Dernwood Farm is hidden away down a rolling country lane in the patchwork fields of Sussex. Like a Russian doll-within-a-doll, the campsite itself is further secreted inside an eight-acre clearing in the middle of a coppice wood originally grown for charcoal burning. Isn't it fitting, then, that fires are a welcome addition to the earthy, authentic camping experience on offer here?

One of a bright young generation of new campsites, Forge Wood has taken Cool Camping principles and applied them beautifully. The site opened fully in 2010 after a low-key try-out the previous season, and it has proved to be an instant hit with that killer combination of campfires, woodland pitches, a tents-only rule (with the exception of the odd vintage campervan), and a laid-back approach.

What's not known is if he ever came across St Ives Farm, a countryside campsite just outside Hartfield, the village where AA Milne penned his famous stories. Using the rural idyll of St Ives Farm as a base, you can follow in the footsteps of Christopher Robin and all the gang. Just pick up a special map to discover all their beloved haunts - 100 Acre Wood, Galleon's Lap, and Poohsticks Bridge. St Ives Farm sits beside a pretty fishing lake surrounded by arable farmland, and the Weald Way runs alongside.The farm has a peaceful ambience, enhanced by the softly crackling fires scenting the air with sizzling sausages and melting marshmallows.

Discover your own slice of camping heaven in deepest, darkest Sussex. If you wander down to the tucked away, forgotten corner of Heaven Farm you'll find a spacious, quiet field, cuddled by trees and hidden from the world. Less than two hours from London, this unassuming, unpretentious, undersubscribed campsite is a quintessentially beautiful and easy weekend getaway.

This woodland escape in the very heart of the Ashdown Forest is nothing short of magical. Its owners, Wendy and Patrick, are fiercely eco-nnnded and their sense of respect for the land resonates throughout the site.

James, the manager of both the local affiliated gastropub, the Sloop, and Kitts Cottage campsite, is a wry chap; he looks as if he might have been a highwayman or pirate in a former life, so we're not sure whether or not to believe him when he points to the campsite's eastern treeline and says there's a ghost of a lady who sometimes walks through there from the woods. Certainly it's an atmospheric spot, and on those creepy Sleepy Hollow nights, as the north wind wraps its teeth around your guy pegs and whistles at your door, you might wish that we'd never mentioned it. To be honest, but for your imagination, there's nothing faintly spectral about Kitts Cottage.

Wapsbourne Manor Farm, or 'Wowo', as it's affectionately known by a growing band of regulars, is a rare and beautiful thing - a great campsite within two hours' drive of London. It's small on unnecessary rules and regulations, and big on fun and freedom.

Experience the magic of falling asleep by a crackling fire in your own woodland clearing at Blackberry Wood, nestled in the foothills of the South Downs. Situated beyond the eclectic aesthetics of the permanent-caravan, double-decker bus, gypsy wagon, and campervan field at the site's entrance, the dense woodland forms a rambling straggle of trees and thicket, with a few footpaths criss-crossing through the undergrowth.

In 1998 the Sustainability Centre sprang to life in the South Downs to teach people about economical and environmental reform. Among its 55 acres of woodland and natural chalk downs, visitors can learn how to draw on conservation craft and natural remedies for healthy and sustainable living.The Earthworks Trust, which owns and runs the centre, is funded in part through the income generated by its campsite, yurt, and two tipis.Various onsite courses (in the likes of herbal first aid, willow basket making, and permaculture) are run throughout the year and conducted in a rather grand outdoor eco-classroom.

Surely one of the prettiest towns in Sussex, with its mixture of medieval and 18th-century houses, Lewes is bursting at its timbered seams with history. Whether Sir Arthur Conan Doyle or Virginia Woolf lost themselves in its cobbled alleys and antique bookshops, or visited Normanesque Lewes Castle while they lived here is anyone's guess, but the town continues to draw celebrities, from pop stars to actors. Beer lovers will be delighted to know that Sussex's premier ale, Harveys, is brewed in town, and there are plenty of cosy pubs in which to sample it.