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Swattesfield campsite is situated in lovely countryside with pleasant surrounding villages, a secluded location, well away from main roads.
Although there is a train line nearby, it is far enough away that the sound is quite faint.
You can access the Thornham walks directly from the gate which is a huge plus for the campsite for us. Walk through woods, surrounding countryside and villages around the Thornham estate along quiet, well waymarked paths.
The nearby Forge Café does a nice cuppa, cakes and meals, and is recommended, as is the Four Horseshoes inn, where we had a good food and drinks at a fair price.
Site
The site itself is pretty in a natural way, and surrounded by trees, hedges and wildlife - a real ‘relax and enjoy nature’ kind of place. The pitches are unmarked, and the provided fire pits are great, adding to the back to basics feel.
Although we had the site to ourselves, with the size of the site and the number of pitches that are advertised, I can’t imagine it feeling too busy. It really does feel as if it is run more as a hobby than commercially.
The facilities block is basic, but clean and more than adequate, with plentiful hot water. Washing up is undercover. There was a ‘fridge and freezer for campers use, map of the local area, a couple of shelves of books to borrow from, etc.
We found the owner to be friendly, helpful and laid back. He appears to rely on campers natural consideration for others rather than a long list of rules to be followed, asking only for sensible things like parking your car near the entrance once you’ve unloaded to keep the site car free, and keeping fires off the grass to keep it looking nice.
Glamping
I must qualify that our visit was partly to celebrate a special birthday, and so we opted to stay in one of the glamping accommodations, the shepherds hut, which was fantastic, with a great wood burning stove to keep the chill at bay in the evening, even solar lighting. And even though we came to ‘glamp’ on this occasion, this is a site that would love to visit again with our tent.
This is a great little campsite with all the facilities you could want on a camping trip.
There's a clean toilet block with separate male and female toilets and showers. (There's only one shower in each so I imagine there could be quite a queue in busy periods. ) The pot washing facilities had plenty of hot water and spare bowls and washing up liquid.
Logs and kindling are sold on an honesty system and fire pits provided free of charge.
The little shop was a nice touch with helpful camping related items, and the kids loved the pick and mix.
The campsite is on the the Thornham Walks which offers a pleasant stroll round the countryside. The Four Horse Shoes is a lovely pub too.
The only negative that I found was that when we arrived there was no one around to let us know where to pitch. Eventually we just picked a spot and went for it, and it was fine, but if the site had been busier this could have caused a few problems.
Had an incredible stay here in one of the luxury bell tents with my partner, every comfort had been thought of and provided including extra details like lanterns, beanbags and fresh flowers on arrival.
The pizza oven was fantastic! Very comfortable and clean, the memory foam mattress and ample space in the tent made it very luxurious indeed.
Jonathan was very helpful and hospitable, making it a real pleasure to stay here, we felt welcome and at home.
I would definitely recommend this campsite and the bell tents which were fantastic, ten out of ten!
Returned from a lovely 3 night stay at the site. We can recommend the lovely Thornham Woods walk and the pub we ended up at for a evening meal (Four Horseshoes) which catered for children as well. Really enjoyed the Aspell draught cider! It was a 1/2 hour walk with 2 young nephews.
The toilets were clean but basic but we didn't care. A real back to nature feel and a site we will be visiting again. The only thing we noticed were the trains but you did get used to them.
I would give this site a 9 out of 10. If they could update the showers then it would be 10 out of 10. It is somewhere we will come back to. A good base camp when visiting the area.
A very friendly campsite and good equipment from the owners for campfires.
We chose this site for 2 nights camping over a weekend. We were attracted by the fact you could have open fires and there were no static caravans etc.
When we camp we want it to be proper 'camping' not parking your tent in neat little rows and listening to the tent next door playing XBox360 on the electric hookup all night! If you are looking for a site like this, look elsewhere.
This site was great. Awesome. Lovely. Delightful. All of those things.
-VIBE-
This site had a lovely atmosphere, really friendly. Everyone seemed like-minded, kids could freely run around and hang out at different tents. Parents all seemed to be really open to interacting with the children - a bunch of kids came over to our tent and roasted marshmallows! Brilliant!
Not only does it have this family friendly atmosphere, it also seems like the place you can stay up really late, have a few drinks and a laugh around the camp fire and not worry that people are going to complain in the morning.
The kids had a brilliant time. The site is fairly compact too - so the kids are never far away. Plus, it is nowhere near any roads or traffic, and cars are not allowed in the fields so it feels really safe.
There is a little woods to explore, and some smashing little walks to go on. We had a large group of 5 tents, but we were not quizzed or treated with suspicion.
There were a bunch of people around the site still drinking and chatting at 1am, but no music or shouting - there seemed to be this kind of mutual respect - full of conscientious campers who still want to have a few drinks and have a laugh, but don;t want to disturb others.
-Facilities-
I have been to sights where the showers are nicer, the toilets are better - the facilities here are MORE than adequate. Never had to queue for a shower or washing up. Shower was hot, washing up water was piping hot. There is a little shop which sells all the things you forgot to bring - gas / pegs / barbecues etc. Really useful to have that on site.
The village shop at Gislingham is awesome - they have chip and pin, and can do cash back. They have some lovely local produce and all the basics. OPen til 8pm too! Its a 2 minute drive down the road.
You can have fires. I cannot imagine going camping without a fire, sat around a fire as the sun goes down, kids in bed, a few drinks with friends. Fantastic. The chap who runs the site will bring the firepit over to you, and take it away. They also have cool trolleys to move your gear from your car to the pitch.
-Owners-
Father and son - what a lovely couple of chaps. Thoroughly polite, helpful and knowledgeable. Very accommodating and nice with the kids. They are the type of people that are running a site because they see it as a fun hobby, not as a business and this seems to be at the core of their philosophy. Very quick to respond to emails.
We have been camping all over the place, and whilst this site is not for everyone, for a young, fun and open minded family of campers who love the outdoors this was perfect. I had so many lovely chats with people, the kids were all playing together nicely and the scenery itself is wonderful, plenty of shade and trees and close to some lovely places. Just driving round that part of the world is a pleasure.
We will definitely go back again. It was a great weekend.
We stayed here during a glorious August weekend and loved it! This is a great site - a very simple, back to nature site, which was exactly what we wanted.
There is a really nice vibe to it and campers were all really friendly, as were Jonathan and Phil who run it.
It felt like a really safe place for the kids who could run around to their hearts content, but were still where we could see them.
The facilities are fine - separate male and female toilets and showers which were basic but clean. There is also plenty of drinking water and a small shop.
We particularly liked being able to have a campfire (what is camping without a fire?!)
The Suffolk countryside is beautiful, and it's close enough to the coast to go for the afternoon.
We would definitely recommend it and are very likely to come back.
We were here for the Queens Jubilee weekend and had a thoroughly good time. The site itself is quite small though thankfully don't allow too many tents to pitch (booking is advisable. )
Clean shower block and well stocked toilets.
They have an honesty system for the wood (£4. 50per bag) and also sell eggs, again on an honesty basis.
The owner is very friendly and welcoming.
Nearby is the village or Eye where there are two co-ops (about four miles).
We went for Sunday lunch at the Four Horseshoes pub which was recommended to us and the Sunday Carvery ws good value.
There is a pond on site which maybe an issue for campers with small children.
This is the 1st time we visited this campsite and we had a good time in here.
Good Points are:-
The toilet blocks are very clean and they have 3 toilets for ladies and 3 for gents, and 1 shower each. Normally they have hot water but unfortunately the weekend we were there the hot water is not working!
There are lots to do in the surrounding area, such as Thornham Walks, cycle to Eye, walk around the mid-suffolk pathway, children's playground in Thornham Estate.
The owner, Jonathan, will make sure we are well looked after and he is very friendly.
The grounds has the feel of 'in the middle of nowhere' yet it is just off the A140.
The ground provides a peace and quiet atmosphere where we have a good time to relax.
Not so good points are:-
Surprisingly we can hear the train from Ipswich to Diss go pass from time to time! However, don't let this put you off because it mainly during the day time.
There was a wedding function at the Thornham Estate during our stay which the music did go on a bit at night. It wasn't loud at all but we did aware of the background music.
However, overall we think this campsite is value for money. We just hope it won't get too busy because it might get a bit too crowded and lost it's charm!
We've just been here in an all adult group of about 13 and although it rained much of the weekend we really loved the site.
= Customer Service =
Jonathan was excellent. He gave us a quick tour of the facilities, made it clear we were free to camp where we liked and made us feel very welcome.
= Location =
This site is in an excellent position just off the A140. It's very new so hasn't got great signposting, but I imagine this will only improve as the site matures.
The site is relatively well drained, especially considering the April/May downpours we've been having. Nearby are 2 pubs and a tea room/cafe.
Both pubs were very nice and a joy to get to via the 'Thornham Walks'. We didn't have time to sample the very nearby tea room which does breakfast and proper meals I am told.
= Facilities =
The mens has plenty of toilets and an amazing shower. There are a couple of sockets and very nice sinks and mirrors. The ladies bizarrely did not have a power socket so the women in our group decided to move in to the mens for hair drying. We were told that the womens will be getting power soon.
There is an on site camp shop with loads of camping equipment (pegs, mattresses etc) - this proved invaluable when one of the tents had broken elastic in its poles.
= Value for money =
Excellent. The logs were £4. 50 for a moderate sized bag, I would put this as slightly pricey for the sack size compared to some sites, but you are allowed to forage and the wood is kept nice and dry so smoked very little.
= Child friendliness =
Cars are allowed on the main site, but encouraged afterwards to park up at the entrance only a little way away. This makes it perfect for playing in the fields as there is no traffic whatsoever.
There is no on site playground, but the the nearby Thornham Estate has one and there is plenty of room for kids to play. The other group that was there had kids aged somewhere between 7 to 10 and they were all having plenty of fun.
In summary this is an excellent, back to basics (but with decent hygiene facilities) site and my wife and I will be returning within the month to enjoy a fire pit alone!
I would give it 9. 5/10 if I could. I would say 9/10 if you have kids, 10/10 if you are adults only.
It is more worthy of a 10 than a 9 so 10/10 it is.
The open fire attracted us to their site as well as knowing its small, quiet and all about getting back to nature. And that's exactly what if offers which we loved.
There are no electric hookups but there are plug points in the toilet blocks.
The site has a very nice shower and toilet block (although only one shower for men and one for women which could be a problem when campsite is busy). There are lovely walks in the woods right by the campsite and these paths take you to the nearby hall which has good restaurants and shop facilities and a great play area for the children.
The open fires are available for each campsite and the wood can be bought from the owner or foraging from the wood is allowed too. There is a small on site camping materials shop and some local produce to be found for sale.
The site can be quite difficult to find as its not very well sign posted.
There is a lovely old pub down the road from the site but does get very busy so have to book a table if wishing to eat there.
Unfortunately it did rain all weekend which meant we left early but otherwise we enjoyed it very much and would be happy to return.
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Common Questions
Is Swattesfield Campsite child friendly? YES, it accepts children View all facilities
Where is the nearest shop to Swattesfield Campsite? There is a shop on site View all facilities
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
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The facilities shown on this website are a guide only, and you should check with the campsite direct before making any booking. The UKCampsite.co.uk will not be held responsible for any errors or omissions
Tent Pitches 
Caravan Pitches 
Motorhome Pitches 
Small Campervans 
Glamping Units 
No Statics for Hire 
No Statics for Sale 
No Seasonal Pitches 
Electric Hookups 
No Hardstandings 
No Fully Serviced Pitches 
Families Welcome 
Not Members Only 
Rallies Welcome 
Not Naturist Site 
Dogs Welcome 
No Dogs Allowed 
Groups Welcome 
Motorbikers Welcome 
Toilet Facilities 
Hot Showers 
Washing Up 
No Bathroom 
No Baby Changing 
No Laundry 
Drinking Water 
Disabled Friendly 
No Chemical Disposal 
No Battery Charging 
Gas Exchange 
Recycling Facilities 
Kitchen Facilities 
Freezer / Fridge 
No Motorhome Point 
No Wifi Access 
Shop On Site 
Bar On Site 
Restaurant or Cafe or Takeaway <1 mile 
No Playground 
No TV Room 
No Games Room 
No Evening Ents 
Fishing <1 mile 
Wild Swimming <5 miles 
Indoor Pool <5 miles 
No Outdoor Pool 
No Horse Riding 
Cycle Hire On Site 
Golf <5 miles 
No Tennis 
No Beach 
No Watersports 
No Boat Launch 
No Sea Views 
Not Working Farm 
Campfires Allowed 
Lakeside Pitches 
Public Transport <1 mile
Offroad Dog Walk On Site or Direct Access 
Electric Car Charging Point
Location
