When a local farmer and his three-year-old son turned down a quiet bridle path in their tractor in east Sussex last summer, they were horrified to see a nude woman kneeling in front of a similarly unclothed man.
The shocking sighting rightly caused uproar in the idyllic village of Whatlington – a stone’s thrown from Battle where, in 1066, William the Conqueror defeated the English King Harold – with the parish council documenting ‘considerable concern and disquiet in the village’.
But what has since become clear is that there was more to this unedifying episode than first appeared. For the offending lovers were in fact cavorting within the grounds of the Turn A Blind Eye nudist campsite, which first opened in May 2024 and now stands accused of enabling indecent acts within plain sight of a public bridleway and hosting swinging events attended by people from as far away as Hull.
No wonder furious residents, concerned about the safeguarding of local children, are demanding that the campsite be shut down.
Almost a year on from the encounter – and with the campsite now applying for permission to extend its opening hours – Whatlington is caught in what one resident described as ‘the most keenly fought battle here since 1066’. So just who will come out on top in this extraordinary saga of the village against its all-too-friendly neighbours?
This isn’t the first time that Whatlington – home to just over 300 people – has been thrust into the limelight courtesy of sexual proclivities. Over a decade ago it emerged Rabbi Philip Sharp, the so-called ‘rampant Rabbi’, was living in the village with no fewer than seven wives, garnering national media attention.
But this latest story has been even more shocking for residents – not least because a school recently opened a boarding house for 32 young students 80 metres from the campsite’s perimeter.
It has also attracted attention further afield. Former newspaper editor Lord Moore, who grew up in Whatlington, wrote this week that he used to ride along the bridle path that runs past the campsite.
‘Turn A Blind Eye campsite is a relaxed, clothing-optional adults-only campsite in Battle, UK, where you can unwind and be yourself,’ according to the official website
Pictures shared online show a hot tub, beautifully curated lawns, fire pits and hammocks
‘Turn A Blind Eye campsite is a relaxed, clothing-optional adults-only campsite in Battle, UK, where you can unwind and be yourself,’ according to the official website. Pictures shared online show a hot tub, beautifully curated lawns, fire pits and hammocks. In many ways, it seems an eccentric, if entirely innocent, naturist camping spot.
Campsite owner Jeremy Stephenson told the Daily Mail this week that ‘the whole matter has been blown out of all proportion’ and that ‘we do not encourage swinging on our site’.
‘The site has been developed to allow adults – of all different ages, ethnicities and backgrounds – to come together, relax, socialise, be themselves in a tranquil rural setting,’ he added.
However, the ‘rules and etiquette’ of the over-21s venue, which spans almost two acres, alludes to something somewhat more rambunctious. ‘We do ask that if you remain clothed, you make an effort,’ reads one rule, without clarifying exactly how much effort is required.
‘Always ask before joining in with others. No means NO!’ reads a second, again without clarifying what ‘joining in’ entails. ‘NO play in the hot tub or the pool,’ reads a third.
Furthermore, the £40-a-night campsite advertises on Spicy Match, a dating website ‘for naughty adults’ that also hosts chat forums on everything from sex toys to BDSM.
The site first opened, within the boundaries of the High Weald National Landscape, an area of outstanding natural beauty, on May 3, 2024. As the land was classed as ‘agricultural’ and the campsite was to open for only 60 days a year, no planning permission was required.
It was a year later that the local farmer and his son witnessed the sex act from the elevated position of their tractor cab. A local source told the Daily Mail that the toddler then recounted the incident at pre-school, much to the horror of staff. However, this week Sussex Police told the Daily Mail that while ‘officers carried out inquiries . . . no suspects were identified. The investigation has now concluded, pending any further information coming to light’.
The ‘rules and etiquette’ of the over-21s venue, which spans almost two acres, alludes to something rambunctious
In a twist, the farmer – whose anonymity the Daily Mail has chosen to preserve – is now being investigated by the Health and Safety Executive for allowing his three-year-old son to ride in the tractor cab with him. It is not clear who initially raised the case of the tractor to the police, though Mr Stephenson stressed to the Daily Mail that it was not him and that he bears no ill will to the farmer or any of the dissenting villagers.
Then, in January this year, Turn A Blind Eye applied for planning permission for ‘use of land as a holiday camping, caravanning and motorhome site with up to 30 pitches between April 1 and October 31 each year.’ In other words, not just for the 60 days a year it had previously been entitled to open without permission.
Whatlington Parish Council voiced its opposition declaring the application to be ‘disingenuous’ and ‘misleading’. ‘This is not a campsite,’ declared parish councillor Simon White to the Daily Mail this week. ‘It’s basically what, when I was in the Army, we used to call a “grot bar” [a seedy establishment].’
Simon, who played a major role in writing the council’s objection to the planning application, explained that the site has been operating ‘illegally’ since first opening two years ago. For while the site hosted guests for only 60 days a year, facilities were located on the land year round, in contravention of planning laws.
On top of this, the council believes that the land should be treated as ‘sui generis’, referring to any property without a specific planning use. Any change to its use, for example for use as a campsite, would therefore require unique planning permission.
‘It’s an adult-themed entertainment venue that needs to be treated as such,’ Simon added, referring to the campsite where cameras and mobile phones are prohibited, ‘and there’s nothing in their planning application about that at all. Not one word about anything other than camping.
‘Clothing is “optional”. But if you wear clothing, you’re encouraged to “make an effort”. I don’t know what that means. But I can guess. And then it mentions “play”. What’s play? I don’t think it’s badminton.’
Mr Stephenson, however, denies this claim. ‘I am unsure what entertainment the parish council is alluding to when it talks about adult entertainment,’ he told the Daily Mail. ‘The activities which have been arranged at the site include axe-throwing, paddle-boarding, yoga and crafts such as making dream-catchers and the decoration of top hats and headdresses for our mad hatter’s tea party later this summer.’
Clearly, however, the parish council believe this to be fundamentally a safeguarding issue. Not only for the many walkers of all ages who pass along the adjacent bridle path but also because Leeford Place Hotel – 80 metres from the campsite – has recently been converted into a boarding house for 32 pupils attending Battle Abbey School. According to local resident Sandra, who took a tour of the renovated property, ‘from the upstairs windows, you can see absolutely everything’.
In statement to the Daily Mail, the £17,474-a-term private school declared: ‘The safety and wellbeing of our pupils is our highest priority and we have carefully reviewed the situation. The property in question is privately owned and operates independently of the school. We remain satisfied that appropriate safeguarding, supervision, and pastoral measures are in place for our pupils.’
Parish council chair Roger Fisher, who has lived in the area for 43 years, said: ‘I don’t think anybody particularly is anti-naturist. It’s just that is not the appropriate place for it to be.
‘We are permissive. If somebody wants to do that, they can do it. But you know, it’s the connotations. We’re trying to develop a community. But this sort of thing ripples out and it doesn’t do us any favours. When you meet a new couple at the pub now, the first thing you have to ask is, “Where exactly are you staying?!” ’
When the Daily Mail visited the soon to be re-opened Royal Oak pub, half a mile from the campsite, the new proprietors admitted: ‘I wonder if we need to put a notice on the door that all customers must be fully clothed?’
The future of the campsite now lies in the outcome of the planning application, which will be ruled by Rother District Council.
Not, of course, that everyone is against the camp gates remaining open. The Daily Mail spoke with a young couple who stayed at Turn A Blind Eye on two occasions last year, but who wished to remain anonymous because ‘sadly, the lifestyle has a bad reputation and it can be hard to explain our choices to family and friends’. The couple said: ‘The site is a naturist site and does not actively encourage swinging.’
However, they did clarify: ‘As with any hotel, campsite or holiday venue, consenting adults may well undertake acts of a sexual nature, but this is done in the privacy of their own accommodation. The site has signage asking that any acts of a sexual nature need to be discreet and that noise levels need to be kept to a minimum.’
The couple plan to return later this year ‘to feel at one with nature, make wonderful friends and connections, engage in open-minded conversation and relax whilst gaining an all-over tan’.
‘My wife and I have camped at Mill Lane several times over the past two years,’ declared one man from Kent in the planning application representations. We have always thought of it as a hidden gem… We both live busy, stressful lives, so being able to get away now and again and be completely unburdened and free to commune with nature and like-minded people is incredibly restorative to our mental wellbeing.’
Equally positive is a local business owner who claimed in his representation: ‘Any new source of income in the area, big or small, makes a real difference. A campsite would bring more visitors and more work for local trades, suppliers and other small business.’
Other residents have expressed concern. ‘I would like to register my strong objections to the application,’ wrote Linda Walker. The noise from the events and the socialising on the campsite can be heard across the valley. The amount of traffic going to and from the campsite would be extremely harmful and certainly inappropriate.’
Dr Edward Henderson perhaps summed up the feeling of the village best, writing: ‘Previous holidaymakers at Mill Farm over the past two summers have engaged in outdoor activities wholly inappropriate in such proximity to vulnerable children and teenagers.’
For now at least, those activities seem destined to continue. Later this summer, Turn A Blind Eye plans to host events including a solstice party in late June, a mad hatter’s tea party in July and a murder mystery party in August.
However, before all of that, over the May Bank Holiday weekend there will be an ‘outdoor cinema’ screening. It is unclear which movie will be on show, though as Simon White of the parish council warned: ‘It’s hardly going to be Bambi.’
