Hot Tub Glamping in Essex

Essex Glamping: The Ultimate Guide

Top Tips For Booking Pods & Yurts

Southend-On-Sea

This flat, low lying area is home to glampsites with safari tents and treehouses, which are often located on working farms. As many of these face the sea, they have been turned into quite major campsites and caravan parks. There are also private lakeside resorts ideal for glamping, usually in woodland with nature trails, swimming pools and other leisure facilities. Water is never very far away in this part of Essex, and glampsites are often located near surprisingly large natural water features. Swimming, canoeing and windsurfing are offered by local businesses in many places around the peninsula.

To the west of Southend, south of the A127, is the glamping centre at Hadleigh Park. This is purpose built glampsite, and part of a much bigger recreational area run partly by the Salvation Army. Sitting to the north of the Hadleigh Ray river and estuary, the country park is bounded to the west by the Essex town of Benfleet. Hadleigh Park offers a huge range of activities for family and other groups glamping in its grounds, including the Salvation Army Hadleigh Farm Rare Breeds Centre. This is a unique country attraction in its own right, and extremely popular with children.

Hadleigh Farm is a working business, and one of many working farms in the area which play host to glamping parties. Hadleigh itself sits at the edge of marshland, which is home to a huge variety of wildlife, especially wild birds. Sitting in the middle of the landscape is the ruined site of Hadleigh Castle, a 13th Century fortress used in the 100 years war. This makes the area perfect for history buffs as well as nature lovers.

The North

To the east of the historic city of Colchester, the north east part of Essex spans another peninsula in the North Sea. To the north lies the River Stour estuary, which is the county's border with Suffolk, and to the south is the seaside resort of Clacton-on-Sea. In between, and towards the River Colne in the west, the peninsula is host to huge areas of farmland and beautiful country villages. On the east coast lies the Hamford Water National Nature reserve, making the most of the flat, wet landscapes in this part of Essex.

There are many glampsites set up in the working farms of the area. Some larger caravan sites are scattered around the coast, up to the famous seaside town of Walton on the Naze. As there are seaside views available from much of this part of the county, glampsites here can offer the best of the countryside as well as coastal walks and seaside campsites. Farm cottages are often at the centre of glampsites in this part of Essex, adding extra facilities for families and larger groups.

To the west of Colchester is the famous local tourist attraction of Feather Down Layer Marney Tower. This is tailor made farm stay, set in a huge area of countryside. The Tower itself is a Tudor gatehouse, which gives the attraction an added sense of uniqueness. Glamping facilities of all kinds are available on this huge site. Feather Down is set in a private estate, complete with its own woodland. Each of its glamping tents has a private shower and fully functional toilet facilities. Each plot on the country retreat comes with at least 45 square meters to move around in, and includes a hot tub.