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Campsites in River Thames

See both picture-postcard countryside and city sights while camping on England’s most iconic river.

96% (3045 reviews)

Popular camping styles for River Thames

Dog-friendly getaways

12 top campsites in River Thames

38%
(4)

Glamping at Redricks

41 units · Glamping2 acres · East Anglia, Hertfordshire
Beautiful natural lakes glamping site in East Hertfordshire surrounded by farm and fields. The site has one area for glamping and another for camping guests who bring their own tent. There are showers, toilets and mobile washing up sinks in the fields and cold drinking water, as well as kitchen facilities and a BBQ at each glamping unit. Each bell tent has firepits in the open field but not in the wooded areas. It's a 10-minute drive into Sawbridgeworth (or a lovely gentle half-hour walk beside the River Stort following the Stort Valley Way). In town, take a look around the Tudor House Gallery (01279 600112), gathering treats for yourself from the gift shop, or visit some of the many antique shops in the town. If activities are more your style, then you can make use of the various riding stables that are dotted around Sawbridgeworth and Harlow. Hoskins Farm Riding Stables (01279722165) is less than 10 minutes' drive away and caters for all experience levels. The art gallery, Parndon Mill (01279426042) is also nearby taking just over 10 minutes to reach, they have lots of arts and crafts exhibitions and also host various art classes throughout the week. There are several good pubs within walking distance of Glamping at Redricks. The Moorhen (01279 423066) is over a half-hour walk away – casual and relaxed and good for families with kids, you can enjoy their wide range of beers, wines and dinner options in their sunny beer garden. Half an hour's walk will also get you to The Plume of Feathers (01279 424154), where they have a new stone-baked pizza oven and a patio with an outdoor bar, and The Dusty Miller (01279424180) – both are in nearby Gilston.
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£120
 / night
99%
(39)

Thamesview Camping

25 units · Glamping, Motorhomes, Tents12 acres · East Anglia, Essex
Meadow camping in a riverside village – 45 minutes from central London
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£20
 / night
97%
(52)

Star Field Camping

21 units · Glamping, Motorhomes, Tents1 acre · South East England, Kent
Off-grid camping and glamping in the High Weald of Kent with campfires, acres of space and a farm shop on site
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£25
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94%
(74)

Chigborough Farm

48 units · Glamping, Motorhomes, Tents130 acres · East Anglia, Essex
Boating, biking and bell tent glamping on a farm near the Blackwater Estuary, where good food and walkable pubs are also on the menu.
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£13
 / night
97%
(67)

Brook Meadow

103 units · Glamping, Motorhomes, Tents15 acres · East Midlands, Northamptonshire
A secluded lakeside campsite to fall in love with
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£24
 / night
97%
(129)

Beech Estate Campsite

53 units · Glamping, Tents20 acres · Battle, East Sussex
Tent pitch camping and wild glamping in a Sussex woodland hideaway
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£24
 / night
100%
(2)

The Grassy Shire

18 units · Tents8 acres · East Midlands, Rutland, Uppingham
Spacious camping pitches in a meadow with a stream
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£22
 / night
75%
(8)

Field 725 Camping

20 units · Glamping, Tents5 acres · South West England, Somerset
Field 725 is situated at Redwood Rare Breeds in Wanstorw Somerset. Redwood Rare Breeds is a new rare breeds farm park in the making with 35 acres of fields and forest. Located on the edge of the Mendip Hills, Somerset between the popular hotspots of Frome and Bruton. Our campsite, Field 725, is perched on the top of a hill with outstanding views of the surrounding area, flanked on one side by untouched natural woodland adding to the wildness of the site and enhancing the opportunities for getting back to nature and in touch with your wild side.
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£28
 / night
82%
(11)

Woolton Farm

24 units · Glamping, Tents600 acres · South East England, Kent, Canterbury
Camping pitches and bell tents on an apple farm in Kent
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£45
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67%
(12)

Dorset Glamping

50 units · Tents55 acres · South West England, Dorset, Swanage
At Herston we are a family orientated site, safe for children and our friendly staff will help you with whatever you need. There is so much to discover and experience around picturesque Purbeck; gateway to the Jurassic Coast, England’s first World Heritage Site. Take a trip on the famous Swanage steam train to historical Corfe Castle as we are only a 5 minute walk to Herston Halt station. Enjoy walks along the spectacular coastline and National Trust countryside and why not try out some bird watching, fishing, water sports or even sandcastle building. Further afield are Monkey World, the Tank Museum, Weymouth, Poole Harbour and the bright lights of Bournemouth. You can abandon the car for the entire holiday if you wish since the park is just over a mile from the bustling Seaside town centre of Swanage where many interesting events are held including the Swanage Carnival, Blues Festival, Folk Festival and Jazz Festival. It is even less distance to the sandy blue flag family beaches. On-site, there are great facilities for you to enjoy during your stay. If you want to unwind with just a coffee or sit back and relax in front of the log burning fire and sip your tipple of choice, knowing that your evening meal is being prepared by our experienced chefs then our bar is the place for you. There is a large selection of lager and real ales for you to enjoy as well as known spirits and wines for the discerning palette. Please check our "What's On" page for up and coming events and entertainment at Herston. Don’t forget the kids as we have an extensive children’s menu and a large selection of non-alcoholic drinks available and immediately behind the bar is our children’s play park, including swings and slides, you can watch you kids playing in comfort from our conservatory. We also have a show bar on site where most of our entertainment takes place during peak season. There is also a takeaway bar situated for you in the camping fields open at peak times for breakfast and evening meals. Also serving a wide variety of hot food from fish and chips to a full English, cold drinks, slush puppies and ice creams. If you do forget to bring anything then there is an on-site shop that carries most of the essentials that you may need. We do not charge for dogs. However, we do require that they are kept on a lead at all times whilst on the park, and that as a responsible owner, you clean up any mess they may create.
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£80
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99%
(135)

Lillyroo's

23 units · Glamping, Motorhomes3 acres · South East England, Kent
Camping and glamping near the Kent coast, with campfires and a good on-site bar
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£14
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Booked 1 time

Springfield Farm Campsite

28 units · Glamping, Motorhomes, Tents10 acres · Gedney Hill, Lincolnshire
General Family- and dog-friendly site in the Lincolnshire Fens Adventurers’ haven: walking, biking and riding routes, and boat hire Slow-paced site: golfing and fishing less than 10 minutes’ walk away Don your explorers’ cap for oodles of hiking, biking, riding and boating… At Springfield Farm Campsite, a family-friendly site half an hour’s drive from Spalding market town in Lincolnshire, they’re all part of a relaxing getaway. Inside the Lincolnshire Fens, Springfield Farm is a prime jumping-off spot for exploration of this part of Cambridgeshire – there are tons of trails criss-crossing the Fens that should suit cyclists, ramblers and horseback riders down to the marshland ground, and you can hire a narrowboat for a day of tootling along the Fens’ small rivers in March (30 minutes away). For that sedate experience, net yourself some prime lakeside seating and cast a line out at North View Fishing Lakes, less than a minute’s drive or 10 minutes’ walk from the site, or play a round at the neighbouring Gedney Hill Golf Course instead. Back on site, there’s play equipment, petting animals, table tennis, football and basketball for the whole family – even your pups will be kept busy with a few turns in the enclosed dog walk area. Once you’ve all worked up an appetite, head to the shared kitchen or fire up the barbecue and get to cooking (you can grab supplies from the grocery store two minutes down the road or one of the larger supermarkets in Wisbech, half an hour away). If you’d prefer a change of scenery, try one of the restaurants within 15 minutes of Springfield Farm.
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£20
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Under £50

Star Hosts in River Thames

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Camping in River Thames guide

Britain’s second-longest river acts like a billboard for archetypal English landscapes: it starts in the Cotswolds, then proceeds through university city Oxford and winds around the wooded chalk-and-grass escarpment of the Chiltern Hills. The Thames enters London via Windsor Castle, Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, and Richmond with its ancient deer park. Within the UK capital, the waterway passes some of the world’s most iconic sights before emptying  into the North Sea, passing bird-rich marshes. Walk the whole river on the 185-mile Thames Path, or choose a well-situated campsite on its edge.

Where to Go

Cotswolds AONB

The Thames rises within the UK’s biggest AONB: the Cotswolds. These low hills—interspersed with honey-hued historic stone villages, quiet churches, and country pubs—typifies the quintessential English rural landscape. The river begins near Kemble, then flows through the huge lake system of the Cotswolds Water Park, known for its water sports, where there are several waterside campsites. The area’s walking is excellent, and the 625-mile Monarch’s Way numbers among the lesser-known long-distance paths.

Oxford Surrounds

Oxford is a must-visit city and a great base for discovering the Thames’ middle section. Visit world-class museums, wander around magnificent colleges, or take a traditional punt ride along the river—then hightail it out of town into the surrounding countryside. There is a riverside campsite in nearby Donnington, while the lavish country estate Blenheim Palace and ancient Wytham Woods are both also worth a visit. From Oxford, pick up the long-distance Shakespeare’s Way to see sights connected with the bard.

Chilterns AONB

The Thames brushes the edge of the Chiltern Hills, the last sizable green space before the river flows into London suburbia. Deviate from the river around Goring to roam into these grassy, chalky, wood-dotted hills. Aside from walking one of many trails such as the Ridgeway, one of Britain’s most ancient roads, you could bird-watch for red kites or visit historic properties like Nuffield Place. Park the motorhome or pitch your tent close to the river outside Wallingford, a spot well-placed for Chilterns explorations.

Richmond-on-Thames & Around

There is much beauty in the transition between countryside and city, never better evidenced than at smart, leafy Richmond-upon-Thames, where a medieval deer park and the Royal Botanic Gardens of Kew provide a selection of fauna and flora many far-more rural locations would be envious of. Pitching around London is scarce, but there is camping at Walton-on-Thames, six miles southwest of Richmond Park, near Hampton Court Palace.

Hoo Peninsula

The mouth of the river is perhaps its most mysterious part. The ethereal spreads of bird-rich marshland on the Thames’ south side along the Kent coast were only connected via riverside path to central London in 2022, turning the Thames’ banks into a true source-to-sea walking route out to the Hoo Peninsula’s Isle of Grain. As the new official start/finish of any complete Thames exploration, the Hoo is now a compelling walking destination. Camp at Allhallows to begin the adventure.

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