The Meadow at Waples Mill

View prices & book 8.3 30 reviews
Stunning lake full of big carp
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.

Site type

Tent pitches 15
Motorhome pitches 3
Open now
Opens 17 April
Please note
  • The site 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.
  • Guests are advised to bring a good quality torch with them as parts of the site are unlit.
  • Please note that the toilet/shower facilities are unisex.
  • There is no reception on-site: on arrival please contact the number provided on your booking confirmation.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Thu, 17 Apr to

Pitch types & availability

Reviews

80%

would recommend this site to a friend

77%

would stay here again

  • 56%
    10
  • 0%
    9
  • 20%
    8
  • 0%
    7
  • 10%
    6
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    5
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    4
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    1

Only showing reviews for the last 30 months.

Would visit again but when a bit warmer

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

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: Just a huge open field to relax and enjoy martin come to check on us a few times lovley gentleman
Toilet flushed had clean runing water hot and cold maybe could do with a little upgrade.
And add some washing up stations
But its camping so you make do

Recommend to friends Visit again

Beautiful, simple campsite with spaced out, level pitches looking out over farmland.…

Overall 8/10
Location No rating
Value for money 10
Accommodation 6
Facilities / Activities 6
Customer service 6
Child friendliness 8
Cleanliness 4
Wifi No rating
Nicola S. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass and earth motorhome pitch

Liked: Beautiful, simple campsite with spaced out, level pitches looking out over farmland. Plenty of grass to play games on.

Disliked: Basic, fine bathroom facilities - could do with an outdoor tap to fill up water containers.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Nice site. Worth a visit.

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

Non-electric grass and earth motorhome pitch

Liked: Was a nice site, very casual owner who checked very quickly once or twice but really just left us to it. I would return.

Disliked: Toilets are a bit grim though.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Big pitches.

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

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: Perfect big pithes near the small river. My friends managed to do fishing from the pitch, that was the perfect add on. There were 2 toilets with shower with hot and cold water, good enough for short stay. Fire pits on each pitch, just bring your own bbq. It was about 6 tents on the day and the area is huge, so we stayed quiet privately from each other. Amazing escape from city life.

Disliked: Nothing really. As expected. Even better.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely quiet, rural farm location

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

Non-electric grass and earth motorhome pitch

Liked: Lovely big, open level pitches in a perfect location with sounds of birds, and wonderful unspoilt views over the fields.
Great space between pitches for privacy and dog friendly.
Toilets and shower are basic for camping and do the job
Easy to find the entrance if you check google maps before you get there!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Rained off: waste of money 😒

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

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: Nothing to like

Disliked: Rained off: waste of money 😒

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great site, staff was excellent who met us upon arrival

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

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: Level pitches in a perfect location. Great space between pitches. Dog friendly, great views. Toilets are basic but it's camping not a 5 star hotel.

Disliked: Nothing it was perfect

Recommend to friends Visit again

Helpful friendly owner, peaceful, lots of space…

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

Non-electric grass and earth motorhome pitch

Liked: Helpful friendly owner, peaceful, lots of space

Disliked: Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Ablution shed in need of rejuvenation!

Overall 6/10
Location 8
Value for money 4
Accommodation 6
Facilities / Activities 2
Customer service 2
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness 4
Wifi No rating
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass and earth motorhome pitch

Liked: View

Disliked: Noise from a group of males.
Poor condition of toilet/shower hut.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Not worth the price

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

Non-electric grass and earth motorhome pitch

Liked: Proximity to London

Disliked: Awful toilets
No shower
No sink
No mobile internet

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

Groups welcome

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

Rules

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

Utilities

Charging facilities Chemical disposal Electric car charging point(s) Gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby

Type

Pop-up campsite Small (11-25 pitches)

Nearby leisure

Fishing nearby

Location

The Meadow at Waples Mill

Ongar Road

Margaret Roding

Dunmow

Essex

England

CM6 1QS

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London BST (GMT+01:00)

GPS

51.77736°N
0.3172°W

Route directions

Please use the postcode CM6 1QS for navigation purposes.

Nearest transport

Coach
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 22 August 2025 – Friday 22 August 2025)

    London, Greater London 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.

Offers

Conditions apply - see pitch type section for details

Nearest sites

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable sites.

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?
    Camping and touring
    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 £24 (for 1 night, 6 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.