Touring Caravan Sites Near London — Caravan, Motorhome & Campervan Pitches in Essex

Willows is an unusual place to bring a touring caravan. Most sites within easy reach of London sit beside a main road or on the edge of a town, and most genuinely rural sites mean a two-hour drive to the coast or the Chilterns. We are fifteen acres of field and hedgerow inside Epping Forest itself, at High Beach, and yet central London is twelve miles away and the M25 is minutes from the gate. You get forest quiet without the journey.

Pitches are grass and hard-standing, with electric hook-up and mains drinking water, and each one has its own small private garden area — a patch that is yours, rather than a numbered rectangle with a neighbour's awning two feet away. We take touring caravans, motorhomes and campervans. We do not take tents or camping of any kind, and we should be upfront that we mainly cater for long-term guests, so short stays depend on there being room.

It is a rustic site and it suits people who like that. The ground is field ground. Wildlife wanders through — fallow deer are a regular sight on the meadow and the resident horses are just over the fence. If you want entertainment, an arcade and a bar, we are the wrong place. If you want to sit outside in the evening and hear nothing but birds and the occasional pub door a hundred metres up the lane, we are very much the right one.

Every pitch comes with a 16-amp electric hook-up and access to mains drinking water. Gas is not supplied, so bring your own bottles. There is one car parking space per pitch, and no height restrictions on the site, which means motorhomes and larger vehicles are no trouble at all.

The toilet and shower block runs on mains services: flushing mains toilets, power showers in wet-room cubicles, and hot and cold sinks. You'll need to bring your own toilet paper. There's a laundry on site. If you're in a touring caravan with a chemical toilet and an onboard shower, most guests find they use the block day to day and keep the van's facilities for the middle of the night.

Two things worth knowing before you book. There is no WiFi on site, anywhere — mobile data only. And there are no open or wood fires permitted, only charcoal BBQs, because we are surrounded by ancient woodland. Check-in is from 11am and check-out before 12 noon.

If you're bringing your own caravan, motorhome or campervan, nightly rates start at £25–£35 for one person and £35–£45 for two. For parties of more than two, please give us a ring and we'll work it out with you. Awnings are charged separately — £125 pcm for a full awning or extra-large pitch, £15 per week for a half awning.

If you don't have a van of your own, we also let park-owned accommodation by the night when it's free: rooms and small caravans from £35, small one-beds from £45, caravans from £40, large one-beds from £60, and the large two-bed log cabin from £100. Full details are on the pricing page.

Anything beyond 28 days moves onto our long-term rates, which are considerably better value — £625 pcm for one person with their own caravan, or £155 per week. If you think you might want to stay on, say so when you call and we'll put you on the right footing from the start. Payment is by bank transfer only; we don't take cards.

Epping Forest is the main event: six thousand acres of ancient woodland with miles of walking tracks and bridleways beginning at our boundary. Within a short walk you'll find Queen Elizabeth's Hunting Lodge, a Tudor hunting grandstand and one of the most photographed buildings in the forest, along with Dick Turpin's cave and haunts, the ancient Saxon camp deep in the trees, and Connaught Water.

The Owl is barely a hundred metres from the gate and the King's Oak is close by, so a decent pint requires no driving at all. West Essex Golf Course sits directly opposite the park. Lee Valley White Water Centre, built for the Olympics, is a short drive at Waltham Abbey, as are the Abbey gardens and ruins where King Harold is buried.

Getting here: from the M25 leave at Junction 26 and follow your sat-nav to IG10 4AW. There is no public transport to the gate — the nearest bus is one to three miles away and Loughton on the Central Line is about three miles — so a car or a bike is effectively required. Viewings and bookings are by appointment, so please call first on 07816 847541.