Woohoo the Summer holidays are well underway and ours started off in perfect style with a camping trip to Polstead Camping and Caravanning Club Site in Essex which is 6 miles from Sudbury and 9 miles from Colchester. The weather was definitely on our side as we pitched up for our first camping trip of the Summer.
FINDING THE SITE
The journey to Polstead Camping and Caravaning Club Site was a pretty easy one, we approached from the A14 to Bury St Edmonds and then followed the A134, turning onto the A1071 after Cornard Tye. From here the campsite was signposted and very easy to find.
CHECKING IN
We arrived at 1pm and there were two people ahead of me in the queue but we were all checked in very quickly and received a lovely welcome from the on-site Managers. I had requested a pitch close to the children’s play area and they confirmed that this wouldn’t be a problem.
FACILITIES
Amenities Block – There is one central amenities block on the site which plays home to the mens and ladies WC and wash rooms, family/disabled bathroom, washing up facilities and laundry area. To the side of this (see image above) is the Motor Home Service Point.
Water Points, Refuse Disposal and Fire Points – we were in the family field which is at the back of the site close to the camping field. There was a water point here and a fire point but the refuse disposal is in the front corner of the site close to the main house. The children didn’t like going to the water point in the family field though because it had lots of wasps coming out from the slabs below so perhaps there is a nest there. We saw further fire and water points around the site when we walked around.
Play Area – the play area ran down the centre of the family camping area. This made it quite nice for us since it was right outside our tent so the children could come and go as they pleased. Campers with children elsewhere on the site would bring their children over for short stints and then go away again. We did worry that it might be a little noisy around bedtime but it was quiet from about 8.45pm.
Information Area – the local information was displayed on a large noticeboard between the doors to the men’s and ladies washrooms. There is a further information stand in the Dishwashing room and a little more in the main Reception.
Night Lights – This was perhaps my only bugbear with the site as there were very few lights around so the site felt very dark at night. To access the WCs at night you have to pass through the camping field and through a little path into the main area. The camping field only had one very dim light in the corner which offered little to no light and there were no lights at all along the narrow path. We definitely needed to use our torches to move around at night.
Dog Walking Area – there are two designated dog walking areas on site, the top left image shows the very short walk away from the camping field and the other three come off the side of the back left pitches with hard-standing. The path appears to be an old road which leads a short walk in both directions.
Disabled Facilities/Pot Washing/Chemical Toilet Disposal – as mentioned above all of these are situated in the main amenities block.
GENERAL THOUGHTS
NOISE LEVEL
STAFF/CLEANLINESS
From what I could tell there was only one couple managing the site as well as the owners. The site was always kept very clean and there was regular maintenance going on like trimming the bushes and emptying the bins. You could tell that Polstead was well cared for.
LOCAL AREA
As I mentioned above, we specifically chose Polstead because we hoped to spend the week on the beach enjoying the sunshine and we did just that. We spent our days playing in the water and on the beach, retreating to Clacton Pier, the fair and the arcades or shops when the heat became too much. We popped to the local town of Hadleigh to do some shopping on a couple of afternoons but that was about it for us.
NEARBY ATTRACTIONS
Polstead Camping and Caravanning Club Site is situated close to the towns of Sudbury and Colchester. When we spoke to fellow campers, the majority of them had been exploring Sudbury, Colchester and Manningtree.
- Colchester Zoo
- Colchester Castle
- Lindsey St James Chapel
- East Bergholt Place Gardens
- Gainsborough House, Sudbury
- Kentwell Hall
Hi, Polstead is no longer a Camping and Caravan Club site. As of 1st November it is being run as an Adults Only site and has been renamed Polstead Country Park.