The Otter Channel Reviews
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Situated just ten minutes from Rye, The Otter Channel offers a peaceful getaway on the banks of the River Rother. Tent campers are welcome across non electric grass pitches, each with their own fire pits for nights of roasting marshmallows under the stars. Within 20 minutes of beautiful beaches like Camber Sands and great attractions like Bodiam Castle, this is an ideal base for exploring East Sussex!
4.54 /5
14 reviews
79%
would recommend
Lots of space!
Recommends site
Fiona K
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Lovely simple campsite in a great location. Really appreciate how there is space for more tents but pitches are limited so there was loads of space for the kids to run around and it had a peaceful vibe. Compost toilets were clean and as pleasant as a compost toilet can get! Owner was super responsive when we asked a question via text. Great spot for trips to Rye, Camber Sands, Bodiam Castle and paddleboarding at Epic Life (recommend a stop at Will's bakery in Northiam on the way to Bodiam).
Peaceful and relaxing stay
Recommends site
Helen K
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Loved the sites, it's small with eco facilities that work. Great position by the river to swim in. Will definitely return and recommend
Fantastic site with a natural and relaxed eco setting
Recommends site
Tamsin G
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We wanted a chilled, more natural camping setting (we're not fans of the more built up sites) and The Otter Channel was everything we were looking for. Katie was helpful with all the pre info and gave instructions for arrival. It's a small campsite but still felt like there was lots of room in between pitches. Within minutes, the kids had made friends with other children and were exploring and climbing trees - perfect! There are 3 bucket showers (definitely took two of us to get to grips with it first!) which were great fun, and 3 eco toilets which were well kept. Very handy to have the extra communal stove at the side as well as 2 sinks for washing up. The site was busy over the weekend when we were there and there was never too much noise and we never queued for the facilities. Location is close to Rye and Tenterden, and we ventured to Hastings for a day at the beach one day. Lovely to see all the local wild swimming too close to the campsite. Horse cart with amenities was a lovely touch. We didn't have to use it, but was nice to have it there just in case. We also loved having the fire pit for the evenings - perfect after a day exploring. We'd definitely return. A perfect place for a more traditional camping experience.
Wonderful stay
Recommends site
Brenda R
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I stayed here with two friends and one dog for two nights. The campsite was lovely, peaceful, and close to the river, which is good for swimming. We found the others staying to be very friendly. The host was pleasant and communicated when needed. I found the site easily. There is a pond onsite so parents of young kids need to be aware of that. The road house is audible but it's not a busy road and it didn't bother us at all. Seeing all the fire pits lit up at night was lovely! Would happily stay there again.
Brilliant!
Recommends site
Erica W
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Absolutely loved this place - beautiful location, great eco facilities, the bucket showers were great and the self composting loo worked really well with no foul smells! I’ll definitely be returning!
Amazing stay
Recommends site
Kerry B
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Amazing stay! My little boy loved the freedom of being able to just spend time outside, as did the dog!
Nice setting
Naomi R
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Very lovely setting and 'back to nature feeling'. Felt the bucket showers were a bit of a faff and high effort for one night. Despite the campsites rules for a noise curfew, we actually found it quite a noisy site, but this may obviously change depending on who is staying. The closest pub we found is about 45 minutes walk away along a quiet road. There's also a shop in the village of Peasmarsh.
Beautiful, peaceful campsite
Recommends site
Louise C
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My family and I had a wonderful stay at the Otter Channel. The surrounding countryside is beautiful and the campsite felt tranquil and quiet. The hosts were very friendly and approachable and the washing/toilet/shower facilities were great. I would definitely recommend this site if you are looking for a peaceful stay in a beautiful location. We hope to visit again in the future!
Would not recommend
Stanislav K
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I would not recommend this campsite for families with kids, unfortunately. Here are my thoughts about the pros and cons: Pros: Beautiful nature and river nearby. Close to Rye and Kent coastline. Basic, but reasonable infrastructure - there are toilets, sink with running water, canisters with drinking water, trash bins, bucket shower, fire pits, trailer with few food items and kindling where you can leave some the payment for the host, few wooden tables on site Cons: The campsite seemed to be unmanned, the host didn't show up when we arrived and communicated with us remotely (there was a rain at the moment, but still). The campsite is separated from the road with a self-operated fence, and that's it, so in principle - anybody can get in on site anytime, which doesn't seem very safe to me. For some bizarre reason there are no signs or name plates with campsite name near the entrance, so it is not trivial to find. The host has provided geolocation upon request, which helped, but the lack of any signs around in the first place was strange. The campsite is located pretty much next to the river, the river is not separated from the pitch in any way, so not very safe for families with small kids.It is also next to the road, the road is not very busy, but the noise from the cars passing by is quite audible. While booking the campsite I have also added an option for gazebo for £10, expecting it to be a gazebo rental for the duration of the stay. However when I have arrived and asked the host for it - it appeared to be the charge for erecting my own gazebo, which sounds pretty ridiculous to me. The host has refunded £10, which was good, but there was a rain on the day and I was expecting to have a gazebo available as a back up option exactly for this case, which didn't materialise in the end. The host is nice indeed and responsive, but response time is not very fast. The fields are not perfect clean, got some leftover items and trash left after the previous guests here and there at the pitch. Minimum duration of the stay is 2 nights, so you can't book it for overnight stay or you would have to pay extra Overall, the place is not bad per se, but I have encountered several rather strange and easily fixable things during the visit, that dropped the quality of my experience, hence - would not recommend it so far.
Enjoyed our stay
Recommends site
Emma C
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Excellent stay would recommend, looking forward to visiting again.
Real camping
Recommends site
Danny C
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My son is 5 in November and has been itching to go camping, so after doing some searching, I found the Otter Channel. It ticked a number of boxes like being secluded, private, quiet, no electric, no discos, no people falling on our tent leaving a club house. it was pure bliss being able to watch the squirrels, find the ducks and go on beautiful walks in the real countryside away from all the hustle and bustle. We loved being able to cook on a raised BBQ whilst sitting around a log made fire, looking at the stars. The host was around each day cleaning the toilets but she was not intrusive at all. Fantastic place to just get away from it all and we are excited to visit again. Well done.
The site is in a lovely location
Recommends site
Simon T
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100m from the river. Very peaceful and well looked after. The showers require a bucket to be boiled, but are absolutely lovely and refreshing. There is an honesty horse box with essential supplies and the fire tripod is a really good size and very stable. I would suggest taking a hatchet to make more kindling if you light multiple fires.
Simple and secluded and great for river swimming
Cheryl F
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Just back from a lovely weekend away at this great little secluded find situated right next to the Rother River. The owner, Katie, was very welcoming, even moving a couple of pitches around so me and my friend could pitch up next to each other. It is a very simple campsite, with eco loos, a bucket shower, washing up sink and a separate hand washing sink. All very clean and well maintained. A great touch to this site is a little self service shop with an honesty box equip with basics including sweets and fire wood. We were lucky to have some great weather whilst staying and Katie gave us a number for Ant who, at short notice, was able to meet us at the River next to the site and sort us out some paddle boards to hire, which was great fun. The river is calm and still so was also great for swimming. The kids loved it. Thank you for a lovely stay we definitely be back to stay again 😊
Perfectly peaceful!
Recommends site
Kathy Y
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Peaceful, quiet campsite in a beautiful setting with clean, simple facilities - just what we were looking for! With a helpful, friendly owner, The Otter Channel is also a great location for exploring the coast. It really has everything you need for a break away from it all.