So here I am at the kitchen table again, mug of tea in hand, Rosy curled up by my feet. Outside, the land is doing that thing it does in March — looking quietly magnificent even without its full abundance of leaves. There’s a pale vivid amber light on the hills opposite coming from the sun on the willow this morning and the fieldfare are busy in the oaks. Spring, when it comes, always feels a little miraculous here.
And it comes quickly.

The summer that sneaks up on us

I want to be honest with you. When we moved Old Bidlake Farm in September 2023, we thought bookings for summer would trickle in steadily across the year. We had no real reference point. We didn’t know what to expect.

What we’ve learned over two seasons now is that it doesn’t quite work like that. The way it actually seems to go is this: January feels quiet, February feels like it might stay that way — and then something shifts in March. The days visibly lengthen, the first warm weekend arrives out of nowhere, and all at once people seem to collectively decide that this is the year they’re actually going to do it. The camping trip they keep meaning to book. The proper escape. The holiday that isn’t scrolling through your phone in an Airbnb or a glamping pod wondering why you bothered.

We feel it in our inbox.

What happens when eight pitches meet the world

The thing about having just eight pitches and it really is one of our favourite things about Old Bidlake — is that it changes the feel of a place completely. There’s room to breathe. Neighbouring campers become friends rather than strangers you’re trying to politely ignore. The meadow and orchard don’t feel like a car park, they feel like a landscape. We’ve worked hard with the Dorset Wildlife Trust to keep it that way.

But eight also means eight. It means that by the time late spring arrives, the best summer weekends are already spoken for by our regulars and groups exclusively hiring us. Last year we were regularly turning away families and couples for July and August who had left it just a little too late, which we feel genuinely sad about. We love sharing this place because we honestly think a few days here does something good for people, and we want them to have that.

What a summer at Bidlake actually looks like

I find myself thinking about some of our guests from last season. There was a family who arrived on a Friday evening looking, frankly, exhausted. The kind of tired that isn’t just physical. By Sunday morning their youngest was barefoot in the orchard before anyone else was awake, following the chickens at a distance with a stick, completely lost in his own world. His dad was on the picnic bench near the tent with a coffee, just watching. Not filming it. Just watching.

That’s the thing that keeps coming back to me. The absence of the urge to document everything. People put their phones down here. I don’t think we do anything clever to make that happen — I think it’s just what occurs when the world gets quiet and big enough.

The days tend to find their own shape. A morning beach walk along the Jurassic Coast, perhaps, or a wander into Bridport for the market. An afternoon back at the campsite, a session in the Potting Shed with Emily for a massage or some reiki, or just sitting with a book while the swifts come back for the evening. I might have a sound bath or a spoon carving session running if you’re lucky enough to be here on the right weekend.

Then the fire. The stars. The owls.

Rest isn’t complicated. I think we just need somewhere to do it.

So if summer 2026 is on your mind

I’m not one for high-pressure sales tactics. That’s not why we came here and it’s not who we are. But I do think there’s something worth saying plainly: if summer is calling to you, now is the time to look at dates.

We still have some lovely spots available particularly in June and early September, which are honestly two of our favourite months on the farm. The light is extraordinary, the beaches are quieter, and there’s a particular unhurriedness about mid-week stays in early summer that I find almost impossibly restorative. July and August weekends are filling fast though, so if those are the dates you’re dreaming of, don’t sit on it.

You can check availability and book directly on our booking page. There’s no complicated process. Just have a look at the calendar and if the dates work, they’re yours.

And if you want to ask us anything first about the site, about accessibility, about whether your particular camping setup will work here just drop us an email or pick up the phone. We genuinely love talking about this place. We don’t think we’ve quite got over the luck of landing here.

The meadow will be ready and waiting. The kettle goes on the moment you arrive.

We hope to see you this summer.

Emily and Simon x