Hill Farm Camping

View prices & book 9.9 78 reviews
Wide pitches with lovely views
Meet the animals
Campsite views
Around the site

  • Well-equipped Essex farm site with excellent accessible facilities
  • A 25-minute drive to Audley End; Colchester Zoo 40 minutes
  • Archery, frisbee golf and trailer rides on site, plus animals to meet
Getting around a campsite can sometimes be tricky for guests with restricted mobility – but not so at Hill Farm Camping in the Essex countryside, a mile from the village of Great Bardfield. The team at this 18-acre site have ensured that their place is accessible to all guests, with wheelchair-friendly paths and facilities including disabled toilets, a wet room with shower, a height-adjustable changing table and a power outlet for a personal hoist. Other handy amenities include a playground, picnic tables and a shared fridge and freezer. This welcoming spot isn’t just a campsite – it’s also an activity centre, where guests can play disc golf and have a go at archery or off-road skateboarding, walk around the wildlife lake or hire bikes to see some of the surroundings. Exploring isn’t off limits for less-mobile guests either, as there are rides available on wheelchair-friendly trailers that are also great fun for kids. And of course this is a farm, so there are chickens, sheep, goats and horses to meet as well as alpacas, emus and kangaroos. When you’re not busy talking to the animals, you may like to get a campfire going, wander up to the village for a drink in one of the pubs, or take day trips to places like Audley End or Colchester Zoo.

Site type

Tent pitches 25
Touring caravan pitches 6
Motorhome pitches 6
Open now
Opens 1 May
Please note
  • Single-sex bookings of 5 or more people (excluding couples) are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • No hen/stag parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • Discount cards and gift vouchers cannot be applied to bookings made via Pitchup.com.
  • At least one of the party members must be aged 21 or over.
  • There is no reception on-site: on arrival please contact the number provided on your booking confirmation.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Thu, 01 May to

Pitch types & availability

Reviews

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    10
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100% would recommend this site to a friend

100% would stay here again

Reviews page 1 of 8
Arrival date (latest first)

Wonderful site, bit of freedom and relaxation with spectacular views!

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 E. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Electric optional grass pitch

Liked Just loved our stay here, couldn’t have been any better. We stayed as Grandparents with our daughter, son in law and grandson and it was perfect! Read all the reviews before booking and they all praise the work that Alan and Ruth deliver to make this site and stay fun, relaxing and just the feeing that they want you feel welcome and thoroughly enjoy your stay. The showers and toilets are super clean and there’s so much to do, starting with the tour that Alan will take you on with the quad bike and trailer, the activities that have they have to keep you occupied (we’ll do that on our own 🙂). Alan and Ruth really would like you to enjoy your stay, they go above and beyond but not in an intrusive way, they make you feel valued. All people we spoke to were returning visitors and we will definitively be booking again. By the way we all loved the animals!

Disliked Nothing to dislike

Recommend to friends Visit again

Beautiful farm with lovely owners. Very clean

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
Sandra L. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Electric optional grass pitch

Liked Everything.
Beautiful farm with lovely owners. It’s so much fun to see how happy all the animals are on the farm.
Bathrooms are very clean and we had a lovely stay here. Would 100% recommend!

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

A unique and stunning location with fantastic hosts.

Overall 9/10

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

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked We absolutely loved staying at Hill Farm and have found a new favourite campsite. The hosts are amazing and have a unique site in a stunning location. Everything was spot on from the welcome we received, the tour of the site before we pitched, the activities and nature reserve and not forgetting the amazing animals. The facilities were perfect too. My daughters who are 10 & 14 loved our weekend there. You wont be disappointed with this site. I will probably go as a solo camper just to enjoy the nature and scenery.

Disliked Nothing to dislike.

Recommend to friends Visit again

.…

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
Elek J. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked .

Recommend to friends Visit again

Can't wait to go back.

Overall 9/10

Location
9
Value for money
9
Accommodation
9
Facilities / Activities
9
Customer service
9
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
9
Wifi
10
Chris S. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Electric optional grass pitch

Liked The welcome. The owners hospitality. The animals. The alpaca's. The view. The facilities. The supplied kids games and toys. The rides around the grounds on the quad bike trailer. All of it. What a wonderful break.

Disliked Leaving.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Super friendly and amazing staff, I believe it’s a couple who own…

Overall 10/10

Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
1
Melanie O. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Electric optional grass pitch

Liked Super friendly and amazing staff, I believe it’s a couple who own & run the farm. The pair of them went above and beyond for every person we saw, was always interacting with the children and ensuring everyone was having fun & ok :) Especially loved the older gents quad where he takes you and the kids for rides around. Very clean facilities on site, amazing campsite all round! Will be back x

Recommend to friends Visit again

The owners were amazing! Alan was a big hit with his quad…

Overall 10/10

Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
7
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
No rating
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked The owners were amazing! Alan was a big hit with his quad bike and taking the kids for tours around the campsite. We were there as 3 x families, some with small children, and I had emailed ahead to ask for a shaded spot due to the 30C+ heat. The owners helped us pick out the best spot for our needs. The site was peaceful, clean and well kept. The toilets and hot showers were clean and well stocked. The location of the site was great, we walked 15 mins through a beautiful wheat field to the local pub and the village of Great Bardfield, which was very picturesque with a butchers and co-op for anything we had forgotten. The site was very safe for the kids who we barely saw as they spent the whole time on the zip wire, making new friends and in the stream having mud fights. We will definitely be going back!

Recommend to friends Visit again

This is a lovely campsite in a beautiful setting with plenty of…

Overall 10/10

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

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked This is a lovely campsite in a beautiful setting with plenty of space and delightful hosts. Alan and Ruth went out of their way to settle us in, helping us find the perfect spot to pitch our tent and showing us the many games and activities they had on site. Our older children loved all the facilities, especially being driven around the site by Alan, and the zip wire. We all enjoyed the peace, how much space there was between tents and the camp fire in the fire pit we borrowed. We had a lovely walk through the fields to the nearby village and local pub.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Absolutely stunning, in special if you go and camp down the river…

Overall 10/10

Location
10
Value for money
9
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
No rating
Alexandru T. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked Absolutely stunning, in special if you go and camp down the river ! Is very great organised place ! The owners will give you even them hearts

Recommend to friends Visit again

A wonderful campsite with added extras. The kids very much enjoyed their…

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
Stevie D. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked A wonderful campsite with added extras. The kids very much enjoyed their tractor rides and the alpacas! The hosts went above and beyond to ensure that all campers were happy. Will be back!

Disliked The walk to the toilets.

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

Baby-changing facilities Bath available 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 Tents for hire 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 No dogs allowed No pets allowed

Camping 2.0

Jumbo tent pitches

Themes

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

Farm Small (11-25 pitches)

Accessibility

Accessible parking at pitch Bathrooms: Large spacious shower Bathrooms: Large spacious toilet Bathrooms: Step-free access Bathrooms: Wheelchair accessible shower Bathrooms: Wheelchair accessible toilet Bathrooms: Wide doorways (over 30 inches/75cm) Dedicated quiet space Pitch close to accessible bathrooms Step-free or level access

Nearby leisure

Cycle hire nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Restaurant nearby

Location

Hill Farm Camping

Mill Road

Great Bardfield

Braintree

Essex

England

CM7 4QQ

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

51.94878°N
0.45766°E

Nearest transport

Coach
11.4 km Tesco Store
14.9 km Coach Station
14.9 km Coach Station
Rail
10.6 km Braintree Rail Station
11.7 km Braintree Freeport Rail Station
13.6 km Cressing Rail Station
Ferry
42.1 km Point Clear Ferry Landing
42.1 km Brightlingsea Ferry Landing
43.1 km Wallasea Island Ferry Landing
Airport
15 km London Stansted Airport
34.9 km Cambridge Airport
45.5 km 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

Anyone who hasn’t had their fill of wildlife on site can meet rhinos and tigers at Colchester Zoo (40 minutes’ drive). Your younger offspring will likely enjoy an hour clambering around the soft-play centre at Little Monsters House of Fun (15 minutes), and most kids will also love the miniature railway ride and fairy-themed walk at Audley End House and Gardens (25 minutes). There’s more family-friendly entertainment to be had at Mountfitchet Castle and Norman Village (half an hour), where kids can dress up as knights in a recreated medieval hamlet. Great Notley Country Park (15 minutes) is another handy spot for you all to let off steam, with facilities for horse riding and cycling. Any grown-ups keen to grab some cultural time can have a nose around the fabulous art collection at Gainsborough’s House (half an hour), or tour rooms filled with antique treasures at the National Trust-owned Melford Hall (35 minutes), a Tudor mansion that started life as a Benedictine monastery. Followers of aviation history can also check out the Spitfires and Vulcan fighters at IWM Duxford (45 minutes).

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
West Mersea 38 km Sea N/AGoodN/AN/A
Brightlingsea 41.1 km Estuary N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Leigh Bell Wharf 47.5 km Estuary GoodN/APoorN/A
Southend Chalkwell 48.1 km Estuary N/AGoodN/AGood

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Audley End House and Gardens 18.1 km

East Anglian Railway Museum 20.6 km

Colchester Zoo 27.6 km

Imperial War Museum Duxford 27.8 km

Colchester Castle Museum 31.1 km

National Trust

Paycocke's 17.6 km

Coggeshall Grange Barn 18.1 km

Melford Hall 23.4 km

Lavenham Guildhall 29.2 km

Bourne Mill 32.1 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

Finchingfield - Howe Woods - Little London - Howe Street 2.2 km

SPAINS HALL 3.2 km

SALING HALL 4.9 km

SALING GROVE 5.6 km

Thaxted - Great Easton - Tilty - River Chelmer - Thaxted 7.7 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.

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 Hill Farm Camping have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Hill Farm Camping dog friendly? No View all features
  • What attractions are near Hill Farm Camping? Anyone who hasn’t had their fill of wildlife on site can meet rhinos and tigers at Colchester Zoo (40 minutes’ drive). Your younger offspring will likely enjoy an hour clambering around the … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Hill Farm Camping?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  noon –  7:30 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    On-site accommodation
    Arrive:  10 a.m. –  8 p.m.
    Depart by:  Anytime
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Hill Farm Camping? From R962,17 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.