Brightlingsea Touring Park

View prices & book 8.8 696 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
1/474
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.

Campground type

Lodges, cabins, pods or huts 20
Camper sites 49
RV sites 49
Tent sites 49
Open now
Opens March 1
Please note
  • Group bookings of 5 or more units (e.g. tent, caravan, RV or accommodation hire) traveling together are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • No bachelor/bachelorette parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • The park 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, Mar 1 to

Open from Sun, Mar 1 to

This campground is a member of Countrywide Park Homes group.

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Campsite types & availability

Accommodation

Tent sitesCamper sitesRV sitesLodges, cabins, pods or hutsMobile homes for rentRent a tent
Choose your dates
2 adults
0 children

Reviews

8.8

Overall rating from 696 Pitchup.com customers

  • 58%
    10
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    9
  • 23%
    8
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    7
  • 6%
    6
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    5
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Location
 9
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 8
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 7
Peaceful

90% would recommend this campground to a friend

88% would stay here again

What customers say

Great location near beach, town, and shops. Peaceful with nice lake views from spacious sites. Clean but dated facilities. Manager Nicki is praised. Some note noise/security issues and facility upkeep during busy times.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 70
Arrival date (latest first)

FABULOUS LOCATION ♡

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 1
Anonymous

Powered cement/asphalt and grass campsite (lake view)

Liked An amazing location overlooking lake..mins from sea, harbour, shops, pubs, sea wall walks. Lovely local.people. independent coffee shops. A beautiful place. loos and showers ok.wash up area inside. Wash machine and tumble dryer inc in price. We will definitely be back .

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely site, relaxing location

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 8
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 No rating
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 8
Nancy I.

Powered cement/asphalt and grass campsite (lake view)

Liked Lovely site, very clean and a very relaxing location.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Showers & toilets were so clean…

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
 10
Sandra S.

Powered cement/asphalt and grass campsite

Liked Showers & toilets were so clean

Recommend to friends Visit again

We will stay again but would like another pitch next time.

Overall

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

Powered cement/asphalt and grass campsite

Liked The peice we liked the peice and quite and the lake very polite staff and being pet friendly

Disliked Being opposite the toilet as light is on and it's quite busy at night.the thing that got to us was the noise of load motorcycles riding up and down the street but this is not their fault also but it would it would be great if this could be mentioned to the local authoritys. we don't like being under the tree as loads of bird poop over the car and tent.

Recommend to friends Visit again

We’ve stayed here many times. Friendly…

Overall

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

Powered cement/asphalt and grass campsite

Liked We’ve stayed here many times.
Friendly welcome at check in.
Good sized pitches.
Ladies toilets are clean and ok. I didn’t use the showers - they are in need of a revamp which we were told was being done for 2026.
Easy walk into centre.
Lovely fish n chips at harbour.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great site, toilet shower block could…

Overall

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

Powered cement/asphalt and grass campsite

Liked Great site, toilet shower block could do with an upgrade but useable.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Fantastic location, quiet welcoming and great places to eat.

Overall

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

Powered cement/asphalt and grass campsite (lake view)

Liked Local area and village

Disliked Site could do with a little updating and a service pull up for the motorhomes

Recommend to friends Visit again

Yes enjoyed are staying here as…

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 9
Jean E.

Powered cement/asphalt and grass campsite

Liked Yes enjoyed are staying here as usual lovely campsite with great views of the lake and wildlife. And a nice town and pubs and shops.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Decent site in a quiet area.

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 6
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 3
Anonymous

Powered cement/asphalt and grass campsite

Liked Flat pitch, good location with clean facilities.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Had a really nice relaxing weekend

Overall

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

Powered cement/asphalt and grass campsite

Liked Self contained level hard standing pitch.
Staff very friendly and helpful. Perfect location for all amenities.

Disliked Showers and toilets clean but need a little updating

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

Dogs allowed

Leisure on park

Bar or club house Cycle hire Evening entertainment Fishing Fitness centre Indoor swimming pool Kids' club On-site restaurant/cafe Outdoor swimming pool Playground Recreation room/arcade TV room Takeout Tennis Watersports

Amenities on park

Bath available Car parking by site/unit Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Free wifi Grocery store Ice pack freezing Internet access Laundromat Parent & baby washroom Payphone Pick-up from public transport Portable toilet Pub toilets Restrooms Shower available Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

Family friendly Motorcycle friendly Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

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

Utilities

Charging facilities Dump station Electric car charging point(s) Propane/gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Convenience store nearby Dog walk nearby Public transportation nearby

Type

Large (51-200 sites)

Nearby leisure

Cycling nearby Mountain biking nearby Restaurant nearby Sailing nearby Watersports nearby

Touring and motorhomes

Water hook-up points for caravans

Location

Brightlingsea Touring Park

Promenade Way

Brightlingsea

Colchester

Essex

England

CO7 0LW

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

51.80848°N
1.01934°E

Nearest transport

Bus
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.

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?
    RV, travel trailer and tent sites
    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 $33.38 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.