Down to Earth Camping

Smaller wild pitch suitable for 1-3 person tents

Yurt set in its own private space with benches and stone firepit

Several small tents can fit on the large wild pitch

Space for several small tents on the large pitch

Almost-wild camping at a small family-run Co. Antrim site
Carrickfergus Castle and Gobbins Cliff Path within 15 minutes' drive
Firepit and communal shelter on site; farm shop half an hour's walk

Wild camping isn’t legally allowed in Northern Ireland, but here’s the next best thing: almost-wild pitches at a small family-run campsite in a scenic Antrim valley. Come along to Down to Earth Camping and you’ll be staying amid 14 acres of wild nature, with forest walks and beehives on site and chickens and ducks to meet. Yes, you’ll be within the boundaries of an approved campsite, but the vibe is very much ‘wild camping’ in style – you’ll park your car in the car park and carry your kit up to the wild pitches, which are designed for smaller tents and those who don’t require too much stuff to be comfortable. Being ‘almost-wild' means that there are in fact a few facilities provided here – guests have access to nicely done compost toilets (but no showers) and there’s a firepit on each pitch so you can have a campfire. A covered communal area also has space for a campfire or barbecue, and is a good place to have a chat with fellow guests. A half-hour walk along quiet roads from the site takes you to the local village of Gleno, which is home to some splendid waterfalls as well as a café and farm shop where you can pick up some bits for a meal back at base. For other needs you’ll want to head into Larne (10 minutes’ drive), which has a good choice of shops and places to eat.

Campground type

Languages spoken

English

Nearby campgrounds that are bookable on Pitchup.com

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable campgrounds.

Features

Pop-up campground

No dogs allowed

Campfires allowed

Leisure on site

Bar or club house Cycle hire Evening entertainment Fishing Fitness centre Games room Indoor swimming pool Kids' club On-site restaurant/cafe Outdoor swimming pool Play area TV room Take away Tennis Watersports

Amenities on site

Bath available Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Food shop Free wifi Ice pack freezing Internet access Laundry Local produce Parent & baby washroom Pick-up from public transport Portable toilet Pub toilets Public telephone Shower available Toilet block Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

Family friendly Motorcycle friendly Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

Barbecue provided Barbecues allowed Campfires allowed Commercial vehicles allowed Dogs allowed No dogs allowed

Themes

Budget/backpacker Bush Peaceful Remote location Spectacular scenery Wild camping Wildlife haven

Utilities

Charging facilities Dump point Electric car charging point(s) Gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby

Type

Pop-up campground Tiny (1-10 sites)

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Climbing nearby Indoor pool nearby Restaurant nearby

Touring and motorhomes

Seasonal sites

Location

Down to Earth Camping

32 Ballyhone Road

Glenoe

Larne

Co. Antrim

Northern Ireland

BT40 3LL

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London +0100 (GMT+01:00)

GPS

54.78972°N
5.80073°W

Please note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.

Local attractions

Attractions and activities nearby include: - Carrickfergus Castle: 10 minutes' drive - Gobbins Cliff Path: 15 minutes - Kilcoan Gardens: 15 minutes - Blackcave Tunnel And The Devil's Churn: 15 minutes - Browns Bay beach: 20 minutes - Ballygally beach: 20 minutes - Carnfunnock Country Park: 20 minutes - Belfast: half an hour.

Food and drink

Millars Pub 3.7 km
Crossways Pub 3.9 km
Sixty Six Restaurant 4.3 km
The Fuzzy Beak Restaurant 6.2 km
Brooklyn Bay Diner Restaurant 6.3 km
Cafe Riva Restaurant 6.4 km
Fryer Tucks Restaurant 6.4 km
La Bodega Pub 6.9 km
The Big Sandwich Restaurant 6.9 km
New Lotus Flower Restaurant 6.9 km

Groceries

The Rinkha Supermarket 6.1 km
Asda Supermarket 6.3 km
Eurospar Supermarket 6.4 km
Lidl Supermarket 6.9 km
WineFlair Off-licence 6.9 km
Whitehead Wine Lodge Off-licence 7.2 km
Eurospar Supermarket 7.5 km
Wineflair Off-licence 7.6 km
Tesco Extra Supermarket 8.2 km
WineFlair Off-licence 8.3 km

Parks and play

Jubilee Park 4.1 km
Larne Cenotaph park 6.8 km
Curran Park 6.9 km
Millbrook Park Playground 6.9 km
Whitehead Play Area Playground 7 km
Smiley Park 7.1 km
Dixon Park 7.4 km
Jollytots Playground 7.5 km
Larne Town Park and Chaine's Park 7.5 km
Linn Glen park 7.5 km

Family days out

Glenoe Waterfall Visitor attraction 2.3 km
Olderfleet Castle 5.9 km
Gobbins Visitor Centre Visitor attraction 6.1 km
the gobbins path Visitor attraction 6.9 km
Castle Chester 7.2 km
Andrew Jackson Cottage and US Rangers Centre Visitor attraction 7.5 km
Kilwaughter Castle 8.2 km

Public transport

Larne Port 6.2 km
Millbrook Park & Ride 6.7 km
Larne Bus Station 6.7 km
Larne Road Old Belfast Road 6.7 km
Old Belfast Road 6.7 km
Allenbrook 6.7 km
Curran Road 6.8 km
Larne Train Station 6.8 km
Larne and Inver School 6.8 km
Drumahoe Gardens 6.9 km

Beaches

Browns bay walk 7.4 km

What’s nearby

Bentra Golf Course 6.1 km
Whitehead Golf Club Golf course 6.8 km
Larne FC Superstore General shop 6.8 km
Murrayfield Shopping Centre 6.9 km
Carrickfergus Golf Course 7.4 km
Larne Golf Club Golf course 7.4 km
DeCourcy Centre Shopping centre 8.2 km
Carrickfergus Marina 8.9 km

Local services

ecar Rapid Charge Point Charging station 6.3 km
Circle K Fuel station 6.3 km
Whitehead Health Centre Doctors 6.3 km
BP Fuel station 6.5 km
BP Fuel station 6.6 km
Texaco Fuel station 6.6 km
Circle K Fuel station 6.9 km
ESB Electric Vehicle Charge Point Charging station 7 km
ESB Electric Vehicle Charge Point Charging station 7 km
Corran Surgery Doctors 7.2 km

Must see

Belfast Castle 18.7 km

Belfast City Hall 23 km

Harland And Wolff Shipyard 23.3 km

Grand Opera House 23.7 km

National Trust

Patterson's Spade Mill 18.5 km

The Crown Bar 23.3 km

Mount Stewart House, Garden and Temple of the Winds 29 km

Rowallane Garden 38.1 km

Cycle routes

Find local routes on the National Cycle Network - over 12,000 miles of cycling routes.

Other

LARNE LOUGH ISLANDS (CURRENT BOUNDARY FROM 01/01/1998) 4.1 km

BELFAST LOUGH (CURRENT BOUNDARY FROM 10/10/2003) 17.5 km

PORTMORE LOUGH (CURRENT BOUNDARY FROM 19/08/2002) 40.2 km

A Walk North from Portpatrick 44.1 km

A Walk South from Portpatrick 44.1 km