The Pretty Thing

Lots of green space (added by manager 25 Jan 2019)

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1/8

Family-friendly and peaceful park on an acre of lush green land
Clacton-on-Sea within 15 minutes; half an hour to centre of Colchester
Within easy reach of beer and cider festivals, and the Clacton Airshow

Exploring Essex? Then settle in for a particularly lovely hol at The Pretty Thing, a family-friendly touring park that sure does live up to its name… If getaways call for lashings of space in a scenic setting, then this is the spot to speed to – there’s more than an acre here to spread out on and plenty of nearby walks and cycles (with bikes available to hire on site) through the great wide open for filling lungs with fresh air and letting big skies soothe tense souls. The site’s well placed for eats as well as explores: it’s a short stroll (along the main road without a pavement) or even shorter drive to the nearest restaurant around 500 feet away, and more gastropubs and eateries are within 10 minutes. Drinks are handily taken care of too, with a host of ale and cider events – as well as a few CAMRA festivals – taking place within less than an hour of the site. Lazy days are a cinch at this park five minutes’ drive from the Essex village of St Osyth as well. Take an easy ramble to meet the friendly horses on site and the deer in the nearby woods, lay back as birds flit by overhead or set up a comfy chair and grab a blanket for a night of stargazing. When it comes time to venture out again, you could always ask the site team to arrange some tickets to a show at the Westcliff Theatre in Clacton, 10 minutes’ drive away…?

Site type

Open all year

Languages spoken

English

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

Disabled facilities

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

Wildlife haven

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

Type

Medium (26-50 pitches)

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby

Cycling nearby

Fishing nearby

Golf nearby

Horse riding nearby

Restaurant nearby

Watersports nearby

Touring and motorhomes

Seasonal pitches

Tourer storage facilities

Location

The Pretty Thing

Kimbolds

Heath Road

St Osyth

Essex

England

CO16 9BP

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London BST (GMT+01:00)

GPS

51.8232°N
1.10395°W

Nearest transport

Coach

1.4 mi Oaklands

1.8 mi Chester Holiday Park

Rail

2.1 mi Weeley Rail Station

2.6 mi Great Bentley Rail Station

2.9 mi Clacton-on-Sea Rail Station

Ferry

3.6 mi Brightlingsea Ferry Landing

3.8 mi Point Clear Ferry Landing

10.7 mi Harwich International Ferry Terminal

Airport

24.6 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

Some rather roomy beaches are also near this park, with the sandy six-mile stretch at Clacton-on-Sea (about 10 minutes’ drive) being a particularly enticing spot for walks with the family and the mutt. Travel five minutes further by car to the pier and its amusements, restaurants and theatre if the weather’s not up to scratch. More coastal towns like Frinton-on-Sea with its sandy beach and golfing plus Walton-on-the-Naze for the pier and museums are 20 minutes away; if seaside sauntering has you hankering after an afternoon of angling then check in with staff back on site about fishing around five minutes’ drive from the park. Inland towns within close proximity include Colchester for its spectacular castle, gardens and zoo (half an hour’s drive), while National Trust sites such as Bourne Mill and Flatford – also around 30 minutes in the car – are your go-to places for ace architecture from times gone by.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name	Distance	Type	2020	2019	2018	2017
Clacton Beach Martello Tower	3.4 mi	Sea	N/A	Good	Good	Good
Jaywick	3.5 mi	Sea	N/A	Good	Good	Good
Clacton	3.5 mi	Sea	N/A	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent
Brightlingsea	4.2 mi	Estuary	N/A	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent
Holland	5.2 mi	Sea	N/A	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

firstsite 9.7 mi

Colchester Castle Museum 9.8 mi

Colchester Zoo 11.8 mi

East Anglian Railway Museum 16.4 mi

Christchurch Mansion 16.5 mi

National Trust

Bourne Mill 9 mi

Flatford: Bridge Cottage 10 mi

Thorington Hall 13.2 mi

Coggeshall Grange Barn 18.2 mi

Paycocke's 18.4 mi

Cycle routes

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

Other

Hollybush Hill - Brightlingsea - River Colne - Hollybush 1.6 mi

ST OSYTH'S PRIORY 1.8 mi

St Osyth - Beach - Lee-over-Sands - Creek - St Osyth 2 mi

Weeley - Little Clacton - Row Heath - High Birch - Weeley 2.1 mi

Weeley - Tendring - Great Bentley - Weeley 2.1 mi

Local events

Aldeburgh Food and Drink Festival (Saturday 28 September 2024 – Saturday 28 September 2024)
Aldeburgh, Suffolk 28.8 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.

Reviews

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Does The Pretty Thing have a swimming pool? No View all features
Is The Pretty Thing dog friendly? Yes View all features
What attractions are near The Pretty Thing? Some rather roomy beaches are also near this park, with the sandy six-mile stretch at Clacton-on-Sea (about 10 minutes’ drive) being a particularly enticing spot for walks with the family and the … Read more