Rockinghams Farm

View prices & book 9.2 76 reviews
Visitor image of the pitch
Visitor image of the pitch
Visitor image of the pitch area, with sunset view
Visitor image of the pod with fire pit
Woodland path in spring
Pod exterior
Sundown over a tent
Camping and glamping by the water
The site
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Visitor image of the pitch area, with sunset view
Visitor image of the pod with fire pit
Woodland path in spring

  • Simple and secluded site on a working farm close to the A12
  • A 20-minute drive from Colchester or Mersea Island
  • Fishing lake on farm; firewood and charcoal for sale
Seeking out a very peaceful place, where tracks, footpaths and woodland trails will allow you to get out and see wildlife? Relax and track down spectacular sunsets? Then map out the way to Rockinghams Farm, a simple and secluded spot surrounded by Essex countryside. This farm site has easy access to the A12, making it quick to spend time in Colchester (20 minutes' drive) or to see its several family-friendly attractions. Bringing your own bike or hiring one locally is another excellent shout – the site may be tucked away in the countryside, but you may be surprised how much you can reach under your own steam. The camping field is vehicle-free meaning that children are free to roam and play (there is a dedicated parking area close to all of the accommodation) – but please do remember that this is a working farm, so kids need to be supervised at all times. There's also a fishing lake on site, with guest fishing available on request. Rockinghams Farm is in the hamlet of Layer Marney and five minutes' drive from Tiptree, where there are supermarkets, pubs and plenty of places to eat. Other local highlights include Mersea Island (20 minutes), where it's possible to hire watersports equipment before settling down for a meal of local oysters by the waterfront.

Campground type

Tent sites 6
Lodges, cabins, pods or huts 2
Open all year
Opens
Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • The campground/park does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Dangerous Dog Act (i.e. Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro).
  • No hen/stag parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • The campground only allows dogs up to 10kg.
  • At least one of the party members must be aged 21 or over.
  • Please note that the toilet/shower facilities are unisex.

Languages spoken

English

No availability here for your search criteria

Site types & availability

Accommodation

Tent sitesCaravan sitesRV & Motorhome sitesLodges, cabins, pods or hutsCaravans for hireRent a tent
Choose your dates
2 adults
0 children

Reviews

9.2

Overall rating from 76 Pitchup.com customers

  • 69%
    10
  • 1%
    9
  • 22%
    8
  • 1%
    7
  • 2%
    6
  • 1%
    5
  • 1%
    4
  • 0%
    3
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    2
  • 0%
    1
Location
 9
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 9
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 5
Peaceful

95% would recommend this campground to a friend

92% would stay here again

What customers say

A quiet, small farm campsite in the Essex countryside with woodland and meadow spots. Praised for its peace, natural beauty, and welcoming hosts. Clean facilities, fire pits, and nature walks are highlights. A small number mention the single shower/toilet can be a wait when busy.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 8
Arrival date (latest first)

Beautiful site, with versatile camping options.

Overall

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

Camping pod

Liked We had a lovely stay here with my partner and two sons aged 10 and 12. Had to pay a little extra for fishing with permission (do enquire before you go), and it was a very well maintained lake. We caught a lot of fish! The woodland is ancient and relaxing, with well manged pathways. Plenty of wildlife about, including small toads and frogs my sons found in the greener patches of woodland which were lovely to find, and birds of prey wheeling overhead across the fields. The pod we stayed in was very clean, the pull out bed was quite uncomfortable, very firm, but that's down to personal preference! I would recommend taking a fan if you go in warmer weather - we kept the door closed in the evening to keep the midges out and quite a bit of heat built up during the day. It cooled down enough to sleep later in the night. The toilet facilities and shower were very nice for a campsite! There was also an option to buy wood on site if you wanted a fire in the pit provided, but this may not be at all times (best check). A very pleasant escape from city life and we will be back. Thank you to Josephine for hosting us!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Owner was lovely. Really friendly and welcoming. Woodland pitch was huge. Perfect for…

Overall

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

Unpowered forest floor tent site (wild)

Liked Owner was lovely. Really friendly and welcoming.
Woodland pitch was huge. Perfect for kids to explore. Will definitely be using this site again.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely space for the kids to explore Firepits allowed Toilets were clean and fresh Greeted…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 7
Value for money
 7
Accommodation
 7
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 8
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 1
Anonymous

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Lovely space for the kids to explore
Firepits allowed
Toilets were clean and fresh
Greeted on arrival

Disliked No hot water at washing up station
Wasps!
Don’t use Waze to navigate to site as it takes you to a dead end
Google maps worked fine

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great location close to the village. Friendly, great field.…

Overall

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

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Great location close to the village. Friendly, great field.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Quiet, peaceful location. Camping pod was clean and had all mod cons…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 7
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 8
Anonymous

Camping pod

Liked Quiet, peaceful location. Camping pod was clean and had all mod cons needed to be able to totally relax. Loved the fire pit which made sitting out under the stars feel really special. Clean toilets and shower facilities. Area to walk in forest and fields. Josephine was a super host, friendly and attentive.

Disliked None

Recommend to friends Visit again

Quiet location. Well maintained and clean. Fire pits allowed…

Overall

7 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 6
Accommodation
 7
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 No rating
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Anonymous

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Quiet location.
Well maintained and clean.
Fire pits allowed

Recommend to friends Visit again

Location, facilities…

Overall

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

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Location, facilities

Disliked Strumming in the morning, could have been done after all the site had woken up and set out for the day

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi

Thank you for your review.
I’m sorry if there was noise in the morning. I’m sure it wouldn’t be strimming as that is all done in the week and not on a Saturday. Although it is a working farm and there will be some noise from other vehicles/machinery most of the time.

Many thanks 🙏

Location was lovely and very quiet place to stay. Beautiful scenery. Owners…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 6
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 5
Wifi
 1
Anonymous

Unpowered forest floor tent site (wild)

Liked Location was lovely and very quiet place to stay. Beautiful scenery. Owners were friendly and helpful

Disliked A bit pricey for me personally as a solo traveler but can see value for two or more people.

Recommend to friends Visit again

One of the best campsites I've ever been to. The woodland pitch…

Overall

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

Unpowered forest floor tent site (wild)

Liked One of the best campsites I've ever been to. The woodland pitch was gorgeous, with a large clearing and a firepit. Plenty of trees to string a tarp up, and very friendly and helpful service. I will definitely be coming back!

Recommend to friends Visit again

A good site when limited visitors but one to avoid if highly booked.

Overall

5 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 5
Accommodation
 5
Facilities / Activities
 6
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 4
Cleanliness
 5
Wifi
 2
Dean D.

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Greeting from Josephine, fantastic location for walks, wooded areas and hot water for shower. Site was relatively quiet during our visit. Grass for pitches was kept short.

Disliked Only one cubicle with combined shower and toilet. Even with 10 visitors using was not ideal any more than that would suggest be problematic. The kitchen area was in the open so less than ideal when raining and really very shabby.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

Dogs allowed

Campfires allowed

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

Groups welcome

D. of E. 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

Themes

Budget/backpacker Peaceful Remote location Spectacular scenery Walkers' paradise Wildlife haven

Utilities

Charging facilities 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

Farm Tiny (1-10 sites)

Nearby leisure

Fishing nearby Restaurant nearby Watersports nearby

Location

Rockinghams Farm

Rockinghams Farm

Layer Marney

Colchester

Essex

England

CO5 9UL

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

51.81322°N
0.78639°E

Nearest transport

Coach
10.1 km The George
10.1 km The George
11.4 km Stanwell Street
Rail
6.5 km Kelvedon Rail Station
7.5 km Marks Tey Rail Station
10.2 km Witham (Essex) Rail Station
Ferry
16.3 km Point Clear Ferry Landing
16.4 km Brightlingsea Ferry Landing
21.1 km Burnham on Crouch Ferry Landing
Airport
27.8 km London Southend Airport
37.2 km London Stansted 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

Hunt down some historic sites… you could climb up England’s highest Tudor gatehouse, the Layer Marney Tower (roughly half an hour's walk), or have a bite to eat with some Tiptree preserves in the secret tea garden that belongs to the family’s old farmhouse over at Tiptree Tea Room, Museum and Jam Shop (five minutes' drive). With the historic town centre and castle in Colchester (20 minutes), there’s much for history fans to have a nose around. Families will find plenty to do there too, though, as Colchester Zoo (10 minutes) is likely to entertain any small family members… The classic seaside, too. West Mersea (20 minutes) has all the staples of that, from beach huts to a jetty that’s just the place to whip out a line and give crabbing a go. Craving some good, unfiltered nature? There’s plenty to go around while on cycles or walks around the Dedham Vale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (30 minutes), and the RSPB Old Hall Marshes (15 minutes) or Abberton Reservoir Nature Discovery Park (15 minutes) too – these are two prime spots to spy on wildlife or birdlife.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
West Mersea 11 km Sea N/AGoodN/AN/A
Brightlingsea 15.4 km Estuary N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Jaywick 22.9 km Sea N/AGoodGoodGood
Clacton Beach Martello Tower 24.6 km Sea N/AGoodGoodGood
Clacton 26.6 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Colchester Zoo 6.5 km

Colchester Castle Museum 11.6 km

firstsite 11.7 km

East Anglian Railway Museum 12.6 km

RHS Garden Hyde Hall 21.9 km

National Trust

Coggeshall Grange Barn 9.1 km

Paycocke's 9.7 km

Bourne Mill 11.1 km

Thorington Hall 21 km

Flatford: Bridge Cottage 22.8 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

LAYER MARNEY TOWER 1.3 km

Layer Breton - Layer Marney - Birch - Layer Breton 3 km

Tiptree - Great Braxted - Great Totham - Tiptree 4.1 km

BRAXTED PARK 6.4 km

Kelvedon - Coggeshall - River Blackwater - Kelvedon 6.5 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.

Want to know more about camping in Essex?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Rockinghams Farm have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Rockinghams Farm dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Rockinghams Farm? Hunt down some historic sites… you could climb up England’s highest Tudor gatehouse, the Layer Marney Tower (roughly half an hour's walk), or have a bite to eat with some Tiptree preserves … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Rockinghams Farm?
    Camping and caravan
    Arrive:  3 p.m. –  6:30 p.m.
    Depart by:  11:30 a.m.
    On-site accommodation
    Arrive:  3 p.m. –  6:30 p.m.
    Depart by:  11:30 a.m.

    Please call an hour or so before arrival so someone can come out to greet you.

    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Rockinghams Farm? From $60.32 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.