Barn Owl Campsite

View prices & book 9.8 43 reviews
Camping pod (added by manager 14 Sep 2022)
Hidden pitch
One of our meadow pitches
One of the meadow pitches

  • Peaceful country park with a friendly atmosphere and green views
  • A 20-min stroll to Rattlesden; cycle and walking routes from the site
  • Lavenham, Bury St Edmunds and Long Melford within a 25-minute drive
For first-rate wanders around the fens, ponder a stay at Barn Owl Campsite in East Anglia – then take a look at the pics, pack those walking boots and get going. This site in Suffolk has strolling and cycle routes nearby and is a 20-minute drive from town tramping in the medieval settlements of Lavenham and Bury St Edmunds. Guests might want to linger in the former for old architecture dating back to the time when it was one of the 20 wealthiest places in England, from the Guildhall and Little Hall to the Gothic St Peter and St Paul's Church and a host of half-timbered cottages. Browsing shops and art your thing? Lavenham has 30 independent stores and galleries too. Diehard Harry Potter fans can often be seen swooning over the house where scenes of the boy wizard’s younger days were filmed as well. Bury St Edmunds also has architecture aplenty, including the ruins of an abbey with formal gardens and an aviary in its surrounds. For more landscapes of the manicured sort, stop by the Italian-style palace of Ickworth House, 25 minutes from the site and slightly west of Bury – but make sure to have a gander at the town’s huge ninth-century cathedral before you do. Other popular Suffolk villages are Long Melford for antique shops and the Tudor mansion of Kentwell Hall (25 minutes’ drive), as well as summertime open-air plays and concerts; Hadleigh, meanwhile, is the place for River Brett roams around the same distance away. But if you’re not up for travelling far? The park’s a 20-minute stroll from the village of Rattlesden, which has a small shop, a post office and a couple of country pubs.

Site type

Motorhome sites 2
Tent sites 6
Lodges, cabins, pods or huts 2
Caravan sites 2
Open now
Opens 26 April
Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • Your dog must be tattooed or microchipped.
  • The campground/park 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.
  • Please note there is no electricity at all in the pods.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri, 26 Apr to

Open from Thu, 1 May to

Pitch types & availability

Reviews

100%

would recommend this site to a friend

98%

would stay here again

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Only showing reviews for the last 30 months.

Loved it. Will be back

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 2
Martin D. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Unpowered grass tent or trailer tent site

Liked: Loved it. Calming, relaxing and great for a reset.

Disliked: Need one more toilet and water at the lower end of the field.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great for wild camping

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation No rating
Facilities / Activities No rating
Customer service 10
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Ray F. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Unpowered grass motorhome site

Liked: Good site with great efforts towards green living. Probably one of the best pitches I have stayed on with plenty of space in a secluded grass pitch with a bench and seats plus a metal fire pit. Warm welcome on arrival and given a walk round to select a pitch. Very quite at night. Decent O2 phone signal. .

Disliked: The entrance has low trees if you have a higher motorhome. I had to nudge under slowly so might be a problem if they catch solar panels or aerials. The first field is has no obstructions but the track to the nicer pitches is narrow with brambles brushing both sides, it certainly added a couple of scratches to my windows at about the 2+ metre heigh. Probably not a problem for smaller outfits of if the undergrowth is trimmed back.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Overall, a pleasant stay. The area is nice. Nice owner.

Overall 8/10
Location 10
Value for money 8
Accommodation 8
Facilities / Activities 6
Customer service 8
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 8
Wifi No rating
Nicolaj S. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Unpowered grass tent or trailer tent site

Liked: Friendly and helpful owner. The pitches are well separated and feel private. It could be called "almost wild" camping. Facilities are fine. Location is good. Access is easy. Pitch came with a firepit. Wood was reasonable. We enjoyed our stay.

Disliked: Going through two gates to reach the meadow camp sites was a little bit of a chore after a couple of days, but I'm sure there's a reason for the gates. Shower facility is a shack and there's only one, albeit with hot water and pressure was fine. On our second night there was a group of young adults partying late into the morning hours, but at least they didn't play loud music.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely relaxing spacious environment

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 8
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Unpowered grass tent or trailer tent site

Liked: Lovely site with individual pitches in the meadow. Very private with plenty of space and perfect for our dog.. Very green in regards to compost loos and recycling. Lovely warm shower. Hosts were fab. Always quick to help or reply to messages. Walking to the pub, possible with a couple to choose from in nearby villages. The one we tried was very welcoming.

Disliked: Little to dislike but water for washing up was not hot so not the best for pots and pans.

Recommend to friends Visit again

The space for each pitch, the lack of fuss, the friendly owner…

Overall 8/10
Location 8
Value for money 6
Accommodation 6
Facilities / Activities 4
Customer service 8
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 8
Wifi 2
Matthew C. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Unpowered grass tent or trailer tent site

Liked: The space for each pitch, the lack of fuss, the friendly owner the nice rural location

Disliked: The road noise, the compost toilet was a bit cramped. No hot water for washing up!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely!

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 10
Laurie M. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Unpowered grass motorhome site

Liked: Lovely site with really beautiful, private pitches with fire pits. Loads of wildlife to see and some lovely pubs within an easy walk. The owners were also really friendly and helpful. The facilities were great and just what we needed only thing to consider was the toilets were quite high! Maybe they could add a small step for the shorter among us!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent eco campsite

Overall 10/10
Location 8
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 2
Ciaran S. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Unpowered grass motorhome site

Liked: Super impressed with this place. Pitches are huge and very private, it's well maintained and the facilities are excellent while still feeling very "back to nature". Highly recommended.

Disliked: Nothing.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Quiet and secluded. The perfect get away from modern life.

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Martin D. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Unpowered grass tent or trailer tent site

Liked: Quiet and secluded. The perfect get away from modern life.

Disliked: Nothing.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Cool campsite, fun and comfy.

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 2
Brogan B. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Unpowered grass tent or trailer tent site

Liked: Great ground for easy tent pitching. Fire pits set up for use. Gas shower available and eco loos dotted around the campsite. Friendly hosts, ensured we were happy, gave some great advice of the area and have set a really cool campsite. Pitch areas are spread apart so it's also very private. Location was great to drive around and visiting lovely English villages or go further East. In the evening we walked to the next village where there are 2 pubs and also got some local fresh eggs on the walk. I don't think WiFi was available but we had signal in the area.

Disliked: One 1 mirror in the toilet where the shower is. The furthest away pitch is quite far from the shower and sink area.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Magical!

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Brittany T. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Unpowered grass tent or trailer tent site

Liked: The most magical campsite. Many of the pitches are very private which makes you feel like you’re in your own personal fairytale. Lovely light in the evening and the trees were losing their blossoms which made it feel like it was snowing in May. We saw a barn owl hunting as we had our campfire. Really lovely, friendly hosts and plenty of good, clean facilities. We really enjoyed our stay!

Recommend to friends Visit again


Features

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 site/unit Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Food shop Free wifi Ice pack freezing Internet access Laundry Parent & baby washroom Pick-up from public transport Picnic table Portable toilet Pub toilets Public telephone Shower available Toilet block Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

D. of E. welcome Family friendly Motorcycle friendly Rallies welcome Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

Barbecue provided Barbecues allowed Campfires allowed Commercial vehicles allowed Dogs allowed Dogs allowed all year

Camping 2.0

Jumbo tent sites

Themes

Peaceful Remote location Spectacular scenery Wild camping Wildlife haven

Utilities

Charging facilities Communal freezer Communal fridge Dump point Electric car charging point(s) Gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Convenience store nearby Dog walk nearby

Type

Tiny (1-10 sites)

Accessibility

Accessible parking at site Disabled facilities

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Climbing nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Horse riding nearby Indoor pool nearby Mountain biking nearby Restaurant nearby

Location

Barn Owl Campsite

Felsham Road

Rattlesden

Bury St Edmunds

Suffolk

England

IP30 0SG

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London +0100 (GMT+01:00)

GPS

52.18981°N
0.87319°W

Nearest transport

Coach
8.4 km Station Road West
12.3 km Village Hall
12.3 km Village Hall
Rail
6 km Elmswell Rail Station
8 km Thurston Rail Station
8.7 km Stowmarket Rail Station
Ferry
37.5 km Harwich International Ferry Terminal
37.9 km Shotley Point Marina Ferry Landing
37.9 km Shotley Point Marina Ferry Landing
Airport
47.9 km Cambridge 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

Twitcher? You can drive 35 minutes from the park for the blue tits and woodpeckers seen among the trees of the Cavenham Heath National Nature Reserve; walkers can also rove through forestry at Melford Country Park, a 25-minute drive away. For bigger creatures – 2,000 of them if you’re one for counting – Banham Zoo is 45 minutes away and has habitats filled with exotic critters such as ruffed lemurs, Goeldi's monkeys and dwarf caimans. Before all this, carrying on for five minutes in the car to Sudbury from Cavenham leads to boating trips and a look at the paintings at the gallery in Thomas Gainsborough’s former home. Guests who deserve a tipple or two can also treat themselves at Giffords Hall Vineyard, 45 minutes away.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020 2019 2018 2017
Dovercourt 39.9 km Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Felixstowe South 41.4 km Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Felixstowe North 41.7 km Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Brightlingsea 43.7 km Estuary N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
West Mersea 46.8 km Sea N/A Good N/A N/A

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Ickworth House, Park and Gardens 15.2 km

Christchurch Mansion 24.4 km

Bressingham Steam and Gardens 24.9 km

Banham Zoo 30.3 km

East Anglian Railway Museum 30.6 km

National Trust

Lavenham Guildhall 10.4 km

Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds 12.1 km

Ickworth House, Park and Gardens 15.2 km

Melford Hall 15.8 km

Thorington Hall 23.6 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

Felsham - Brettenham - Thorpe Morieux - Thorpe Green - Bull's Wood - Felsham 2.4 km

Bradfield Woods 3 km

Tostock 5.2 km

Bradfield St George 5.4 km

Thurston - Great Barton - Pakenham - Little Haugh - Thurston 8 km

Local events

  • Aldeburgh Food and Drink Festival (Saturday, 28 September 2024 – Saturday, 28 September 2024)

    Aldeburgh, England 42.6 km

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 Suffolk?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Barn Owl Campsite have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Barn Owl Campsite dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Barn Owl Campsite? Twitcher? You can drive 35 minutes from the park for the blue tits and woodpeckers seen among the trees of the Cavenham Heath National Nature Reserve; walkers can also rove through forestry … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Barn Owl Campsite?
    Camping and caravan
    Arrive:  2 p.m. –  11 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    On-site accommodation
    Arrive:  2 p.m. –  11 p.m.
    Depart by:  noon
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Barn Owl Campsite? From $42.51 (for 1 night, 6 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.