Chitcombe Barns was my base for exploring Exmoor National Park in the southwest of England. The camping barn I stayed in, also known as the ‘Cart Shed’ was the perfect place to stay, plenty of space for me to re-organise my car. Plus the bonus of being on the doorstep of the gorgeous Exmoor National Park.
Here’s my full review of Chitcombe Camping Barn. I will tell you why I think it is a great place to stay for a few nights, especially if you love the outdoors.
Chitcombe Barns Review
Address
Chitcombe Farm, Huish Champflower, Taunton, Somerset, TA4 2EL
Chitcombe Barns Location
The two camping barns are located on a family farm in West Somerset. At the furthest east point on the edge of Exmoor National Park. Ideal, to minimise driving from almost everywhere in the UK (except Cornwall!) The accommodation is about an hour’s drive south to Exeter and 30 minutes drive east to Taunton.
Inside Camping Barns
- Sleeps up to 16 (2 barns)
- Dorm style beds
- Social/dining area
- Fully equipped kitchen
- Central heating plus wood burner
- Hot showers
Barn Sleeping Options
- Hay Barn – sleeps 12
- Cart Shed – sleeps 4
Chitcombe Barn Prices
- £20 per person per night*
Sole occupancy options
Hay Barn £200 per night/ £800 per week*
Cart Shed £75 per night/ £375 per week*
*All rates correct at time of writing. For latest rates click here: Camping barn rates
You can also book Chitcombe Barns through Airbnb
- If you’ve not tried Airbnb yet then here’s a £25 voucher you can register to save off your first book 🙂
About Chitcombe Farm Camping Barns
The camping barns are part of the family farm, ran by Ali and Sam. It’s a working farm with sheep and cows. So you might get to see Sam driving his quad bike rounding up sheep with his lovely dogs.
The barns are both converted farm buildings and would suit families or groups looking for an escape from day-to-day life and some outdoor adventures.
One thing to factor in for your visit is that the barns do not come with Wi-Fi and the signal is pretty non-existent too. In emergencies, the family house is 1 minute down the path. Although, that’s the only mod-con that the barns are missing. They have electricity, hot water and showers.
If you are looking a technology-free break, then this is the place for you. I thought I’d find it difficult without Wi-Fi, considering I’m a social media addict haha! But I genuinely enjoyed not checking my phone every 2 minutes for notifications and messages pinging through. And it really made me relax and enjoy so proper downtime. After 2 weeks constantly on the go, it was definitely a good thing for me.
You might like to read 24 hours itinerary in Bath, UK
Arriving & Check-in at Chitcombe Farm
After following the detailed directions on the website I found Chitcombe Farm. It was slightly more difficult in the dark as the sign for ‘Huish Champflower’ was faded.
But my Sat Nav had tried to take me a completely different route so who knows where I would have ended up.
From the road, it’s a dark bumpy track to the farm. It felt longer in the dark but I had the best welcome from Ali. The autumn evenings had started to get colder. And she had lit the wood burner so my camping barn was lovely and cosy.
Ali showed me around the camping barn. Then I had the task of unloading the entire car and hanging everything out to dry. Fortunately, I was able to park my car directly outside which helped a lot.
The camping barn
I stayed in the ‘Cart Shed’ the 4-bed camping barn. It’s a beautiful conversion from an old Cow Shed. On the wall, there’s a photo of the existing building which doesn’t even have a front wall. The transformation is amazing.
In the corner, as you walk through the door, there’s a small kitchen. It includes everything you could need so don’t worry about bringing anything. Well except a vegetable peeler, hardly an essential item but a pain for my potatoes, haha not really.
The whole camping barn is open plan. There’s a cosy lounge area with a sofa in front of the wood burner. I know where I am going to be sitting with a glass of wine very soon! And a dining table with 4 chairs.
The four bunk beds are next to the lounge area. It would be nice if there was a curtain across to separate the area from the main lounge. But not an issue since I was there on my own! The beds all have comfy mattresses.
All you need to bring are pillows and bedding or a sleeping bag.
Overall thoughts on Chitcombe Farm
The camping barn feels very homely. I felt so relaxed during my stay at Chicombe Farm and enjoyed being able to prepare and cook my own food. One unique thing about the camping barn is that all the furniture is handmade. Including the bunk beds and kitchen cupboards. It’s a lovely touch and really feels in keeping with the barn wooden beams.
Although, my highlight was the wood burner. And managing to light it myself too. Ok, so it wasn’t rubbing two sticks together like in a survival situation. But hey it’s good to celebrate successes!
Ali and Sam were very lovely too. After emptying my car (due to the mini-flood) Ali offered to dry my boot flooring which was absolutely drenched. And she was also very efficient topping up my wood supply for the wood burner.
Chitcombe Farm is a great place to base yourself for exploring Exmoor National Park. I did some lovely walks around Haddon Hill and Tarr Steps. Keep following and I will tell you all about them.
For further information or to book go to www.chitcombebarns.co.uk
Read more about my challenge here: Ultimate UK Road Trip & Hiking Challenge
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*I was a guest at Chitcombe Farn Camping Barns. However, all views and opinions are my own.
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