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This was a lovely campsite for first-time campers. It had all the emergency amenities that we city folk who are not used to roughing it, may need: clean toilets, very clean washing up area, clean showers, plentiful wood, fire pits, shop and cafe on site.
There was lots of space for the kids to run around. Although there were several other parties with elaborate tents and attachments, we never felt crowded or overlooked.
We just stayed for 1 night as a starter and although it started spitting when we were cooking dinner, it wasn't a problem as there were so many trees for us to shelter under.
Stayed here the beginning of august with my partner and a couple of friends who had been before. The surrounding area was very beautiful and the firepit was great fun. We will definitely be taking the kids back for that. Wildlife was exxcellent and staff was very friendly would recommend to anyone
We arrived late on Monday evening for a three night stay and were greeted with courtesy by the security guard.
Excellent, clean toilet facilities, unisex showers and a washing up area even cleaner than before. Not so was a pile of refuse we saw on Tuesday morning. A fellow camper was taking a picture and said that it had been building up since the previous Tuesday! Litter deposited beside bins, though in black bags (at first), had not been picked up. It was cleared as we left on Thursday morning having got quite pungent during the warm weather.
Those accessing the site in a larger vehicle than our Ford Transit based motorvan would have problems navigating the new road layout through a parking area for Debden House Centre residents. A previous clear, one way, system seems to have been abandoned. Lines of sight onto the road outside the site gateway are poor and road is badly in need of patching.
A wonderful site to spend sunny summer holiday with children though. Looked like a well used play area and certainly there would be plenty of space for running around games. So large is the site that it is possible to find quiet corners, an ideal for backpackers.
There looked to be a fair number of electric hook up points. Disabled facilities were reasonable with fairly level surfaces and an area near the main toilet block reserved for disabled visitors - not all that well marked though. Visually impaired visitors could have some problems.
Payment was only by cash or cheque and I wonder what will happen when cheques are phased out?
There is a shop/cafe on the site that we did not use as it was, on our visit, only open in the mornings.
Having previously visited the site over many years we knew its whereabouts. Highway signs are not very clear for newcomers.
Basic groceries available from campshop - when open. Nearest chip shop is about 3/4 mile walk as is a nice pub. Shopping centre in Debden comprehensive with a Sainsbury's that is quite good. Pay parking now behind the shopping area is for cars only. High tops unwelcome! At least there was no barrier so we could escape.
Buses to other parts of the area run at regular intervals as does the London Underground. Bridge with steps leads over to the London-bound trains could present mobility impaired with problems. Nice to see clean toilets provided on the platforms.
We visited this site for the weekend, it was very busy and seems popular with local people. It can at times be noisy. There are seven fields which meet different criteria ie groups, electric hookups etc. As this site is in Epping Forest you do feel like your in the country and are not disturbed by traffic noise. It has good security that patrol at night. We arrived at around 8.30pm on the Fri and the booking office was quite busy, we had to queue to pay as there is only one small office which had one lady ( who was very pleasant ) serving.
We hadnt booked there's no need you just turn up, there was plenty of electric hookups left, we were a party of two adults, two children and two dogs and we paid £55.00 for two nights with electric, which I think is expensive. You enter the site by a barrier, which they do not check to see if you have paid or not and just find a suitable place. We wouldn't have normally gone to a site like this but we were meeting relations there for a family get together. We were on field 1 which is close to the showers and toilets but the other fields are a very long way from these and the only other facilities are a portakabin type with a couple of toilets and showers the state of these is pretty bad. The showers are free and hot with a push button which you have to keep pushing to get a shower and rinse your shower gel off! They are cleaned twice a day and are closed while one lady cleans the ladies, mens, showers and washing up area, starting at 7.30am onwards which tends to be the busiest times so queues developed. They are then cleaned again at 5pm which isnt so bad. There are around 8 ladies and one disabled toilet, 8 showers which are large and have a lockable door and are totally private but do get very dirty as people do not bother to clean up after they have used them, which is no fault of the camps just the people using them.
Next to field 1 are some animals in a small pen, there are two fat pigs, a goat and some chickens and one very loud cockerell that loved to wake everyone up around 4.30 each morning! There is a small children's play area with a frame and slide but once again not enough for the size of the camp. We were driven mad by wasps as was everyone else there were thousands there, one lady told me she set a trap and caught 60 in a day, once again this cant be helped by the camp but it did spoil things trying to eat and keep them out of the tents, and we did have some stings to deal with !
There is a small shop and takeaway but we didn't use these so cant comment.
The site is very nice and I have stayed a number of times. It is set within Epping Forest and there are many nice walks from the site.
The site was very clean and tidy and the fire pits are a great addition.
My only criticism is that for the last two occasions, they had no records of our booking. After ten minutes of debating,I had to retrieve the email off my Phone to prove that I had booked. Very frustrating and very bad customer service!
Overall, the site is excellent and I would strongly recommend it.
Visited Debden whilst walking through Epping. A friend stayed a lot and we decided to give it a go.
The facilities were ok. We only visited the small toilet block and it was at times in need of cleaning. Not sure what the other bigger block was like as we only stayed a few nights.
We stayed in one of the firepit fields and how cool it was! There are 2 main firepit fields and a larger one at the back for bigger parties.
The main problem with these fields is that they are so far away from any toilet but simple to fix - we brought a toilet! Having the fire burning was not only fun to build and keep going it gave us extra meal ideas - baked potatoes in the fire were yum! The other problem is the firepit fields do not have electric hook up.
The fire wood was free (although some very large logs so I suggest an axe) and kindling was easy to get in the forest.
There are other fields with electric hook.
Definitely will go a few more times. Great for short breaks.
On our first visit to this site we were pleasantly surprised.
With great amount of space we could see how they could fit us in at last minute. So close to London and still surrounded by nature and the bonus of allowing campfires.
The facilities was appropriate and cleaned regularly and we didn't have any reason to complain. Until our next visit.
Having paid a £30 deposit for a group booking we arrived with the office not even knowing who we where, good thing we brought our receipt with us. Which left me wondering what the purpose of the £30 was?
With the good weather it seemed the whole of London flocked to the nearest campsite.
We were disappointed that the quality of the facilities have been neglected with the increased amount of campers. It seemed as if no preparations /adjustments were made to clean more often to compensate for the amount of campers they accommodated. Some of our friends had to drive home for a clean shower.
Camp discipline have gone out the door as well it seemed, with parties held with loud music till late at night.
One camper even set up a large speaker in the field next to ours. It felt like we were in the campsite of a Music Festival of some sort.
Don't get me wrong, we respect that some campers enjoy a bit of music when they relax, but this was ridiculous.
And even after complaining several times (untill after 9.30pm) it still seemed as if the officials just couldn't be bothered.
Friends of ours were strictly told that their dog had to be kept on a lead at all times, though we had numerous 'stray' dogs wandering into our camp without an owner in sight. Not a comforting thought as a parent with a toddler.
I will not recommend using this campsite during Bank Holidays or any other busy / popular weekend.
In fact we won't be recommending it to friend and have placed it on our only in emergencies list.
We booked our first camping excursion at debden house due to its close location to home to test our newly purchased gear. It was recommended by a family member and we were not disappointed. Its a perfectly placed camp site nestled in a quite corner of Epping forest, the site has 4 fields each with its own character, one has fire pits, one is mainly used by scouts & groups etc.. One is in a orchard location & then there's the main field which is large, flat & surrounded by forest & has a children's play area in the centre.
The site is patrolled by security guards/wardens & the main entrance is secured with a barrier which staff operate if you flash your colour coded armband which gives a reassuring sense of safety.
The site seem very flexible & accommodating and booked us in only 2 days before arrival. There are no marked pitches so you can pitch where you like which is perfect if you have a group of tents to arrange into you own little village and all this for just £7 per night (£9 with hook-up)
This a very large site and different fields cater for different needs (electric, fire pit, larger groups). It is situated in Epping Forest and when the site was not busy was absolutely perfect.
We prebooked a fire pit and were in field 5, in the centre, which were smaller pitches but fine for our 4 man tent, windbreak and cooking etc. The outer edges of field 5 seem to cater larger parties, maybe 3-4 tents per pitch. The 1st night we had the centre part mostly to ourselves.
As mentioned before the noise curfew (or most of the site rules) were not adhered too, despite the warden driving around a couple times prior to 10 o'clock, noise went on to the early hours but was bearable. As it was Bank Holiday weekend we returned from a day out on Saturday to find the site full to the brim and the 8 showers and toilet block, and the smaller toilet block at the end of field 1/2 just did not cope. In fact it felt like the toilets was never cleaned the entire weekend. I only attempted a shower once and queued to go after they were cleaned at 8am Sun, but they were still not brilliant. Saturday evening was very noisy into the early hours.
However on Sunday morning many people left and again we had most of the centre of field 5 to ourselves again and the noise that night was a lot quieter.
Tip for getting wood for your fire is to go off site and park in Epping Forest a little way from the site and gather wood there, a saw or an axe would be handy to cut larger chucks from fallen trees.
The site is very near to Epping and Loughton so Morrison’s, Tesco's and an M&S are very near for supplies, or gives you lost of choice of venues if you want to go out for a meal.
The children loved exploring the forest around field 5 and collecting wood for the fire (plus toasting marshmallows), they only visited the play area once as the bigger play area is in field 1 and quite a trek from field 5. There are a couple of swings and a slide in field 2.
I think we picked the busiest weekend of the year, but I feel that the site facilities could be easily updated and additional toilets and showers provided. However despite the above we had a lovely family weekend away and now not sure if we can ever camp without having a campfire.
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Common Questions
Is Debden House Campsite child friendly? YES, it accepts children View all facilities
Where is the nearest shop to Debden House Campsite? There is a shop within 1 mile 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
All reviews and comments are the personal opinion of the review author only , and as such do not represent the view of the UK Camp Site.co.uk.
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 
No 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 
Laundry On Site 
Drinking Water 
Disabled Friendly 
Chemical Disposal 
No Battery Charging 
No Gas Exchange 
Recycling Facilities 
No Kitchen Facilities 
No Freezer / Fridge 
No Motorhome Point 
No Wifi Access 
Shop <1 mile 
Bar <1 mile 
Restaurant or Cafe or Takeaway <5 miles 
No Playground 
No TV Room 
No Games Room 
No Evening Ents 
No Fishing 
No Wild Swimming 
Indoor Pool <5 miles 
No Outdoor Pool 
Horse Riding <5 miles 
No Cycle Hire 
Golf <1 mile 
No Tennis 
No Beach 
No Watersports 
No Boat Launch 
No Sea Views 
Not Working Farm 
Campfires Allowed 
No Waterside Pitches 
Public Transport <1 mile
Offroad Dog Walk On Site or Direct Access 
This was a lovely campsite for first-time campers. It had all the emergency amenities that we city folk who are not used to roughing it, may need: clean toilets, very clean washing up area, clean showers, plentiful wood, fire pits, shop and cafe on site. 
