The Pretty Thing
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Add your business details- 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…?
Campground type
13
8
2
2
2Open all year
Languages spoken
English
Nearby parks that are bookable on Pitchup.com
Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable campgrounds.
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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 WatersportsAmenities 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 WifiGroups welcome
Family friendly Motorcycle friendly Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcomeRules
Barbecue grills allowed Barbecue provided Campfires allowed Commercial vehicles allowed Dogs allowed Dogs allowed all yearThemes
Hikers’ paradise Peaceful Wildlife havenUtilities
Charging facilities Dump station Electric car charging point(s) Propane/gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energyNearby amenities
Bar nearby Dog walk nearby Public transportation nearbyType
Medium (26-50 sites)Accessibility
Disabled facilitiesNearby leisure
Canoeing/kayaking nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Horseback riding nearby Restaurant nearby Watersports nearbyTouring and motorhomes
Caravan storage facilities Seasonal sitesLocation
The Pretty Thing
Kimbolds
Heath Road
St Osyth
Essex
England
CO16 9BP
Directions Timezone
Europe/London +0100 (GMT+01:00)
GPS
51.8232°N
1.10395°W
Nearest transport
Bus1.4 mi Oaklands
1.4 mi Oaklands
1.8 mi Chester Holiday Park
Rail2.1 mi Weeley Rail Station
2.6 mi Great Bentley Rail Station
2.9 mi Clacton-on-Sea Rail Station
Ferry3.6 mi Brightlingsea Ferry Landing
3.8 mi Point Clear Ferry Landing
10.7 mi Harwich International Ferry Terminal
Airport24.6 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, September 28, 2024 – Saturday, September 28, 2024)
Aldeburgh, England 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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Frequently asked questions
- 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
- When can I check in and check out of The Pretty Thing?
Read moreRV, travel trailer and tent sites Arrive: 2:30 p.m. – 8 p.m. Depart by: 11 a.m. On-park accommodation Arrive: 3 p.m. – 9 p.m. Depart by: 11 a.m.