Camping in Timsbury

Somerset's rolling coalfield countryside around Timsbury is well suited to campers and glampers who want easy access to Bath without staying in the city itself. As in the rest of England, wild camping is not permitted here without the landowner's explicit permission, so it is worth booking a proper campsite or farm pitch in advance rather than relying on informal spots in the Cam Valley or the surrounding hills — Forestry England and the National Trust sites in the wider Mendip and Chew Valley area do not allow unauthorised camping either.

The terrain around Timsbury is gently hilly rather than dramatic, a patchwork of pasture, hedgerows and old coalfield tracks running down towards the Cam and Conygre Brooks, which makes for easy, family-friendly walking and cycling straight from a tent door. Sites in the wider area range from simple certified sites with a handful of pitches to larger family-run campsites with electric hook-ups, showers and a farm shop selling local produce, many within a short drive of both Timsbury and Bath.

Spring through early autumn is the best window for camping here, with April to September offering the driest and warmest conditions; Somerset's clay-heavy soils can turn heavy and slow-draining after prolonged winter rain, so shoulder-season trips are best planned around a settled forecast. Glamping has grown steadily in this part of Somerset, with converted shepherd's huts, safari tents and yurts appearing on farms around the Chew Valley and Mendip foothills, offering a warmer, more sheltered alternative for those who want the views and quiet of the countryside without giving up a proper bed. Many of these sites make a good base for combining a countryside stay with day trips into Bath, Wells or the Mendip Hills.