The Wild Retreat

No availability at present on Pitchup.com 8.4 139 reviews
Bell tents
Bell tents
The on-site lake
The camping meadow
Well-maintained grass pitches
Bell tents
Bell tents
Around the site
Bell tents come with picnic tables
1/121
The on-site lake
The camping meadow
Well-maintained grass pitches

  • Well-kept and family-friendly Hertfordshire site
  • London Stanstead Airport 20 minutes’ drive; Lea Valley Park 25 minutes
  • On-site archery lessons, inflatable assault course and dog walks
Within 10 minutes' walk of the River Stort in Hertfordshire, The Wild Retreat is a well‑maintained, family‑friendly hideaway with more than its fair share of shaded woodland trails – ideal for exercising your four-legged pals – and paddleboarding expeditions along the river. And the ‘get back to nature’ vibe doesn’t end there, as you also have the option of wild swimming in the lake or the inflatable assault course… And always remember to keep your eyes peeled for wildlife, whichever adventure you choose. When you’re ready for further action, choose from guided yoga sessions on the lake or at the woodland stage, join in archery lessons and play classic children’s games. Music lover? There are occasional festivals and weekend concerts during the summer months too. The camping field is neatly mown, and picnic tables are scattered around the pitches so you can eat alfresco in comfort. Spark up a barbecue or bring in a takeaway from Sawbridgeworth (10 minutes’ drive). Modern facilities, including a toilet block and heated outdoor showers, make staying this close to nature effortless for one and all, and thanks to quick links to London (40 minutes by train from Sawbridgeworth) and London Stansted Airport (20 minutes’ drive), this spot makes a handy overnight stopover as part of your longer journey.

Site type

Rent a tent 12
Tent pitches 38
Motorhome pitches 13
Touring caravan pitches 13
Opens
Please note

Admission

  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.

General

  • Please note that the shower facilities are unisex.
  • Please note that the toilet/shower facilities are unisex.
  • There are no bins onsite: all rubbish will need to be taken home with you.

Hired accommodation

  • Guests must bring their own duvets, pillows, sheets and towels when staying in rental accommodation. You will not be allowed to stay if you do not bring these items.

Safety

  • Fires, barbecues and/or firepits will not be permitted in dry, windy and/or hot weather conditions.
  • No electric barbecues allowed.

Languages spoken

English

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Pitch types & availability

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Accommodation

Tent pitchesTouring caravan pitchesMotorhome pitchesLodges, cabins, pods or hutsCaravans for hireRent a tent
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2 adults
0 children
0 dogs

Reviews

8.4

Overall rating from 139 Pitchup.com customers

  • 48%
    10
  • 14%
    9
  • 15%
    8
  • 5%
    7
  • 2%
    6
  • 2%
    5
  • 3%
    4
  • 2%
    3
  • 0%
    2
  • 3%
    1
Location
 9
Value for money
 8
Accommodation
 8
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 8
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 5
Lake and/or mountain

83% would recommend this site to a friend

83% would stay here again

What customers say

This campsite offers a relaxed, festival-like atmosphere with a popular swimming lake, diverse activities, and friendly staff. Guests appreciate the beautiful grounds, music, and chill-out zones. However, some reviews mention noise from a nearby factory and occasional issues with toilet cleanliness and hot water availability. Waste disposal and parking arrangements also receive mixed feedback.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews. Last updated 15/09/2026

Filter by topic

Reviews page 1 of 14
Arrival date (latest first)

Amazing campsite with super friendly people…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 6
Anonymous

Electric optional grass and earth motorhome pitch (five person)

Liked Amazing campsite with super friendly people nothing bad to say about it

Disliked Lake could be bigger

Recommend to friends Visit again

An unforgettable wild experience as it was promised

Overall

7 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 5
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 No rating
Bora B. 1 review

Electric optional grass and earth motorhome pitch (two person)

Liked Surroundings, the lake, wild sauna on the beach, music events, friendly atmosphere, scene, enchanted woods

Disliked Missing water drainage around the facilities, (dry toilets could help)

Recommend to friends Visit again

Had a great time, would teturn

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 10
 Sandra M. 1 review

Electric optional grass and earth motorhome pitch (two person)

Liked Lake, friendly atmosphere and people

Disliked Lots of children, washrooms very dark and showers very cold

Recommend to friends Visit again

The lake was nice to swim…

Overall

3 out of 10
Location
 3
Value for money
 2
Facilities / Activities
 3
Customer service
 3
Child friendliness
 3
Cleanliness
 1
Wifi
 1
 Nadine S. 1 review

Non-electric grass and earth tent pitch (five person)

Liked The lake was nice to swim in

Disliked We weren’t aware of the music event on the Saturday night. Very loud bass until 11pm. Should have been informed at booking.

Toilets were dark and in need of some TLC. No toilets rolls first thing in the morning in any of the toilets or portaloos.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Absolutely loved it!!!! First time coming…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 7
Wifi
 10
 Tillie B. 1 review

Non-electric grass and earth tent pitch (six person)

Liked Absolutely loved it!!!! First time coming and we will definitely be returning!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Not recommended for families but the locals seemed to love it there.

Overall

1 out of 10
Location
 1
Value for money
 3
Facilities / Activities
 3
Customer service
 1
Child friendliness
 1
Cleanliness
 3
Wifi
 3
Anonymous

Non-electric grass and earth tent pitch (six person)

Liked The lake was lovely for swimming and paddle boarding.

Disliked The factory noise continues all night and over the weekend.
We suspect that people were taking drugs (not great for a family site).
No effort was made by the owners to stop music after midnight.
The water ran out by mid morning and nobody could shower or wash their hands.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Nice grass pitches, chilled vibe, hot…

Overall

6 out of 10
Location
 6
Value for money
 4
Facilities / Activities
 4
Customer service
 5
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 2
Wifi
 1
Anonymous

Non-electric grass and earth tent pitch (two person)

Liked Nice grass pitches, chilled vibe, hot showers.

Disliked Facilities were limited and not clean. Site was crowded at times. Factory close by was noisy.. recommend ear plugs.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Amazing campsite, everyone is so friendly…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 5
 Julie C. 2 reviews

Electric optional grass and earth motorhome pitch (five person)

Liked Amazing campsite, everyone is so friendly and helpful,definitely worth a visit

Recommend to friends Visit again

I shall be back again soon. Have already stayed twice.

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 8
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 1
Anonymous

Electric optional grass and earth motorhome pitch (two person)

Liked Very relaxed.
Lovely to be able to swim in the lake.
Nice being able to buy a cup of coffee, from the van.
Liked being able to lay under the large sheltered area.

Disliked Would like a bit more information on the music playing and who can join in.
Just a sign to say all welcome, and what music type, in the marquee by the lake.
Or if it's private.

Recommend to friends Visit again

We had a great stay and will be back

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
 Lisa M. 1 review

Non-electric grass and earth tent pitch (six person)

Liked Lake was fab and facilities clean

Disliked Na

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

Pop-up campsite

Dogs 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 Wild swimming

Amenities on site

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

Groups welcome

D. of E. welcome Family friendly Motorcycle friendly Rallies welcome Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

Barbecue provided Barbecues allowed Campfires allowed Commercial vehicles allowed Dogs allowed Dogs allowed all year

Camping 2.0

Jumbo tent pitches

Themes

Budget/backpacker Forest Lake and/or mountain Peaceful Wild camping

Utilities

Charging facilities Chemical disposal Electric car charging point(s) Gas cylinders available No hot water Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby Public transport nearby Shop nearby

Type

Medium (26-50 pitches) Pop-up campsite

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Leisure/theme park nearby Outdoor pool nearby Restaurant nearby Watersports nearby

Touring and motorhomes

Water hook-up points for tourers

Location

The Wild Retreat

Redricks Lane

Redricks Lakes

Sawbridgeworth

Hertfordshire

England

CM21 0RL

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London BST (GMT+01:00)

GPS

51.79183°N
0.11707°E

Route directions

The postcode can take you to the wrong place. Follow Redricks Lane and you will come to a sign saying 'see our big TWR'. If you're approaching Redrick Lane from Pye Corner, you need to take a right-hand turn. From Cambridge Road, it's a left-hand turning.

Nearest transport

Coach
1.7 mi Bus Station
5.6 mi Interchange
7.6 mi South Road
Rail
0.7 mi Harlow Mill Rail Station
1.2 mi Harlow Town Rail Station
2.4 mi Sawbridgeworth Rail Station
Ferry
20.3 mi East India Pier
20.5 mi Woolwich Ferry North Pier
20.6 mi North Greenwich Pier
Airport
9.2 mi London Stansted Airport
20.1 mi London City Airport
22 mi London Luton Airport

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

There’s plenty going on off-site around here too; if you’d like to keep active, there’s a golf course within 10 minutes by car, and the River Lee Country Park (20 minutes’ drive) offers lots of waterside walks and a sculpture trail to follow through the greenery. If that’s too low-key, sporty families can compete against each other at TeamSport Go Karting Harlow (10 minutes) or get their heart rates up at the Aqua Splash Inflatable Assault course (10 minutes' walk), Laser Quest in Harlow (15 minutes) or the Skratch18 simulation centre (10 minutes) – site guests get 20% off on that last one. Quieter days out with young kids might involve a train ride through woodland on the Audley End Miniature Railway (40 minutes); there’s also a fairy walk encompassing unicorns and tiny grottoes in the grounds. Turning to cultural days out, the colleges and exceptional museums of Cambridge are 45 minutes’ drive away. You can also potter around Moore’s former workrooms at the Henry Moore Studios & Gardens (20 minutes) – the latter are liberally scattered with his fluid, rounded masterpieces. There’s more avant-garde sculpture to be seen at the 14-acre Gibberd Garden (15 minutes) as well as beech avenues and water features.
(within 6.2 mi)
Castle, Aquarium, Theme park and Zoo (within 10 mi)

Food and drink

  • Harlow Mill Restaurant 0.6 mi
  • Coho Restaurant 0.7 mi
  • Pizza Hut Restaurant 0.7 mi
  • The Plume of Feathers Pub 0.8 mi
  • The Crown Pub 0.8 mi
  • The White Admiral Pub 0.8 mi
  • The White Horse Pub 0.9 mi
  • The Chequers Pub 0.9 mi
  • The Marquis of Granby Pub 0.9 mi
  • Zenz Oriental Restaurant 0.9 mi

Groceries

  • Tesco 0.6 mi
  • Lidl 0.8 mi
  • The Food Warehouse 0.8 mi
  • Aldi 1.1 mi
  • Sainsbury's 1.6 mi
  • Mini Delikatesy Kubus 1.9 mi
  • Tesco 1.9 mi
  • Asda 1.9 mi
  • The Co-operative Food 2 mi
  • Full of Beans Whole Food Store 2 mi

Parks and play

  • Roman Vale Park 0.8 mi
  • Terlings Park Play Area Playground 0.8 mi
  • East Park 0.9 mi
  • Glebelands Park 0.9 mi
  • Mark Hall Park Playground (Elephant Park) 0.9 mi
  • Adventure Playground 0.9 mi
  • Mark Hall Park 0.9 mi
  • Old Harlow Paddling Pool and Play Park Playground 1.2 mi
  • Play Area at Wagtail Crescent Playground 1.2 mi
  • The Stow Recreation Ground park 1.2 mi

Family days out

  • Canal Boat Project Visitor attraction 1.2 mi
  • Village Sign Visitor attraction 3.6 mi
  • Stocks & Lock-up Visitor attraction 3.6 mi
  • Ada Cole Rescue Stables Visitor attraction 3.9 mi
  • John Locke Visitor attraction 4.8 mi
  • Rye House Gatehouse Castle 4.9 mi
  • Waytemore Castle (remains) 5.9 mi
  • Ongar Redoubt Visitor attraction 6 mi
  • Lee Valley Animal Adventure Park Zoo 7.5 mi
  • Hertfordshire Zoo 8.4 mi
  • Hertford Castle Gate House 8.5 mi
  • Stansted Mountfitchet Castle 8.5 mi

Public transport

  • Ascent Park 0.4 mi
  • River Way 0.4 mi
  • Tesco Store 0.5 mi
  • Astra Centre 0.5 mi
  • United Glass 0.6 mi
  • Station Approach 0.6 mi
  • Beefeater 0.7 mi
  • Harlow Mill Railway Station 0.7 mi
  • Jocelyns 0.8 mi
  • Manor Road 0.8 mi

Beaches

  • Stort Beach 0.8 mi

Other nearby

  • The Manor of Groves Golf Course 1.5 mi
  • The Essex Lounge Nightclub 1.8 mi
  • 99p Store General shop 1.8 mi
  • Church Langley Fishery Fishing 1.9 mi
  • Canons Brook Golf Course 2.3 mi
  • Tharbies Private Fishing 2.4 mi
  • Briggens Park Golf Club Golf course 3 mi
  • Hallingbury Marina 3.6 mi
  • Roydon Mill Marina 4.2 mi
  • Abbots 21 Fishing 4.5 mi

Local services

  • BP Fuel station 0.4 mi
  • Tesco Fuel station 0.5 mi
  • Old Harlow Health Centre Clinic 0.9 mi
  • Well Pharmacy 1.1 mi
  • Nuffield House Surgery Doctors 1.2 mi
  • Rivers Hospital 1.4 mi
  • Jacob's Neuro Centre Hospital 1.4 mi
  • Sainsbury's Fuel station 1.5 mi
  • Sainsbury's Pharmacy 1.6 mi
  • Sainsbury's Cashpoint 1.6 mi

© OpenStreetMap contributors

Must see

Lee Valley Regional Park 8.7 mi

Hatfield House 14.1 mi

Knebworth House 15.2 mi

Audley End House and Gardens 16.4 mi

Discover 18.2 mi

National Trust

Shaw's Corner 16.7 mi

Eastbury Manor House 17.8 mi

Sutton House 18.4 mi

Rainham Hall 19.2 mi

2 Willow Road 20.4 mi

Cycle routes

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

Other

PISHIOBURY 1.4 mi

THE HOUSE, MARSH LANE 1.5 mi

STANSTEAD BURY 3.6 mi

DOWN HALL 3.7 mi

RYE MEADS (CURRENT BOUNDARY FROM 19/12/2001) 4.8 mi

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.

Want to know more about camping in Hertfordshire?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does The Wild Retreat have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is The Wild Retreat dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near The Wild Retreat? There’s plenty going on off-site around here too; if you’d like to keep active, there’s a golf course within 10 minutes by car, and the River Lee Country Park (20 minutes’ drive) … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of The Wild Retreat?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  1 p.m. –  7 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    On-site accommodation
    Arrive:  1 p.m. –  7 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    Read more