Shellsville

View prices & book 8.7 12 reviews
Pitch near a campfire area (added by manager 06 Aug 2024)
New
Communal firepit surrounded by pitches
Volleyball and badminton net
Relax in the shade

  • Quiet adults-only site near the Suffolk village of Little Whelnetham
  • Bury St Edmunds 10 minutes' drive; 20 minutes to Ickworth
  • Picnic tables and campfire areas on site; great farm shop a mile away
Take yourselves off the grid for a few days at this secluded Suffolk spot – near the village of Little Whelnetham and easily accessed from the A134, Shellsville is a quiet site surrounded by woodlands and wildlife. It’s all about communing with nature at this simple adults-only site – pitches are hidden among the meadows and trees, and have access to simple facilities including a communal fridge/freezer, portable toilets and picnic tables (please note there are no showers on site). There are a few bits of games kit scattered around for guests to use as well, including a volleyball/badminton net and a slackline where you can hone your balance skills. Cooking out in the fresh air is an integral part of the experience, so you’re welcome to bring along a barbecue, and there are campfire areas dotted around where you can safely start a blaze. A farm shop just under a mile away is a great place to find local meats, veg and drinks for your meals (and it’s worth stopping in at the cosy café there too). There are a couple of pubs within a few minutes’ drive as well. For your days out, you might like to stay local to stroll along the Whelnetham Railway Path, just outside the site, or head out to Bury St Edmunds, about 10 minutes’ drive away. A little further afield, trips to Audley End, Dedham Vale or Thetford Forest can also be on the cards.

Site type

Tent pitches 37
Motorhome pitches 3
Touring caravan pitches 3
Open now
Opens 1 August
Please note
  • This site has no on-site shower facilities.
  • Guests under the age of 18 are not allowed on site.
  • Minimum spacing of 3 metres between pitches.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Thu, 01 Aug to

Reviews

92%

would recommend this site to a friend

92%

would stay here again

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Only showing reviews for the last 30 months.

Lovely wild camp feel

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

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked: Friendly welcome, lots of information about the area given by the owner. Informal atmosphere. Camping ground well maintained with lots of cut grass and level sites to choose from. "Wild camp" feel. Had the site to ourselves. We were backpacking so the addition of chairs around fire pits was very welcome. Basic facilities but that was expected and added to the wild camp feel. Very peaceful overnight with only owls, pigeons and a huge flock of geese making a regular flight for company. Plenty of local walks, but a map, long trousers and boots essential as some are overgrown. Good Pubs and cafes for food and drink, especially enjoyed the Manger and Hennessey's. The Rushbrooke Arms was good too, but was closed for refurbishment initially so we only had a drink there on our way home.

Disliked: The adjacent little lane was surprisingly busy at rush hour but the owner has planted a lot of hedge trees along the boundaries which help and will improve as they grow. Although a walk back from the manger in the evening encountered only one car.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Peaceful, quiet escape

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

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked: Very beautiful and quiet place, host was very accommodating. Perfect for some quality time away from technology and civilisation, a couple of scenic walks in the area, one of which leads to nearby village. Wholeheartedly recommend it - would stay again!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Karl was very friendly and helpful. The fire pit and free firewood…

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

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked: Karl was very friendly and helpful. The fire pit and free firewood were a nice touch. Good location, nice pitches.

Disliked: Just the bare minimum facilities, but it wasn't an issue.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Coming home…

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

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked: Coming home

Disliked: Sound of cars very close to tents Dog hated sounds from very close fire pits 1 portable toilet for whole camp

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi, it’s a free for all, with no set pitches, unfortunately, you chose road side, next to fire pits. Many thanks for your review, it’s gratefully noted, to help with future improvements.

Great host, good facilities, and nice pitches.

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

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked: Host was welcoming and helpful, site was well maintained and facilities provided were perfectly adequate for our stay.

Disliked: A shower would be a welcome addition, but by no means a dealbreaker and will not prevent us from returning.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Beautiful peaceful

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

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked: Everything was amazing, the closest you can get to wild camping with added luxury of a toilet, a must for us girls! Karl met us on arrival and took us to choose our pitch, which was under a beautiful tree, we loved it. It was so peaceful we couldn't fault the place. Karl has amazing ideas and ethos, and deserves to go ahead with his aspirations for this remarkable site Will be back

Disliked: Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Friendly site owner whose aim was to make our stay as enjoyable…

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

Electric grass touring pitch

Liked: Friendly site owner whose aim was to make our stay as enjoyable as possible. Natural environment with lots of recycling and basic facilities as advertised. Location was a lovely secluded site but within easy walking distance to a couple of pubs & shop/cafe. Walks along disused railway track & around fishing lake close to site. Fire pits & supplies topped up by owner regularly. Was lovely to chill by the fire pits at the end if the day and do some star glazing. Constructive feedback was welcomed by owner and improvements were made during our stay. We will be looking out for their opening dates in 2025 to make a second visit.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Enjoyed our stay & will definitely go back when next in the area.

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

Electric grass touring pitch

Liked: As advertised, a basic but lovely secluded site. The owner is very personable and gave us a very warm welcome. He couldn’t do enough for us to ensure we enjoyed our stay. Gave us information on local facilities, which we duly tried out and enjoyed! We experienced a small hiccup with the EHU, which the owner rectified promptly. We were able to take advantage of the fire pits on-site. Constructive feedback was welcomed and some improvements made whilst we were still there. The owner is also planning future improvements. We really enjoyed our stay & will definitely go back when next in the area.

Recommend to friends Visit again

What a fantastic campsite! The pitches were so lovely, and the trees…

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

Non-electric grass tent or trailer tent pitch

Liked: What a fantastic campsite! The pitches were so lovely, and the trees and shrubs made it feel cosy. Our dog enjoyed exploring the area and the walks right from the campsite. The facilities were clean, and you could use the designated campfire setups. We are looking forward to our next stay here.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Very relaxed and quirky.

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

Electric grass touring pitch

Liked: Fantastic site very relaxing and really lovely to be able to camp where we want. Very handy for pubs and dog walks. Amazing countryside. I would highly recommend.

Disliked: Just access to the electric hook up was the issue but this was so minor and did not impact on our stay.

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 Picnic table Portable toilet Pub toilets Public telephone Shower available Toilet block Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

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

Rules

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

Camping 2.0

Jumbo tent pitches

Themes

Budget/backpacker Peaceful Walkers' paradise Wild camping Wildlife haven

Utilities

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

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby Shop nearby

Type

Medium (26-50 pitches) Pop-up campground

Accessibility

Disabled facilities

Nearby leisure

Fishing nearby Mountain biking nearby Restaurant nearby

Location

Shellsville

Low Green

Little Welnetham

Bury St Edmunds

Suffolk

England

IP30 0DS

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

52.19766°N
0.77087°W

Nearest transport

Coach
6.9 km Bus Station
11.8 km Village Hall
11.8 km Village Hall
Rail
6.4 km Thurston Rail Station
7.4 km Bury St Edmunds Rail Station
10.7 km Elmswell Rail Station
Ferry
43.2 km Harwich International Ferry Terminal
43.8 km Shotley Point Marina Ferry Landing
43.8 km Shotley Point Marina Ferry Landing
Airport
40.8 km Cambridge 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

Attractions and activities nearby include: - Bradfield Woods National Nature Reserve: five minutes’ drive - English Heritage - Bury St Edmunds Abbey: 10 minutes - Greene King Brewery: 10 minutes - National Trust - Ickworth: 20 minutes - Gainsborough's House: 20 minutes - Lavenham Falconry: 25 minutes - Newmarket (racecourse and National Horse Racing Museum): half an hour - Dedham Vale National Landscape: 45 minutes - Audley End House and Gardens: 50 minutes.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020 2019 2018 2017
Dovercourt 45.6 km Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Brightlingsea 46.6 km Estuary N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Felixstowe South 47.5 km Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Felixstowe North 47.9 km Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Ickworth House, Park and Gardens 8.3 km

Newmarket Racecourses 26.7 km

Bressingham Steam and Gardens 28.4 km

The National Stud 29.2 km

East Anglian Railway Museum 30.4 km

National Trust

Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds 6.1 km

Ickworth House, Park and Gardens 8.3 km

Lavenham Guildhall 10 km

Melford Hall 13.3 km

Thorington Hall 26.5 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

Bradfield St George 2.1 km

Bradfield Woods 4.2 km

Felsham - Brettenham - Thorpe Morieux - Thorpe Green - Bull's Wood - Felsham 5.5 km

ABBEY GARDENS AND PRECINCTS 6.2 km

Thurston - Great Barton - Pakenham - Little Haugh - Thurston 6.3 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.

Nearest sites

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable sites.

Want to know more about camping in Suffolk?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Shellsville have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Shellsville dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Shellsville? Attractions and activities nearby include: - Bradfield Woods National Nature Reserve: five minutes’ drive - English Heritage - Bury St Edmunds Abbey: 10 minutes - Greene King Brewery: 10 minutes - National … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Shellsville?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  Anytime –  Anytime
    Depart by:  Anytime
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Shellsville? From R347.09 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.