If you're sitting on a few acres that aren't earning their keep, farm diversification into camping is one of the quickest ways to turn spare ground into steady income without selling land or taking on a mortgage sized loan. A huge number of the small campsites dotted around the UK started exactly this way: a farmer with a flat, well drained field near a footpath or a pretty view, wondering whether caravanners might pay to park there for the night. Thanks to the Caravan and Motorhome Club and the Camping and Caravanning Club, that idea is far easier to act on than most people assume, and you don't need to give up an acre of good grazing to make it work.

Why farm diversification and camping go together so well

Farming income has always moved with the weather, subsidy changes and commodity prices, and none of those are things a farmer can control. A campsite is different. It runs on a season you can plan for, it uses ground that's often marginal for anything else, such as a paddock that floods a bit in winter or a field the tractor struggles to turn in, and it can be run around the existing rhythm of the farm rather than instead of it. Most CL and CS site owners aren't full time campsite operators. They're farmers, smallholders or rural business owners who check in guests before the morning milking or after the last job of the day.

It also fits neatly alongside other diversification projects. A farm shop, a wedding barn or a few holiday cottages all benefit from extra footfall, and a small campsite brings people onto the land who might buy eggs at the gate, book the barn for a party next year, or simply become the kind of repeat visitor who tells their friends about your corner of the country.

CL or CS: which route suits your land

The two main options for a small, exempt campsite both come from long established clubs, and the choice mostly comes down to which club's guests you'd rather host and how the numbers work for your field.

Both routes let you run a small site without full planning permission, because the exemption comes from the club's own certificate rather than the local council. You do need to be a member of the relevant club to apply, and the club will usually want to see the field, check access is safe and confirm there's a suitable water supply and a way to deal with waste before granting a certificate. If you want the fuller picture of how each option works day to day, our guides on running a CL site and running a CS site go into the detail, and it's worth reading both before you commit to one club over the other.

What planning permission actually lets you do

This is the bit that puts a lot of farmers off before they've even asked, and it's usually more straightforward than people expect. A CL or CS certificate is a recognised exemption from full planning permission for up to five units, so in most cases you won't need a formal planning application just to start taking bookings. What you do still need to think about is anything permanent you add to the field: a shower block, a fixed reception hut, hardstanding pitches or services buried in the ground can all trigger planning questions even when the camping itself doesn't. It's always worth a quick call to your local planning department before you build anything solid, rather than finding out afterwards that a lovely new amenity block needs retrospective permission.

If your farm sits in a National Park, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty or near a listed building, the same exemption generally still applies to the camping itself, but any structures are more likely to draw attention, so it's worth checking local rules specifically rather than assuming a national exemption covers everything.

Getting the field ready without overspending

You don't need a huge budget to get a CL or CS site guest ready, and most of what makes a difference is more about thought than money.

Many farmers phase this in over a season or two, starting with the basics and adding hardstanding, electric hook up or a proper shower block once the bookings prove the demand is there. There's no shame in starting simple. Plenty of the best reviewed CLs and CSs in the country are little more than a well kept field with a tap, because that's genuinely all some guests are looking for.

What a field like this can realistically earn

The honest answer is that it varies hugely by location, season length and how many nights you can fill, but a well run five unit site with a decent summer season can bring in a meaningful few thousand pounds a year for very little ongoing cost once the initial setup is done. We've written more detailed breakdowns of the numbers in our guides on how much a CL site can earn and how much a CS site can earn, which are worth a read before you commit any spending, so you can weigh the likely return against what the field would otherwise be used for.

Running it alongside everything else on the farm

The reason farm diversification into camping works so well for busy landowners is that it doesn't demand a second full time job. Guests on a CL or CS site tend to be self sufficient by nature. They've chosen a small, quiet site precisely because they don't want a reception desk and a shop. What they do want is clear directions, a straightforward way to book and pay, and a quick response if something goes wrong.

That's where having your bookings, payments and guest messages in one place, rather than a paper diary in the farmhouse kitchen and a separate note of who's paid what, saves the most time. Online booking means you're not fielding phone calls during lambing or harvest, and automatic confirmations and reminders mean fewer guests turning up on the wrong day. If you're weighing up whether to manage it all by hand or with proper software from day one, it's far easier to set the habit early than to untangle a season's worth of scribbled notes later.

The takeaway

Farm diversification doesn't have to mean a big capital project or years of planning wrangling. A spare field, a CL or CS certificate from the right club, and a few sensible basics like access, water and waste are usually enough to start welcoming guests within a season. Decide which club suits your land and the guests you'd like to host, get the certificate sorted before you spend on anything permanent, and keep the setup simple until the bookings tell you it's worth investing further. If you'd like a straightforward way to manage bookings, payments and guest messages from the start, CampSuite is free for CL and CS sites and takes about fifteen minutes to set up.