The Meadow at Waples Mill

View prices & book 8.3 40 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
1/43
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.

Campground type

Tent sites 15
RV sites 3
Open now
Opens April 17
Please note
  • The campground/park does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Breed-specific legislation (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.
  • Guests are advised to bring a good quality flashlight with them as parts of the park are unlit.
  • Please note that the toilet/shower facilities are unisex.
  • There is no reception building on-site: on arrival please contact the number provided on your booking confirmation.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Thu, Apr 17 to

Campsite types & availability

Accommodation

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

Reviews

8.3

Overall rating from 40 Pitchup.com customers

  • 50%
    10
  • 7%
    9
  • 17%
    8
  • 2%
    7
  • 10%
    6
  • 2%
    5
  • 5%
    4
  • 0%
    3
  • 5%
    2
  • 0%
    1
Location
 9
Value for money
 8
Accommodation
 8
Facilities / Activities
 6
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 8
Cleanliness
 7
Wifi
 4
Peaceful

83% would recommend this campground to a friend

78% would stay here again

Reviews page 1 of 4
Arrival date (latest first)

Beautiful surroundings and great view.so much room to pitch and even when…

Overall 7/10

Location
 9
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 5
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 4
Wifi
 No rating
Jason W.

Primitive grass and earth RV campsite

Liked Beautiful surroundings and great view.so much room to pitch and even when busy the pitches are huge. Very peaceful stay. Very friendly owner who is welcoming and offered tips for our onward journey.

Disliked Toilet and shower facilities were basic (which we are good with) but could also do with an upgrade and a little better servicing.

Remote. Nature. Reset.

Overall 9/10

Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 3
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 No rating
Derek H.

Primitive grass and earth RV campsite

Liked Beautiful country meadow on edge of wheat field.
Nobody within earshot.
Massive space.
Fire and BBQ perfect.

Disliked Agricultural land has Agricultural insects.
Couldn't find local produce.

Spacious and peaceful beautiful view and lovely dog walks…

Overall 9/10

Location
 8
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 8
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 8
Penny H.

Primitive grass and earth RV campsite

Liked Spacious and peaceful beautiful view and lovely dog walks

Lovely quiet spot!…

Overall 9/10

Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 No rating
Wifi
 6
Annie L.

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Lovely quiet spot!

Tranquil site. Great for getting away from it all.

Overall 8/10

Location
 10
Value for money
 7
Accommodation
 5
Facilities / Activities
 4
Customer service
 7
Child friendliness
 8
Cleanliness
 7
Wifi
 1
Anonymous

Primitive grass and earth RV campsite

Liked Beautiful, peaceful site with lovely view across the fields. The sun goes down right across from the site so you get a magical view each night.
Nice and level for vans and tents.
Fire pits are great for marshmallows!!

Disliked The site was hard to find. No signs off the road and the sat nav isn’t that helpful.
Minor inconvenience solved with a quick call to the friendly host.
Toilet and shower block is basic and the water needs topping up daily by the sound of it. The host explained that this is a temporary solution and has plans for better amenities.

Quiet, large pitches, lovely setting by the river…

Overall 10/10

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

Primitive grass and earth RV campsite

Liked Quiet, large pitches, lovely setting by the river

Disliked The hot showers were cold, but hey it's camping!

Idyllic semi wild camping. Very relaxed atmosphere. I was only 12 miles…

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
Steve B.

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Idyllic semi wild camping. Very relaxed atmosphere. I was only 12 miles from the busy Tube Central Line at Epping but I could have been in deepest Dorset. Facilities are very basic. If you want more luxury this is not the site for you. For me however it was just perfect.

The open countryside, rural and untouched. The host was very friendly and…

Overall 5/10

Location
 5
Value for money
 5
Accommodation
 3
Facilities / Activities
 1
Customer service
 4
Child friendliness
 2
Cleanliness
 2
Wifi
 2
Paige J.

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked The open countryside, rural and untouched.
The host was very friendly and welcoming
Secluded
Big pitch and lots of open space

Disliked The toilet/ shower cubicle wasn’t pleasant and we wouldn’t have used the shower if we had needed to have one. Luckily there for 1 night to test out the camping gear so it wasn’t that much of a problem for our stay.
No pubs or eateries within walking distance

Think of this place as a wild campsite.

Overall 6/10

Location
 8
Value for money
 5
Accommodation
 6
Facilities / Activities
 2
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 7
Wifi
 1
Emma N.

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Lovely maintained field, friendly hosts, really liked the fire pit and logs provided. Easy to get to.

Disliked The toilets and showers that were available are very basic, one doesn't have a door on it for privacy. The host has to fill up the water tank on top of the building, we found there was no water when we arrived, so couldn't flush the toilet. It doesn't detract the peacefulness or beauty of the space, but see it as wild camping. I can understand the hosts trying to raise the money to then improve the site, but I think this creates a catch 22, investment is needed to then bring in the profit. We would visit again, but probably only once the facilities have been updated.

Will book again when visiting my friend down the road

Overall 10/10

Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 10
Kim M.

Primitive grass and earth RV campsite

Liked Very very peaceful

Features

Pop-up campground

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 Dog walk nearby

Type

Pop-up campground Small (11-25 sites)

Nearby leisure

Fishing nearby

Location

The Meadow at Waples Mill

Ongar Road

Margaret Roding

Dunmow

Essex

England

CM6 1QS

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

51.77736°N
0.3172°E

Route directions

Please use the postcode CM6 1QS for navigation purposes.

Nearest transport

Bus
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).

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Leigh Bell Wharf 21.9 mi Estuary GoodN/APoorN/A
Southend Chalkwell 22.5 mi Estuary N/AGoodN/AGood
Southend Westcliff Bay 23 mi Estuary N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Southend Three Shells 23.9 mi Estuary N/AExcellentExcellentGood
Southend Jubilee 24.5 mi Estuary N/AGoodGoodGood

Data source: European Environment Agency

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

Local events

  • All Points East (Friday, August 22, 2025 – Friday, August 22, 2025)

    London, England 22.8 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.

Nearest campgrounds

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable campgrounds.

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?
    RV, travel trailer and tent sites
    Arrive:  1 p.m. –  10:30 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at The Meadow at Waples Mill? From $32.40 (for 1 night, 6 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.