones), so you'll need to keep an eye on your fresh water and grey waste as there are no fully serviced pitches.
In Summary
We had a great few days away! The weather was fantastic, totally different from the rest of the country, which was dealing with heavy rain while we were there. We loved visiting the White Cliffs of Dover, strolling along the pier at Deal, and driving down to St Margarets at Cliffe by the sea. Plus, catching up with our friends in the area was a highlight. The pricing per night at Hawthorn Farm is pretty reasonable too, although having serviced pitches would be a nice touch!