Debden house campsite, London

[millimat]

Last ditch attempt at help for a site! Location is perfect but reviews are shocking! Has anyone been?

Ok I'll start with the positives. It's really well organised, the pitches are big and you can have a campfire. However when we went it was stupidly noisy at night: there seems to be a field you can book in it's entirety for parties and they had some sort of reunion going on there. I'm no party pooper but shouty renditions of Onward Christian Soldiers at 2.00 in the morning was making me have some very un-Christian thoughts indeed. they shut up at 4.00 (after singing the National Anthem). I wouldn't go back, which is a shame as it's in Epping Forest, so perfect for bikes rides etc.

Everything you've put is what I'd thought from the reviews. Its such a shame but I'm not tolerant enough to cope with noise when I want to be asleep.
This is proving to be more difficult than I hoped...

We must have been lucky when we went - no noise at all, even though we were back to back with a pitch full of teenagers! That was in mid-September, though, so possibly a less busy time.

I really liked it, it was a first time test camp for us as we only live about 20 mins away, and I like the fact you can have campfires. Great location - however my nephew went there recently and reported that there were groups going into other people's tents and nicking stuff - as it backs ont the forest anyone determined enough can just walk in the back way, despite the security on the front road - that's enough to put me off doing it again.

If it's the area you like, have you tried Sewardstone campsite? It's far more secure and a bit better run, only that bit further away from the forest itself: www.visitleevalley.org.uk/en/content/cms/where-to-stay-and-short-breaks/sewardstone-campsite/

Also Gilwell Park, which you used to be able to camp at if you weren't a scout (but would have to not mind sharing the site with scout groups!)

www.scoutactivitycentres.org.uk/locations/gilwellpark/accommodationandcamping/

lovecat I really like the look of all the lee valley sites. The problem is that we want to visit the Olympic park and I can't work out how we would get there using public transport. Looks complicated to me.

It would be, a bit - you'd need to get the bus that runs from the campsite to Walthamstow, then get the Victoria line to Tottenham Hale and change onto the main line for Stratford. About an hour's journey.

Alternatively you could try Willows in High Beech - it has mixed reviews on UK campsite, but I know the location well (my horse is stabled next to it!) and it's 3 miles from Loughton station on the Central line, which'll take you direct to Stratford in about 20 mins - however there's no buses so either trog 3 miles through largely unlit country roads with no pavement or pay £7 each way for a taxi... :(

Actually, having checked on the TfL website you could do it in 2 buses - the 215 (which stops inside the campsite in high season) to Walthamstow and then the 97 to Stratford Bus station which is directly outside the station and the Westfield Olympic Park entrance. About an hour and 20 mins, though.

Aargh, pressed enter too soon - that 2 bus route is from Lee Valley, not Willows. Willows is in the middle of nowhere next to a pub. And horses.

If you were driving you could get there in about 20 mins door to door, it's just really awkward that it's not near the tube...

Tbh never considered driving to the Olympic park. I always think if London as a tube place! Is it easy to park near the Olympic stadium?

There's tons of parking in Westfield which is literally next to the stadium, £5 a day on weekdays. It's fairly straightforward to get to and very well signposted. We often drive there if we're doing John Lewis or Lakeland shopping (which is likely to get bulky...)

Brill thank you. Is the sewardstone the best lee valley site?

I only know that site, but having looked at the other 2 I would say it's the best for getting into London. The other two are placed on the edges (the Lee Valley one right in the middle) of huge industrial estates, whereas the Sewardstone one is at least surrounded by greenery and close to the forest if you wanted to spend time there.

Lee Valley is in the middle of an enormous industrial estate, surrounded by big grey warehouses and retail parks (Makro etc) and tbh I would avoid it.

Dobbs' Weir is on the edge of an industrial estate and backs onto a train line, but on UK Campsite it gets some good reviews. However it's the furthest out - in fact both the other 2 are on the 'wrong' side of the reservoir and you'd need to drive just to get anywhere.

Don't know anything about campsites, but have you considered driving to a tube station from the campsite and parking there? Eg drive to Loughton, which is on Central Line so easy to get to Stratford (also on Central Line) for Olympic PArk.

Ooh, look! this just came up in my email - have you booked yet?