Bodiam Boating Station
Bodiam Boating Station
4.5
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About
Affordable, fun family days out. Tranquil river cruises to Nat Trust Bodiam Castle. Mess about on the river in kayak/rowing boat/canoe/SUP. Stay in our small campsite; campfires encouraged. Enjoy hearty breakfast, lunch (speciality Spanish Tapas) or afternoon tea in our licensed café & garden. BBQ/Paella summer weekends. Kids play area. Dog friendly. Events
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Bodiam Boating Station
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4.5
237 reviews
Excellent
181
Very good
32
Average
13
Poor
3
Terrible
8
Panda92
Kent, UK50 contributions
Nov 2023 • Couples
Always enjoy coming here with my other half! It’s well worth coming year round as there’s always something different on offer.
Written 17 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lisa D
Redhill, UK5 contributions
Oct 2023 • Friends
Just back from a two night stay. Lovely little site, such friendly and helpful staff. Only had breakfast in the cafe once and it was delicious. I’m a coffee snob and they excelled there too. Amenities very clean, and it was great to get out on the pretty river on a rowing boat. Will definitely come back.
Written 3 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alienbeing
West Sussex, UK109 contributions
Sep 2023
Overall very good for boat trip and afternoon tea. Shame they no longer do a scheduled boat service to Bodiam and back.
Written 11 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JudithChKent
Kent11 contributions
Aug 2023 • Friends
An excellent afternoon with friends including two young children. Had originally booked for 12 on Sunset cruise in July but weather let us down. Staff were very accommodating rescheduling and reorganising our trip to suit our needs using our deposit paid successfully. All staff were lovely, food was good and river trip was very enjoyable in beautiful weather. The camp site near by looked great, all very relaxed but very efficiently run establishment.
Written 24 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sophie
50 contributions
Jun 2023 • Friends
Absolutely amazing place! The staff are all so lovely and really helpful! The river is so pretty and peaceful, and the cafe is a perfect place to grab a bite to eat after.
Written 26 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
julia M
8 contributions
Jun 2023 • Friends
I booked 2 tandem kayaks for a friend and our 2 daughters aged 9. We arrived 15 minutes early, the lady doing the booking in had dreadful customer service.
She was stressy, offhand and just seemed concerned that we,d bring the kayak back in an hour.. the life jackets were all just hanging up outside, no 9e there to help make sure you had the right ones, considering we had2 young children with us..
Onto the kayak.. we were plonked on, no instructions on how to use the oars or anything,
The river tself is lovely ,but the whole place itself seems over busy, chaotic, and we were going to stay for lunch but decided not to due to the atmosphere..
I won't be returning..
She was stressy, offhand and just seemed concerned that we,d bring the kayak back in an hour.. the life jackets were all just hanging up outside, no 9e there to help make sure you had the right ones, considering we had2 young children with us..
Onto the kayak.. we were plonked on, no instructions on how to use the oars or anything,
The river tself is lovely ,but the whole place itself seems over busy, chaotic, and we were going to stay for lunch but decided not to due to the atmosphere..
I won't be returning..
Written 10 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Barbara G
1 contribution
Oct 2022
A great family day out. Hired three single kayaks and thoughoughly enjoyed a peaceful paddle on the river. Followed by a superb cooked breakfast. We will return.
Written 23 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PeterG655
London, UK9 contributions
Aug 2022
We only came to launch our Canoe but were impressed by the organisation and easy manner of the staff. Dog friendly and I don't mean a couple of bowls of last week's water. Our lovely hounds got a fresh clean bowl before we got our coffees. It was a quiet time and we were not charged for launching although I understand there is normally a £5 charge. The campsite looks family friendly with great views. We will come again.
Written 7 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Daniel P
Faversham, UK111 contributions
Aug 2022
WOW WOW WOW, you guys never disappoint! This is our 6th year of visiting and each time gets better. Personally greeted by happy staff, and the owners also are around making sure everyone is enjoying themselves. Alex and Vanessa have a great team behind them, and this is the best campsite we have ever been to. The bar, with music, DJ's etc is just amazing. Our kids love playing in this very safe secure campsite, and everyone who camps here seems to be happy and sociable! Gets better each year, well worth the visit! We also hired Kayaks and rowing boat, and everything runs smoothly due to the many happy staff. Thank you again guys and girls!
Written 31 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rachel S
15 contributions
Jul 2022 • Family
Great place. We camped here for 2 nights in July and had a great time. We took advantage of free self launch from their jetty to use our iSUPs. Lovely stretch of the river Rother. Hard work against the wind but really leisurely drift back to base. Decent shower and toilet facilities, and amazing food at Lime Wharf Cafe on site. Would definitely recommend their loaded fries and their steak sandwich. All staff we met were very friendly, personable and helpful.
Written 26 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Does anyone know if you also walk along the river from here to bodiam castle?
Rodders
Bristol, UK5 contributions
Yes, you could do. Probably about an hours walk, though not personally done it.
Hi. We are looking to camp and have a go with our newly acquired canoe. Do you allow bringing your own canoe? Can you provide paddling lessons?
Glad to see you allow dogs as our Ted is part of the family.
BodiamBoatingStation
Newenden, UK13 contributions
Thank you for showing interest. We are enjoying being busy so early on in the warmer season. For camping we have midweeks available until September as all weekends are booked up until then except for one non electrical pitch on the 30th and 31st Aug. For campers we do a free self launch policy where you are more than welcome to bring your own canoes; for day visitors its a £5 fee per vessel. We love dogs here, we even have water bowls for them and a lovely garden. Call if you need any more information.
Julia R
1 contribution
Hi - do you need to book kayaks / canoes prior to coming? We’re visiting the area at the weekend and wasn’t sure how busy it gets? Thanks
Vanessa F
Newenden, null, United Kingdom11 contributions
I’m so sorry I’ve only just seen this. We’re looking into an online booking app but in the meantime please call ahead or fill out (short) booking form on our website. Thank you
places2seeplaces2go
England, UK4,825 contributions
Hi
We are visiting the area later in the year & like the look of this boat trip. Cant see anywhere if dogs are allowed on boat. Please could you advise if it is ok to bring a dog on board.
Thanks
Vanessa F
Newenden, null, United Kingdom11 contributions
Yes, of course! Dogs ride for free and you are welcome to bring your dog into the cafe & garden - we even sell doggy frozen yoghurt!! Hope to see you soon
Sea_Pea_Bee
Sidcup, UK28 contributions
What are the toilet and shower facilities like for those camping here ?
BodiamBoatingStation
Newenden, UK13 contributions
Hi, we have 3 separate rooms attached to the cafe, each with wc, shower cubicle & sink. There's a separate block in the campsite with 2 X wc & 2 X urinals. Hope this helpd