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Big Camp August - Dunstable Downs and Whipsnade Estate

Big Camp is back! Join us from 12.00pm on 15 August to 2.00pm on 17 August to camp out overnight beneath Dunstable Downs' famous skies!

  • Booking essential

Big Camp is the perfect family adventure, offering you the rare opportunity to pitch your tent and camp overnight at the highest point in Bedfordshire. Spend the weekend exploring the Downs in a new light and admiring our vast night-time skies.

In 2025, we are going bigger and better than ever, with two nights of camping now on offer!

Highlights:

• Camp fire with marshmallows and stories

• Lantern lit sunset walk

• Crafts and nature art

• Soft archery

• Kids nature and ‘day in the life of a ranger’ walks

• Nature bingo

• Hide and seek animal trail

All included with your pitch ticket!

There will also be plenty of downtime for you and the kids to make your own fun, and our food outlet will be open to purchase food and beverages. For those who wish to bring their own, a BBQ area will be available for you to cook dinner.

Friday 15 August – Sunday 17 August 2025. Entry 12pm-3pm on Friday. Exit by 2pm on Sunday.

£110 per pitch for up to 2 adults and 3 children. A pitch can have up to 8 people, but there is a £5 charge for each extra person once the number of people has exceeded 5. Under 5s are free.

Booking is essential.

Times

Prices

Event ticket prices

Ticket typeTicket category
All Additional people (up to 3 extras per pitch)£5.00
All Per Pitch (2 adults and 3 children)£110.00

The basics

Booking details

Call 0344 249 1895

Suitability

Children are very welcome.

Meeting point

Drive carefully into the main car park entrance and look out for a member of staff and signs on your left which will direct you into the camping area.

What to bring and wear

Tents only please. We don’t have any showers, so please bring wipes or flannels. A suggested kit list and welcome pack will be sent out the week before.

Accessibility

Accessible to all.

Other

Toilets and drinking water will be available on the campsite. Only one dog per pitch permitted, to be kept under close control at all times. At 6.00pm gates into Dunstable Downs will be locked so no cars will be able to enter or leave after this point

Upcoming events

Event

Art Course: Watercolour Landscapes 

Join creative arts company, Something Less Boring, for a beginner and improver friendly watercolour course ending with a chance to paint a landscape en plein air.

Event summary

on
24 Jun 2025
at
10:30 to 14:30
Event

Festival of Archaeology: Celtic Codebreakers 

Dig into the past at Dunstable Downs! Join in with the UK's biggest annual celebration of archaeology and unearth the secrets that lie beneath your feet.

Event summary

on
19 Jul to 20 Jul 2025
at
10:00 to 16:30
+ 1 other date or time
Event

Summer of Play: The Dunstable Downs Sports Village 

Visit our very own Sports Village and inspire a spirit of play that can be continued throughout the season and beyond.

Event summary

on
21 Jul to 31 Aug 2025
at
10:30 to 17:00
+ 41 other dates or times
Event

Festival of Archaeology – Family Walk 

Step back in time on a family-friendly walk led by professional archaeologist Dr Wendy Morrison, Heritage & Archaeology Manager for the Chilterns National Landscape.

Event summary

on
24 Jul 2025
at
10:30 to 11:30