Camping in Frogham

Camping in England is only legal on recognised sites or with a landowner’s permission, and this applies as much to the open heathland around Frogham as anywhere else — the tempting stretches of common land here are not open to informal wild camping. Fortunately, the area is well served by proper sites that let you experience the forest without pitching illegally. Harry’s Field, in Frogham itself, sits just ten metres from the Foresters Arms pub and offers pre-allocated pitches for tents, campervans and motorhomes, along with a modern shower block, a communal kitchen, a small shop and a wood-fired pizza oven on Saturday nights. It has been recognised among the Sunday Times’ best campsites and describes itself as built “by campers, for campers,” with more than 140 miles of hiking and cycling tracks reachable directly from the gate. For those who want the outdoor feel without bringing their own kit, the site also offers luxury bell tent glamping sleeping up to four.

The terrain around Frogham is classic New Forest heathland: open, largely flat to gently undulating ground, criss-crossed with sandy and gravel tracks that can turn muddy after rain, interspersed with fenced woodland inclosures such as Sloden and Alderhill. It is unenclosed grazing land, so ponies, cattle, donkeys and, in autumn, pigs during the pannage season, wander freely, and campers should never feed or approach them. Late spring through early autumn is the best window for camping here, with long evenings for walking out onto Hampton Ridge or down to Latchmore Brook, though the New Forest can be busy in the school holidays so booking ahead is worthwhile. Nights can still turn cool even in summer, given the open, exposed nature of the heath, so it is worth packing accordingly whatever time of year you visit.