The Red Lion

View prices & book 8.9 106 reviews
The pub
The pub
Driveway into the site
The road into the site
Children’s playground on site
Toilet and shower block with an outside dishwashing area
Plump pigeon
Parking space
Picture of site
1/68
Driveway into the site
The road into the site
Children’s playground on site

  • Pitches behind a traditional country pub in the Waveney Valley
  • A 10-minute drive from canoe hire on the river Waveney and two museums
  • Traditional pub grub menu and playground; close to the Angles Way
Pub grub, canoeing on the river Waveney and waterside wanders might very well make up some of your stay at The Red Lion in the Waveney Valley. With dog-friendly and family-friendly pitches in the grounds of a traditional country pub (where dogs are permitted in the outside area only), this site is not just for the foodies, although it certainly scores highly on that front thanks to its classic menu of pub grub. The site is 10 minutes’ drive away from a couple of museums (aviation and World War II included) and canoe hire for the river Waveney, which runs through the valley. In fact, the site is just 10 minutes’ stroll away from the riverbank, where you can walk right onto the Angles Way, a 93-mile trail along the riverside. On site, there’s an amenities block with a toilet, shower room and an outside washing-up area handy that's handy for dealing with barbecue aftermath. There’s a playground here where kids can run off any excess energy, perhaps while you supervise from over a pint in the pub’s outdoor seating. For snacks and that sort of thing, Harleston’s selection of supermarkets is five minutes’ drive away from the site. Handily, there’s a local bus route that runs past the outside of the pub, so it should be easy enough to get around the surrounding area. Please note the pub's opening hours: it is closed on Mondays, open between 12pm and 3pm on Tuesday through to Sunday and open in evenings from 5.30pm to 8pm for food (and until 10pm for drinks) on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

Site type

Touring caravan pitches 11
Motorhome pitches 11
Tent pitches 1
Open all year
Opens
Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • At least one of the party members must be aged 18 or over.
  • Your dog must be tattooed or microchipped.
  • The site does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Dangerous Dogs Act (i.e. XL Bully, Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro).
  • Please note that the toilet/shower facilities are unisex.

Languages spoken

English

No availability here for your search criteria

Reviews

8.9

Overall rating from 106 Pitchup.com customers

  • 61%
    10
  • 2%
    9
  • 25%
    8
  • 0%
    7
  • 1%
    6
  • 0%
    5
  • 3%
    4
  • 0%
    3
  • 0%
    2
  • 0%
    1
Location
 9
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 9
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 9
Peaceful

88% would recommend this site to a friend

85% would stay here again

What customers say

A friendly, quiet, and well-maintained small site with spacious pitches and excellent WiFi. Facilities are generally clean and well-equipped, with plenty of hot water. The on-site pub receives high praise for its food and welcoming atmosphere. Some minor issues with cleanliness were noted but addressed by management. Several guests expressed their intention to return.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 11
Arrival date (latest first)

Great place to stay and nice pub as well

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 5
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 6
Wifi
 9
Mark B.

Electric hardstanding and grass touring pitch

Liked Clean, spacious and very friendly operator.

Disliked Vicious cat!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Perfect find in Norfolk. A lovely site.

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
Julie T.

Electric hardstanding and grass touring pitch

Liked A beautiful site which was perfect for our 3 night stay.
Mike was welcoming, informative about nearby walks and a great meal in the Red Lion was very enjoyable.

Shower/toilets were great and clean.

The site is well maintained, quiet and full of birds chirping away.

There are plants for sale there too.
We walked 50 mins to get to Lidl. (Only a 5 min drive). Great walks nearby.

Highly recommend this site.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Friendly and welcoming

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 7
Value for money
 8
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 7
Wifi
 7
Janette O.

Electric hardstanding and grass touring pitch

Liked Lovely friendly quiet site, we were warmly welcomed by our host. There is a useful little shop with vending machines, and even bedding and veg plants for sale. The host works endlessly to make sure everyone has a lovely stay - I don’t know how he does it! Bus stop into Diss or Harleston and Beccles is almost outside the door. Pub grub is basic but very reasonably priced with some good offers.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Turned a day early, they still…

Overall

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

Electric hardstanding and grass touring pitch

Liked Turned a day early, they still managed to fit me in, very warm welcome everything explained , lovely quite site , great walks for the dogs, Top selections of beer on tap . had the amazing Sunday lunch. basic showers and toilets but very clean . hosts amazing and cheerful , another country pub surviving on food sales to keep going, and providing employment for young folk in the village.

Disliked had to leave so early , could have stayed for a whole week !

Recommend to friends Visit again

Little Gem

Overall

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

Electric hardstanding and grass touring pitch

Liked A lovely family run site. Everything you need for an enjoyable stay.

The food in the pub is amazing.

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Been here before excellent as always…

Overall

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

Electric hardstanding and grass touring pitch

Liked Been here before excellent as always .food in pub is great large portions

Disliked The only problem we had was couldn’t get any TV reception

Recommend to friends Visit again

Absolutely amazing food, lovely family run site

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
Deborah F.

Electric hardstanding and grass touring pitch

Liked The very friendly welcome when we arrived. Everything you need for a couple of nights away. Shower/toilet + toilet. Washing up station, well equipped.
The restaurant was extremely busy but the owner still walked us in to show us our pitch.

The food in the pub was amazing. We were hoping to visit twice, but our plans didn’t allow us to. Next time maybe.

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Nice quiet site with friendly staff attached to a nice pub.

Overall

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

Electric hardstanding and grass touring pitch

Liked Nice quiet site with friendly staff attached to a nice pub.
We found all staff friendly and helpful. The pub is very popular at lunch times with locals coming for meals - always a good sign. When we stayed Wednesday night was steak night so we had a lovely steak supper.
There is a toilet and s shower on site which looked clean and tidy but we didn't use because we were only there 2 nights.
Also a bus passes the site which will take you further afield. Harleston a lovely market town is 2 miles away and Diss with a mainline train station to Norwich and further afield is about 13 miles away in the other direction

Recommend to friends Visit again

Warm welcome on arrival, for our 1 night away I liked it, it was quiet

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 No rating
Paula M.

Electric hardstanding and grass touring pitch

Liked Lovely small park at the pub, we didn't go in the pub, quiet and a mile walk to harleston, toilets, showers clean although looking tired

Recommend to friends Visit again

Clean facilities

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 5
Value for money
 7
Facilities / Activities
 6
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 8
mark w.

Electric hardstanding and grass touring pitch

Liked Lovely owner and staff very nice food wasgood

Disliked Weather was not the best

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

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

Amenities on site

Bath available Car parking by pitch/unit Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Food shop Free wifi Ice pack freezing Internet access Launderette 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 Dogs allowed all year

Themes

Peaceful Walkers' paradise

Utilities

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

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby Nearby farmers' market Public transport nearby Shop nearby

Type

Pub campsite Small (11-25 pitches)

Accessibility

Accessible parking at pitch Bathrooms: Large spacious shower Bathrooms: Large spacious toilet Bathrooms: Wheelchair accessible shower Bathrooms: Wheelchair accessible toilet Bathrooms: Wide doorways (over 30 inches/75cm) Pitch close to accessible bathrooms Uneven terrain; gravel or loose mud Well-lit path

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Leisure/theme park nearby Outdoor pool nearby Restaurant nearby Sailing nearby Watersports nearby

Touring and motorhomes

Drainage hook-up points for tourers Motorhome service point Seasonal pitches

Location

The Red Lion

117 High Road

Needham

Harleston

Norfolk

England

IP20 9LG

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London BST (GMT+01:00)

GPS

52.38419°N
1.26946°E

Nearest transport

Coach
1.9 mi Broad Street
2.1 mi School Lane
6.9 mi Bus Station
Rail
6.2 mi Diss Rail Station
10.3 mi Halesworth Rail Station
11.6 mi Brampton (Suffolk) Rail Station
Ferry
16.9 mi Reedham Ferry South
16.9 mi Reedham Ferry North
17.5 mi Southwold Ferry Landing
Airport
19.8 mi Norwich International 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

Activities on the river Waveney might have already given you a taste for the water… and if that’s the case, you can’t go far wrong with a beach day. While the valley scenery might suggest otherwise, the coast is within driving distance and that includes Southwold beach (45 minutes' drive), a sandy stretch with an amusement arcade on the pier and good windsurfing conditions, and Aldeburgh beach (55 minutes), known for its tasty fish and chips. Those of you who have kids fond of animals, Banham Zoo (half an hour) might be one afternoon out to add to the itinerary, while Camel Park Oasis (15 minutes) is another with camels in the limelight. And for a place with play areas and farm animals, Easton Farm Park (35 minutes) is your guy. To switch things up with a history-geared visit, you’ll have your pick of a few places, including the Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum (10 minutes), The 100th Bomb Group Memorial Museum (10 minutes) for historical accounts of American involvement in World War II and Bressingham Steam & Gardens (25 minutes) for a steam museum and gardens… or steam train trip of your own aboard one of the trains that are in action.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Southwold The Denes 17.8 mi Sea N/AN/AN/AN/A
Southwold The Pier 18 mi Sea N/AGoodGoodExcellent
Lowestoft (South Of Claremont Pier) 20.8 mi Sea N/AGoodGoodGood
Lowestoft (North Of Claremont Pier) 21 mi Sea N/AGoodGoodGood
Gorleston Beach 23.4 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Bressingham Steam and Gardens 9 mi

Banham Zoo 11.2 mi

Framlingham Castle 11.6 mi

Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery 16.9 mi

Colman's Mustard Shop and Museum 17 mi

National Trust

Sutton Hoo 20.3 mi

Orford Ness National Nature Reserve 23.1 mi

Elizabethan House Museum 24.5 mi

Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds 25.4 mi

Lavenham Guildhall 27.6 mi

Cycle routes

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

Other

Needham 1 mi

Syleham 2.2 mi

Fressingfield 3.3 mi

Pulham Market - Tivetshall St Margaret 3.6 mi

Hoxne 3.9 mi

Local events

  • Latitude Festival (Thursday, 23 July 2026 – Thursday, 23 July 2026)

    Beccles, Suffolk 13.9 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 Norfolk?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does The Red Lion have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is The Red Lion dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near The Red Lion? Activities on the river Waveney might have already given you a taste for the water… and if that’s the case, you can’t go far wrong with a beach day. While the valley … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of The Red Lion?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  Anytime –  Anytime
    Depart by:  12 p.m.
    On-site accommodation
    Arrive:  Anytime –  Anytime
    Depart by:  Anytime
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at The Red Lion? From £27 (for 1 night, 6 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.