The Meadow at Waples Mill

No availability at present on Pitchup.com 8 78 reviews
Stunning lake full of big carp
Stunning lake full of big carp
Visitor image of the spacious pitches
Meadow view
Large open pitches
Lots of open space
Grass pitches
Pitches in a grass field
Fishing moat
1/96
Visitor image of the spacious pitches
Meadow view
Large open pitches

  • Spacious grass pitches in the green Essex countryside
  • A 15-minute drive to Chelmsford; 40 minutes to Audley End
  • Tractor rides on site; firepits provided for campfires
What do you fancy putting on the schedule for your countryside break? Rural walks, for sure… and maybe an evening by the campfire? How about proper farm activities like tractor rides (ask site staff for details)? The place to find all this is The Meadow at Waples Mill, an Essex farm site between Chelmsford and Dunmow (and about 15 minutes’ drive from both). This family-friendly site is handy for walks on the Essex Way and other local footpaths, and tractor and trailer rides around the farm are organised on alternate days to give guests a glimpse into agricultural life. Activities complete for the day, it's time to chill out, and that should be easy here – all pitches have access to toilets and hot showers in a long trailer close by, and firepits are provided so you can have a safe campfire (with wood available to buy on site and a great farm shop 10 minutes’ drive away for fireside snacks). Pitches themselves are large, well kept and well spaced within a meadow that backs onto the River Roding. Dogs are welcome, and there are plenty of places to take them for a walk nearby. London folk looking for a quick escape to the countryside, this is a place to bear in mind – it’s only about an hour and quarter by road from the city.

Site type

Tent pitches 15
Motorhome pitches 3
Opens
Please note

Dogs

  • The site does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Dangerous Dogs Act (i.e. Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro) and/or any of the following: Staffordshire bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier, Rottweiler, any Mastiff or Tosa.

General

  • Please note that the toilet/shower facilities are unisex.

Reception

  • There is no reception on-site: on arrival please contact the number provided on your booking confirmation.

Languages spoken

English

No availability here for your search criteria

Reviews

8

Overall rating from 78 Pitchup.com customers

  • 43%
    10
  • 7%
    9
  • 16%
    8
  • 7%
    7
  • 12%
    6
  • 2%
    5
  • 1%
    4
  • 1%
    3
  • 1%
    2
  • 5%
    1
Location
 9
Value for money
 8
Accommodation
 8
Facilities / Activities
 6
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 8
Cleanliness
 6
Wifi
 4
Peaceful

82% would recommend this site to a friend

79% would stay here again

What customers say

This is a tranquil, spacious campsite offering large, level pitches with lovely countryside views. Guests appreciate the peaceful atmosphere and proximity to London. While fire pits are provided, facilities are basic, with frequent mentions of dirty or poorly maintained toilets and showers lacking hot water or even basic functionality due to water supply issues. Some guests found the site difficult to locate. The owner is consistently described as friendly and welcoming.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews. Last updated 20/10/2026

Filter by topic

Reviews page 1 of 8
Arrival date (latest first)

Owner friendly and said toilet block being upgraded for next season

Overall

3 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 5
Facilities / Activities
 2
Customer service
 6
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 1
Wifi
 1
 Andrew P. 2 reviews

Non-electric grass and earth motorhome pitch

Liked Nice setting, peaceful, picturesque, good flat ground

Disliked Assume that there are NOT any toilet/shower facilities. No water (fed by an empty tank), poor condition overall, and the less said about the toilet the better - Horrendous.
Thankfully some lovely pubs nearby so we ate there and used facilities!

Recommend to friends Visit again

The owner was very friendly. Lovely views.…

Overall

4 out of 10
Location
 No rating
Value for money
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 No rating
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 2
Wifi
 No rating
Chad M. 1 review

Non-electric grass and earth motorhome pitch

Liked The owner was very friendly.
Lovely views.

Disliked The toilet facilities weren’t great

Recommend to friends Visit again

View.…

Overall

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

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked View.

Disliked Lack of facilities. No hot running water for shower. Awful condition.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Almost wild camping!

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 7
Wifi
 No rating
Stephen F. 6 reviews

Non-electric grass and earth motorhome pitch

Liked Location. Views. My dogs loved the space to explore. Great value. Loved the star gazing

Disliked The ignorance of others. One guy used the sink to wash his daughter’s wellies. Left a bit of a mess.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Location, spacing, vibe, availability of fire…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 7
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 5
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 4
Wifi
 No rating
Anonymous

Non-electric grass and earth motorhome pitch

Liked Location, spacing, vibe, availability of fire pits although we didn't use them

Disliked Facilities were fine for us, but the water had run out of the header tank so couldn't flush toilets or use the shower, would given 10/10 if that had been sorted.

Recommend to friends Visit again

The location the pitches was great…

Overall

6 out of 10
Location
 6
Value for money
 8
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 2
Customer service
 5
Child friendliness
 6
Cleanliness
 1
Wifi
 No rating
Anonymous

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked The location the pitches was great and spacious

Disliked The facilities were not great

Recommend to friends Visit again

Wilder than usual, but very calm, spacious and nice sunsets

Overall

7 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 4
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 4
Wifi
 No rating
Maxim M. 2 reviews

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Very nice owner, huge field, quiet place and plenty of space to keep neighbours far away. Enough fire pits on the pitches and plenty of dry branches to enjoy the fire (still worth bringing your own coal for cooking)

Disliked Only two toilets/showers with no hot water, no light and quite old and exhausted taps.

Recommend to friends Visit again

The owner is lovely and very…

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
Ricky G. 2 reviews

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked The owner is lovely and very helpful and welcoming! Beautiful pitches with beautiful surroundings! Very peaceful! Been back twice now and definitely visiting again!

Disliked Nothing to dislike, exactly how a camping experience should be!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Location was fantastic great size pitch…

Overall

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

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Location was fantastic great size pitch and beautiful and peaceful

Disliked No water in facilties in the morning not ideal! But we would still stay again!

Recommend to friends Visit again

A lovely, basic campsite if you don’t mind roughing it for a few days.

Overall

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

Non-electric grass and earth motorhome pitch

Liked Lovely quiet site with secluded camping spots and a beautiful view across the fields.

Disliked No mains water. The toilet block is fed by a header tank that the farmer has to fill up. This ran out meaning the toilets wouldn’t flush and the showers and sinks didn’t work. On the occasion that the shower did work, the plughole was blocked and the shower room flooded.

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

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

Type

Pop-up campsite Small (11-25 pitches)

Nearby leisure

Fishing nearby

Location

The Meadow at Waples Mill

Ongar Road

Margaret Roding

Dunmow

Essex

England

CM6 1QS

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London BST (GMT+01:00)

GPS

51.77736°N
0.3172°E

Route directions

Please use the postcode CM6 1QS for navigation purposes.

Nearest transport

Coach
7 mi Bus Station
8.1 mi Coach Station
8.1 mi Coach Station
Rail
7.1 mi Chelmsford Rail Station
7.2 mi Sawbridgeworth Rail Station
8 mi Harlow Mill Rail Station
Ferry
22.2 mi Woolwich Arsenal Pier
22.3 mi Woolwich Ferry North Pier
22.4 mi Woolwich Ferry South Pier
Airport
8.2 mi London Stansted Airport
22 mi London Southend Airport
22.1 mi London City 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

These rural surroundings have plenty of natural landscapes to explore, and plenty of paths to follow to see some of them. The 82-mile Essex Way is the area’s major route, but there are lots of shorter trails around too if that sounds like too much. Or for a much more relaxing day out you could try a ride on the Epping Ongar Railway (15 minutes’ drive away). Scattered around the area are also several lovely houses and gardens to visit, including Audley End (40 minutes), RHS Garden Hyde Hall (40 minutes) and the Gardens of Easton Lodge (25 minutes). If you time your trip well you could also book ahead for a tour of ‘Britain’s Most Extraordinary Home’ Talliston House & Gardens (15 minutes). It’s worth making a trip into Chelmsford (15 minutes) too – it's home to the gorgeous gardens of Hylands Park, a cathedral with Gothic remnants, and a couple of top-notch museums including the Essex Police Museum. Kids need to let off a bit of energy? Try Jump Street trampoline park, just outside the city (25 minutes).
(within 6.2 mi)
Castle, Aquarium, Theme park, Zoo and Cashpoint (within 10 mi)

Food and drink

  • The Punch Bowl Restaurant 2.5 mi
  • Axe and Compasses Pub 2.6 mi
  • The Black Horse Inn Pub 2.7 mi
  • The Black Bull Pub 3 mi
  • The Queens Head Pub 3.3 mi
  • The Chequers Pub 3.4 mi
  • The Black Lion Pub 3.6 mi
  • The Cuckoo Pub 3.9 mi
  • The Chequers Pub 4 mi
  • The Duck Pub 4.2 mi

Groceries

  • Co-op Food 5.6 mi
  • Morrisons 5.8 mi
  • Sainsbury's 5.9 mi
  • The Co-operative Food 5.9 mi

Parks and play

  • Pleshey Mount Park 4.6 mi
  • Parkside 5.4 mi
  • Great Stony Park 5.4 mi
  • Love Lane Park 5.6 mi
  • Blackmore Millennium Park 5.7 mi
  • Copperfield Road Recreation Ground park 5.7 mi
  • Darnay Rise play area Playground 5.8 mi
  • Little Hallingbury Park 5.9 mi
  • Melbourne Park 6 mi
  • Oliver Way Play Area Playground 6.1 mi

Family days out

  • John Locke Visitor attraction 4.8 mi
  • Motte Castle 8.8 mi
  • Waytemore Castle (remains) 9.3 mi
  • Stansted Mountfitchet Castle 10 mi

Public transport

  • Marks Hall Lane 0.3 mi
  • Four Wantz 0.5 mi
  • Garnish Hall 0.5 mi
  • Blue House Farm 0.8 mi
  • Meghills 0.9 mi
  • Fouchers 1.1 mi
  • Chalk Villas 1.2 mi
  • Village Hall 1.3 mi
  • Leaden Hall 1.4 mi
  • Salt's Green 1.5 mi

Other nearby

  • Micklem Mere 5.4 mi
  • Broads Green 5.4 mi

Local services

  • Cashzone Cashpoint 6.3 mi
  • Cashzone Cashpoint 6.4 mi
  • Cashzone Cashpoint 6.4 mi
  • Eden Surgeries Doctors 4.5 mi
  • Applegreen Fuel station 4.6 mi
  • BP Fuel station 5.4 mi
  • The Writtle Surgery Doctors 5.6 mi
  • Preston's Garage Fuel station 5.6 mi
  • The Village Pharmacy 5.7 mi
  • Morrisons Pharmacy 5.8 mi
  • Esso Fuel station 5.8 mi
  • BP Fuel station 5.8 mi
  • Melbourne House Surgery Doctors 6.1 mi

© OpenStreetMap contributors

Must see

RHS Garden Hyde Hall 13.4 mi

Lee Valley Regional Park 14.8 mi

Audley End House and Gardens 17.3 mi

East Anglian Railway Museum 21.3 mi

Discover 21.3 mi

National Trust

Paycocke's 16.8 mi

Coggeshall Grange Barn 16.8 mi

Rainham Hall 18.8 mi

Eastbury Manor House 19.2 mi

Sutton House 22.4 mi

Cycle routes

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

Other

Hatfield Broad Oak - Hatfield Forest 4.7 mi

DOWN HALL 5 mi

BLAKE HALL 5.3 mi

Ford End - Hartford End - Leez Priory - Ford End 5.9 mi

LANGLEYS 6.4 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.

Want to know more about camping in Essex?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does The Meadow at Waples Mill have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is The Meadow at Waples Mill dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near The Meadow at Waples Mill? These rural surroundings have plenty of natural landscapes to explore, and plenty of paths to follow to see some of them. The 82-mile Essex Way is the area’s major route, but there … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of The Meadow at Waples Mill?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  1 p.m. –  10:30 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    Read more