Coastal Park Camping

Birdwatchers, you’ve come to the right place. The salt marshes of the Dengie Peninsula (30 minutes’ stroll) are a haven for waders like herons and egrets, and other overwintering residents include Brent geese, godwits and short-eared owls. From the campsite, you can walk to the Saxon Chapel of St-Peter-on-the-Wall in 30 minutes. Built in the seventh century, it’s still open for occasional services. Lovely riverside Maldon (35 minutes’ drive) is even older, with Roman origins and today packed with history museums in timber-framed houses (there are plenty of riverside pubs for cheeky alfresco lunches too). The sea plays an important part in local life. You can potter about on boats from the Blackwater Waterside, join a charter from Bradwell-on-Sea (both 10 minutes) or learn to sail from Burnham-on-Crouch marina (30 minutes). Back on dry land (well, almost), the islands of Northey (40 minutes) and Osea (50 minutes) are suitably flat for gentle family bike rides.