Brightlingsea Touring Park

View prices & book 8.9 627 reviews
Visitor image of the campers and sunset
Visitor image of the campers and sunset
Aerial view of site
Visitor image of the view to the boating lake
Around the site
Clean tidy boating lake
Great walks.
Canine guests welcome
Kids playing on a trampoline
1/428
Aerial view of site
Visitor image of the view to the boating lake
Around the site

  • Well-maintained site in Brightlingsea, on the Essex Sunshine Coast
  • Howlands Marsh 25 minutes’ drive; Colchester Castle half an hour
  • Electric and water hookups and launderette; well-behaved dogs welcome
The family-oriented attractions of the Essex Sunshine Coast are easily within your grasp at Brightlingsea Touring Park, a well-maintained lakeside site on the outskirts of the town of the same name. At this dog-friendly site, spacious hardstanding pitches come with electric and water hookups, and guests also benefit from a toilet/shower block and a launderette. Brightlingsea’s high street, with its traditional pubs and global restaurants, is a five-minute walk from the site, as are the colourful huts of sandy Brightlingsea beach, overlooked by the late 19th-century Batemans Tower. Here you can have a swim and try out all sorts of watersports, from canoeing to jet-skiing. If you’d rather stay dry, you might want to take a leisurely stroll along the promenade and join the nature trail that follows the River Colne all the way to Alresford Creek. A 10-minute walk in the opposite direction leads to Brightlingsea Harbour, where you can board a barge for a sailing tour among the moored pleasure boats and around Cindery Island. Don’t forget your binoculars: this area is a birdwatcher’s paradise. Those who want to explore more of the local landscape (and delve deeper into the local birdlife) can head to Howlands Marsh (25 minutes’ drive), an area of wetlands inhabited by geese, skylarks and curlews – not to mention the occasional raptor. Faced with a day of inclement weather and the kids getting restless? No problem: the Brightlingsea Museum, in town, has lots of interactive exhibits and kids' activities.

Site type

Lodges, cabins, pods or huts 20
Touring caravan pitches 49
Motorhome pitches 49
Tent pitches 49
Open now
Opens 1 March
Please note
  • Group bookings of 5 or more units (e.g. tent, touring caravan, motorhome or accommodation hire) travelling together are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • No hen/stag parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • The site caters for families (immediate members) and couples only - bookings from all other forms of groups are not accepted.
  • At least one of the party members must be aged 21 or over.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Sat, 1 Mar to

This site is a member of Countrywide Park Homes group.

View all Countrywide Park Homes parks.

Pitch types & availability

Accommodation

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

Reviews

8.9

Overall rating from 627 Pitchup.com customers

  • 61%
    10
  • 2%
    9
  • 24%
    8
  • 1%
    7
  • 6%
    6
  • 0%
    5
  • 1%
    4
  • 0%
    3
  • 1%
    2
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    1
Location
 10
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 8
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 7
Peaceful

90% would recommend this site to a friend

89% would stay here again

What customers say

This is a very well-located site, praised for its proximity to the beach, town amenities, and lovely lake views. Pitches are generally spacious and well-kept, with many offering electric and water. The site is noted for its friendly staff and clean facilities, though some reviews mention they are dated and could benefit from an upgrade. While many enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere, some experienced noise from nearby roads or events. Security is a concern for some, with open access to the site and facilities.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 63
Arrival date (latest first)

We loved the location next to the lake (pitch 20) and the…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Elaine R.

Electric hardstanding and grass pitch (lake view)

Liked We loved the location next to the lake (pitch 20) and the short walk to the pub.

Disliked Nothing to dislike.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Nothing because we couldn't stay…

Overall

1 out of 10
Location
 1
Value for money
 1
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 1
Customer service
 1
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 1
Wifi
 1
Tracy W.

Electric hardstanding and grass pitch

Liked Nothing because we couldn't stay

Disliked Couldn't make it due to family bereavement. Tried to contact owner day before to cancel. She said id had to contact putch up. Because I didnt have an account through pitch up i couldn't cancel it. I was fine about losing deposit but to lose the whole amount was a little unfair. This site would have been handy for us when visiting family in Brightlingsea but in future we will go elsewhere

Recommend to friends Visit again

Site very neglected, facilities block needs condemning.

Overall

1 out of 10
Location
 7
Value for money
 1
Accommodation
 1
Facilities / Activities
 1
Customer service
 1
Child friendliness
 1
Cleanliness
 1
Wifi
 No rating
Anonymous

Electric hardstanding and grass pitch (lake view)

Liked Position

Disliked Everything else. Way too expensive. No grey water disposal point

Recommend to friends Visit again

Brilliant

Overall

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

Electric hardstanding and grass pitch

Liked Everything lovely site well placed

Disliked Only the showers as hot and cold but won’t stop us going again . It’s all part of the fun lol

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely site will return. Mick the site manager was really helpful

Overall

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

Electric hardstanding and grass pitch

Liked As ever the location was lovely and the town itself has lots going on and plenty of places to eat and drink. We even timed it right as the fair was in town.
Arrived and realised on a pitch not suitable for our awning , the site staff couldn't have been better at addressing our issues and getting us swapped on to a suitable one. Really grateful for them.

Disliked The showers are woeful they were last time too either freezing or boiling no in between and occasionally no water pressure but they were clean so didn't ruin our enjoyment.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Location…

Overall

4 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 2
Accommodation
 3
Facilities / Activities
 1
Customer service
 1
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 1
Wifi
 6
James C.

Electric hardstanding and grass pitch

Liked Location

Disliked Showers are useless. Just a dribble of cold water on both days of our visit, s as me in both male and female showers.

Recommend to friends Visit again

More a carpark for caravans than a place to stay for holidays

Overall

2 out of 10
Location
 3
Value for money
 1
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 1
Customer service
 1
Child friendliness
 1
Cleanliness
 1
Wifi
 1
Anonymous

Electric hardstanding and grass pitch

Liked The pitches are half gravel half grass so that the cars and caravans stand on gravel and do not damage the grass.

Disliked - The pitches are not separated by hedges and the caravans and camper-cars stand very close together.
- There is absolutely no space for children to play.
- The worst however are the dirty toilets and showers. Some toilets were closed “out of order”, one of 4 wash basins was out of order, the second hat only very hot water, too hot to wash hands, in the third the cold water ran continuously and in the fourth the water had very low pressure.
Trying to take a shower: In the first cabin I got only cold water with very low pressure. In the second the same, but after waiting some minutes with running water it became warm for half a minute and then cold again and with very low pressure. No place to put your shower gel. When I had waited so long for warm water I noticed that the drain was blocked and my feet were standing in water.
I think that the showers and toilets are an offense to the guests paying 50 pounds per night. The value for money ist really bad here. I booked the most expensive camping site and got the worst.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Had a great weekend in Brightlingsea, which is very charming. We camped…

Overall

6 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 6
Accommodation
 8
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 7
Child friendliness
 8
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 No rating
Anonymous

Electric hardstanding and grass pitch

Liked Had a great weekend in Brightlingsea, which is very charming. We camped old-school style at this campsite, parked car on the gravel next to the adjoining grass part. Staff were friendly, helped us work out our spot as we did not receive an email notification.

Disliked Being put in pitch 44, sleeping in a tent right opposite the toilet and facilities block. We could hear people walk past on the gravel all night long, the sound of the door code being entered and subsequent door slam. Relentless. There was also a lot of light pollution from said block, spoiling the evening ambience somewhat.

This was our first time camping on a touring pitch, really wanted to spend a weekend in Brighlingsea and there was availability at shorter notice. Had we been put in a pitch further along, this would have been better for us staying in an actual tent. Someone arriving in a camper van might love this spot!

Having said all of this, we made the best of our mini weekend.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Brightlingsea is a nice place…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 2
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 2
Customer service
 No rating
Child friendliness
 8
Cleanliness
 2
Wifi
 1
Glyn M.

Electric hardstanding and grass pitch

Liked Brightlingsea is a nice place

Disliked Fat too expensive £50 a night is crazy for a pitch with just a Wc and a shower on site

Recommend to friends Visit again

Really nice site

Overall

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

Electric hardstanding and grass pitch (lake view)

Liked Good sized hard standing pitches with a grass area beside it .All pitches have their own water tap.The site is well placed for access to the town and seafront.Nice quiet site at nighttime will definitely visit again

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

Utilities

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

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby Public transport nearby Shop nearby

Type

Large (51-200 pitches)

Nearby leisure

Cycling nearby Mountain biking nearby Restaurant nearby Sailing nearby Watersports nearby

Touring and motorhomes

Water hook-up points for tourers

Location

Brightlingsea Touring Park

Promenade Way

Brightlingsea

Colchester

Essex

England

CO7 0LW

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London BST (GMT+01:00)

GPS

51.80848°N
1.01934°E

Nearest transport

Coach
2.4 mi Brightlingsea Road
2.4 mi Brightlingsea Road
2.4 mi Oaklands
Rail
3.3 mi Alresford (Essex) Rail Station
3.6 mi Great Bentley Rail Station
4.3 mi Wivenhoe Rail Station
Ferry
0.3 mi Brightlingsea Ferry Landing
0.4 mi Point Clear Ferry Landing
13.9 mi Harwich International Ferry Terminal
Airport
21.4 mi London Southend 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

Created in the 1960s, Beth Chatto's Plants & Gardens (15 minutes’ drive) is based on a simple but oft-ignored principle: right plant, right place. One of the highlights here is the Gravel Garden, famously never watered and home to drought-tolerant plants and shrubs. In contrast, the Water Garden spreads around a series of ponds and is dotted with colourful flowers. Reward your offspring for following you patiently around the gardens with a trip to Hasty’s Adventure Farm (20 minutes). In addition to a giant sandpit for younger children, there are oversized Lego constructions, an adventure course and grass slides. Not forgetting resident animals like Pipsqueak the pygmy goat and Mac the alpaca… Built in the 11th century over the ruins of an ancient Roman temple, the Norman Colchester Castle (half an hour) now houses a modern museum displaying items unearthed locally, such as the Fenwick Hoard, a collection of delicate jewellery and coins, and a vase decorated with images of fighting gladiators.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Brightlingsea 0.4 mi Estuary N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
West Mersea 4.6 mi Sea N/AGoodN/AN/A
Jaywick 4.7 mi Sea N/AGoodGoodGood
Clacton Beach Martello Tower 5.5 mi Sea N/AGoodGoodGood
Clacton 6.6 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

firstsite 7.5 mi

Colchester Castle Museum 7.6 mi

Colchester Zoo 8.7 mi

East Anglian Railway Museum 13.8 mi

Christchurch Mansion 18.4 mi

National Trust

Bourne Mill 6.6 mi

Flatford: Bridge Cottage 10.4 mi

Thorington Hall 12.5 mi

Coggeshall Grange Barn 14.9 mi

Paycocke's 15.1 mi

Cycle routes

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

Other

Brightlingsea 0.1 mi

Cudmore Country Park - East and West Mersea - Cudmore 1.2 mi

Brightlingsea - Colne Estuary - Crab and Winkle Path 1.4 mi

ST OSYTH'S PRIORY 2.3 mi

Hollybush Hill - Brightlingsea - River Colne - Hollybush 2.4 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.

Nearest sites

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable sites.

Want to know more about camping in Essex?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Brightlingsea Touring Park have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Brightlingsea Touring Park dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Brightlingsea Touring Park? Created in the 1960s, Beth Chatto's Plants & Gardens (15 minutes’ drive) is based on a simple but oft-ignored principle: right plant, right place. One of the highlights here is the Gravel … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Brightlingsea Touring Park?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  1 p.m. –  8 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Brightlingsea Touring Park? From £25 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.